- 6/30/2025
Karoline Leavitt holds a White House press briefing.
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00:00Did everyone have a good weekend? Good. It's good to see you back here. We have another busy week.
00:05On a scheduling note, tomorrow President Trump will travel to the great state of Florida
00:10to attend the opening of a new illegal alien detention center located at Dade Collier
00:16Training and Transition Airport alongside Secretary Kristi Noem, Governor Ron DeSantis,
00:22Congressman Byron Donalds, and other state and local leaders. We hope to see many of you there.
00:27The facility is in the heart of the Everglades and will be informally known as Alligator Alcatraz.
00:33There is only one road leading in, and the only way out is a one-way flight. It is isolated and
00:39surrounded by dangerous wildlife and unforgiving terrain. The facility will have up to 5,000 beds
00:46to house, process, and deport criminal illegal aliens. This is an efficient and low-cost way to
00:53help carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history. We are truly
01:00we are truly coming off a historic week of President Trump racking up win after win on
01:04behalf of the American people. President Trump restored peace through strength and acted decisively
01:10as commander-in-chief to obliterate the immediate threat of the Iranian regime's nuclear capabilities,
01:16and then brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, which continues to hold. Then, the President
01:23traveled to the Netherlands and achieved a monumental win for the United States and the NATO alliance by
01:28getting our allies to dedicate 5% of their GDPs to military spending. As a result of President Trump
01:35unleashing American energy dominance, summer gas prices are at the lowest they have been in four
01:41years heading into the July 4th week. And with the incoming Trump economic boom, the stock market
01:48continues to roar back with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq both hitting record highs. And on this point of
01:56an economic boom, I bring to you original correspondence from the President of the United States to our Fed
02:01Chair Jerome Powell. As the President has consistently stated, the American economy is booming. And there were
02:08so many economic analysts who said that this President's policies would drive our economy down when in fact we have
02:13seen the opposite. We've seen a massive deregulation campaign take place. We've seen inflation completely
02:20diminished from where it was under the reckless spending and the bad policies of the previous incompetent
02:25administration. I would remind the Fed Chair and I would remind the entire world that this is a President who was a
02:31businessman first, and he knows what he is doing. He has a proven economic formula that worked in his first term as
02:38President and it is working again. The one problem that remains is high interest rates for the American
02:43people. The American people want to borrow money cheaply and they should be able to do that. But
02:47unfortunately, we have interest rates that are still too high. So the President sent this note to the
02:52Fed Chair today. And if you look at this chart, this is a chart of all of the interest rates of many
02:58countries throughout the world. At the top is Switzerland. They're only paying a quarter for interest rates.
03:04Cambodia, Japan, Denmark, Thailand, Botswana, Barbados, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Cuba, Sweden, Morocco, Cabo Verde,
03:13South Korea, Algeria, Canada, Albania, Libya, Malaysia, China, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago,
03:20Czechia, Bolivia, Australia, Costa Rica, the Bahamas, Kuwait, Papua New Guinea, Bosnia, United Kingdom and the
03:27UAE are all paying lower interest rates than the United States of America, which has one of the hottest
03:33and strongest economies in the world. The President sent this note to the Fed Chair. It says, Jerome,
03:39you are as usual too late. You have cost the USA a fortune and continue to do so. You should lower
03:45the rate by a lot. Hundreds of billions of dollars are being lost and there is no inflation. And the
03:50President is right. There is historically low inflation thanks to his policies. And we will
03:56continue to drive down the cost of living in this country for Americans. We will continue to deregulate.
04:02And it's also incredibly important that we pass this one big, beautiful bill, which is the largest tax
04:07cuts in American history. And that's why the White House and the President himself have been in touch with
04:14lawmakers all weekend long to get this bill passed. And they are working very hard to do so. It remains a top
04:20priority for the President. And this bill has exposed the clear differences between Republicans and
04:25Democrats in 2025. The Democrats are doubling down on craziness and radical policies that are
04:31undermining the very fabric of our country. Just look at the Democrat nominee for New York City Mayor
04:37Zoran Mindami. He's a Democrat socialist, really a communist, who proudly calls to defund the police,
04:45peddles anti-Semitism, praises pro-Hamas groups, wants Israel abolished, and believes wealthy Americans
04:53should not exist. Those are his words, just as recent as this weekend. Meanwhile, under President Trump's
04:59leadership, Republicans are fighting tirelessly for everyday middle-class working Americans who
05:04reelected this President and were carrying out a revolution of common sense. And all of that is packed
05:10in to this One Big Beautiful Bill. It delivers the largest middle and working class tax cuts in U.S.
05:16history. It keeps America safe by funding the largest ever one-time investment in border security.
05:23It's enough to reverse the Biden border invasion. And every single Democrat is against that,
05:28against securing our border and deporting millions of criminal illegal aliens. The One Big
05:32Beautiful Bill also strengthens and protects Medicaid benefits, despite what Democrats are saying,
05:38for eligible American citizens who rely on it, like pregnant women, children, seniors,
05:43and people with disabilities, by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse that threaten to destroy this
05:49program that was intended for the most vulnerable in our society. And every single Democrat in Congress
05:55is against rooting out that waste, fraud, and abuse in blocking the 1.4 million illegal aliens who are
06:01currently improperly receiving these benefits that should be going to American taxpaying citizens.
06:07The Democrats in Congress are more concerned with defending illegal aliens than they are
06:12hardworking Americans. And the Big Beautiful Bill also revitalizes our military and enhances our
06:18defense capabilities, protects our country from emerging new threats by funding a cutting-edge
06:23missile defense system called the Golden Dome. And as we all know, the One Big Beautiful Bill makes
06:29the Trump tax cuts permanent. The White House and the President are adamant that this bill
06:34is passed and that this bill makes its way to his desk. Republicans need to stay tough
06:39and unified during the home stretch. And we are counting on them to get the job done.
06:44So, with that, we will take up questions. John Fredericks is in our new media seat today. John,
06:49thanks for being here. We'll kick it to you. Thank you, Caroline. Let's get to the One Big Beautiful Bill
06:54first. It appears now you're going to get at least 50 votes in the Senate. There'll be some amendments.
07:00What is the President's confidence level in getting 218 votes in the House
07:05by the end of this week in order to bring to sign it on Friday?
07:08Well, look, we are very well aware, the President is very well aware that this bill
07:12needs to not only pass out of the Senate, but it needs to go back to the House. And we need
07:16the full weight of the Republican conference to get behind this bill. And we expect them to,
07:20and we are confident that they will. The President has been working hand in hand with Senate Majority
07:24Leader Thune and also our House Republican leader, or the Speaker of the House, I'm sorry, Mike Johnson,
07:30both of whom will be at the White House today to meet with the President yet again. I believe they
07:34were here this morning, actually. I have one follow-up.
07:36Sure. You outlined Jerome Powell and the note that the President just sent to him.
07:43There are many who believe that Powell has been politicized in a lot of different ways.
07:50The President has not been shy about acting on things that he believes in. Why not just fire
07:55Jerome Powell and put in somebody that is going to lower rates? Why?
08:00Well, it's a good question and one you can ask the President because that's a decision for him to
08:04make. But you're right to point out the politicization of the Fed, and it's very unfortunate for our
08:09country. But Jerome Powell cut rates numerous times ahead of the election when Joe Biden was in this
08:15Oval Office. But now he refuses to, and the economy is in a much better place. So there really isn't a good
08:20explanation for that. And the President is rightfully calling attention to it.
08:24Kelly.
08:24Good afternoon. On Iran, the President posted on his social that he is not even talking to them
08:31anymore. When we were at NATO, he said he expected the U.S. and Iran to have talks as early as this
08:36week and that he might even want to see a written agreement. What is the update now if he's saying he's
08:41not even talking?
08:42So, as I told you from the podium last week, I said the administration, and namely our Special
08:47Envoy Steve Witkoff, has been in communication both directly and indirectly with the Iranians.
08:52That communication continues. The President himself has not talked to Iran, which he pointed
08:57out in his true statement. Peter.
09:00Thank you, Caroline. Does President Trump want Zoran Mamdani deported?
09:05I haven't heard him say that. I haven't heard him call for that. But certainly he does not want
09:11this individual to be elected. I was just speaking to him about it and his radical policies that will
09:16completely crush New York City, which is obviously a city that the President holds near and dear to
09:22his heart.
09:22There's this Congressman Andy Ogles. He wants the Attorney General Bondi to explore
09:26denaturalization proceedings because he thinks Mamdani could have misrepresented or concealed
09:33material support for terrorism based on rap lyrics he wrote in 2017. Does President Trump
09:39think this is a worthwhile use of the Attorney General's time?
09:43Well, I'll let the President speak to that. I have not seen those claims. But surely,
09:47if they are true, it's something that should be investigated.
09:49And could President Trump see himself — you said you just talked to him about this.
09:53Mm-hmm.
09:54Could he see himself working with a Mayor Mamdani, somebody who, on Meet the Press this weekend,
09:59was given three chances to condemn the phrase, globalize the intifada, but he couldn't?
10:05Yeah, look, the President is always willing to work with everyone. He's working
10:10with Democrats across the country, Democrat governors. And he said he'll work with
10:15people on the far left. He works with Republicans. He works with people in the middle. He wants to do
10:19what's right for America. But surely someone who holds these values and is quite literally a communist
10:24and condemns every value that makes this country great — common sense, law and order, low taxes,
10:30is working hard and earning your keep in this country. He's against all of that. And I think
10:35the President would find it difficult to work with someone like that if he is elected. I'm sure
10:39you'll hear more from the President on that. But we'll have to see, hopefully, the voters of New York
10:43City choose wisely. Sure.
10:46Thanks, Caroline. The President last — on Friday said that he was hopeful of a Gaza deal within the next
10:52week. Can you give us an update on any progress towards that or on any talks that the White House is
10:58having with Israel on that? Sure. Well, I know that Mr.
11:02Dermer is in Washington this week to meet with senior officials here at the White House. I also know
11:08that this administration is in constant communication with Israeli leadership. And the President himself
11:14speaks frequently, as you know, to Prime Minister Netanyahu. But this has been a priority for the
11:19President since he took office to end this brutal war in Gaza. It is because of this President that
11:24humanitarian aid is being brought into the region. It's heartbreaking to see the images that have come
11:30out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war. And the President wants to see it end. He wants to
11:36save lives. And, however, the main priority for the President also remains to bring all of the
11:41hostages home out of Gaza. As you know, his tireless effort has brought home many of the hostages,
11:48including all of the American hostages who were held there. So he wants to see both things happen,
11:53and we're continuing to work very hard to do those things. Sure.
11:56Yeah, thanks, Caroline. What is the White House's response to Senator Tillis's criticism,
12:01articulated from the Senate floor yesterday, in which he said,
12:04passing the big, beautiful bill would betray President Trump's promise to protect Medicaid?
12:10Well, he is just wrong. And the President and the vast majority of Republicans who are
12:16supportive of this legislation are right. This bill protects Medicaid, as I laid out for you,
12:22for those who truly deserve this program, the needy pregnant women, children, sick Americans who
12:29physically cannot work. And what it does is it ensures that able-bodied Americans who can work
12:3520 hours a week are actually doing so, and that will therefore strengthen and protect those benefits
12:40for Americans who need it, as well as cutting out the waste fraud and abuse, as well as getting 1.4
12:45million illegal aliens off of the program. So all of those measures are actually going to protect it
12:50for those who need it. That's the President's position, and that's what this bill does,
12:54and that's why Republicans need to vote for it and get it to the President's desk. Stephen.
12:57But what is that kind of criticism from a Republican senator? Is that reason for concern
13:02for the passage of this? No, it's not. We're confident this
13:05bill is going to be back at the White House by the 4th of July. Stephen.
13:08Thank you, Caroline. Two questions. On the New York mayoral race, does the President plan to make an endorsement?
13:14And secondly, on Jerome Powell, a lot of the focus, obviously, has been on interest rates and him
13:18keeping them high, but a new controversy erupted today. My colleague first reported that he's facing
13:26the Chairman Jerome Powell is facing accusations of lying to Congress, which is a potential crime,
13:32about luxurious details of the Fed's $2.5 billion renovation project. Senator Loomis has called
13:40attention to this. Some experts want him to be investigated. Does the White House want these
13:44allegations investigated and, if found substantiated, punished? Ms. I'll have to take a look at those
13:51allegations, and I will raise them to the President's attention and let him speak on them himself.
13:56To your first question regarding the mayoral race, the President was asked that yesterday by Maria
14:01Bataromo. He refused to give an endorsement, so you won't get one from me at this podium unless he
14:06wants me to do that. Philip. Philip, go ahead. And then I can go to you. Thanks.
14:12The Press. The President said that he's working on a temporary pause for immigration enforcement
14:17in certain industries. I'm wondering what you can tell us about how he's determining
14:20which industries are deserving of a pass. He mentioned farmers, but what about, say,
14:26construction workers? Shouldn't there just be one standard here?
14:29Ms. I don't have any more details to read out for you, but what I can tell you is that the White
14:34House is working closely every day with the Department of Agriculture as well as the Department
14:39of Homeland Security when it comes to workforce enforcement, worksite enforcement, I'm sorry.
14:47And the President's focus and the focus of this administration is, of course, to remove public
14:51safety threats from the streets and to deport as many of the illegal criminals, especially the violent
14:56criminals that we know are still here because of the previous administration. So that's the main
15:00priority in the goal. And then the President has already made cuts to the office of the Director
15:04of National Intelligence, but now Senator Tom Cotton has put forward a bill that would cut the office
15:10by another 60 percent. What's the President's reaction to that legislation? And is this something
15:16that he would support those additional cuts? Ms. I don't know if the President is even aware
15:19of that legislation, but I will get you a response if he is aware and if he wants to respond to it. Go ahead.
15:26Thanks, Carolyn. You mentioned the dangerous wildlife at the alligator Alcatraz. Is that a design feature?
15:32Why is the President going with this mega bill in such a precarious position in the Senate? And then
15:38also, can you talk about the CBO estimate that it would add 11, about 11 million uninsured?
15:44Ms. Well, look, when you have illegal murders and rapists and heinous criminals in a detention
15:50facility surrounded by alligators, yes, I do think that's a deterrent for them to try to escape. We do know
15:55that some of these illegal criminals have escaped from other detention facilities, like one in New
15:59Jersey, which I know was recently reported on. So, of course, we want to keep the American people safe,
16:04and we want to remove these public safety threats from our streets, and we want to effectively detain
16:09them as best as we can. As for why the President is going, I think his trip to this detention facility
16:15actually underscores the need to pass the one big beautiful bill, because we need more detention
16:19facilities across the country. The last administration let in nearly 20 million
16:24illegal people from all over the world, and this administration is focused on arresting and
16:29detaining them. But in comparison to that 20 million illegal criminal population in our country,
16:35we only have 7,000 ICE agents in the interior who are doing this very important work. And so we
16:41obviously need more personnel, we need more resources, and that's why we need to pass the one big beautiful
16:46bill. On the CBS tab? Go ahead. Yes. In the pink. Oh, thank you. Thank you.
16:50Thank you. You're welcome. Can you please share some details of China trade deal? Has the U.S.
16:55agreed to ease some export technology export restrictions? Sure. Well, the final language
17:03that was agreed upon in both Geneva and in London was signed just past week. We can get you that final
17:09text of the agreement. Go ahead. Thank you, Caroline.
17:12Geman, and then behind you. Okay. Thanks, Caroline. So on Jay
17:16Powell, has the President got a short list of who he wants to see as Jay Powell's successor,
17:21and is he going to name a successor as early as this summer?
17:24I won't get ahead of the President on any announcements on that.
17:27Does he like Scott Besson for the job? Again, I won't get ahead of the President.
17:30And on TikTok, if you could, real quick, he said yesterday he's got a buyer,
17:34but the question there is, does he have a seller? Do you have any indication from the Chinese
17:38government that they've authorized a sale of TikTok to the U.S., or to U.S. buyers?
17:41What I can tell you is that these discussions with China regarding the sale of TikTok have
17:46been ongoing at the highest level, and they will continue. As you know, we have another 90-day
17:51extension. And it's just to continue to work out this deal and make sure that TikTok stays on
17:55for the American people. That's the President's main goal. And this while protecting their privacy
18:00and their security. Behind you. Go ahead.
18:01Thank you, Caroline. The President has been calling for
18:04Israeli in Gaza for two days and many posts. Who is blocking the deal? And one other thing,
18:11when he posted on Netanyahu's trial, also he said it interferes with the negotiations on Iran
18:17and on Gaza. What did he mean by that? I'm sorry, to your second question?
18:21The second question, when he posted about the Israeli prime minister's trial,
18:25he said it interferes with the negotiations on Gaza and on Iran. What did he mean by that?
18:32It interferes because it physically and logistically was interfering. The prime minister was slated to
18:37go to court last week when he's in the middle of negotiating a peace deal and bringing hostages
18:43out of a war-torn region. And so the President was simply, I think, emphasizing his empathy that
18:49he has for Bibi Netanyahu and seeing him going, seeing him go what he's going through with his
18:55own judicial system in the state of Israel. Clearly, the President knows that very well.
19:00He, too, was a victim of a judicial system that was trying to put him in jail. As you all know,
19:06you all covered it. But President Trump prevailed. That's why he's back in the Oval Office. And he
19:10believes that Bibi Netanyahu is a great leader for the people of Israel. The President just worked with
19:15him closely to end that 12-day war and to obliterate Iran's nuclear facility, to take out that imminent
19:22threat, not just to the state of Israel, but also to the United States of America and the rest of the
19:26world. And he believes that Prime Minister Netanyahu should be praised for that. Go ahead.
19:30On the mega bill and the amendment that would limit Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act,
19:37does the President want that amendment to pass?
19:40The President wants this bill to pass. Meredith.
19:43Thanks, Caroline. On trade, we have this looming July 9th deadline coming up. We heard
19:50the Treasury Secretary say that he expects to wrap up these trade deals by Labor Day. But when President
19:55Trump was asked yesterday about any extensions by July 9th, he said, I think that would be necessary.
20:00So is the President ruling out any extensions on trade for any nations, even if they're negotiating in
20:06good faith? Well, you heard from him directly. He said he did not think that it would be necessary.
20:11He is going to set the rates for many of these countries if they don't come to the table
20:15to negotiate in good faith. And he is meeting with his trade team this week to do that.
20:23Mary. Thanks, Caroline. I just watched a CNN segment on a new app called Ice Block,
20:28and it kind of appeared to be promoting this app where you can tell people where ICE agents are.
20:33Given the recent rise... An app that tells people where ICE agents are?
20:37Yes. And given the rise, I believe a 500 percent increase in assaults on ICE agents. I wanted to
20:43see if you could comment on that and why CNN would be promoting such an app.
20:46Well, it's a very good question. I'll have to go back and watch the clip myself. But surely it sounds
20:51like this would be an incitement of further violence against our ICE officers. As you know, as you stated,
20:56there's been a 500 percent increase in violence against ICE agents, law enforcement officers across
21:02the country who are just simply trying to do their jobs and remove public safety threats from our
21:08communities. And that's something we as Americans, including journalists at CNN who live in many of
21:12these cities where illegal aliens are hiding and were let in from the previous administration,
21:17should be very grateful for. So we haven't seen the clip. We'll take a look at it. But certainly,
21:22it's unacceptable that a major network would promote such an app that is encouraging violence
21:30against law enforcement officers who are trying to keep our country safe.
21:33Carol, I just wanted to get a clarification. On the Senator Rick Scott's amendment,
21:38it sounds like the President is agnostic about whether it's attached. Is that accurate?
21:42Look, I'm not going to get into the details of the discussions that are ongoing right now. But
21:46the President wants these senators to come to a conclusion to get this bill back to the White
21:52House as soon as possible and make sure that it's a piece of legislation that can make its way
21:56back through the House as well. So obviously, there's some ping-ponging between both sides of
22:01Capitol Hill right now. But that's why Senator Thune and Speaker Johnson are working with the
22:06President in lockstep every step of the way.
22:08MS. Caroline. In the back, News Nation. Go ahead.
22:10Thanks, Caroline. The President did announce last week that the trade deal with India is closed,
22:20and this could happen anytime soon. Are there any roadblocks as of now? Are there any updates on
22:25that? And how does the President see this about China's role or its influence in the Indo-Pacific region?
22:33MS. Sure. Yes. The President said that last week, and it remains true. I actually just spoke
22:37to our Secretary of Commerce about it. He was in the Oval Office with the President. They are
22:42finalizing these agreements, and you'll hear from the President and his team, his trade team,
22:46very soon when it comes to India. And on China? How could we
22:50counter China on that front? MS. Yes. I mean, look,
22:53India remains a very strategic ally in the Asia-Pacific, and the President has a very good
22:58relationship with Prime Minister Modi, as you know, and he will continue to have that. Go ahead.
23:02Thank you, Caroline. On the reconciliation bill, Senator Tillis from the floor yesterday seemed to
23:07suggest President Trump was getting bad counsel on the effects of the bill. Was the President,
23:13is President Trump aware of the analyses, and there are several of these, that suggest if
23:18rural hospitals potentially close, if there are Medicaid patients in the millions that become
23:24ineligible for that? MS. Yes. And that claim is just simply untrue. Rural hospitals comprise
23:30seven percent of all hospital spending on Medicaid, and that illustrates that they have not benefited from
23:35the massive increase of waste, fraud, and abuse under the Biden administration. So this bill
23:40strengthens Medicaid. It will protect those benefits that hardworking Americans need, and that's why
23:47the President wants this bill to pass. The Senator was wrong. The President put out a truth social
23:52post addressing it, and then the Senator announced he's no longer running for office anymore. So I think
23:57that case has been closed and the White House is continuing to focus on getting this legislation to
24:02the President's desk for his signature. Go ahead. Yes, you.
24:06The Press here. Thank you so much.
24:07MS. Well, you and then you. There's confusion here.
24:10The Press on Syria.
24:11MS. Go ahead.
24:12The Press on Syria. Does the Syrian government get back to you that they are
24:13ready to join the Abraham Accord? Is there any discussion with the Syrian and Israeli government
24:18for having a security agreement? That's the first question. And the second question,
24:22what's the end goal for talking with the Iranians? Is that only talks on the nuclear program,
24:27or are you willing to speak about other issues like the proxy groups on ballistic missiles,
24:33or even trade with Iran?
24:35MS. So as for discussions between Syria and Israel, you'll have to reach out to those
24:40respective governments. I can't comment on that. But what I can tell you is that this afternoon,
24:44the President will be signing an executive order to terminate the United States sanctions program on
24:50Syria. And this is in an effort to promote and support the country's path to stability and peace.
24:57The order will remove sanctions on Syria while maintaining sanctions on the former President
25:02Assad, his associates, human rights abusers, drug traffickers, persons linked to chemical weapons
25:07activities, ISIS and their affiliates, and Iranian proxies. And this is, again, an action that the
25:14President promised and shocked the world with in Saudi Arabia because he's committed to supporting a
25:19Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors. The President met with
25:24Syria's new President when we were in the Middle East, as you know. And so this is another promise
25:29made and promise kept by this President to promote peace and stability in the region.
25:34Go ahead, Alice. Questions on two topics, if you don't mind.
25:38MS. Sure.
25:39First, I'll start with NPD here. First, on Canada. Canada says it's now dropping its digital
25:43services tax on American tech companies days after President Trump says he's holding all trade
25:48talks with Canada. First, what's the President's reaction to this? Can you tell us more about his
25:52call with Prime Minister Carney over the weekend? How did he get Carney to drop it? And also, what's the
25:59impact on American tech companies, given this latest progress, as the President says he has been fighting
26:05for American tech companies? MS. It's very simple. Prime Minister Carney in Canada caved to President
26:10Trump in the United States of America. And President Trump knows how to negotiate, and he knows
26:16that he is governing the best country and the best economy in this world, on this planet. And every
26:23country on the planet needs to have good trade relationships with the United States. And it was a mistake
26:28for Canada to vow to implement that tax. That would have hurt our tech companies here in the United States.
26:33The President made his position quite clear to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister called
26:38the President last night to let the President know that he would be dropping that tax, which is
26:43a big victory for our tech companies and our American workers here at home.
26:47And on Harvard, if you don't mind, the administration today formally accused Harvard of violating civil
26:52rights laws by not doing enough to fight anti-Semitism. We know that the President has talked to us
26:58before about Harvard potentially having a deal with administration in the coming days. Do you have
27:04an updated timeline for that? How is the negotiations going? And is more pressure needed for Harvard to
27:10take fighting anti-Semitism seriously? MS. Well, there was quite a direct letter that was sent to Harvard
27:16this morning, as you know. The negotiations are taking place behind closed doors, so I won't comment on
27:22that. But what I will share with all of you, for those who haven't seen it, is the context of this
27:26letter, because I think it's very important. And this comes from the Department of Health and Human
27:31Services, which concluded after a thorough investigation that Harvard University is in a violent
27:38violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race,
27:44color, and national origin. And if you read some of the content of the investigation and what they found,
27:49the majority of Jewish students reportedly experienced negative bias or discrimination on their campus,
27:56while a quarter of Jewish students at Harvard felt physically unsafe. Jewish and Israeli students
28:02were assaulted and spit on. They had their kippahs for fear of being harassed and concealed their Jewish
28:07identity from classmates for fear of ostracization. Images were widely circulated amongst the Harvard
28:14community that trafficked in obvious anti-Semitic tropes, including one that showed a dollar sign
28:19inside of a Star of David, and the campus was vandalized with anti-Semitic stickers, including
28:24one that showed the Israeli flag with a swastika. The Harvard campus was racked by demonstrations,
28:29as you all know, violent protests that violated the university's rules of conduct.
28:35The demonstrations called for genocide and murder denied Jewish and Israeli students access to campus
28:42spaces. These are all facts that Harvard cannot dispute, and that's why the administration
28:47has found them in violation of Title VI and has threatened to withhold their federal funding,
28:51because if you break federal law, you should not be receiving federal tax dollars. And so,
28:56I rest my case on Harvard. Andrea.
28:58The Press, yeah. So, President Macron of France earlier today said that tariffs
29:04levied by powerful countries are often a form of blackmail and criticized, you know,
29:11the sort of process that's underway. You didn't mention the United States specifically,
29:16but said that these tariffs are really hurting developing countries. So there's this big UN
29:20conference going on. What do you say to that? Do you know, what is the President,
29:26was he aware of that comment? And did he have any response?
29:29Ms. I think the President and the White House would certainly reject that characterization by
29:34Prime Minister Macron. Tariffs are an effective use of presidential power to bring back the middle
29:42class, to bring back our manufacturing industry, which is, was the backbone of our American economy
29:48and has been hollowed out by globalist politicians who have caved to foreign countries instead of
29:53doing what's right for American workers. That's why the President is effectively utilizing his
29:58authority to wage tariffs and to utilize tariffs and continues to be in discussions and negotiations on
30:04trade to do what's right for America. And Europe and the rest of the world might not be used to that,
30:09but President Trump is back in town and he's going to do what's right for our people and our country.
30:13Can I just follow up on Netanyahu? So there's a report in Israeli media that the
30:19Prime Minister will actually be here, that Netanyahu will be here today meeting with the President.
30:24Can you confirm that? Ms. I don't believe Prime Minister Netanyahu is here today.
30:28I think you guys would know about that by now. Unless there's something going on,
30:32I don't know about, but I don't believe he is. I do know he has expressed interest in coming to
30:36Washington and meeting with the President and we are working on a date for that. I do not believe
30:40it is today. But that would be fun. You never know in this White House, let's be honest. Go ahead.
30:45Thanks, Carolyn. Does the President support this new measure in the big beautiful bill that would
30:51impose steep new taxes on new wind and solar projects?
30:56Ms. I believe you're referring to the credits for wind and solar projects.
31:04We're talking about the new tax. There's a new tax that it's estimated would add
31:0810 to 20 percent to the cost of any new wind and solar projects that start after this year.
31:13Ms. Again, I don't want to comment on the specifics of provisions, but I'm sure the President
31:17will speak on that directly. Again, this is an ongoing process. The President continues to be very
31:22much engaged with the leadership in both the Senate and the House to get this bill back to his desk.
31:27The Press. Did the President ask for that provision? Because the National Building
31:30Trades Union is saying that it's the equivalent of terminating more than a thousand Keystone XL
31:35pipeline projects. Is that something that would concern him?
31:38Ms. Well, the President spoke on this yesterday in his interview,
31:41and he said he understands that legislatures want to protect
31:44legislators want to protect jobs in their communities and in their districts. And so
31:48he understands why some of them are against this provision, but he also understands why people
31:53want the provision. So again, this is an ongoing deliberation and discussion, and the President
31:57is engaged in this very much. Go ahead.
31:59The Press. Thanks, Caroline. We've been hearing from White House officials for weeks that you're
32:02close on trade deals with a number of countries. Can we get any update on which countries will have
32:07deals by the 9th and when there may be any announcements?
32:09Ms. I'll let the President and the trade team speak on it.
32:11The Press. Can you respond to the CBO estimate that the Senate bill would increase the deficit by nearly 3.3 trillion?
32:17Ms. This is one of the most fiscally conservative pieces of legislation that has ever made its way
32:22through Capitol Hill. There's $2 trillion in mandatory savings in this bill. And not only that,
32:28the projected growth that this bill will bring to our economy. It will be an economic boom. The
32:33Council of Economic Advisers has an analysis that shows that the bill will generate $4.1 trillion
32:40in economic growth. And it will cut taxes, putting more money back into the American people's pockets.
32:45That's why this President wants this bill to pass. And I know he's busy working the phones and
32:49doing what he needs to do today to make it happen. So we'll see you all later. Thank you. We'll see you in
32:53Florida. Thank you.