Karoline Leavitt holds White House briefing ahead of Trump's speech — full video

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