Karoline Leavitt previews Trump's address tonight at White House press briefing

[0:01] good afternoon everyone it's great to be back with all of you it's good to see you good to be [0:08] 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 we [0:23] encourage every american to tune in on friday the president will travel to travel to new york city [0:29] to attend a fifa reception at trump tower followed by his attendance on sunday at the fifa world cup [0:36] between spain and argentina his attendance will cap what has been the most watched most secure and most [0:42] successful world cup in american history this is a fitting conclusion to a tournament that showcased [0:49] america's ability to host the world on the grandest stage turning now to the economy tuesday's cpi [0:56] report confirmed what president trump predicted prices are falling and this administration's [1:01] economic policies are working inflation dropped 0.4 percent last month beating expectations and [1:08] marking the largest monthly decline in more than six years prices fell including for gasoline electricity [1:16] non-prescription drugs car insurance medical care services and hotels delivering relief for american [1:22] working families we also saw real weekly earnings rise in the month of june for private sector workers [1:29] real wages have increased by roughly one thousand dollars since president trump took office [1:34] after falling nearly three thousand dollars during the previous administration this is real [1:39] progress made possible by the president's pro-growth economic agenda there is still more work to do [1:45] no doubt which is why president trump remains laser focused on lowering costs and raising wages [1:51] for working families across the country just last week walmart and sam's club announced they will be [1:56] lowering prices on thousands of items in their stores across the country shoppers can expect meaningful [2:02] savings on groceries household essentials outdoor living products toys apparel and other everyday staples [2:09] as president trump said walmart answered his call and stepped up in a big way and we commend them for that [2:15] we hope other major retailers will follow the lead of this patriotic american company [2:20] while we're on the subject of helping working families get ahead i want to remind everyone that the [2:25] trump accounts are now officially live to date and this is a new stat from the council of economic [2:31] advisors this morning more than 6.5 million american children have been signed up for accounts so far [2:38] including my two kids who i signed up during my maternity leave there are a few things i want to make [2:43] clear about this massively beneficial program that has the potential to literally transform the financial future of [2:50] this country first any child under the age of 18 is eligible to have a trump account opened in his or [2:56] her name this is a free investment savings account that costs nothing to open second thanks to president [3:03] trump every child born between january 1st 2025 and december 31st 2028 will receive a 1 000 seed deposit [3:13] from the united states treasury third parents guardians relatives and friends can contribute up to 5 000 [3:19] bucks per year combined for each child employers can also contribute up to 2500 per year on a tax [3:26] favored basis counting toward the annual cap the president believes there is no better investment [3:32] than in america's children government projections show that a child whose family maxes out contributions [3:38] could see the account grow to nearly 300 000 by the time the child turns 18. this is i think we can all [3:46] agree an enormously powerful head start toward the american dream these funds can be used for college [3:52] starting a business or purchasing a home this is truly a transformational non-partisan program so i [3:58] encourage everyone listening with a child to establish a trump account today for your child and tell [4:03] everyone you know with children to do the same the app is also incredibly inviting and easy to use for [4:09] parents at home finally let's turn to the border brand new numbers this week from the department of [4:14] homeland security and customs and border protection confirmed that for the 14th straight month this [4:20] administration has released zero illegal aliens into the united states again let me reiterate the 14th [4:27] straight month not a single illegal criminal alien has been entered into our country released into our [4:34] country by this administration illegal crossings in june remained at historic lows and southwest border [4:41] apprehensions are down 94 compared to the same period under the biden administration these numbers speak for [4:49] themselves thanks to president trump's strong leadership and unwavering commitment to law enforcement [4:55] america has the most secure border we have ever had in our nation's history the administration continues [5:02] working to reverse the previous influx of millions of illegal aliens into our country by the biden [5:07] administration and our law enforcement professionals god bless them are arresting criminal illegal aliens [5:13] across the country including those convicted of the most heinous and violent crimes this past weekend [5:19] alone ice arrested a mexican national and gang member convicted of second-degree murder in california [5:25] a dominican national convicted of aggravated manslaughter in new jersey a saudi national convicted of [5:32] indecent liberties with a child in north carolina a mexican national convicted of continuous [5:37] sexual abuse of a child in california a nicaraguan national convicted of second-degree child [5:43] molestation in rhode island and a mexican national convicted of lewd acts with a child under 14 with [5:49] force in california these are egregious crimes and again i think we can all agree that none of you [5:54] would want these individuals living in your communities and you have this administration to thank [5:59] that they are on their way back home the american people delivered a decisive mandate to arrest and [6:03] deport these dangerous criminals and president trump is wholeheartedly committed to delivering on that [6:09] mandate every day he will never waver in his duty to defend our homeland and protect the american [6:15] people and he has proven without a shadow of doubt that the chaos and the lawlessness that we saw every [6:21] single day at the border and across our country under the biden administration was a choice and it is a [6:28] choice this president has chosen not to make while this work is far from finished the border is secure [6:33] and deportations will continue with that i'll take your questions today i look forward to doing so i [6:39] know there's a lot of news we have two people in our new media seats today rachel bade and ben black [6:44] rachel why don't you kick us off ben will give you a question and then we'll get to the rest of all of [6:48] you thanks rachel uh thanks caroline welcome back to the briefing room and congrats on your baby uh two [6:53] questions sure if i may the first one a fun one for your first day back you now have two babies two [7:00] years old i do uh as someone who has a four-year-old i can only imagine how little you are sleeping right [7:06] now um what is your one tip or secret to women who want to have it all the kids and the hard charging [7:12] career well thanks for the question rachel and it is really good to be back with all of you i don't [7:17] think there is a secret you just have to show up every day and keep going and it really does take a [7:22] village uh take the opportunity to shout out to my husband who's home with our babies right now i [7:27] look forward to returning home later uh to be with them but it's uh challenging but for me i view this [7:33] as more than job i view this as public service on behalf of a president who i firmly believe in [7:39] everything this administration is doing and really creating a better country for my children and their [7:44] future and i'm very grateful for that blessed to both be working in this job but also to have two [7:49] beautiful babies at home and as you know rachel and any mom in this room knows there's nothing [7:53] better than being a mother so thanks for the question babies are the best um okay a question [7:57] about tonight um there are a lot of republicans in this town who very much support the save act [8:03] and want to make sure you know our elections are upheld election integrity top priority for them [8:09] but some of them are concerned that tonight's primetime address might focus on you know elections of the past [8:16] really litigating them rather than voter concerns of today um i'm wondering can you tell us if the [8:22] president tonight is going to talk about the economy you just talked a lot about the economy and what [8:27] we're seeing there and what does the white house say to republicans who are worried that election [8:33] issues like this uh could actually turn off swing voters well a few things i would encourage everyone [8:38] to tune in tonight i've seen a lot of reporting and frankly misreporting about what the president [8:43] will say i think the american people will be relieved to hear what they are hearing from the [8:47] president of the united states and his commitment to transparency and the focus on the integrity of [8:52] our elections tonight i think all republicans and democrats should recognize this should be a [8:57] nonpartisan issue if we don't have safe and secure elections in our country we cannot have a country [9:02] it is a vital part of our democracy of our constitutional republic the president will be speaking about [9:09] that tonight and in addition at the very same time of course he is working on all of these economic [9:14] issues that the american people have at home i just read to you the latest inflation numbers are looking [9:20] good the best report in six years the president uh republicans and democrats and all americans have [9:25] this president to thank for the largest tax cuts in american history which every democrat on capitol [9:30] hill voted against you have this president to thank for the trump accounts for our children [9:35] and securing the future of the american dream so this president is doing a lot but obviously [9:42] safe and secure elections are a true tenant of our constitutional republic and the president [9:46] will be speaking about that tonight thank you and ben please hey so i'm from england i've been [9:51] following the world cup all around absolutely loving it unfortunately we got knocked out last night [9:56] so i'd love to ask you a favor tough day for you today yeah it's all good though but i want to know so [10:03] all these football fans coming to america absolutely having a great time i've had an [10:07] amazing time what do you want these football fans to take away from their time in america sure well [10:12] i'm so glad you enjoyed your experience here in our country and sorry for the loss we look forward [10:18] to the final match on sunday and i know the president looks forward to attending but i think the world saw [10:23] that this president and this country is able to put on the greatest show in sports in the world [10:29] and we are a kind people we are hard-working people and we have the best country on the planet and i [10:35] know i've loved seeing the videos from foreigners from around the world who have traveled to the [10:40] united states and i've been quite surprised about how lovely and enjoyable the united states is i don't [10:44] think we get enough credit from the international media around the world but we encourage everyone [10:50] to come and experience america for themselves so thanks for being here and safe travels home you're [10:56] welcome caroline garrett caroline welcome back good to see you likewise um to the degree that this [11:02] speech tonight is about elections past not elections upcoming the 2020 election has had dozens of [11:08] recounts lawsuits audits 2024 election widely believed to be safe and secure there's not really any [11:14] question about that a lot of people because it was too big to ring well i think a lot of people look [11:19] at this massive amount of votes for this president that's why he's in the oval office right now no one [11:23] disputes down there were significant amount of votes for joe biden who won in 2020 and the question [11:27] is why is the president unable to let this go well first of all garrett i think part of the problem [11:35] is that the media has refused to acknowledge that tens of millions of americans across the country [11:41] share the concerns of this president about the sanctity of our elections and your premise of your [11:45] question you're jumping ahead to a conclusion in this speech before even hearing it yourself i think that [11:50] everyone uh should tune in tonight including the people in this room and you should report on the [11:55] president's speech and the findings that he is going to reveal in this speech with a little bit of [11:59] honesty and a little bit of integrity because it does it will shock you if you have an honest eye [12:04] listening to the president tonight and everything he is saying will be backed by um by but by facts [12:10] and by evidence that will be provided this evening and again garrett again i think all americans [12:15] democrat republican should agree that we are the greatest country in the history of the world we should [12:20] have the safest and most secure elections in the history of the world and what the president will [12:24] be speaking about tonight will show you that perhaps that is not the case and we need to make some [12:28] adjustments moving forward including the save america act as rachel pointed out is a key [12:33] 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 [12:46] ayesha hi caroline welcome back thank you me the pink is for your baby girl you know i didn't think [12:51] that but i guess it is now thank you we've talked a little bit about what the president might say [12:55] tonight but the other question is who is running 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 [13:05] 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 is complying [13:16] with the cftc but has been put on paid administrative leave so there will be a teleprompter operator [13:22] tonight of course but it will not be the one unfortunately in that story one more on iran um [13:27] the vice president jv bentz went on this podcast with joe rogan yesterday talked about israel in which [13:33] he said that there are some people within their system that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt [13:38] who are manipulating and trying to change american public opinion to keep the war going on [13:43] indefinitely does the president agree with that statement i think the president would certainly [13:48] agree 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 [13:58] teleprompter and then one on tonight's speech what steps is the white house taking to ensure something [14:03] like that doesn't happen again well the white house has extremely strict ethical guidelines [14:09] 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 to be very clear that was a decision by the president so i think that speaks for itself [14:25] on the concerns about the election will the president accept the results of november's election look ed [14:34] you should tune into the president's speech tonight before you jump ahead to conclusions about what's [14:38] actually in the speech again i've seen a lot of reporting and misreporting about what the president [14:42] will say we hope cbs will take the speech and all americans should should take it okay but i'm not [14:47] presuming that it has to be accepted results two questions on the trump account first following the [14:54] birthright citizenship case is there concern that babies that are born to illegal immigrants here in the [15:01] united states are not excluded from these accounts and also since the one thousand dollar per child [15:08] from the treasury seeds these accounts can you inflate concerns from those who feel this is [15:14] wealth redistribution i would certainly not describe it as that as you know this was an incredible [15:20] public private public partnership we had incredibly generous americans michael dell and many [15:27] others who contributed to the fund for the trump accounts so that money will then be passed along [15:33] to america's children which i think is a great thing that all americans from all political persuasions [15:38] can agree upon with respect to your question on birthright citizenship i think the president has made [15:43] his view and the white house has made our view on this case quite clear we're going to continue to move [15:48] forward to work with congress hopefully in the future to remedy this problem in our country [15:54] um and to ensure that we cannot have this scam continuing where you have foreigners from all [16:00] around the world traveling to our country to give birth to babies who are then given the [16:04] greatest privilege on the face of the planet american citizenship that's not how our founding fathers [16:09] intended this country to work or to operate and the administration is committed to finding solutions [16:14] to remedy that they have access to the trump accounts those those that children of those illegal aliens [16:20] that's not something i've discussed directly with the president so i don't want to speak out of turn on that [16:23] carolina as you know carrie all american citizen children are able to access the trump accounts as [16:29] it stands right now go ahead thank you very much um uh mark stone from sky news can i switch to iran [16:37] please specifically the manab school attack 120 children dead 26 of their teachers a sky news investigation [16:46] released today points to all this being a tragic mistake by america by the u.s military so could you [16:52] explain please why the president is repeatedly saying it wasn't america when he hasn't actually [16:58] he says also that he hasn't even seen the report i can't speak to the sky news investigation [17:03] respectfully because i have not read it all i can speak to is what the president has said as i speak [17:08] on his behalf and the investigation continues and we would defer you to the department of war for further [17:13] questions following up if i may sure i just want to understand why he consistently says [17:22] it wasn't us we didn't do this when all the evidence and indeed the preliminary report and [17:28] we've spoken to an a military insider who says this was human error well that's the president's [17:34] 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 [17:47] i think the president feels that way because he knows that our military always acts in good faith [17:53] and absolutely never targets civilians or children unlike the other side of this conflict iran who is [17:58] well known for killing women and children and innocent people in their country for a very long time so you [18:04] should focus on that in your reporting the president trump had some harsh words for [18:15] spain at the nato summit last week about their spending does that mean he's going to be supporting [18:21] argentina [18:24] danny it is a really good question and i'm disappointed in myself for not asking the [18:28] president before i came out here knowing you would probably ask i haven't talked to him about it [18:32] uh but we'll get you an answer on that you're welcome to ask him yourself at some point before [18:36] the game 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 thank you caroline welcome back thanks um [18:45] back on the teleprompter issue notice reported earlier this year that cal she was inaccessible on [18:50] the wi-fi that journalists here it at the white house have access to uh our staffers back in the west [18:57] wing and other parts of the eob etc do they have access to cal she and polymarket on their wi-fi [19:03] on our work computers honestly i've never tried so i don't know but i'm happy to go try and get [19:09] you an answer on that in the back reagan sure i just wonder are there are there any other white [19:16] house staffers or people within the administration who are suspected of also placing bets on cal she or [19:23] polymarket or other the other things with some of this privileged information not to my knowledge [19:28] not that i've been made aware of and as you saw i think this played out exactly how it should [19:33] cal she notified the cftc of suspicious activity they investigated that identified the individual [19:39] and he will now no longer be working at the white house so i think that answers all the questions on [19:43] this matter reagan thank you caroline i have a question for you on the state america [19:47] act and senator graham and then a quick question on iran sure um trump said in one of his final [19:52] conversations with the late senator graham that he was talking about the safe america act and that he [19:56] felt like they were in a great position with it do you anticipate that the senate is going to be more [20:01] aggressive to push the safe america act in light of the fact that it was so important to senator graham [20:06] so close to his death sure well since i haven't had the opportunity let me just express my sincere [20:11] condolences to senator graham's staff and his family he was beloved by so many here at [20:17] the white house especially the president and i know that the news of his sudden passing passing [20:21] was just tragic to all of us especially the president who considered him a dear friend the [20:27] save america act as i said reagan is of vital importance to this president and he wants to see [20:34] 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 [20:58] the save america act but also ensure important aid for our farmers and our war fighters which the [21:04] president supports as well right thank you caroline welcome back thank you on the calci situation i have [21:11] just a few questions on that sure this individual has been accused of making trades around the [21:17] president's speeches for months i mean this has been going on since at least earlier this year maybe even [21:23] before that did the white house white house council have any awareness that this was going on with this [21:30] individual and if not no no why not is there any sort of plan in place to try to figure this out to see if [21:38] anyone else is doing this sort of track future people from see if they're making these types of [21:42] bets in the white house any any discussions around that look there are very strict ethical guidelines [21:47] here at the white house that explicitly state not to do this and the white house council's office [21:51] makes that clear to all of us who sign up to work in government on behalf of the president so i think [21:56] there has been a plan in place this individual unfortunately violated the plan and therefore he's paying [22:01] the consequences for i don't know why there's uh further questions on following this but then doesn't that [22:06] leave open the possibility even though there are the rules i mean there's no dispute and there's [22:10] strict rules on this but if there are no mechanisms in place and then i'm not saying that there are [22:15] there should and should not be but if there are none in place to try to track this happening inside [22:19] the white house and inside the executive branch of the government doesn't that leave open a possibility [22:23] for this to keep happening or happening again and these result people making bets like this inside [22:27] the administration again there are very strict ethical requirements required by all staffers [22:32] and officials here at the white house and if they are violated people will pay [22:35] consequences for that as you're seeing with this case [22:40] thank you i have a question about senator mcconnell but first on iran president trump is now greenlit [22:46] strikes on iran for nearly every day this week do you and does the white house describe [22:52] negotiations more at a standstill or essentially completely over well i've spoken with the president [22:57] 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 [23:20] 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 [23:48] about this within the last hour i mean does he essentially seem fed up with these negotiations and [23:53] can you explain why the american people should think that a deal with iran would even be worthwhile at [23:58] this point given the fact that they broke it already well look at how bad they are behaving it just [24:03] proves the president's initial point for launching operation epic fury in the first place iran can [24:09] never obtain a nuclear weapon that's why he launched operation epic fury they have suffered devastating [24:14] blows to their military and their economy as a result the president is always open and willing to [24:20] diplomacy he is the peace through strength president after all after operation epic fury the conclusion of it [24:26] we did move forward into a diplomatic phase if you will but unfortunately iran has since violated [24:32] that they have expressed they still want to make a deal to the president we're talking to them but [24:36] again the president is not going to allow them to fire on ships in the strait without paying a [24:41] consequence for that and i think just one more point i think throughout this entire endeavor [24:45] the president has proved not just to iran but the to the entire world that we can hit iran anytime [24:51] anywhere any place and their ability to defend themselves has been essentially wiped out because [24:58] of this president in operation epic fury in the first place go ahead thank you two questions for [25:06] you um if i can read two comments one made by president trump and one made by the vice president on iran [25:12] president trump recently said as far as i'm concerned it's just a waste of time dealing with them they're [25:18] liars there's something wrong with them they are cuckoo they are scum sick people vicious violent [25:23] people and then vice president vance went on joe rogan last night and he said i'm very frustrated by [25:29] the americans and frankly by people in other countries who say you cannot negotiate with the iranians [25:36] so your response to these contradictions because i think you can understand how that's confusing for [25:41] americans with this mixed messaging and then second question for you at least six americans are still [25:47] detained in iran will president trump make this conditional a point of condition in continuing [25:54] these conversations with the country as well as political prisoners sure and also people that [25:59] are still being executed in iran to this day sure to your second question i'll never create a [26:04] red line or a condition on behalf of the president without his blessing i haven't heard him say [26:08] 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 [26:19] course of the last year and a half americans from all over the world have returned home thanks to [26:23] this president and the efforts of his national security team to your first question about the [26:28] comments between the president and the vice president respectfully i do think you're taking [26:32] comments from different times throughout this conflict and kind of asking me if these are [26:36] contradictory of each other i can tell you the president vice president are on the exact same page about [26:40] where we are right now in this conflict and the fact that you do see elements of what's remaining in [26:48] the iranian regime that are more willing to make a deal and then other elements who are not so maybe [26:52] willing to make a deal shows that operation epic fury was incredibly effective because we neutered their [26:58] ability 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 [27:10] we'll continue to work through the process and as i said the president will hold them accountable [27:15] when they turn their back on the words that they state to the united states but he is always open to [27:21] diplomacy at the very same time thank you caroline sure 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 uh well he hasn't revealed it yet he hasn't declassified the documents yet and [27:38] you will see what he says tonight and then we'll move forward appropriately from there tonight from [27:42] the justice department i don't speak on behalf of the justice department caitlin you know that [27:46] 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 is accused of profiting off of the president's [27:59] speeches you said he'll no longer be working here is he on administrative leave or is he going to be [28:04] fired after that's over he's on unpaid administrative leave right now okay and um just to follow up on [28:10] the president's speech tonight i mean we've been talking to a lot of republicans over on capitol hill [28:14] they have said that focusing on the economy is the right way to go ahead of the midterm elections [28:18] they believe that's what voters care most about what does the president say to republicans who think [28:24] that focusing on the 2020 election election integrity all of these issues right now is not the right [28:29] approach so close to the election again you guys have not heard the speech yet so i would digress [28:34] with the criticism until you actually hear what the president is going to say and what he's going to [28:39] say when he addresses the american public i would also add again that the administration and [28:44] especially this president are able to walk and chew gum at the same time and tackle a number of issues [28:50] on a number of different subjects every single day we see that president do that working around [28:54] the clock on foreign policy on domestic policy all of the time you all report on it you have to keep [28:59] up with it so i think you can agree with me on that point and i would also add the president will [29:05] continue to be traveling all around the country to talk about the economy we were just in pennsylvania [29:10] a couple weeks ago touring a mac truck facility which has been greatly strengthened and enriched [29:15] because of this president's economic policies over the last year and a half and he loves doing that and [29:19] he will continue to do so we have seen um with the increased community strikes a real decrease in [29:26] traffic through commercial traffic through the strait of hormuz what is the u.s doing right now to [29:30] facilitate flows through the strait of hormuz and preemptively address the risk that houthis will [29:35] actually choke off the red sea oil route and that prices will increase further before november sure well [29:41] two separate questions first let me address what's happening in the strait right now we know that there is a [29:45] blockade of ships directed by the president for ships entering and departing iranian ports only [29:51] this has been fully implemented and is in full force this blockade was reimposed due to iran's [29:57] inability to honor their agreement with the united states of america more than 10 000 u.s sailors marines [30:03] and airmen along with two aircraft carriers and more than 20 warships and dozens of aircraft are [30:08] executing the blockade mission as we speak and during the first 24 hours of the blockade u.s [30:13] centcom has redirected two compliant commercial vessels and disabled one non-compliant vessel so [30:19] look the strait is open for ships that are not traveling to and from iranian ports specifically and [30:26] the u.s navy is insure is there to ensure that can take place with respect to gas prices as you know the [30:32] price of oil right now is approximately 80 a barrel maybe a little less before i came out here that's what [30:37] it was at gas prices are down approximately 60 cents a gallon off the peak of this conflict [30:43] and the president was honest with the american people from the beginning there may be temporary [30:47] disruptions in the oil market but what we haven't seen is what all of the naysayers said that there [30:53] would be massive increases in the price of oil that so many warned about and that's in large part [30:59] because of the president's domestic energy policies here at home to revamp our domestic production here [31:05] but also the administration has taken many swift actions to mitigate these temporary disruptions as you [31:11] know we've released oil through our spr the jones act waiver which has been incredibly effective [31:17] fuel environmental waivers we also president signed the defense production act to restart california [31:23] oil production so all of these very swift and mighty actions on behalf of this administration [31:28] have led to a rather stable oil market and the president will continue to do all he can to ensure [31:33] prices come down stay stable for the american people and the american consumer until the end of this [31:39] conflict um and ultimately i think americans should keep in mind why we're doing this in the first [31:44] place to ensure that iran a terror state can never obtain a nuclear weapon dasha dasha go ahead you too [31:52] two questions one on tonight and one on immigration it strikes me listening to the conversation in this room [31:58] about iran um given the questions that folks on both sides of the aisle have about strategy and end game [32:04] given that the united states has intensified strikes on iran typically in a time of conflict when the [32:10] president gives an address to the nation you would expect him to address this conflict number one will [32:15] he talk about iran and why is that not the the major topic of of his speech does he believe that the save act [32:22] and the 2020 election election integrity are more important right now well no it's not a matter of [32:27] importance it's just a matter of timing the president will be making a very important announcement with respect [32:31] to the integrity of our elections however it is also very possible at the top of the speech he will mention [32:37] the current situation with iran and also the economy as well as you all know president trump [32:42] is a man of his own word and he sometimes is thinking about these things up until he walks out but [32:48] we have had conversations about him addressing a range of topics and that could very well be [32:52] possible tonight again this is all more reason for all of you to carry the speech live and for the american [32:57] people to tune in tonight so they can hear directly from the american the president and draw their [33:03] own conclusions go ahead caroline sorry i just wanted to add the immigration question real quick [33:08] sure go ahead sorry three men were killed in ice encounters in less than a week as a result dhs [33:13] announced that it would end vehicle stops and then president trump urged them to change their [33:17] position can you confirm whether vehicle stops are back on and is the administration doing anything [33:23] more to prevent these kinds of deaths maybe accelerating distribution of body cam footage [33:27] which body cameras which weren't present in this case so a couple of things vehicle stops are [33:33] continuing verbal guidance has been given to all field offices across the country by the department of [33:39] homeland security the president and the secretary of homeland security are on the same page that [33:43] vehicle stops are a necessary tool that ice agents need in order to continuing continue their deportation [33:50] campaign of the worst of the worst illegal alien criminals from our country with respect to body [33:54] cameras i know there's been some questions about that in recent days over half of all ice field [33:59] offices now do have body cameras and the remainder of the field offices are expected within 60 days [34:05] it's been a slower rollout than we would have hoped but that's because the democrats decision to shut down [34:09] dhs for several weeks so we expect to fully execute on the promise of body cams to all field offices [34:16] across the country very soon karen here on the parasite outbreak related to produce can you give [34:23] an update on the administration's response to this are there federal officials on the ground in the [34:28] hardest hit states right now doing any testing of production facilities or farms to try to figure [34:33] out where this outbreak has sure well what i can tell you having been back at the white house for [34:37] just a couple of short weeks i've been in meetings on this very topic and i can tell you the white [34:42] house is closely monitoring the situation has a handle on the situation we're committed to providing [34:48] the cdc and the fda the resources that they need and we urge all americans to follow cdc guidance on [34:55] properly washing and cooking raw ingredients to prevent this foodborne illness as you know there has [35:01] been an unusually high number of cases there are typically thousands of cases of this outbreak every [35:06] year but there has been an unusually higher number and that's why we're working with the fda [35:11] and other partners at the federal state and local level to increase detection methods provide the [35:15] guidance and then also most importantly trace the outbreak back to its original source which we are [35:21] currently in the process of doing leadership at the cdc and fda and any funding cuts has that slowed [35:28] the response to figure out where this outbreak has started no we've talked to the cdc and fda specifically [35:33] about that and not at all they have the resources they need to make sure that americans are fully [35:39] informed and protected from this illness during this time caroline caroline welcome back thanks [35:46] last year the administration signed a critical mineral steel mining deal with kazakhstan for [35:51] a little-known u.s company it was an agreement that president trump and howard lutnik got tentative [35:55] approval for with kazakhstan's president in september six days before the deal was signed which was in [36:01] november the president's older sons with other partners took a 20-percent investment in a company [36:06] related to the deal what did the president know about his son's involvement in this arrangement [36:10] and when did he find out about it from my understanding maggie nothing i've spoken to [36:14] the president and his family about this they would absolutely never do anything that would put the [36:19] president in a place of a conflict of interest and we have timelines to give you and to provide you [36:24] which we did to the news media at the time when this story broke to prove that very point that i just made [36:29] just one second so the pro the president did not learn about it until it was in the media that was [36:35] that's my understanding of the matter yes [36:40] i'll go to you after just thank you sure thank you go ahead me [36:48] starting in the back very very welcome back okay thank you yesterday iran launched a drone attack [36:54] against u.s facilities in erbil directing american personnel and the kurdistan region one of the [37:00] american closest partner in the middle east what is your message to those responsible and are you [37:09] style with your loyal ally on the middle east and at least helping them to defend itself who launched [37:17] the attack you're saying Iran yes well i think i've i've addressed that previously in saying that [37:22] um the irani iran 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 [37:34] authorized in the recent days thank you caroline you were with the president in ankara for the [37:39] 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 [37:51] 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 powerbreakers including turkey are involving in order to solve the [38:05] problem sure i'll check with the national security council and get back to you on that with more [38:10] specific guidance what i can tell you is i know the president greatly enjoyed his visit to turkey and not [38:15] just uh his participation in the nato summit where he applauded the united states for getting our nato [38:22] allies to step up and pay their fair share for our defense but also he greatly enjoyed his time with [38:27] president erdogan in turkey and appreciates the bilateral relationship between our two countries [38:33] caroline welcome back thanks contrary to what the mainstream media is reporting americans that i speak to [38:39] care deeply about election integrity this is true why do you think the mainstream media is so fearful of [38:43] tonight's speech and anything to do with election interference and uh why are they attempting to [38:48] discredit president trump's speech before they even heard it and lastly what's your message to aoc who [38:53] is asking for president trump the mainstream media to actually censor the sitting president's speech [38:57] tonight yeah i think that uh the mainstream media should air the president's speech and allow the [39:03] american people to draw their own conclusions from it again i think it's important that the american [39:07] public hears directly from the president of the united states on a topic that to your point [39:12] is very near and dear to the hearts of many americans across the country the integrity of our elections [39:17] this should be a non-partisan uh non-controversial issue and i think you'll hear the president talk [39:21] about that tonight so we'll see you then thank you