Latest / America Unfiltered With James P / Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, June 30, 2025

Transcript

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, June 30, 2025 · America Unfiltered With James P

0:06
Good afternoon, everybody. Did everyone have a good
0:09
weekend? Good.
0:10
It's good to see you back here. We have another busy week.
0:13
On a scheduling note, tomorrow President Trump will travel to
0:16
the great state of Florida to attend the opening of a new
0:19
illegal alien detention center located at Dade Collier Training
0:24
in Transition Airport alongside Secretary Christy Noem, Governor
0:28
Ron DeSantis, Congressman Byron Donalds, and other state and
0:31
local leaders. We hope to see many of you
0:33
there. The facility is in the heart of
0:35
the Everglades and will be informally known as Alligator
0:39
Alcatraz. There is only one Rd. leading in
0:42
and there is the only way out is a one way flight.
0:46
It is isolated and surrounded by dangerous wildlife and
0:49
unforgiving terrain. The facility will have up to
0:52
5000 beds to house, process and deport criminal illegal aliens.
0:58
This is an efficient and low cost way to help carry out the
1:01
largest mass deportation campaign in American history.
1:05
We are truly, we are truly coming off a historic week of
1:09
President Trump racking up win after win on behalf of the
1:12
American people. President Trump restored peace
1:15
through strength and acted decisively as commander in chief
1:18
to obliterate the immediate threat of the Iranian regime's
1:22
nuclear capabilities and then brokered A ceasefire, ceasefire
1:25
between Israel and Iran which continues to hold.
1:29
Then the President traveled to the Netherlands and achieved A
1:32
monumental win for the United States and the NATO alliance by
1:35
getting our allies to dedicate 5% of their GDPS to military
1:40
spending. As a result of President Trump
1:42
unleashing American energy dominance, summer gas prices are
1:46
at the lowest they have been in four years heading into the July
1:50
4th week. And with the incoming Trump
1:53
economic boom, the stock market continues to roar back with the
1:57
S&P 500 and the NASDAQ both hitting record highs.
2:02
And on this point of an economic boom, I will bring to you
2:05
original correspondence from the President of the United States
2:08
to our Fed Chair, Jerome Powell. As the President has
2:11
consistently stated, the American economy is booming.
2:15
And there were so many economic analysts who said that this
2:17
president's policies would drive our economy down, when in fact,
2:20
we have seen the opposite. We've seen a massive
2:23
deregulation campaign take place.
2:25
We've seen inflation completely diminished from where it was
2:28
under the reckless spending in the bad policies of the previous
2:32
incompetent administration. I would remind the Fed chair and
2:35
I would remind the entire world that this is a president who was
2:38
a businessman first and he knows what he is doing.
2:41
He has a proven economic formula that worked in his first term as
2:45
president and it is working again.
2:47
The one problem that remains is high interest rates for the
2:50
American people. The American people want to
2:52
borrow money cheaply, and they should be able to do that.
2:54
But unfortunately, we have interest rates that are still
2:57
too high. So the president sent this note
2:59
to the Fed chair today. And if you look at this chart,
3:02
this is a chart of all of the interest rates of many countries
3:06
throughout the world. At the top is Switzerland.
3:08
They're only paying 1/4 for interest rates.
3:11
Cambodia, Japan, Denmark, Thailand, Botswana, Barbados,
3:16
Taiwan, Bulgaria, Cuba, Sweden, Morocco, Cabo Verde, South
3:20
Korea, Algeria, Canada, Albania, Libya, Malaysia, China, New
3:25
Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Checkia, Bolivia, Australia,
3:30
Costa Rica, the Bahamas, Kuwait, Papua New Guinea, Bosnia, United
3:34
Kingdom and the UAE are all paying lower interest rates than
3:38
the United States of America, which has one of the hottest and
3:41
strongest economies in the world.
3:43
The president sent this note to the Fed chair.
3:46
It says, Jerome, you are as usual too late.
3:48
You have cost the USAA fortune and continue to do so.
3:51
You should lower the rate by a lot.
3:53
Hundreds of billions of dollars are being lost, and there is no
3:57
inflation. And the president is right.
3:59
There is historically low inflation thanks to his
4:02
policies. And we will continue to drive
4:04
down the cost of living in this country for Americans.
4:07
We will continue to deregulate. And it's also incredibly
4:10
important that we pass this one big, beautiful bill, which is
4:13
the largest tax cuts in American history.
4:17
And that's why the the White House and the president himself
4:20
have been in touch with lawmakers all weekend long to
4:23
get this bill passed, and they are working very hard to do so.
4:27
It remains a top priority for the president.
4:29
And this bill has exposed the clear differences between
4:32
Republicans and Democrats in 2025.
4:35
The Democrats are doubling down on craziness and radical
4:38
policies that are undermining the very fabric of our country.
4:42
Just look at the Democrat nominee for New York City mayor,
4:45
Zoran Mandami. He's a Democrat, socialist,
4:48
really a communist who proudly calls to defund the police,
4:52
peddles anti-Semitism, praises pro Hamas groups once Israel
4:57
abolished, and believes wealthy Americans should not exist.
5:01
Those are his words just as recent as this weekend.
5:04
Meanwhile, under President Trump's leadership, Republicans
5:07
are fighting tirelessly for everyday middle class working
5:10
Americans who re elected this president.
5:13
And we're carrying out a revolution of common sense.
5:15
And all of that is packed into this one big, beautiful bill.
5:19
It delivers the largest middle and working class tax cuts in
5:23
U.S. history. It keeps America safe by funding
5:26
the largest ever one time investment in border security.
5:30
It's enough to reverse the Biden border invasion, and every
5:33
single Democrat is against that, against securing our border in
5:36
deporting millions of criminal illegal aliens.
5:39
The one big beautiful bill also strengthens and protects
5:42
Medicaid benefits, despite what Democrats are saying, for
5:45
eligible American citizens who rely on it, like pregnant women,
5:49
children, seniors, and people with disabilities.
5:52
By eliminating waste, fraud and abuse that threaten to destroy
5:56
this program that was intended for the most vulnerable in our
5:59
society. And every single Democrat in
6:01
Congress is against putting out that waste, fraud and abuse and
6:05
blocking the 1.4 million illegal aliens who are currently and
6:09
properly receiving these benefits that should be going to
6:12
American taxpaying citizens. The Democrats in Congress are
6:15
more concerned with defending illegal aliens than they are
6:19
hardworking Americans. And the Big beautiful bill also
6:22
revitalizes our military and enhances our defense
6:25
capabilities, protects our country from emerging new
6:28
threats by funding a cutting edge missile defense system
6:32
called the Dome Golden Dome. And as we all know, the one big
6:35
beautiful bill makes the Trump tax cuts permanent.
6:39
The White House and the president are adamant that this
6:41
bill is passed and that this bill makes its way to his desk.
6:45
Republicans need to stay tough and unified during the home
6:48
stretch, and we are counting on them to get the job done.
6:52
So with that, we will take up questions.
6:54
John Frederick's is in our new media seat today.
6:56
John, thanks for being here. We'll kick it to you.
6:58
Thank you, Caroline. Let's get to the one big
7:00
beautiful bill first. There appears now you're going
7:02
to get at least 50 votes in this Senate.
7:05
There'll be some amendments. What is the president's
7:09
confidence level in getting 218 votes in the House by the end of
7:13
this week in order to decide it on Friday?
7:15
Well, look, we are very well aware, the president is very
7:18
well aware that this bill needs to not only pass out of the
7:20
Senate, but it needs to go back to the House.
7:22
And we need the full weight of the Republican conference to get
7:25
behind this bill. And we expect them to, and we
7:27
are confident that they will. The president has been working
7:30
hand in hand with Senate Majority Leader Thune and also
7:33
our House Republican leader or the speaker of the House.
7:36
I'm sorry, Mike Johnson, both of whom will be at the White House
7:38
today to meet with the president yet again.
7:40
I believe they were here this morning actually.
7:42
I have one follow up. You outlined Jerome Powell and
7:47
the note that the president just sent to him.
7:51
There are many who believe that Powell has been politicized in a
7:55
lot of different ways. The president has not been shy
7:58
about acting on things that he's believes in.
8:01
Why not just fire Jerome Powell and put in somebody that is
8:05
going to lower rates? Well, it's a good question and
8:09
one you can ask the president because that's a decision for
8:11
him to make. But you're right to point out
8:13
the politicization of the Fed. And it's very unfortunate for
8:16
our country, but Jerome Powell cut rates numerous times ahead
8:19
of the election when Joe Biden was in this Oval Office.
8:22
But now he refuses to when the economy is in a much better
8:25
place. So there really isn't a good
8:27
explanation for that. And the president is rightfully
8:29
calling attention to it. Kelly.
8:32
Good afternoon. On Iran, the president posted on
8:35
his social that he is not even talking to them anymore.
8:38
When we were at NATO, he said he expected the US and Iran to have
8:42
talks as early as this week and that he might even want to see a
8:45
written agreement. What is the update now?
8:48
If he's saying he's not even talking.
8:50
So as I told you from the podium last week, I said the
8:52
administration and namely our special envoy, Steve Witkoff has
8:56
been in communication both directly and indirectly with the
8:59
Iranians. That communication continues.
9:01
The President himself has not talked to Iran, which he point
9:04
pointed out in his true statement.
9:07
Peter. Thank you, Caroline.
9:09
Does President Trump want Zoran Mandani deported?
9:14
I haven't heard him say that, I haven't heard him call for that,
9:17
but certainly he does not want this individual to be elected.
9:20
I was just speaking to him about it and his radical policies that
9:23
will completely crush New York City, which is obviously a city
9:28
that the president holds near and dear to his heart.
9:30
There's this Congressman Danny Obols.
9:31
He wants the Attorney General Bondi to explore
9:34
denaturalization proceedings because he thinks Mom Donnie
9:38
could have misrepresented or concealed material support for
9:41
terrorism based on rap lyrics he wrote in 2017.
9:46
Does President Trump think this is a worthwhile use of the
9:49
Attorney General's time? Well, I'll let the President
9:51
speak to that. I have not seen those claims,
9:53
but shortly if they are true, it's something that should be
9:56
investigated. And could President Trump see
9:58
himself? You, you said you just talked to
10:00
him about this. Could he see himself working
10:03
with a Mayor Mamdani, somebody who on Meet the Press this
10:06
weekend, was given three chances to condemn the phrase Globalize
10:10
the intifada, But he couldn't. Yeah, look, the president is
10:14
always willing to work with everyone.
10:16
He's working with Democrats across the country, Democrat
10:20
governors. And he said he'll work with
10:22
people on the far left. He works with Republicans.
10:24
He works with people in the middle.
10:26
He wants to do what's right for America.
10:27
But surely someone who holds these values and is quite
10:30
literally a communist and condemns every value that makes
10:34
this country great common sense, law and order, low taxes,
10:37
working hard and earning your keep in this country, He's
10:41
against all of that. And I think the president would
10:43
find it difficult to work with someone like that if he is
10:45
elected. I'm sure you'll hear more from
10:47
the president on that, but we'll have to see.
10:49
Hopefully the voters of New York City choose wisely.
10:52
Sure. Thanks, Caroline.
10:54
The president last were on. Friday said that he was.
10:57
Hopeful of a Gaza. Deal within the next.
10:59
Week, can you give us an update on any progress towards that, on
11:03
any talks that the White House is having with with Israel on
11:06
that? Sure.
11:08
Well, I know that Mister Dermer is in Washington this week to
11:11
meet with senior officials here at the White House.
11:14
I also know that this administration is in constant
11:18
communication with Israeli leadership.
11:21
And the president himself speaks frequently, as you know, to
11:23
Prime Minister Netanyahu. But this has been a priority for
11:26
the president since he took office to end this brutal war in
11:29
Gaza. It is because of this president
11:31
that humanitarian aid is being brought into the region.
11:35
It's heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from
11:38
both Israel and and Gaza throughout this war.
11:41
And the president wants to see it, and he wants to save lives.
11:44
And however, the main priority for the president also remains
11:47
to bring all of the hostages home out of Gaza.
11:51
As you know, his tireless effort has brought home many of the
11:55
hostages, including all of the American hostages who were held
11:58
there. So he wants to see both things
12:00
happen. And we're continuing to work
12:01
very hard to do those things. Sure.
12:04
Yeah, thanks, Caroline. What is the White House's
12:06
response to Senator Tillis's criticism articulated from the
12:10
Senate floor yesterday, which you said passing the big
12:12
Beautiful? Bill would.
12:14
Betray President Trump's promise to protect Medicaid.
12:18
Well, he is just wrong, and the president and the vast majority
12:22
of Republicans who are supportive of this legislation
12:25
are right. This bill protects Medicaid, as
12:28
I laid out for you, for those who truly deserve this program,
12:31
the needy, pregnant women, children, sick Americans who
12:36
physically cannot work. And what it does is it ensures
12:40
that able bodied Americans who can work 20 hours a week are
12:43
actually doing so. And that will therefore
12:45
strengthen and protect those benefits for Americans who need
12:48
it, as well as cutting out the waste, fraud and abuse, as well
12:52
as getting 1.4 million illegal aliens off of the program.
12:55
So all of those measures are actually going to protect it for
12:58
those who need it. That's the president's position.
13:00
And that's what this bill does. And that's why Republicans need
13:02
to vote for it and get it to the president's desk.
13:05
Kind of criticism from a Republican senator, is that
13:08
reason for concern for the passage of this?
13:11
No, it's not. We're confident this bill is
13:12
going to be back at the White House by the 4th of July.
13:15
Steven, thank. You, Caroline, 2 questions on
13:17
the New York mayoral race. Does the president plan to make
13:20
an endorsement? And secondly, on Jerome Powell,
13:23
a lot of the focus obviously has been on interest rates and him
13:26
keeping them high. But a new controversy erupted
13:29
today. My colleague first reported that
13:32
he's facing the chairman. Jerome Powell is facing
13:36
accusations of lying to Congress, potential crime about
13:40
luxurious details of the Fed's $2.5 billion renovation project.
13:46
Senator Loomis has called attention to some experts want
13:48
him to be investigated. Does the White House want these
13:52
allegations investigated and, if found substantiated, punished?
13:57
Have to take a look at those allegations and I will raise
14:00
them to the president's attention and let him speak on
14:02
them himself. To your first question regarding
14:05
the mayoral race, the president was asked that yesterday by
14:08
Maria Bartiromo. He refused to give an
14:10
endorsement. So you won't get one from me at
14:13
this podium unless he wants me to do that.
14:14
Phil Philip, go ahead and then I can go to you.
14:19
Cool. Thanks.
14:20
The president said that he's working on a temporary pause for
14:23
immigration enforcement in certain industries.
14:25
I'm wondering what you can tell us about how he's determining
14:28
which industries are deserving of a pass.
14:31
He mentioned farmers, but what about, say, construction
14:34
workers? Shouldn't there just be 1
14:36
standard here? I don't have any more details to
14:39
read out for you, but what I can tell you is that the White House
14:42
is working closely every day with the Department of
14:45
Agriculture as well as the Department of Homeland Security
14:48
when it comes to work workforce enforcement, work site
14:52
enforcement. I'm sorry.
14:54
And the president's focus and the focus of this administration
14:57
is, of course, to remove public safety threats from the streets
15:00
and to deport as many of the illegal criminals, especially
15:03
the violent criminals that we know are still here because of
15:06
the previous administration. So that's the main priority in
15:08
the goal. And then the president has
15:10
already made cuts to the office of the director of National
15:13
Intelligence, but now Senator Tom Cotton has put forward a
15:15
bill that would cut the office by another 60%.
15:19
What's the president's reaction to that legislation?
15:22
And is this something that he would support those additional
15:25
cuts? I don't know if the President's
15:26
even aware of that legislation, but I will get you a response if
15:30
he is aware and if he wants to respond to it, go ahead.
15:34
Thanks, Carolyn. You mentioned the dangerous
15:36
wildlife at the Alligator Alcatraz.
15:38
Is that a design feature? Why is the president going with
15:41
his mega bill in such a precarious position in the
15:44
Senate? And then also can you talk about
15:46
the CBO estimate that it would add 11 about 11,000,000
15:50
uninsured? Well, look, when you have
15:52
illegal murderers and rapists and heinous criminals in a
15:57
detention facility surrounded by alligators, yes, I do think
16:00
that's a deterrent for them to try to escape.
16:02
We do know that some of these illegal criminals have escaped
16:05
from other detention facilities, like one in New Jersey, which I
16:07
know was recently reported on. So of course, we want to keep
16:10
the American people safe and we want to remove these public
16:13
safety threats from our streets, and we want to effectively
16:16
detain them as best as we can. As for why the president is
16:19
going, I think his trip to this detention facility actually
16:22
underscores the need to pass the one big beautiful bill because
16:26
we need more detention facilities across the country.
16:28
The last administration LED in nearly 20 million illegal people
16:33
from all over the world, and this administration is focused
16:36
on arresting and detaining them. But in in comparison to that 20
16:39
million illegal criminal population in our country, we
16:42
only have 7000 ICE agents in the interior who are doing this very
16:47
important work. And so we obviously need more
16:50
personnel. We need more resources and
16:52
that's why we need to pass the one big beautiful bill.
16:54
On the CBS, Go ahead. Yes, in the pink.
16:57
Thank you. Thank.
16:57
You're welcome. Can you please share some
16:59
details of China trade deal? Has the US agreed to ease some
17:04
exports? Technology export restriction?
17:09
Sure. Well, the final language that
17:11
was agreed upon in both Geneva and in London was signed just
17:15
past week. We can get you that final text
17:17
of the agreement. Go.
17:19
Ahead, thank you, Caroline. Eamon and then behind you, OK.
17:22
Thanks, Caroline. So on Jay Powell, has the
17:24
president got a short list of who he wants to see as Jay
17:27
Powell's successor? And is he going to name a
17:29
successor as early as this summer?
17:31
I won't get ahead of the president on any announcements
17:34
on that. Does he like Scott Besson?
17:35
For the job, again, I won't get ahead of the president.
17:38
You know, on TikTok if you could real quick, he said yesterday
17:41
he's got a buyer. But the question there is, does
17:42
he have a seller? Do you have any indication from
17:45
the Chinese government that they have authorized the sale of
17:47
TikTok to the US or do US buyers?
17:49
What I can tell you is that these discussions with China
17:51
regarding the sale of TikTok have been ongoing at the highest
17:54
level and they will continue. As you know, we have another 90
17:58
day extension and it's just to continue to work out this deal
18:01
and make sure that TikTok stays on for the American people.
18:04
That's the president's main goal in this while protecting their
18:06
privacy and their security behind you.
18:08
Go ahead. Thank you, Caroline.
18:10
The president has been calling for a deal in Gaza for two days
18:14
and many posts. Who is blocking the deal?
18:16
And one other thing 1 he posted on Netanyahu's trial also, he
18:21
said it interferes with the negotiations on Iran and on
18:25
Gaza. What did he mean by that?
18:27
I'm sorry to your second question, the.
18:29
Second question, when he posted about the Israeli Prime Minister
18:32
trial, he said it interferes with the negotiations on Gaza
18:37
and on Iran. What did he mean by that?
18:39
It interferes because it physically and logistically was
18:42
interfering. The Prime Minister was slated to
18:45
go to court last week when he's in the middle of negotiating a
18:48
peace deal and bringing hostages out of a or torn region.
18:52
And so the president was simply, I think, emphasizing his empathy
18:56
that he has for Bibi Netanyahu and seeing him going, seeing him
19:00
go, what he's going through with his own judicial system in the
19:03
state of Israel. Clearly, the president knows
19:06
that very well. He too was a victim of a
19:10
judicial system that was trying to put him in jail.
19:13
As you all know, you all covered it, but President Trump
19:15
prevailed. That's why he's back in the Oval
19:17
Office. And he believes that Bibi
19:18
Netanyahu is a great leader for the people of Israel.
19:21
The president just worked with him closely to end that 12 day
19:25
war and to obliterate Iran's nuclear facility, to take out
19:29
that imminent threat not just to the state of Israel, but also to
19:32
the United States of America and the rest of the world.
19:34
And he believes that Prime Minister Netanyahu, who should
19:36
be praised for that. Go ahead, Caroline, on the mega
19:40
bill and the amendment that would.
19:42
Limit Medicaid expansion under the.
19:44
Affordable Care Act, does the president want that amendment to
19:47
pass? The president wants this bill to
19:49
pass. Meredith.
19:51
Hey, thanks, Caroline. On trade, we have this looming
19:55
July 9th deadline coming up. We heard the Treasury Secretary
19:58
say that he expects to wrap up. These trade deals by Labor Day,
20:02
but when President Trump was asked yesterday about any
20:04
extensions by July 9th, he said I think that would be necessary.
20:08
So the president ruling out any extensions on trade for any
20:12
nations, even if they're negotiating in good faith.
20:14
Well, you heard from him directly.
20:16
He said he did not think that it would be necessary.
20:18
He is going to set the race for many of these countries if they
20:21
don't come to the table to negotiate in good faith.
20:25
And he is meeting with his trade team this week to do that.
20:30
Mary. Thanks, Caroline.
20:32
I just watched the CNN segment on a new app called ICE Block
20:35
and it kind of appeared to be promoting this app where you can
20:38
tell people where ICE agents are given the recent.
20:41
Rise app that tells people where ICE agents are.
20:44
Yes. And given the rise, I believe
20:47
500% increase in assaults on ICE agents.
20:50
I want to see if you could comment on that and why CNN
20:52
would be promoting such an app. Well, it's a very good question.
20:55
I'll have to go back and watch the clip myself.
20:57
But surely it sounds like this would be an incitement of
21:01
further violence against our ICE officers.
21:02
As you know, as you've stated, there's been a 500% increase in
21:06
violence against ICE agents, law enforcement officers across the
21:09
country who are just simply trying to do their jobs and
21:13
remove public safety threats from our communities.
21:15
And that's something we as Americans, including journalists
21:18
at CNN who live in many of these cities where illegal aliens are
21:22
hiding and were let in from the previous administration, should
21:25
be very grateful for. So we haven't seen the clip.
21:27
We'll take a look at it. But certainly, it's
21:29
unacceptable. That's a major network would
21:33
promote such an app that is encouraging violence against law
21:38
enforcement officers who are trying to keep our country safe.
21:41
Shelby I. Just wanted to get a
21:42
clarification. On the Senator Rick Scott.
21:45
'S amendment. It sounds like the president is
21:47
agnostic about whether it's attached.
21:49
Is that accurate? Look, I'm not going to get into
21:51
the details of the discussions that are ongoing right now, but
21:54
the president wants these senators to come to a conclusion
21:57
to get this bill back to the White House as soon as possible
22:00
and make sure that it's a piece of legislation that can make its
22:03
way back through the House as well.
22:04
So obviously, there's some ping ponging between both sides of
22:09
Capitol Hill right now, but that's why Senator Thune and
22:12
Speaker Johnson are working with the president in lockstep every
22:14
step of the way. Caroline in the back News
22:17
Nation, go ahead. Thanks, Caroline.
22:19
The President did, and then. In front of you, the president
22:22
did both of. You, the President did announce
22:24
last week that the trade deal with India is closed and this
22:28
could happen anytime soon. Are there any roadblocks as of
22:31
now? Any updates on that and how does
22:34
the president see this about China's role or is its influence
22:38
in the Indian Pacific region? Sure.
22:41
Yes, the President said that last week and it remains true.
22:43
I actually just spoke to our Secretary of Commerce about it.
22:47
He was in the Oval Office with the President.
22:48
They are finalizing these agreements and you'll hear from
22:51
the president and his team, his trade team, very soon when it
22:54
comes to India. How?
22:55
About China, how do we come to China on that front?
22:58
Yes. I mean, look, India remains a
23:01
very strategic ally in the Asia Pacific and the president has a
23:05
very good relationship with Prime Minister Modi, as you
23:07
know, and he will continue to have that.
23:09
Go ahead. Thank, Carolyn.
23:11
On the reconciliation bill, Senator Tillis from the floor
23:14
yesterday seemed to suggest President Trump was getting bad
23:17
counsel on the effects of the bill.
23:19
It was the president. Is President Trump aware of the
23:22
analysis? And there are several of these
23:24
that suggest if rural hospitals potentially close, if there are
23:29
Medicaid patients in the millions that become ineligible
23:32
for that. Yes, and that claim is just
23:34
simply untrue. Real rural hospitals comprise 7%
23:38
of all hospital spending on Medicaid, and that illustrates
23:41
that they have not benefited from the massive increase of
23:43
waste, fraud and abuse under the Biden administration.
23:46
So this bill strengthens Medicaid.
23:48
It will protect those benefits that's hardworking Americans
23:53
need. And that's why the president
23:54
wants this bill to pass. The senator was wrong.
23:56
The president put out a Truth Social post addressing it, and
24:00
then the senator announced he's no longer running for office
24:03
anymore. So I think that case has been
24:05
closed and that White House is continuing to focus on getting
24:07
this legislation to the president's desk for his
24:10
signature. Go ahead.
24:13
Yes, you. Thank you.
24:14
So much. For, well, you and then you.
24:16
There's confusion here. I'm good.
24:18
On Syria, go ahead, Syrian. Government get back to you that
24:20
they are ready to join the Abraham Accord.
24:23
Is there any discussion with the Syrian and Israeli government
24:25
for having security agreement? The first question and the
24:28
second question was the end goal for talking with the Iranian.
24:31
Is that only focused on the nuclear?
24:33
Program. Or you're willing to speak about
24:37
the other issues like the proxy group is on ballistic missiles
24:41
for even trade with Iran? So As for discussions between
24:45
Syria and Israel, you'll have to reach out to those respective
24:48
governments. I can't comment on that.
24:49
But what I can tell you is that this afternoon, the president
24:52
will be signing an executive order to terminate the United
24:56
States sanctions program on Syria.
24:58
And this is in an effort to promote and support the
25:02
country's path to stability and peace.
25:04
The order will remove sanctions on Syria while maintaining
25:07
sanctions on the former President Assad, his associates,
25:11
human rights abusers, drug traffickers, makers, persons
25:13
linked to chemical weapons activities, ISIS and their
25:16
affiliates, and Iranian proxies. And this is, again, an action
25:21
that the president promised and shocked the world with in Saudi
25:24
Arabia because he's committed to supporting a Syria that is
25:27
stabled, unified and at peace with itself and its neighbors.
25:31
The president met with Syria's new president when we were in
25:33
the Middle East, as you know. And so this is another promise
25:36
made and promise kept by this president to promote peace and
25:40
stability in the region. Questions on 2 topics, if you
25:45
don't mind. I just have with MTV here.
25:47
First on Canada. Canada says it's now dropping as
25:50
digital services tax on American tech companies, days after
25:53
President Trump says he's holding on trade talks with
25:55
Canada first. What's the president's reaction
25:58
to this? And tell us more about his call
26:00
with Prime Minister Carney over the weekend.
26:03
How did he get Carney to drop it?
26:05
And also, what's the impact on American tech companies given
26:09
this latest progress as president says he has been
26:11
fighting for American tech. It's very simple.
26:15
Prime Minister Carney in Canada caved to President Trump in the
26:18
United States of America. And President Trump knows how to
26:22
negotiate and he knows that he is governing the best country
26:26
and the best economy in in this world, on this planet.
26:30
And every country on the planet needs to have good trade
26:32
relationships with the United States.
26:34
And it was a mistake for Canada to vow to implement that tax
26:37
that would have hurt our tech companies here in the United
26:40
States. The president made his position
26:43
quite clear to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister
26:45
called the President last night to let the president know that
26:48
he would be dropping that tax, which is a big victory for our
26:51
tech companies and our American workers here at home and on
26:55
Harvard. If you don't mind,
26:56
administration today formally accused Harvard of violating
26:59
civil rights laws by not doing enough to fight anti-Semitism.
27:03
We know that the president has talked talked to us before about
27:07
how potentially having a deal with administration in the
27:10
coming days. Do you have an update at
27:12
timeline for that house and negotiations going?
27:14
And is more pressure needed for Harvard to take fighting
27:18
anti-Semitism seriously? Well, there was quite a direct
27:22
letter that was sent to Harvard this morning.
27:24
As you know, the negotiations are taking place behind closed
27:28
doors, so I won't comment on that.
27:29
But what I will share with all of you, for those who haven't
27:32
seen it, is the context of this letter, because I think it's
27:35
very important. And this comes from the
27:37
Department of Health and Human Services, which concluded after
27:40
a thorough investigation that Harvard University is in a
27:44
violent violation of Title 6 of the Civil Rights Act, which
27:48
prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and
27:52
national origin. And if you read some of the
27:54
content of the investigation and what they found, the majority of
27:57
Jewish students reportedly experienced experienced negative
28:01
bias or discrimination on their campus, while 1/4 of Jewish
28:05
students at Harvard felt physically unsafe.
28:08
Jewish and Israeli students were assaulted and spit on.
28:11
They had their kippas for fear of being harassed and concealed
28:14
their Jewish identity from classmates for fear of
28:17
ostracization. Images were widely circulated
28:20
amongst the Harvard community that trafficked an obvious
28:23
anti-Semitic tropes, including one that showed a dollar sign
28:26
inside of a Star of David. And the campus was vandalized
28:29
with anti-Semitic stickers, including one that showed the
28:32
Israeli flag with a swastika. The Harvard campus was wracked
28:36
by demonstrations, as you all know, violent protests that
28:38
violated the university's rules of conduct.
28:42
The demonstrations called for genocide and murder, denied
28:46
Jewish and Israeli students access to campus spaces.
28:50
These are all facts that Harvard cannot dispute, and that's why
28:53
the administration has found them in violation of Title 6 and
28:57
has threatened to withhold their federal funding, because if you
28:59
break federal law, you should not be receiving federal tax
29:02
dollars. And so I rest my case on
29:04
Harvard, Andrea. Yeah, so President Macron of
29:08
France earlier today said that tariffs levied by powerful
29:12
countries are often a form of blackmail and and criticized,
29:18
you know the. The sort of process.
29:19
That's underway. I didn't mention the United
29:21
States specifically, but said that these tariffs are really
29:25
hurting developing countries. So there's this big UN
29:27
conference going on. What do you say to that?
29:31
Do you do you know what is the president?
29:33
Was he aware of that comment and did he have any response?
29:37
I think the president and the White House would certainly
29:40
reject that characterization by Prime Minister Mccrone.
29:44
Tariffs are an effective use of presidential power to bring back
29:48
the the middle class, to bring back our manufacturing industry,
29:53
which is was the backbone of our American economy and has been
29:56
hollowed out by globalist politicians who have caved to
29:59
foreign countries instead of doing what's right for American
30:02
workers. That's why the president is
30:03
effectively utilizing his authority to to wage tariffs and
30:08
to utilize tariffs and continues to be in discussions and
30:10
negotiations on trade to do what's right for America and
30:13
Europe. And the rest of the world might
30:15
not be used to that. But President Trump is back in
30:18
town, and he's going to do what's right for our people and
30:20
our country. Can I just follow up on
30:23
Netanyahu? So there's a report in Israeli
30:25
media that the Prime Minister will actually be here, that
30:29
Netanyahu will be here today meeting with the president.
30:31
Can you confirm that? I don't believe Prime Minister
30:34
Netanyahu is here today. I think you guys would know
30:36
about that by now, unless there's something going on I
30:39
don't know about, but I don't believe he is.
30:41
I do know he has expressed interest in coming to Washington
30:44
and meeting with the president, and we are working on a date for
30:46
that. I do not believe it is today,
30:49
but that would be fun. You never know in this White
30:51
House. Let's be honest.
30:52
Go ahead. Thanks, Carolyn.
30:54
Does the president support this new measure in the big,
30:57
beautiful bill that would impose steep new taxes on new wind and
31:02
solar projects? I believe you're referring to
31:06
the the credits for wind and solar projects and what we're
31:11
talking about the new tax. There's a new tax that it's
31:14
estimated would add 10 to 20% to the cost of any new wind and
31:18
solar projects that start after this year.
31:21
Again, I don't want to comment on the specifics of provisions,
31:23
but I'm sure the President will speak on that directly.
31:26
Again, this is an ongoing process.
31:28
The President continues to be very much engaged with the
31:31
leadership in both the Senate and the House to get this bill
31:33
back to his desk. The president asked for that
31:35
provision because the National Building trade union is saying
31:38
that it's the equivalent of terminating more than 1000
31:41
Keystone XL pipeline projects. Is that something that would?
31:45
Concern him. Well, the president spoke on
31:47
this yesterday in his interview and he said he understands that
31:49
legislators want to protect legislators want to protect jobs
31:53
in their communities and in their districts.
31:55
And so he understands why some of them are against this
31:58
provision, but he also understands why people want the
32:00
provision. So again, this is an ongoing
32:02
deliberation and discussion and the president is engaged in this
32:05
very much. Go ahead.
32:06
Thanks, Carolina. We've been hearing from this
32:08
official for weeks that you're close on trade deals with a
32:11
number of countries. Can we get any update on which
32:13
countries will have deals by the 9th and when they're making any
32:16
announcements? I'll let the president and the
32:17
trade team speak on it. To the CBO estimate that the
32:21
Senate bill would increase the deficit by nearly 3.3 trillion.
32:25
This is one of the most fiscally conservative pieces of
32:27
legislation that has ever made its way through Capitol Hill.
32:30
There's $2 trillion in mandatory savings, savings in this bill.
32:34
And not only that, the projected growth that this bill will bring
32:38
to our economy, it will be an economic boom.
32:40
The Council of Economic Advisors has an analysis that shows that
32:44
the bill will generate $4.1 trillion in economic growth, and
32:49
it will cut taxes, putting more money back into the American
32:51
people's pockets. That's why this president wants
32:53
this bill to pass. And I know he's busy working the
32:56
phones and doing what he needs to do today to make it happen.
32:58
So we'll see you all later. Thank you.
33:00
We'll see you in Florida. Thank you.