Karoline Leavitt Holds White House Press Briefing As US-China Tariff War Intensifies

3 days ago

Karoline Leavitt holds a White House press briefing.

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Transcript

00:00Good afternoon, everybody. Happy Friday. As you all know, the president is currently

00:09undergoing his routine and long-scheduled physical at Walter Reed Medical Center, and

00:14we will have a readout from the White House physician. Last night, Kassina Karolina arrived

00:19back safely in the United States after being detained in Russia for more than a year. Since

00:25Inauguration Day, President Trump and his team have secured the release of more than 40 detained

00:30Americans abroad. This is more than half of the number of Americans released by Joe Biden

00:36in four years, and President Trump has brought these Americans home in 80 days. This administration

00:42will continue to work hard to bring Americans home from around the world. As I've said before,

00:49and I will say it again today, everybody in this room has access to the most transparent

00:53and accessible president in American history. The cabinet meeting yesterday was further

00:58proof. President Trump asked each secretary to provide an update to all of you in the

01:04media on the critical work they are doing at their respective agencies to deliver on his

01:08agenda. And according to new reporting from The Washington Times, who I believe is in this

01:13room today, President Trump answered nearly 100 questions from the press, all of you, during

01:18his first three open press cabinet meetings this year. That's nearly 20 times the number

01:24answered by Joe Biden in cabinet meetings during his entire four years in office.

01:30In more excellent economic news that was released yesterday, the Consumer Price Index report showed

01:35inflation fell to 2.4% in March, smashing expectations for the second straight month in a row. This marked

01:42the first drop in consumer prices dating all the way back to the COVID pandemic. Prescription drug prices saw

01:48the largest monthly decline on record. Prices for airfare, used vehicles and car insurance all decreased as

01:55well. And energy prices fell 2.4% in March, driven by plummeting gas prices around the country. Also yesterday,

02:03House Republicans answered President Trump's call to move forward the budget resolution and officially set the

02:09stage for the passage of one big beautiful bill. The American economy will boom after this bill is

02:15passed and the rest of the president's pro growth agenda goes into effect. The largest tax cuts and

02:21deregulation in history coupled with our energy industry unleashed and renegotiated trade agreements

02:27that put America first are the ultimate formula to usher in the golden age of America. On that note,

02:34more than 75 countries have now reached out to the Trump administration eager to address the trade

02:39issues that have exploited America and hurt our workers in the process. The phones have been ringing

02:46off the hook to make deals, and these countries wisely heeded President Trump's warning not to retaliate,

02:52and as a result, they were rewarded with a 90-day pause and substantially lower reciprocal tariff rates

02:58during this period so potential solutions can be achieved. Past presidents just willingly

03:03accepted the failed status quo on trade that ripped off our workers and our companies, but that's not

03:09who this president is. He creates his own leverage and negotiates deals better than anyone else who has

03:14sat in the Oval Office before him, and that process is currently underway. On another matter, the deadline

03:21for registration under the Alien Registration Act is today. All foreign nationals present in the United

03:27States longer than 30 days must register with the federal government. Failure to comply with this

03:34is a crime punishable by fines, imprisonment, or both. As President Trump and Secretary Noem have both said,

03:41if you register and you leave now, you choose to self-deport. You may have the opportunity to return

03:47later legally, but if not, you will be arrested, fined, deported, never to return to our country again.

03:55The Trump administration will continue to enforce our nation's immigration laws. We will not pick and

04:00choose which laws to enforce. We must know who is in our country for the safety and the security of

04:06our homeland and for all American citizens. I also have a note from the First Lady to share with you

04:12on this Friday. On Tuesday this week, First Lady Melania Trump celebrated the advancement of the Take

04:17It Down Act in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The important legislation passed the committee with

04:22bipartisan support and, as you may remember, the President talked about this bill in his address

04:27to a joint session of Congress last month. The First Lady remains dedicated to her championing

04:33child well-being, ensuring that every young person can thrive, and, of course, championing her Be Best

04:39agenda. We urge Congress to swiftly pass this important legislation. Here in our new media seat today,

04:45we have Jordan Berman. Jordan is a social media content creator and influencer and a lawyer who

04:51grew up her grew up following breaking down the news from a neutral perspective. Jordan is the host of

04:57her own podcast called Unbiased Politics, where she dissects the top stories from the week from a legal

05:03perspective. Jordan focuses on bringing back real journalism journalism from a nonpartisan perspective

05:09and has mastered explaining complex legal decisions to a mass audience in the short-term, short-form

05:14context. Her two biggest platforms are TikTok and Instagram, where she has roughly half a million

05:19followers on each. With that, please kick us off, Jordan. Thank you. As you know, yesterday the House has

05:25the Save Act and many married women, soon-to-be-married women, are concerned that the new voter ID

05:33requirements may inhibit their access to the polls. What assurances can you give women voters in America

05:40to ease their concerns? Sure. Well, the Save Act, as you mentioned,

05:44was passed by the House yesterday. This is the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. I believe

05:49I'm getting that correct. And this act is a common sense measure. It would require proof of citizenship for

05:54voting in our elections. The Democrats have been fear-mongering about this bill, have been saying that

06:00married woman, if their name has changed, they didn't change it on their identification, would

06:05not be able to vote. That is complete fallacy. There are outline in the bill about how to avoid that.

06:10The President very much supports a common sense solution to ensuring that only citizens can engage

06:15in our elections. This is critical to improving the integrity of our elections and also the trust that

06:21American citizens need to have in our electoral process. So the President supports this bill,

06:26and that is a myth that has been proven wrong by the text of this bill. And I believe some of the

06:31co-sponsors of the bill have been very vocal in addressing that. And certainly I myself, as a married

06:36woman, would not stand before this podium if their President did not support such a common sense measure.

06:41Thank you. For my next question, I actually want to give a voice to the American people. I sourced

06:46a question from one of my listeners. Her name is Brynn. She is from Oregon. And she asked,

06:50what if any plans do you have, the administration, for the money that will be generated by tariffs

06:56imposed on foreign goods? How will the administration facilitate the development of

07:01American industries when many critical components, labor parts, et cetera, are much cheaper and more

07:06feasible from foreign entities? It's a great question from your listener,

07:10and I want to thank her for submitting it to you to ask. That's the part of the new media seed is so that

07:15everyday Americans across the country have a voice in this room. So thank you again for being here.

07:19Thanks for the question. The President's point about his trade and tariff agenda is to bolster

07:24our manufacturing industries here in our country, to bring down the cost of living here in our

07:30country, and to ensure that we are maintaining critical supply chains here in America. We cannot be

07:35dependent on countries like China if we want this country to be strong and wealthy. So the President

07:40wants to restore wealth to America by shoring up these jobs here at home, which will result in good

07:46paying jobs and higher wages for the American public. And so Americans should trust in that process.

07:52He effectively implemented tariffs in his first term while driving down the cost of living in this

07:57country, and that's what he's focused on doing again. Thank you.

07:59As a follow-up question, could I just ask, are there any specific ideas that the administration has

08:04as to what that revenue, specific tariff revenue, will be used for?

08:08Ms. Sure. Yes. To the heart of your question,

08:09the President has spoke about the trillions of dollars that he expects in revenue from tariffs

08:13and how we can use it to pay down our debt and to ensure that we are no longer faced with a triple

08:19a crippling national debt in the trillions that is going to bankrupt our nation for future generations.

08:24So that money coming back home will make America in the green rather than in the red,

08:28which any small business owner across the country, I believe, can appreciate.

08:31Ms. Thank you so much.

08:32Ms. Thank you. Kelly.

08:33The Press.

08:35Tomorrow there will be negotiations between the United States and Iran through

08:40Oman. What are the President's chief goals for that? And is he satisfied with how Iran is responding

08:46to this? They don't want direct face-to-face negotiations. Instead, sort of old-school

08:50shuttle diplomacy where they're in separate rooms and messages are passed back and forth. So is the

08:55President comfortable with the arrangement there? And what is the chief objective?

09:00Ms. Well, I have spoken to both the President and also

09:03his national security team who will be engaged in these discussions. These will be direct talks

09:07with the Iranians. And I want to make that very clear. I also spoke to the President just last

09:11night about his goal when it comes to Iran. And he has reiterated repeatedly to all of you publicly

09:17and also privately to his team here at the White House, his ultimate goal and the ultimate objective

09:22is to ensure that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. The President believes in diplomacy, direct

09:29talks, talking directly in the same room in order to achieve that goal. But he's made it very clear to

09:35the Iranians, and his national security team will as well, that all options are on the table and Iran

09:40has a choice to make. You can agree to President Trump's demand or there will be all hell to pay. And that's

09:47how the President feels. He feels very strongly about it. And can you update us on Mr. Witkoff

09:51in Russia and what's happening with direct communications with Vladimir Putin?

09:56Ms. I can confirm that Mr. Witkoff is in Russia to have direct communications

10:01with the Kremlin and with Vladimir Putin. This is another step in the negotiating process towards

10:06a ceasefire and an ultimate peace deal in Russia and Ukraine. As these negotiations are ongoing,

10:11I obviously will not get ahead of the President or his team. But I think the President has been quite

10:15clear that he's been continually frustrated with both sides of this conflict, and he wants to see

10:20this fighting end. He wants the war to end. We believe we have leverage in negotiating a deal,

10:26a peace deal, and we're going to use that leverage. And the President is determined to see this through.

10:32The Press. Thanks, Kelly. President Trump has said China wants to make a deal on tariffs. The President

10:38says he has a great relationship with Chinese President Xi. He's willing to speak with him directly.

10:43Why doesn't the President just pick up the phone and get this ball going?

10:46Ms. All of the things the President just said are true. The President, as I said from the podium

10:51just a few days ago when I was up here, would be gracious if China intends to make a deal with

10:56the United States. If China continues to retaliate, it's not good for China. The United States of America

11:01is the strongest, best economy in the world, as evidenced by the more than 75 countries who have

11:07called the administration immediately to cut good deals. So the President wants to do what's right for the

11:11American people. He wants to see fair trade practices around the globe, and that's his

11:16intention and his goal. The Press. So is he waiting for

11:18China to make the first move here? Ms. I'm not going to comment on

11:21communications that are happening or may not be happening, or either way. We'll leave it to our

11:26national security team to get these discussions underway. And as always, in the effort of transparency,

11:32we will provide updates moving forward. But the President has made it very clear he's open to a deal with

11:36China. The Press. Why is he optimistic that China is going to make a deal, or wants to make a deal?

11:40If they're not talking, where does that optimism come from? He's optimistic.

11:44Okay. Why would any of our allies work with us to isolate China in a trade war

11:49if we're treating friend and foe alike? You'll have to talk to our allies who are

11:53reaching out to us. The phones are ringing off of the hooks. They've made it very clear

11:57they need the United States of America. They need our markets. They need our consumer base.

12:01You saw Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office with the President

12:06saying that he was going to bring down all of their monetary tariffs and their

12:09non-monetary tariff trade barriers as well. We've heard from South Korea. We've heard from Japan.

12:15The President has spoken to Vietnam. We have Italy coming to the White House next week.

12:19There's a reason for that, Sean, and it's because they need the United States of America

12:23and our business model and our markets to survive. And the President is using that leverage to our

12:28advantage. Michael.

12:29Hey, thank you, Caroline. Two-part question on China. Beijing says it will simply ignore

12:34any further tariff escalations from the U.S. Does President Trump see this as China backing down?

12:40And as a follow-up to that, what do you say to people like Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary who say,

12:45you guys simply haven't tariffed China enough?

12:47MS. Look, the tariff rate on China remains where it was yesterday at the 145 percent level.

12:53The President made it very clear when the United States is punched, he will punch back harder.

12:58And he hopes to make a deal that benefits the American worker and our companies that have been

13:03ripped off for far too long. And he's finally taking bold and courageous action to do that.

13:07You know, taking on China is, in the terms of trade and tariffs, is something that both Democrats

13:13and Republicans alike have spoken about for decades. President Trump is finally doing it.

13:17Caroline, real quick, the President of El Salvador is coming to the White House on Monday.

13:21Does President Trump want him to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia with him?

13:25MS. The Supreme Court made their ruling last night very clear that it's the administration's

13:31responsibility to facilitate the return, not to effectuate the return. I believe the

13:36Department of Justice just filed another brief in the lower court. I would defer you to that for any

13:41updates. But as you mentioned, President Bukele will be here at the White House on Monday to talk

13:45about the cooperation that is at an all-time high. And we very much appreciate President Bukele and

13:51El Salvador's cooperation and the repatriation of El Salvadorian gang members who the previous

13:56administration allowed to infiltrate our country. Sure.

14:00The Press. Thank you very much, Caroline. The President spoke quite highly of the great

14:05relationship that he has with the Turkish President. We know that the President might be heading off to the

14:10Middle East very soon. Is he planning to meet with the Turkish President either here in the White House

14:16or in Turkey? Any plans? MS. I don't have any details about the President's overseas trip,

14:20other than to say he was surely going to Saudi Arabia. There could be more countries as part of

14:25that trip. We're working on the details. And as I've said repeatedly, we will provide the details of

14:29that trip as soon as possible. The Press.

14:30On the concentration? The trip to Turkey or his invitation to the Turkish President is on the concentration?

14:36MS. I am not going to comment on the details of the trip. But once they're confirmed,

14:40I will certainly let you all know. Yes, Stephen.

14:43Thank you, Caroline. I'd like to ask you about presidential health and also about tariffs.

14:48On presidential health, are there plans for the President's position to come here and take our

14:52questions? And also, President Trump repeatedly makes remarks about the former President's health.

14:58Is he considering using his executive powers to bring any greater transparency there?

15:02MS. As I have said, the President is undergoing his long-scheduled physical. It's a yearly physical

15:08that every President receives. And we will provide an update on that by the President's position as

15:14soon as we possibly can. And about the former President and

15:16transparency regarding his health, are there some questions?

15:18MS. Well, I can tell you there was certainly a lack of transparency from the former President,

15:23from the entire former administration. And frankly, a lot of people in this room,

15:27when it came to the health and the competence of the former President of the United States,

15:32Joe Biden. There was one of the greatest cover-ups and, frankly, political scandals

15:36this nation has ever seen. It's been unraveled in some recent books that are being written by

15:40journalists who engaged in that cover-up and scandal, which is quite ironic. But this President is

15:45clearly committed to transparency. You in this room see him and hear from him on a daily basis.

15:51You in this room know from covering him it's hard to keep up with him. He is a machine working

15:56around the clock every single day. And the physician, after today's physical,

16:00will provide an update on the report in the effort of transparency.

16:03If I could ask about tariffs. There have been big swings this week in the Treasury

16:08bond yields. There's a theory that it might be because of China dumping these as leverage,

16:14driving up costs for U.S. loans like mortgages. Does the White House have evidence that this is,

16:19in fact, a result of Chinese dumping? And if so, is there a message on that?

16:22MS. Not to my knowledge, but I would check in with the Treasury Department on that.

16:25I can tell you I know our Secretary of Treasury, Scott Besant, is keeping a very

16:30close eye on the bond market. He spoke about it at the White House this week,

16:33and I know he's keeping his eyes on it day to day. Ed.

16:36Thanks. Thank you, Carolyn. So the administration, I have an administration

16:40source who's telling me that we're weeks away from the first deal with the country over tariffs.

16:45Where is the administration? How soon can we see that? And what country is that?

16:49MS. I won't reveal or get ahead of our trade team as these negotiations are obviously ongoing.

16:54But I can tell you very good progress has been made. Jameson Greer was on television this morning,

16:59and I spoke to him, and he confirmed that more than 15 offers are already on the table,

17:04which is remarkable in just a mere matter of days. And as I said earlier, we've heard from

17:09more than 75 countries around the world. This is a team effort. The President has a team of great,

17:14brilliant advisors who have been with him every step of the way, and all of them will be divvying up the

17:20workload. And I just want to give the President and his trade team credit for taking this on.

17:25This is a massive undertaking. There's no doubt about it. We take it very seriously. The President

17:29is determined to renegotiate global trade on behalf of American workers. And again,

17:34you've seen people on both sides of the aisles calling for this for years, but I think no other

17:39President lacked the courage or maybe the work ethic or the stamina to take on such a task. And I know

17:45there were some questions about the President's delayed departure earlier to Walter Reed. I'd like

17:48to address, it was because he's working on this very issue, so he was running a bit behind this

17:53morning. The Press on the 90-day pause, is what would the President need to see in order to extend

17:58that 90-day pause for countries on terms? Ms. Well, I think the President addressed

18:02this yesterday when he said he's hoping that there will be good deals made before the 90 days is up.

18:08And we will cut those deals as soon as we possibly can, country by country, tailor-made deals for each and

18:13every country as they all propose unique challenges and unique assets to each country,

18:19advantages rather. And if, when that 90-day mark hits, the President will make that decision then.

18:26The Press on a different subject. So, a bird earlier attacked my colleague

18:30Peter Ducey during a live shot at the White House.

18:32Ms. I'm wondering if that's why Peter is absent from the seat. Is he doing okay?

18:36The Press on the White House.

18:36Ms. He's recovering.

18:37Ms. Has anyone checked on him?

18:38The Press on the White House.

18:39The Press on the White House.

18:40The Press on the White House.

18:41The Press on the White House.

18:42I could check in with GSA to see if anybody here is looking into it.

18:46I also understand there was a mouse in the briefing room earlier today,

18:48so I'm hoping somebody checked in on that, as I'm hoping it doesn't run up here and distract me.

18:54That would be a good way for all of you to distract me, actually, have a mouse come run up here.

18:59So, I'll get an answer for you on that, and out of respect for our good friend Peter.

19:04Jeff.

19:04Why is American consumer confidence so low?

19:07Ms. Look, I think there's a great optimism in this economy.

19:11Great optimism for the American people.

19:13A lot of reason for people to feel optimistic.

19:16The President is, as I just said, trying to renegotiate the global trade agenda that has

19:22ripped off the American people for far too long.

19:24As he said, this is going to be a period of transition.

19:27He wants consumers to trust in him, and they should trust in him.

19:30Look at what he did in his first term.

19:32And I just want to reiterate all of the reasons to be confident since you asked, Jeff.

19:35For those watching at home, yesterday, the CPI report, inflation declined massively.

19:40Consumer prices are dropping for the first time in years.

19:43Energy prices are down.

19:44In fact, oil prices are down 20 percent since this President took office.

19:48Wholesale prices fell again.

19:50There have been trillions of dollars in investments into this country.

19:54Every day, the President is signing executive orders to cut regulation,

19:58especially when it comes to Environmental Protection Agency, our energy industry.

20:02That's going to unleash the economic boom in this country that we saw in the President's first term.

20:07So trust in President Trump.

20:08He knows what he's doing.

20:09This is a proven economic formula.

20:11What is he asking of Americans at this time?

20:14He talked about transition costs, transition problems.

20:16Is he asking something specific for Americans to do?

20:19Ms. No, I think the President is asking for Americans.

20:24Trust in Trump.

20:25As I just said, trust in his economic agenda and formula.

20:27It's a proven formula that works.

20:29And by the way, clearly, American people do, in fact, trust him.

20:32Because they did just overwhelmingly elect him to this office.

20:35Jennifer.

20:35Is he going — I'm asking about the physical.

20:38Is he undergoing any general anesthesia?

20:41And can you outline any of the other tests that he's doing today?

20:44Ms. He is not.

20:44He is undergoing quite a few tests, imaging.

20:47Again, it's a long — or it's a yearly physical, so there's quite a lot that goes into it

20:52to make sure the President is accomplishing all of his goals.

20:56And we will provide a readout of that as soon as we can.

20:59And will you be committed to releasing all of the results, as many of the results as possible?

21:05Ms. Of course, yes.

21:06The President's physician will do that.

21:07I spoke with him this morning.

21:08Ms. Sure.

21:08The Press.

21:09The Press.

21:10The Press.

21:11The Press.

21:12The Press.

21:13The Press.

21:14The Press.

21:15The Press.

21:16The Press.

21:17The Press.

21:18The Press.

21:19The Press.

21:20The Press.

21:21The Press.

21:23Is it working out with Bobby Kennedy?

21:24And is he eating less McDonald's?

21:25Ms. I can confirm, the President is in very good shape, as you see, on a near daily

21:27basis here.

21:28And in that vein, thank God it's Friday.

21:30It's been a very long and busy week here at the White House.

21:33We will see you all on Monday.

21:34And we will release the results of that report as soon as we can.

21:38Have a great weekend, everybody.

21:40Dr. n Você.

21:41Great.

Karoline Leavitt Holds White House Press Briefing As US-China Tariff War Intensifies

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