Trump admin live updates: Vance meets with Zelenskyy in Rome

Vice President JD Vance is meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in Rome. They are joined by Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, and Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Pope Leo XIV talks to U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha after a Holy mass for the beginning of his pontificate, in St Peter's basilica in The Vatican, May 18, 2025.

Earlier Sunday, Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass. The vice president will meet later Sunday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy and President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie

The White House released a video of President Donald Trump speaking with American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander after he was released earlier this week after being held captive by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023. In the video, Edan sits next to Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump's voice is heard on a speakerphone.

"I am very nervous talking to you, Edan, because you're a much bigger celebrity than I am," Trump started the phone conversation to reaction from the room.

TOPSHOT-ISRAEL-US-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-HOSTAGE

"Edan is the hottest celebrity in the world right now, but that's no way to become a celebrity, right? We'll do it a different way," he continued. "We're very honored. Wow, it's crazy."

Edan responded, "You’re the only reason I’m here. You saved my life."

Trump appeared fascinated in learning more about what Alexander had endured under captivity.

"How was it? Are you free to talk a little bit?" Trump asked, at which point Alexander instructed him that they were recording the conversation.

The president noted how Alexander's family became strong advocates for their son's release and regularly communicated with the president.

"You’re an American, and we love you, and we’re going to take good care of you. And your parents are incredible. I saw your mother. She was pushing me around a little bit. She was putting a lot of pressure on me," Trump closed.

-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh

Trump announced on Truth Social that he has a phone call scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday at 10 a.m.

"THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE 'BLOODBATH' THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK, AND TRADE," he wrote in all-caps.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks on the phone, during a meeting at the 6th European Political Community summit, in Tirana, Albania, May 16, 2025.

Trump said he will talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO leaders afterward.

"HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A PRODUCTIVE DAY," he wrote.

-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh

President Donald Trump weighed in on Friday on Truth Social to help House Speaker Mike Johnson in the budget negotiations, calling on his party to unite behind the proposed legislation.

The president had a direct message to hardliners who have threatened to tank the bill as they call for larger spending cuts, writing, "We don't need 'GRANDSTANDERS' in the Republican Party. STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE!"

President Donald Trump attends a business forum at Qasr Al Watan during the final stop of his Gulf visit, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 16, 2025.

-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh

Consumer confidence dipped again, down almost 30% since January. But this survey was conducted between April 22 and May 13, closing two days after President Donald Trump announced a significant reduction in tariffs on imports from China.

Stocks, which are having a good week following that tariff pause announcement, are not reacting much to this news right now.

A family shops in a Walmart Supercenter, May 15, 2025 in Austin, Texas.

Friday's release shows a big jump in consumer inflation expectations, rising from 6.5% to 7.3% for the month. Walmart announced impending price increases Thursday, so consumers will have to wait and see how much those price rises permeate through the economy.

--ABC News' Zunaira Zaki

In a new clip released by Fox News on Friday, President Donald Trump said Iran is interested in trading with the United States. While emphasizing that he is open to that, he also noted that he's using trade "to settle scores."

The United States has imposed various sanctions on Iran, and trade is still significantly restricted.

"Iran wants to trade with us. Okay, if you can believe that," Trump told FOX News' Bret Baier. "And I'm okay with it. I'm using trade to settle scores and to make peace. But I've told Iran we'll make a deal. You're going to be really you're going to be very happy."

Trump continued to convey a sense of urgency in nuclear negotiations, stating that there is not much time left before Iran potentially obtains a nuclear weapon.

President Donald Trump attends a business forum in Abu Dhabi, May 16, 2025.

"Well, they're not going to have a nuclear weapon, and eventually they'll have a nuclear weapon. And then the discussion becomes a much different one," Trump said.

--ABC News' Kelsey Walsh

At his final stop before departing the UAE, President Donald Trump visited the Abrahamic Family House, an interfaith complex that includes a church, mosque, and temple, linking the three Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

"It's amazing," he said inside the synagogue. Trump once again took off his shoes when he went into the mosque just as he did yesterday when he visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

After signing a welcome book, Trump was asked for his message to the people of Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

"Well it's just a message of unity. When you look at what we've just seen, great unity, great faith, they're incredible people with a tremendous leader who's a friend of mine."

President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media accompanying him aboard Airforce One, after leaving Abu Dhabi at the end of his Middle East tour on May 16, 2025.

--ABC News' Justin Gomez

Asked about the possible release of the recordings of President Joe Biden's interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, President Donald Trump said "that's up to [Attorney General] Pam [Bondi] and the group."

"That's up to Pam and the group. I haven't really looked into it. Look, everybody understands the condition of him. I know people that are 89, 90, 92, 93 years old and are literally perfect. But Joe was not one of them, and they did a lot of hiding."

President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media accompanying him aboard Airforce One, after leaving Abu Dhabi at the end of his Middle East tour on May 16, 2025.

--ABC News' Benjamin Siegel

President Trump on Friday said he wants to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin "as soon as we can set it up" to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.

"We're going to do it. I actually think it's time for us to do it," he said.

Trump said he would meet Putin "as soon as we can set it up."

"I would actually leave here and go. I do want to see my beautiful grandson, and we'll be doing that," Trump said, referencing the birth of his daughter Tiffany's son on Thursday.

He suggested that "in two or three weeks" the world could be "a much, much safer place."

"I will tell you that the world is a much safer place right now, and I think in two or three weeks we could have it be a much, much safer place," Trump said. "We're going to handle a couple of situations that you have here with some very serious situations. and we're looking at Gaza, and we've got to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving. A lot of people. There's a lot of bad things going on."

"We're going to get it done," he said of Ukraine negotiations. "5,000 young people are being killed every single week on average, and we're going to get it done."

-ABC News' Justin Gomez and Benjamin Siegel

The Department of Homeland Security has asked the Department of Defense to provide more than 20,000 National Guard troops to participate in the administration's domestic immigration operations, two U.S. officials with knowledge of the request told ABC News on Thursday.

One official said Pentagon lawyers were reviewing the DHS request that the troops participate in "interior immigration enforcement."

Another official said the request to provide National Guard members is still being considered, and the official added that the plan is still premature and being planned out.

Joint Task Force leadership visits the New Mexico National Defense Area

In a statement to ABC News, a Defense Dept. spokesperson said, "Defending the homeland and protecting the U.S. territorial integrity is a fundamental DoD mission. The Department will continue to work and plan with our DHS partners to effectively meet requests for DoD support in safeguarding U.S. sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security."

The request is tied to providing more manpower to U.S. Customs and Border Protection in what will be an operation led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It is unclear what role the National Guard might play in assisting "interior immigration enforcement."

Typically, U.S. military assistance with DHS immigration operations has been limited to the southwestern border and only in a support role to DHS personnel, who are the ones who carry out law enforcement duties.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez