FULL BRIEFING: Karoline Leavitt returns to Briefing Room, addresses election integrity for midterms

[0:02] good afternoon everyone it's great to be back with all of you it's good to see you good to [0:07] be in this room i'm glad everybody showed up today let's get back to work we're going to begin with [0:12] a few scheduling announcements tonight as you all know at nine o'clock p.m eastern president trump [0:17] will deliver a major address to the nation on protecting the integrity of our elections and [0:22] we encourage every american to tune in on friday the president will travel to travel to new york [0:28] city to attend a fifa reception at trump tower followed by his attendance on sunday at the [0:34] fifa world cup between spain and argentina his attendance will cap what has been the most [0:40] watched most secure and most successful world cup in american history this is a fitting conclusion [0:47] to a tournament that showcased america's ability to host the world on the grandest stage turning now [0:53] to the economy tuesday's cpi report confirmed what president trump predicted prices are falling and [1:00] this administration's economic policies are working inflation dropped 0.4 percent last month beating [1:07] expectations and marking the largest monthly decline in more than six years prices fell including for [1:14] gasoline electricity non-prescription drugs car insurance medical care services and hotels [1:20] delivering relief for american working families we also saw real weekly earnings rise in the month [1:26] of june for private sector workers real wages have increased by roughly one thousand dollars since [1:32] president trump took office after falling nearly three thousand dollars during the previous administration [1:38] this is real progress made possible by the president's pro-growth economic agenda there is still more work [1:44] to do no doubt which is why president trump remains laser focused on lowering costs and raising [1:50] wages for working families across the country just last week walmart and sam's club announced they [1:56] will be lowering prices on thousands of items in their stores across the country shoppers can expect [2:02] meaningful savings on groceries household essentials outdoor living products toys apparel and other [2:07] everyday staples as president trump said walmart answered his call and stepped up in a big way [2:13] and we commend them for that we hope other major retailers will follow the lead of this [2:18] patriotic american company while we're on the subject of helping working families get ahead i want to [2:24] remind everyone that the trump accounts are now officially live to date and this is a new stat from [2:29] the council of economic advisors this morning more than 6.5 million american children have been signed up [2:36] for accounts so far including my two kids who i signed up during my maternity leave there are a few things i [2:42] want to make clear about this massively beneficial program that has the potential to literally [2:47] transform the financial future of this country first any child under the age of 18 is eligible to have [2:54] a trump account opened in his or her name this is a free investment savings account that costs nothing [3:00] to open second thanks to president trump every child born between january 1st 2025 and december 31st 2028 [3:10] will receive a 1 000 seed deposit from the united states treasury third parents guardians relatives [3:16] and friends can contribute up to 5 000 bucks per year combined for each child employers can also [3:23] contribute up to 2 500 per year on a tax-favored basis counting toward the annual cap the president [3:29] believes there is no better investment than in america's children government projections show that a child [3:35] whose family maxes out contributions could see the account grow to nearly 300 000 by the time the child [3:43] turns 18. this is i think we can all agree an enormously powerful head start toward the american dream [3:50] these funds can be used for college starting a business or purchasing a home this is truly a [3:55] transformational non-partisan program so i encourage everyone listening with a child to establish a trump [4:01] account today for your child and tell everyone you know with children to do the same the app is also [4:06] incredibly inviting and easy to use for parents at home finally let's turn to the border brand new [4:12] numbers this week from the department of homeland security and customs and border protection confirmed [4:17] that for the 14th straight month this administration has released zero illegal aliens into the united states [4:24] again let me reiterate the 14th straight month not a single illegal criminal alien [4:31] has been entered into our country released into our country by this administration illegal crossings in [4:37] june remained at historic lows and southwest border apprehensions are down 94 percent compared to the [4:44] same period under the bided administration these numbers speak for themselves thanks to president [4:50] trump's strong leadership and unwavering commitment to law enforcement america has the most secure border we [4:57] have ever had in our nation's history the administration continues working to reverse the previous influx of [5:03] millions of illegal aliens into our country by the biden administration and our law enforcement [5:09] professionals god bless them are arresting criminal illegal aliens across the country including those [5:15] convicted of the most heinous and violent crimes this past weekend alone ice arrested a mexican national [5:21] and gang member convicted of second degree murder in california a dominican national convicted of [5:27] aggravated manslaughter in new jersey a saudi national convicted of indecent liberties with a child in [5:33] north carolina a mexican national convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child in california a nicaraguan [5:40] national convicted of second degree child molestation in rhode island and a mexican national convicted of [5:46] lewd acts with a child under 14 with force in california these are egregious crimes and again i think we [5:52] can all agree that none of you would want these individuals living in your communities and you have [5:57] this administration to thank that they are on their way back home the american people delivered a [6:01] decisive mandate to arrest and deport these dangerous criminals and president trump is wholeheartedly [6:06] committed to delivering on that mandate every day he will never waver in his duty to defend our homeland [6:13] and protect the american people and he has proven without a shadow of doubt that the chaos and the [6:19] lawlessness that we saw every single day at the border and across our country under the biden [6:24] administration was a choice and it is a choice this president has chosen not to make while this work [6:31] is far from finished the border is secure and deportations will continue with that i'll take your [6:37] questions today i look forward to doing so i know there's a lot of news we have two people in our new [6:41] media seats today rachel bade and ben black rachel why don't you kick us off ben will give you a [6:46] question and then we'll get to the rest of all of you thanks rachel uh thanks caroline welcome back [6:50] to the briefing room and congrats on your baby uh two questions sure if i may the first one a fun one for [6:55] your first day back you now have to do uh as someone who has a four-year-old i can only imagine you are [7:04] sleeping right now um what is your one tip or secret to women who want to have it all the kids and the [7:11] hard-charging career well thanks for the question rachel and it is really good to be back with all [7:16] of you i don't think there is a secret you just have to show up every day and keep going and it [7:21] really does take a village uh take the opportunity to shout out to my husband who's home with our [7:26] babies right now i look forward to returning home later uh to be with them but it's uh challenging but [7:32] for me i view this as more than job i view this as public service on behalf of a president who [7:37] i firmly believe in everything this administration is doing and really creating a better country [7:42] for my children and their future and i'm very grateful for that blessed to both be working in [7:47] this job but also to have two beautiful babies at home and as you know rachel and any mom in this room [7:52] knows there's nothing better than being a mother so thanks for the question babies are the best um [7:56] okay a question about tonight um there are a lot of republicans in this town who very much support the [8:02] save act and want to make sure you know our elections are upheld election integrity top priority for [8:08] them but some of them are concerned that tonight's prime time address might focus on you know elections [8:15] of the past relitigating them rather than voter concerns of today um i'm wondering can you tell [8:21] us if the president tonight is going to talk about the economy about the economy what we're seeing there [8:28] and what does the white house say to republicans who are worried that election issues like this could [8:34] actually traders well a few things i would encourage everyone to tune in tonight i've seen a lot of [8:39] reporting and frankly misreporting about what the president will say i think the american people will [8:44] be relieved to hear what they are hearing from the president of the united states and his commitment to [8:49] transparency and the focus on the integrity of our elections tonight i think all republicans and [8:54] democrats should recognize this should be a non-partisan issue if we don't have safe and secure [8:59] elections in our country we cannot have a country it is a vital part of our [9:04] democracy of our constitutional republic the president will be speaking about that tonight [9:09] and in addition at the very same time of course he is working on all of these economic issues that [9:14] the american people have at home i just read to you the latest inflation numbers are looking good the [9:20] best report in six years the president republicans and democrats and all americans have this president [9:25] to thank for the largest tax cuts in american history which every democrat on capitol hill voted against [9:31] you have this president to thank for the trump accounts for our children and securing the [9:36] future of the american dream so this president is doing a lot but obviously [9:41] safe and secure elections are a true tenant of our constitutional republic and the president [9:45] will be speaking about that tonight thank you and ben please hey so i'm from england i've been [9:50] following the world cup all around absolutely loving it unfortunately we got knocked out last night so [9:56] i'd love to ask a favor tough day for you today yeah but i want to know so all these football fans [10:03] coming to america absolutely having a great time i've had an amazing time what do you want these [10:08] football fans to take away from that time in america sure well i'm so glad you enjoyed your experience [10:13] here in our country and sorry for the loss uh we look forward to the final match on sunday and i know [10:19] the president looks forward to attending but i think the world saw that this president and this country is [10:25] able to put on the greatest show in sports in the world and we are a kind people we are hard-working [10:32] people and we have the best country on the planet and i know i've loved seeing the videos from [10:38] foreigners from around the world who have traveled to the united states and have been quite surprised [10:41] about how lovely and enjoyable the united states is i don't think we get enough credit from the [10:46] international media around the world but we encourage everyone to come and experience america for [10:51] themselves so thanks for being here i have an absolute breath and safe travels home you're [10:55] welcome caroline garrett caroline welcome back good to see you likewise um to the degree that [11:01] this speech tonight is about elections past not elections upcoming the 2020 election has had [11:07] dozens of recounts lawsuits audits 2024 election widely believed to be safe and secure there's not [11:14] really any question about that a lot of people because it was too big to bring well i think a lot of [11:18] people look at this massive amount of votes for this president that's why he's in the oval office [11:22] right now no one disputes that there were significant amount of votes for joe biden who won in 2020. [11:26] i mean i think the question is why is the president unable to let this go well first of all garrett [11:33] i think part of the problem is that the media has refused to acknowledge that tens of millions of [11:38] americans across the country share the concerns of this president about the sanctity of our elections and [11:44] your premise of your question you're jumping ahead to a conclusion in this speech before even hearing [11:48] it yourself i think that everyone should tune in tonight including the people in this room and you [11:54] should report on the president's speech and the findings that he is going to reveal in this speech [11:58] with a little bit of honesty and a little bit of integrity because it does it will shock you if you [12:03] have an honest eye listening to the president tonight and everything he is saying will be backed by [12:07] um by by by facts and by evidence that will be provided this evening and again garrett again i [12:13] think all americans democrat republican should agree that we are the greatest country in the history of [12:18] the world we should have the safest and most secure elections in the history of the world and what the [12:23] president will be speaking about tonight will show you that perhaps that is not the case and we need [12:27] to make some adjustments moving forward including the save america act as rachel pointed out is a key [12:32] legislative priority for this president on capitol hill and he wants to see all senators and members [12:39] of congress voting in favor of the save america act because it's crucially important as we move forward [12:45] aisha hi caroline welcome back thank you me the pink is for your baby girl you know i didn't think [12:50] that but i guess it is now thank you we've talked a little bit about what the president might say tonight [12:55] but the other question is who is running the prime of the teleprompter tonight after this report that the [13:00] other guy is now under investigation for making money yeah off of reading the president's speech [13:04] obviously i'm aware of the report the president is too i spoke with him about it he believes it's [13:10] deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace and the individual that was cited in that report [13:15] is complying with the cftc but has been put on paid administrative leave so there will be a [13:21] teleprompter operator tonight of course but it will not be the one unfortunately in that story [13:25] one more on iran um the vice president jv vance went on this podcast with joe rogan yesterday talked [13:31] about israel in which he said that there are some people within their system that we know beyond a [13:36] shadow of a doubt who are manipulating and trying to change american public opinion to keep the war going [13:42] on indefinitely does the president agree with that statement i think the president would certainly agree [13:48] that yes foreign countries certainly do try to persuade american public opinion there's no doubt [13:53] about that i think it's just a basic fact ed good to see you caroline uh following up by the [13:57] teleprompter and then one of tonight's speech what steps is the white house taking to ensure [14:02] something like that doesn't happen again well the white house has extremely strict ethical guidelines [14:08] with respect to issues like this and as i just told you this individual will no longer be here [14:14] he'll be on paid administrative administrative leave i'm sorry without pay the administrative leave is [14:19] unpaid um to be very clear that was a decision by the president so i think that speaks for itself [14:24] on the um concerns about the election um will the president accept the results of november's elections [14:32] look ed uh you should tune into the president's speech tonight before you jump ahead to conclusions [14:37] about what's actually in the speech again i've seen a lot of reporting and misreporting about what the [14:41] president will say uh we hope cbs will take the speech and all americans should should take it [14:46] but i'm not presuming anything because that's why he accepted the results [14:49] caroline two questions on the trump account first following the birthright citizenship case [14:56] is there concern that babies that are born to illegal immigrants here in the united states are not [15:02] excluded from these accounts and also since the one thousand dollar per child from the treasury [15:09] seeds these accounts can you swage concerns for those who feel this is wealth redistribution [15:14] i would certainly not describe it as that as you know this was an incredible public private public [15:22] partnership we had incredibly generous americans michael dell and many others who contributed to the [15:29] fund for the trump accounts so that money will then be passed along to america's children which [15:34] i think is a great thing that all americans from all political persuasions can agree upon with [15:39] respect to your question on birthright citizenship i think the president has made his view and the white [15:44] house has made our view on this case quite clear we're going to continue to move forward to work [15:49] with congress hopefully in the future to remedy this problem in our country and to ensure that we [15:56] cannot have this scam continuing where you have foreigners from all around the world traveling to our [16:01] country to give birth to babies who are then given the greatest privilege on the face of the planet [16:06] american citizenship that's not how our founding fathers intended this country to work or to operate [16:11] and the administration is committed to finding solutions to remedy that do they have access to [16:15] the trump accounts those those that children of those illegal aliens that's not something i've [16:20] discussed directly with the president so i don't want to speak out of turn on that as you know [16:25] carrie all american citizen children are able to access the trump accounts as it stands right now [16:29] carolina thank you very much um mark stone from sky news can i switch to iran please specifically [16:38] the manab school attack 120 children dead 26 of their teachers a sky news investigation released today [16:46] points to all this being a tragic mistake by america by the u.s military so could you explain please [16:53] why the president is repeatedly saying it wasn't america when he hasn't actually he says also that he [16:59] hasn't even seen the report i can't speak to the sky news investigation respectfully because i have not [17:04] read it all i can speak to is what the president has said as i speak on his behalf and the investigation [17:10] continues and we would defer you to the department of war for further questions following up if i may [17:16] sure i just want to understand my answer is not going to change i just want to understand why he [17:20] consistently says it wasn't us we didn't do this when all the evidence and indeed the preliminary report [17:27] and we've spoken to an a military insider who says this was human error well that's the president's [17:33] opinion and at the very same time he has said the department of war is investigating the matter [17:38] and we would defer you to them for any questions with respect to the investigation which obviously [17:42] has not been released yet i would defer you to them for further questions on it but there's been i [17:47] think the president feels that way because he knows that our military always acts in good faith and [17:52] absolutely never targets civilians or children unlike the other side of this conflict iran [17:58] who is well known for killing women and children and innocent people in their country for a very long [18:03] time so you should focus on that in your reporting [18:07] welcome back another world cup question much as it pains me [18:12] the president trump had some harsh words for [18:15] spain at the nato summit last week about their spending [18:18] um does that mean he's going to be supporting argentina [18:23] danny it is a really good question and i'm disappointed in myself for not asking the [18:27] president before i came out here knowing you would probably ask i haven't talked to him about it [18:32] but we'll get you an answer on that you're welcome to ask him yourself at some point before the game [18:36] i'm sure you'll see him and i'm sure i'll have a fun answer for you on it [18:40] sure in the middle go ahead sure jasmine go ahead [18:42] thank you caroline welcome back thanks um back on the teleprompter issue notice reported earlier [18:47] this year that calci was inaccessible on the wi-fi that journalists here [18:52] it at the white house have access to uh our staffers back in the west wing and other parts [18:58] of the eob etc do they have access to calci and polymarket on their wi-fi on our work computers [19:05] honestly i've never tried so i don't know but i'm happy to go try and get you an answer on that [19:09] caroline in the back reagan sure i just wonder are there another white house staffers or people [19:18] within the administration who are suspected of also placing bets on calci or polymarket or other [19:24] other things with some of this privileged information not to my knowledge not that i've been made aware [19:29] of and as you saw i think this played out exactly how it should calci notified the cftc of suspicious [19:35] activity they investigated that identified the individual and he will now no longer be working [19:40] at the white house so i think that answers all the questions on this matter reagan thank you caroline [19:44] i have a question for you on the safe america act and senator graham and then a quick question on [19:49] iran sure trump said in one of his final conversations with the late senator graham that he was talking [19:54] about the safe america act and that he felt like they were in a great position with it do you anticipate [19:59] that the senate is going to be more pushed to save america act in light of the fact that it was so [20:05] important to senator graham so close to his thing sure well since i haven't had the opportunity let [20:09] me just express my sincere condolences to senator graham's staff and his family he was beloved by so [20:16] many here at the white house especially the president and i know that the news of his sudden [20:20] passing passing was just tragic to all of us especially the president who considered him a dear friend [20:26] um the save america act as i said reagan is of vital importance to this president and he wants to [20:33] see it move forward i understand that capitol hill and speaker johnson are moving forward with attaching [20:40] as many elements of the save america act as possible to the budget reconciliation 3.0 here we go [20:46] the president is supportive of that process and he hopes that republicans will vote for this [20:52] important piece of legislation the budget reconciliation bill not only will address the save america act [20:58] but also ensure important aid for our farmers and our war fighters which the president supports as [21:04] well right thank you on the calci situation i have just a few questions on that sure this individual [21:15] has been accused of making trades around the president's speeches for months i mean this has been going [21:20] on since at least earlier this year maybe even before that did the white house white house council [21:27] have any awareness that this was going on with this individual and if not no it says no the why not is [21:33] there any sort of plan in place to try to figure this out to see if anyone else is doing this or to [21:38] track future people from see if they're making these types of bets in the white house any any discussions [21:43] around that look there are very strict ethical guidelines here at the white house that explicitly state [21:48] not to do this and the white house council's office makes that clear to all of us who sign up to work [21:53] in government on behalf of the president so i think there has been a plan in place this individual [21:58] unfortunately violated the plan and therefore he's paying the consequences for it i don't know why [22:02] there's uh further questions but then doesn't that leave open the possibility even though there are [22:08] the rules i mean there's no dispute and there's strict rules on this but if there are no mechanisms in [22:13] place and then i'm not saying that there are there should and should not be but if there are [22:16] none in place to try to track this happening inside the white house and inside the executive branch [22:21] of the government doesn't that leave the open a possibility for this to keep happening or happening [22:24] again and these result people making vets like this inside the administration again there are very [22:28] strict ethical requirements required by all staffers uh and officials here at the white house and if [22:33] they are violated people will pay consequences for that as you're seeing with this case [22:37] i have a question about senator mcconnell but first on iran president trump is now green [22:45] lead it strikes on iran for nearly every day this week do you and does the white house describe [22:51] negotiations more at a standstill or essentially completely over well i've spoken with the president [22:56] about this as recently as an hour ago iran very much continues to talk to the united states of america [23:03] and expressed that they want to make a deal with us because they are suffering devastating blows on [23:09] behalf of our united states military the reason and this is important for the american people to [23:14] understand the reason for the recent strikes over the course of the last several days is because iran [23:19] violated the memorandum of understanding that we struck with them specifically in the memorandum of [23:25] understanding that they signed they were not to fire on commercial vessels moving through the strait of [23:30] her moose and unfortunately they have made the tragic decision for them to do that and president [23:36] trump is not going to sit by and allow these active acts of terrorism to take place in the strait [23:42] without ensuring iran pays consequences for that and that's what we are witnessing right now [23:47] about this within the last hour i mean does he essentially seem fed up with these negotiations and [23:52] can you explain why the american people should think that a deal with iran would even be worthwhile [23:58] at this point given the fact that they broke it already well look at how bad they are behaving it [24:02] just proves the president's initial point for launching operation epic fury in the first place [24:07] iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon that's why he launched operation epic fury they have [24:12] suffered devastating blows to their military and their economy as a result the president is always open [24:18] and willing to diplomacy he is the peace through strength president after all after operation [24:24] epic fury the conclusion of it we did move forward into a diplomatic phase if you will but unfortunately [24:30] iran has since violated that they have expressed they still want to make a deal to the president [24:34] we're talking to them but again the president is not going to allow them to fire on ships in the [24:39] strait without paying a consequence for that and i think just one more point i think throughout this [24:43] entire endeavor the president has proved not just to iran but the to the entire world that we can hit iran [24:50] any time anywhere any place and their ability to defend themselves has been essentially wiped out [24:57] because of this president in operation epic fury in the first place go ahead thank you two questions [25:06] for you um if i can read two comments one made by president trump and one made by the vice president [25:11] on iran president trump recently said as far as i'm concerned it's just a waste of time dealing with them [25:17] they're liars there's something wrong with them they are cuckoo they are scum sick people vicious [25:22] violent people and then vice president vance went on joe rogan last night and he said i'm very [25:27] frustrated by the americans and frankly by people in other countries who say you cannot negotiate with [25:34] the iranians so your response to these contradictions because i think you can understand how that's [25:39] confusing for americans with this mixed messaging and then second question for you at least six americans [25:46] are still detained in iran will president trump make this conditional a point of condition in [25:52] continuing these conversations with the country as well as political prisoners sure and also [25:58] people that are still being executed in iran to this day sure to your second question i'll never [26:03] create a red line or a condition on behalf of the president without his blessing i haven't heard him [26:08] say that but obviously ensuring the return of americans wrongfully detained or held hostage [26:14] all over this world remains a priority for him and he has done so in a tremendous way over the course [26:19] of the last year and a half americans from all over the world have returned home thanks to this [26:23] president and the efforts of his national security team to your first question about the comments [26:28] between the president and the vice president respectfully i do think you're taking comments from [26:32] different times throughout this conflict and kind of asking me if these are contradictory of each [26:36] other i can tell you the president vice president are on the exact same page about where we are [26:41] right now in this conflict and the fact that you do see elements of what's remaining in the iranian [26:48] regime that are more willing to make a deal and then other elements who are not so maybe willing to [26:52] make a deal shows that operation epic fury was incredibly effective because we neutered their ability [26:58] to communicate with one another and they are a fragmented system they are not the once very strong [27:04] powerful terrorist state that they were before this operation which was one of the ultimate goals so [27:09] we'll continue to work through the process and as i said the president will hold them accountable [27:14] when they turn their back on the words that they state to the united states but he is always open to [27:20] diplomacy at the very same time thank you caroline sure uh regarding the president's speech tonight [27:26] he's been in office over 540 days now if what he says is tonight is backed up by evidence why hasn't [27:32] anyone been charged well he hasn't revealed it yet he hasn't declassified the documents yet and you will [27:38] see what he says tonight and then we'll move forward appropriately from there tonight from the [27:42] justice department i don't speak on behalf of the justice department caitlin you know that [27:45] rachel thanks caroline will there be charges you'll have to ask the justice department i don't charge [27:50] people i just speak on behalf of the president rachel thanks caroline welcome back just a point of [27:54] clarification really quick on the staffer who's accused of profiting off of the president's speeches [27:59] i used to have no longer be working here is he on administrative leave or is he going to be fired [28:04] after that's over he's on unpaid administrative leave right now okay and um just to follow up on [28:09] the president's speech tonight i mean we've been talking to a lot of republicans over on capitol hill [28:13] they have said that focusing on the economy is the right way to go ahead of the midterm [28:17] elections they believe that's what voters care most about what does the president say to [28:22] republicans who think that focusing on the 2020 election election integrity all of these issues [28:27] right now is not the right approach so close to the election again you guys have not heard the speech [28:31] yet so i would digress with the criticism until you actually hear what the president is going to say [28:37] and what he's going to say when he addresses the american public i would also add again that the [28:43] administration and especially this president are are able to walk and chew gum at the same time and [28:48] tackle a number of issues on a number of different subjects every single day we see that president do [28:53] that working around the clock on foreign policy on domestic policy all of the time you all report on it [28:58] you have to keep up with it so i think you can agree with me on that point and i would also add the [29:04] president will continue to be traveling all around the country to talk about the economy we were just [29:09] in pennsylvania a couple weeks ago touring a mac truck facility which has been greatly strengthened [29:14] and enriched because of this president's economic policies over the last year and a half and he loves [29:18] doing that and he will continue to do so go ahead we have seen um uh with the increased [29:24] committee strikes a real decrease in traffic through commercial traffic through the strait [29:27] of hormuz what is the u.s doing right now to facilitate flows through the strait of hormuz [29:32] and preemptively address the risk that houthis will actually choke off the red sea oil route [29:36] and that prices will increase further before november sure well two separate questions first [29:41] let me address what's happening in the strait right now we know that there is a blockade of ships [29:45] directed by the president for ships entering and departing iranian ports only this has been fully [29:51] implemented and is in full force this blockade was reimposed due to iran's inability to honor their [29:58] agreement with the united states of america more than 10 000 u.s sailors marines and airmen along with [30:03] two aircraft carriers and more than 20 warships and dozens of aircraft are executing the blockade mission [30:09] as we speak and during the first 24 hours of the blockade u.s centcom has redirected two compliant [30:15] commercial vessels and disabled one non-compliant vessel so look the strait is open [30:21] for ships that are not traveling to and from iranian ports specifically and the u.s navy is insure is [30:27] there to ensure that can take place with respect to gas prices as you know the price of oil right [30:32] now is approximately 80 a barrel maybe a little less before i came out here that's what it was at [30:38] gas prices are down approximately 60 cents a gallon off the peak of this conflict and the president was [30:44] honest with the american people from the beginning there may be temporary disruptions in the oil market but [30:49] what we haven't seen is what all of the naysayers said that there would be massive increases in the [30:55] price of oil that so many warned about and that's in large part because of the president's domestic [31:00] energy policies here at home to revamp our domestic production here but also the administration has [31:07] taken many swift actions to mitigate these temporary disruptions as you know we've released oil through our [31:13] spr the jones act waiver which has been incredibly effective fuel environmental waivers we also [31:19] president signed the defense production act to restart california oil production so all of these very [31:24] swift and mighty actions on behalf of this administration have led to a rather stable oil market and the [31:30] president will continue to do all he can to ensure prices come down stay stable for the american people [31:36] and the american consumer until the end of this conflict and ultimately i think americans should keep in mind [31:42] why we're doing this in the first place to ensure that iran a terror state can never obtain a nuclear [31:47] weapon dasha dasha go ahead you too two questions one on tonight and one on immigration it strikes me [31:56] listening to the conversation in this room about iran um given the questions that folks on both sides of [32:01] the aisle have about strategy and end game given that the united states has intensified strikes on iran [32:07] typically in a time of conflict when the president gives an address to the nation you would expect him to [32:12] address this conflict number one will he talk about iran and why is that not the the major topic of [32:18] of his speech does he believe that the save act and the 2020 election election integrity are more [32:24] important right now well no it's not a matter of importance it's just a matter of timing the president [32:29] will be making a very important announcement with respect to the integrity of our elections however it [32:33] is also very possible at the top of the speech he will mention the current situation with iran and [32:38] also the economy as well as you all know president trump is a man of his own word and he sometimes [32:45] is thinking about these things up until he walks out but we have had conversations about him addressing [32:50] a range of topics and that could very well be possible tonight again this is all more reason for [32:54] all of you to carry the speech live and for the american people to tune in tonight so they can hear [32:59] directly from the american the president and draw their own conclusions go ahead caroline sorry i [33:05] just wanted to add the immigration question real quick sure sorry um three men were killed in ice [33:10] encounters in less than a week as a result dhs announced that it would end vehicle stops and [33:15] then president trump urged them to change their position can you confirm whether vehicle stops are [33:20] back on and is the administration doing anything more to prevent these kinds of deaths maybe [33:25] accelerating distribution of body cam footage which body cameras which weren't present in this case [33:30] so a couple of things vehicle stops are continuing verbal guidance has been given to all field [33:36] offices across the country by the department of homeland security the president and the secretary of [33:41] homeland security are on the same page that vehicle stops are a necessary tool that ice agents need [33:46] in order to continuing continue their deportation campaign of the worst of the worst illegal alien [33:51] criminals from our country with respect to body cameras i know there's been some questions about [33:56] that in recent days over half of all ice field offices now do have body cameras and the remainder [34:01] of the field offices are expected within 60 days it's been a slower rollout than we would have hoped but [34:06] that's because the democrats decision to shut down dhs for several weeks so we expect to fully execute [34:13] on the promise of body cams to all field offices across the country very soon karen here on the parasite [34:20] outbreak related to produce can you give an update on the administration's response to this are there [34:26] federal officials on the ground in the hardest hit states right now doing any testing of production [34:30] facilities or farms to try to figure out where this outbreak has sure well what i can tell you having [34:36] been back at the white house for just a couple of short weeks i've been in meetings on this very topic [34:41] and i can tell you the white house is closely monitoring the situation has a handle on the situation [34:46] we're committed to providing the cdc and the fda the resources that they need and we urge all americans [34:53] to follow cdc guidance on properly washing and cooking raw ingredients to prevent this foodborne [34:58] illness as you know there has been an unusually high number of cases there are typically thousands [35:04] of cases of this outbreak every year but there has been an unusually higher number and that's why [35:09] we're working with the fda and other partners at the federal state and local level to increase [35:14] detection methods provide the guidance and then also most importantly trace the outbreak back [35:19] to its original source which we are currently in the process of doing [35:22] the cdcda and any funding cuts has that slowed the response to figure out where this outbreak has [35:30] started no we've talked to the cdc and fda specifically about that and not at all [35:35] they have the resources they need to make sure that americans are fully informed and protected [35:40] from this illness during this time caroline welcome back thanks last year the administration signed a [35:47] critical mineral steel mining deal with kazakhstan for a little-known u.s company it was an agreement [35:52] that president trump and harvard lutnik got tentative approval for with kazakhstan's president in [35:57] september six days before the deal was signed which was in november the president's older sons with [36:02] other partners took a 20 percent investment in a company related to the deal what did the president [36:07] know about his son's involvement in this arrangement when did he find out about it from my understanding [36:12] maggie nothing i've spoken spoken to the president and his family about this they would absolutely [36:17] never do anything that would put the president in a place of a conflict of interest and we have [36:22] timelines to give you and to provide you which we did to the news media at the time when this story [36:26] broke to prove that very point that i just made just one second so the president did not learn [36:32] about it until it was in the media that was when he went out that's my understanding of the matter yes [36:39] go ahead thank you i'll go to you after just thank you sure thank you go ahead me [36:45] why don't we thank you very much okay thank you yesterday iran launched a drone attack against u.s [36:54] facilities in erbil threatening american personnel and the kurdistan region one of the american closest [37:01] partners in the middle east what is your message to those responsible and are you staying with [37:09] your loyal ally on the middle east and at least helping them to defend itself who launched the [37:17] attack you're saying iran yes well i think i've i've addressed that previously in saying that um [37:23] the irani iranian iran has unfortunately shown um to violate the word that they struck with the [37:30] president united states they're paying consequences for that and the strikes that the president has [37:33] authorized in the recent days thank you caroline you were with the president in ankara for the [37:38] nato summit and there ukraine was one i was not actually oh you were not okay yeah and but the [37:44] issue of ukraine was one of the most important topics there and the situation is escalating between [37:50] the two sides in these days but there are still efforts can you give us more information about [37:57] where we are and how uh the local powers power breakers including turkey are involving in order [38:04] to solve the problem sure i'll check with the national security council and get back to you [38:08] on that with more specific guidance what i can tell you is i know the president greatly enjoyed his [38:13] visit to turkey and not just his participation in the nato summit where he applauded the united [38:20] states for getting our nato allies to step up and pay their fair share for our defense [38:25] but also he greatly enjoyed his time with president erdogan in turkey and appreciates the bilateral [38:31] relationship between our two countries caroline welcome back thanks contrary to what the mainstream [38:36] media is reporting americans that i speak to care deeply about election integrity this is true why do [38:41] you think the mainstream media is so fearful of tonight's speech and anything to do with election [38:45] interference and why are they attempting to discredit president trump's speech before they even heard it [38:50] and lastly what's your message to aoc who is asking for president trump the mainstream media to actually [38:55] censor the sitting president's speech tonight yeah i think that the mainstream media should air [39:01] the president's speech and allow the american people to draw their own conclusions from it again [39:05] i think it's important that the american public hears directly from the president of the united [39:09] states on a topic that to your point is very near and dear to the hearts of many americans across [39:14] the country the integrity of our elections this should be a non-partisan [39:18] uh non-controversial issue and i think you'll hear the president talk about that tonight [39:22] so we'll see you then thank you