29 • President Trump writes a brief letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping. • George Schultz, Jim Baker and Hank Paulson pitch Climate Change tax to President Trump and staff. Story is here. February 9 – • President Trump signs three executive orders regarding law enforcement: “Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety”, “Preventing Violence Against Federal, State, Tribal, and Local Law Enforcement Officers” and “En- forcing Federal Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking”. • The appeal of the Trump administration is denied as the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said it would not block a lower-court ruling that brought the president’s executive order to a halt. • President Trump agrees to continue the One China Policy after a discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping. February 10 – • President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe at the White House. The two leaders traveled to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. February 11 – • President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe play golf together at the Trump National Golf Club (Jupiter, Florida) in Jupiter, Florida and reportedly discuss the “future of the world, future of the region, and future of Japan and the United States,” as well as a North Korean Pukguksong-2 missile which was test-launched during the meeting. February 13 – • President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House. • Michael Flynn resigns as National Security Advisor, following alleged discussions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak regarding the U.S. sanctions on Russia. • The Senate confirms Steve Mnuchin as the Secretary of the Treasury. February 14 – • The Senate confirms Linda McMahon as Administrator of the Small Busi- ness Administration. February 15 – • President Trump holds a bilateral meeting and joint press conference at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump calls on Netanyahu to review the construction of settlements in the West Bank. President Trump’s comments on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict prompts United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to warn against any abandonment of the two-state solution. • Andy Puzder withdraws his nomination to be Secretary of Labor. February 17 – • President Trump visits Boeing’s North Charleston, South Carolina assembly facility for the unveiling of its new 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft. He empha- sizes his administration’s commitment to improve the business climate and help create American jobs. From North Charleston he heads to Mar-a-Lago for a President’s Day weekend. • Scott Pruitt is approved by the U.S. Senate as the 14th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. February 18 – • President Trump holds a rally in Melbourne, Florida, attended by an estimated 9,000 supporters, where he defends his actions and criticizes the media. • Vice President Pence speaks at the Munich Security Conference in Germa- ny, touching upon the issues of terrorism and defense spending. February 20 – • Lt General H. R. McMaster is appointed the 26th United States National Security Advisor. February 21 – • President Trump visits the National Museum of African American History and Culture and addresses the increase in vandalism and bomb threats at Jewish community centers around the country. President Trump’s admin- istration announces the creation of 15,000 new positions in immigration enforcement, with the stated intention of initiating the removal of illegal immigrants from the United States. February 22 – • Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly arrive in Mexico for bilateral talks with the government of President Enrique Peña Nieto. February 23 – • President Trump meets with more than two dozen manufacturing CEO’s, including Dell, Ford, GE, Emerson Electric and Johnson & Johnson, at the White House for what is called a “listening session.” It is confirmed that six White House staff members, including Chief Digital Officer Gerrit Lansing, were removed from their positions earlier in the month having failed FBI background checks. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer tells reporters that the administration has no plans to continue the approach of the Obama administration on recreational cannabis and that it views recreational mari- juana use as a violation of federal law. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo rescinding a 2016 Obama era memo meant to phase out private federal US prisons February 24 – • President Trump meets with President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski of Peru at the Oval Office. President Trump gives a speech at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland to the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference. In the speech, he addresses numerous themes including immigration, ISIS and coal mining, as well as media reliability, suggesting lim- its on the use of anonymous sources by news agencies. The New York Times is barred from the White House press briefing along with the BBC, CNN, Politico, The Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times and BuzzFeed News, prompting criticism from the White House Correspondents’ Association. February 25 – • President Trump has lunch with Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and Florida governor Rick Scott. They discuss Obamacare and the states’ role in healthcare. February 26 – • President Trump’s choice for United States Secretary of the Navy, Philip M. Bilden, withdraws from his nomination. 29