Trump’s legal fights and Elon Musk’s business overlap: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

Happy Friday! In today’s newsletter, we’re diving into the Trump administration’s various legal cases, including several where judges are starting to get annoyed. We’re also taking a look at how the White House is handling potential conflicts of interest for Elon Musk, given his business interests, and how Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is handling a swell of Democratic anger at him. And last but not least, we answer another reader question using data from the latest NBC News poll. Enjoy the newsletter, and enjoy your weekend.

— Scott Bland

The Trump administration’s many court cases heat up

Several federal judges expressed frustration this week with how President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing forward his sweeping agenda, as Trump and his allies got even more aggressive in their criticism of the judiciary, Dareh Gregorian, Gary Grumbach and Chloe Atkins report.

Trump called for the impeachment of a judge who temporarily halted deportations being carried out under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act, while also blasting the jurist on his Truth Social platform as a “grandstander” whose rulings are “inept.” 

The Trump administration currently has over 15 appeals pending, including from rulings this week reining in the power of Elon Musk’s Department of Governmental Efficiency. 

You can read more about those appeals and other cases here. But first — more on Musk, and how the White House is handling potential conflicts of interest for the world’s richest man-turned-“special government employee.” 

As the public face of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, Musk has an expansive portfolio that spans across the many levers of government — and that could intersect with his wide range of business interests, Ben Kamisar reports. 

But unlike another high-profile “special government employee” working in Trump’s White House, AI and crypto czar David Sacks, there’s no evidence that Musk has obtained a conflict-of-interest waiver. Such a waiver would outline the steps he’s taken to avoid overlaps between his business interests and his government work, include an explanation from the White House counsel about why it feels comfortable with Musk’s arrangement, and identify areas where Musk has the green light to weigh in despite his business holdings.

Instead, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News that Musk has already pledged he’d avoid potential conflicts of interest, and like all Trump-appointed “special government employees,” he’s “abiding by all applicable laws.” 

In response to an NBC News inquiry about a potential waiver for Musk, the White House counsel’s office replied that “the White House has no disclosures responsive to your request.” And while some ethics documents are not immediately available for release, instead becoming public weeks after submission, the White House press office did not directly address whether Musk has sought or received a conflict-of-interest waiver that has not yet been released publicly.

Another special government employee, Sacks, did receive a conflict-of-interest waiver, which has been posted publicly on the White House’s public disclosure portal (releasing these documents publicly upon request is mandated by federal law). That 11-page memo, written by White House Counsel David Warrington, provides a road map to the kinds of conflict-of-interest rules that govern special government employees. The memo shows how Sacks has sought to divest his assets to satisfy the White House’s lawyers, and it demonstrates why he is receiving a conflict-of-interest waiver in the first place that allows him to participate in “certain particular matters regarding regulation and policy related to the digital asset industry.”

What to know from the Trump presidency today

• Musk visited the Pentagon on Friday for a briefing that Trump insists was focused on the tech mogul’s Department of Government Efficiency efforts, disputing a New York Times report that the meeting would include a discussion of plans for any potential war with China.
• Trump said that the Small Business Administration, instead of the Department of Education, would handle the country’s federal student loan portfolio.
• The Trump administration is launching an AI tool for government use.
• Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared together in the Oval Office to announce a Boeing contract to build the new F-47 fighter.

Angry Democrats are taking aim at Schumer. But is this his ‘Biden moment?’

By Kristen Welker

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is facing ongoing calls to step down from left-leaning activist groups and even some members of Congress upset with his decision to advance a Republican spending bill and avert a government shutdown. But Schumer remains defiant and has continued to insist he is the best leader for the party in the Senate at this moment.

I pressed Schumer on his future in leadership when I spoke with him this week in an interview airing on “Meet the Press” this Sunday.

Still, it doesn’t seem like Schumer is facing the same level of opposition that confronted President Joe Biden when he stepped down as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee last summer. In that moment, scores of elected Democrats from both chambers of Congress came forward to call on Biden to end his campaign. (Schumer himself reportedly pushed Biden to drop out of the race, according to The New York Times.)

In this moment, most of the pushback so far is coming from Democrats in the House. And some Senate Democrats who were outspoken about Biden are holding their fire on Schumer.

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., one of the first Democratic members of Congress who called on Biden to step aside last year, sidestepped a question at a recent town hall about whether Schumer should remain in his leadership post, notably stopping short of calling on Schumer to pass the torch. Bennet said, “In dodging your question, let me just say it’s important for people to know, you know, when it’s time to go. And I think in the case of Joe Biden, and we’re going to have future conversations about all the Democratic leadership.”

And Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who has emerged as a leading voice urging Democrats to more aggressively take on Trump, also told me on “Meet the Press” last week that he still supports the minority leader.

“Leader Schumer has a very difficult job. I don’t envy the job that he has,” Murphy said. “And the question is really for the members of his Democratic caucus: Are we willing to fight?”

Meanwhile, Democratic angst has continued to simmer, boiling over at recent town hall meetings. And Democratic voters want their party to put up a fight, according to the latest NBC News poll.

So is Schumer making the same mistake as Biden and overstaying his welcome as a leader of the Democratic Party? I asked him that question directly, so tune in on Sunday to hear his response. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, will also be joining “Meet the Press” this week.

✉️ Mailbag: How are red states viewing Trump and Musk’s efforts?

Thanks to everyone who emailed us this week! One reader asked how voters in red states are viewing President Donald Trump’s flurry of executive orders and Elon Musk’s efforts to slash the federal government via the Department of Government Efficiency.

To answer that, we turned to one of our resident polling experts, Ben Kamisar. Here’s his response:

It’s a great question — obviously not everyone in a red state voted for Trump or is on board with everything he’s doing. But voters in these states do give Trump more leeway given his increased level of popularity there.

One way to answer this question is to dig into our polling data and split out respondents from states that voted for Trump. Then, we can compare their ratings of the president to the overall numbers.

Trump’s approval rating in states that voted for him in 2024 is 57%, compared to 47% among registered voters nationally. Trump-state voters are also more likely to approve of his handling of key issues. But they’re effectively split on whether they approve or disapprove of his handling of the economy and the war between Russia and Ukraine.

As for DOGE, Trump-state voters are more likely to have a positive view of Musk and the department than registered voters at large (49% of these voters viewed Musk positively, compared to 39% of registered voters nationwide, while 49% of Trump-state voters viewed DOGE positively compared to 41% of registered voters nationwide). And a majority of Trump-state voters, 53%, say DOGE is a good idea.

That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Scott Bland and Faith Wardwell.

If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

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