Trump spends busy Labor Day working on response to North Korea, Hurricanes, and DACA
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. President Donald Trump waves while departing Ellington Field after meeting with flood survivors and volunteers who assisted in relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, in Houston, Texas, U.S., September 2, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - HP1ED921KVT0C
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump’s busy Labor Day was jam-packed with phone calls and meetings with advisors on a number of hot button issues including North Korea, DACA, and Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts.
"He has been in the office all day," a senior White House aide told Fox News.
Trump’s Monday morning included phone calls to South Korean President Moon Jae-In and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the North Korean threat following the regime’s claim to have successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In his call with Moon, the "two leaders agreed to maximize pressure on North Korea using all means at their disposal," according to a White House readout of the discussion. Trump also agreed to lift limits on South Korea's missile payload capabilities -- a first since the late 1970s.
Fox News has learned that the president also spoke to United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and his Chief of Staff John Kelly to discuss the latest on North Korea. Earlier, Haley warned in an emergency meeting of the U.N.'s Security Council that North Korea's Kim Jong Un was "begging for war" following their provocative progression with nuclear capabilities .
A senior White House official told Fox News that Trump held a separate call with Kelly, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Trump also spoke to “various stakeholders” on DACA, the Obama program which allowed nearly 800,000 unauthorized immigrants who came to the United States as children to remain in the U.S. He is expected to announce the end of the program Tuesday.
"I think that this isn't a decision that the president takes lightly and he is taking time and diligent effort to make sure that he goes through every bit of the process," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters last Friday. "I think the decision itself is weighing on him, certainly."
A White House official told Fox News Sunday that Trump will likely end the deferred program Tuesday but offer a six month window to allow and encourage Congressional lawmakers to create a similar program that protects illegal immigrations through legislation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Trump also spent his Labor Day ramping up recovery efforts for parts of Texas devastated by Hurricane Harvey last week. The president spoke to FEMA Chief Brock Long on Harvey’s aftermath, as well as the 30 active wildfires in the state of California. The conversation also focused on the possible next threat Hurricane Irma, which strengthened to a Category 4 Monday afternoon.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency Monday evening with possible landfall expected later this week.