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The White House clarified President Trump’s remark about “nationalizing voting,” saying he was referring to the Republican-backed SAVE Act. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated the bill promotes “common sense” election safeguards, particularly nationwide voter ID requirements and stronger verification standards. The administration argues these measures would create uniform protections across states and restore public confidence in federal elections.

Trump maintains that he respects the U.S. Constitution but believes significant fraud has occurred in past elections, a claim repeatedly disputed by election officials. The SAVE Act, supported by congressional Republicans, seeks tighter registration rules and proof-of-citizenship provisions, while Democrats warn it could restrict lawful voters and undermine state control of election systems.

#USNews #Trump #NationaliseVoting #SAVEAct #VotingRights #VoterID #USElections #Republicans #Democrats #ElectionLaw #PressBriefing #WhiteHouse #Constitution #ElectionSecurity #Politics #NationalVoting #Congress #ElectionReform #FraudClaims #USPolitics #BreakingNews #Democracy

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00:00Hello Caroline, what can you tell us about the meeting with President Gustavo Petro?
00:13How was it? Was it in a good tone? What are the results?
00:16I wish I had more for you. The meeting was just wrapping up as I was walking out here,
00:20so I will go in and get a readout from the president, which I myself, or I'm sure he,
00:25will provide to all of you directly on Truth Social. But I spoke with the president before
00:29the meeting, and he was in a very positive headspace, and he was looking forward to
00:33sitting down with President Petro to have a conversation. So we will all see how that went
00:38together. Thank you so much Caroline. What does President Trump mean when he says Republicans
00:42ought to naturalize voting? What does that look like in practice? What the president was referring
00:48to is the SAVE Act, which is a huge common sense piece of legislation that Republicans have supported,
00:55that President Trump is committed to signing into law during his term. And he spoke with the speaker
01:00directly about that yesterday, about the need to get that bill on the floor for a vote, because
01:05it provides very common sense measures for voting in our country, such as voter ID. I don't think any
01:11rational person who's being honest with themselves would disagree with the idea of requiring citizens
01:18of this country to present an ID before casting a ballot in a federal election, or frankly in any election. And
01:24that's something the president wants to see happen. So that's what he was referring to.
01:27But to be clear, he does believe the state should oversee it. The president believes in the United
01:31States Constitution. However, he believes there has obviously been a lot of fraud and irregularities
01:37that have taken place in American elections. And again, voter ID is a highly popular and common
01:42sense policy that the president wants to pursue, and he wants to pass legislation to make that happen
01:48for all states across the country. And Kelly, just to follow up on that, he said specifically
01:52that they should take over elections in 15 states. Can you tell us what he meant by that,
01:56what 15 states he's referring to in terms of Republicans taking over elections?
02:00Again, what I was just telling you is that with the passage of the SAVE Act,
02:04voter ID will be implemented across all 50 states. The president was referring to specific states
02:09in which we have seen a high degree of fraud. If you look at states like California, or if you look
02:14at New York City, for example, non-citizens are allowed to vote in elections in places like California
02:20and New York City. That just creates a system, an electoral system, that is absolutely ripe with fraud.
02:27And you cannot deny the fact that, unfortunately, there are millions of people who have questions
02:31about that, as does the president. He wants to make it right, and the SAVE Act is a solution to doing it.
02:36Hi, Caroline.
02:36Daniel? Good to see you. The January ISM manufacturing PMI hit a score of north of 52. It's the best score
02:44since August of 2022. What should that tell Americans about manufacturing activity possibly
02:50surging under the Trump administration? Well, the president's tariffs are working,
02:54and his economic agenda is working. When you combine tariffs and reshoring American manufacturing
03:00and investments in this country, which the president has played a huge role in directly
03:04recruiting those investments from countries and companies all over the world to the United States,
03:09you're creating jobs. We've seen construction jobs have surged in the past few months.
03:13That's because those factories are being built right here in the United States, and we're putting
03:18Americans to work. So our manufacturing sector is obviously something the president cares a lot about.
03:23That's why he's so determined and dedicated to his tariff policy, which, as you all saw yesterday,
03:28the president struck another great trade deal with India. He spoke with
03:32Prime Minister Modi directly. They share a very good relationship. India committed to not only no
03:37longer purchasing Russian oil, but buying oil from the United States, also perhaps from Venezuela,
03:43too, which we know will now have a direct benefit on the United States and the American people.
03:48And in addition to that, Prime Minister Modi committed to $500 billion of investments
03:53into the United States, including for transportation, for energy,
03:58energy, and for agricultural products as well. So this is another great trade deal,
04:02thanks to President Trump.
04:03How is Tulsi Gabbard involved in a domestic law enforcement search in Georgia?
04:09Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by the president of the United States to oversee the sanctity and the
04:14security of our American elections. She's working directly alongside the FBI director,
04:20Kash Patel. This is a coordinated whole of government effort to ensure that our elections,
04:26again, are fair and transparent moving forward. I don't see anything wrong with the president
04:30tasking cabinet member to pursue an issue that most people want to see solved. Maybe you don't,
04:36but I know many Americans do want to make sure our elections are protected,
04:39and that's what Tulsi Gabbard is focused on doing.
04:41Is there something specific that the president has concerns about that led him to ask the director
04:48of national intelligence to go down to Fulton County?
04:51I just explained the president's concerns with voting in this country,
04:56and it's something that he wants to see solved for future elections,
04:58and I think that's something all Americans can get behind.
05:01Trump has called President Petro drug dealer, thug, lunatic,
05:05and President Petro has called the American army to not pay attention to President Trump.
05:10Do you think President Trump had a hope that this relationship could be fixed?
05:13I think the president invited President Petro and accepted that offer for him to meet. President
05:20Petro and the president spoke a few weeks ago. As you know, President Petro said he'd love to come
05:23to Washington. President Trump said, sure, come. So I think that speaks for itself. And again,
05:28I'm sure the president will provide a readout of that meeting.
05:30Given the recent news and what just happened, how much does this escalate tensions ahead of these
05:36critical talks that are happening with Whitcoff?
05:38Well, look, I just spoke with Special Envoy Whitcoff, and these talks as of right now are
05:43still scheduled. President Trump is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes
05:50two to tango. You need a willing partner to achieve diplomacy, and that's something that
05:55Special Envoy Whitcoff is intent on exploring and discussing. As always, though, of course,
06:01the president has a range of options on the table with respect to Iran as commander-in-chief. I think
06:07they learned that quite well last year with the strike in Operation Midnight Hammer, which was wildly
06:12successful and obliterated their nuclear capabilities. But those talks will continue later this week,
06:18as far as we're concerned right now. President Trump was talking yesterday about how President
06:24Putin had agreed to a week-long halt on attacks on Ukraine because of the cold weather. But today,
06:29we've seen that Russia has launched some of the heaviest attacks this month. What's your reaction to that?
06:34Yeah, I spoke with the president about it this morning, and his reaction was unfortunately unsurprised.
06:40These are two countries who have been engaged in a very brutal war for several years, a war that
06:45would have never started if the president were still in office. It started because of the weakness and
06:50incompetence of the previous president, Joe Biden. And that's why the president continues so aggressively
06:57to pursue diplomacy to end this war. That's why Special Envoy Whitcoff and Jared Kushner will be in
07:02Abu Dhabi tomorrow for another round of trilateral talks. I would note the trilateral talks that took
07:08place last week or the week prior are historic by nature. Never before have these all three of our
07:15countries really been able to sit down at the negotiating table to move the ball forward towards
07:20peace. So, Special Envoy Whitcoff and Jared Kushner and President Trump made the impossible possible
07:28with respect to peace in the Middle East. And I know they're looking to do the same with respect to
07:32the Russia-Ukraine war as well. The president said yesterday he's now seeking a billion dollars from
07:38Harvard. One, how did he arrive at that number? And two, he said he wants criminal, not just civil
07:43charges against individuals at Harvard. Does he want to see Harvard officials arrested there criminally?
07:48Look, I will let the president and also the Justice Department and those who will pursuing
07:53will be pursuing that against Harvard speak on on the specifics of that matter. But I know that
07:59the president wants to see a deal struck with Harvard that is appropriate and that ensures they
08:05are held responsible for the criminal behavior, the illegal behavior, the harassment and the targeting
08:11of Jewish American students on their campus. That took place over the course of the last year, several
08:17years. This is something the administration has been working on over the course of the last year,
08:21and the president himself has been directly involved, as evidenced by that true social statement.
08:25What does President Trump want to see happen during this two-week negotiation period for DHS funding?
08:33Is he confident that a deal will be breached? And what specifically is he willing to accept
08:37on some of the ICE and Border Patrol reforms that Democrats are asking for?
08:40Well, look, President Trump will be the ultimate decider of any policy changes
08:46on anything, especially with respect to immigration enforcement. What I will tell you is the president
08:53is never going to waver in enforcing our nation's immigration laws and protecting the public safety
08:59of the American people in his ardent support of ICE and Customs and Border Patrol, who unfortunately
09:05the Democrat Party has made a decision to demonize. I heard Senator Schumer referring to them as Donald
09:12Trump's Nazi secret police force, I believe, were his words. I don't recall that same language being used when
09:18President Obama was in the White House and was deporting millions of illegal aliens from our country
09:24using this very same agency and these very same agents, who, by the way, have jobs because of the
09:29laws that were passed by Congress. So as for policy discussions that will take place, Congress will
09:34have those. The president will decide on those. You saw yesterday Secretary Noem announced that DHS agents
09:41on the ground in Minnesota will begin using and wearing body cams. That's something DHS is looking
09:47to roll out nationwide, assuming they have the funding for it. So that could be part of the
09:52discussion. I know Tom Holman has been on the ground in Minnesota. He's there again today for
09:57direct dialogue with state and local officials to move these conversations forward as well. And I think
10:02you'll be hearing more from Mr. Holman tomorrow on some of the progress that has been made. So look,
10:08we're willing, obviously, to have this dialogue and to talk and to listen, but we are not going
10:12to concede in enforcing our nation's immigration laws and delivering on the mandate the president
10:16was given by nearly 80 million Americans to deport illegal alien criminals from our country.
10:21How about Venezuela? Any preparations for a visit from Delce Rodriguez from Venezuela
10:27and your statements on the political prisoners' situation in Venezuela?
10:33Sure. I don't have a date for a visit at this time. I know it is something that has been discussed,
10:40but no firm plans at this point. As for the release of the political prisoners,
10:44the president and this entire White House, and I think the whole country should be very pleased to
10:49see that. It's a commitment that Ms. Rodriguez made and she has kept, and we expect her to continue
10:54to keep up.
10:55The administration is still expecting ICE agents during the Super Bowl. And what are the comments
11:01from President Donald Trump regarding what Bad Bunny said during the Grammy Awards, ICE Out?
11:08I have not spoken with ICE or the Department of Homeland Security or Secretary Noem
11:12with respect to enforcement at the Super Bowl, so I don't want to speak on a topic that I don't have
11:18knowledge on. I'm sorry, but I would defer you to them.
11:20Can you say a piece of Bad Bunny?
11:20I'm sorry?
11:21Can you say a piece of Bad Bunny?
11:21I'm sorry?
11:21On the statements of Bad Bunny saying ICE Out?
11:24Yeah, I mean, look, I think it's very ironic and frankly sad to see celebrities who live in
11:32gated communities with private security, with millions of dollars to spend protecting themselves,
11:41trying to just demonize, again, law enforcement public servants who work for the United States
11:47government to enforce our nation's laws. And you didn't hear this same type of uproar from celebrities
11:54in Hollywood when the previous administration allowed an invasion of our nation's borders
11:59and allowed innocent women and girls like Jocelyn Nungare and Laken Riley to be killed and raped and
12:06murdered at the hands of people who should have never been in our country in the first place.
12:10And now you have law enforcement who are simply trying to do their jobs to remove
12:14violent predators like those who took the lives of innocent Americans.
12:17There was no uproar from Hollywood and the elitist crowd at the Grammys then,
12:22but there is now. And I think that speaks to
12:25the unfortunate irony that we're seeing in Hollywood.
12:30I'm sorry?
12:32President Trump approval ratings has went up in the Hispanic community since the Maduro's capture.
12:38What do you think about that? Because the legacy media said that the Hispanic community is scared
12:42about Trump policies.
12:44Yeah, I think it's a great point. But what the president obviously did with respect to Venezuela
12:49was a great thing for all Americans, but especially Venezuelan Americans who fled Maduro's
12:55illegitimate regime because of the horrors of communism. And I think it's a good lesson for
13:01all Americans to learn. Thank you guys.
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