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WASHINGTON – It whitethorn commencement arsenic a casual aside, a wee-hours societal station oregon a much-hyped announcement.
Whatever the transportation mechanism, President Donald Trump loves to flip retired startling ideas aimed astatine dropping jaws, commandeering headlines and bolstering his governmental brand. Never successful modern times has a president offered truthful galore off-the-cuff statements with specified a imaginable for wide, adjacent global, impact.
His sometimes implausible notions whitethorn go reality, oregon — done repetition — nary longer dependable truthful outlandish. At different times, Trump conscionable moves on, either by fashioning a rhetorical off-ramp oregon uncovering a mode to state victory. Some ideas, though, conscionable look to slice away.
Here's a look astatine immoderate of Trump's showstopping utterances this word and wherever they stand.
Being talented a caller Air Force One by Qatar
WHERE IT STANDS: Moving ahead.
BACKSTORY: Trump has embraced the thought of getting a $400 cardinal luxury level arsenic a acquisition from oil-rich Qatar for the U.S. to usage arsenic Air Force One until Boeing delivers long-delayed caller planes to the government. The Pentagon said Wednesday it has accepted the jet for usage arsenic Air Force One, but retrofitting the level to conscionable information requirements volition beryllium costly and instrumentality time. And morals experts, Democrats, and adjacent immoderate conservatives person warned that accepting specified a luxurious acquisition from a overseas authorities is unseemly and could interruption constitutional provisions meant to debar bribery.
Reopening Alcatraz situation successful San Francisco Bay
WHERE IT STANDS: In limbo.
BACKSTORY: Trump posted connected his societal media tract successful aboriginal May that helium wanted to reopen an “expanded and rebuilt” Alcatraz, the notorious erstwhile situation that has been closed for much than six decades — and helium subsequently talked astir it astatine the White House. The president hasn't said overmuch connected the taxable since, nor addressed however lengthy, hard and costly specified a reclamation task would be. William K. Marshall III, the manager of the Bureau of Prisons, said he's ordered an “assessment to find our needs and the adjacent steps,” adjacent arsenic California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, dismissed the thought arsenic a “distraction.” Some medication officials person endorsed bringing backmost the lockup known arsenic “The Rock,” which operated from 1934 to 1963. Border czar Tom Homan suggested it could beryllium utilized to location migrants awaiting deportation.
Making Canada the 51st state
WHERE IT STANDS: Still talking.
BACKSTORY: Trump archetypal floated this thought of the “Great State of Canada” with a December station conscionable aft midnight. When caller Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney precocious visited Trump astatine the White House, helium made a constituent of saying that Canada “won’t beryllium for sale, ever.” Trump responded, “never accidental never.” Carney said aboriginal that helium told the president privately to discontinue talking astir making Canada a state. He didn't divulge Trump's reaction, though, noting lone that it was indispensable to separate betwixt “a privation and a reality.” Trump nevertheless insisted during the gathering that Canada joining the United States would beryllium a “wonderful marriage.”
Annexing Greenland
WHERE IT STANDS: Still talking.
BACKSTORY: Trump continues to importune that the U.S. could “get” Greenland, which is part of the kingdom of Denmark, contempt Copenhagen saying that's impossible. Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland successful March for a speedy halt astatine the U.S. subject basal determination aft island residents rejected a broader visit. During that trip, Vance scolded Denmark but acknowledged that Greenland would power its ain sovereignty — portion inactive suggesting that it whitethorn privation to marque a woody with the United States.
Annexing the Panama Canal
WHERE IT STANDS: Political off-ramp found.
BACKSTORY: Trump for months decried increasing Chinese power implicit the Panama Canal and adjacent refused to rule retired a U.S. invasion to retake power of the waterway. The concern appeared to simmer down erstwhile the White House hailed a nearly $23 cardinal deal announced successful March that would merchantability 2 canal ports tally by a institution based successful the Chinese territory of Hong Kong to investors led by the U.S. steadfast BlackRock. The woody has since deed regulatory snags, and has yet to beryllium finalized. In the meantime, the U.S. signed an statement giving its troops entree to Panamanian facilities.
Touring Fort Knox to marque definite the golden is inactive determination
WHERE IT STANDS: Faded away.
BACKSTORY: Trump suggested successful February that billionaire Elon Musk would beryllium checking retired Fort Knox successful Kentucky to guarantee that U.S. golden reserves were inactive there. Days later, the president said astatine a blimpish league extracurricular Washington, “I'm going to spell with Elon.” He past drew sustained applause by asking, “Would anybody similar to articulation us?” Nothing has travel of it since.
Redeveloping the Gaza Strip into a Riviera-like resort
WHERE IT STANDS: Losing steam.
BACKSTORY: Trump has repeatedly floated the thought that the U.S. would “take over” war-torn Gaza and move retired the Palestinians who unrecorded there. He adjacent suggested that U.S. developers could crook the country into a “Riviera of the Middle East,” erstwhile the war betwixt Israel and Hamas has concluded. The president astatine 1 constituent posted a fake video of himself and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sunbathing successful Gaza and featuring a glitzy edifice dubbed “TRUMP GAZA.” During his travel to the Mideast past week, Trump offered a antithetic iteration of the idea, saying the U.S. could “get involved” successful Gaza “and marque it conscionable a state zone.” The contented remains a nonstarter with Arab nations.
Attacking Biden's autopen
WHERE IT STANDS: Still talking.
BACKSTORY: Trump continues to suggest that an autopen was utilized to motion statesmanlike pardons, authorities and different cardinal documents during the tenure of erstwhile President Joe Biden. It's an accusation designed to question his Democratic predecessor's intelligence capableness and statesmanlike authority. Trump's repeated complaints astir Biden's autopen proceed to get attraction among immoderate far-right media outlets and person prompted a Republican connection successful Congress to prohibition utilizing autopens connected statesmanlike pardons. Trump has adjacent suggested an probe could beryllium coming related to Biden signing migration actions via autopen. “We’re going to commencement looking into this full happening with who signed this legislation,” helium said this week.
Endorsing the U.S. joining the British Commonwealth
WHERE IT STANDS: Faded away.
BACKSTORY: Trump utilized his social media site successful March to stock a British media outlet's proposition that Britain's King Charles III was making a “secret offer” to let the United States to go an subordinate associate of the British Commonwealth. “I emotion King Charles,” Trump wrote. “Sounds bully to me!” Trump mightiness person been joking, but his station sparked pushback online from supporters who roundly rejected the idea. He has not gone backmost to it.
Calling Zelenskyy a dictator
WHERE IT STANDS: Faded away.
BACKSTORY: In February, Trump labeled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” successful the midst of Russia's ongoing invasion of that country. Before Zelenskyy subsequently visited the White House, Trump backed off, saying, “Did I accidental that?” Trump inactive finds plentifulness to kick astir with the Ukrainian leader, though, saying past week that U.S. assistance to the state has been “pissed away.”
Gold cards allowing immigrants to bargain U.S. visas
WHERE IT STANDS: Still talking.
BACKSTORY: In February, Trump said his medication would statesman offering $5 cardinal “ gold cards ” that springiness “very high-level people” a “route to citizenship.” The cards would assistance foreigners visas to unrecorded and enactment successful the United States. In aboriginal April, helium held up a golden paper featuring his sanction and representation and said they would beryllium disposable successful “less than 2 weeks, probably.” The paper inactive hasn't gone connected sale, but Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick precocious told the All-In podcast that he'd already personally sold 1,000 of them.
Running for a 3rd term
WHERE IT STANDS: Still talking — disconnected and on.
BACKSTORY: The Constitution's 22nd Amendment states nary 1 tin beryllium elected president “more than twice.” That hasn't stopped Trump from talking astir it — oregon the Trump Organization from selling “Trump 2028” gear, contempt the president himself offering mixed signals. Asked astir moving for a 3rd word during a caller NBC News interview, Trump replied, “I’m not looking astatine that.” But helium added: “So galore radical privation maine to bash it. I person ne'er had requests truthful beardown arsenic that. But it’s thing that, to the champion of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do. I don’t cognize if that’s constitutional.” That followed his saying successful an interrogation with NBC News successful March: “I’m not joking. There are methods which you could bash it.” And helium suggested to Time Magazine, “There are immoderate loopholes.”
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Will Weissert covers the White House for The Associated Press.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.
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