Karoline Leavitt holds a White House press briefing.
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NewsTranscript
00:00MS.
00:01HARF Good afternoon, everybody.
00:02QUESTIONS FROM THE PRESS Good afternoon.
00:03MS.
00:04HARF How are you?
00:05QUESTIONS FROM THE PRESS Good.
00:06MS.
00:07HARF Good.
00:08Let my staff get settled.
00:09There's a lot of news today, so I look forward to taking your questions.
00:12Good to see you.
00:13And I have some updates for you as well.
00:16Later today, President Trump will address the Business Roundtable's quarterly meeting,
00:21where he will tout his pro-growth economic agenda and answer questions before more than
00:25100 of our nation's leading CEOs.
00:28In fact, it's the largest attendance ever for this event because business leaders are
00:33so eager and encouraged by President Trump's return to Washington.
00:38This follows President Trump's roundtable yesterday with the Technology CEO Council
00:42here at the White House, where he met with key leaders in the technology industry.
00:47And last night, President Trump also held an official swearing-in ceremony in the Oval
00:52Office for Sean Curran, who is now the 28th Director of the United States Secret Service.
00:58Sean demonstrated unbelievable bravery under gunfire in Butler, Pennsylvania, this past
01:03July when an assassin tried to kill President Trump.
01:07As someone who got to know Sean personally throughout the campaign last year, I can say
01:11unequivocally that there is nobody better suited for this important role.
01:17And following the confirmation of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez de Romer last night, the Senate
01:22has now confirmed 21 of President Trump's well-qualified cabinet-level nominees, far
01:28outpacing the previous administration.
01:31And looking ahead tomorrow, the President will welcome the Taoiseach Michal Martin of
01:36Ireland for the annual White House Shamrock Ceremony.
01:40And Thursday, President Trump will welcome the NATO Secretary General for a working meeting
01:45and lunch.
01:47On the economy, February's jobs report was good news for America, particularly our manufacturing
01:53sector.
01:54The manufacturing sector gained 10,000 new jobs in just one month under President Trump.
02:01This rebound was led by the automobile sector, where we saw 9,000 new auto jobs created already.
02:08That is the most auto jobs added to the economy in 15 months.
02:12This was a complete turnaround from the Biden administration, where we were losing an average
02:17of 9,000 manufacturing jobs per month last year.
02:21Reuters is out with a report that a number of companies are now looking at expanding
02:25their presence or bringing their businesses into America because of President Trump's
02:30policies.
02:31And just moments ago, before coming out here, I saw another report by Reuters revealing
02:36that Merck has opened a $1 billion facility at its North Carolina site.
02:41This is just the latest pharmaceutical company to boost its U.S. manufacturing in lieu of
02:47President Trump's tariffs.
02:48This announcement follows Eli Lilly's plans to invest at least $27 billion to build four
02:53new manufacturing plants here in the United States, and Pfizer has also said it's considering
02:59moving their manufacturing overseas right here to the United States of America.
03:05As the President has said over and over again, when we purchase products made in the USA,
03:10the profits stay here, the revenue stays here, and most importantly, the jobs stay here.
03:16And despite the globalist mainstream media's attempts to worry consumers, President Trump
03:20will not repeat the trend of past American presidents who broke their promises to the
03:25American public and smiled while they stuck a knife in the back of American workers and
03:30shipped their jobs overseas.
03:32Our country has lost more than 5 million jobs and more than 90,000 factories due to devastating
03:38globalization over the last three decades alone.
03:42North Carolina lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs, including 60 percent of its furniture
03:48manufacturing jobs in the years following NAFTA.
03:51And in Michigan, globalist policies destroyed 250,000 jobs, including 40 percent of the
03:58auto industry, which again we know is clawing back because of President Trump's action already.
04:04These are harrowing statistics that represent countless towns and families who have been
04:08completely destroyed.
04:10But the America last globalist era is ending under President Trump.
04:14He will no longer allow our country and our workers, our hardworking American families
04:19to be ripped off.
04:22On another very important issue for the President, he continues to work hard to secure the border.
04:28If you missed it yesterday, CBP launched an enhanced home mobile app with a new feature,
04:34the Intent to Depart, which offers unlawfully present aliens or those aliens whose parole
04:39has been revoked in orderly and defined process to notify the U.S.
04:44Government of their intent to depart the country.
04:47The CBP home app strengthens our mission to secure the border and provides illegal aliens
04:52with a straightforward way to leave now before facing much harsher consequences later.
04:59A new report from Bloomberg just found that the number of aliens trying to reach our country
05:04by traveling through the jungle to Central America dropped a whopping 99% last month.
05:11And this follows the incredible news that illegal border crossings plummeted last month
05:15as well, down 94% at our southern border from last February under the Biden administration.
05:23As President Trump made clear during his historic address to Congress, we must finish this job
05:28and continue to carry out the largest deportation campaign in American history.
05:34And that is why the President fully endorses the continuing resolution that is before Congress
05:39and was negotiated by Speaker Johnson.
05:42He is encouraging all Republicans to vote yes on this clean CR, which freezes funding
05:47at current levels and will prevent the Democrats from getting their long-awaited government shutdown.
05:54Voting against this CR will hurt the American people and kill the incredible momentum that
05:58President Trump has built over the past 51 days.
06:03And lastly, before I take questions, I would like to commend The Washington Post, who I
06:07believe is in the room today.
06:09According to a new report from Axios, The Washington Post is overhauling their newsroom
06:14structure.
06:15It appears that the mainstream media, including The Post, is finally learning that having
06:19disdain for more than half of the country who supports this president does not help
06:23you sell newspapers.
06:24It's not a very good business model.
06:27And that's why we have people in our new media seat, and today we have Sargar Annetty, who
06:31is the host of Breaking Points, a popular political YouTube news and podcast show that
06:36has racked up nearly 1 billion views on YouTube, several hundred million podcast downloads
06:41since its launch in June 2021.
06:44He's also a former member of the White House Correspondents Association but is now a part
06:48of the thriving independent media.
06:51We're very happy to have you with us here today.
06:52Why don't you kick off our briefing?
06:55MR.
06:56ANNETTY Really appreciate you having me, Caroline.
06:57A couple of questions for you, if I may.
06:59First is first on this stock market.
07:02So currently, it's the 25th anniversary today of the dot-com bubble crash.
07:07There's a lot of concern for a lot of Americans right now about the state of the economy.
07:11President Trump has refused to rule out a recession.
07:13Secretary Lutnick, however, has told us there will not be one.
07:16So can the White House just tell and assure Americans today that there's not going to
07:19be a recession?
07:20MS.
07:21HARFINGER Well, there's a lot to unpack there.
07:22So let me start by saying that, first of all, when it comes to the stock market, the numbers
07:25that we see today, the numbers we saw yesterday, the numbers we saw – we'll see tomorrow
07:30are a snapshot of a moment in time.
07:32And as President Trump has said – and I'm here to echo the remarks of this president
07:36of this White House – we are in a period of economic transition.
07:41We are in a period of transition from the mess that was created under Joe Biden in the
07:46previous administration.
07:47Joe Biden left this country in an economic disaster.
07:51Several statistics to point out.
07:52The delinquency rate on credit card loans increased 63 percent under Joe Biden, hitting
07:58a near 12-year high.
07:59Under Joe Biden, all net job growth went to foreign-born Americans.
08:04Real wages declined by 1.5 percent under Joe Biden.
08:08And as we all know – and this administration continues to combat – prices soared more
08:12than 20 percent under Joe Biden because of his reckless spending and economic policies.
08:18So we are in a period of transition from that economic nightmare, under a president who
08:22had no idea what he was doing, never held a private sector job in his life, into a golden
08:27age of American manufacturing under a businessman and a dealmaker-in-chief in President Donald
08:33J. Trump, who will be implementing – is implementing the formula that we know works.
08:38Look at President Trump's results in his first term.
08:41If people are looking for certainty, they should look at the record of this president.
08:45That's why the American people re-elected him back to this office.
08:49And look at everything that President Trump has already done and his team has already
08:52done in just 51 days – the massive efforts to deregulate, tax cuts, which we need Congress
08:59to pass the Trump economic agenda, the Trump tax cuts, which will unleash economic growth.
09:05And the president also addressed this directly, I will point out as well, when you look at
09:09what he said on Air Force One, and he said he wants the American people to have so much
09:14money in their pockets they don't even know what to do with it.
09:16That's the intent of this administration, and we're working very hard every day on
09:20that goal.
09:21Let's get on to CR.
09:22So President Trump came out today in a primary challenge against Congressman Thomas Massie.
09:26Congressman Massie's been a supporter of DOJ, he's been a supporter of Make America
09:30Healthy Again.
09:31What kind of message is this White House sending against a congressman who's sticking up
09:35for principles that he's long held in the chamber and voting against continuing resolution
09:40and its spending?
09:41I think the President has made it very clear that he believes it's critical for conservatives
09:45and Republicans and, frankly, all members of Congress to get behind this continuing
09:50resolution to keep the government funded.
09:53The President wants to continue the momentum that he has built over the last 51 days.
09:58In order to keep the government funded, we've got to keep moving with these deportations,
10:02and he believes that everybody needs to get on board with this bill.
10:05He's been active in this process, he's been making calls to get this over the finish line,
10:09and we're urging every Republican, and Democrats too, to do what's right for the American public
10:14to prevent a government shutdown.
10:15Just the last question here on Mahmoud Khalil.
10:18Does the Administration believe that it needs to charge a green card holder with a crime
10:23to be eligible for deportation?
10:25Well, in fact, Secretary Rubio reserves the right to revoke the visa of Mahmoud Khalil,
10:33and I'm glad you brought this up.
10:34Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Secretary of State has the right to revoke
10:40a green card or a visa for individuals who serve or are adversarial to the foreign policy
10:46and national security interests of the United States of America.
10:50And Mahmoud Khalil was an individual who was given the privilege of coming to this country
10:55to study at one of our nation's finest universities and colleges, and he took advantage of that
11:02opportunity, of that privilege, by siding with terrorists, Hamas terrorists who have
11:06killed innocent men, women, and children.
11:09This is an individual who organized group protests that not only disrupted college campus
11:15classes and harassed Jewish American students and made them feel unsafe on their own college
11:21campus, but also distributed pro-Hamas propaganda, flyers with the logo of Hamas.
11:28That is what the behavior and activity that this individual engaged in.
11:32And I have those flyers on my desk.
11:34They were provided to me by the Department of Homeland Security.
11:36I thought about bringing them into this briefing room to share with all of you, but I didn't
11:40think it was worth the dignity of this room to bring that pro-Hamas propaganda.
11:45But that's what this individual distributed on the campus of Columbia University, and
11:48this Administration is not going to tolerate individuals having the privilege of studying
11:53in our country and then siding with pro-terrorist organizations that have killed Americans.
11:59We have a zero-tolerance policy for siding with terrorists, period.
12:03Peter Doocy.
12:04QUESTION.
12:05Thank you, Caroline.
12:06So you said that the Dow dropping and dropping and dropping is a period of transition.
12:11You're sure nobody here at the White House shorted the Dow?
12:14MS.
12:15HARFNESSANI No.
12:16I don't think so.
12:17QUESTION.
12:18Okay.
12:19But is there any concern here that it's going to be harder to ask certain federal workers
12:23to retire if they look at their retirement accounts and they're getting robbed every
12:29day?
12:30MS.
12:31HARFNESSANI Well, I'm glad you brought up workers, because
12:32that's exactly who President Trump is looking out for with his America First trade policy
12:37and his America First economic agenda.
12:40And if you look at – there's great indication to be optimistic about where the economy stands,
12:46and the American people – investors, CEOs, small business owners, but most importantly
12:50workers – should bet on President Trump, because his tariff policies, what he envisions
12:55is reciprocity, fair trade practices where American workers are put first and are no
13:01longer ripped off by foreign countries all over this world.
13:04QUESTION.
13:05President Trump says he's going to buy a Tesla today.
13:07Did he buy it?
13:09And when is the last time he drove a car?
13:11MS.
13:12HARFNESSANI That's a very good question.
13:13I have heard the President remark that he misses being able to drive that luxury of
13:18driving his own vehicle, although the beast is nice.
13:21But he is going to be viewing a Tesla that is making its way to the White House complex
13:25now, I can confirm.
13:28Perhaps the press pool today will have an opportunity to witness this very exciting
13:32moment later this afternoon.
13:34But Tesla is on its way here now, and we'll see if the President likes it when he checks
13:40it out.
13:41QUESTION.
13:42So they're bringing him a Tesla to look at, and if he likes it, he's just going
13:44to buy it?
13:45MS.
13:46HARFNESSANI No, he's intent on – he's definitely
13:47going to buy one, but he'll take a look at it when it gets here later this afternoon.
13:50QUESTION.
13:51Full retail?
13:52MS.
13:53HARFNESSANI Yes, full market price.
13:54Kelly.
13:55QUESTION.
13:56Can we talk about Canada?
13:58The status of President Trump having a conversation with Mark Carney?
14:02We have seen the President use the term governor to refer to Justin Trudeau.
14:06Will that moniker also go to Mr. Carney going forward?
14:10And is the decision to increase the tariffs, is that based on a specific economic metric
14:17that he looked at?
14:18Is it impulse?
14:19How would you describe his reaction to Canada?
14:21MS.
14:22HARFNESSANI The President has not yet spoken to Mr. Carney,
14:26not since I checked, which was just moments ago.
14:29But certainly, his phone is always open to leaders who wish to speak with him.
14:34As for the tariffs, the President made his position on this quite clear with the statement
14:39that he put out, and it was a retaliatory statement due to the escalation of rhetoric
14:44that we've seen out of Ontario, Canada.
14:47The President saw the Premier, Doug Ford, make an egregious and insulting comment threatening
14:52to shut down electricity for the American people, for hardworking American families.
14:58He made that threat.
14:59The President saw that and has an obligation and a responsibility to respond accordingly
15:06and represent the interests of the American people.
15:09So he has made the decision to add a 25 percent tariff.
15:12So now steel and aluminum tariffs will come into effect tomorrow at the rate of 50 percent.
15:18And our steel and aluminum industries have actually applauded these tariffs because,
15:22again, they know it's going to grow their industry here, it's going to allow them to
15:26export more steel that is made right here in the United States with American workers.
15:31QUESTIONS AGREED TO.
15:32MS.
15:33HARFNESSANI Egregious and insulting are your words here,
15:34but that's what many Canadian leaders have said about the actions President Trump has
15:38taken toward Canada.
15:39And what do you think the timeline is for speaking to Mr. Carney?
15:42Because normally, a sitting President speaks to a close ally very quickly when there's
15:47new leadership.
15:48MS.
15:49HARFNESSANI Well, the President is, again, responding
15:51to the fact that Canada has been ripping off the United States of America and hardworking
15:56Americans for decades.
15:58If you look at the rates of tariffs across the board that Canadians have been imposing
16:03on the American people and our workers here, it is egregious.
16:07In fact, I have a handy-dandy chart here that shows not just Canada, but the rate of tariffs
16:12across the board.
16:13If you look at Canada, since you brought it up, American cheese and butter, nearly
16:17300 percent tariff.
16:20You look at India, 150 percent tariff on American alcohol.
16:24You think that's helping Kentucky bourbon be exported into India?
16:27I don't think so.
16:28A hundred percent tariff on agricultural products from India.
16:32Look at Japan, tariffing rice 700 percent.
16:36President Trump believes in reciprocity, and it is about dang time that we have a President
16:41who actually looks out for the interests of American businesses and workers.
16:45And all he's asking for at the end of the day are fair and balanced trade practices,
16:50and unfortunately, Canada has not been treating us very fairly at all over the past several
16:56decades.
16:57To the woman in the purple, because I saw you were making a face at my previous answer,
17:01so what's going on?
17:03Well, actually, I have a couple of questions.
17:09At the core of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses and elsewhere is a demand
17:13to end the war in Gaza, a goal that this Administration actually supports and has pursued.
17:19So why has not – has this not been acknowledged or highlighted even?
17:23Because these colleges and these protests have, again, put out Hamas propaganda.
17:30The flyers that have been distributed call for violence.
17:33The flyers that have been distributed have the logo of an organization that has held
17:38Americans hostage, that murdered innocent babies, that murdered men, women, and children.
17:44They are a designated foreign terrorist organization, and we are not going to tolerate non-citizens,
17:51foreigners who come here on a visa engaging in such behavior, siding with terrorists.
17:57And the Secretary of State reserves the authority to revoke the green card or the visa of an
18:04individual who serves as an – who – actually, it says right here, reasonable grounds to
18:09believe that the aliens' presence or activities in the United States would have potentially
18:14serious adverse foreign policy consequences to the United States.
18:18And I think siding with Hamas makes that quite clear.
18:22Secretary Rubio exercised that authority, and we fully believe that we are going to
18:26move forward with more arrests, as President Trump previewed in his statement yesterday.
18:30Ed.
18:31Yeah, thanks.
18:32Go ahead.
18:33So are there conversations between the Administration and the Canadians going on over this tariff?
18:38Because the Ontario premier says the next step is to cut off electricity to the U.S.
18:42And the President put out a statement after seeing those comments and said that it would
18:46be – there would be grave consequences imposed on Canada if they think about shutting off
18:52electricity for the United States of America and our citizens.
18:57And the President is also determined to ensure that we are depending on American electricity,
19:02not the electricity production of foreign nations, including our allies in Canada.
19:07As for conversations, there is continued correspondence between the President's team, particularly
19:13Secretary Lutnick, and the Canadians as well.
19:15And in the market reaction, how do you sell to the American people then, after looking
19:20at what's happening in the markets this week, and say that the tariff policy long
19:24term is something good?
19:25Well, just think about what the tariff policy long term will do for our country.
19:30I think many of us probably grew up in small towns.
19:33I know at least I did, and the Main Street in my small town looks a heck of a lot worse
19:37than it probably did decades ago before I was alive, at least my parents and grandparents
19:41tell me so.
19:42And I know many Americans feel that same way.
19:45What the President envisions for this country is for the United States of America to be
19:49a manufacturing superpower, where there are American factories and businesses owned by
19:55Americans producing goods that we are exporting to the rest of the world.
19:58Those revenues will stay here, it will increase wages for people here in our great country,
20:03it will ensure our national security, and it will boost the morale of the American people
20:08to have thriving industries again.
20:10Think about Detroit, Michigan.
20:12Think about North Carolina, as I mentioned, that used to have a thriving furniture industry
20:16that no longer exists because of the globalist trade policies of previous and past administrations.
20:22And the American people gave the President a tremendous opportunity to restore American
20:27greatness and restore our manufacturing dominance, and he's intent on doing just that.
20:32John.
20:33Thanks, Caroline.
20:34Two questions for you.
20:35First, on the CR, you put up on the screen the President's message to Republicans to
20:41support this continuing resolution.
20:43What is their outreach to Democrats?
20:45Because what we've seen since the beginning of the fiscal year is that in order to get
20:50a continuing resolution, you need bipartisan support and you need compromise.
20:54Well, right now, we are focused on House Republicans and on the House, because that's the first
20:59step, as you know, John.
21:00And so the President has engaged in correspondence with House Republicans, whipping votes and
21:05getting them to a yes, which I understand has been pretty successful this morning thus
21:10far.
21:11So again, the President is encouraging Republicans especially, but again, as I said, all members
21:16of Congress to vote to continue funding this government so we can continue the business
21:21of the American people, which elected President Trump to do.
21:24And now on financial markets, we've seen this decline yesterday.
21:28We see it today as well.
21:30It seems that the read on the President's policies is one in which they do not have
21:36confidence in his trade tariffs policy.
21:39They do not have confidence in what the President said to Fox News over the weekend, that he
21:43didn't rule out the idea of a recession.
21:45What is your read in terms of the decline that we've seen over the last week and a half
21:51in financial markets?
21:52Well, I think there's actually a lot of reason to be confident, and many people do feel confident.
21:57Just look at the nearly $2 trillion in private investment that this President has secured.
22:03Look at the comments made by the CEO of Apple, one of the biggest companies in this world,
22:07who said that he is bullish on the future of American innovation under the leadership
22:13of President Trump.
22:14Look at CEO confidence.
22:16According to the conference board measure of CEO confidence, in Q1 2025, under the leadership
22:21of this President, it jumped to its highest level in three years from cautious optimism
22:26to confident optimism.
22:29If you, again, look at the $2 trillion in investments from some of the biggest companies
22:33in the world.
22:34Look at the jobs report last Friday.
22:36As I also cited in my opening remarks, Fox Business reported that Trump sees a manufacturing
22:41boom in Firstful's jobs report of his second term.
22:45Look at the auto jobs that have already poured back into America.
22:48We added 9,000 new auto jobs.
22:51Those are sticky jobs.
22:52Those are good-paying jobs.
22:54That's 9,000 American families who will now be able to live the American dream because
22:58of the policies of this administration.
23:00You also look at small business optimism.
23:02The NFIB put out a report this morning.
23:05Small business optimism continues to be far higher than it ever was under the previous
23:10administration.
23:11There's a lot of reason to be optimistic.
23:13And again, the American people, CEOs, and people on Wall Street and on Main Street should
23:18bet on this President.
23:20He is a dealmaker.
23:21He is a businessman.
23:22And he's doing what's right for our country.
23:24He wants to restore wealth to the United States of America.
23:27Michael, good to see you.
23:29Hey, Caroline.
23:31Two questions, if I may.
23:32Will the administration be providing any relief to states affected by the Ontario power terror?
23:38Well, the President has made it very clear that Canada would be very wise not to shut
23:43off electricity for the American people.
23:47And we hope that that does not happen.
23:49As for what would happen, if that does take place, I'll leave it to the President to make
23:53those decisions.
23:54And does President Trump share the Justice Department's concern over rising egg prices
23:58and possible collusion of big egg?
24:01Well, we definitely do share the concerns of the American people when it comes to the
24:09price of eggs.
24:10However, good news, the average cost of a dozen eggs is actually down since Secretary
24:14Rollins and President Trump announced their plan.
24:17It's down $1.85.
24:19So that's good news on the cost of eggs.
24:21And as we know, under the Biden administration, egg prices went up 22%.
24:27This is another example of an economic mess that President Trump inherited.
24:31And the Secretary of Agriculture and the President are focused on fixing it.
24:35Secretary Rollins put out a five-point plan – a four-point plan, rather, to address
24:39this crisis.
24:41And she has been honest and realistic with the American people, as this administration
24:44always is.
24:45It will take about three to six months to get the egg supply back to where it should
24:49be.
24:50But she's focused and this administration is focused on doing that every day.
24:54Karen.
24:55Thanks, Caroline.
24:56Just back on the markets.
24:57You said that what we're seeing this week right now on Wall Street is a snapshot of
25:00a moment in time.
25:01But does the President think he bears any responsibility for the turmoil in the stock
25:05market this week?
25:06Look, the President is unwavering in his commitment to restore American manufacturing and global
25:12dominance.
25:13And I think he doubled down on that this morning with his new statement and the tariffs that
25:18will be implemented tomorrow on steel and aluminum.
25:20And he has said recently – he's not looking at the market – he said we can't really
25:26watch the start to the stock market.
25:27But all of the gains since Election Day have been erased in the S&P 500.
25:31At what point, how far do stocks have to fall before the President considers it a factor
25:35and changes course?
25:37Again, as I just said, the President will look out for Wall Street and for Main Street,
25:41just like he did in his first term.
25:42And people on Wall Street and Main Street should bet on this President.
25:46He's doing what's right for this country.
25:47Nick, good to see you.
25:48Good to see you, too.
25:49Thank you, Caroline.
25:50So is the President prepared, like what we saw with Congressman Massey, to pressure other
25:57Republican lawmakers into supporting this continuing resolution?
26:01Well, he is very much, as I said, engaged in this process.
26:04He's been making calls to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and I think his statements against Congressman
26:10Massey speak for themselves.
26:12And I will let the President put out any additional statements if he chooses to, but he fully
26:16expects all House Republicans to vote for this continuing resolution.
26:21And just to follow up, can we start to anticipate seeing more of the President weighing in on
26:25upcoming 2026 races like we saw this morning?
26:29I'm not sure about that.
26:31I'm not even sure if I'm allowed to speak about that from this podium.
26:34I would check in with our outside political team for guidance on future races and the
26:39President's involvement.
26:40Elena.
26:42I want to ask about some comments Elon Musk made yesterday.
26:44He said that there is $500 to $700 billion in waste and fraud and entitlement spending.
26:50He called it, quote, the big one to eliminate.
26:53Earlier this month, he also referred to Social Security as a Ponzi scheme.
26:57Should Americans expect changes, big changes, to Social Security and Medicare?
27:02President Trump has been unequivocally clear on this.
27:04He is going to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits and Medicaid for hardworking
27:10Americans who paid into these entitlement programs and deserve those hard-earned benefits.
27:14And unfortunately, the mainstream media has taken Mr. Musk out of context.
27:19I saw a Bloomberg headline that our team actually worked on getting updated and fixed because
27:23it was so wrong and it took Mr. Musk out of context.
27:27What he was specifically referring to cutting was the waste and the fraud and abuse that
27:32does exist in these programs.
27:35According to an IG report from the Social Security Administration, there's more than
27:38$70 billion of fraud in the Social Security program alone that we know of.
27:44And so the President will continue to protect these programs for hardworking Americans.
27:48And actually, cutting the waste, fraud, and abuse out of these programs will protect it
27:52for hardworking Americans.
27:53But, Jalen, respectfully, he said around $500 to $700 billion.
27:57There was no evidence to claim that.
27:59And also, if that is the case, that would represent more than a third of what Social
28:03Security paid out last year, maybe 20 percent of Social Security and Medicare combined.
28:07Again, if you read his full quote, he said, we think.
28:10So it's an estimate based on what he's seen.
28:12He's not saying definitively.
28:14He's saying that's what DOJ suspects and thinks.
28:17And that's exactly why DOJ was created, to ensure that we are investigating the fraudulent
28:22spending, the wasteful abuse across our federal government.
28:26And I would remind everybody in this room that 77 percent of the American people support
28:31this effort by Elon Musk and DOJ to identify such waste, fraud, and abuse.
28:35Go ahead.
28:36I would remind everyone.
28:37You're welcome.
28:38If we could just step back for a second.
28:39When President Trump last addressed the BRT when he was on the campaign trail, his big
28:44push was on tax cuts.
28:46He's going there today as he's proposing tax hikes in the form of tariffs.
28:51And I'm curious for why he's prioritizing that over the tax cuts.
28:56He's actually not implementing tax hikes.
29:00Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that, again, have been ripping us off.
29:04Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people, and the President is a staunch advocate of
29:09tax cuts.
29:10As you know, he campaigned on no taxes on tips, no taxes on overtime, no taxes on Social
29:16Security benefits.
29:17He is committed to all three of those things, and he expects Congress to pass them later
29:21this year.
29:22I'm sorry.
29:23Have you ever paid a tariff?
29:24Because I have.
29:25That's it.
29:26They don't get charged on foreign companies.
29:27They get charged on the importers.
29:29And ultimately, when we have fair and balanced trade, which the American people have not
29:33seen in decades, as I said at the beginning, revenues will stay here, wages will go up,
29:39and our country will be made wealthy again.
29:41And I think it's insulting that you're trying to test my knowledge of economics and the
29:46decisions that this President has made.
29:48I now regret giving a question to the Associated Press.
29:51Mary, go ahead.
29:52Hi, Caroline.
29:53I have two if that's okay.
29:54The first one was on Russia-Ukraine.
29:56I know Special Envoy Whitkoff said yesterday that Zelensky apologized in his letter to
30:01Trump.
30:02Can you share any more about that letter and what else might be interesting from it
30:05that we don't know?
30:06Yes.
30:07The President did reference that letter, as you're saying, in his joint address to Congress.
30:11And I do have an update.
30:13As you know, Secretary of State Rubio and our National Security Advisor Mike Waltz have
30:18been negotiating with the Ukrainians today in Saudi.
30:21They will be providing a full readout of that meeting very soon.
30:25But I can assure you and everybody here and the American people that the news we've received
30:30from that meeting throughout the day and the President has been briefed on is positive.
30:34This meeting has been productive.
30:36I will let Secretary of Rubio and our National Security – Secretary of State Rubio and
30:40our National Security Advisor speak to the specifics of what has taken place today when
30:45they are ready to do so when the meeting concludes.
30:47Caroline.
30:48Lindsay, go ahead.
30:49Thank you, Caroline.
30:50According to Mahmoud Khalil, the President has said this is the first of many arrests
30:55like this.
30:56Does the Administration have a rough estimate of how many arrests you're planning to make
31:00similar?
31:01I don't have an estimate.
31:02I do know that DHS, based on very good intel that they have gathered at the direction of
31:07the President's executive order, which made it very clear to the Department of Homeland
31:11Security that engaging, as I said, in anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas protests will not
31:18be tolerated.
31:19So since the President signed that executive order and since Secretary of NONE has taken
31:24the oath at DHS, they have been using intelligence to identify individuals on our nation's
31:30colleges and universities, on our college campuses, who have engaged in such behavior
31:35and activity, and especially illegal activity.
31:39And so I don't have a readout on how many arrests will come, but I do know that DHS
31:42is actively working on it.
31:44And I also know that Columbia University has been given the names of other individuals
31:48who have engaged in pro-Hamas activity, and they are refusing to help DHS identify those
31:54individuals on campus.
31:56And as the President said very strongly in his statement yesterday, he is not going to
31:59tolerate that, and we expect all America's colleges and universities to comply with this
32:06Administration's policy.
32:07Jasmine.
32:08Thank you so much for the question.
32:09On Canada, after all of these threats to increase tariffs or turn off electricity, I wonder,
32:17does this Administration still consider Canada to be a close ally of the United States?
32:22Well, I think Canada is a neighbor.
32:26They are a partner.
32:27They have always been an ally.
32:29Perhaps they are becoming a competitor now.
32:31But as the President also laid out in his Truth Social post today, he believes that
32:35Canadians would benefit greatly from becoming the 51st state of the United States of America.
32:41And I actually looked into some of the research about the cost of living in Canada, and the
32:46cost of living is much higher than it is here in the United States of America.
32:50The average cost of a home in Canada is much higher.
32:53In Quebec, the highest tax rate for an income of $150,000 or more is 53.3 percent, more
33:00than half of Canadians' incomes they are being taxed on.
33:03So the President has made it clear that he believes Canadians would be better served
33:07economically, militarily, if they were to become the 51st state of the United States
33:13of America.
33:14Reagan.
33:15Thanks, Caroline.
33:16A week ago, Attorney General Bondi said a truckload of Epstein files had been delivered
33:20to her office from the SDNY.
33:23When can we expect those files to be released to the public?
33:25I would defer you to the Department of Justice.
33:27I don't have a timeline here.
33:28Do you have any update on the JFK files?
33:30I don't at this moment.
33:31Again, I would defer you to our DNI Director, Tulsi Gabbard, and also the Department of
33:36Justice.
33:37I know that they are working on that diligently, as the President requested them to do.
33:41Christian.
33:42Thanks, Caroline.
33:43Just a couple more questions.
33:44Since we've been talking a lot about tariffs, have there been any updates on standing up
33:47the External Revenue Service to collect revenue from that?
33:51Well, we need reciprocal tariffs to go into effect first, and as you know, the President
33:55will be rolling those out on April 2nd.
33:57And then the next start of that process is collecting that revenue to ultimately create
34:01the External Revenue Service, which Secretary Lutnick is working very hard on and is quite
34:06enthusiastic about, if you have noticed from his media interviews.
34:09Can the President do that through executive action, or will it require legislation?
34:13Well, the President already signed an executive order to direct the Secretary of Commerce
34:17to establish the External Revenue Service, or at least to identify ways in which it can
34:21be done.
34:22I would defer you to the Department of Commerce for more on specifics on that.
34:25Sure.
34:26In the back.
34:27Thank you very much, Caroline.
34:28I have a few questions on South Korea and North Korea.
34:29First question, as you know, South Korean President Moon has been released from illegal
34:40detention.
34:41What is the reaction of the United States as an ally?
34:46Is there a possibility of a summit with President Trump when President Moon returns?
34:55Second question on North Korea.
34:56North Korea launched several ballistic missiles into the West Coast yesterday.
34:57What is the White House's reaction on this?
34:58Thank you very much.
34:59Sure.
35:00Yes, I'll start with your question on North Korea.
35:01We condemn these actions and we call on North Korea to stop their unlawful and destabilizing
35:02actions.
35:03As for South Korea, the U.S. and Republic of Korea's alliance is ironclad.
35:04And the Trump administration remains in close contact with our South Korean counterparts
35:29as we work together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.
35:32Sure.
35:33Is there a question you didn't answer on the release of our South Korean President
35:40from jail?
35:42I don't have anything on that, but I can certainly check in with the National Security Council
35:46and get back to you.
35:47Sure.
35:48Good to see you.
35:49Press Secretary, many are concerned about the validity of President Biden's official
35:54actions and also his pardons of the possible criminal actions of individuals such as his
35:59family members and Liz Cheney, as information's emerging that many of his official actions
36:04were autosigned, possibly even the pardons and without his knowledge or consent.
36:08Does the White House have any information available currently that Biden was actually
36:13the one that approved and signed those pardons?
36:15And second question, will the DOJ investigate whether President Biden's cognitive decline
36:21allowed unelected staff to push through radical policy and pardons without his known approval?
36:25I don't know the answer to that question, but I can check in with our folks here who
36:29may know the answer to that question and get back to you.
36:31Dasha.
36:32Dasha, go ahead.
36:33You did a great job articulating the vision that President Trump has for what his tariffs
36:37– he believes his tariffs can do in terms of bringing jobs back to the United States.
36:42I asked you last week about how much Americans might need to buckle up for some short-term
36:46pain, a conversation that – with the President and Treasury Secretary Scott Besson have had
36:51with the people.
36:52Second question, what is the – how high is the pain threshold for President Trump
36:58and for this White House as you watch some of the turbulence in the stock markets, as
37:03you feel concerns from businesses and potentially see some of those approval ratings drop in
37:08the short term?
37:09How much is he willing to stomach that, and will he stay committed to his vision for tariffs
37:13even as all of this comes up?
37:15Well, the President has been working hard every single day to alleviate the pain that
37:20was inflicted by the previous administration through massive deregulation, through drill-baby-drill,
37:26as we like to call it, unleashing the might of our energy industry, which we know will
37:30ultimately jive down costs for consumers here at home.
37:33And again, as I mentioned, the President is intent on signing tax cuts for the American
37:38people to put more money back into their pockets, which will ultimately unlock consumer confidence.
37:44And again, I'll reiterate the President's words in layman's terms as he does best.
37:49The President wants the American people to have so much more money in their pockets they
37:52don't know what to do with it.
37:54That's the goal of this administration through tariffs, through tax cuts, through deregulation,
37:59and through unleashing the potential of our energy industry.
38:02I have two more quick notes before I wrap up.
38:05April 28th, I can confirm that the Philadelphia Eagles will be here at the White House to
38:10celebrate their Super Bowl victory.
38:12I know there was a lot of fake news about an invitation that wasn't sent or was sent.
38:16We want to correct the record.
38:17We sent an invitation, they enthusiastically accepted, and you will see them here on April
38:2228th.
38:23And lastly, on a sad note, I would like to express our condolences to Fox News and to
38:28the entire Fox family who did lose a cameraman, Craig Savage, who passed away at 61 years
38:35old recently, a very tragic death, an individual who was a great man and covered this building
38:42for many, many years.
38:43So the entire press office, the communications office here wants to express our condolences
38:48with his family and also with Fox News.
38:50And I'll see you guys later.
38:51Perhaps you'll see the President in a Tesla later this afternoon.
38:54Have a good one.
38:55Thanks, everyone.