Karoline Leavitt holds a White House press briefing.
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NewsTranscript
00:00MS.
00:01HARF Good afternoon.
00:02How are we?
00:03Good.
00:04Good to see you all.
00:05I want to start today by addressing the U.S.
00:08Army soldiers who went missing while conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilized
00:13tactical vehicle in Lithuania in the early hours of March 25th.
00:17Tragically, three soldiers were found deceased in Lithuania yesterday, and it pains me to
00:23confirm that today the fourth soldier was also found deceased.
00:28The President, the Secretary of Defense, and the entire White House are praying for
00:32the victims' friends and family during this unimaginable time.
00:36This is another stark reminder of the selfless sacrifice of our brave military men and women
00:41who risk their lives around the world every day to keep us safe.
00:45God bless them.
00:46On another note, at our southern border, there is more massive news.
00:51Southwest border crossings in March fell to the lowest level in American history, down
00:5594 percent from March of last year under President Biden, when 137,000 illegal aliens
01:03poured across our wide-open southern border.
01:07Thanks to President Trump's leadership, Border Patrol agents are now back to doing the jobs
01:11they signed up for, securing the border, rather than serving as travel agents for illegal
01:17aliens.
01:18The Los Angeles Times captured the Trump effect on the border with a recent article.
01:23Their headline read, California-Mexico border, once overwhelmed, is now nearly empty.
01:30With so few migrants coming into the U.S., they wrote, shelters that once served migrants
01:35have completely closed.
01:37Deportations of illegal aliens who threaten the safety of the American people are also
01:41continuing at a rapid pace.
01:44Over the weekend, the United States military transferred a group of 17 violent criminals
01:49from the Trande Aragua and MS-13 terrorist organizations to El Salvador.
01:55And an illegal alien who was released by the Biden administration into our country was
01:59just arrested in Georgia and charged with the horrific killing of Camelia Williams,
02:05a mother of five and grandmother.
02:07The suspect has now been indicted on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated
02:13assault, rape, aggravated sexual battery, and necrophilia, which for those who don't
02:19know, necrophilia is a sexual obsession with a corpse.
02:24This sub-suspect was ordered to be removed in July 2023, but the Biden administration
02:30allowed him to stay.
02:32This case represents the ruthless murderers, rapists, and pedophiles who Joe Biden and
02:37Democrats let into our country over the past four years through our southern border.
02:42They should have never been here in the first place.
02:45Keep this in mind the next time you see Democrats protesting future illegal alien removals from
02:50our country.
02:52President Trump is focused on fulfilling his greatest obligation to keep the American people
02:57safe and to defend our country from violent invaders.
03:01Looking ahead to tomorrow, April 2nd, 2025, will go down as one of the most important
03:07days in modern American history.
03:10Our country has been one of the most open economies in the world, and we have the consumer
03:15base hands down, the best consumer base.
03:19But too many foreign countries have their markets closed to our exports.
03:23This is fundamentally unfair.
03:26The lack of reciprocity contributes to our large and persistent annual trade deficit
03:31that's gutted our industries and hollowed out key workforces.
03:35But those days of America, beginning tomorrow, being ripped off are over.
03:40American workers and businesses will be put first under President Trump, just as he promised
03:46on the campaign trail.
03:47The President's historic action tomorrow will improve American competitiveness in every
03:52area of industry, reduce our massive trade deficits, and ultimately protect our economic
03:58and national security.
04:01President Trump's economic vision is rooted in common sense.
04:05America will offer companies the lowest taxes, energy costs, regulations if they make their
04:10products right here in the United States and hire American workers for the job.
04:15It's simple.
04:16If you make your product in America, you will pay no tariffs.
04:21We have already seen a number of the largest companies in the world respond to this economic
04:26approach.
04:27For example, Project Stargate, led by Japan-based SoftBank and U.S.-based OpenAI, and Oracle
04:33announced a $500 billion private investment in the United States-based artificial intelligence
04:39infrastructure.
04:40Apple announced a $500 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing and training.
04:46Nvidia announced it will invest hundreds of billions of dollars over the next four years
04:50in U.S.-based manufacturing.
04:53And the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, TSMC, announced a $100 billion investment
05:00in U.S.-based chips in manufacturing.
05:03These are just a few of the investment announcements that have already been made, and it is clear
05:07that President Trump's America First approach has – is already working.
05:12In our new media seat today is Mark Halperin, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of TwoWay,
05:17a new live video platform that builds communities around interactive conversations with leaders
05:23and content creators from every subject area.
05:26Mark and his colleagues welcome all voices into discussions that are spirited but respectful.
05:31They have over 37.5 million video views, over 3.6 million watch time hours since the platform
05:37began just last year.
05:40This is new media in its truest sense, allowing the people to ask questions, make comments,
05:44and be an active part of engagement on the most important issues facing the country and
05:49our world.
05:50With that, Mark, please kick us off, and welcome to the briefing room.
05:53Thank you, Caroline.
05:54I appreciate it.
05:55I'll ask you a question about tariffs and then one from our – one of the members of
05:57our community.
05:58Sure.
05:59About education.
06:00It's perceived by some that companies or countries, if they change their policies either
06:05before tomorrow or after tomorrow, can have the President alter what he's planning for
06:08that country or that sector.
06:10Is that a possibility?
06:11And if so, what factors does the President consider in making those changes?
06:15Well, the ultimate change for these companies and these countries, Mark, will happen when
06:19they decide to do business in the United States of America.
06:22And as I just laid out, they will face no tariffs at all if these companies choose to
06:26invest here in the United States and to move their production and their manufacturing here
06:31to the United States as well.
06:32As for tomorrow, the President will be addressing the decades of unfair trade practices that
06:37have ripped our country off and American workers off.
06:39It has hollowed out our middle class, it has destroyed our heartland, and the President
06:43is focused on reshifting our global economy to ensure that America is once again the manufacturing
06:49superpower of the world.
06:50So if they do something today or later in the week that's a pledge for future activity,
06:54would that be good enough, potentially, to alter the policy?
06:57Again, the President has been looking at the very unfair trade practices of the past.
07:01Certainly, the President is always up to take a phone call, always up for a good negotiation,
07:06but he is very much focused on fixing the wrongs of the past and ensuring that American
07:10workers have a fair shake.
07:11So if someone calls after tomorrow and says, hey, I'm ready to make a change, he'd be open
07:16to that?
07:17The President is always open to taking calls.
07:18Okay.
07:19A question from one of our community members.
07:20Katie Reeves is a schoolteacher in Wisconsin.
07:21She's taught K-3 in public, independent, private, and private schools.
07:22And here's what she wanted me to ask you.
07:23She says, I see the elimination of the Department of Education as an excellent first step in
07:24the improvement of our school system.
07:25Do you see any further role the federal government can take beyond this, possibly in promoting
07:26the expansion of voucher programs or reducing the influence that teachers' unions hold over
07:27our schools?
07:28Well, first of all, I want to thank Katie.
07:29She's a great teacher.
07:30She's a great teacher.
07:31She's a great teacher.
07:32She's a great teacher.
07:33She's a great teacher.
07:34She's a great teacher.
07:35She's a great teacher.
07:36She's a great teacher.
07:37She's a great teacher.
07:38She's a great teacher.
07:39She's a great teacher.
07:40She's a great teacher.
07:41She's a great teacher.
07:42She's a great teacher.
07:43She's a great teacher.
07:44She's a great teacher.
07:45She's a great teacher.
07:46She's a great teacher.
07:47She's a great teacher.
07:48She's a great teacher.
07:49She's a great teacher.
07:50She's a great teacher.
07:51She's a great teacher.
07:52She's a great teacher.
07:53She's a great teacher.
07:54She's a great teacher.
07:55She's a great teacher.
07:56She's a great teacher.
07:57She's a great teacher.
07:58She's a great teacher.
07:59She's a great teacher.
08:00She's a great teacher.
08:01She's a great teacher.
08:02She's a great teacher.
08:03She's a great teacher.
08:04She's a great teacher.
08:05We need to empower our teachers to have greater decision-making in the classroom.
08:10Nobody knows our nation's children and our students better than our teachers who are
08:13with them every single day.
08:15As for the federal government's role to get to the heart of Katie's question, the President
08:19has made it clear to Lyndon McMahon that we need to find other places within our federal
08:23government for critical programs regarding education.
08:27Pell Grants, Title IX, lawsuits, et cetera, civil rights lawsuits, all of that are critical
08:33functions, special needs programs, nutrition programs.
08:36But there are other places throughout the federal bureaucracy where those things can
08:39happen and work.
08:40The Department of Education has been a very bloated bureaucracy.
08:44We've spent trillions of dollars on this department, and for what?
08:47Our children are worse off, as far as education goes today, than they were when this department
08:52originated.
08:53And that's very concerning to the President.
08:54On the two issues she cited, are those priorities for the President?
08:57The President is very supportive of both of those things, particularly when it comes
09:07to school choice.
09:08He has said that school choice is the civil rights issue of our time, and he wants every
09:13child, regardless of zip code, socioeconomic status, how much money their parents have,
09:17to be able to go to the school of their choosing that best suits their educational needs.
09:22And he is going to empower state and local leaders to make those decisions on behalf
09:25of our nation's children.
09:27Thanks for being here, Mark.
09:28Jeff.
09:29Just changing subjects for one second.
09:31The Administration has expressed a complete confidence in how all the deportation flights
09:37to El Salvador were conducted, but now that the Administration has conceded that there
09:42was an error of one Salvadoran national, will there be any reviews conducted?
09:47And does the President express any thoughts on the one error that was disclosed in court
09:53last night?
09:54Well, first of all, the error that you are referring to was a clerical error.
09:58It was an administrative error.
10:00The Administration maintains the position that this individual who was deported to El
10:04Salvador and will not be returning to our country was a member of the brutal and vicious
10:09MS-13 gang.
10:11That is fact number one.
10:13Fact number two, we also have credible intelligence proving that this individual was involved
10:17in human trafficking.
10:19And fact number three, this individual was a member, actually a leader, of the brutal
10:23MS-13 gang, which this President has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
10:28Fact number four is that foreign terrorists do not have legal protections in the United
10:33States of America anymore, and it is within the President's executive authority and power
10:37to deport these heinous individuals from American communities.
10:40It is a promise he campaigned on.
10:42It is a promise he is keeping.
10:43And every single person in this room should be grateful for that, considering especially
10:48MS-13 is very prevalent and prominent here in the District of Columbia, in Maryland,
10:53and in Virginia.
10:54And the President, the Attorney General, everyone who has been involved in these operations
10:58is focused on eradicating these criminals and terrorists from our communities.
11:02The Vice President said he was a convicted member of MS-13.
11:05What evidence is there to back that up?
11:08There's a lot of evidence.
11:09And the Department of Homeland Security and ICE have that evidence, and I saw it this
11:13morning.
11:14Steve.
11:15The President has fully made up his mind on the level of tariffs to impose tomorrow.
11:18We keep hearing about a 20 percent flat rate.
11:21The President said last night he has made a decision and a determination.
11:24I was with him in the Oval Office earlier, and he is going to announce that decision
11:28tomorrow.
11:29I don't want to get ahead of the President.
11:30This is obviously a very big day.
11:32He is with his trade and tariff team right now, perfecting it to make sure this is a
11:36perfect deal for the American people and the American worker.
11:40And you will all find out in about 24 hours from now.
11:42And are the car tariffs going to go into effect on April 3rd as scheduled?
11:46Correct.
11:47Yes, they will.
11:48Okay.
11:49And last thing, would you like to respond to the Chinese military drills around Taiwan?
11:54Yes, I would.
11:55As a matter of fact, the National Security Council briefed me on this this morning, and
11:59they said that the President is emphasizing the importance of maintaining peace in the
12:05Taiwan Strait, encouraging the peaceful resolution of these cross-strait issues, reiterating
12:10our opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.
12:15That is directly from the National Security Advisor.
12:17Just for you, Steve Holland of Reuters.
12:19Monica.
12:20Thank you so much, Caroline.
12:21Elon Musk this week revealed that Doge found that the Biden administration issued over
12:27two million Social Security numbers to illegal aliens, found 20 million dead people marked
12:32as alive in the Social Security system.
12:35Has the White House confirmed these numbers with Elon, and is the White House looking
12:38into correcting this?
12:39I'm not sure about those specific numbers that Mr. Musk cited.
12:42I can tell you what the Social Security Administration has said themselves, according to an inspector's
12:48general's report that was conducted last year showing there was nearly $80 billion worth
12:52of fraud in this program.
12:54We know for a fact there are individuals who are – should not be receiving benefits on
12:59the Social Security rolls, and this administration is focused on cleaning out the waste, fraud,
13:03and abuse in every agency, but particularly in Social Security, to make it stronger for
13:08our taxpaying, law-abiding citizens who deserve these entitlements and programs.
13:13Because you did bring up Doge, I do want to tout the incredible efforts that have been
13:17made at the Environmental Protection Agency, and Administrator Lee Zeldin is just doing
13:21a tremendous job.
13:23Just yesterday and today it will be going into effect, he announced that taxpayers will
13:27be saved $8 million in annual lease costs by moving staff out of the 323,000 square
13:34feet of space that the EPA currently occupies, which is completely unnecessary.
13:41Yesterday Administrator Zeldin also announced he will be shutting down a museum that the
13:45Biden administration built to tell a selective story about the EPA's history and climate
13:51change.
13:52It was a real pat on the back to President Biden.
13:55And guess how much American taxpayers paid for it?
13:58$4 million for this museum that I think only 1,000 visitors saw last year alone, and it
14:04would cost American taxpayers $600,000 per year to operate this museum.
14:10Well, it's not going to exist anymore.
14:11We're going to save taxpayers those critical funds, and Administrator Zeldin is very proud
14:17to announce that.
14:18And just at EPA alone, and the cuts that they have made, they've saved taxpayers more than
14:24$22 billion in wasteful grants and spending.
14:27Peter.
14:28On the museum, Caroline.
14:29Thank you, Caroline.
14:30When the President goes down to Florida on the weekends, does he ever hear from – there
14:34are so many retired folks down in Florida – does he ever hear from any retired Americans
14:40who are stressed about these wild swings in the stock market because of the tariff uncertainty,
14:47and they're sitting there on fixed income or living off the 401K, and they don't know
14:52how much money is going to be left?
14:54Well, certainly they are legitimate concerns, and the President takes those concerns very
14:58seriously, and he's addressing them every single day.
15:02And tomorrow's announcement is to protect future generations of the senior citizens
15:06you mentioned.
15:07It's for their kids and their grandkids to ensure that there are jobs here in the United
15:11States of America for their children to live the American dream, just like they presumably
15:16did.
15:17And as for their worries about their 401Ks, their Social Security – I just addressed
15:21Social Security.
15:22This President is always going to protect it for our taxpaying senior citizens.
15:26As for their 401Ks, look at what President Trump did for you in his first term.
15:30He is working on implementing that economic formula every single day by lowering inflation,
15:36lowering energy prices, massive deregulatory efforts, while simultaneously effectively
15:40implementing tariffs.
15:41And they'll hear more about that announcement tomorrow.
15:43And you said that the President right now is with the trade and tariff team.
15:47They are very confident that this is all going to work.
15:50Yes.
15:51But what if they're wrong?
15:52They're not going to be wrong.
15:54It is going to work.
15:55And the President has a brilliant team of advisors who have been studying these issues
15:59for decades.
16:01And we are focused on restoring the golden age of America and making America a manufacturing
16:06superpower.
16:07And again, Peter, I would point you to the investments that have already trickled into
16:09this country.
16:11And the President hasn't even made his tariff announcement yet tomorrow.
16:14There have been billions of dollars in private investments from around the world pouring
16:18into American communities.
16:20What does that look like for those watching at home, for the people you mentioned worried
16:23about their own economic circumstances?
16:26It means more jobs in your communities, which means more money, more investments, more money
16:30in your pocket.
16:31That's what the President is committed to.
16:33And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the President's commitment to tax cuts, which
16:37we are counting on Congress to do, especially on Social Security.
16:41And one more.
16:42Sure.
16:43Are the special elections today a referendum on the President?
16:47I think the first of all, as you know, I'm a government employee now.
16:51So I'm not very much allowed to comment on elections that are taking place.
16:55That's something to get used to, having just been on the campaign trail for quite some
16:59time.
17:00But the President is the leader of the America First movement and the MAGA movement.
17:04And that was made very clear on November the 5th, when he received nearly 80 million votes.
17:09I could also say that it is the constitutional right of every law-abiding American in these
17:15places where these elections are being held to vote.
17:18And every American should exercise their constitutional rights.
17:22Sure.
17:23Thanks, Caroline.
17:24A few questions about this deportation case.
17:25First, I wanted to clarify something that you said to Jeff a few minutes ago.
17:26You said you'd seen evidence that this man was a convicted gang member.
17:36In what court was he convicted and for what?
17:39This individual was an MS-13 ringleader.
17:42This individual was also engaged in human trafficking.
17:45And I'm glad you brought up this point again, because I would like to point out that if
17:49you just saw the headline from the insane, failing Atlantic magazine this morning, you
17:55would think this individual was father of the year, living in Maryland, living a peaceful
17:59life when that couldn't be further from the truth.
18:02They didn't even mention in the title of that article or even in the first paragraph that
18:07this individual is an illegal criminal who broke our nation's immigration laws.
18:11He is a leader in the brutal MS-13 gang.
18:15And he is involved in human trafficking.
18:16And now MS-13 is a designated foreign terrorist organization.
18:20Foreign terrorists have no legal protections in the United States of America.
18:24And this administration is going to continue to deport foreign terrorists and illegal criminals
18:28from our nation's interior.
18:30But a judge ordered that he should remain in this country.
18:33So are you saying that it is okay to ignore a judge's ruling if you don't like it?
18:38Who does that judge work for?
18:39He's an immigration judge.
18:40It was an immigration judge who works for the Department of Justice at the direction
18:44of the Attorney General of the United States, whose name is Pam Bondi, who has committed
18:48to eradicating MS-13 from our nation's interior.
18:51And let me tell you why we've made this commitment.
18:53MS-13, may I remind each and every one of you, is a brutal and vicious gang.
18:58They raped and strangled a 20-year-old autistic woman to death in Maryland.
19:02They hacked four people to death with machetes in a park on Long Island.
19:06They have kidnapped, sexually tortured, and shot a teenage girl in Texas after she insulted
19:11them, allegedly.
19:13They killed and mutilated a 17-year-old girl in Virginia, stabbing him 16 times and cutting
19:18off his hands.
19:20They beheaded and cut out the heart of a man in Washington, D.C.
19:24They raped and murdered a 13-year-old girl in California.
19:27They sex trafficked a slew of young girls, including one who was just 12 years old, raped
19:32an 11-year-old girl in Brooklyn while her brother was in the room, sex trafficked a
19:3613-year-old in Maryland and Virginia, miles away from this White House, even beating her
19:4126 times on her backside with a baseball bat, pressured homeless New Yorkers to undergo
19:46unnecessary surgeries such as spinal fusion in order to bolster their fraudulent lawsuits.
19:53These are vicious criminals.
19:55This is a vicious gang.
19:57And I wish that the media would spend just a second of the same time you have spent trying
20:01to litigate each and every individual of this gang who has been deported from our country
20:05as the innocent Americans whose lives have been lost at the hands of these brutal criminals.
20:10We maintain our position, and very strongly so.
20:12Jennifer.
20:13One more on the tariffs.
20:14Can you say what the latest thinking is on the start date?
20:17I know you were just in the Oval.
20:19Are they all going to take effect this week on the reciprocal tariffs?
20:23And whenever they start, is that enough time for companies and everyone involved to adjust
20:27to that start date?
20:28My understanding is that the tariff announcement will come tomorrow.
20:32They will be effective immediately.
20:34And the President has been teasing this for quite some time, as you know.
20:37He's talked a lot about April 2nd as Liberation Day in America.
20:40It would be taking place today if not for April Fool's Day.
20:43But tomorrow will be the day, and he's been talking about it for a while.
20:47And as a result, you've seen these companies make commitments to investing right here in
20:50the United States.
20:51Jasmine.
20:52Thank you so much.
20:53I wonder, back on tariffs, what, if any, market indicators is the White House looking for
21:00to see if this tariffs plan is successful down the line?
21:03Well, look, the President has been asked and answered this question about the stock market
21:07and whether he's watching it.
21:08And I've said, and he has said, the market is a snapshot in time.
21:11Yesterday, Dow futures were up, and there's been a lot of talk about the market, and it
21:15was up yesterday.
21:16So, look, the President wants to ensure that all Americans make out well, particularly
21:22Main Street.
21:23That's the focus of these tariffs.
21:24But as I've said repeatedly, just like they did in – just like they were in his first
21:28term, Wall Street will be just fine.
21:30Shelby.
21:31Thanks.
21:32A bipartisan pair of senators sent a letter to the President today arguing that the recent
21:35strikes in Yemen are emboldening the Houthis and saying that Congress has not authorized
21:40war against them.
21:41Is the Administration planning to consult with Congress at some point or going forward
21:46regarding the strikes, and any response on the letter?
21:49Well, I would absolutely reject Congress's claims.
21:52Who made those claims in Congress?
21:54Senator Jeff Merkley and Rand Paul.
21:57Okay.
21:58Well, I would absolutely reject those claims.
22:00These Houthi strikes have been incredibly successful.
22:02Last time I was at this podium, there were more than 100 successful strikes.
22:06There have now been over 200 successful strikes against the Houthis.
22:10Iran is incredibly weakened as a result of these attacks.
22:13And we have seen they've taken out Houthi leaders, they've taken out critical members
22:17who were launching strikes on naval ships and on commercial vessels.
22:21And this operation will not stop until the freedom of navigation in this region is restored,
22:26which is a critical principle.
22:27And this President stands behind our Defense Department, who's doing a tremendous job.
22:31And are they going to – is the White House going to confer with Congress going forward
22:35on this?
22:36I would have to ask our team here at the White House, but the President is well within his
22:39authority, as is the Secretary of Defense.
22:41Again, these are defensive strikes.
22:43The Houthis have been launching attacks on U.S. naval vessels and commercial ships for
22:48quite some time.
22:49Go ahead.
22:50Caroline.
22:51Yeah.
22:52The pause on the Canadian and Mexican tariffs, the fentanyl tariffs, that's set to expire
22:57tomorrow, is the President considering extending that pause?
22:59Look, I will let the President speak on the specifics of the tariffs tomorrow.
23:03But as for fentanyl, we have seen this has certainly caused a national security crisis
23:07here in the United States.
23:09Fentanyl continues to be the number one killer of young people in this country, and the President
23:14is very much focused on that.
23:15Deanna.
23:16Thank you, Caroline.
23:17The President recently signed an executive order on making D.C. safe and beautiful.
23:23On the campaign trail, he talked about making New York great again.
23:26Does he have any plans on establishing a similar task force?
23:30Has he been pressuring Governor Hochul in any way in his conversations about New York
23:35and lowering crime?
23:36Well, he has been in correspondence with Governor Hochul quite a bit on the issue of crime,
23:41also on the issue of congestion pricing, and so many other issues that are facing New Yorkers.
23:46He wants New York to clean up their streets, just as he does here in Washington, D.C.
23:51He also speaks to Mayor Adams as well.
23:54So he's engaged with state and local leaders across the entire country to ensure they're
23:57doing their part to help American citizens in each and every state, regardless of if
24:01it's a red state or a blue state.
24:03And then another question on Russia.
24:05Yesterday, the Russian Government said that their new goal is 160,000 conscripts for the
24:11war.
24:12Has the President seen that number, and does he have any response, given his recent conversations
24:16on peace talks?
24:17Well, I can tell you what the President said last night, and that is he is frustrated with
24:23leaders on both sides of this war.
24:25He wants this war to end.
24:27There are men that are dying on both sides, and it's been going on for far too long.
24:32Our team continues to be engaged with the Russians, as we are with the Ukrainians, and
24:37the President continues to be very, very much engaged on this topic every single day.
24:41Caroline.
24:42Caroline.
24:43Sure.
24:44Caroline.
24:45Sure.
24:46The President said over the weekend that he couldn't care less if prices went up on foreign
24:51cars, because people buy more American cars.
24:53There's been consensus from a lot of economists that these tariffs could raise prices on other
24:58goods as well.
24:59Is the President comfortable with Americans on Main Street paying more because of these
25:04tariffs?
25:05The President is doing everything he can, and this entire administration is doing everything
25:09we can to bring down the cost of living in this country.
25:13An inflation mess that was fueled by the previous administration's reckless spending, overburdensome
25:18regulations that this administration is focused on slashing every single day.
25:22I just read you a statistic just from the Environmental Protective Agency alone.
25:27We're saving taxpayers money that's ultimately going to drive down inflation, and we're unleashing
25:31the might of our energy industry, which will bring down prices as well.
25:35To the heart of your question, because this is very important to the American people,
25:39you should trust what this President did for you in his first term.
25:41He effectively utilized tariffs while driving down inflation.
25:45It was a record low 1.4 percent when he left office, and he's focused on getting back
25:49to that.
25:50It's unfortunate the previous administration left us in this mess.
25:53Sure.
25:54Last one.
25:55Representative Ana Paulina Luna left the Freedom Caucus over their lack of support
26:00for her bill that would allow new parents to proxy vote around 12 weeks around the birth
26:04of their baby.
26:05Does the President support that bill?
26:07I'm not sure.
26:08I haven't actually talked to the President about that bill, but I certainly can and can
26:11get a take on if he supports it or not.
26:15And one more.
26:16The D.C. Circuit ruled last week that the President can fire or hold over Biden appointees
26:22of independent agencies.
26:24Will this ruling empower President Trump to dismiss more federal employees?
26:28Well, the President has given the responsibility to his Cabinet Secretaries to hire and fire
26:35at their respective agencies, and they reserve that right.
26:38You saw the Secretary of Health and Human Services announced more layoffs today.
26:43This is all part of the administration's effort for a mass reduction in force in the federal
26:47bureaucracy here in Washington, D.C., to save American taxpayers money.
26:52As for agencies within the President's executive authority, the President retains that right.
26:59And we've seen there have been bureaucrats at some of these agencies that have been trying
27:03to act independent.
27:04They need to remember who they work for.
27:05It's the executive of the executive branch.
27:07You look at the United States Institute of Peace, for example.
27:11There was a little bit of a standoff with bureaucrats over there who didn't want to
27:14realize who they work for, and that is Donald Trump.
27:17And President Trump is focused on streamlining these agencies to save American taxpayers money,
27:22and he has every right to do that.
27:24Caroline.
27:25Caroline.
27:26Caroline.
27:27Caroline.
27:28Sure.
27:29Go ahead.
27:30Thanks, Caroline.
27:31In Gaza, the bodies of 15 rescuers have been found in their sort of ambulances where they
27:33were apparently killed by Israeli forces.
27:36Just wondering if the White House is going to be calling on Israel to investigate that
27:40and to try and avoid similar casualties involving the rescue workers in the future?
27:46Well, as for the specific situation you just mentioned, I'll talk to the President about
27:50it and our national security team.
27:52What I can tell you is what I've spoken with the President on.
27:55He very much remains committed to backing Israel, and it was only because of this President
27:59and his team's leadership that we had a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, that we were able to bring
28:04many hostages home.
28:05And the President made it very clear to Hamas, you get the hostages out, all of them, or
28:09there will be hell to pay.
28:11And Hamas is certainly witnessing what it feels like for all hell to be paid, and the
28:16President supports Israel's right to defend itself.
28:18So are you progressing at all on a ceasefire at the moment, as far as the President's concerned?
28:22The President and his team continue to be engaged on this every single day.
28:25Sure.
28:26Caroline.
28:27Caroline.
28:28Go ahead, Sam.
28:29So just wondering, related to that, if you have an approximate date for the President's
28:33first foreign trip?
28:34I think there was a little confusion yesterday about what month he was talking about.
28:37And then, will he need a ceasefire to be in place or closer, either in Gaza or in Ukraine,
28:44before that takes place?
28:47The President will be heading to Saudi Arabia in May.
28:49As for specific dates and details, we will be reading those out to you as soon as we
28:54possibly can.
28:55I know our teams are working on the details of that trip.
28:58And then, again, as for a ceasefire, the President's made it clear that's what he wants to see
29:02in Russia and Ukraine, and his team continues to be engaged on it every day.
29:05Kelly.
29:06General, you said case closed yesterday.
29:09Do you – as that case was closed, do you have anything that you can share about what
29:15was learned, how this can be avoided in the future, any sort of findings from that investigation?
29:20The case is closed and the President continues to have confidence in his National Security
29:24Advisor.
29:25Yes, Kelly.
29:26Kelly.
29:27Thanks, Caroline.
29:28Sorry, Ed.
29:29Ed, I'll come to you after.
29:30I'm glad you're so eager to ask a question.
29:31It's Liberation Day.
29:32Yes, it is.
29:33Caroline, the President has said foreign countries and companies will eat the cost
29:38of tariffs.
29:39In his speech on Inauguration Day, he said, quote, instead of taxing our citizens to enrich
29:44other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.
29:48So then why did he have to tell the domestic automakers not to raise prices?
29:52Well, that was a private conversation that was had.
29:55I'm not sure if that comment was made or was not made.
29:58But as for what the President said in his Inauguration Day speech, he's absolutely
30:02correct.
30:03A tariff will be a tax on these foreign nations, these foreign companies, and if they want
30:08to be absolved of that tariff, then they can come here to the United States of America
30:12to do business, bring their jobs here.
30:14Edward, go ahead.
30:16So Canadians have been negotiating with the Commerce Secretary over the trade, the tariffs.
30:22How many companies are mutually talking with the U.S. to – or countries are mutually
30:27talking with the U.S. to lower tariffs?
30:29I don't have a specific number, but I can tell you there have been quite a few countries
30:33that have called the President and have called his team in discussion about these tariffs.
30:37But again, there's one country the President cares most about, and it's the United States
30:41of America, and doing what's best for the people who elected him to this office to restore
30:45their jobs, their wealth, and their prosperity.
30:47I'm looking at the clock.
30:48I have a hard-out today.
30:49What time are you –
30:50Excuse me.
30:51I have a hard-out today because I'm actually heading over to the State Department with
30:53the First Lady of the United States.
30:55She will be delivering remarks at 1 o'clock this afternoon at the 19th International Women
30:59of Courage Award Ceremony with our great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, that starts
31:04at 1.
31:05This is the fifth year Mrs. Trump is participating and standing with brave women leaders who
31:09embody American values abroad.
31:11And the First Lady, in her remarks today, will highlight the profound connection between
31:15the love and courage that will be shown by this year's honorees.
31:18I encourage everybody to tune in at 1 o'clock, and then we'll see you all tomorrow for
31:22Liberation Day.
31:23Thanks, guys.
31:24Thanks, Caroline.
31:25Thanks, Caroline.
31:29Thanks, everyone.