Trump 2nd term updates: Trump excludes low-value shipments from looming tariffs

Speaking at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, Vice President JD Vance called Trump a "good president" for Catholics and their administration as "defenders of religious liberty" at home and abroad.

"We very often ignore the way in which our foreign policy is either an instrument or an impediment to people all over the world being able to practice their faith," Vance said.

"When President Trump talks about the need to bring peace, whether it's in Russia and Ukraine, whether it's in the Middle East, we of course have to recognize that as a policy oriented to saving lives and carrying out one of Christ's most important commandments. But I think we also must recognize it as an effort to protect the religious liberty of Christians," he added.

The comments come just ahead of Trump's high-stakes meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.

President Donald Trump is preparing for a high-stakes meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday as the two begin negotiations regarding security guarantees and "crucial" aid for Ukraine.

Kyiv is maneuvering to win a U.S. security agreement as part of the proposed minerals deal, a "preliminary framework" of which Ukraine has been working on, Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday.

But Trump said he would not offer any security guarantees to Ukraine "beyond very much," as part of any agreement. "We're going to have Europe do that," he told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

The negotiations come amid tensions over the war with Trump attacking Zelenskyy earlier this month, calling the Ukrainian president a "dictator without elections."

Trump said Wednesday that he expects to sign the minerals deal with Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, adding that his administration is "happy" with the deal. Trump has framed the agreement as a means to recoup American wartime aid to Ukraine.

Employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, from probationary members to seasoned ones, were given layoff notices Thursday.

It is unclear how many NOAA staffers have been fired, however U.S. House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Jared Huffman D-Calif., claimed it is more than 1,000.

"People nationwide depend on NOAA for free, accurate forecasts, severe weather alerts, and emergency information. Purging the government of scientists, experts, and career civil servants and slashing fundamental programs will cost lives," he said in a statement.

-ABC News' Ginger Zee

The White House hosted more than a dozen conservative influencers for policy briefings Thursday with top administration officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and FBI Director Kash Patel, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.

Attendees at the meeting included Rogan O'Handley, Collin Rugg, Isabel Brown and Scott Presler.

Axios first reported on the briefings.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie