The White House said on Monday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized an admiral to conduct the strikes that Killed 11 people on a vessel from Venezuela allegedly carrying illegal narcotics.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters the admiral approved a second strike on the boat and was well within his legal right to do so.
#TrumpVenezuelaStrike #KarolineLeavitt #VenezuelaBoatAttack #TrumpDrugWar #TrumpControversy #TrumpOrders #VenezuelaCrisis #TrumpNews #BreakingNewsUSA #WhiteHouseBriefing #TrumpAdministration #DrugCartelsVenezuela #TrumpScandal #PressBriefingFirestorm #USVenezuelaTensions
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White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters the admiral approved a second strike on the boat and was well within his legal right to do so.
#TrumpVenezuelaStrike #KarolineLeavitt #VenezuelaBoatAttack #TrumpDrugWar #TrumpControversy #TrumpOrders #VenezuelaCrisis #TrumpNews #BreakingNewsUSA #WhiteHouseBriefing #TrumpAdministration #DrugCartelsVenezuela #TrumpScandal #PressBriefingFirestorm #USVenezuelaTensions
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NewsTranscript
00:00On Thursday, President Trump will host the presidents of the Republic of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to sign the historic peace and economic agreement that he brokered.
00:11On Thursday night, the President and the First Lady will celebrate one of America's greatest traditions, the lighting of the national Christmas tree on the ellipse.
00:20And on Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Center.
00:25You all will be seeing and hearing from the president every day this week. So you have me today and then he will take on the rest of the week himself.
00:32Next, I would like to address the horrific tragedy that took place in our nation's capital that last week.
00:38A foreign terrorist that the Biden administration failed to properly vet ambushed two members of the West Virginia National Guard who were honorably serving here to keep their residents and visitors of Washington, D.C. safe.
00:53U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolf was severely wounded in the attack and remains hospitalized while he continues to fight for his life.
01:03Tragically, U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom died of her wounds. She was just 20 years old.
01:10President Trump and the entire White House are praying for Andrew's full recovery at the request of his parents and their personal phone call with the president over the weekend.
01:19And we are keeping Sarah's family and friends in our prayers during this unimaginably difficult time.
01:27Sarah and Andrew represent the very best of America, two young patriots who were willing to put on the uniform and risk their lives in defense of their fellow Americans.
01:37Both of them truly embody the profound words spoken by Jesus Christ in the gospel.
01:43Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.
01:48Sarah and Andrew are heroes, and we will never forget their sacrifice.
01:53That means ensuring the monster responsible for this atrocity is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and faces the most severe punishment possible.
02:03It also means reckoning with why this atrocity was allowed to happen in the first place so that it may never occur again.
02:10Here are the facts.
02:12The terrorist who was gunned down, who gunned down American soldiers blocks away from the White House in an ambush was an Afghan national who was flown into our country by Joe Biden's administration in September 2021 in the chaotic wake of their botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
02:28One of the most embarrassing moments in the history of our great country, Joe Biden's historic failure in Afghanistan continues to haunt this country and our men and women in uniform.
02:41Not only did this surrender lead to a suicide bombing that killed 13 American heroes in Kabul, but now National Guard troops were shot on U.S. soil by the same kind of enemy.
02:52We continue to live with the deadly consequences of Joe Biden's horrific leadership.
02:58Nearly 100,000 Afghans were recklessly released into the United States with little to no vetting.
03:04There was no regard for the disorder and violence that this would unleash on American communities and American culture.
03:10Reportedly, thousands of these strangers and unknown individuals were flagged to the Biden administration for national security, public safety and fraud concerns.
03:20But the terrifying truth is that the Afghanistan debacle is just a small part of Democrats' complete and total betrayal of the American people during the Biden years.
03:30The tragedy that we just witnessed the day before Thanksgiving is a reminder that untold thousands of terrorists, gang members and criminals were invited into our country and remain here to this very day.
03:42The border is now secure, thanks to President Trump, but the threat in our interior remains real and urgent.
03:50These public safety threats are already inside our land, and President Trump was elected on a promise to find and remove them.
03:58And he has already taken significant steps and made significant progress towards fulfilling this promise.
04:04But there is more work to be done because President Trump believes that he has a sacred obligation to reverse the calamity of mass unchecked migration into our country.
04:15As a result, the Trump administration is now actively reexamining all of the Afghans imported into the country by Joe Biden.
04:23Any individual who threatens our national security or our citizenry will be subject to removal.
04:30President Trump has already permanently paused migration of foreign nationals from third world countries that pose a very high risk to the United States.
04:39For too long, past American presidents supported self-destructive immigration policies that allowed foreigners who outright hate our country and have no interest in assimilating into our culture.
04:53They've allowed these individuals to flood peaceful American communities.
04:57This disastrous approach has drained our welfare program, driven up the cost of housing, suppressed wages and jeopardize the safety of law abiding American citizens.
05:07In fact, according to a new bombshell report from The New York Times, Somalian migrants in Minnesota have defrauded nearly $1 billion in taxpayer funded benefits under Democrat Governor Walz's leadership.
05:21President Trump is putting an end to this dangerous America last approach.
05:26His position is rooted in common sense.
05:29In the wake of last week's atrocity, it is more important than ever to finish carrying out the president's mass deportation operation.
05:36America cannot allow millions upon millions of unvetted illegal aliens to be rewarded with amnesty after they broke our nation's laws to come here.
05:45They must go back to their home countries.
05:48It is also essentially essential to immediately address the massive fraud and corruption that has been going on for decades in other aspects of our immigration system, most notably when it comes to asylum claims.
06:01Millions of people who have come here under false pretenses are told blatant and told blatant lies now enjoy temporary legal status.
06:10President Trump is ending this scam as well.
06:13And I would point out that the Democrats have tried to block this administration from doing so at every turn, turn with lawsuit after lawsuit.
06:21The hard truth is that even when it comes to our legal immigration system, past presidents have failed to ensure that all prospective citizens love America, will add value and contribute to our communities and will assimilate into our culture.
06:37Leaders have a duty to defend and advance the interests of their own people, not foreign nationals.
06:43Leaders also have a duty to preserve the integrity and character of our nation's national identity.
06:50That is why President Trump is more committed than ever to fully restoring American sovereignty by keeping our borders secure, removing all illegal alien invaders and rebuilding a legal immigration system that makes sense and benefits our country.
07:07President Trump has no higher responsibility than to defend our homeland and our people, and he will never waver in doing so.
07:14With that, I will open it up to questions and will lead today with Isabel Brown, who is in our new media seats.
07:19She's a very popular face on television these days.
07:21She's built a great independent media podcast and platform with The Daily Wire.
07:26And I appreciate your being here, Isabel.
07:28Thank you for being here.
07:29Thank you, Caroline. Appreciate it and appreciate the briefing.
07:31Many Americans, in light of these recent events that you just mentioned, are starting to say that we are being invaded as a country culturally and logistically when it comes to immigration.
07:40And we know that immigration without assimilation is indeed invasion.
07:44So, given the recent remarks from Vice President Vance on a college campus about dramatically reducing legal immigration to address some of this crisis and President Trump's Truth Social post last week about individuals who may be non-compatible with Western civilization, are there any conversations happening or plans being made behind the scenes for the administration to implement at least a temporary immigration moratorium, for example, in light of what the American people might be calling for?
08:10So, Isabel, it's a great question. I think I spoke a little bit to the heart of your question in my opener there.
08:16I would add that the Trump administration has done more to limit migration, both illegal and legal, than any administration in history.
08:24And I'll just walk you through some of the actions that we have taken thus far.
08:27Number one, the Trump administration issued a travel ban for 19 countries, including Afghanistan.
08:33Special immigrant visas, which is a legal pathway to get here, which we know many Afghans have utilized to come into the country, have now been paused since the tragic shooting last week.
08:43Refugee admissions were suspended for Afghans from this administration on day one.
08:49And refugee admissions into the country right now are essentially at zero, with the exception of Afrikaners fleeing persecution in South Africa.
08:57The State Department has also heightened their scrutiny and vetting of all visas and have revoked visas, as you know, for those who do not align with our country's national interests.
09:08The Secretary of State has the right to do that, and we've taken unprecedented action to do just that.
09:13We are also now pausing all asylum adjudications for additional vetting as well.
09:17And so additional actions I don't have to read out for you today, but I would just remark that the president has made tremendous progress on this front.
09:26And it's why it's it's so crucial that we not only secure the borders, which the president did in record time.
09:32We have zero illegal aliens entering into the country month after month.
09:37But we all are we also are taking a look at those who are already in the interior of our country and removing them if they are here illegally and also taking a look at these visas.
09:46Again, having a visa in the United States is not a right.
09:50It is a privilege.
09:51And the secretary of state, if you are deemed contrary to our country's foreign national interests, has the right to revoke that privilege.
09:59Gabe.
10:00The Press, regarding Venezuela, the president said yesterday that Secretary Hanks had denied that that second strike, that reported second strike on an alleged judge vote on September 2nd.
10:13And the secretary said to the president that that didn't happen.
10:18But to clarify, I just wanted you to clear this up.
10:21In his social media posts, Secretary Hanks didn't go into details about that strike.
10:26He just said U.S. operations in the area were lawful.
10:29And he said that the story and media reports were fabricated.
10:31So to be clear, does the administration deny that that second strike happened?
10:35Or did it happen and the administration denies that Secretary Hankseth gave the order?
10:40The latter is true, Gabe.
10:42And I have a statement to read for you here.
10:45President Trump and Secretary Hankseth have made it clear that presidentially designated narco terrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war.
10:56With respect to the strikes in question on September 2nd, Secretary Hankseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes.
11:04Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.
11:14And I would just add one more point to remind the American public why these lethal strikes are taking place, because this administration has designated these narco terrorists as foreign terrorist organizations.
11:26The president has a right to take them out if they are threatening the United States of America and if they are bringing illegal narcotics that are killing our citizens at a record rate, which is what they are doing.
11:36And under the previous administration, there was enough fentanyl trafficked into our country to kill every American man, woman and child.
11:44Many times over.
11:45And so that's why you've seen a drastic difference in this administration's policy with respect to the last.
11:51And it's one of the many reasons that the American public reelected this president and support this secretary of war in conducting these strikes.
11:58The Press to clarify, Admiral Bradley was the one who gave that order for a second strike.
12:02And he was well within his authority to do so.
12:04And a separate question.
12:05The president several days ago said it was his intention to pardon the former president of Honduras who was a convicted drug trafficker.
12:14And yesterday on Air Force One, the president said that if someone sells drugs in that country, that doesn't mean you arrest the president and put him in jail for the rest of his life.
12:23How is that different than what the administration is accusing Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro of?
12:28You're cherry picking the president's statement a little bit yesterday, as he also said yesterday, the people of Honduras have highlighted to him how the former president Hernandez was set up.
12:39This was a clear Biden over prosecution.
12:42He was the president of this country.
12:44He was in the opposition party.
12:46He was opposed to the values of the previous administration, and they charged him because he was president of Honduras.
12:52There were some other egregious facts that come out, came out during this trial, and I would encourage you to report on them.
12:58His court appointed lawyer was only given three weeks to prepare for trial.
13:02He shared that his conviction was lawfare by the leftist party who, quote, struck a deal with the Biden-Harris administration.
13:09Hernandez has highlighted there was virtually no independent evidence presented, and many of his conviction was based on testimony from many admitted criminals who hoped that cooperating would reduce their own penalties.
13:22So the president heard the concerns from many people, as he does, and he's, of course, within his constitutional authority to sign clemency for whomever he deems worthy of that.
13:31Jackie.
13:32Thank you, Caroline.
13:33Following up on Gabe's question, you said that the follow-up strike was lawful.
13:38What law is it that allows no survivors?
13:42The strike conducted on September 2nd was conducted in self-defense to protect Americans in vital United States interests.
13:50The strike was conducted in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict.
13:55And then on this pardon for the Honduran president, does it at all undercut the administration's messaging?
14:03While you have these congressional Republicans defending the strikes on the narco-terrorists and then a pardon for a convicted drug trafficker, does that make it more difficult for your members to defend your administration's policy?
14:17I don't think so, Jackie.
14:18I think that President Trump has been quite clear in his defense of the United States homeland to stop these illegal narcotics from coming to our borders, whether that's by land or by sea.
14:29And he's also made it quite clear that he wants to correct the wrongs of the weaponized Justice Department under the previous administration.
14:36And, Ouija, I'll call on you because I think we're wearing matching blazers today.
14:39Great minds.
14:40Thank you, Caroline.
14:41So just to be clear, to clarify on Jackie and Gabe, did Admiral Bradley order that second strike because there were still survivors after the initial strike?
14:53Again, as I read for you, Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority in the law.
14:57He directed the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat of narco-terrorists to the United States was completely eliminated.
15:05So with the initial order from Secretary Hague said everyone be killed, and did that come from President Trump?
15:11I saw that quoted in a Washington Post story.
15:14I would reject that the Secretary of War ever said that.
15:18However, the President has made it quite clear that if narco-terrorists, again, are trafficking illegal drugs towards the United States, he has the authority to kill them.
15:27And that's what this administration is doing.
15:29And can I follow up on the MRI?
15:31Because President Trump yesterday said that he would release the results of his MRI.
15:36Is that happening right now?
15:38It is happening right now.
15:39As part of â and this is a summary from the President's physician, and we will release it right now.
15:45I think my team has it teed up for all of you.
15:47I'll read it for you, and then you'll get it physically as well.
15:50As part of President Trump's comprehensive executive physical, advanced imaging was performed because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health.
16:02The purpose of this imaging is preventative â to identify any issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure the President maintains long-term vitality and function.
16:12President Trump's cardiovascular imaging was perfectly normal.
16:16No evidence of arterial narrowing, impairing blood flow or abnormalities in the heart or major vessels.
16:22The heart chambers are normal in size, the vessel walls appear smooth and healthy, and there are no signs of inflammation or clotting.
16:29Overall, his cardiovascular system shows excellent health.
16:33His abdominal imaging is also perfectly normal.
16:38All major organs appear very healthy and well-perfused.
16:41Everything evaluated is functioning within normal limits, with no acute or chronic concerns.
16:47In summary, this level of detailed assessment is standard for an executive physical at President Trump's age and confirms that he remains in excellent overall health.
16:56Again, we will provide that to you.
16:58I think that's quite a bit of detail, and in the effort of transparency, the President promised it last night,
17:02and we have delivered today.
17:03So, there you go.
17:04Danny.
17:05The Press.
17:06Thanks, Caroline.
17:07Just going back to Venezuela, can you confirm that President Trump is going to be hosting a meeting of his national security team in the Oval Office today on Venezuela?
17:15And what are they going to discuss?
17:16Are they hoping to reach a kind of final decision on that?
17:20Out of the effort of transparency, I will confirm that the President will be meeting with his national security team on this subject and on many matters.
17:27He meets with his national security team quite often.
17:30He's the Commander-in-Chief.
17:31It's part of his responsibility to ensure that peace is ongoing throughout the world.
17:36I'm definitely not going to detail the specifics of a meeting between the President and his national security team that's taking place in the Oval Office,
17:42but I'm happy to confirm that meeting is taking place for you.
17:45Can you tell us, is there still â what's the position on whether troops â U.S. troops on the ground is a possibility there?
17:53Is that â I know you've answered that before, but what's the current operative â
17:57In Venezuela?
17:58I think my previous answer stands.
18:00There's many options at the President's disposal that are on the table, and I'll let him speak on those.
18:05Ed.
18:06The U.S. announced a trade framework deal with the United Kingdom on pharmaceuticals where they will pay 25 percent more,
18:13and the savings theoretically will go back to American consumers.
18:16What guarantees are in that that that savings will, in fact, go back to the American consumer and not be sucked up by the company?
18:23I'm going to be honest with you, Ed. I'll get you the answer to that question after the briefing.
18:28So the American Rescue Plan funded a number of universal income â
18:33Kush will get you that answer, right, Kush? My trade guy over here.
18:37The American Rescue Plan funded a number of universal basic income programs.
18:42Now Cook County, Illinois, is extending that program into 2026 with $7.5 million of taxpayer money.
18:49What does the White House think about that?
18:50I'll also get you an answer on that after the briefing.
18:52Go ahead.
18:54The Press, in the interest of transparency, does the White House support releasing the Department of Defense's video of those September 2nd strikes on his military votes?
19:06And also, a separate topic on presidential pardon power, why did the President commute the sentence of David Gentile recently?
19:12He was a private equity executive. He served 12 days out of a seven-year sentence.
19:17The prosecutor said he defrauded $1.6 billion with thousands of victims, including veterans, farmers, teachers. Why was he important?
19:27To your first question, that's definitely not a decision for me to make. I would defer you to the Department of War.
19:32It's also probably a decision for the President himself to make.
19:35As for your second question with respect to that pardon, he issued a commutation for Mr. Gentile, who's the former CEO and co-founder of GBP Capital Holdings.
19:45Unlike similar companies, GBP paid regular annualized distributions to its investors.
19:50In 2015, GBP disclosed to investors the possibility of using investor capital to pay some of these distributions rather than funding them from current operations.
20:01Even though this was disclosed to investors, the Biden Department of Justice claimed it was a Ponzi scheme.
20:06This claim was profoundly undercut by the fact that GBP had explicitly told investors what would happen.
20:12At trial, the government was unable to tie any supposedly fraudulent representations to Mr. Gentile.
20:18In short, again, this is another example that has been brought to the President's attention of a weaponization of justice from the previous administration.
20:25And therefore, he signed this commutation.
20:27So, say that these people were defrauded.
20:30I just read you a very detailed summary of why the commutation was made.
20:35Sure.
20:36In the middle, with the red tie.
20:38Thank you, Caroline.
20:39Okay.
20:40Andrew, go ahead.
20:41And then you.
20:42Okay.
20:43In wake of Thompson and Marjorie Taylor Greene's early resignation, reports last week indicated that other House Republicans might consider doing the same.
20:50Does the President have any concerns in light of those reports about other House Republicans potentially leaving early,
20:57as well as the other announced retirements that we saw in the last couple of days?
21:00Look, I think the President maintains very good relationships with the vast majority,
21:06maybe with the exception of one or two.
21:08I think many in this room know who I'm referring to.
21:10Very good relationships with members of Capitol Hill within the Republican Party.
21:15And the President clearly is the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party.
21:18I think it was a recent CNN poll that actually showed that more than 90 percent of Republicans continue to support President Trump as the leader.
21:26So he maintains very good relations, as does his entire team here at the White House.
21:30And, of course, we have a very slim margin in the House, and the President wants that to continue.
21:35Andrew, go ahead.
21:36Sure.
21:37The Press.
21:38You said that that second strike was in full accordance with the law of armed conflict.
21:46But the Navy's own manual of law of war says that specifically firing on survivors from a wrecked vessel is an example of a war crime that's forbidden under U.S. law and the law of armed conflict.
22:06So how how is was that second strike in following law of armed conflict and that second operation?
22:13Again, Andrew, I would reiterate to you the strike was conducted in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict.
22:20And since somebody asked about Congress and it's sort of related to Venezuela, I also want to add that Secretary Hegseth spoke with members of Congress who may have expressed some concerns over the weekend.
22:31And there have also been 13 bipartisan briefings to Congress on the Venezuelan strikes.
22:37There have been a number of document reviews for members of Congress to review the classified DOJ Office of Legal Counsel opinion and other related documents.
22:4629 senators and 92 representatives have reviewed those documents, which is about two thirds of those are Democrat members.
22:53And they've been they have been made available to all 100 senators, all 435 members of the House and to general counsels of the relevant committees on a bipartisan basis for their review.
23:05The Press on immigration during your topper you said and I quote leaders also have a duty to preserve the integrity and character of our nation's national identity.
23:15Can you explain what you mean by our nation's national identity and integrity and character and how would refugees people coming from war torn places who are seeking safe haven in America like many of our forebears and
23:34in this room not add to our nation's integrity and character of our national identity.
23:41I'll tell you what does not add to our nation's character and integrity is refugees who come here under the alleged plight of asylum and fleeing persecution and then come to the United States to abuse our system and rip off American taxpayers.
23:56And as I pointed out the New York Times to their credit, it was about six months too late, but they did write about how Somali immigrants in Minnesota have been ripping off American taxpayers.
24:06In fact, 86 people have been charged in a rampant and widespread fraud scheme spanning multiple programs in Minnesota.
24:14Of those 86, 78 of those people are Somali, 91% of them charged so far.
24:2159 of those people have been convicted for their roles in fraud plots that have stolen $1 billion from taxpayers in one scheme.
24:30And this is egregious, a nonprofit and its affiliates with the Somali migrants claim to have fed tens of thousands of American children during the pandemic.
24:39They were reimbursed for those meals during the by taxpayers.
24:44However, federal prosecutors found that almost all of those meals were never even delivered to hungry children.
24:50In fact, those organizations leaders spent the money on houses, luxury cars and real estate in Turkey and Kenya.
24:57Another scheme involved hundreds of organizations who were reimbursed for services that were supposed to help people at risk of homelessness.
25:04Once again, those services were never provided.
25:07All of this has happened under Democrat leadership in a Democrat run state where these refugees, these migrants are coming to the United States.
25:15They are abusing our system.
25:16They are draining our resources that should be going to law abiding taxpayer funded tax paying Americans.
25:22And this president is not going to put up with it anymore.
25:24Rachel.
25:25Thank you, Caroline.
25:26Just to follow back up on the Washington Post reporting, so much of the concern from Democrats and Republicans is focused on the survivors.
25:35Why won't the administration either confirm or deny or reveal whether or not there were survivors after that initial first strike?
25:43And what imminent threat would two survivors pose who were clinging presumably to the wreckage of that boat?
25:49Again, as I said, I think you guys are sort of not listening fully to the statement I've provided.
25:54Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law directing the engagement to ensure the boat was totally destroyed and the threat to the narco terrorists to the United States was eliminated.
26:05And for any further questions about his thinking, I would defer you to the Department of War.
26:10I obviously wasn't in the room for the answer.
26:12Just to follow up, Caroline, just on the administration's policy when it comes to survivors, was there a change in policy after this strike on September 2nd?
26:21The Washington Post is reporting that these two survivors were killed after a second strike.
26:26But then in October, two people were rescued and returned to Colombia and Ecuador.
26:31So was there a decision that was made to handle survivors differently after these strikes?
26:36Not to my knowledge, no.
26:38Steve.
26:39The Press.
26:40The Press.
26:41The Press.
26:42The Press.
26:43The Press.
26:44The Press.
26:45The Press.
26:46The Press.
26:47The Press.
26:48The Press.
26:49The Press.
26:50The Press.
26:51The President, as you know, last night on Air Force One, he said, I don't want to comment on that.
26:52But I did speak to him in the effort of transparency.
26:56So there you go.
26:57You've got your confirmation.
26:58I'll let him speak further, if he wishes to, on the details of that conversation that took place.
27:02The Press.
27:03Steve Whit��ë.
27:04The Press.
27:05Steve Whit calling is headed to Moscow.
27:06How close are you to some sort of Ukraine agreement?
27:07Yes.
27:08The AB administration feels very optimistic.
27:11Obviously, you've seen, Steve, that the President's entire team,
27:14including Special Envoy Whitcoff and Secretary Rubio
27:17and the Vice President and the President himself,
27:20Secretary Hegseth as well,
27:21have been working so hard on this effort,
27:24and they all really want to see this war come to an end.
27:27And so just yesterday, Sunday, I believe that was yesterday,
27:31they had very good talks with the Ukrainians in Florida.
27:33And now, of course, Special Envoy Whitcoff
27:35is on his way to Russia.
27:36This is sort of the shuttle diplomacy
27:38that you've seen from this administration play out,
27:40where we speak equally with both sides.
27:42We've put points on paper.
27:44Those points have been very much refined.
27:46But as for the details, I will let the negotiators negotiate.
27:49But we do feel quite good,
27:51and we're hopeful that this war can finally come to an end.
27:54Steven.
27:55The Press. Thank you, Caroline.
27:56I've got a question about Ukraine
27:57and then a clarification about immigration changes
28:01that are happening on Ukraine.
28:03President Trump, very briefly yesterday,
28:05said that corruption issues there were not helpful
28:08to the peace process following the resignation on Friday
28:10of President Zelenskyy's top aide, Andrei Yermak.
28:13We were told from your podium in the prior administration
28:16that, quote, there is no indication
28:19that there has been any kind of widespread corruption
28:21involving U.S. resources in Ukraine.
28:24What is the Trump administration's view of corruption issues
28:27in the wake of Yermak's resignation?
28:29How is that impacting peace folks?
28:30Well, look, I think the President has made it quite clear.
28:32As he said last night, corruption is never helpful.
28:35And he does not want to see American tax dollars taken advantage of,
28:39which is why he has stopped the endless checks
28:42that were being written by the previous administration
28:44to fund this war.
28:45The United States is selling weapons to NATO
28:48that are being sent to Ukraine.
28:49That's a very different thing
28:50than the American people writing blank checks
28:52to a war effort very far away.
28:54It does not degrade the administration's determination
28:58to see this war come to an end,
28:59but I think it exemplifies the President's desire
29:02to always put the American people
29:03and the American taxpayer first.
29:05On immigration, you mentioned or you emphasized
29:09that there would be a review of the Afghans
29:10who were resettled here under the previous administration.
29:13There's a lot of changes happening right now
29:16to asylum and to green card holders.
29:19What should the 2 million people
29:21with pending asylum claims,
29:23or the roughly million people
29:24from the 18 other countries of concern,
29:27know about what's going on in the review?
29:30What's the status of all these other people?
29:32Ms. They're essentially paused for review.
29:35And the Department of Homeland Security
29:36is taking this very seriously
29:38because we are not going to allow soldiers
29:41like we saw in American streets last week
29:43to be gunned down at the hands of these foreign nationals
29:46who had the privilege of coming
29:48to the United States of America.
29:49And unfortunately, this is not the only example
29:52of a dangerous Afghan who was let in by Joe Biden,
29:55who went on to harm the American people.
29:57There was an Afghan national who was let into the country
29:59under the Biden administration
30:01through Operation Allies Welcome,
30:02who shot and wounded two Fairfax, Virginia,
30:05police officers during a routine traffic stop.
30:08He was killed by return fire after declaring,
30:10quote, I should have served with the explicitive Taliban.
30:15Two Afghan nationals were given legal status
30:17by the Biden administration as well,
30:19who were arrested and prosecuted
30:20for plotting a terrorist attack in Oklahoma
30:23just before Election Day in 2024.
30:25We all remember that.
30:27They possessed hundreds of rounds of ammunition
30:29and had pledged their allegiance to ISIS.
30:31There was also an Afghan national
30:33who was on the terror watch list,
30:34who was apprehended by Border Patrol in 2024,
30:37but then he was released into our country
30:40by the Biden administration.
30:41Again, let's just highlight the absurdity of that.
30:44Border Patrol apprehended a terrorist
30:47and then the Biden administration,
30:48because of their lax policies,
30:50still allowed him to come
30:51into the United States of America.
30:53I think everyone in this room,
30:54whether you want to admit it or not,
30:55does not want that individual living alongside you
30:58in your American neighborhood.
31:00And that individual was later arrested again
31:03after being allowed to live in the U.S.
31:04at large for over a year.
31:06Another one, a criminal illegal alien from Afghanistan
31:09was arrested by ICE in 2025,
31:11convicted of second-degree assault,
31:13was previously allowed to stay in the country
31:15by the Biden administration.
31:16I have several more examples here.
31:18I'm happy to provide them to anyone in this room.
31:20John.
31:21The Press, first of all,
31:23happy Thanksgiving to you and your young family.
31:25Hope you enjoyed it.
31:27I have two questions unrelated.
31:28The first back to Afghanistan.
31:30My son and I walked by the horrific shooting
31:34less than one hour before it happened.
31:37So, for anybody that's here, this thing's real.
31:40You outlined all of these unvetted Afghans
31:44that from, that were let in by Biden.
31:47We just had one the other day
31:49that was going to blow up a DHS building.
31:51Can you be specific on what the Trump administration
31:54is doing now to re-vet those that are here,
31:58so that we don't get a repeat of we had,
32:01what we had Wednesday night?
32:02Sure, I can tell you two top-level things,
32:04and I would defer you to DHS for more of the specifics,
32:07as, of course, they are leading this effort.
32:09And I can assure you Secretary Noam is on the ball.
32:11I've spoken with her and her team,
32:13and they have an all-hands-on-deck effort
32:15to having resources go towards this.
32:19But we have paused all asylum adjudications.
32:21And then, of course, the special immigrant visas,
32:24which we know many Afghans utilize to come into the country
32:26under the Biden administration, have also now been paused.
32:29And I would just point out one more time that the Biden administration
32:33was responsible for the original sin
32:36that led to this tragic killing last week,
32:38the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
32:40He was responsible for Operation Allies Welcome,
32:42which is something that this White House
32:44and the people behind this podium
32:47in the last administration fully and wholeheartedly embraced.
32:51And they assured the American people
32:52there would be no risk or no harm to them.
32:54And as I just laid out for you in those many examples,
32:57that unfortunately and tragically has not turned out to be the truth.
33:00Just ask the families of these two brave National Guardsmen,
33:04one who is no longer with us
33:05and one who continues to fight for his life.
33:07So I know the President is wholeheartedly focused on this effort.
33:10And I think, unfortunately, these events do remind us
33:13why it's so important
33:14that the President's mass deportation operation continues.
33:18With that, the White House today launched a new fake news portal,
33:26which I found interesting.
33:29What is your objective with that, ultimately?
33:32And are you going to name the news networks?
33:34And are you also going to name some of the correspondents?
33:37Some which may be here today?
33:39Ms. Yes, we are.
33:40I'm glad you noticed, much to the dismay
33:44of some of your colleagues in the room, John.
33:46And I think it goes to our original promise on day one
33:49to hold the media accountable.
33:51Because, unfortunately, and we deal with this all day,
33:54every day around here, there are so many fake stories
33:57that are unfortunately written
33:59that have inaccurate characterizations
34:01of meetings that took place.
34:03And it's all based on anonymous sourcing.
34:05And, you know, the standard for journalism,
34:07unfortunately, has dropped to such a historic low
34:09in this country.
34:10And again, we deal with it every day,
34:12where you can have an anonymous source
34:14who has no idea what they're talking about,
34:16zero credibility, call up a reporter in Washington
34:19and say, hey, I heard this.
34:20And then the next thing you know,
34:22it's on the front page of The New York Times.
34:23It's really incomprehensible.
34:25We appreciate the journalists,
34:26some of those who are in this room who do reach out
34:29for comment, who try to get things right.
34:31And there are some that remain.
34:32But overwhelmingly, the fake news that we see
34:35pumped out of this building on a day-to-day basis,
34:38it's honestly overwhelming to keep up with it all
34:41and to constantly have to defend
34:42against these fake news and these attacks.
34:44And I will point out one fake news story
34:46over the weekend, before I let you all go,
34:49from The New York Times that took about one third
34:52of the president's daily calendar and his daily schedule
34:56and said that he's doing less than he did in his first term
34:59or he might not be fit for the job.
35:01That is unequivocally false.
35:03And it's deeply unfortunate that this story was written
35:06by the same outlet and the same reporter who wrote this,
35:10Biden is doing 100% fine after tripping
35:13while boarding Air Force One.
35:15Oh, same outlet, same reporter who wrote that President Trump
35:19is not fit for the job.
35:20Are you kidding me?
35:21You all see him almost every single day.
35:24He is the most accessible president in history.
35:26He is taking meetings around the clock.
35:28Another one, Biden declared, quote,
35:30healthy and vigorous after his first presidential physical.
35:34Hmm.
35:35I don't see headlines like that too often about this president.
35:38Again, same reporter, same outlet,
35:40who wrote falsely over the weekend
35:42that President Trump is not fit for the job.
35:44I can assure you he absolutely is.
35:46You all see that with your own eyes on a daily basis
35:49and the president's position has now given you all
35:51three detailed reports on the state of the president's health.
35:55So with that, I will leave you all and we'll see you tomorrow.
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