Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, Apr. 1, 2025

Key Concepts

• America First Economic Policy: Prioritizing American workers and businesses through tariffs and incentives for domestic production.
• Reciprocity in Trade: Addressing unfair trade practices and closed markets in foreign countries.
• Tariffs: Taxes imposed on imported goods to encourage domestic production and address trade deficits.
• MS-13: A transnational criminal gang designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
• Deportation of Criminal Aliens: Removing non-citizens who pose a threat to public safety.
• School Choice: Empowering parents to choose the best educational options for their children.
• Dismantling the Department of Education: Decentralizing education and empowering teachers.

US Army Soldiers Missing in Lithuania

• Four US Army soldiers went missing while repairing a tactical vehicle in Lithuania on March 25th.
• Tragically, all four soldiers were found deceased.
• The President, Secretary of Defense, and the White House are praying for the victims' families.
• This event is a reminder of the sacrifices made by military personnel.

Southern Border Security

• Southwest border crossings in March decreased by 94% compared to March under President Biden.
• Border Patrol agents are now focused on securing the border instead of processing illegal aliens.
• The Los Angeles Times reported that the California-Mexico border is "nearly empty."
• Shelters for migrants have closed due to the decrease in border crossings.
• Deportations of criminal aliens are continuing, including members of Tren de Aragua and MS-13.
• An illegal alien released by the Biden Administration was arrested in Georgia for the murder of Chamelia Will Williams.
• The suspect is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, rape, aggravated sexual battery, and necrofilia.
• The speaker argues that Democrats are protesting future removals of illegal aliens who should not have been allowed into the country.

America First Economic Policy and Tariffs

• April 2nd, 2025, is framed as a significant day for American economic history.
• The US has been an open economy, but many foreign markets are closed to American exports.
• This lack of reciprocity has contributed to trade deficits and the decline of American industries.
• President Trump's policy aims to put American workers and businesses first.
• The goal is to improve American competitiveness, reduce trade deficits, and protect economic and national security.
• Companies will be offered low taxes, energy costs, and regulations if they manufacture in the US and hire American workers.
• "If you make your product in America, you will pay no tariffs."
• Examples of Investments:
  • Project Stargate (SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle): $500 billion investment in US-based AI infrastructure.
  • Apple: $500 billion investment in US manufacturing and training.
  • Nvidia: Hundreds of billions of dollars over four years in US-based manufacturing.
  • TSMC: $100 billion investment in US-based chip manufacturing.

Tariffs - Additional Details

• The President will address decades of unfair trade practices.
• The focus is on reshaping the global economy to make America a manufacturing superpower.
• The President is open to negotiations, but focused on fixing past wrongs.
• The President has made a decision on the level of tariffs to impose, which will be announced tomorrow.
• The tariffs are scheduled to go into effect on April 3rd.

Education Reform

• The speaker thanks Katie Reeds, a teacher in Wisconsin, for her service.
• The President signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education to empower teachers.
• The President wants to find other places within the federal government for critical education programs like Pell Grants, Title IX lawsuits, special needs programs, and nutrition programs.
• The Department of Education is described as a "bloated bureaucracy" that has not improved education despite trillions of dollars spent.
• The President supports school choice and diminishing the role of teachers' unions.
• School choice is considered a civil rights issue, and the President wants every child to have the opportunity to attend the school that best suits their needs.
• State and local leaders will be empowered to make decisions on behalf of children.

Deportation of MS-13 Gang Members

• The Administration maintains that the individual deported to El Salvador was a member of MS-13 and involved in human trafficking.
• MS-13 is designated as a foreign terrorist organization, and foreign terrorists do not have legal protections in the US.
• The President has the executive authority to deport these individuals.
• The speaker criticizes the media for focusing on the deported individual rather than the victims of MS-13.
• The speaker lists several examples of violent crimes committed by MS-13 members.
• The speaker defends the deportation, citing the gang's brutality and the need to protect American communities.
• The speaker clarifies that the error in the deportation case was a clerical error.

Taiwan and Chinese Military Drills

• The National Security Council briefed the President on Chinese military drills around Taiwan.
• The President emphasizes the importance of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait.
• The US opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.

Social Security Fraud and EPA Reforms

• Elon Musk claimed that the Biden Administration issued over 2 million Social Security numbers to illegal aliens and found 20 million dead people marked as alive in the system.
• The speaker cites an Inspector General's report showing nearly $80 billion in Social Security fraud.
• The Administration is focused on cleaning out waste, fraud, and abuse in Social Security.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is saving taxpayers $8 million in annual lease costs by moving staff out of unnecessary space.
• The EPA is shutting down a museum built by the Biden Administration that told a selective story about the EPA's history and climate change, saving taxpayers $600,000 per year.
• The EPA has saved taxpayers more than $22 billion in wasteful grants and spending.

Concerns About the Stock Market and Tariffs

• The President takes concerns about the stock market and tariffs seriously.
• The announcement tomorrow is to protect future generations and ensure jobs in the US.
• The President is always going to protect Social Security for taxpaying senior citizens.
• The President is working on implementing an economic formula by lowering inflation, lowering energy prices, and implementing tariffs.
• The President has a brilliant team of advisors who have been studying these issues for decades.
• The goal is to restore the Golden Age of America and make America a manufacturing superpower.
• The speaker points to billions of dollars in private investments pouring into American communities.
• The President is committed to tax cuts, especially on Social Security.

Special Elections and the America First Movement

• The speaker cannot comment on elections as a government employee.
• The President is the leader of the America First movement and the MAGA movement.
• Every American should exercise their constitutional right to vote.

MS-13 Deportation Case - Further Details

• The speaker clarifies that the deported individual was an MS-13 ring leader and involved in human trafficking.
• The speaker criticizes the Atlantic magazine for not mentioning the individual's criminal history.
• The speaker defends the deportation, citing the gang's brutality and the need to protect American communities.
• The speaker states that the judge who ordered the individual to remain in the country works for the Department of Justice at the direction of the Attorney General.

Tariff Start Date and Market Indicators

• The tariff announcement will come tomorrow and will be effective immediately.
• The President has been teasing this for quite some time.
• The White House is looking for market indicators to see if the tariffs plan is successful.
• The President wants to ensure that all Americans make out well, particularly Main Street.
• The speaker states that Wall Street will be just fine.

Strikes in Yemen

• The speaker rejects claims that the recent strikes in Yemen are emboldening the Houthis.
• The speaker states that the strikes have been incredibly successful, with over 200 successful strikes against the Houthis.
• Iran is incredibly weakened as a result of these attacks.
• The operation will not stop until the freedom of navigation in the region is restored.
• The President stands behind the Defense Department.
• The speaker states that these are defensive strikes, as the Houthis have been launching attacks on US Naval vessels and commercial ships.

Fentanyl and the Canadian and Mexican Tariffs

• The speaker will let the President speak on the specifics of the tariffs tomorrow.
• Fentanyl is causing a national security crisis in the US and continues to be the number one killer of young people.
• The President is very much focused on that.

DC and New York City Safety

• The President signed an executive order on making DC safe and beautiful.
• He wants New York to clean up their streets just as he does here in Washington DC.
• He is engaged with state and local leaders across the entire country to ensure they're doing their part to help American citizens.

Russia and Ukraine

• The President is frustrated with leaders on both sides of this war and wants it to end.
• Our team continues to be engaged with the Russians as we are with the Ukrainians.

Tariffs and Prices

• The President is doing everything he can to bring down the cost of living in this country.
• The speaker states that the President effectively utilized tariffs while driving down inflation in his first term.

Proxy Voting for New Parents

• The speaker is not sure if the President supports the bill that would allow new parents to proxy vote around 12 weeks around the birth of their baby.

Dismissal of Federal Employees

• The President has given the responsibility to his cabinet secretaries to hire and fire at their respective agencies.
• This is all part of the administration's effort for a mass reduction in force in the federal bureaucracy.
• The President retains the right to dismiss employees within agencies within the President's executive authority.
• The President is focused on streamlining these agencies to save American taxpayers money.

Gaza

• The President remains committed to backing Israel.
• It was only because of this President and his team's leadership that we had a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.
• The President made it very clear to Hamas you get the hostages out all of them or there will be hell to pay.
• The President supports Israel's right to defend itself.
• The President and his team continue to be engaged on this every single day.

President's Foreign Trip

• The President will be heading to Saudi Arabia in May.
• As for specific dates and details, we will be reading those out to you as soon as we possibly can.
• The President's made it clear that's what he wants to see in Russia and Ukraine and his team continues to be engaged on it every day.

Case Closed

• The case is closed and the President continues to have confidence in his National Security adviser.

Tariffs and Foreign Companies

• The President has said foreign countries and companies will eat the cost of tariffs.
• A tariff will be a tax on these foreign Nations these foreign companies and if they want to be absolved of that tariff then they can come here to the United States of America to do business bring their jobs here.

Negotiations with Countries to Lower Tariffs

• There have been quite a few countries that have called the President and have called his team in discussion about these tariffs.
• There's one country the President cares most about and it's the United States of America and doing what's best for the people who elected him to this office to restore their jobs their wealth and their prosperity.

Conclusion

The briefing covers a range of topics, from national security concerns and border control to economic policy and education reform. A central theme is the "America First" approach, emphasizing domestic manufacturing, fair trade practices, and the protection of American workers. The administration is taking a firm stance on border security, deporting criminal aliens, and addressing Social Security fraud. The briefing also highlights the President's commitment to supporting Israel, seeking peace in Ukraine, and empowering state and local leaders in education. The upcoming tariff announcement is presented as a key step towards restoring American economic dominance and ensuring a prosperous future for American citizens.