Trump spotlight: A clash with Colombia and what lies ahead on Monday

Donald Trump has already had a significant impact on Washington since his first week in office ended.

Trump deployed the military to the southern border during his first seven days, and he signed a number of executive orders, which included 26 that were issued shortly after taking office and addressed issues like the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.

One of his biggest promises during this term is to tackle&nbsp, irregular immigration. What is expected on Monday and the most recent news from his presidency?

Avoided: Trade war with Colombia

Trump made the announcement that Colombia had resisted deportation flights for migrant workers on Sunday, declaring victory.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro resurrected the situation after earlier on Sunday, he had prohibited landing US military cargo aircraft carrying illegal immigrants.

Petro vowed to reject the flights unless the US treated detainees with respect and dignity. Trump retaliated by imposing tariffs on all imports from Colombia, a travel ban for Colombian citizens, the suspension of US immigration visa processing, and the suspension of processing for both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas.

However, the US claimed that Colombia had agreed to accept migrant deportation flights, including those on military aircraft, and that the tariffs would be halted after hours of hostility with Bogota. Trump’s allies claimed Petro won while Petro lost, saying the outcome was a win or a loss.

Petro fell in line.

Thanks, President Trump! pic. twitter.com/FKTWKWrGlb

Prior to Trump’s election, US military aircraft were rarely used for deportation flights. Two flights, each carrying about 80 deported migrants, were made to Guatemala on Friday. A US military aircraft with migrants on board a landing request was turned down by Mexico last week. Previously, Trump suggested that he might impose 25-percent, across-the-board tariffs on Mexican goods starting in February.

In the near future, Trump may be able to win over Latin American nations, according to Oliver Della Costa Stuenkel, an international relations professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation&nbsp in Sao Paulo, Brazil. However, his aggressive tactics may prompt regional leaders to look for alternative partners.

“Leaders across Latin America will look at these situations and will, in my opinion, be becoming more aware of the danger of being too dependent on the US,” Stuenkel told Al Jazeera.

“They will try to diversify their partnerships because dealing with Washington is very difficult for weaker nations, and having alternatives to the US is the best way to increase your leverage when negotiating with Trump and increase your margin of manevrtitude. To avoid being so dependent that you have nowhere to run, Stuenkel said.

Trump’s ‘ clean out ‘ Gaza proposal

Trump said “cleaning out the whole thing” on Saturday, suggesting moving more than one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other nations.

“I would like Egypt to take people”, Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘ You know, it’s over. ‘”

Trump praised Jordan for welcoming Palestinian refugees in the past while expressing his gratitude to King Abdullah II, saying, “I would love for you to take on more,” as the Gaza Strip is a mess at the moment. It’s a real mess”. More than 2.39 million registered Palestine refugees reside in Jordan, which has a population of 11.1 million, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Israel’s 15-month war on Gaza has displaced almost all of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents, some of them multiple times. Trump said people in Gaza could move either temporarily or permanently.

Palestinians on Sunday overwhelmingly rejected the proposal.

Palestinian Nafiz Halawa, a resident of Nuseirat in central Gaza, told Al Jazeera, “It’s impossible for people to accept this.” “The weak might leave because of the suffering they have endured, but the idea of us leaving our country, … it’s absolutely impossible”.

Other things you might not have noticed:

JD Vance’s first interview: &nbsp, JD Vance gave his first interview since becoming the US vice president, discussing issues with CBS News that included Trump’s immigration policy and his executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship. Vance disputed the Trump administration’s justification for the order despite legal experts’ claims that it needs to be changed to end it.

“Temporary residents, people who come in here, whether legally or illegally, and don’t plan to stay, their children shouldn’t become American citizens”, he said. “I don’t know any country that does that or why we would be different”. However, many countries offer birthright citizenship, including Canada, Mexico, Belize and Argentina.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, marking the Pentagon’s first interaction with a foreign official since taking up his position. In a statement from the Pentagon, Hagseth and Netanyahu “discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats.”

What’s next for Trump and his administration on Monday?

Trump is scheduled to attend the Republican members of the House of Representatives’ annual retreat at his golf resort in Florida, Trump National Doral Miami, according to US media reports.

Legislators have the opportunity to discuss policies at party retreats and come together to discuss their best implementation strategies.

House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, are expected to focus on crafting a bill that incorporates the administration’s key priorities – including energy, border security and tax policy.

Separately, a US Senate vote on the nomination of Trump’s Treasury secretary nominee, Scott Bessent, is planned for Monday afternoon.

The Department of Treasury has complete control over sanctions, international finance, public debt, and tax policy.

Bessent, a Wall Street financier who once worked for George Soros, was an early backer of Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, donating at least $3m to the campaign, according to records from the Federal Election Commission.

Source: Aljazeera