Download Subtitles for Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefing

Karoline Leavitt: Hello,everybody. Good afternoon. Thank you for your patience, as always. Let's begin with some scheduling announcements for the remainder of President Trump's very busy week. Today at 3:00 p.m., President Trump will host a Black History Month reception in the East Room of the White House. I know many of you will attend and we will see you up there. Tomorrow President Trump will host a Board of Peace meeting at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, where he will announce that member states have pledged more than $5 billion towards the Gaza humanitarian and reconstruction efforts, and have also committed thousands of personnel to the International Stabilization Force and local police to maintain security and peace for Gazans. Tomorrow afternoon, the President will travel to the great state of Georgia, where he will visit two local businesses and give a speech on his efforts to make life affordable for working people. On Friday, President Trump will host a working breakfast with governors in the East Room here at the White House. And on Saturday night, President Trump and the first lady will host the annual governors dinner. Next, I'd like to provide an update on the economy. We're seeing promising signs every day that 2026 is going to be a record successful year for the American people, just as President Trump promised them. The January jobs report shattered expectations, highlighting how the President's pro-growth economic agenda is fueling American prosperity. The economy added 172,000 new private sector jobs to kick off the year. That's more than two and a half times economists' predictions. The labor force participation rate went up while the unemployment rate fell. The prime age labor force participation rate is now at its highest since 2001. Most importantly, 100 percent of all job creation under President Trump continues to be in the private sector. This is truly remarkable. That's 615,000 private sector jobs that have been added in President Trump's second term thus far. These are real working people. These are real American families who will be living out their American dream. Meanwhile, federal government employment has shrunk to its lowest level since 1966, saving taxpayers $29 billion annually. And all of the net job growth under President Trump has gone to native born Americans, ending the disgraceful pattern under Joe Biden of job gains going to noncitizens and illegal aliens. Additionally, on inflation, the new CPI report is even more proof of the progress made by President Trump. Despite all of the doom casting from the so-called experts, the President has managed to utilize powerful tariffs to secure trillions of dollars in investments into our country and rebalance our trade deals while simultaneously cooling inflation. Year-over-year inflation fell to 2.4 percent in January, beating expectations again and marking the lowest level since May. Core inflation, the best measure of inflation, dropped to its lowest level in nearly five years. Meanwhile, real average hourly earnings for all private sector workers rose in the month of January, which means more money is going back directly into people's pockets. After only one year of President Trump back in office, real earnings for all private sector workers have outpaced inflation by nearly $1,400, earning back roughly half of the $2,900 they lost under Joe Biden, when 40 year high inflation was stealing American's purchasing power. President Trump's policies are and will continue to allow American's incomes to go further for bills, retirement and achieving the American dream. A key part of the American dream is buying a home, and that is finally becoming more affordable under this president. This past week it was announced the annual mortgage cost for a new home has fallen by $4,000 so far under President Trump, after rising by roughly $15,000 under Joe Biden. As a result, mortgage affordability has reached a four year best following recent bold action by the President to make homeownership more attainable for American families, not large Wall Street corporate institutional investors. At the same time, national median rates -- rents have fallen to a four year low and have declined for six consecutive months. The annual rental cost for a new rental unit has fallen nearly $100 so far under President Trump after rising more than $3,000 under Joe Biden, and many are crediting that to the President's deportation efforts to remove illegal aliens from our communities and therefore from housing that should be used for American citizens. At the grocery store, the price of eggs, dairy, cheese, fresh fruit, apples, oranges, potatoes, tomatoes and butter have fallen since President Trump took office, and he is continuing to fight for even lower prices at the grocery store for the American consumer. At the gas pump, fuel prices are down by almost 10 percent over the past year. The average national price for a gallon of regular gas is now less than $3.00, and is approaching $2.70 in some states and much lower than that in many states across the country as well. We've seen in several states gas is under $2.00 a gallon. And at the pharmacy, prescription drug prices are down over the past year, with even more price relief ahead for American patients thanks to President Trump's most favored nation drug pricing deals and the great health care plan, which he is calling on Congress to pass as soon as possible. What President Trump wants Americans to understand is that this is only the start and the best is yet to come. The historic success that we have seen since he took office is just the beginning of enormous growth and opportunity that we are about to witness. And I know the President looks forward to hitting the road and being with the great people of Georgia tomorrow to talk about just this. So, with that today, I know there's a lot of news, I will open it up to take your questions. And we're going to start, as always, with our new media seat, the great Michael Graham from InsideSources. Thank you for being here, Michael. The Press: Thank you for having us, and thanks from our 200 newspaper partners around the country. So, you mentioned gas, but you didn't mention natural gas. And back where you live, your friends and family are paying among the highest prices for natural gas to heat their home and for electricity generation, the number one source of power across New England. The cheap gas is in Pennsylvania. The two highest places to buy gas in the country: New York City and Boston. The problem is the blue states will not allow the gas to travel to produce electricity or to reach customers. When President Trump first came into office, there was some talk him and Governor Hochul in New York possibly reaching a deal. When will consumers in the Northeast feel relief from President Trump's energy policies? And what can he do about state objections to expansion of infrastructure? Then I have a quick follow up. Karoline Leavitt: Sure. Absolutely. Well, the President has promised all Americans across the country, and in particular in the Northeast, where we do face much higher costs of electricity and of energy, unfortunately, because of the Democrat policies in the area. From the federal government's perspective, the President and the National Energy Dominance Council, Secretaries Wright and Burgum, are doing all we can when it comes to federal permitting. The drill baby, drill agenda is obviously underway. The President has made a huge push for more fossil fuels in this country. You look at what he did last week with respect to coal. Coal truly keeps the lights on in this country. We learned that in the recent winter storms. However, there's only so much that can be done at the federal level. That's why the President has called on blue state governors to participate in this energy dominance agenda, including governors in New England and the Northeast by contacting Governor Hochul directly to get this Constitution pipeline underway. This is not only going to bring down the cost of energy in the Northeast, it's also going to support job growth and -- and energy affordability and more opportunity for workers in the Northeast. And I just have a quick statistic here on energy that I found fascinating, and it's obviously true because I'm saying it up here. Red states with Republican legislatures currently enjoy lower average retail electricity prices than blue states with Democrat legislatures. And that's exactly why the President is calling on all blue state governors across New England and the Northeast to get on board. Let's bring prices down for all Americans, whether they live in a red or a blue state. The Press: So, right down the street from your alma mater, Saint Anselm College, there's talk about building an ICE facility that's causing a lot of political agita in New Hampshire and for the Republican Governor Kelly Ayotte. Seems to be some miscommunications, arguing on both sides. Even Republican supporters of Trump who live in the town say we're not sure we want this. What's your message to the folks in New Hampshire about this proposed ICE facility? Karoline Leavitt: The message is that illegal immigration, while the border is secure, is still a problem across our entire homeland. And the previous administration allowed nearly 20 million illegal aliens from countries all over the world into our country. And the President and Secretary Noem have done a phenomenal job at deporting -- nearly three million illegals have left the country either through deportation or self-deportation under -- over the past year. But obviously, there are a lot more illegal alien criminals left in our homeland. That includes in New England. There are many within our communities in New Hampshire, in Maine, definitely in Massachusetts and in the Boston suburbs that need to be arrested, detained and deported back to their home countries. And so, the President and Secretary Noem, and I know ICE, are engaged with local governors across the whole country, including in New Hampshire, to open more detention facilities. This is an unfortunate consequence of the previous administration's border invasion that the President has thankfully put a stop to. But of course, we still need to grapple with the illegal alien criminals who are here, and that requires more detention space. Thank you, Michael. Garrett? The Press: On Iran, I'm not asking you for like military secrets here -- But can you share -- Karoline Leavitt: You know I wouldn't be -- would never be so unwise. The Press: Unless you want to give them. Can you share a little bit about the President's thinking on whether or not to strike Iran, who he's talking to, what information he's consuming and why a strike might be necessary on a nuclear program he says was obliterated by the last US strike? Karoline Leavitt: Well, there's many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against the -- against Iran. The President had a very successful operation as commander in chief with Operation Midnight Hammer, as you know, as you just said, totally obliterated Iran's nuclear facilities. The President has always been very clear, though, with respect to Iran or any country around the world, diplomacy is always his first option. And Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with this administration. He's talking to many people, of course his national security team, first and foremost, and you know who the members of that team are. And this is something obviously the President takes seriously. He's always thinking about what's in the best interest of the United States of America, of our military, of the American people, and that's how he makes decisions with respect to military action of any kind. The Press: And on the flip side of that, he's got the State of the Union speech next week. If he is going to take military action, does the administration believe it's important to sort of convince the American people, sell the American people, will we hear something about that in the State of the Union to make the case for why something like that might be necessary to risk American lives? Karoline Leavitt: Look, again, I'm not going to engage in a hypothetical. Good try, Garrett, but you can't catch me there. I will say with respect to the State of the Union, you'll be hearing more about what is to come from the President's speech very soon at the appropriate time. It is going to be a very good and powerful speech, so everyone should tune in. Ed. The Press: Karoline, thank you. I got two questions for you. Karoline Leavitt: Sure. The Press: About Independence Hall in Philadelphia, um, the administration has decided to appeal a judge's ruling that in essence was trying to put the slavery displays back, arguing that the federal government believed it had the power to assemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts. The judge said it does not. The administration said that you were planning to put up a updated interpretive materials and provide a fuller account of the history of slavery at Independence Hall. What more was the administration or is the administration planning to add? Karoline Leavitt: I'm not familiar with this specific instance, Ed, to be honest with you, but I will check in with the appropriate people who are overseeing this and we'll get you a more firm answer. The Press: One other question then. Karoline Leavitt: Sure. The Press: Yesterday, in his statement about Jesse Jackson, the President said, despite the fact that I'm falsely and consistently called a racist by the scoundrels and lunatics on the radical left, Democrats, all, who was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way. Where or when does the President believe he's been falsely called racist? Karoline Leavitt: You're kidding, right? The Press: No. Karoline Leavitt: I will pull you plethora of examples. I'm going to get my team in that room to start going through the internet of radical Democrats throughout the years, Ed, who have accused this president falsely of being a racist. And I'm sure there's many people in this room and on network television across the country who have accused him of the same. In fact, I know that because I've seen it with my own eyes. And the President, very much looks forward to having an event later this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. to celebrate Black History Month and to talk about how his policies are advancing opportunity and prosperity for all Americans through record tax cuts, through the Trump accounts that all Americans can access regardless of race. These are a great thing for the next generation of Americans. The President has also awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding to strengthen educational outcomes at historically Black colleges and universities across the country. Again, the President is protecting the hard-earned benefits of the 2.4 million Black veterans who honorably served in our nation's armed forces by reducing the backlog of veterans waiting for their VA benefits and for their home loans through the veteran -- Department of Veterans Affairs. So there is a lot this president has done for all Americans regardless of race, and he has absolutely been falsely called and smeared as a racist and I am happy to provide you those receipts and we gladly will right after this briefing. Jennifer, go ahead. The Press: You mentioned the $5 billion in pledges for the Board of Peace. Will we be able to get a breakdown of which countries are providing each of those pledges? Karoline Leavitt: Yes. The Press: And which countries are providing troops? Karoline Leavitt: Sure. We're happy to provide that breakdown, and I'm also happy to provide the list of countries that will be attending tomorrow. I know it's more than 20 countries. I know there's a lot of interest in that. I'll spare myself reading you the list of 20 countries from the podium, but we will provide it. And the President will be opening the meeting tomorrow with remarks and will sort of formally be chairing the meeting at the beginning before he departs for Georgia tomorrow. The Press: And then on the sewage spill, the sewage pipe that broke on the Potomac, can you give us an update on the federal government's response? And officials have told CBS that some of that aging infrastructure is a concern, that this particular pipe wasn't even of the most urgent concern. Do you know if the government is looking into which other pipes could be at risk of collapsing? Karoline Leavitt: Well, the next step in this process is for any of the three local jurisdictions involved, whether that's the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland and Governor Moore or the District of Columbia to step forward and to ask the federal government for help, and to ask for the Stafford Act to be implemented here so that the federal government can go and take control of this local infrastructure that has been abandoned and neglected by Governor Moore in Maryland for far too long. In fact, it's no secret that Maryland's water and infrastructure have been in dire need of repair. Their infrastructure has received a nearly failing grade in the 2025 report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers. This is the same grade they've received five years earlier. There has been no improvement under the leadership of Governor Moore. He's clearly shown he's incapable of fixing this problem, which is why President Trump and the federal government are standing by to step in. And for all of the environmentalists in the room and across the District of Columbia, let's all hope and pray that this governor does the right thing and asks President Trump to get involved, because it will be an ecological and environmental disaster if the federal government does not step in to help. But of course, we need the state and local jurisdictions to make that formal request. That's part of the legal process to move forward. Peter. The Press: So you said that any of the three Democrats just need to ask. A few minutes ago, Maryland's Governor Wes Moore asked. Karoline Leavitt: Wow. The Press: He said, if the President wants me to ask nicely, our response is this, please, Mr. President, do your job. Karoline Leavitt: To which I say, I'll ask the President and we will provide you with the next steps. But in all seriousness, the federal government has been preparing plans. The White House has been in contact with FEMA, with the Army Corps of Engineers, with the Environmental Protection Agency. Again, we've been standing by. This is a problem we want to fix, not just for the federal government but for everyone who lives in the District of Columbia, including all of you. So you're welcome. The Press: To your point about that, there are a lot of events coming up for America 250. The President wants people from all over to come to the nation's capital. Is he worried that by the summer the Potomac River will still smell like poop? Karoline Leavitt: He is worried about that, which is why the federal government wants to fix it and we hope that the local authorities will cooperate with us in doing so. Steve. The Press: What will the $5 billion be used for in Board of Peace? And will that be sort of a down payment for much more money? Karoline Leavitt: You'll be hearing more about that tomorrow at the meeting. If you recall at the first meeting when we were in Davos, Jared Kushner did provide a very detailed PowerPoint presentation for the vision of Gaza, the reconstruction and the humanitarian efforts, of course, providing local security on the ground. That will be part of the discussion tomorrow, is how can we maintain security. First, you must achieve security to get to prosperity, which is sort of the second part of this plan. So you'll be hearing more about that tomorrow. But I would just point out, $5 billion worth of investment. We're talking about reconstructing Gaza. I remember when those words came from the President's lips in the East Room many months ago and all of you in the press were bewildered at how the President could have such an ambitious goal of rebuilding Gaza, which is obviously a place that has been just turmoiled by violence and chaos for many, many years. But we are well underway in doing that and it's a historic accomplishment for this president. Sure. The Press: Is the President seeing enough progress in the Iran talks to let negotiations go a little further? I mean, where do things stand after yesterday's talks? Karoline Leavitt: I think you heard from the administration and the State Department yesterday, that there was a little bit of progress made, but we're still very far apart on some issues. I believe the Iranians are expected to come back to us with some more detail in the next couple of weeks and so the President will continue to watch how this plays out. The Press: Follow-up on that. Karoline Leavitt: Sure. The Press: Follow up on that. Thank you, Karoline. On these Iran talks, I mean, how much time is the President willing to give it before he is seriously maybe considering military action? Is he willing to give it that full two weeks? And has he given the Iranian officials a deadline on when he wants to see a deal? Karoline Leavitt: It's a fair question, Rachel, but I'm not going to set deadlines on behalf of the President of the United States from up here. The Press: And then just one more on the shutdown. Um, we're now in this partial shutdown over DHS funding. Has the President personally spoken to the Democratic leaders in Congress? Can we expect to see them at the White House to try to make a deal on this? Karoline Leavitt: Not to my knowledge, he hasn't had any direct conversation or correspondence with Democrat lawmakers recently. It doesn't mean he's not willing to. I'm just not aware of any conversations that have taken place. I do know the White House and the President's representatives have been in direct conversations with both Democrats and Republicans. But, of course, Democrats are the reason that the Department of Homeland Security is currently shut down. They have chosen to act against the American people for political reasons. And now we have FEMA workers, the men and women of the United States Coast Guard, men and women of TSA, who keep our airports moving, who will be working without paychecks for no good reason other than the Democrats wanting to pick a fight with Donald Trump. And the President thinks that is irresponsible and despicable. He wants the government to be open. We've been engaged in good faith negotiations with Democrats. Last night, they sent over a counterproposal that frankly was very unserious and we hope they get serious very soon because Americans are going to be impacted by this. Sure. The Press: Thanks, Karoline. President Trump has talked about a forthcoming executive order on voter ID. Is there more details you can provide about -- for that? And can you talk about any steps that you're taking to overcome court challenges that you've kind of faced in this area before on voting? Karoline Leavitt: Well, as the President said in that Truth Social post, he's discussing and exploring legal options for a potential executive order with respect to voter ID, but this is something he's made very clear he wants Congress to get done. The SAVE Act is a common sense piece of legislation that has now passed the House of Representatives to ensure that voter ID is a requirement in the United States of America. This is a common sense policy that nearly 90 percent of the country agrees with. You need an ID to go in and purchase alcohol. You need an ID to go to the library and check out a book. And so, the President thinks you should have an ID to vote in our nation's elections. And I know the vast majority of Americans agree with him on that, and he wants Congress to move and move quickly to get it done. The Press: Thank you so much. Can I ask on Cuba? Karoline Leavitt: Sure. The Press: On Cuba, you know, it's increasingly being described as a humanitarian crisis. What is a successful outcome for the US that the US wants to see in Cuba? Is there anything less than regime change that would be considered success? Karoline Leavitt: I think as Secretary Rubio has articulated, and the President himself, we obviously want to see flourishing and prosperous democracies all over the world, especially in our own hemisphere. I'm not dictating any actions the United States may take to get there, but I -- of course, that's in the United States best interest, to have Cuba be a truly free and prosperous democracy. Unfortunately, right now that is not the case. They are a regime that is falling. Their country is collapsin and that's why we believe it's in their best interest to make very dramatic changes very soon. And we'll see what they decide to do. Sure. The Press: Thank you so much. Following up on Gaza, this $5 billion, who exactly will be in charge of managing this -- this money? Would that be the President himself making the final decisions on how these funds are spent? Karoline Leavitt: It will be the Board of Peace, which the President is, of course, the chairman of. But all of the member parties, I believe, will have votes on the funding, and then of course there is that technocratic layer underneath the official Board of Peace with the member countries that will be making decisions as well. So, if you just go back and look at the first event that we had where we sort of unveiled the structure of the Board of Peace, that structure remains in place and they'll be overseeing the funds that will be announced tomorrow for their reconstruction and humanitarian efforts. Sure. The Press: Another question on that Board of Peace announcement. You mentioned there will be the announcement of who comprises that international stability force. How soon will that force be deployed? And have all of the regional partners, all of the regional countries signed off on the makeup of that force? Karoline Leavitt: I don't have a timeline for you today. But again, I'm sure you'll hear more about this tomorrow. So -- hope you'll join us at the event. Deanna? The Press: Thanks, Karoline. Two questions. Karoline Leavitt: Sure. The Press: First, the President has talked a lot about housing affordability, and several countries that are facing housing shortages, including Canada for example, have imposed a ban on non-citizens, like foreigners, from buying their houses. Do you know if that's a strategy that the President would be willing to deploy? Karoline Leavitt: Well, first of all, the President is obviously committed to deporting illegal aliens from our country and those who are not lawfully present in the United States, which he has done at a record pace, which has led to the falling of rents, as I pointed out in my opening remarks. Secondly, the President has recently announced that he is fighting for a ban on institutional investors and Wall Street billionaire corporations from buying up single family homes that should be lived in, in his opinion, by American families. We know this is going to have a remarkable impact on the housing market and on prices and supply and demand for the American consumer and the American family. And then thirdly, the President is also expediting permitting as fast as we possibly can to build more homes, to increase supply to obviously bring down the cost of -- of -- of homeownership and purchasing homes for the American people. And then also, as I mentioned as well, we do see mortgage rates falling. So, all of this is -- is combining to make housing more affordable in this country. There's still a lot more to do. The President is still digging his way out of the mess that was created by Joe Biden's administration in jacking up mortgage rates and jacking up housing costs. But we do see very positive trends in this direction, and the President wants the United States to be a nation of owners, not renters. He wants families to live in homes, not institutions and big corporations. Michael? The Press: On Ukraine, Karoline -- secondly, on Ukraine -- Karoline Leavitt: Sure. The Press: Yesterday Zelenskyy said in an interview that he doesn't -- he says that it's not fair that the President is saying that Ukraine has to make concessions, he's saying this publicly, and not Russia. Has the President seen these comments? And when the President says that Ukraine has to make concessions, is he referring to giving up Donbas? Karoline Leavitt: I think the President would respond to that by saying he does not think it's fair that thousands of Ukrainians are losing their lives, and Russians too, in this deadly war. And that's why the President and his team have committed a tremendous amount of time and energy in bringing this war -- that is very far away from the United States of America. But nevertheless, this is a president of peace and so he's committed a tremendous amount of time and energy to bringing this war to an end. Just yesterday, there was another round of trilateral talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine. There was meaningful progress made. And both parties -- both sides agreed to update their respective leaders and to continue to work towards a peace deal together. So, there will be another round of talks in the future. But I think the President views this entire situation as very unfair, not just for Russians and Ukrainians who have lost their lives, but also for the American people and the American taxpayer, who are footing the bill for this war effort before President Trump put a stop to it. And I would just remind everyone around the world that the United States is still selling weapons to NATO that are then being sent to Ukraine in their defense of their freedom and their borders. Michael? The Press: Karoline, Russia is reportedly joining Iran for joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman this week. Has the President issued any kind of warning to Russia or even China not to involve itself if the US decides to strike Iran? Karoline Leavitt: Not to my knowledge, no, or not that I would dictate from this podium. I wouldn't reveal the President's private conversations with world leaders with respect to that. Again, when it comes to Iran, the President has a decision to make and he will do that, and I'm not going to broadcast what that decision may be ahead of him. The Press: Karoline? President Barack Obama, Karoline, was recently asked if aliens are real. He says they're real but he hasn't seen them. The President's daughter in law, Lara Trump, told Miranda Devine of the New York Post that the President has a prepared speech on this issue that he prepares to deliver at the right time. Is that true? And does the Trump administration believe aliens are real? Karoline Leavitt: Well, a speech on aliens would be news to me. That sounds very exciting, though I'll have to check in with our speechwriting team. And that would be of great interest to me personally, I'm sure all of you in this room, and apparently former President Obama too. So, we'll keep you posted on that. Tyler? The Press: Thank you, Karoline. The White House has touted an unprecedented amount of cooperation with counties in Minneapolis after the negotiations with Tom Homan. Are those written or verbal deals with the sheriff? How many have agreed to cooperate on immigration enforcement who previously refused to do so? Karoline Leavitt: Yeah, the last time I spoke with Mr. Homan, which was just a few days ago, he assured us that nearly every single county in the state of Minnesota has agreed to notify ICE when they are releasing criminal illegal aliens from their jails. This is an unprecedented level of cooperation that we have not seen. It has led to not only cooperation to detain illegal aliens in Minnesota -- which just this past week I have looked at the list, they've detained some very heinous people who none of you would want living in your communities -- but it also led to a much more calm situation on the ground. We've also seen, and you've seen this with your own eyes play out, the local police and the state police have now cooperated in the arrests of left wing agitators and criminals who are unlawfully obstructing immigration enforcement and their efforts. So, this is a huge win. And again, the President sent Mr. Homan to Minnesota to do a job, and he has done it well. And I think the situation on the ground proves that. The Press: Karoline? Are those, like, written agreements that -- they've been signed by various officials in the state? Karoline Leavitt: These are agreements that have been made by state and local officials and the federal government, and we are seeing that cooperation play out every single day. These counties are notifying ICE when they are releasing criminal illegals from their jail, and we do know that they are arresting left wing agitators who are unlawfully impeding law enforcement. There's video to show that -- show it yourself. You can view it with your own eyes. John? The Press: Thank you, Karoline. The -- you mentioned two things, DHS closed and the SAVE Act IDs. Both of these could get solved in 15 minutes if Senate Leader John Thune simply got rid of this phony 60 vote cloture rule and got 51 votes, and that would be the end of it. Because everyone in this room knows if the Democrats take over, they'll get rid of that rule in 90 minutes. They already tried it one time, and the two Democratic senators that stopped it are no longer there, Manchin and Sinema. President Trump is backing a lot of these senators for reelection, and yet they will not get rid of the 60 vote cloture rule which is holding everything up. What is the President's position on John Thune and the Senate finally getting rid of this so this legislation can get moved? Karoline Leavitt: Well, the President has a good relationship with Senate Majority Leader John Thune. They keep in very close contact and they work together all of the time. I hear your passion in your voice, and I know it's shared by many Americans across the country, including the President himself. He wants to see the SAVE Act voted, and he's expressed that both publicly to all of you, the American people, but also privately in his conversations with Senate Majority Leader Thune and many other members of Congress as well. Yes, Rob, go ahead. Good to see you. The Press: So JB Pritzker just recently signed the bill. The law went into effect in January and it's supposedly going to allocate about $2.5 billion to illegals to go to college on financial aid, um, in the state of Illinois. What is the White House's reaction to this? Illinois is already by 2027, they're supposed to have a $3 billion deficit. What's your reaction to that? Karoline Leavitt: Yeah. We'll have to take a look at that. I would say the President certainly thinks that Governor Pritzker is not doing a very good job of managing his state, as evidenced by not only the waste, fraud and abuse, but also the crime in the city of Chicago that unfortunately, Governor Pritzker has refused to pick up the phone call -- phone and call the White House and ask for help on, which is something his residents want him to do, but he refuses to do for political reasons. As for the specific money, we'll take a look and get you an answer. You're welcome. John. The Press: Thanks a lot, Karoline. Two questions. One is about the President's trip to Georgia tomorrow, if you can provide some additional information about that, why Northwest Georgia was chosen for this particular trip, for instance? Karoline Leavitt: Sure. Well, Georgia is obviously a very important state to the President and to the Republican Party. And the President loves the people of Georgia. He'll be touring, like I said, a steel facility and then he'll also be stopping by another local business. And he will be giving remarks on affordability, on the economy, on all of the great economic news that I just shared with you earlier. He'll be meeting and greeting with everyday Americans and that's what the President loves to do, to get out across the country. And he's spoken about his intention to go across the country a lot more and obviously tomorrow's trip is evidence of that. The Press: And secondly, last week, as you know, big event that took place in the Roosevelt Room, the President announcing that the EPA has repealed these federal limits on emissions for cars, trucks and power plants. And in the President's presentation, he mentioned that American families will save $2,500 for a new car or truck. Where is the promise coming from automakers that they're going to pass along their savings to those families all across the country? Karoline Leavitt: It's a great question, John. That was an economic analysis that was provided to the President and I'd be happy to provide that to you, so you can take a look yourself. But I'm glad you brought up the President's announcement last week because this is one of the largest deregulatory actions ever taken in the United States of America. And overall, it's going to save our country $1.3 trillion in regulatory -- regulatory burdens that have really done nothing for our country, nothing for our environment, nothing for our economy. In fact, this announcement received widespread and bipartisan praise. I think I recall seeing the editorial board of the Washington Post, of all places, even commending the President and Administrator Zeldin for this historic action last week. So there's no doubt it is going to save the American consumer money and I'd be happy to provide that specific economic analysis to you. Sure, in the middle. Go ahead. Yes. The Press: Thank you. Governor Moore in Maryland signed a bill that is ending the law enforcement cooperation with ICE. And by doing that, a lot of local sheriffs are not happy. And in fact, they met today in Annapolis to come up with a legal action. What is the message to the White House to all sheriffs and to the residents of Maryland? Karoline Leavitt: Well, first of all, it's another despicable action by Governor Wes Moore. Why would you prevent your state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal law enforcement? If you just ask them -- to your point, if you ask sheriff across the country, if they want to have that level of cooperation and coordination with the federal government, of course they do. It makes their jobs easier. It keeps them out of hostile and dangerous environments. It allows them to detain illegal alien criminals who have committed heinous crimes in our country with -- with, um, the most safe circumstances possible. So the President, of course, continues to always stand on the side of law enforcement and this is another just horrible and frankly, political action taken by Governor Wes Moore. And unfortunately, the people of his state are going to reap the consequences of it. Sure. The Press: Thank you, Karoline. President Trump just said on Truth Social that it would be a big mistake for the UK to hand over control of Chagos Islands to Mauritius. But the State Department earlier this week has said the US does support that handover. So does this post now suggest that the US does not or that Trump -- President Trump had changed his mind on this? Karoline Leavitt: The post should be taken as the policy of the Trump administration. It's coming straight from the horse's mouth. When you see it on Truth Social, you know it's directly from President Trump. That's the beauty of this president in his transparency and relaying this administration's policies to all of you and to the rest of the world. Kerry. Go ahead. The Press: Karoline, there's been a series of walkouts from public school students that have been sort of provoked by a number of public school administrators. What are your thoughts on this? What's the administration's thoughts on this? Will they be taking any actions on these walkouts against ICE? Karoline Leavitt: Look, I think obviously the President and the administration support the First Amendment rights of all American citizens. And if they're peacefully protesting, then that's their constitutional obligation and right and responsibility to do so. Of course, the administration also wants to see American school children in school, learning and educating. And I think it does speak to the left wing bias that is unfortunately very present in our nation's public school system. And it's something that Secretary McMahon has been working very hard to root out of our public school system by ensuring that local governance and local control takes place over our nation's public schools, and that parents and educators closest to students have a greater say over curriculum and academia in our country. Take a couple more. Go ahead. The Press: Thank you, Karoline. The Vatican announced earlier today that they would not be joining the Board of Peace Initiatives over concerns that it could potentially compete with the United Nations over handling crisis conflicts. What's the White House's response to that? Karoline Leavitt: Yeah. Look, we saw that. I think it's deeply unfortunate. I don't think that peace should be partisan or political or controversial. And of course, the administration wants all those who were invited to join the Board of Peace to join, because again, the Board of Peace is overseeing the reconstruction of a territory that has been plagued with violence, with bloodshed, with poverty for far too long. And this president has a very bold and ambitious plan and vision to rebuild and reconstruct Gaza, which is well underway because of the Board of Peace. This is a -- a legitimate organization where there are tens of -- of member countries from around the world and we think that's an unfortunate decision. In the back. Sure. I'll go to both of you. Sure. Go ahead and then, Jake, you can go. The Press: Karoline, can you tell me, is there an update regarding the tariff rebate checks that the White House has promised? Karoline Leavitt: I don't have an update for you on timeline, but I know that it's something that the President and his economic team continue to very seriously discuss. The Press: Thank you, Karoline. I've got two questions. First, does the President see some sort of religious or prophetic component to the unfolding developments in the Middle East? Karoline Leavitt: I haven't spoken to him about that particular perspective, to be honest with you. But, of course, the President wants peace for all people of all faiths all around the world. And that's part of his push to create peace in the Middle East, which he has done successfully. The Press: And my second question is, as his popularity rises around the world and especially in regions where he's invested so much effort in promoting peace and ending wars, do you think we might be watching the emergence of a global MAGA movement? Is this something that the President has discussed at all? Karoline Leavitt: Well, I don't know, Jake, but I sure hope so. Take a couple more. Go ahead. Sure. The Press: I wanted to ask you about Iran. As the US military builds up around Iran, is President Trump coordinating war plans with Israel so that if he does decide to strike, that Israel will be a part of those strikes? Karoline Leavitt: Look, I don't have any specifics on the President's recent conversations with Israel. As you know, Prime Minister Netanyahu was just here at the White House last week or the week before. But again, with respect to Iran, there was some progress made yesterday. There are still a lot of details to discuss and we'll continue to see how this plays out. You know, the United States government, of course, is always in close communication and correspondence with the State of Israel and that starts right at the top with the President and Prime Minister Netanyahu themselves. One more. Go ahead. The Press: Last week, we saw the underlying affidavit for the search warrant that was executed in Fulton County and there was not any mention in that document about foreign election interference in the 2020 election. I'm wondering if DNI Gabbard has uncovered that in Georgia or in Puerto Rico, where we know her team was sent as well? Karoline Leavitt: I don't have any updates for you on that today. I would refer you to the director's office herself. Sure. The Press: Karoline, two questions, one on the -- on the President's schedule today, it says he has signing time. What is he signing today? Are we expecting executive orders or actions? That's the first question. And then second, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that a US arms sale package for Taiwan is in limbo. Can you just confirm this reporting slash offer any additional comment? And how concerned is the administration that if -- if an arms deal with Taiwan went through, that this could disrupt the China-US trade truce? Karoline Leavitt: Sure. Well, I haven't read the full Wall Street Journal report. I will just say with respect to an arms sale to Taiwan, I don't have any announcements or updates on that for you today. Uh, and to your first question about what the President will be signing, he will be signing an executive order, which you will all be hearing about later this afternoon and you will see him in one hour at the Black History Month reception. We'll see you there. Thank you.