Trump's 14th Week: Easter Eggs and Tariff Tango Take Center Stage

President Donald Trump is heading into his 14th week back in the Oval Office with a busy calendar, where holiday cheer meets hard-nosed trade negotiations. The week kicks off with the White House’s annual Easter Egg Roll, now in its 147th year—a tradition stretching back to Rutherford B. Hayes, which is about as old-school Washington as it gets. First Lady Melania Trump is at the helm, welcoming families, children, and cabinet members to the South Lawn, all while offering gratitude to the East Wing staff for keeping the event running smoothly.

Melania Trump emphasized the event’s long-standing role in bringing "joy, storytelling and laughter" to America’s youth, a welcome break from the high-octane world of politics. This year, thousands of eggs—generously donated by American farmers—will roll across the lawn, showing that some traditions never crack under pressure.

But once the egg hunts wrap up, it’s back to the business of international deal-making. The Trump administration is set to host South Korean officials in Washington, D.C., aiming to hammer out a tariff agreement after South Korea was slapped with a 25% reciprocal tariff earlier in April. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent highlighted that talks are moving quickly, with Japan, the EU, and India all in the negotiation pipeline. That’s a global pow-wow if I’ve ever seen one.

In a surprise move earlier this month, Trump announced a 90-day pause on customized tariffs for dozens of nations, despite previously promising there would be no pause—only tough negotiations. Meanwhile, tariffs on China have soared to 125%, just to keep things interesting. The administration says the goal is to strike deals that benefit the U.S. and chip away at the perennial trade deficit.

South Korea has confirmed its finance and trade ministers will meet with Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer this week, signaling that the search for common ground is serious business.

On the home front, Trump signed an executive order targeting the U.S. fishing industry, aiming to "restore American seafood competitiveness" by slashing red tape and giving commercial fishermen more room to operate. There’s even talk of a new executive action focused on Maine’s lobster industry—Trump’s way of reeling in support from the coastal crowd. He reminisced about undoing Obama-era regulations and made it clear he wants to keep that momentum going, quipping that staying president "for a long time" might be necessary to keep policies in place.

Since returning to office, Trump has signed a staggering 130 executive orders—a pace that dwarfs his predecessors by a wide margin. All this action is building up to his 100th day back as president on April 30, promising even more headlines ahead.