- 2 days ago
Karoline Leavitt holds a White House press briefing.
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00:00Good afternoon everyone. I hope you all had a great weekend. I want to start by addressing
00:09the devastation from the tragic flash floods in Texas. Moments ago, the Department of Homeland
00:16Security provided an update that 91 innocent souls have now perished. Everyone here at the
00:22White House, including the President of the United States, is praying for the victims' families and
00:27friends during this unimaginable time. President Trump swiftly signed a major disaster declaration
00:33for Care County, Texas, to ensure our heroic first responders have every resource they need
00:40in the relief and recovery efforts. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem traveled to
00:45Texas over the weekend, and the entire Trump administration is working hand in glove with
00:51state and local officials to provide every assistance available. The situation on the
00:56ground remains dangerous, and there could be additional public safety threats with potential
01:01incoming heavy rain. So we encourage everyone in the area to remain vigilant, listen to all
01:06warnings, and respond accordingly. Unfortunately, in the wake of this once-in-a-generation natural
01:13disaster, we have seen many falsehoods pushed by Democrats such as Senator Chuck Schumer and
01:18some members of the media. Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and
01:24it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning. Here are the facts. In the lead-up to
01:30this tragic natural disaster, the National Weather Service did its job. Despite unprecedented rainfall,
01:37the National Weather Service executed timely and precise forecasts and warnings. On July 3rd,
01:44the National Weather Service office in Austin, San Antonio, Texas, conducted forecast briefings for
01:49emergency management in the morning and issued a flood watch in the early afternoon. Flash flood
01:55warnings were also issued on the night of July 3rd and in the early morning of July 4th, giving
02:01preliminary lead times of more than three hours before flash flooding conditions occurred. In the National
02:07Weather Service office in New Brunfels, which delivers forecasts for Austin, San Antonio, and the
02:12surrounding areas had extra staff on duty during the storms, despite claims of the contrary. So to
02:18any person who has deliberately lied about these facts surrounding this catastrophic event, you should
02:24be deeply ashamed. At this time, the administration's focus will be giving on giving the victims in their
02:30communities the support they deserve during these recovery efforts in this tragic time. May God bless the
02:37great people of Texas, especially the parents who have lost their children. President Trump loves you. We
02:43are praying for you, and he will be traveling to see you later this week. Moving along to some further
02:49scheduling announcements. Tonight, President Trump will host the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu,
02:55for dinner, where they will discuss the positive developments taking place in the Middle East region. Tomorrow,
03:01the President will host his sixth Cabinet meeting of his second term. Many of you will be invited to cover
03:06that. And on Wednesday, the President will host leaders from five African nations for lunch in the
03:11state dining room. In other news, after the historic signing on the South Lawn of the White House on the
03:174th of July, President Trump's one big, beautiful bill is now the law of the land. Republicans in Congress met the
03:25once-in-a-generation moment and codified the Make America Great Again agenda into law. After the
03:31monumental achievement, no other President in modern history has worked harder and faster to
03:36fulfill their campaign promises than Donald Trump. The one big, beautiful bill will get the United
03:42States of America firing again on all cylinders. It's safe to say that over the past few weeks,
03:47the President has delivered on many, many wins. For the fourth month in a row, jobs numbers beat market
03:53expectations with nearly 150,000 good jobs created in the month of June. The American economy has now added
04:00nearly 700,000 jobs since January 2025, with American-born workers accounting for all job gains.
04:09President Trump drove illegal border crossings to another historic low in the month of June,
04:14and Border Patrol once again released zero illegal aliens into our country. The Supreme Court stopped
04:21activist judges from imposing nationwide injunctions and cleared the way for President Trump to carry out his
04:26popular and common sense agenda. The University of Pennsylvania agreed to all of the Trump
04:31administration's demands and will now keep men out of women's sports. President Trump secured his trade
04:37deal with Vietnam, giving the United States total access to their markets. Because of President Trump's
04:43unleashing American energy dominance, gas prices are at four-year lows, and when adjusted for inflation,
04:49gas prices are near the lowest levels we've seen in the last 20 years. NATO members agreed to raise
04:55defense spending to 5% of GDP, a foreign policy feat long thought impossible until President Trump made
05:02it happen. The Operation Midnight Hammer obliterated Iran's nuclear capabilities, taking out this imminent
05:08national security threat not just to the United States, but to the entire world. The President
05:12secured a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, ending the 12-day war. The President brokered a historic
05:17peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Pakistan nominated President Trump for the
05:23Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his decisive diplomatic intervention to prevent a nuclear war
05:29between India and Pakistan. Blue-collar wage growth has seen its largest increase in nearly 60 years. And
05:36President Trump has defeated Joe Biden's inflation crisis with core inflation at the lowest level
05:41since March of 2021. And just about all of that has happened in the last three weeks, and I know you all know
05:47it because you've been very busy here covering it along with us. So with that, I will take your questions
05:52today as we kick off another very busy week here at the White House. We'll lead with our new media
05:56seat. Brian Glenn, who is of course very present in this briefing room. He's put in a lot of hours
06:01covering this president. So we're glad you finally have a seat today. Brian, go ahead. It feels great
06:05to sit down. Thank you very much. I want to go back to the hurricane. You said that President Trump
06:10is scheduled to go to Texas later this week. Can you speculate on what day and what he has plans?
06:16Sure. The White House is currently arranging those travel plans.
06:19We hope that it will be later this week, likely on Friday. But of course, we want to do it
06:24at the most appropriate time on the ground for state and local officials. We don't want to interrupt
06:28the recovery efforts. But we're planning tentatively for a Friday trip. And when that becomes final,
06:33we'll let all of you know, as we always do. And you gave a little bit of reaction earlier,
06:36but the National Weather Service, the union, actually publicly stated they had an adequate staff on hand
06:41to forecast and predict the storm. You shared your thoughts earlier on the how the way the left has really
06:48weaponized this to blame the deaths in Texas on Trump for the comment of that again.
06:54Yeah, I just do think those comments are depraved and despicable, especially when so many Americans
06:59are mourning the loss of their children. The National Weather Service, as I said, did its job. Many
07:04experts, many meteorologists have said that. Many of you in the media, in all fairness, have said that
07:09as well. Unfortunately, not all. And many Democrat elected officials are trying to turn this into a
07:15political game, and it is not. This is a national tragedy, and the administration is treating it as
07:20such. We know the National Weather Service provided early and consistent warnings. They gave out timely
07:25flash flood alerts. There were record breaking lead times in the lead up to this catastrophe. There is
07:32ongoing flood monitoring, and these offices were well staffed. In fact, one of the offices was actually
07:38overstaffed. They had more people than they need. So any claim to the contrary is completely false,
07:44and it's just sad that people are pushing these lives. Can you just get one more?
07:46Sure. Kind of a little bit of breaking
07:48news. The Department of Homeland Security is moving to end the TPS status on Honduran and
07:53Nicaraguan migrants. Yes.
07:55Any plans to adding additional countries that you could be targeting? Just a reaction.
08:00Sure. Well, I won't get ahead of the Department of Homeland Security on additional countries,
08:03but as you pointed out, they did end temporary protective status for Nicaraguans and Hondurans in this
08:09country because TPS, temporary protective status, is temporary by definition. It is not meant to be
08:15a permanent path to residency or citizenship here in the United States of America. It was originally
08:21granted to Nicaraguans following a natural disaster in 1999. That doesn't sound very temporary to me,
08:29and as well as Hondurans in 1999 after the impact of Hurricane Mitch in 1998. And so this administration
08:38is doing what it promised to do. And if individuals from these countries want to come here, they have
08:44a legal pathway to do it, but temporary protective status was never meant to be permanent. The previous
08:49administration abused this status and this parole program, essentially treating it as such, and we're
08:54not going to tolerate that any further. Thank you, Brian. Megan. Secretary Besson said yesterday that
08:59countries will boomerang back to the April 2nd tariff level starting August 1st. Why did the
09:05President decide to have those tariffs not take effect Wednesday as originally scheduled? And I was
09:10also wondering if you could share, obviously, we saw the letters the President sent out on Japan and
09:14South Korea, but if any other major U.S. trading partners are getting letters today. Sure. Yes, I can
09:19confirm. In fact, I have those letters. If you could get me the folder with the letters in them, Liz,
09:23they're right in the previous office. I have the signed letters that went out to both South Korea
09:28and Japan today. And there will be approximately 12 other countries that will receive notifications
09:34and letters directly from the President of the United States. And weeks ago, I stood at this podium
09:40and I told all of you that the President was going to create tailor-made trade plans for each and every
09:46country on this planet. And that's what this administration continues to be focused on. The President will
09:50also sign an executive order today delaying the July 9th deadline to August 1st. So the reciprocal
09:56tariff rate or these new rates that will be provided in this correspondence to these foreign leaders
10:01will be going out the door within the next month or deals will be made. And those countries continue to
10:07negotiate with the United States. We've seen a lot of positive developments in the right direction,
10:12but the administration, the President, and his trade team want to cut the best deals for the American
10:18people and the American worker. That's what they're focused on. And in the effort of transparency,
10:22these letters will continue to be posted to Truth Social. So you can enjoy them yourself. Go ahead.
10:27Thanks, Caroline. Just about the visit of Prime Minister Netanyahu today, I was just wondering why
10:33that is not open to the press. Previous visits by him, we've had Oval Office press conferences.
10:38Does that reflect somehow the kind of sensitivity of this particular visit?
10:42No, they're having a private dinner. There's many important matters that are obviously ongoing in
10:47the region, as you know. The utmost priority for the President right now in the Middle East is to
10:52end the war in Gaza and to return all of the hostages. Also, as you know, there was a ceasefire
10:58proposal that Israel supports that was sent to Hamas, and we hope that they will agree to this proposal.
11:03We want to see all of the hostages released. That's on the top of the President's mind. So that will be
11:09discussed as well as the many other positive developments we've seen in the Middle East.
11:13I want to go back to the trade deals. As you see, we have these beautiful letters
11:16that the President has signed. This one is to the President of the Republic of Korea. Original
11:22signature on that. And these will be mailed. And then here we also have another letter to the
11:29Prime Minister of Japan as well. Both countries will be receiving a 25 percent tariff rate effective on
11:35August 1st. Thank you so much. You said it and the President said it many times. You want to see
11:41an end to the war in Gaza. Will he give guarantees during this 60-day period of ceasefire that actually
11:49the war will end? Because this is sticking point with Prime Minister Netanyahu. And I'm wondering if
11:53you see eye to eye on this point. And how do you see the next day? What the next day in Gaza will look like?
11:58Look, right now the President is focused on today and to get Hamas to agree to this ceasefire. I don't
12:05want to comment on the details of the arrangement out of respect for these negotiations. But an agreeable
12:10and appropriate ceasefire proposal has been sent to Hamas. And I can also tell you Special Envoy
12:15Whitcoff intends to travel to Doha later this week where he will continue to engage in these discussions.
12:21And the Qataris and the Egyptians have been incredibly helpful partners in mediating these negotiations and
12:27discussions to bring peace to this region and end this conflict once and for all. Kristen.
12:32Two questions. Thank you. Sure. The first question is, is President Trump reconsidering his plan to phase out
12:37FEMA given what officials have said is their critical role on the ground now in Texas? Look, the President
12:43wants to ensure American citizens always have what they need during times of need. Whether that assistance
12:49comes from states or the federal government, that's a policy discussion that will continue. And the President
12:55has always said he wants states to do as much as they can, if not more. And in the state, in the case
13:00of Texas, the state and local officials are doing a tremendous job. And I know the President, Secretary
13:06Noem, and the federal government are very proud to be working with them. And the President has promised to
13:10give Texas the assistance that they need during this tragic time. Just one follow-up on cuts overall.
13:17Over the weekend, President Trump said that Elon Musk was a train wreck. Are there,
13:23given this current viewpoint, are there concerns within the White House or from the President
13:26himself over the cuts that happened under Musk while he was advising Doge, including the National
13:32Weather Service? I think I've already addressed that, Kristen. And what I can tell you is that
13:37this, these offices were fully staffed. The San Angelo office was fully staffed with 12 forecast
13:42meteorologists. There were no vacancies. The San Antonio office's office was operating with 11 forecasters.
13:49And as Brian said, the union themselves said that there was adequate staffing. So I think those
13:54words speak for themselves and the numbers speak for themselves. This was a once-in-a-century flash
13:59flood, a tragic natural disaster, and the administration is doing all that we can on the ground
14:04to help these families during this time of need. Jeff.
14:06Thanks very much, Carolyn. Just following up on Kristen's question, is it still the President's plan to
14:10phase FEMA out by the end of this year?
14:12I just answered Kristen's question for you.
14:14One more. Hold on one more.
14:16The follow-up on trade as well. Twelve more letters coming. He said,
14:21can you give us a sense of which countries those are?
14:23I'll let the President reveal those in very due time. Keep your eyes on Truth Social.
14:28Michael, in the back.
14:29Thank you, Carolyn. An armed shooter today was shot in McAllen, Texas,
14:34after opening fire on Border Patrol agents. It comes just days after Democratic Congresswoman
14:39Pramia Jayapal recently said she gets, quote, inspired when activists obstruct ICE.
14:44Does the White House expect Democrats to tone down their rhetoric in light of what we saw today in
14:50McAllen, Texas?
14:50We certainly call on Democrats to tone down their rhetoric against ICE and Border Patrol agents who,
14:56again, are everyday men and women. I would encourage AOC and other Democrats to actually meet with the
15:02United States Border Patrol. These are honorable Americans who are just simply trying to do their job
15:07to enforce the law. They go home to their families every night just like we all do, and they deserve respect
15:12and dignity for trying to enforce our nation's immigration laws and to remove public safety
15:17threats from our communities. The White House is aware of the shooting that took place today in
15:23Texas, and we are working with the appropriate federal agencies to get to the bottom of what happened.
15:28Caroline, the DOJ and FBI have now concluded there was no Jeffrey Epstein client list.
15:33What do you tell MAGA supporters who say they want anyone involved in Jeffrey Epstein's alleged crimes
15:38to be held accountable? This administration wants anyone who has ever committed a crime to be held
15:42accountable. And I would argue this administration has done more to lock up bad guys than certainly
15:48the previous administration. And the Trump administration is committed to truth and to
15:52transparency. That's why the Attorney General and the FBI Director pledged at the President's
15:57direction to do an exhaustive review of all of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes and his death.
16:04And they put out a memo in conclusion of that review. There was material they did not release
16:09because, frankly, it was incredibly graphic and it contained child pornography, which is not something
16:14that's appropriate for public consumption. But they committed to an exhaustive investigation.
16:20That's what they did. And they provided the results of that. That's transparency.
16:24Oh, Caroline. Okay. So the FBI looks at the circumstances surrounding the death of Jeffrey,
16:30Jeffrey Epstein. According to the report, this systematic review revealed no incriminating client
16:38list. So what happened to the Epstein client list that the Attorney General said she had on her desk?
16:45Well, I think if you go back and look at what the Attorney General said in that interview,
16:48which was on your network on Fox News. John Roberts said,
16:52DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients. Will that really happen?
16:57And she said, it's sitting on my desk right now to review.
16:59Yes, she was saying the entirety of all of the paperwork, all of the paper in relation to
17:06Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. That's what the Attorney General was referring to. And I'll let her speak
17:10for that. But again, when it comes to the FBI and the Department of Justice, they are more than
17:15committed to ensuring that bad people are put behind bars. They have an operation going on right now
17:20called Summer Heat, which has our murder rate trending in the lowest direction in United States
17:26history. Their emphasis on violent crime and locking up violent criminals has led to the arrest
17:30of 14,000 violent criminals. That's a 62 percent increase from the same time period last year. So
17:37this Attorney General and the FBI Director are committed to putting bad people behind bars where
17:42they belong. They promised an exhaustive review. That's what they did. For any further details, I would
17:47refer you to the Department of Justice.
17:50Thanks, Carolina. With Prime Minister Netanyahu visiting the White House today, yesterday the
17:54President said that he was working on a permanent, on a more permanent deal with Iran. But several
18:00days ago, he didn't think one was necessary. What changed?
18:03Well, when you asked me about this, or when you all asked me about this several weeks ago,
18:07I said the President thought maybe an Iran deal was not necessary. But of course,
18:11the President is always interested in peace and diplomacy. That remains true.
18:16And the administration continues to be in contact, both directly and indirectly,
18:20with the Iranians on a deal. And then on tariffs,
18:23you're now delaying the deadline from July 9th to August 1st. Is that an acknowledgement
18:28that perhaps the administration found it more difficult to negotiate these trade deals? Or
18:32whatever happened to 90 deals in 90 days? No, it's an acknowledgement that this
18:36administration is doing what's best for the American worker. And we want the best deals possible
18:41for our workers, for our manufacturing base, for our middle class. And they are doing this
18:46deliberately and appropriately on behalf of our country's interests. Josh.
18:50A couple more on the tariffs. You said about 12 more letters. There were about 55 or so countries,
18:56including the EU as a bloc, that were facing this tariff increase. All of those,
19:00to understand you correctly, are now deferred to August 1st, right?
19:02Correct. And on the 12, what happens with the remaining whatever it would be, 40-something?
19:07So just 12 today. There will be additional letters in the coming days.
19:10So all of them are going to get a letter at some point?
19:12Correct. Okay. And can you tell me why he
19:13decided to start with South Korea and Japan? Are they annoying him?
19:17It's the President's prerogative, and those are the countries he chose.
19:23And on the sectoral tariffs, the understanding that these continue to be a separate track,
19:27we're still waiting on a bunch of those.
19:28That's right.
19:28Do you have any timing update on when he's going to move on, for instance,
19:31semiconductor tariffs and other things that are still in the hopper?
19:34I don't have a timing update, but for where they are in the process,
19:37I would defer you to the Department of Commerce.
19:39Should we expect deals, finally, as well? He announced this Vietnam deal.
19:42Are you close on any other countries?
19:44The President and the administration, yes, we are close. But again,
19:47the President wants to ensure these are the best deals possible.
19:50And I would add just one more thing on trade and tariffs to wrap it up.
19:54Look at the extensive work this President has put in to
19:57cutting these good deals and doing what's right for the American worker.
20:00He is literally looking at the map and looking at every country on the planet
20:05and seeing where they are ripping off the American people,
20:08seeing where they have hollowed out our industrial base,
20:11seeing where our jobs have gone to other countries overseas because of their tariff policies.
20:16And he's trying to correct that.
20:17This is decades of bad trade policy that has led to a deficit that is ravaging our country,
20:23that is ravaging our middle class.
20:24And the President is taking a very deliberate approach to correcting this wrong of many decades,
20:29of many past Presidents.
20:31And so I think he should be commended for the time and the effort that he is putting into this.
20:36And the fact that he has announced a framework with China, a trade deal with the United Kingdom,
20:43a trade deal with Vietnam and many others to come in just a matter of six months is truly historic.
20:48And it's a testament to this President and his trade team who are working around the clock to get this done.
20:52Thank you so much, Caroline. Two questions on Iran.
20:58What's the permanent deal with Iran looks like for the President?
21:01And what issues related to Iran should it cover?
21:04And secondly, has the President seen the interview with Iranian President,
21:08which he says that the United States President, Mr. Trump,
21:10is capable enough to guide the regions toward the peace and brighter future,
21:14and puts Israel into its place? Or it gets more into conflict?
21:21Has the President seen these comments? And what's his reaction to these comments?
21:24Ms. I'm not sure if he's seen those comments.
21:26But certainly, I think it's true that the President is the right man for the job to move
21:31the direction that this region into the direction of peace and stability for the future.
21:35That's what he and his national security team are working on every day.
21:38And we've already seen historic achievements in that direction.
21:40Can you follow up?
21:41Ms. Go ahead.
21:44In the back. Kelly, go ahead.
21:45Okay, great. Thank you.
21:46Ms. Sure. And then in front of you.
21:47A couple of questions for you. First on
21:49Ms. Y'all need name tags signs.
21:52First question on the flooding in Texas.
21:54I know there has been some concern about the timing of the alerts,
21:57knowing that they did go out, but the warning is coming out in the wee hours.
22:01So while many people were likely sleeping,
22:03can you share just details what you know about why those warnings were sent,
22:08why people were likely sleeping, and then what the administration is doing
22:11to ensure that these alerts come out sooner?
22:13Ms. Well, the alerts imminently were sent out before the flood
22:17when people were sleeping because the flood hit in the very early hours of the morning.
22:21So people were sleeping in the middle of the night when this flood came. That was an
22:25act of God. It's not the administration's fault that the flood hit when it did. But there were
22:31early inconsistent warnings. And again, the National Weather Service did its job.
22:35On July 2nd, there were initial notices of potential weather and flooding risks were issued.
22:41On July 3rd, escalating warnings throughout the day with a flood watch issued at 1 18 p.m.
22:47And then later on at 6 10 p.m. on July 3rd, the Weather Prediction Center warned of excessive
22:52rainfall and a high likelihood of flash flooding. 6 22 p.m. July 3rd, National Weather Center issued a
22:59hydraulic warning highlighting considerable flooding risks, including in Carriville County.
23:04And then there were the timely flash flood alerts at 11 41 p.m., 1 14 a.m., and then another flash
23:11flood emergency warning issued at 4 03 a.m. just before the flood hit. So those were all of the
23:17warnings that went out to the affected area and region. Go ahead.
23:20I do have a quick question on education funding for states and local districts.
23:23Thank you very much. I appreciate it, Caroline. Two questions for you related to the prime
23:26minister's visit today. Number one, there's a report circulating that the Gaza Humanitarian
23:31Foundation provided a proposal to the White House to build these so-called humanitarian transit areas
23:37inside and outside of Gaza. The GHF is insistent it has nothing to do with that proposal.
23:42Can you shed any light on whether the White House has received such a proposal, and if so, from whom?
23:47I'm unaware if a proposal from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was sent to the White House. I haven't
23:52seen it, but I can ask our National Security Council. And also a document circulating that the White
23:57House is prepared to lift the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation from HDS, the group of
24:03President al-Shara in Syria. Can you confirm that that's taking place? Again, I haven't heard that,
24:08or I'm not aware of that action taking place. As you know, we did lift particular sanctions on Syria,
24:14but we did leave them on for particular terrorist groups. If that has changed,
24:18we will, of course, let you know if there's a change in policy, but I'm unaware of one at this time.
24:22The Pressure, go ahead.
24:23The Pressure, go ahead.
24:24Me? Me?
24:24The Pressure, go ahead.
24:26The Pressure, go ahead.
24:28You're welcome.
24:29The Pressure, go ahead.
24:29You can go, too, since you're so eager.
24:31Go ahead.
24:31The Pressure, ahead of the President's meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today,
24:35is there a scenario where Israel has made it clear that they will not bring an end to this war
24:40until Hamas is decimated? And the President just five months ago suggested a potential takeover
24:45of Gaza. Is there a situation where tonight the two men will change their posture and in the
24:50scenario that Hamas turns over the remaining hostages, that the war could come to a permanent
24:57end and that they will seek that under that scenario that they would essentially try to bring this war to
25:03a permanent end beyond just that 60-day ceasefire?
25:05Again, that's — you're putting a hypothetical situation in the air, so I don't want to comment
25:10on that in the — out of respect for these ongoing negotiations and discussions that are taking place.
25:15But as for the takeover of Gaza, I don't believe the President ever said that. I think he discussed
25:20a rebuilding of Gaza once this war is over. This has become an uninhabitable place for human beings,
25:26and the President has a big heart. He wants this to be a prosperous, safe part of the region
25:32where people and families can thrive. And there will be a need for a real rebuilding effort when
25:37the time comes. But right now, we need to end this war, and we need to bring all of the hostages home.
25:42The President is adamant about that.
25:44The Press, look, again, I will let the President speak for himself
25:47later if he decides to comment on the details of the agreement. But out of respect for the
25:51discussions, I won't do that from the podium. Go ahead.
25:53The Press, so Congressman Lawler and Gottheimer have introduced a bill in Congress,
25:57the Bunker Buster Act that would allow the United States to sell B-2 bombers and
26:02Bunker Buster bombs to Israel. Is that something the President would support?
26:06Ms. Well, I don't know if the President is aware of the Bunker Buster Act,
26:10but I will ask him and see what his opinion on that is. I'm not sure.
26:14The Press, thank you.
26:14The Press, thank you, Marilyn.
26:16The Press, thank you, Marilyn.
26:18Building off to the question earlier about the shooter in Texas who targeted ICE,
26:22Axios reported today, I believe, that Democrat lawmakers were saying their
26:26constituents are calling on them to be more violent when they go to ICE facilities,
26:30including, I believe, they want them to shed blood and that they said that Democrat lawmakers
26:34should be willing to get shot themselves. Can you respond to that? And do you have concerns
26:38that any of these lawmakers might act on the wishes of their constituents?
26:42Ms. It's hard to believe anyone with morals in this country or decency would say such a thing.
26:47Obviously, the White House condemns that rhetoric and we condemn violence of any kind.
26:51This administration is simply trying to enforce our laws, and we must be a nation of law and order.
26:57You cannot simply waltz across our border and live here illegally and expect to stay.
27:02We are going to enforce our nation's laws, and the men and women who are doing that
27:05are doing so in a respectful way. They are doing so within the confines of the law,
27:10and they are just trying to do their jobs. And we condemn any violence or any calls for violence
27:14of any kind against any American.
27:16The Press, thank you, Caroline.
27:18I wanted to ask you if —
27:19Ms. I was not calling on you, but you can go ahead. That's fine.
27:23There's a lot of people in here today.
27:24The Press, sir.
27:25The Press, President Trump already saw the letter that President — the Colombian
27:27President Gustavo Petros sent him apologizing for his comments a few weeks ago suggesting
27:32that there was an involvement from the U.S. government in an alleged coup d'etat in Colombia.
27:38And Secretary Rubio recalled the U.S. Charter de Affairs in Colombia.
27:43Did President Trump saw that letter? And what do you think about the comments
27:46from President Petros suggesting that the U.S. has some kind of involvement in a coup?
27:50Ms. I'm not sure if the President has seen that letter,
27:52but I can check with him in the National Security Council.
27:54We will get you a response if you follow up with my team.
27:57We will find out for you.
27:58The Press, go ahead.
28:00The Press, go ahead.
28:01The Press, thank you, Caroline.
28:03Thank you, Caroline, on two topics.
28:04Ms. I love how excited everyone is on Monday.
28:07Yes, for Kelly. You can go after.
28:09The Press, on two topics. First, tariffs.
28:11The Press announced last night that any countries aligning themselves with
28:15the anti-American policies of BRICS will be charged with an additional 10 percent tariff.
28:20Can you tell us more details on that?
28:22What specific policies is the President talking about here?
28:25What policies should countries stay away from to avoid being subject to additional tariffs?
28:29Ms. Sure. Well, the President feels, generally speaking,
28:31that BRICS is seeking to undermine the interests of the United States.
28:35It's the President's utmost responsibility to put the interests of the United States first.
28:39That's how he views his job as President.
28:41So he's going to ensure that America is fairly treated on the world stage,
28:45and he'll take any action necessary to prevent countries from taking advantage of the United
28:49States and our people.
28:50Raquel. Raquel, go ahead.
28:53The Press on illegal immigrants.
28:54Well, this is our time home and told us this morning that
28:58ICE will have to arrest 7,000 illegal immigrants every day for the remainder of this administration
29:03to just cache the ones that were let in during the last administration.
29:07I'm wondering what the new resources and manpower, of course, given by the big, beautiful bill,
29:11which, of course, opens the door for ICE to hire additional 10,000 agents and officers.
29:17What's the administration's expectations now for daily arrest numbers going forward in the upcoming months?
29:23Ms. Sure. I'll let the Secretary of Homeland Security and her department speak
29:26on what they're looking for in terms of daily numbers.
29:29What I can tell you is I receive the daily reports each morning,
29:32and ICE is out there doing the jobs that they swore an oath to do,
29:36and they are removing public safety threats from our communities every day,
29:40and our country is becoming a safer place because of their efforts.
29:44And the one big, beautiful bill that is now law will give significant resources to ICE and Border
29:49Patrol to continue the tremendous work that they are already doing.
29:53And I think every American who wants to live in a safe neighborhood should be grateful for their efforts.
29:57Ms. Thank you. Thank you, Caroline, so much.
30:00Ms. Raquel. Raquel. And then I can go to you.
30:03Ms. Thank you, Caroline, so much.
30:04Ms. And then you, Dr. Harper.
30:05Thank you, Caroline. As a follow-up on the BRICS question,
30:10so does President Trump believe that the BRICS are getting stronger,
30:16or trying to isolate the United States? And how close is he monitoring the summit
30:22that is taking place in Brazil right now?
30:23Ms. He's closely monitoring it, which is why he put out a statement
30:26himself. He does not perceive these countries as growing stronger.
30:30He just perceives them as trying to undermine the United States' interests.
30:33And that's not okay with him, no matter how strong or weak a country may be.
30:37Go ahead. Yes, go ahead.
30:40As promised, yes. Go ahead.
30:41Thank you. Does Trump have a vision for post-war Gaza?
30:46You mentioned, you know, he's talking about now the ceasefire.
30:48But does he support permanent or temporary presence in the Gaza Strip?
30:55Does he continue to see a continued role for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to
31:00continue to operate in the Gaza Strip?
31:02Well, as you know, because we've talked about it before,
31:05the President has directed aid to be moved into the region, and that has been taking place.
31:10You've actually seen people in the Gaza Strip yelling out, thank you, Trump,
31:14for the aid and for the meals that they have received, because the previous administration
31:19never did that for some reason. But this President, again, wants to see peace and stability in the
31:24region. So as I outlined previously, he views this part of the region as having a real chance of
31:30being peaceful and prosperous. But again, we need to end this war. We need to get all the hostages home,
31:34and Hamas needs to accept this proposal in order to do that. Dr. Hartman, go ahead.
31:39Hi. I'm Dr. Anthony Hartman with the Intermountain Christian News. Thank you for taking my questions.
31:43Given the nature of the Palestinian Authority, with their pay to slay, teaching Jew hatred to
31:49children, corrupt leaders, and no elections for 19 years, who does the who does President Trump
31:56support to govern Area A and Area B to prevent Hamas from ruling? And what does President Trump's
32:03position on Israeli sovereignty? Sure. Well, the President believes Israel,
32:08of course, has a right to defend itself. As for the first part of your question,
32:12you're getting ahead, Dr. Harper. As I told you, the President wants Hamas to accept this
32:16proposal right now. He wants to see peace in this region, and he's committed to doing that.
32:21Sean. Hey, Caroline, can you just please walk us through the decision to halt the supply of weapons
32:27to Ukraine at a time when Russia is really hitting Ukrainian cities and civilians?
32:32Sure. Was that the President who decided that,
32:35or did the Pentagon do it without his approval?
32:37No, neither of those things are true. I'm happy to walk you through it. This was a standard review
32:42by the Pentagon of all weapons and all aid and all support that the United States is providing
32:47all countries and all regions around the world, not just Ukraine. When the Secretary of Defense took
32:53office, he directed the Pentagon to conduct this review to ensure that everything that's going out
32:58the door aligns with America's interests. So it's a pause to review to ensure that everything the
33:04Pentagon is pushing out there is in the best interest of our military and our men and women in uniform. Fran.
33:10Two questions on Israel. You suggested that Hamas is the impediment currently to a ceasefire.
33:17So if not a ceasefire deal, then what does the President hope to achieve with tonight's dinner,
33:22with the Prime Minister?
33:23Again, you guys are getting around to a lot of hypotheticals. I don't want to get ahead of the
33:27President. But there are many other issues to discuss with Prime Minister Netanyahu tonight
33:32related to the region and just the entire world. So this will be a dinner to talk about Operation
33:37Midnight Hammer, which was incredibly successful, to talk about peace in Gaza and ending that conflict,
33:42as well as many other topics of discussion in relation to Israel and the United States.
33:49Go ahead.
33:50The Press. Thank you, Caroline. Given the fact that this is on the trade letters,
33:53given the fact that the President put in into effect the tariffs on April 2nd and then put the
33:59pause into place, is the President at all concerned that these countries that are receiving the letters
34:06won't take them seriously because the deadline seems to have shifted already and may shift again?
34:11Ms. They will take the letters seriously because they have taken the President seriously. And
34:16that's why the President's phone, I can tell you, rings off the hook from world leaders all the time
34:22who are begging him to come to a deal. And this administration is working hard to ensure those
34:28deals are in the best interest of the American people. And this delay, again, is in the best interest
34:33of the American people. And you all will continue to see these letters released on the President's
34:37True Social. And we will see you all later. Thank you, guys.