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