Karoline Leavitt speaks to reporters outside the White House.
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00:00Can we expect any more at home-to-door press conferences in the near future?
00:07Wasn't that fun? A little fresh air this morning.
00:10It's good for everybody. You heard from the President earlier.
00:13You'll hear from him again at 5 o'clock.
00:15As you all know, he's signing executive orders.
00:17There will be seven executive orders, by my account, focused on education.
00:22Secretary Lyndon McMahon will be here in the Oval Office as well.
00:25I won't get ahead of them, but we'll see you all there.
00:28And the President will take some questions, but I'll take some now, too.
00:31What have these huge tariffs on China approved?
00:38Leverage and ensuring the rest of the world knows that the United States of America is no longer going to be ripped off.
00:44President Trump has made that very clear, not just with China, but with almost every single country on the planet.
00:50There have been hundreds of countries now that have reached out to the United States, to the Trump administration, to make deals.
00:56As I said yesterday, there were 18 proposals on paper that have been presented to our trade team.
01:01And we're negotiating on behalf of the American worker.
01:04And no other President has taken on such an endeavor.
01:07Many have talked about it.
01:08Many on both sides of the aisle have pledged to do what's right for the American worker and our manufacturing industry.
01:13But this is the first President to actually use the leverage of the United States to bring people to the table.
01:18But has the leverage actually worked? Because China hasn't made any concessions at all.
01:23Have some patience, and you will see.
01:25We just heard from President Trump on Tuesday's social, talking about Zelensky and the Wall Street Journal as well as this came out.
01:32How has the U.S. asked Ukraine to build up Crimea as part of this negotiation for the peace?
01:38And also, will he meet Zelensky in Ukraine, sorry, in Rome this weekend?
01:43Well, as President Trump rightfully pointed out in that statement, it was President Obama who gave up Crimea, who allowed Russia to take it over in 2014.
01:52And so the President is not asking Ukraine to recognize Crimea.
01:57Nobody has asked them to do that.
01:58What he is asking is for people to come to the negotiating table, recognizing that this has been a brutal war for far too long.
02:05And in order to make a good deal, both sides have to walk away a little bit unhappy.
02:09And unfortunately, President Zelensky has been trying to litigate this peace negotiation in the press.
02:16And that's unacceptable to the President.
02:18These should be closed door negotiations.
02:20The President's national security team, his advisors, have exuded significant time, energy and effort to try to bring this war to an end.
02:27The American taxpayer has funded billions of dollars in this effort.
02:31And enough is enough.
02:32The President's frustrated.
02:34His patience is running very thin.
02:36He wants to do what's right for the world.
02:38He wants to see peace.
02:39He wants to see the killing stop.
02:41But you need both sides of the war willing to do that.
02:44And unfortunately, President Zelensky seems to be moving in the wrong direction.
02:48Does the President think that Europeans are doing enough?
02:51And some countries are spending more in defense, reaching the 2 percent threshold.
02:56So what does the President think about Europeans for Ukraine?
02:59Look, the President has always maintained that Europe always needs to do more,
03:03whether it's in the effort to end this war in Russia and Ukraine,
03:07whether it is in terms of their spending when it comes to NATO and their own defense spending as well.
03:13He's made that clear to them in private and also in public.
03:16You've seen it when we've had many different European leaders coming to the White House.
03:19We'll have one tomorrow, of course.
03:21Norway will be here tomorrow.
03:23John.
03:24The Press.
03:25The Press.
03:26The Press.
03:27The Press.
03:28The Press.
03:29Is the President taking a gift to the Soviet Union?
03:30Has he threatened to walk away that is not accepted by the end of the day today?
03:34The Press.
03:35Not by the end of the day today.
03:36But the President has maintained that his frustration is growing,
03:39and he needs to see this thing come to an end.
03:41The Press.
03:42Can I ask you?
03:43Will President Trump and President Putin meet in Saudi Arabia next month?
03:47Is that the plan?
03:48MS.
03:49I'm not tracking a meeting at this time, but as always, we'll keep you updated.
03:52I did announce the dates of the foreign trip yesterday.
03:54On this morning, can you talk about the motivation behind the significance of President's move
03:59to install massive American flags here at the White House out of the Green Party?
04:03MS.
04:04I'm sorry?
04:05Can you talk about the motivation behind as well as the significance of the President's
04:08move to install massive American flags here at the White House?
04:11MS.
04:12I thought you were referring to the flags we lowered in honor of Pope Francis.
04:15Yeah, look, I mean, the President is a real estate developer at heart, and he's always
04:19looking for ways to improve the White House complex, not for him, but for future generations,
04:23for future presidents.
04:24He has some fun ideas for this complex, which we've kept you all apprised of as they have
04:29happened and will continue to do.
04:30So you can expect to look up, I think, quite soon and see a very big, beautiful American
04:35flag, perhaps on the North Lawn and the South Lawn.
04:38I think it has yet to be decided.
04:39So we'll see you all later.
04:41All right.
04:42Bye.
04:43Bye.
04:44Bye.
04:45Bye.