- 5/29/2025
Karoline Leavitt holds a White House press briefing.
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello, everybody. How are you? Wow, a packed room today.
00:07Last night, the Trump administration faced another example of judicial overreach.
00:12Using his full and proper legal authority, President Trump imposed universal tariffs
00:17and reciprocal tariffs on Liberation Day to address the extraordinary threats to our national
00:23security and economy posed by large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits.
00:29The United States has run a trade deficit of goods every year since 1975. In 2024,
00:36our trade deficit in goods exceeded $1 trillion. Everybody agrees this is unacceptable. President
00:44Trump is delivering on his promise to fix this problem, and he has taken a long overdue and much
00:51needed bold stance for American workers after decades of our manufacturing base being hollowed out.
00:58The President's rationale for imposing these powerful tariffs was legally sound and grounded
01:03in common sense. President Trump correctly believes that America cannot function safely long-term if
01:09we are unable to scale advanced domestic manufacturing capacity, have our own secure critical supply chains,
01:16and our defense industrial base is dependent on foreign adversaries. Three judges of the U.S. Court of
01:22international trade disagreed and brazenly abused their judicial power to usurp the authority of
01:27President Trump to stop him from carrying out the mandate that the American people gave him.
01:32These judges failed to acknowledge that the President of the United States has core foreign affairs
01:37powers and authority given to him by Congress to protect the United States economy and national
01:42security. Congress had created the National Emergency Act to provide the congressional framework to
01:47strike down improper IEPA use, and any questions over whether President Trump improperly imposed these
01:53IEPA tariffs were already adjudicated in Congress following Liberation Day. Congress firmly rejected an
01:59effort led by Senator Rand Paul and Democrats to terminate the President's reciprocal tariffs. The
02:03the courts should have no role here. There is a troubling and dangerous trend of unelected judges
02:09inserting themselves into the presidential decision-making process. America cannot function if President
02:15Trump, or any other president for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations
02:20railroaded by activist judges. President Trump is in the process of rebalancing America's trading
02:26agreements with the entire world, bringing tens of billions of dollars in tariff revenues to our country,
02:32and finally ending the United States of America from being ripped off. These judges are threatening
02:37to undermine the credibility of the United States on the world stage. The administration has already
02:42filed an emergency motion for a stay pending appeal and an immediate administrative stay to strike down
02:47this egregious decision. But ultimately, the Supreme Court must put an end to this for the sake of our
02:52Constitution and our country. With Congress returning next week, it's critical that Senate Republicans
02:59maintain the momentum and quickly pass the One Big Beautiful Bill. The One Big Beautiful Bill will
03:04truly make America safe and prosperous. The One Big Beautiful Bill includes the largest border security
03:10investment ever. That's why the law enforcement groups are lining up to encourage its swift passage.
03:16The National Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the country, just endorsed key
03:21provisions of the bill. The FOP President announced their strong support, saying,
03:26the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is more than legislation. It is a promise kept to the public
03:30safety officers across the country and a bold step toward an economy that respects, rewards,
03:36and uplifts the people who keep it safe. And the National Border Patrol Council, which represents nearly
03:4220,000 Border Patrol agents, hailed the legislation as well. The group's president said this legislation
03:48provides a once-in-a-generation investment in the border security of our great country and will make
03:53America safer. The One Big Beautiful Bill will guarantee we can permanently have the safest,
03:58strongest, and most secure immigration system in American history. I also want to take the
04:03opportunity to debunk some false claims that have been circulating in the press about this bill.
04:08The blatantly wrong claim that the One Big Beautiful Bill increases the deficit is based on the
04:12Congressional Budget Office and other scorekeepers who use shoddy assumptions and have historically been
04:17terrible at forecasting across Democrat and Republican administrations alike. For example,
04:23just before Congress enacted the original Trump tax cuts at the end of 2017, the same CBO projected that
04:30growth would average a mere 1.9 percent over the next 10 years. However, by 2019, actual growth had surged
04:38to 3.4 percent once the Trump tax cuts went into effect, exceeding the CBO forecast by nearly two full
04:44percentage points. The CBO's latest forecast makes the same anemic growth assumptions as they did in
04:502017, missing the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill. The CBO assumes long-term GDP growth of an
04:57anemic 1.8 percent, and that is absurd. The American economy is going to boom like never before after the
05:03One Big Beautiful Bill is passed. The largest middle-class tax cut in history, massive deregulation, and the most
05:09aggressive domestic energy exploration ever will fuel small businesses, further boost private investment,
05:15increase workers' wages, and supercharge economic growth. The Council of Economic Advisers has factored
05:21in the effects of all these pro-growth policies and estimated in their own analysis that growth will
05:26average 3 percent in the long run after the One Big Beautiful Bill is passed, which is nearly double
05:31the ridiculous CBO projection. This higher growth would result in $4.1 trillion in additional revenue over the
05:38next 10 years. Between the common-sense spending reforms contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill
05:43and the robust economic growth that will be generated as a result of it, there will be no increase to the
05:48deficit. The same analysis from the CEA shows just how this historic package will unleash prosperity and
05:54ignite a blue-collar boom across America. But if the radical Democrats get their way and the One Big
06:00Beautiful Bill does not pass, Americans will face a whopping $4 trillion tax hike. This is unacceptable to
06:06President Trump. President Trump will not allow Democrats to massively raise Americans' taxes.
06:11Senate Republicans must get this bill passed. Failure is not an option. The American people are counting
06:18us on us, on Republicans, to deliver. In other news, despite all the doom-casting from the media,
06:24Americans are growing more and more optimistic about the economy under this President. Consumer
06:29confidence surged in May, with the biggest monthly jump in four years, smashing expectations.
06:35According to the release from the Consumer Confidence Index, the increase in confidence was broad-based
06:40across all age groups, income groups, and political affiliations. Our country is clearly heading in
06:45the right direction under President Trump's bold leadership. For the first time in history of
06:50Rasmussen polling, a majority of Americans believe the country is on the right track. It's unsurprising,
06:56because the President is fulfilling the promises he made to the American people.
07:00Here in our new media seat today, we have the Editor-in-Chief of The Federalist,
07:05Molly Hemingway. The Federalist is led by Molly and Sean Davis and provides fearless journalism and
07:10coverage of politics and culture to millions of readers all over the world. Thank you for being
07:15here, Molly. And why don't you please kick us off? Thank you, Caroline. Thank you.
07:18In the first Trump administration, there was an effort to stymie the agenda of Trump through the
07:25Russia collusion hoax perpetuated by many people in the media, including some people seated here,
07:30or the media outlets they represent, and other Democrats as well. The second Trump administration,
07:36to reference what you said at the beginning, seems to be subject to an effort to stymie the agenda using
07:43rogue lower court judges. You mentioned that the Supreme Court could and should do something to
07:49rein in these lower court judges. Also, Congress could do something about it. But they don't seem
07:54terribly interested in it. It also seems there's not much of an actual coordinated effort from this
07:59White House to take and tackle this effort from judges, Democrats and other people using these judges,
08:05to stymie the agenda. Is there an actual effort by this White House to tackle this issue in a
08:13comprehensive way? And if so, what is it? There is an effort by this administration to tackle
08:18these rogue judges and the injunctions and the blockades that we have faced in our broken judicial
08:24system in every case. I mean, we have seen time and time again these lower district court judges ruling
08:30against this administration and the president's basic executive authority and powers. And this
08:35administration is fighting every single one of those battles in court, including already
08:39the block that came down from the tariff court, the IEPA court last night. And as on my way out here
08:46to the briefing room, I understand that there was another district court judge right here in Washington,
08:51D.C., who ruled against the president's tariff power. And I will get to the heart of your question,
08:56and I'm glad that we are addressing this in the room today, because nationwide injunctions ordered
09:00against the first Trump administration, Trump 1.0, account for more than half of the injunctions
09:06issued in this country since 1963. And President Trump had more injunctions in one full month of
09:13office in February than Joe Biden had in three years. And let me roll through some of these radical
09:19injunctions to paint the picture for the American people at home. This is not, these are not just talking
09:24points. These are real judges in the court of law who are trying to block the president's power and
09:30the policies that he was elected to enact. For example, a court ordered the Trump administration
09:35to return already deported terrorist aliens back to the United States. A court has ruled the Trump
09:40administration can't even temporarily pause our refugee programs. Courts prohibited the Trump
09:46administration from eliminating federal funding for child transgender surgery and mutilation, a practice
09:51that the American people overwhelmingly reject. A court also held that the Trump administration could
09:56not ban people experiencing gender dysphoria or mental health issues from serving in the military.
10:02Ridiculous. Courts prohibited the removal of transgender women from women's prisons, despite
10:07potential physical harm to real women in those prisons, biological women. A Northern District of California
10:14judge issued an absurd ruling that the president cannot fire people within the executive branch without
10:20Congress passing a bill, even though Congress has expressly authorized the president through the
10:25Office of Personnel Management to authorize reductions in force across agencies. A court also ordered
10:30the Trump administration to rehire thousands of already fired employees in several cases. A federal
10:35judge blocked the Trump administration from defunding the Department of Education. Another signature
10:40campaign promised that this president has the power to implement. Courts ordered the Trump
10:44administration could not eliminate funding for illegal DEI programs, hence the word illegal. These are illegal
10:50programs to begin with, and now the courts are trying to say this president can't roll them back.
10:54And a district court judge prohibited the president from issuing any categorical funding freezes.
10:59And then another court ordered on top of that the administration makes $2 billion of payments
11:04in 36 hours. These are just a few of the ridiculous orders that we have seen from lower district
11:10court judges every day, and we hope that the Supreme Court will weigh in and rein them in.
11:14The White House advisor Stephen Miller says it's judicial tyranny. Some people are calling it a
11:18judicial coup. You're saying you're responding to each and every one of these actions, efforts by
11:23these judges to delay or thwart the implementation of the agenda, but is there going to be anything
11:28more than that, or is it just going to let this operation continue, even though it could delay everything
11:33for years until the presidency is over? The administration is operating under the directive
11:36given to the, from the president that we need to comply with the court's orders. He's made that very
11:40clear, but we're going to fight them in court and we're going to win on the merits of these cases
11:44because we know we are acting within the president's legal and executive authorities. And thanks for
11:49being here. Gabe. Thank you, Caroline. Question on tariffs, but first actually some foreign policy
11:53news, some breaking news. Some local Israeli media is reporting that Prime Minister Netanyahu told
11:59hostage families that he's accepted a 60-day truce offer. So can you confirm have Israel and Hamas agree to a truce?
12:07I can confirm that Special Envoy Whitcoff and the president submitted a ceasefire proposal to Hamas
12:14that Israel backed and supported. Israel signed off on this proposal before it was sent to Hamas.
12:20I can also confirm that those discussions are continuing and we hope that a ceasefire in Gaza
12:26will take place so we can return all of the hostages home. And that's been a priority from
12:29this administration from the beginning. I won't comment further as we are in the midst of this right now.
12:33So to be clear, you don't know if Hamas has accepted it yet? Not to my knowledge,
12:37but certainly if that becomes case and this ceasefire goes into effect, you'll hear it directly from
12:42myself, the president, or Special Envoy Whitcoff. And on tariffs, Kevin Hassett earlier this morning,
12:47he brushed off the legal ruling, called it a hiccup, and he said that trade deal negotiations would
12:53continue. Why would other countries continue these trade deal negotiations given the rule?
12:58MS. Because other countries around the world have faith in the negotiator-in-chief,
13:03President Donald J. Trump. And they also probably see how ridiculous this ruling is,
13:08and they understand that the administration is going to win and we intend to win. We already
13:12filed an emergency appeal. We expect to fight this battle all the way to the Supreme Court.
13:16These other countries should also know, and they do know, that the president reserves other tariff
13:20authorities, Section 232, for example, to ensure that America's interests are being restored around the
13:27world. But I can confirm that our ambassador for trade, Jameson Greer, already heard from countries
13:31around the world this morning who said they intend to continue with these negotiations. Peter.
13:36Thank you, Caroline. So many of the president's plans right now are being blocked by courts.
13:41MS. Mm-hmm. It's true.
13:42If the courts are going to be the ones who are shaping policy, does the president wish he would
13:48have just become a judge instead? MS. I think the president would take this job
13:52over being a judge, and certainly the president is acting within his authority. He wishes judges would do the
13:57same. But so the courts are basically telling you guys they think that the White House's policies,
14:01the president's policies, are in some way against the law. So why can't President Trump ask the
14:07Republicans that control the House and the Republicans that control the Senate just to make a new law?
14:13MS. Well, these laws have already been granted to the president by the Constitution and by laws that
14:18have been previously passed. I'll give you another example. For instance, we've been blocked in court
14:24for the revocation of visas from individuals who have the privilege of studying in the United States
14:29of America. Secretary of State Rubio has simply used his authority to revoke those visas, to revoke
14:36that privilege, and we've seen the courts try to block that. So if these judges want to be the secretary
14:40of state or they want to be the president, they can run for office themselves. It should be the other
14:44way around. But all of the actions the president has taken rely on legal authorities that have already
14:50been granted to him by our nation's existing laws. And on a different topic, there are some folks in
14:54President Biden's inner circle who are now in talks with Republicans in Congress to give interviews
15:00about how they may have handled President Biden's decline. Is the president satisfied with aides
15:08only sitting for these transcribed interviews? Or would he also like to see some kind of testimony
15:13from the former first lady, Dr. Biden?
15:14I think, frankly, the former first lady should certainly speak up about what she saw in regards
15:21to her husband and when she saw it and what she knew. Because I think anybody looking, again,
15:27at the videos and photo evidence of Joe Biden with your own eyes and a little bit of common sense can
15:32see this was a clear cover-up. And Jill Biden was certainly complicit in that cover-up. There are
15:38docu-there's documentation, video evidence of her clearly shielding her husband away from the cameras.
15:44They were just on The View last week. She was saying everything is fine. She's still lying to the
15:48American people. She still thinks the American public are so stupid that they're going to believe
15:52her lies. And frankly, it's insulting and she needs to answer for it. Ouija.
15:56Thank you, Caroline. President Trump was asked what he thought about Elon Musk's claim that the big,
16:01beautiful bill increases the budget deficit and undermines the work of Doge. And the President
16:07didn't actually comment on those remarks. He just talked about the need to support the bill.
16:12So what does the President think about what Elon Musk said?
16:16Well, the President is very proud of the one big, beautiful bill, and he wants to see it pass.
16:21He wants the Senate to get to work on it and send it to his desk as quickly as possible.
16:25Of course, as you know, Elon Musk announced last night his departure as an official
16:29special government employee from the Trump administration. We thank him for his service.
16:34We thank him for getting Doge off of the ground and the efforts to cut
16:37waste fraud and abuse will continue. So he doesn't have any comment about
16:42Musk saying it adds to the deficit and it undermines all his work?
16:45The President commented on this. I commented on it. I told you that this bill saves $1.6 trillion
16:52dollars according to the Council of Economic Advisors and the analyses that the President believes in.
16:56So he gave a comment. I gave a comment. Just because you don't like that comment doesn't
17:00mean it's not a comment. Rachel.
17:01Thank you, Caroline. On back on trade, I know you said the White House is going to
17:05fight this ruling in court. Is the administration actively reviewing other avenues, other options
17:11to carry out the President's trade policy?
17:13The President's trade policy will continue. We will comply with the court orders. But yes,
17:18the President has other legal authorities where he can implement tariffs. However, it does not dispute the
17:24fact that the President was right to declare a national emergency when it came to fentanyl and
17:29when also when it came to our crippling deficits and the lack of critical supply chains here at home.
17:35That is the reasoning for the President's tariffs. And the court didn't dispute those facts, by the way.
17:40And there have been other courts that have reaffirmed the President's position. In fact,
17:44a ruling in federal court earlier this month shows that the administration is in the right,
17:48said we will win on appeal. A federal district judge in Florida ruled that IEPA, in fact,
17:52does grant the President the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs. And 20 years ago,
17:57I will add, they are not a court, the New York Times editorial board responded to the January
18:012005 trade deficit of $58.3 billion by writing an editorial entitled, Dangerous Deficits.
18:09And since then, our trade deficit has more than doubled. The US trade deficit in January totaled a
18:14whopping $131.4 billion. So people on both sides of the aisle, pundits, lawyers, legal scholars,
18:21politicians have all agreed that it is a national emergency, our trade deficits and our lack of
18:26critical supply chains here at home. It's just President Trump was the first President to actually
18:31act on it, to restore that wealth and that prosperity to the United States of America. And it's very
18:36unfortunate that the courts are now blocking his attempt to do that. Josh.
18:38So has the administration then reached the point where you are actually asking your economic advisors
18:43to start reviewing other avenues to implement the President's trade policy? Or do you want to just
18:47see this legal process take place for now?
18:48MS. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. We are doing both. Josh.
18:52The Fed says that the President met with the Fed Chair earlier today. I'm wondering if you can give us
18:56any readout of that meeting. The Fed also says that they discussed the economy. I imagine the
19:01President might have shared views on rates as well. But what can you share?
19:05MS. Sure. I can share with you that we saw, the President and I both saw the statement
19:10that the Fed put out after the meeting. That statement is correct. However, the President did say
19:15that he believes the Fed Chair is making a mistake by not lowering interest rates, which is putting
19:20us at an economic disadvantage to China and other countries. And the President has been very vocal
19:25about that, both publicly and now I can reveal privately as well.
19:29Did he speak at all about his plans for that position, but whether he would
19:34seek to move Jay Powell out of that position or keep him in until his term ends?
19:38MS. No.
19:38Okay.
19:38Can I ask very quickly on the tariff question? You mentioned Section 232 earlier. Are you suggesting that
19:44you might sort of speed up some of the existing 232 investigations?
19:46MS. No.
19:47Or are you talking potentially using 232 as a replacement power if this ruling doesn't go
19:53your way? Of course, you have COVID does.
19:54MS. I'm not suggesting that. I'm just simply stating the fact that the President has
19:58other legal authorities he can use to implement tariffs, and the administration is willing to use
20:02those. As you know, we already have applied Section 232 tariffs on specific industries.
20:07MS. Yes, thank you.
20:08President Trump said that he needed one and a half to two weeks to determine whether or not
20:12he believed Vladimir Putin wanted peace. He has been in office now for four months. What does he
20:19believe is going to happen in the next one and a half to two weeks that would change his opinion?
20:22MS. Well, it is my understanding and it is our hope that Russia and Ukraine will engage in direct
20:28talks and negotiations next week in Istanbul. And we believe that meeting is going to take place.
20:33And that is a meeting the President encouraged and urged for these two sides to come together
20:38and negotiate directly. And the President has been clear from the very beginning of this conflict
20:42that he wants to see this conflict solved on the negotiating table, not on the battlefield.
20:47And he's told that to both leaders, again, both publicly and privately. So hopefully next week
20:52it will move the ball forward in this effort.
20:54Is the United States going to participate in those conversations?
20:55MS. I will. We will let you know if the President plans to send a representative. I'm not tracking that
21:01at this time. Kelly in the back.
21:03Thanks, Caroline.
21:04MS. Sure.
21:05I wanted to just clarify once and for all the Qatari jet, the sail or the gift,
21:09because the Qatari government is asking the U.S. to clarify that the jets pending transfer was
21:14initiated by the Trump administration. So is this something that the White House is going to do?
21:19MS. The amount of questions we've received and we've been incredibly clear,
21:24and I have answered this, the President has answered this, the Department of Defense has answered this,
21:28this is a government-to-government gift transfer from the Qataris to the Department of Defense,
21:34to the United States Air Force. It is now in their hands, and for further details on where that stands,
21:39I would defer you to the Department of Defense and the United States Air Force. I have nothing more for
21:43you on that. Deanna.
21:44Thanks, Caroline. Two questions, one on the big, beautiful bill, one on immigration.
21:48MS. Sure.
21:49Yesterday, Trump said, we will be negotiating that bill, and I'm not happy about certain aspects of it,
21:55but I'm thrilled by other aspects of it. I'm wondering if you could, you know, share any
21:59specifics on that. And in immigration, do you know how many illegal migrants have taken Trump's
22:05voucher program so far and have deported themselves?
22:08MS. I believe it's in the thousands of those who have chosen the way, the easier route of self-deportation,
22:15and we certainly encourage all illegal aliens who are present within our homeland to take that option.
22:20It's a much more pleasant option than being deported, and we will deport you if you're here illegally.
22:24That's our intention. As for the first question, what the President was speaking about is how
22:30this is a great bill. However, it has come as a result of a hard negotiation. It's difficult to
22:37get things done on Capitol Hill, but thanks to President Trump, this bill is moving in the right
22:41direction. And thanks to House Republicans and the leadership over there as well, who did a great job
22:46mediating both sides of the caucus to move this bill to the Senate. And now the President, again,
22:50has told his friends on the Senate side and has already engaged in those conversations
22:54to get that bill back to his desk as soon as possible. Sure.
22:57Thank you. Has this administration been briefed about the incident that happened in Gaza during,
23:04on Tuesday, during the rollout of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution of aid
23:09to Palestinians there? And should there be a ceasefire? Will this administration continue to rely
23:14on this foundation for the distribution of aid to civilians? Are you referring – what incident are
23:21you referring to? On Tuesday – When the aid was rolled out to Gaza for the first time in many months
23:27and meals and food was given to hungry people thanks to President Trump. Yes, we were briefed on
23:32that plan. The President was the reason that that aid went into Gaza and he got the Israelis to support that
23:40plan. And I would add that the previous administration rejected such a plan to ensure that these starving
23:47and devastated people in the Gaza Strip were given humanitarian aid and assistance. And it was the
23:52previous administration that tried to build this pier, if you all remember it. It was brought to my
23:57attention this morning and I thought that's a good point. Why don't I bring that up? Because there's
24:00been so much criticism – in fact, it was on the front page of a newspaper this morning – about the
24:05criticism for the – this President having a humanitarian heart and giving people badly
24:10needed food and supplies. Nobody wanted to talk about how the previous administration failed in
24:15that endeavor. They built this pier that cost $230 million. It lasted about 20 days and more than 60
24:21U.S. service members were injured – or I'm sorry, service members were injured as a part of this
24:27floating aid pier that did nothing for the people of Gaza. The President is opening up his humanitarian
24:32heart to get aid into the region while his team simultaneously negotiates a ceasefire in the
24:37return of all hostages. We are moving the ball forward in a positive direction for all people.
24:42The President wants to see peace for all people. Jasmine.
24:45Thanks so much, Caroline. A notice of investigation found that the Hallmark-Maha
24:49Commission report that was released last week cites studies that appear to not exist. We know that
24:55because, in part, we reached out to some of the illicit authors who said that they didn't write the
24:59studies cited. So I want to ask, does the White House have confidence that the information coming
25:04from HHS can be trusted? Yes, we have complete confidence in Secretary Kennedy and his team at HHS.
25:10I understand there were some formatting issues with the Maha report that are being addressed,
25:15and the report will be updated, but it does not negate the substance of the report, which,
25:21as you know, is one of the most transformative health reports that has ever been released
25:25by the federal government and is backed on good science that has never been recognized by the
25:30federal government. Can you talk about what tools or research goes into production of these kinds of
25:36reports? For instance, is it AI that's used to put together these reports now? I can't speak to that.
25:42I would defer you to the Department of Health and Human Services. What I know is just what I told you.
25:46Lindsay. Thank you, Caroline. Many small businesses that we've talked to since the tariffs have been in
25:53place have said what would really help them is a long-term plan so that they can catch up. In light
25:59of what's happened now, this trade war with the courts, how will that impact this 90-day window? Will
26:05you guys be adjusting that? And how can you help relieve some of these small businesses?
26:10Well, I would say nobody understands the needs of business owners and nobody has the backs of our
26:16small business community more than President Donald J. Trump. He believes, I've heard him talk about
26:21this with small business owners himself, that small businesses are truly the backbone of our
26:26American economy. And that's why the President is supporting the One Big Beautiful Bill. So for
26:30those you spoke to who are asking for a long-term plan, big tax cuts are coming their way. No tax on
26:35tips, no tax on overtime for their workers. More money in their pockets. Their bottom lines will be
26:41larger. They can pay their people more. Wages are going to go up. Inflation will continue to come down.
26:46We've already seen energy prices plummeting as a result of this President's economic and energy
26:51agenda that he has been implementing across the federal government, reducing burdensome regulation.
26:57All of that is good news for small business owners across the country. That's why they strongly support
27:01the President. And that's the Trump economic plan that is underway. And again, you're emphasizing,
27:07I believe, the need to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill, and the President wants to see that happen.
27:11Ms. Sure.
27:12The Press, will you still work within that 90-day window for these trade negotiations?
27:17Ms. Again, as far as we're concerned, our trade agenda is moving forward,
27:21and we've already heard from countries around the world today who will continue to negotiate in good
27:25faith with the United States so we can cut good trade deals on behalf of the American people,
27:29and we fully expect to win this case in court.
27:31Ms. Sure.
27:32The Press on Golden Dome, the President put out this number of $61 billion. How did he arrive at that?
27:38Is that the number it will cost to protect Canada? And is it negotiable? Or where
27:41did it come from?
27:42Ms. I can certainly ask the President,
27:44and I can check in with our research team, and we'll get you the facts on that number. But
27:48the Golden Dome is certainly a significant investment in our nation's national security
27:52and homeland security to protect Americans, all of you in this room, from future threats.
27:57And have the Canadians been talking in good faith about paying to be in it?
28:02I know they've expressed some interest.
28:03Ms. Well, the President has certainly expressed to the Canadians how we are essentially subsidizing
28:08their national defense. He brought it up in his meeting with their new leader.
28:11We're here, and as you know, we'll be traveling to Canada next month for the G7. So I expect
28:16that topic of discussion to come up on that trip as well. Sure.
28:20Thanks, Caroline. There was a May Day USA
28:26rally in Seattle that happened over the weekend that devolved into some protests and riots.
28:31The Seattle Mayor, Harold, said that it was a far-right rally held here to provoke a reaction
28:37by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city's values, which he defined as LGBT values.
28:43I know the FBI is looking into this, but has the President reached out to the mayor at all,
28:47asked him to apologize for this? And is this something that the administration would consider
28:51an example of anti-Christian bias? I'm not aware of that case. I know the FBI is looking into it,
28:57but I'm not aware of any phone calls the President may or may not have made to the mayor of that city.
29:02And then on Doge, we know that Elon Musk is leaving. Do you have an updated leadership structure
29:08for who is leading the group, is RestVote involved, and what is its new mission now, if any?
29:13MS. Well, the entire Cabinet is involved. And I spoke to the President about it this morning,
29:18and the entire Cabinet understands the need to cut government waste, fraud, and abuse. And each
29:23Cabinet secretary at their respective agencies is committed to that. That's why they were working
29:27hand-in-hand with Elon Musk, and they'll continue to work with the respective Doge employees who have
29:32onboarded as political appointees at all of these agencies. So surely the mission of Doge will continue,
29:38and many Doge employees are now political appointees and employees of our government.
29:43And to the best of my knowledge, all of them intend to stay and continue this important work.
29:48Is there a Doge leader taking the place of Mr. Musk?
29:50MS. Well, again, the Doge leaders are each and every member of the President's Cabinet
29:54and the President himself who is wholeheartedly committed to cutting waste,
29:57fraud, and abuse from our government. Michael.
29:59The Press. Thank you, Caroline.
30:00Now, there's conflicting reports out in the Middle East right now.
30:03Saudi television network Al Arabia is saying that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a 60-day ceasefire.
30:08Sources with Hamas are saying that has not been agreed to. If and when that does happen,
30:12will we expect to hear something from President Trump announcing that?
30:15MS. As I said earlier, yes, indeed. If there is an announcement to be made,
30:19it will come from the White House, the President, myself, or Special Envoy Whitkoff.
30:23And finally, Caroline, one big, beautiful bill. The President says he's not happy with all aspects
30:28of it. What changes would he like to see be made? And can this bill be both big and beautiful?
30:34MS. It is a one big, beautiful bill, as the name rings true. And the President,
30:40as I said, is currently working with his friends in the Senate who have some recommendations for the
30:46bill. Those negotiations and discussions are continuing, but the President's ultimate priority
30:51is to get this bill back to his desk for signature. And the President's priorities in this bill are
30:56non-negotiable in terms of the tax priorities he wants to see and the large tax cuts in the border
31:01investments that are currently in this bill. He is not going to allow them to go away for the American
31:07people. Sure, go ahead. Yes, I wanted to ask you about,
31:11has the President spoken to any of these foreign leaders about these agreements that have been
31:16reached, specifically in the case of the United Kingdom that already has an agreement in place
31:20after this decision of the court in New York? Has the President talked to foreign leaders about
31:24what? About the court decision in New York. Which court decision in New York? The trade,
31:29the trade court. Oh, the trade court decision. He did speak to the leader of Japan this morning,
31:34and he said that was a very good call and a good discussion. And as I said, the President's
31:40Cabinet, Secretary Lutnik, Secretary Besant, and Ambassador Jameson Greer have all been in touch
31:46with their counterparts in countries around the world to let them know the United States will
31:50still be at the negotiating table, and we still expect countries around the world to treat us fairly.
31:55Again, I will just close by saying that how ridiculous it is that we have been ripped off,
32:00our middle class has been hollowed out, our manufacturing base has left and gone overseas,
32:05jobs have been offshored. And now no court did anything about that. No court did anything about
32:10hundreds of thousands of people being put out of work, about thousands of factories being closed
32:15down, about our deficits going to dangerous levels, as the New York Times has said. But now a
32:20court is trying to stop a President from trying to correct those wrongs of the past. And this
32:24administration will continue to do that. It's a promise the President made to the American people,
32:29and it's a promise they elected him on. We will win this battle in court,
32:33and the President will implement his America First trade policies. Thank you, everyone.
32:37The Press is the U.S. Steel situation tomorrow to speak.
32:42MS. I can tell you the President greatly looks forward to going to Pittsburgh,
32:45Pennsylvania, where he will discuss this historic deal and discuss American jobs and American steel,
32:52and we hope to see you all there. Thanks, guys.
32:53MS. I'll ask for a conventional lawyer, and Tara?
32:55MS. Thanks, everyone.
32:59MS. Thank you.
33:01MS. Thank you.
33:03MS. Thank you.
33:05MS. Thank you.
33:07MS. Thank you.
33:09MS. Thank you.
33:15MS. Thank you.
33:17MS. Thank you.
33:19MS. Thank you.