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President Donald Trump has capped off his 29th week back in the Oval Office, which included celebrating his 200th day as the 47th president, completing revamps to the White House’s Rose Garden and an overall focus on the U.S. economy and international diplomacy that unfolded at a break-neck pace this week.
“In just 200 days, President Trump has turned America into the hottest country in the world,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital, reflecting on Trump’s 200th day in office on Thursday. “Under Joe Biden’s failed leadership, families and businesses were struggling, and America was dead — but President Trump has quickly restored American greatness. The historic trade deals and peace deals he secured on behalf of the American people made President Trump’s second 100 days just as successful as the first.”
The first 100 days of a new administration have commonly been viewed as a symbolic benchmark to measure a president’s early successes. A White House official told Fox Digital that Trump’s measure of success was seen not only in the first 100 days, but also in the timeframe between the 100th day and Aug. 7 — the 200th day.
TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CELEBRATES LATEST CHAPTER OF WINS AT 200-DAY MARK
Economy and tariffs
Trump’s 29th week in office included an overall and ongoing focus on new business investments in the U.S. and new tariffs on foreign nations as the administration looks to bring parity to the U.S.’ historic trade deficit with other nations. The White House teased that Trump would make a major announcement on Wednesday, which ultimately revealed Apple had increased its U.S. investment commitment by $100 billion to $600 billion.
“Today Apple is announcing that it will invest $600 billion — that’s with a B — in the United States over the next four years. That’s $100 billion more than they were originally going to invest. And this is the largest investment Apple has ever made in America and anywhere else,” Trump said on Wednesday from the Oval Office, where he was joined by Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Trump’s announcement on the deal was one facet of this week’s focus on the U.S. economy. The president signed a pair of executive orders on Thursday allowing Americans to invest their 401(k) retirement plans in cryptocurrency, private equity and real estate, as well as another EO that works to ensure that banks do not “deny or restrict services based on political beliefs, religious beliefs, or lawful business activities,” according the EO.
Trump kicked off the week by announcing he would increase tariffs on India over the country’s continued purchase of Russian oil, with goods from India now facing a 50% tariff. The tariff hikes followed months of the U.S. and India holding trade negotiations that appeared to be all but solidified in July, but fell to pieces by August.
“Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country,” Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday.
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“Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. MAGA!” he continued.
Trump’s tariff plans aim to increase the amount of American-built products and U.S.-based companies, and the president said he would also impose a 100% tariff on imports of semiconductors and chips. Companies “building in the United States,” however, will be exempt from the tariffs, he said.
“100 percent tariff on all chips and semiconductors coming into the United States, but if you’ve made a commitment to build, or if you’re in the process of building, as many are, there is no tariff,” he said on Wednesday.
International Diplomacy
Trump wrapped up the working week by holding a trilateral meeting with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign a peace agreement after the two nations have battled one another since the 1980s over a territorial conflict.
The White House said Friday that the two nations agreed to build a road connecting Azerbaijan and an autonomous enclave currently separated by Armenian territory. The road will be called the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” according to the White House.
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“The roadmap they are agreeing to will build a cooperative future that benefits both countries, their region of the South Caucasus and beyond,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Friday of the peace deal.
The peace deal comes as Trump continues working to reach a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine as the war that broke out in 2022 continues raging between the nations. Armenia and Azerbaijan are both former constituent republics of the Soviet Union.
Trump said earlier this week that he is open to meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which would mark the pair’s first meeting since Trump was sworn back into office this year.
“As President Trump said yesterday, the Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to this meeting. President Trump would like to meet with both President Putin and President Zelensky, because he wants this brutal war to end. The White House is working through the details of these potential meetings, and details will be provided at the appropriate time,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Thursday.
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Trump confirmed on Friday that he would meet with Putin on Aug. 15 in Alaska.
“The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska. Further details to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he posted to Truth Social on Friday.
Rose Garden updates and Trump’s surprise roof appearance
Trump announced in March that he planned to renovate the historic garden with pavers, explaining that the grass “doesn’t work” and citing how the soft terrain was difficult for some visitors to navigate.
“We’re getting great reviews of the Rose Garden, and we had to do it,” Trump told reporters on Sunday of the update.
The area was officially paved over with a bright white patio boasting the White House’s emblem on its perimeter.
“When we had a press conference, you’d sink into the mud. It was grass, and it was very wet, always wet and damp and wet, and if it rained, it would take three, four, five days to dry out, and we couldn’t use it really for the intended purpose,” he added.
TRUMP APPEARS ON WHITE HOUSE ROOF AMID TALKS OF HISTORIC RENOVATIONS
“It’s a beautiful white stone, and it’s a stone that’s the same color as the White House itself,” Trump said. “And because it’s very white, it’s going to reflect the heat, and it’s not going to be very hot. Yeah, we’ve got great reviews of the Rose Garden.”
On Tuesday, the president made a surprise appearance on the White House roof, surveying the area from roof of the West Wing and the press briefing room. Reporters on the ground gathered near the president while shouting questions at him.
The appearance comes just days after Trump announced that he and private donors will fund an estimated $200 million cost of a new ballroom at the White House.
Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy, Caitlin McFall and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
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