Karoline Leavitt holds a White House press briefing.
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00:00How are you? Good, good to see you all. What we have seen transpire in Los
00:07Angeles, California in recent days is shameful. Left-wing radicals waving
00:12foreign flags viciously attacked ICE and Border Patrol agents as well as Los
00:16Angeles police officers. These criminals injured police, threw rocks at police
00:21cars and officers, burned vehicles, shut down freeways, and lobbed Molotov
00:26cocktails. All because the Trump administration was removing violent
00:30criminal illegal aliens from the city. These attacks were aimed not just at law
00:35enforcement but at American culture and society itself. Rioters burned American
00:41flags, chanted death to ice, and spray-painted anti-American slogans on
00:46buildings. But President Trump will never allow mob rule to prevail in America. The
00:53most basic duty of government is to preserve law and order and this
00:57administration embraces that sacred responsibility. Democrats like Governor
01:02Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass shamefully failed to meet their sworn
01:06obligations to their citizens. They didn't have the courage to do the right
01:10thing and protect law-abiding Californians from rioters. That's why President Trump
01:15deployed the National Guard and mobilized Marines to end the chaos and restore law
01:20and order. The mob violence is being stomped out. The criminals responsible will
01:24be swiftly brought to justice. And the Trump administration's operations to arrest
01:28illegal aliens are continuing unabated. When the initial immigration
01:33enforcement actions took place on June 6th, Mayor Bass took to social media to
01:39say she was deeply angered by what has taken place. Mayor Bass then embarked on one of
01:44the most outrageous campaign of lies this country has ever seen from an elected
01:48official, blaming President Trump and brave law enforcement officers for the
01:53violence. She accused heroic American immigration and customs enforcement
01:57officers targeting illegal alien murderers, rapists, and pedophiles of quote,
02:02sowing terror in communities and disrupting basic principles of safety in our city.
02:08Around the same time, Governor Newsom claimed that immigration enforcement actions
02:13were causing chaos. That's how radical Democrats have become. Their opposition
02:19to President Trump has forced them to side with illegal alien criminals in their
02:22communities and violent rioters and looters over law enforcement officers who
02:27are just doing their jobs. Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom fanned the flames and
02:32demonized our brave ICE officers. Instead of defending their city and their state,
02:37Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom claimed that in order for the riots and the violence to
02:41stop, ICE needed to leave and immigration raids must end. In other words, the
02:47position of the Democrat Party is that the federal government is not allowed to
02:50enforce our laws and to arrest and deport illegal alien criminals. They're
02:55attempting to use a violent mob as a weapon against their own constituents to
02:59prevent the enforcement of immigration law. This is deeply un-American and
03:03morally reprehensible. President Trump received a clear mandate from voters to
03:08reverse the illegal invasion ushered in by Joe Biden's open border and to end the
03:12lawlessness represented by Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom's California.
03:17President Trump promised to carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in
03:21American history and left-wing riots will not deter him in that effort. Sanctuary
03:27cities and states will no longer be allowed to shield illegal criminals from
03:31deportation. Just take a look at some of the illegal monsters who were taken off the
03:35streets in Los Angeles in recent days. A Vietnamese national and known gang
03:41member with a conviction for second-degree murder. A Mexican national with
03:45convictions for child molestation who was armed with a dangerous weapon and had
03:50previous arrests for robbery and domestic violence. A Filipino national with
03:55convictions of rape, assault, burglary, and theft. A Mexican national convicted of
04:00statutory rape, narcotics violations, and hit-and-run. A Nicaraguan national with
04:05convictions for domestic violence and hit-and-run in a previous assault arrest for
04:10willful cruelty to a child. And an illegal alien from Mexico who was arrested after
04:16allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at law enforcement officers during the
04:19paramount riots on Saturday. He is now being charged with attempted murder. Law
04:25abiding American citizens do not want these public safety threats living in their
04:29communities, no matter what Democrats like Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom may claim. And
04:34let this be an unequivocal message to left-wing radicals in other parts of the
04:38country who are thinking about copycatting the violence in an effort to stop this
04:42administration's mass deportation efforts. You will not succeed. Any lawlessness will
04:48only strengthen this president's resolve to defend the majority of Americans who want
04:53to live their lives peacefully, free from the fear of violent criminal illegal aliens. As
05:00President Trump said, order will be maintained and illegal aliens will be expelled from our
05:04country. In economic news, the latest consumer price index inflation report came in today below
05:11expectations again. Since President Trump took office, inflation has come in below economics
05:16expectations every single month. Core inflation held steady and remains at the lowest level since
05:22March of 2021. Wage growth remains strong. The average private sector worker is on track to see their
05:29real earnings increase by around $1,200 adjusted for inflation and prices continue to fall for
05:35everyday Americans. Energy prices fell from April to May. Gasoline has fallen each month since
05:41President Trump took office down 12% over the past year. And prices for meat, poultry, eggs, and fish
05:47are all down from April to May as well. Under President Trump's strong leadership, America is beating
05:52Joe Biden's record high inflation crisis. And once the One Big Beautiful bill passes, our economy will
05:59boom like never before. This bill is the largest tax cut for middle class Americans in history. The One Big
06:06Beautiful bill gives a 15% tax cut to working Americans and families. We'll see
06:10increased take home pay of $10,000 per year. The One Big Beautiful bill expands the child tax credit to
06:18$2,500 for more than 40 million American families with children. And the One Big Beautiful bill cuts
06:24taxes for overtime workers, saving them nearly $2,000 per year, and ends taxes on tips, saving tipped
06:32workers nearly $2,000 per year as well. All of these provisions are broadly popular with an overwhelming
06:39support from the American people. We need Republicans in Congress to finish the job and send the One Big
06:44Beautiful bill back to President Trump's desk for his signature as soon as possible. With that, we'll get
06:50to questions. I'm sure you have many of them today. Here in our new media seat is Elizabeth Mitchell, the
06:54White House correspondent for The Daily Signal, who's not afforded a seat in this room, but today she is.
06:58Thank you, Elizabeth. Thank you so much, Caroline. I have two questions, if it's okay. First, a few Republicans
07:03on Capitol Hill are suggesting that President Trump scale back deportations, even as ICE is reportedly
07:10gearing up for raids in five more Democrat-led areas. Would anything dissuade President Trump,
07:15and would he consider sending in Marines if anti-ICE violence occurs in these cities?
07:19Well, I think I may have just answered both of your questions with my opening monologue. The Trump
07:23administration is going to continue the mass deportation effort that the President promised
07:28the American public. Many of you were at those rallies in cities and communities across the country
07:33when the President spoke about his commitment to removing violent illegal criminals and anyone who
07:38has broken our nation's immigration laws from American communities. And God bless our ICE and Border Patrol
07:44who are working hard on that effort. This administration is going to continue that. And it's part of the reason
07:49we do need the one big, beautiful bill to pass as well, may I add, because the bill provides funding
07:53to hire more ICE agents and Border Patrol agents, more personnel on the ground to conduct this important
07:58public safety work. Thank you. And on another topic, President Trump has indicated that aides to
08:03former President Biden, who used the auto pen to sign major orders and pardons, should be investigated
08:08for potential crimes. Does he think that Biden allowing, or at least being negligently unaware of this
08:14activity, was an impeachable offense? I haven't heard the President address whether it's an
08:19impeachable offense, but it could perhaps be a criminal offense, especially on behalf of staffers
08:24who may have been utilizing the President's signature without his authority or consent.
08:28I understand that Republicans on the Hill are moving in the right direction to call attention
08:33to this and to bring in some former White House staffers who clearly knew more than they ever shared
08:38and never addressed with the American public. And so we look forward to seeing where this investigation
08:43continues. And I know the Department of Justice is also looking into the matter as well.
08:46Alex, good to see you today.
08:48Good to see you, Caroline. Thank you. You mentioned foreign flags being
08:51blown during these protests. There are protest activities being organized for this weekend.
08:56Part of it are Democrats saying they want to reclaim the American flag. It's also being titled
09:01No King's Day. Does the President see himself as a king? And does the White House expect to see
09:07the American flags being thrown, being flown during these protests this weekend?
09:11The President views himself as the President of the United States of America. This is a
09:15constitutional republic. And we want to see all of our citizens be proud of the country in which
09:21they are given the privilege and the blessing to live. And I think that those images of foreign flags
09:27being waived by illegal criminals and by violent rioters in the face of cars blowing up and of flames in the city.
09:37I have photos of that here to show you with this violence and destruction that occurred is an image
09:43that Governor Gavin Newsom owns. This is his city. And President Trump saw these images and he said
09:48that is not going to be accepted or tolerated. And hence why he deployed the National Guard and United States Marines
09:54who have helped to quell that violence. If I can ask another. If the President does end up deploying
10:00any National Guard members, perhaps Marines, to blue states, would he be in contact with the Governors
10:07prior to this? Would it be necessary? Well, President Trump was in contact with Governor Gavin Newsom
10:12despite some of the claims he's made in the last couple of days. The President called the Governor
10:17on Friday evening and told him to let law enforcement in California do their jobs. And the Los Angeles Police
10:23Department, by the way, are fantastic people. They are trying to do the work that they've so bravely
10:29signed up to do to enforce the law. But they have been kneecapped by incompetent Democrat policies
10:34and Democrat politicians who do not allow that their local law enforcement to correspond and coordinate
10:40with federal immigration authorities. And so President gave Gavin Newsom a warning and said,
10:45get it together. 24 hours later, we saw more images like this. We heard about Border Patrol agents
10:50who were being the target of rocks. These illegal criminals were throwing rocks at our Border Patrol
10:56and ICE agents. And so the President made the decision to federalize California's National Guard.
11:02Stephanie. Thank you. Two questions on the China Trade Deal, if I may.
11:06First, will the President formally sign the trade deal? And if so, when? Secretary Lutnik sort of alluded to the fact
11:12that it might be in a couple of days, but I'm curious if you're going to be more specific to Rita.
11:16Sure. I do have more specifics for you. I spoke to the President about this. He spoke to his trade team,
11:21did a fantastic job negotiating this on behalf of the United States and meeting with their Chinese
11:26counterparts. The President is talking to them about the details of it now. But what the President
11:30heard, he liked. China has agreed to open their markets to the United States separately of this
11:35deal. And when it comes to this deal, we're going back to the terms that were agreed upon in Geneva
11:39for the release of some of those critical minerals and the magnets from China to the United States.
11:44And we have agreed to fully comply with the Geneva agreement as well. So the President is
11:49reviewing the details of that with his trade team now, and you'll hear more from him, I'm sure.
11:53And then the second question. On tariffs, Secretary Lutnik suggested that the tariffs would remain
11:59unchanged with China. I'm wondering if there's any room for them to negotiate even lower or if this is
12:05the floor. I won't get ahead of any further negotiations. We're in a great place right now.
12:10And I would add that this is the result of a lot of hard work from the President and his team. And the
12:14President has a good and respectful relationship with President Xi. And as you know,
12:18they had a direct conversation which led to this success that the President announced on Truth
12:22Social this morning. JJ.
12:23The Press on North Korea, has the President tried to resume dialogue with Kim Jong-un? There's some
12:29reporting that the President sent a letter and tried to give it to Kim Jong-un through some North
12:34Korean diplomats through the UN, and they declined to take it and send it to Kim Jong-un?
12:39The President remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong-un, and he'd like to see the progress
12:45that was made at that summit in Singapore, which I know you covered in 2018 during his first term. As
12:50for specific correspondence, I'll leave that to the President to answer. Sure.
12:54Good afternoon. Thanks. Back to the trade deal negotiations with China. Jimmy Lai, as you know,
13:01is a pro-democracy advocate, Catholic, sitting in solitary confinement in Hong Kong as we speak.
13:06His family believes he may be close to death. Did his name come up, Jimmy Lai's name come up in
13:12these negotiations with China? Not to my knowledge. I understand the negotiations were very much focused
13:18on our trade and economic relationship with China. Does the President believe he can free Jimmy Lai from
13:23prison? I'll check with the President. It's certainly an important issue, and I'll get back to you.
13:26Thanks, Caroline. The President said yesterday that paid insurrectionists were behind or involved in
13:34the protests in Los Angeles. Does the White House have any more details about who they believe is
13:40paying these protesters? The President spoke about this last night when he returned from Fort Bragg,
13:46because, frankly, the President has a lot of common sense. And if you look at some of the imagery that
13:50we have received from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE and law enforcement who are on the
13:55ground, you will see boxes and boxes of very professionalized masks and rioting equipment
14:01being dropped off for these protesters. So it's a good question the President is raising and one we
14:06are looking into about who is funding these insurrectionists and these rioters and these
14:11protesters and these illegal criminals. And I have updates for you on the numbers, by the way. Since June
14:166th, there have been 330 illegal aliens that have been arrested as part of these riots in Los Angeles.
14:23113 of those illegal aliens had prior criminal convictions. And overall, and this includes arrests
14:30of American citizens, there's been 157 people arrested for assault and obstruction-related
14:38charges, including the attempted murder of a police officer with a Molotov cocktail. So who is funding these
14:44illegal aliens who are coming in with this very professional riot gear? It's a question everyone
14:50in this room who cares about truth should be asking. And we encourage your help in trying to get to the
14:55bottom of that question. Indina. Thank you, Caroline. About Elon Musk, he issued an apology
15:01this morning. Has the President accepted the apology or does he think it's too little too late?
15:07The President acknowledged the statement that Elon put out this morning and he
15:11is appreciative of it. And we are continuing to focus on the business of the American people.
15:16And has the administration started a review of Musk's government contracts, something that the
15:23President said he's considering? What do you mean by that?
15:26Has the administration started a review of the contracts that Musk and his companies currently have?
15:32No efforts have been made on that front, as far as I'm aware.
15:35And just one more, if I may, on just everything sort of we've seen so far with the President's
15:42response to the L.A. protests. There is criticism that seems to suggest that the President responded
15:49the way he did because it was a deliberate, calculated attempt to sort of shift focus away
15:54from his feud with Musk. How would you respond to that? The President responded to the L.A. riots,
16:00condemning the violence to take the right attention from Musk. That's an incredibly disingenuous attack.
16:06The President saw images of Border Patrol and ICE agents being hailed with rocks and Molotov cocktails.
16:12He saw vehicles being burned to the ground with illegal aliens flying foreign flags. And that's what prompted
16:18the President to have this response that has clearly worked. Because last night in Los Angeles,
16:22you didn't see many of those images. And I would add the Governor and the Mayor need to actually do more.
16:28I know Gavin Newsom had a big address to the nation last night. I guess he thought that's
16:33what it was for maybe his future political ambitions. But he spoke a lot of words. We haven't seen action.
16:39California has been a mess for years because of the incompetence of Gavin Newsom. So the President
16:43was responding to that only. Caitlin.
16:45Carolyn, two questions for you. Over the weekend, Secretary Noem sent a memo to the Pentagon asking
16:51Secretary Hexed to have and direct the military that's on the ground in L.A. to arrest and detain what she
16:58said were lawbreakers. Is the President okay with that? And under what authority would the
17:03members of the military be able to arrest people inside the United States?
17:07Secretary Hexed to have and direct the military. I can't speak for a letter that came from the
17:09Department of Homeland Security. I can't speak for the President and what's currently happening on
17:13the ground now. And as you know, the President federalized the National Guard under U.S. Code 10,
17:17which he has the authority to do. And our United States Marines and the National Guardsmen and women
17:22who are on the ground right now are helping to create a peaceful environment for ICE and Border
17:27Patrol who were being, again, hailed with rocks, who were being violently and viciously attacked.
17:32They needed reinforcements. And so our United States Marines who are on the ground are providing
17:37those reinforcements to ensure the environment is peaceful so that these raids and deportations
17:42can continue. But he realizes they can't actually arrest people unless he invokes the Insurrection Act,
17:46which, I mean, seemingly was not something that was in Secretary Noh's memo, a clear distinction
17:52she did not make there. Again, you're trying to conflate a letter that was sent to the Department
17:56of Homeland Security to the President's legal authority. The President understands the legal
18:00authority that he invoked, and that's the current situation right now. When it comes to federalizing
18:03the National Guard, what is the specific criteria that the President is using for when he's deciding to
18:08do that and in which states? The President was asked and answered this yesterday. He wants to see an
18:13end to the chaos and the violence. He doesn't want to see law enforcement officers being attacked.
18:17He wants to see peace. He wants law-abiding Californians to be able to bring their kids to
18:22school, to be able to go to work without seeing this violence in the streets. That's what the
18:26President's hoping for, and that's why he's taking this action. John. Thanks a lot, Caroline. Two
18:30questions on two separate topics. One has to do with the military parade taking place here in Washington
18:36this weekend. There's a lot of security around the White House complex, around the Capitol complex,
18:41even along the title base. Is that just proactive? Are you expecting anything in particular in terms
18:47of unrest like we've seen in Los Angeles? These are proactive security measures to protect those
18:53marching in the parade, many of whom will be veterans and are brave men and women in uniform
18:58and Gold Star families. There's going to be military families from around the country who are flying
19:03into this parade. And of course, it's to protect the spectators who will be enjoying this incredibly
19:09patriotic show on Saturday. And I hope you all join us there. And then secondly, Secretary Pete
19:14Hegseth testified on the Senate side of the Capitol today. Yes. And he was asked about America's,
19:21the administration's view of Vladimir Putin's intentions. And specifically, it was asked whether
19:27or not his intentions go beyond, his territorial ambitions go beyond Ukraine. When that question was
19:35posed to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Cain replied that he does believe that
19:41his territorial ambitions go beyond Ukraine. But Secretary Hegseth says it's not clear at this point.
19:48How does the President view this issue? The President has spoken on this. He said,
19:53as he calls it, he believes Ukraine was always the apple of Putin's eye. And he made it very clear to
19:59Putin in his first term not to invade Ukraine. Putin didn't invade Ukraine because of President Trump's
20:04peace through strength, foreign policy agenda, and the effective deterrence policies that he
20:10implemented in the first term. Unfortunately, because of the weakness and incompetence of the
20:14previous administration, Vladimir Putin made the decision to invade Ukraine. And now we have this
20:19brutal war, which the President is working very hard to end. Jasmine.
20:22Thanks so much, Caroline. The President warned that any protests on Saturday would be met with force.
20:30Can you clarify what kind of protest President Trump does support or find acceptable?
20:35The President absolutely supports peaceful protests. He supports the First Amendment. He supports
20:40the right of Americans to make their voices heard. He does not support violence of any kind. He does not
20:45support assaulting law enforcement officers who are simply trying to do their job. It's very clear for the
20:50President what he supports and what he does not. Unfortunately for Democrats, that line has not been made
20:55clear. And they've allowed this unrest and this violence to continue. And the President has had to
20:59step in. One question. So if there were peaceful protests on Saturday for the military parade,
21:04President Trump would allow that? Of course the President supports peaceful protests. What a
21:08stupid question. Raquel. Thank you so much, Caroline. Raquel, and then I can go to you.
21:13Thank you so much, Caroline. I have two questions. One about Israel. Yesterday, the ambassador,
21:19the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said the U.S. no longer is pursuing the goal of an independent
21:24Palestinian state. Can you confirm that the President is no longer supporting a two-state
21:29solution? And is President Trump considering diplomatic action against countries who takes
21:35action against Israel during next week's UN conference? Right now, the President views the
21:41situation in Israel and Gaza as deeply unfortunate and needing to end. And the President is realistic about
21:47the current state of affairs in this region of the world. And that's why the President has said
21:52the number one focus and priority of the administration is to release all of the hostages
21:57from Gaza and to end this conflict as soon as possible. The administration is still pushing
22:02very hard for the release of all the hostages. And as for what happens next, clearly, Gaza is an
22:08uninhabitable place. It needs to be rebuilt with the help of our Arab partners, and the President wants to
22:13see that happen as well. Take a couple more. Just one on the G7 engagement. President
22:18Trump is traveling there on Sunday. Other Presidents beyond the G7 leaders are also going. President
22:23Lula from Brazil, President Sheinbaum from Mexico, and President Zelensky from Ukraine are also going.
22:29Do you have confirmation if President Trump is meeting any other leaders on the sideline of the G7?
22:35Yes. Especially if you want to know about the Lula engagement?
22:38I can confirm there will be quite a few bilateral meetings between the President and other foreign
22:43leaders. The White House is still working very hard to finalize that schedule, and we will provide
22:47that for you as soon as we have it. Great. Thanks, Carolyn. Just back to the China trade deal.
22:53Can you talk about the status of the export controls that the U.S. imposed? Are those no longer being
23:00imposed? We are fully complying with the Geneva agreement. Go ahead. Sure. Thanks, Carolyn.
23:07One foreign question for you and one domestic. The President, of course, has said he would
23:14lift sanctions on Syria. Is there an executive order coming along soon to go do that? And is the
23:20President planning to try to get involved in any kind of a peace agreement between Israel and Syria
23:28that would disengage those two? To the best of my knowledge,
23:32the Treasury Department took action after the President made that announcement in Saudi Arabia.
23:36Okay. And then on the domestic side, you were just asked about the First Amendment rights
23:42issues. In the President's comments yesterday, though, he just said protesters would be strongly
23:49dealt with. In your list before, you referred to insurrectionists, rioters, and protesters together.
23:56Obviously, they're quite different from your earlier answer. I'm struck by the fact that the President has
24:02not at any point said the most important thing here is to protect the First Amendment rights of peaceful
24:08protesters. So I'm wondering where in his hierarchy of interests does he place that? Is the First Amendment
24:14protection the most important? Is stopping violence most important? Why is he not out saying all peaceful
24:23protesters will be protected? Well, I think two things can be important at the same time. And the President,
24:29as I just answered, supports the right of Americans to peacefully protest. He supports the First Amendment.
24:34But that is not the majority of the behavior that we have seen taking place in Los Angeles. We have seen
24:40mobs of violent rioters and agitators assaulting law enforcement officers, assaulting our federal
24:46immigration authorities. And we have seen, as I said, this goes back to what this administration is trying
24:52to do and accomplish. And that's enforcing law and order in our nation's communities. And it's removing
24:57public safety threats from communities in Los Angeles. You're saying the majority have not been
25:02peaceful? The majority have been violent? I just read for you the arrest numbers. We've arrested nearly 400
25:07illegal aliens alone, just illegal aliens, who have been arrested in these riots since June 6th, since they
25:13began. So we've had thousands of people on the streets? Yeah, and we've had hundreds of people who have
25:17assaulted law enforcement officers. Are you saying that that's appropriate behavior? Are you saying
25:22that the President shouldn't take action? The Democrat Governor and the Democrat
25:27Mayor of Los Angeles have failed their citizens. And the majority of Americans, the majority of
25:31Californians, do not want to see law enforcement officers being assaulted in the streets. And
25:37thankfully, the President took action and stepped in to protect our federal law enforcement agents,
25:43to protect federal buildings, to protect the federal mission of deporting illegal criminals off of
25:49our streets. And that mission will continue every day, as far as we're concerned. Thank you, guys.