Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, May 09, 2025

Good afternoon, everybody. Good to see all of you. Happy Friday. The President looks forward to embarking on his historic return to the Middle east, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week, where he will focus on strengthening ties between our nations. Eight years ago, President Trump's first trip was to this city, same region of the world, where he introduced his bold peace through strength foreign policy strategy. On that trip, the President laid out his goal of eradicating terrorism and extremism in the region, which he successfully accomplished over the course of his administration with the total defeat of ISIS in the historic signing of the Abraham Accords. Now, eight years later, President Trump will return to re emphasize his continued vision for a proud, prosperous and successful Middle east where the United States and Middle Eastern nations are in cooperative relationships and where extremism is defeated. In place of commerce and cultural exchanges, this trip ultimately highlights how we stand on the brink of the golden age for both America and the Middle east, united by a shared vision of stability, opportunity and mutual respect. The President greatly looks forward to visiting with our brave men and women in uniform at our U.S. air base in Qatar throughout this trip. Yesterday, President Trump demonstrated the art of the deal and secured a historic trade agreement. Despite all of the naysayers who said no deals were coming. That, of course, turned out to be untrue. On the 80th anniversary of Victory Day for World War II, President Trump announced a great deal that provides American companies unprecedented access to the UK markets while bolstering US national security. This trade deal will massively expand US market access in the United Kingdom, creating a 5 billion dollar opportunity for new exports for US farmers, ranchers and producers. This includes more than $700 billion in ethanol exports and $250 million in other agricultural products like good old American beef. The deal commits the United States and United Kingdom to work together to enhance industrial and agricultural market access and strengthens American competitiveness. Importantly, the deal also ensures streamlined customs procedures for US exports. The UK will also be purchasing $10 billion of American made Boeing planes as part of the deal. A trade agreement like this between the United States and the United Kingdom was being worked on for many years, but continued to prove elusive. But because of President Trump's bold negotiating approach, he got it done. All of this happened because of President Trump's implementation of powerful tariffs to end the era of economic surrender and rebalance America's trading agreements. American workers and companies are the best in the world and they finally have a President who has their backs, fights for them and delivers good deals that puts them first, this is just the first of many trade deals to come. Get ready for more historic deals in our country to boom like never before. On that note, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen and Ambassador Jamison Greer will meet with the lead representatives on economic matters from the People's Republic of China over the weekend in Switzerland. As President Trump has said, the United States and China have been talking for some time over the course of the administration, and now teams from both countries will meet in person to continue discussions. You can be certain that President Trump and his trade team will ensure we work to achieve the best deal possible for America. In other news, the Trump administration just announced a new incentive for illegal aliens living in the United States to self deportation. Eligible illegal aliens who now use the CBP Home app to self deport will receive a clear, safe way to leave the United States. Their plane tickets home may be paid for and they will receive a $1,000 stipend once we have confirmation that they have left our country. This new feature will allow illegal aliens to have a planned departure out of the country and to leave as soon as possible in a dignified way. If illegal aliens make the right decision here and submit their intent to depart through the CBP Home app and pass extensive vetting, they will be temporarily deprioritized for ICE detention and enforcement action before their scheduled departure, and leaving voluntarily in this matter may improve their legal immigration options in the future. This initiative will also save massive amounts of money for American taxpayers. Voluntary departures are much more cost effective than traditional removals. By deploying the CBP Home app in this new way, President Trump is aiming to reduce the need for costly arrests, detentions and court proceedings. Currently, the average cost of traditional removal is more than $17,000 per illegal alien. Our projections estimate that the use of the CBP Home app will massively reduce that financial burden by approximately 70% so taxpayer dollars can be redirected and our brave immigration law enforcement officers can focus on removing the most violent illegal aliens hiding in our communities. Finally, it was announced this morning that First Lady Melania Trump secured a $25 million investment in President Trump's budget to provide housing and support for youth transitioning out of foster care. And in recognition of the seventh anniversary of Mrs. Trump's Be Best initiative, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated funds toward the agency Foster Youth to independence program. Yesterday, Mrs. Trump hosted a special celebration of Military Mothers with the president, bringing together 150 military moms from around the country to recognize their service not just in their home, but for our country. For those of you who were there at the events yesterday like I did, I have no doubt you will join me in recognizing how truly special those moments were. So let's get to questions. Here in our new media seat today is Andrew Egger, the White House correspondent for the Bulwark. The Bulwark is a new media company launched in 2019 with hundreds of thousands of readers on Substack and more than a million subscribers on YouTube. Andrew, please kick us off and thanks for being here.

Thank you for having me, Caroline. The president posted another ad this week for his Trump Me. The group that's running that coin is encouraging people to buy in order to win a dinner this month with the president. Why is the president planning to attend a dinner for the top investors in his coin?

Ms. Look, the President is abiding by all conflict of interest laws. The president has been incredibly transparent with his own personal financial obligations throughout the years. The president is a successful businessman, and I think, frankly, it's one of the many reasons that people reelected him back to this office.

There are at least some people who are buying this coin who seem to view it as an opportunity to influence the president's views. There was a logistics company this week that said they would buy 20 million doll in order to advocate for free trade between the US and Mexico. If buyers are buying for that reason, are they wasting their money?

Ms. Look, I can assure you the president acts with only the interests of the American public in mind, putting our country first and doing what's best for our country, full stop. That's his intention and that's what he's focused on. Kristen, good to see you here today. Welcome back.

Thank you.

Glad to be back. So on those China talks, what does President Trump expect to come out of those talks and is he going to be disappointed if his team can't secure a deal? Ms. Well, look, the president is very confident in his Secretary of Treasury, Scott Besant, and, of course, Ambassador Jamison Greer, who has played an instrumental role in all of these trade negotiations as well. I think yesterday's success, the announcement of a trade deal with the United Kingdom is a great first step. Again, many said in this room it couldn't be done. Now we are moving forward with many other countries. We're talking to dozens of our trading partners around the world. But, of course, China is a major country, a major player in this space. And the president has said, and he's right, China needs the United States of America. They need our markets, they need our consumer base. And Secretary Besent knows that he's going to Switzerland this weekend with the full support and confidence and trust of the president here at home.

Thanks very much, Caroline. Two questions. First, can you give us an update on US Efforts to mediate or have an impact on the conflict between India and Pakistan?

Ms. Sure, I absolutely can. This is something that the secretary of state and of course, now our national security advisor as well, Marco Rubio, has been very much involved in. The president has expressed he wants to see this de escalate as quickly as possible. He understands these are two countries that have been at odds with one another for decades, long before President Trump was here in the Oval Office. However, he has good relationships with the leaders of both countries. And the secretary of State, Marco Rubio, I spoke to him just yesterday. He has been in constant communication with the leaders of both countries and trying to bring this conflict to an end.

Just one other question. Yesterday we saw the news of the new pope. Before Pope Leo became Pope Leo, there were some critical comments that he made about President Trump and about Vice President Vance on his X account. Then X account, does the White House have any reaction to those comments?

Ms. The President made his reaction to Pope Leo's announcement yesterday very clear. He is very proud to have an American pope. I think it was a surprise to everyone I saw the news media was surprised to report on that yesterday. But it's a great thing for the United States of America and for the world, and we are praying for him. Thanks, Caroline. The president has been pretty firm on keeping these 145% tariffs in place on Chinese imports. Today via Truth Social, he said that he'd be possibly open to lowering those to 80%. Why the change and how did the president land on 80? Ms. The president still remains with his position that he is not going to unilaterally bring down tariffs on China. We need to see concessions from them as well. And again, that's part of the reason that Secretary Bessen is going to talk to his Chinese counterparts this weekend to start those discussions in person. As for the 80% number, that was a number the president threw out there and we'll see what happens this weekend. And always in the effort of transparency, I'm sure you'll hear directly from the treasury secretary or the president after those next negotiations conclude. Jackie, thank you, Caroline. Why did the White House announce this deal with the UK before all of the details were finished? Ms. That's not true. Actually, I saw the fact sheet. I saw the deal as well before the president brought all of you in the Oval Office in the effort of transparency. You had the President and the Prime Minister on the phone talking to all of you directly about how this was a great deal, a phenomenal deal, and discussions will continue. But as I spoke to our Ambassador Greer yesterday, this is how trade deals work. You set an initial agreement, you set the framework, you set up the deal, and then of course, you know, t's have to be crossed and I's have to be dotted. But this deal is a good deal and the numbers are determined and all of the market access that I just discussed will remain. Does that mean that the 10% baseline is going to still be there at the end when all of the other details are ironed out?

Ms.

The President is committed to the 10% baseline tariff tariff not just for the United Kingdom, but for his trade negotiations with all other countries as well, permanently. Even after the deals are done, that is going to remain. The President is determined to continue with that 10% baseline tariff. I just spoke to him about it earlier. Stephen.

Thank you, Caroline. I'd like to ask about New York and about a personnel matter on New York. The Mayor, Eric Adams is here today. Could you tell us anything more about the visit, who initiated it, what they're talking about, and also, is there any comment from the White House on the air traffic control issues in Newark?

All I will say on Mayor Eric Adams is that he requested a meeting with the President and the President was willing to take it. If the President wishes to discuss his private meeting afterwards, I will let him do that himself. Yes, I'm glad you asked about the faa. There was a glitch in the system this morning, especially at Newark Airport. As you all know, I spoke to the Department of Transportation. That glitch was caused by the same telecoms and software issues that were raised last week. Everything went back online after the brief outage and there was no operational impact. DOT and the FAA are working to address this technical issue tonight to prevent further outages as well as install new fiber from Newark Airport to Philadelphia. And the goal is to have the totality of this work done by the end of the summer. I want to add that this outage at Newark Airport speaks to why the Secretary of Transportation yesterday made a massive announcement in investing in our aviation safety and our telecom system. There's a four part infrastructure plan that was released by the Secretary of Transportation yesterday to improve communication, surveillance, automation and their facilities. They want to replace the antiquated telecom systems with new fiber, wireless and satellite technologies, replace more than 600 radars which have gone way past their life cycle and address Runway safety. They want to build six new air traffic control centers for the first time since the 1960s and replace towers as well as they want to implement new modern hardware and software for all traffic facilities to create a common platform system throughout the towers. These are much needed changes. This is a very bold plan by the Department of Transportation. I think it's unfortunate that the previous administration sat in their hands and did nothing but how grateful we are that we have a Department of Transportation and a secretary and a president who's willing to take bold action and change the personnel matter.

Caroline, could I ask thanks, Caroline. Just going back to India, Pakistan. Can we expect President Trump to get in touch personally with the leaders of those countries to try and de escalate this situation?

Ms. If and when that happens, we will certainly let you know. Natalie thanks, Caroline. I have a question with the Middle east trip. Will any of the president's family members, including Don Jr. Eric or Jared Kushner, be joining him? I am not tracking any of the president's family members joining us at this time, but of course the first family is welcome to come. I hope they would. They're great people, great to be around, but I'm not tracking them on the manifest. And given that you noted he is a successful businessman, do you know if the president has any plans to meet with any of the folks involved with any of the family businesses over there or see any of the sites that are going to be new Trump? Ms. Not to my knowledge. And let me just get to the premise of your question that both of you have raised. I think it's frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit. He left a life of luxury and a life of running a very successful real estate empire for public service not just once, but twice. And again, the American public reelected him back to this White House because they trust he acts in the best interest of our country in putting the American public first. This is a president who has actually lost money for being president of the United States. I don't remember these same type of questions being asked of my predecessor about a career politician who was clearly profiting off of this office. That is not what President Trump does and this White House holds ourselves to the highest of ethical standards.

Phil, thank you. There's this Reuters report that the US Is in talks with Israel about an American led post war administration in Gaza. Is that accurate? Are these talks ongoing?

Ms. We are in constant communication and dialogue with our counterparts and our allies and friends in Israel. Ron Dermer was here at the White House yesterday, meeting with members of President Trump's team. As for the situation in Gaza, the president and his entire national security team have made it very clear we want to see the hostages released from Gaza. That is a priority for this administration. As for what that looks like and even moving beyond that, I'm not going to get into the details of plans that, frankly may or may not have even been proposed. But I can emphasize what the president holds closest in his heart right now, and that's the release of all of the hostages in Gaza.

And then there's been some conservative pushback to some of these SALT tax the salt tax cap President's Majority leader Steve Scalise said that bringing back the state and local tax deduction would essentially mean 45 states are subsidizing five states that have very high taxes imposed by leftist governors. Is he wrong? Is it fair to ask red Indiana to bail out blue New York?

Ms. Well, look, this is an ongoing discussion on the Hill. There's a lot of disagreement on Capitol Hill right now about the salt tax proposal and we will let them work it out. As for the tax provisions and the reconciliation bill, the priorities of this proposal, President, he has made them incredibly clear. No tax on tips for our hardworking service workers, no tax on Social Security for our well deserving seniors who have worked their whole lives to pay into this system. No tax on overtime for hardworking Americans as well. And there's a plethora of other priorities the president wants to see in this bill. Anyone who opposes this bill will be opposing the largest tax cut in American history. They will be voting to raise taxes by the tune of 4 trillion on the middle class of this country, and we look forward to holding him accountable for that. Everyone on Capitol Hill, on both sides of the aisle should be supportive of the President's tax priorities. Follow up on that. Mr. Go ahead. Sure, go ahead and then I'll give you a follow up.

Thanks, Caroline. So I want to follow up on the Truth Social Post. So the president is saying 80% tariffs could come down. Just an announcement would be enough to lower those tariffs. Is that what he's looking for from the Chinese concessions?

Ms. If that's not what the President said, he said that an 80% number may sound good to him, but again, he's in constant contact with our secretary of treasury, who will be leading these negotiations this weekend.

And historically, the Chinese have made the meeting itself a win. What does a win look like out of these meetings for the president? This weekend.

Miss A good deal for the American worker and the American people. Go ahead. Thanks, Caroline. Yeah. Back to the reconciliation bill. Can you just clarify the President's position, though, a little bit specifically on the tax issue, because in his truth social Post, he said this morning that he would accept even a tiny tax increase for the rich, but then says Republicans probably shouldn't do it, but I'm okay if they do it. So what is it that he wants? Does he want them to increase the tax rates? Ms. The president wants tax cuts, the largest tax cuts in history. He wants to extend his historic tax cuts from 2017, and he wants to see all of the other tax priorities that I just laid out for you included in this bill, as well as for the policy proposal you're talking about. The President has said he he himself personally would not mind paying a little bit more to help the poor and the middle class and the working class in this country. I think, frankly, that's a very honorable position. But again, these negotiations are ongoing on Capitol Hill and the President will weigh in when he feels necessary. I would encourage them to have a higher bracket for top earners. The President has made his personal position on this matter clear, Michael. The President is in constant communication with leaders on the hill.

Mr. Ahead of the President's trip to the Middle east, he's mentioned he wants to rename the Persian Gulf the Gulf of Arabia. Iran is now saying that doing so will bring the wrath of all Iranians. Can you talk about the support that the Gulf of Arabia has in the region and why this is important to the President?

Ms. Well, first of all, the President has said he hasn't made a determination yet. That was in the news that you guys all asked him about it and he said he wasn't quite sure, so he hasn't made a definitive decision that yet.

Mr. And secondly, Caroline, the president has shown support for South African refugees that are coming to the United States next week. Can you talk about what these refugees are fleeing and why this is a priority for the administration?

Ms. Well, the President has actually signed an executive order on that matter. My office can get it back to you, Michael, but this group in South Africa has faced racial persecution. In fact, the government there has vowed to take away their farmland that they own. And so the President has talked significantly about this. As for further details on refugee claims and asylum claims, I would defer you to the State Department. Can I follow up on the go ahead. No in front of you, thanks. Sorry.

Thank you, Caroline. Does the administration have any response to the news today that a federal judge has ordered the immediate release of Ramesa Austerk from detention, particularly his comments that the government submitted no evidence other than an op ed that Ozturp wrote last year.

Ms. I will have to check in with the Department of Homeland Security on that particular case, but I think our overall feeling we've made quite clear that lower level judges should not be dictating the foreign policy of the United States. And we absolutely believe that the President and the Department of Homeland Security are well within their legal rights to deport illegal immigrants. As for visa revocations, the Secretary of State has the right to do that as well. It is a privilege, not a right, to come to this country on a visa. But I'll check in on the specific case. My office will get you details. Sure. Caroline. Yesterday the administration appears to have spoken started dismantling the Consumer Product Safety Commission. This is the federal agency, an independent one that does recalls and is responsible for product safety. Does the administration not believe that it's important to keep toys and cribs? I mean, you're a young mom off of the market. It's a federal agency within which branch? It's the executive branch. Who's the head of the executive branch? The President of the United States. He has the right to fire people within the executive branch. It's a pretty simple answer. Francesca. Thanks. One foreign policy one, and then a domestic policy thing, if I could. As far as the president's trip goes next week, is he planning to meet with the FIFA president in either Saudi Arabia or Qatar? And if so, could you give us some more details about that? Ms. The President has quite a few meetings with many people. When he is there, we can certainly check at the itinerary and let you know if the future FIFA president will be there next week. Frankly, I'm not quite sure, but we can certainly get you an answer. As you know, the president attended a FIFA task force meeting at the White House this week. On the domestic front, could you explain why the FEMA administrator was removed from his position this week? Ms. This is a personnel matter in regards to the Department of Homeland Security. But my understanding is that this individual testified saying something that was contrary to what the president believes and the goals of this administration in regards to FEMA policy. And so of course, we want to make sure that people in every position are advancing the administration's goals. But as for specifics, I'd defer you to the Department of Homeland Security. We leave it up to our great cabinet secretaries when it comes to personnel matters. Shore in the back. Thank you. Aid hasn't gone into Gaza in 10 weeks. Israel says that this is a policy to pressure Hamas in the negotiations, in the cease fire negotiations. Is this a policy that the administration supports? Ms. The president answered this this week. He said that he wants to ensure that aid can get into Gaza, but we have to do it in a responsible way to ensure it doesn't end up in the hands of terrorists. So this is something the administration is actively working on. And when we have a policy to announce on this definitively, we can certainly let you know. Can you talk about this effort for the US to take over the distribution of aid in Gaza to exclude Israel, but also international organizations said this effort militarizes aid. Ms. I would reject that characterization by whatever groups you are citing, Kelly.

Carolyn, thank you. I want to get back to the first lady, Melania Trump, dealing with foster children. That's an important component in American life to see what happens to the future of our children, particularly in foster care. Can you explain the significance of this development between the first lady and the Housing and Urban Development?

Yes, absolutely. It's millions of dollars that will go into a program that helps these children transition out of foster care to have productive and positive lives. And I'd like to share a personal story since you asked, if I may. I hope the first lady won't mind. I was at an event in Florida last year and I was approached by a gentleman who was a foster dad, and he had taken in, I think it was six or seven foster children. And he spoke to me. He had recognized me in my work for President Trump's campaign at the time. And the little boy who was with him talked about the personal relationship that he had with first lady Melania Trump and the conversation she had had with him and how she really encouraged him to be the best that he could be during her first term here at the White House and how even after she and President Trump left the White House, she kept in very close touch with this young foster child. It was a touching moment that I will never forget, and it speaks to the heart of this first lady and the great work that she is doing for foster children. And this is certainly a very big announcement that I know our secretary of Housing and Urban Development is in particular very excited about, and we can certainly get you all the details on that program.

John, thanks a lot.

Carolyn.

I want to ask you about the trade deal that the president announced yesterday with the UK as it relates to the auto sector, the trade group that represents the big three here in The US Believes that it may put the big three automakers at a competitive disadvantage. What the trade group says is that it will now be cheaper to import a UK Vehicle with very little American content than a USMCA compliant vehicle imported from Mexico, Mexico or Canada with just 50% American content. What's your response to that criticism coming from this trade group?

Ms. Well, first of all, let's be clear about what the deal does. It sets a 10% rate on auto imports for the first 100 cars that are imported into the United 100,000 cars, thank you. That would be very little, very few cars, 100,000 cars imported from the United Kingdom. After 100,000 vehicles, it goes back up to a 25% tariff. And as for our U.S. auto manufacturers, our auto industry, the president wants to put them on the best pedestal to compete. And by the way, if they produce vehicles right here in the United States of America, they will face no tariff at all, I would argue, of any industry. The President has spent more time talking to and listening to the concerns of our auto industry here at home. He hears them, he believes in them. He wants to see them produce their vehicles here in the United States of America. This is is a good deal for them too.

Is this is this a model for European and Asian vehicles as well? What we see coming out of the UK Trade deal with the US look.

All of these deals are going to be tailor made. The President has said that from the beginning. It's very apropos that the first trade deal was announced between the United States and the United Kingdom, one of our oldest and greatest allies. But each country has unique concerns and challenges in terms of American industry. We need to open up markets in every single country and obviously the needs are unique. So our trade team is looking at each country and the advantages that we can pursue for American industries and American workers. Sure. Happy early Mother's Day. Ms. Oh, thank you. The President said yesterday that he would be speaking with Zelensky shortly. Did that call happen yesterday or do we expect that to happen in the near term? The call happened yesterday. Presidents Zelensky called the President to tell him that the critical minerals deal had passed the parliament in Ukraine. I talked to the President about that call. He said it was very good and productive. And of course, the critical minerals deal is great for Ukraine, but also, of course, for the United States of America and our taxpayers here. It was a good call. And they also spoke about, of course, the cease fire that the president proposed, the 30 day cease fire between Russia and Ukraine, which we know Europe is on board with and we hope both countries will agree to also next week. Do we expect President Putin? Is there any chance that he could meet with Trump while he's in the region? Ms. The President answered this yesterday, not going to happen.

Has he gotten a reaction from Zelenskyy or Putin on the proposal for cease fire? Is he satisfied by the reaction to that proposal?

Ms. Not to my knowledge, but certainly if there is a reaction and updates, I'm sure you'll hear directly from the president.

The president fired the Librarian of Congress. Why did he choose to do that?

We felt she did not fit the needs of the American people. There were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the library for children. And we don't believe that she was serving the interests of the American taxpayer. Well, so she has been removed from her position and the president is well within his rights to do that.

John, thank you, Caroline. Happy Mother's Day as well.

Thank you.

President Trump ran on delivering the biggest tax cut in history, got over 70 million votes. Right now you've got a handful of obstructionists in the Republican Conference that are saying they're not going to go along with his tax cut package. You just said those that don't will be held accountable. What is your description of being held accountable?

Ms. Well, look, I think they'll be held accountable by the voters in their respective districts if they choose to vote for a tax hike to the tune of $4 trillion, which would raise would raise taxes to thousands of dollars per household in this country. The president has great political instincts. That's why he's back in the Oval Office and Capitol Hill should follow his lead. As for the president speaking of him, he will be signing executive orders later this afternoon. We are happy to provide more information on those executive orders, if you wish. Thank you for the Mother's Day wishes. And happy Mother's Day to all of the moms in the room. And don't forget to call your mom this Sunday. We'll see you guys later. Have a good weekend. Thank you, Carolyn. It.