Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Press Media Conference Aug 12 #trump #karolineleavitt #whitehouse #putin #washingtondc #nationalguard #publicsafety #biden #zelenskyy #ukrainerussiawar
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00:00Good afternoon everybody. Good to see all of you here again today. On Friday
00:05morning, President Trump will travel across the country to Anchorage, Alaska
00:10for a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The brutal war
00:15between Russia and Ukraine broke out under Joe Biden's incompetent leadership,
00:19but President Trump is determined to try and end this war and stop the killing.
00:25As the President has said over and over again, his strong preference will always
00:30be for peace and partnership whenever those outcomes can possibly be achieved.
00:35There is no leader in the world right now who has been more committed to
00:39preventing wars or ending them than President Donald Trump. Just look at what
00:44took place here at the White House last Friday when President Trump hosted the
00:48Azerbaijani President and Armenian Prime Minister and got the two leaders to sign
00:52a historic joint declaration for peace, ending a decades-long conflict that
00:58disrupted the region and claimed countless lives. In other news, we continue to see
01:03positive economic reports across the board. Today's CPI report revealed that
01:08inflation beat market expectations once again and inflation remains stable. Overall,
01:14inflation has run at a 1.9 average annual pace in President Trump's first six
01:21months in office. Prices for everyday goods continue to decline. Energy prices fell in
01:27July, including gasoline, which is down nearly 10% over last year, and propane, which is
01:33down 2.5% over last year as well. Egg prices fell once again in July and are down 20% since
01:41President Trump took office. Shelter inflation, the largest contributor to overall inflation, is at
01:47its lowest level since October of 2021. Wage growth for American workers is
01:53beating inflation once again. As inflation declines, this administration continues to
01:58be wholeheartedly committed to putting more money back into the American people's pockets. American
02:04real wages are up 1.3% over last year and have increased each month since President Trump took office. And
02:10small business optimism, according to this morning's report, has also reached a five-month
02:16high. Ignore the panic and trust in President Trump. That is our motto here at the White House. The
02:22America First economic agenda is working. On another matter, yesterday, President Trump took bold action to
02:28finally restore law and order right here in our nation's capital. The President declared a crime
02:34emergency in the District of Columbia, federalized the D.C. Police Department, and mobilized the D.C.
02:41National Guard to end violent crime in our nation's capital. As part of the President's massive law
02:47enforcement surge, last night, approximately 850 officers and agents were surged across the city. They
02:55made a total of 23 arrests, including multiple other contacts. Last night, these arrests consisted of
03:01homicide, firearms offenses, possession with intent to distribute narcotics, fair evasion, lewd acts,
03:09stalking, possession of a high-capacity magazine, fleeing to a lewd in a vehicle, no permits, driving
03:16under the influence, reckless driving, and a bench warrant. A total of six illegal handguns were seized
03:23off of District of Columbia streets as part of last night's effort. This is only the beginning. Over the
03:29course of the next month, the Trump administration will relentlessly pursue and arrest every violent
03:35criminal in the District who breaks the law, undermines public safety, and endangers law-abiding
03:40Americans. President Trump will not be deterred by soft-on-crime Democrats and media activists
03:46who refuse to acknowledge this rampant violence on our streets. He is going to make our nation's
03:52capital the most beautiful and safe city on Earth, just as he promised on the campaign trail.
03:58Staying on the topic of public safety, the Trump administration continues to shatter records on
04:03border security. According to brand new numbers released this morning from Customs and Border Patrol,
04:10illegal crossings have fallen to all-time lows once again. Here were the records set in July. Again,
04:16these numbers were released this morning. The lowest monthly nationwide encounters ever, down nearly 90%
04:23from the monthly average under the Biden administration. The lowest monthly border
04:27patrol apprehensions nationwide ever, smashing the previous record set the prior month in June. The
04:34lowest monthly Southwest border apprehensions ever. The lowest daily apprehension average ever. The
04:41lowest single day apprehensions ever. And for the third straight month, there were zero illegal aliens
04:47released into the country. Let me repeat that remarkable statistic. For the third month in a row,
04:53not a single illegal alien was released by the Trump administration into the United States of
04:58America. This is historic. Under President Trump, this border is the most secure it has ever been.
05:05When you fortify the border, when you restore deterrence, and when you empower border patrol agents and our
05:11brave men and women in uniform to actually do their jobs to enforce our laws, like this president has,
05:18this is the incredible result. And in the interior of our country, criminal illegal aliens continue to be
05:24arrested and removed. Here are some of the criminals arrested by ICE in just the last few days.
05:31ICE Buffalo arrested an illegal alien from Jamaica, convicted of attempted murder. ICE Buffalo also
05:38arrested an illegal alien from Ecuador, convicted of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
05:44ICE Houston arrested an illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of manslaughter. ICE Newark arrested an
05:51illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of the sexual assault of a minor. ICE Dallas arrested an illegal alien
05:58from Mexico, convicted of assault causing bodily injury. And already the Trump administration has arrested
06:04more than 300,000 illegal aliens in 2025. Again, more than 300,000 illegal alien criminals have been
06:13arrested in the interior of our country in the first six months of this administration. And despite many
06:20false reports in the media, nearly 70% of these arrests have been criminal aliens with criminal charges or
06:29prior convictions. This is success all around. This is removing the most dangerous public safety threats
06:35from America's communities and returning these individuals to their home countries. So there's
06:39been success all around. I'm sure you have a lot of questions today. I'm happy to get to them. So let's
06:44get started. And as always, we'll start with our new media seat, who is our podcast host today,
06:49Benny Johnson. Benny, why don't you kick us off? And thanks for being here. Thank you, Caroline.
06:53As a DC resident of 15 years, I lived on Capitol Hill. I witnessed so many muggings and so much theft.
07:00I lost track. I was carjacked. I have murders on my ring camera and mass shootings. I witnessed a woman
07:07on my block get held up at gunpoint for $20. And my house was set ablaze in an arson with my infant child
07:15inside. And so to any reporter that says and lies that DC is a safe place to live and work, let me just say
07:22this. Thank you. Thank you for making the city safe, because no parent should have to go through
07:27what my family went through, having the fire department rip open their door to save their
07:32infant child. And so thank you for your work on securing this city. My question to you is this.
07:38Nancy Pelosi has attacked the president for deploying the National Guard to the city,
07:45saying that it is to cover for his incompetence. Hillary Clinton has also
07:48attacked the president for securing the city of Washington, DC. I'd like to get your response to
07:54Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton. Sure. Well, first of all, Benny,
07:56I'm so sorry that happened to you and your family. There have been, unfortunately, far too many victims
08:01of crime in this city. And I know the majority of residents in the District of Columbia agree with
08:07you. In fact, a new poll from the Washington Post, I was reading this morning, this was released in May of
08:122024. So it's quite funny how many of you in the media agreed with what the president was saying
08:18yesterday. But now once the president says it, many of you are disagreeing with him. But this poll
08:23released by the Washington Post found that 65 percent of district residents think crime is an extremely
08:30serious or a very serious problem. And this was up from 56 percent last year. So the concern that you
08:37share with so many other residents in the District of Columbia is real. And that's why this president
08:42is taking action to address it. To get to the heart of your question, I think it's despicable
08:46that Democrats cannot agree that we need more law and order in a city that has been ravaged by violence,
08:52crime, murders, property theft. This should be a winning issue for all Americans. I don't understand.
08:59It's just anything President Trump does, the Democrats want to disagree with. I think the president
09:04would love to work with Democrats on this issue to bring law and order to America's cities. But
09:08unfortunately, they have failed. And that's why he's taken this historic action to federalize
09:13the National Guard. And as you're seeing from last night's numbers, we already have seen success. We
09:17are removing violent offenders. We are arresting criminals. And we are removing drugs and firearms
09:23off of the streets of the city to make it safer for all of its residents. Just a very quick follow up to
09:27that. Given the heroic actions of a member of this administration just a few blocks from this building,
09:33will the President consider giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom to big balls?
09:37Ms. I haven't spoken to him about that. But perhaps it's something he would consider.
09:43I'll ask him and get back to you, Benny. Thanks for being here. Gabe.
09:46Thank you, Caroline. Regarding the President Trump's summit on Friday,
09:52why not invite Ukrainian President Zelensky to that summit? I know the President said
09:56yesterday that he planned to speak with him right after the summit and even before. But why not invite
10:01Zelensky? Whose decision was it to not invite him? Was it the President or was it President Putin?
10:05Well, this meeting came about because the President of Russia asked the President of the United States
10:10to meet through his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who, as you all know, traveled to Russia to have a
10:16conversation with Putin at his request. And so the President is agreeing to this meeting at the request
10:23of President Putin. And the goal of this meeting for the President is to walk away with a better
10:28understanding of how we can end this war. And the President said at this podium yesterday,
10:33when he joined all of you in the room, that he hopes in the future there can be a trilateral meeting
10:39with these three leaders to finally bring this conflict to an end. But this administration has
10:44really used every lever, has taken every measure to achieve peace through a diplomatic solution.
10:51And I think the President of the United States getting in the room with the President of Russia,
10:55sitting face-to-face rather than speaking over the telephone, will give this President the best
11:00indication of how to end this war and where this is headed. And another question on something that
11:05happened yesterday, but I wanted to get the White House response. A judge ruled that the grand jury
11:10transcripts in Ghislaine Maxwell's case should not be released. What's the White House response to that?
11:16And do you plan to appeal, and would you tell President Trump supporters who want that information released?
11:22We think that decision is unfortunate. Of course, we move to unseal that information because the
11:27President has said he wants to see credible evidence released. As for the appeal process,
11:31I would defer you to the Department of Justice for that. Rachel.
11:34Thank you so much, Caroline. We are learning that President Trump spoke with Ukrainian President
11:38Zelensky. I was curious if you can share any more details about their call. And did Zelensky
11:43give President Trump any red lines, any non-starters ahead of the summit on Friday?
11:48Look, I don't want to reveal the private conversations between the President and President
11:52Zelensky. But what I can tell you is that the President has deep respect for all parties that are
11:58involved in this conflict and are trying to bring this conflict to an end. After Special Envoy
12:02Whitcoff returned from his meeting with President Putin in Russia, his first phone call was to President
12:07Trump. And President Trump's first phone call was to President Zelensky and to our friends in Europe to
12:13keep everybody in the loop about where the United States can see moving the ball forward to end this
12:18conflict. And so we continue to be very much engaged with President Zelensky and the Ukrainians,
12:24but also our allies in Europe as well. And then just one word for you. How does the President
12:29measure success coming out of this meeting? The President at times has suggested that it might be
12:34tapping him along. Is he prepared to walk out of this meeting if he senses that Putin is not serious
12:41about ending this war? I think I just answered that question for you and what the goal and the
12:45expectation of the meeting is. And I won't jump ahead of any hypotheticals and I'll leave it to
12:49the President to speak to all of you after the meeting, which I'm very confident he will. Steve.
12:54Are you optimistic that a deal will emerge from this meeting or is he simply going to listen?
12:58I think this is a listening exercise for the President. Look, only one party that's involved in
13:04this war is going to be present. And so this is for the President to go and to get,
13:08again, a more firm and better understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end.
13:13How did you settle on Alaska as a site for this? So there were some other sites being discussed.
13:19Is this like a midpoint between the two meetings? There were many sites discussed,
13:23but of course Alaska is a state within the United States of America. So the President
13:28is very honored and looks forward to hosting President Putin on American soil.
13:33And last thing, is there a joint news conference plan or will the President have the solo one?
13:38What sort of scheduling do you have?
13:40Yeah, the mechanics and the scheduling, Steve, are still being ironed out for Friday. We're
13:44working with our Russian counterparts to put those plans into action. And of course,
13:48we'll keep you all apprised on the logistical details of Friday as soon as we get them. Charlie.
13:53The President said at the podium yesterday twice that he was planning to go to Russia.
13:58Is that a verbal slip up or does he actually plan to go to Russia?
14:01Perhaps there are plans in the future to travel to Russia. And on Friday,
14:06the President will be meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, as you know.
14:10Phil.
14:11Last week, the President said the CEO of Intel was highly conflicted,
14:17saving to sight his past investment with Chinese companies that were doing business with the Chinese
14:22military. Yesterday, he called his meeting with that CEO a success. So what can you tell us about
14:28what the Intel CEO said to President Trump that changed his mind?
14:32The President put out a statement that you cited, Phil. I will leave it at that. He shared his
14:37thoughts on that meeting and how it went. And for any further comment on that, I'll leave it to him to
14:42make it.
14:43Will the Bureau of Labor Statistics continue to put out monthly job reports?
14:47Well, look, what I'll tell you about the Bureau of Labor Statistics, I believe that is the plan and that's
14:52the hope and that these monthly reports will be data that the American people can trust. As you know,
14:59the Bureau of Labor Statistics has made massive revisions after the last several points reports
15:06that they have put out. And there has certainly been a decline in the quality and the reliability
15:10of data coming from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And there's been an increase in revisions.
15:15And this President and the administration is finally tackling this problem that so many have
15:20talked about. And the President is actually doing something about it. We need to restore new leadership
15:24that we can trust. As you know, the President has appointed someone new to take over the BLS. And so
15:29we need to look at the means and the methods of how the United States is acquiring this very important
15:34data. And all of that is going to be done. And the goal, of course, is to provide honest and good
15:40data for the American people to make very important economic decisions on. Michael.
15:45The Press. Thank you, Caroline. Two questions, if I may. The President has talked about land
15:48swamps between Russia and Ukraine. Vladimir Putin says he wants Russia to hold on to Russian-occupied
15:54territory in eastern Ukraine. Is the White House at all concerned about the messaging that
15:59potential, potentially giving over or allowing for Russia to maintain its occupied territory in eastern
16:05Ukraine, what that might say to other U.S. adversaries like China?
16:10Look, right now, the President of the United States has done more to end this war than his
16:16predecessor, Joe Biden, who allowed this war to take place. This war, don't forget,
16:22happened at the result of the weakness and the incompetence of the previous administration. And so
16:27the President inherited this conflict and he is determined to end it. And it's a very complex and
16:33complicated situation. As for the details of the plans that have been kind of tossed back and forth,
16:39I won't get into those. And I will let the President of the United States discuss those plans with the
16:43President of Russia, with our European allies, and the President of Ukraine, Zelensky, himself as
16:50as well. Sure. Go ahead, in the green. Thank you. Thank you, Carolyn. As far as the police and
16:55security operations, Cynthia, is there a timeline? Do we know what success looks like? Is it going to
17:01last longer than 30 days? And also, is there going to be an immigration enforcement aspect to this?
17:08So can you speak up a little bit? The air conditioning is bumping in here for all of you today
17:14after yesterday's heater. So we've got to stock up. You're welcome. Go ahead. Is there a timeline for
17:19the security operations here in D.C.? And also, is there going to be an immigration component to this?
17:24And what would that look like? Look, if law enforcement officers encounter a criminal in the city,
17:32and they are an illegal alien, of course, the appropriate measures to detain and deport that
17:36individual will be taken, as they should. No city should be a sanctuary for anyone other than law
17:43abiding American citizens. And that's been the, that has been the position of this administration
17:48since day one. As for the timing, we will reevaluate and reassess and make further decisions
17:54after this 30 day period is up. But within these 30 days, our entire focus is making sure
18:00that this is the most efficient operation possible and that we are removing as many criminals from the
18:06streets and we are cleaning up D.C. as best as we can and working with the Metropolitan Police
18:12Department to do that. I know the mayor just spoke several minutes ago. I was watching her on television
18:18and she said that an increase of law enforcement officers on the streets will be helpful to deter crime
18:24in this city. And we look forward to working with these brave men and women of the Metropolitan
18:29Police Department to remove criminals off of our streets and to keep law-abiding citizens in the
18:33district safe. Josh. Thank you. The President weighed in on Jay Powell again today. He said that he's
18:41considering allowing a major lawsuit against Powell to proceed because of the, quote, horrible,
18:46and grossing, incompetent job he has done. Can you tell us about that? What lawsuit is he talking about?
18:49He's considering a lawsuit and I won't speak or on it any further. I will allow the President to do
18:55that himself. Is it fair to say the administration is considering suing the Fed chair over this
18:59renovation? That's what the President is saying. Has he had discussions with it about, with anyone
19:05about this? Or is this just, like, what, how advanced is this right now? At this moment in time,
19:10the President is considering a lawsuit against the Fed and I will leave it to him to comment further on it.
19:15Tamara. We talked about, sorry, very quickly. Yesterday we talked about the, uh, the NVIDIA
19:20chips deal that the President has struck him as well, the AMD, the 50% stake that will go to the
19:24government. Do you have any detail on how that came about? The President said he asked for 20%
19:29from NVIDIA. Did he make the same 20% ask to AMD and or is this something the administration is looking
19:35to do with other, either chips or products, you know, going forward? Is this a model that wants to build on it?
19:41Well, look, right now it stands with these two companies. Perhaps it could expand in the future
19:46to other companies. I think it's a creative idea and solution. The legality of it, the mechanics of
19:51it is still being ironed out by the Department of Commerce. And I would defer you to them for any
19:55further details on how it will actually be implemented. But again, this was another idea of
20:00the President and his brain trust on his trade team to try to, you know, get good deals for the American
20:05people and the American taxpayer. Did you see the report that China is discouraging use of the H20
20:11to some companies since, as we're reporting, that overnight there was private guidance said to
20:15companies not banning the chip and urging them to steer away from it? I wonder if you have any response
20:19to that. I haven't read the report. I will and we'll get you a comment on it.
20:22Thank you. Tamara. Thank you. Last week, the meeting with
20:26Putin was sort of described potentially as an opportunity for a deal. Now it's a feeling out.
20:32Has there been a shift in expectations within the White House or an effort to temper expectations
20:38about what success looks like for this meeting? I mean, look, I think both can be true, right?
20:41The President has always said he wants a peace deal. He wants to see this war come to an end.
20:47But this bilateral meeting is a bilateral meeting between one party in this two-party war, right?
20:53You need both countries to agree to a deal. The President is accepting this bilateral meeting
20:57with Putin on Friday, and I will let him speak further to it after it concludes about, you know,
21:03how he felt it went. And it's also a completely unrelated topic.
21:08Regarding the President's efforts in Washington, D.C., do you have any specifics about how homeless
21:13people will be dealt with, where they would be moved to? What does this look like?
21:18I do, yes. And it's an important question, so thank you for raising it.
21:21The Metropolitan Police Department, with the support of the new federal agencies who have
21:26been surging on the streets of the District of Columbia, are going to enforce the laws that are
21:31already on the books here in Washington, D.C. For far too long, these laws have been completely ignored,
21:37and the homelessness problem has ravaged the city. So D.C. Code 221307 and D.C. Municipal Regulation 24100
21:46give the Metropolitan Police Department the authority to take action when it comes to homeless encampments.
21:53So homeless individuals will be given the option to leave their encampment, to be taken to a homeless
21:59shelter, to be offered addiction or mental health services, and if they refuse, they will be susceptible
22:05to fines or to jail time. Again, these are pre-existing laws that are already on the books. They have not
22:10been enforced, which is part of the reason for this nationalizing of the federalizing of the
22:16National Guard to bring in this assistance for law enforcement. While we are targeting criminals
22:23and trying to remove criminals off of the streets, we also want to make D.C. safe and beautiful, and
22:27that involves removing mentally disturbed individuals and homeless encampments as well. So we will be
22:34using these regulations and code that already exists to clean up our streets. And we've already had great
22:39success. Not many of you picked up on this, but the United States Park Police has actually done
22:43remarkable work in terms of removing homeless encampments from the city. Since the president signed this
22:49executive order in March, 70 homeless encampments have been removed by the U.S. Park Police. There are only
22:55two homeless encampments remaining in D.C. federal parks under the National Park Service's jurisdiction,
23:01and the removal of those two remaining camps is scheduled for this week. So the U.S. Park Police will be
23:06leading this effort alongside MPD. Just very quickly, he had talked in one of the social media posts about
23:11moving them very far outside of the city. Is that off? No, it's not off. We're exploring how we could
23:17do that. But again, homeless shelters, offered addiction and mental health services, or jail,
23:25if they refuse, are the options on the table right now. And we'll continue to explore that option.
23:29Thank you so much, Caroline. President Zelensky said moments ago that he thinks Russia is preparing for
23:36a new offensive on at least three different areas of the front line. Is this something that you could
23:41confirm based on U.S. intelligence? And if the president sees that Putin is indeed planning major
23:48new offensive on moving troops, would he call off the meeting on Friday?
23:52MS. I'm not in a position to confirm or deny or comment on that intel at this time. Monica.
23:56Thanks, Caroline. My question involves Russiagate. A whistleblower alleges that
24:01then Congressman Adam Schiff approved leaking classified information to smear President Trump's
24:06image during the Russiagate scandal. Does the president plan to investigate Adam Schiff,
24:11and what would accountability look like if more information confirms this report?
24:16MS. The president has already said he wants to see Adam Schiff held accountable for the countless
24:20lies he told the American people in relation to the Russiagate scandal. I brought Tulsi Gabbard
24:25out to this podium to talk to you about all of that, and this administration is taking
24:29accountability very seriously. As for this new FBI whistleblower report, I understand Kash Patel last
24:35night declassified a 302 FBI document showing that a whistleblower who is a Democrat, a career
24:42intelligence officer who worked for Democrats on the House Intel Committee for more than a decade,
24:48repeatedly warned the FBI in 2017 that then Rep. Adam Schiff had approved leaking classified information
24:56to smear then President Donald Trump over the Russiagate scandal. This is obviously a bombshell
25:03whistleblower report. Hopefully more people in this room will cover it as such. And I have a quote from
25:08the FBI director for all of you. He has said this, for years, certain officials used their positions to
25:14selectively leak classified information to shape political narratives. It was all done with one
25:19purpose, to weaponize intelligence and law enforcement for political gain. Those abuses
25:23eroded public trust in our institutions. The FBI will now lead the charge with our partners at DOJ,
25:29and Congress will have the chance to uncover how political power may have been weaponized and to
25:35restore accountability. That's what the administration is focused on, and hopefully we'll see some more
25:40media reports on this whistleblower allegation. If this were reversed, if this were allegations
25:48against the President or any of these Cabinet officials, I'm sure everyone in this room would
25:52cover it as such. Elizabeth, go ahead. Thanks, Caroline. After yesterday's action to federalize
25:57the D.C. police, is the President still interested in working with Congress to end the Home Rule Act,
26:02something he's talked about in the past. Senator Mike Lee has a bill on it. Is that something he's still
26:06interested in? The President is very much still interested in working with Congress to address
26:11many of the issues that have plagued Washington, D.C., such as the cashless bail policy, which has
26:15been a complete disaster for the city. Juvenile delinquency is another major problem in the city
26:21that Congress can address. So I know Congress is on recess right now. When they get back to work to
26:26Washington, this President looks forward to having these conversations with our friends on Capitol Hill so
26:30we can work with them to make D.C. safe and beautiful again. And again, we encourage Democrats to join
26:36us in this effort. Perhaps their approval ratings would move up a little bit if they did. I saw a
26:40new poll today. Democrat approval rating is at an all-time low, 32 percent. If they could just stand
26:46by the basic notion of law and order, perhaps they would see that tick up a bit, and we welcome them
26:50to do that. Dasha. Thanks, Caroline. President Trump yesterday at this podium indicated this,
26:55so has NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, that in order for peace to happen, it is very likely
27:02that Ukraine will have to send some land to Russia. Zelensky has repeatedly said no land for peace,
27:08that's not going to happen. Has this administration communicated to Zelensky that he's going to have
27:13to change that position? Look, I appreciate your asking that question in a different way than your
27:17colleague Michael in the back. I don't want to get into the details of these negotiations and these
27:22discussions that have taken place out of respect for where we are right now, and I'll let the President
27:27speak on it further if he wishes to. I want to ask one more about Israel. I know the President has
27:31had a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu recently. Netanyahu is planning to seize the remainder of Gaza
27:37City. What is the administration's position on this move by Israel's government? Look, this is an
27:43incredibly complex and complicated war that, again, was inherited by this President by his predecessor,
27:51Joe Biden. October 7th was one of the worst days in history. We saw innocent people
27:57slaughtered, murdered, kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. This administration has taken extensive time
28:03and effort and resources since Inauguration Day in January to end this conflict. We have given many
28:10flexible arrangements backed by Israel to Hamas, and unfortunately, Hamas has never agreed.
28:18Looking ahead, I will let the President speak on where he sees this going, but this is, of course,
28:23an incredibly complex and complicated situation. The administration has made our goal clear. We
28:29want to see this conflict end. We want to see the hostages released, and we've tried. The President
28:34and his national security team have given extensive effort and time to doing that.
28:37Are you comfortable with how Israel has used those resources and the assistance that you've provided?
28:41Look, I'll let the President speak on the further actions that Israel may or may not be taking.
28:47Good to see you. Good to see you as well, Carolyn. Thank you. The Kremlin is expressing
28:51interest that Friday's meeting will move beyond just terms to end the war into improving bilateral
28:56relations. There's talk over how they're interested in potentially restoring direct flights between
29:01Russia and the United States. Is President Trump open to those kind of peripheral conversations,
29:05or is this directly focused on ending the war in Ukraine? I think this conversation on Friday
29:10is focused on ending the war in Ukraine as far as the President's perspective goes. Those conversations,
29:17I think the President is interested in having, but his main priority right now is ending this war
29:21and to stop the killing that has gone on for far too long. You're welcome. In the back, go ahead.
29:28Two questions on the economy. So first, we've had small businesses tell us that it's not foreign
29:33exporters who are eating the tariffs, it's them. And they've held off on raising prices, but soon they're
29:39going to have to raise prices. What is the White House's message to them? The White House's message to
29:44our small business owners across the country is you have never had a better ally or friend or
29:50supporter in this White House than President Donald Trump, who is a businessman himself,
29:54who understands your concerns, and who wants to restore wealth back to our country through the
30:00powerful use of tariffs. And that's what he's focused on doing while simultaneously driving down costs.
30:06You have to remember, we are six months into this administration, and we had a president who had
30:11no business experience, had no idea what he was doing, and who funneled billions of wasteful spending
30:17dollars into our economy, which created the worst inflation crisis in a generation. Now,
30:22this president is focused on tackling inflation, deregulating, cutting costs, cutting red tape to make
30:28it easier for small business owners to thrive. And again, the economic indicators show that we are
30:34moving in the right direction. In January, when this president showed up to the White House,
30:38the six-month annualized core inflation rate was 3.7 percent. Today, six months later,
30:44the six-month annualized core inflation rate is 2.4 percent. So we are trending in the right
30:49direction. Moving forward, since President Trump took office for another six months, inflation will
30:55be tracking at 1.9 percent. At this trajectory, you look at grocery prices they fell, energy prices fell,
31:01fuel oil fell, ship fares fell, propane fell, butter, margarine, eggs, non-prescription drugs. You go
31:08through the list of items that are falling, and then I would also point to that report this morning
31:12showing that small business optimism has reached a five-month high. So look, we inherited an economic
31:18mess from the previous administration, but this administration is focused on fixing it every day,
31:24and part of that is signing the largest tax cuts into law to put more money back into the pockets of
31:28these small business owners. Just on the BLS, they collect the inflation data, obviously. If the jobs data
31:34is not reliable, should Americans trust the inflation data? Well, look, the jobs data has
31:39had massive revisions. We want to ensure that all of the data, the inflation data, the jobs data,
31:44any data point that is coming out of the BLS is trustworthy and is accurate, which is why the
31:49President has restored new leadership at the BLS. Sure, go ahead. Yeah. Okay. Thank you.
31:56So Gavin Newsom has said that California is going to sue in response to the government's demand
32:02for a billion dollars from UCLA over the DOJ's anti-Semitism findings. Newsom has called this
32:09extortion and ransom, so I'm wondering what the White House's response is to Newsom on UCLA.
32:15Bring it on, Gavin. This administration is well within its legal right to do this, and we want
32:20to ensure that our colleges and our universities are respecting the First Amendment rights and the
32:26religious liberties of students on their campuses, and UCLA has failed to do that. And I have a whole
32:32list of examples that I will forward to Gavin Newsom's press office if he hasn't seen them himself.
32:37Brett. Thanks, Caroline. What was the reason that President Trump chose to move on from Billy
32:43Long as IRS commissioner? Look, I think the President wants to see Billy Long as the ambassador
32:49to Iceland. As you know, that is where he will be headed. And the President loves Billy Long,
32:54and he thinks that he can serve the administration well in this position. For now, Secretary Scott
32:59Besson will be the acting IRS commissioner.
33:01Timeline for announcing a new pick.
33:03Go ahead. Thank you.
33:05Oh, Ed, go ahead, but then in the back. Yes.
33:08Go in the back first.
33:09Okay, sure.
33:10Thanks, Caroline. One foreign policy and then one domestic question, if I may.
33:16There are roughly 30,000 children from Ukraine who have reportedly been abducted and are kind of
33:22dispersed around Russia. They've been showing up on these websites for adoption. Is there return
33:27a red line for the President in any deal ending the war?
33:31The administration is aware of these reports. I don't want to set red lines for the President
33:37on his behalf from this podium. However, the President did encourage Ukraine and Russia to speak
33:43directly to one another in terms of these humanitarian issues. And we have seen progress.
33:48You have seen prisoners of war swapped between these two countries as a result of these direct
33:54talks as well as children, and that remains a concern. But it's one that Russia and Ukraine
33:59need to iron out together, which is why this President has encouraged them to speak.
34:02Okay, thanks. And then if I can on the D.C. action real quick. The President said yesterday that
34:08this is a model federalizing the National Guard that could be used to combat really high rates of
34:13crime in other cities like Chicago, L.A., Baltimore. What sort of authority would he have to deploy
34:20forces like that, absent the Home Rule Act? Look, the President is speaking about what he'd like to
34:26see take place in other cities around the country. Right now, this administration is focused on
34:31making D.C. safe and beautiful again. When the time comes, we'll talk about that. But I will note that
34:36the President wants to see all of our nation's cities be safe. But I think starting with our nation's
34:42capital is a great place to begin, and it should serve as a model for the rest of the country.
34:46Ed. Just to bind up a few of the D.C. things, because a lot of them have been asked. But
34:51in talking with Congress about potential changes to the Home Rule and whatever else,
34:55would he also push the House to finally pass D.C.'s budget so that it has access to all that money
35:00that it does need for policing for schools and for other services here in the city?
35:04Yes. And as you know, he has done that. He put out a statement calling on the House to take
35:08up the Senate's legislation, and he stands by that position.
35:10Let me take you back to something from last month. You guys announced the President was
35:15diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency after his legs were seen swelling.
35:20How is he being treated for that? And while you were up front about those health issues,
35:27curious if the White House would be willing to let us speak with his physician
35:31directly about those health issues? I know there were a lot of concerns about the last
35:35White House not making the physician available. Would the physician be available in this case?
35:40I don't want to make that commitment on behalf of the physician, but it's certainly something
35:43we can look into and explore out of the effort of transparency, because unlike the previous White
35:48House, there is nothing to hide. You guys see this President working around the clock,
35:53literally 24-7, all of the time, and I will be happy to look into that request.
35:59Can we at least get an update on how he's being treated for the swelling
36:02legs and for the hams and the other issues?
36:04Look, you see the President every day. He's moving. He's working. He's continuing.
36:07There have been no adjustments made to his lifestyle.
36:10Carolyn. Thanks, Carolyn.
36:11I have two questions. One on D.C., but on the Putin meeting on Friday,
36:14does the President plan to meet with Putin one-on-one?
36:16Yes, that's part of the plan. And as for the other mechanics and logistics,
36:20I will let our team speak to that when they're ironed out.
36:23And on what's happening in D.C. with the federal takeover, what we've heard from the mayor and the
36:27police chief is that their understanding is there has been no change in the leadership structure.
36:32In the White House's view, who is in charge of the MPD right now?
36:35If you read the executive order, it will tell you. The leadership structure is as follows.
36:40We plan to work with the Metropolitan Police Department, but ultimately the chain of command is as such.
36:45The President of the United States, the Attorney General of the United States,
36:49our DEA Administrator, Terry Cole, who is now serving ahead of the chief of the Metropolitan Police
36:54Department. And they will be working together.
36:56No, Terry Cole, as you heard from this briefing room yesterday,
37:00is in charge of the Metropolitan Police Department, and he's working with the chief
37:05to ensure that law enforcement officers are allowed to do their jobs in this city.
37:08Caroline.
37:10Yeah, thanks, Caroline. I know you said earlier the hope is to maintain
37:14monthly job reports, but the President's new nominee for BLS, Commissioner E.J.
37:19Antony, recently told Fox Business that the BLS should suspend issuing monthly
37:24job reports and only issue quarterly reports until the jobs data methodology is corrected.
37:30So does the President disagree with that assessment that his nominee is
37:34said there, or is suspending these monthly job reports a real option?
37:38MS. I think he floated the idea of possibly suspending until they can get the data
37:43and the methodology in order. And this President wants to ensure that the BLS, again, is putting out
37:50accurate and honest data that the American people can trust. Since you brought up the new Commissioner,
37:54he holds a master's and doctor's degree in economics from Northern Illinois University. He's the chief
37:59economist in the Heritage Foundation's Center for the Federal Budget. And in addition to his work at Heritage,
38:07he has multiple other roles. He's been widely renowned for his work on economic issues. He's
38:12been called before Congress to testify as an economic expert. So he's a qualified individual,
38:17and the President trusts him to lead this important department.
38:22Sure, go ahead.
38:22Given that the administration now has jurisdiction over MPD, can we expect, does that mean like personnel
38:30changes, hiring, firing? Can we expect leadership changes internally in the Metropolitan Police Department?
38:35MS. I just walked through what the leadership structure looks like right now.
38:38But within the uniformed police department, right? I mean, does that mean that
38:44the Attorney General and others kind of have the ability to make those personnel decisions?
38:48MS. I would imagine it means they have the ability. As for any changes, I'm not tracking any. Again,
38:53we look forward to working alongside the Metropolitan Police Department. And we did that last night
38:58successfully, and we hope we can do that for the next 29 nights. Go ahead.
39:02MS. Yes.
39:03MS. There are reports that ICE agents detained a 15-year-old student with disabilities
39:08outside an LA high school, even leaving bullets on the sidewalk. How does the Trump administration
39:13plan to ensure parents that their children can return to school without fear of being wrongfully
39:17detained or endangered by federal agents? MS. Where did you see that report?
39:21MS. LA Times. MS. Okay. Well, I'll have to look
39:23into the veracity of that report. I read the LA Times almost every single day, and they are notorious for
39:28misleading the public. I'm sure there's more to that story than the way that you just characterized
39:33it. This administration wants to ensure that all school children across the country
39:37and every city from Los Angeles to D.C. can go to school safely. And that's part of this
39:42administration's effort to federalize the National Guard in Washington to ensure that ICE is removing
39:48child predators. I just read you a list of a handful, just a handful, of the hundreds of thousands of
39:55child predators that this administration is removing off of the streets of Los Angeles
40:00and every other community across this country, because we want to ensure this is a country where
40:04American school children can be safe, where they can prosper, and where they are not threatened by
40:09violent criminals, whether they are illegal or whether they are American citizen homegrown criminals,
40:15as this president calls them. So I will gladly go check on that report, and I'll get you the facts.
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