Karoline Leavitt (00:02):
Hello, everyone. Afternoon. Let's begin with some scheduling updates. Tomorrow, President Trump will travel to the great states of Ohio and Kentucky, where he will tout his economic victories in detail the administration-wide efforts to continuing lowering prices to make everyday life more affordable for working Americans. The President will visit Thermo Fisher Scientific in Ohio and give remarks at Verse Logistics in Kentucky. On Thursday, President Trump and the First Lady will host a Women's History Month event in the East Room. And on Friday, the President will sign several executive orders and we will provide more details on those later this week.
(00:42)
As President Trump shared with the American people last night, the United States military is making tremendous strides towards achieving our military objectives for Operation Epic Fury. 10 days in, this campaign has been a resounding success thus far, and America's warriors are winning this important fight at an even faster pace than we anticipated. More than 5,000 enemy targets have been struck so far. Iran's ballistic missile attacks are down more than 90% and their drone attacks are down by approximately 85% since the start of Operation Epic Fury.
(01:19)
The United States is also annihilating the Iranian regime's Navy, and we have destroyed more than 50 Iranian naval vessels, including a major drone carrier ship. None of the regime's vessels are operating in major regional waterways, and the Iranian Navy has been assessed as combat ineffective. The trend is clear. US combat capabilities are increasing and growing more lethal and dominant by the day, while the Iranian terrorist regime's ability to respond has rapidly declined. Now, the US military is moving to dismantle Iran's missile production infrastructure. Our incredible B2 bombers recently dropped dozens of 2000 pound penetrator bombs on deeply buried missile sites. Last night, President Trump reiterated his commitment toward keeping oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz so the United States and all of our allies can receive their energy needs.
(02:15)
President Trump will not allow rogue Iranian terrorists to stop the freedom of navigation and the free flow of energy. Let me be clear. It is a good thing to wipe out terrorists who indiscriminately target civilians and attempt to hold the global economy hostage, and President Trump should be commended for doing so. As the President made unequivocally clear to the remaining elements of this terrorist regime in his statement yesterday, if they do anything to stop the flow of oil or goods within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the world's most powerful military 20 times harder than they have been hit thus far.
(02:55)
Moving forward, the stated objectives for Operation Epic Fury remain the same. Destroy the terrorist regime's ballistic missiles, raise their Iranian missile industry to the ground, ensure their terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region and ensure that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon. President Trump remains confident these goals will be accomplished in swift fashion. As for the oil, President Trump fully expected the Rogue Iranian regime to try and disrupt the global markets. That's why President Trump and his energy team have been planning for this long before the strike and have moved quickly to address these temporary disruptions.
(03:33)
Thus far, the Trump administration has offered political risk insurance to tankers operating in the Gulf. The Treasury temporarily waived certain oil related sanctions, and the Commander-in-Chief has offered the US Navy to escort tankers when necessary. The President and his energy team are closely watching the markets, speaking with industry leaders, and the US military is jarring up additional options following the President's directive to continue keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. I will not broadcast what those options look like, but just know the President is not afraid to use them.
(04:08)
Rest assured to the American people, a recent increase in oil and gas prices is temporary, and this operation will result in lower gas prices in the long term. Once the national security objectives of Operation Epic Fury are fully achieved, Americans will see oil and gas prices drop rapidly, potentially even lower than they were prior to the start of the operation, and we will live in a world where Iran can no longer threaten the United States or our allies with a nuclear bomb.
(04:38)
On another matter here at home, President Trump is urging Congress to pass the Save America Act, one of the most critical pieces of legislation in our nation's history. The Save America Act is overwhelmingly popular with all Americans because each provision is rooted in common sense. The Save America Act has five simple requirements as requested by the President of the United States.
(05:02)
Number one, voters have to show ID to cast a ballot in an American election. Very simple. 90% of Americans, including more than 80% of Democrat voters agree with this.
(05:15)
Number two, the Save America Act will require all voters to show proof of citizenship in order to register to vote in American elections. Again, this is popular and rooted in common sense. Only American citizens have the right to vote in American elections, but after Joe Biden and the Democrats allowed tens of millions of illegal aliens into our country, it's more important than ever to ensure that only American citizens are registering to vote and are on our nation's voter roles and Congress needs to pass this.
(05:46)
Number three, the Save America Act abolishes the incredibly unsecure practice of universal mail-in ballots, which throw the door wide open for fraud. Importantly, the Save America Act maintains exceptions for Americans to use mail-in ballots like for illness, disability, military, or travel reasons. The bipartisan 2005 report of the Commission on Federal Election Reform shared by, of all people, former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker concluded that, "Absentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud, and it is time for Congress to finally address this.
(06:26)
Number four, the Save America Act permanently bans men from competing in women's sports. President Trump signed a landmark executive order upholding the promise of Title IX and ending this dangerous and unfair practice, but now it's time for Congress to codify this into law.
(06:43)
Number five, the Save America Act bans transgender mutilation surgery for children. Again, President Trump signed a common sense executive order to do this and kept his promise to the American people, but now Congress needs to do the same and codify it. It's well pastime for Democrats in Congress to stop perpetuating the radical and false claim that you can somehow change a child's sex. You cannot.
(07:08)
Passing the Save America Act is the most important thing that Republicans and, frankly, Democrats can do to strengthen election integrity and protect our democracy. It's what the American people elected Republicans to do and they must deliver on it as soon as possible. The President is calling on Congress to get the job done and send this historic piece of legislation to his desk immediately for signature.
(07:31)
So with that today, I will take your questions. Benny, thank you for being here and why don't you start us off.
Benny (07:35):
Thank you, Karoline. So my first question is actually about the Save America Act. So one of the biggest things that the Democrats are saying, the claims that they're making, is that the Save America Act, it would prevent married women from voting in elections or make it harder for them. What do you have to say to those claims? Is there any validity to them and where do you think they're getting this
Benny (08:00):
... Wrong.
Karoline Leavitt (08:00):
There is zero validity to these claims and I'm glad that you brought them up because you have the Democrats who have created this myth and it has been perpetuated unfortunately by many in the mainstream media. Let me be very clear. The Save America Act does not prohibit anyone from voting with the exception of illegal aliens. And the greatest way to disenfranchise American citizens from voting in American elections is to allow illegal aliens to vote, which is what Democrats want to do. We see it taking place in Democrat jurisdictions at the state and local level across this country. So the Save America Act corrects that. And as far as married women who have changed their name, if they're already registered to vote, they're entirely unaffected by the SAVE Act. And for the small fraction of individuals who have changed their name or their address, they can still register to vote, of course, they just have to go through their state processes to update that documentation.
(08:50)
And this is something that the American people, married women and minorities and people all across this country who Democrats are insultingly saying cannot do this, they're already doing it every day, going to the social security office, going to the DMV. And I think it's frankly insulting that the Democrats are saying that there's certain groups of people in this country who aren't smart enough to update their documentation to allow them to vote. Again, this is a huge myth and thank you for giving me the opportunity to address it.
Benny (09:17):
Of course. And then just one more question about DHS. The funding issue has been three plus weeks now. I was actually, I was at the airport this morning in St. Louis, Missouri, and it was early in the morning and one of the TSA agents, I saw her, she was kind of tearing up. She was crying. I asked her, I was like, "What's wrong?" And she was like, "I can't make my phone payment. I can barely make my car payment that's coming up." I think a lot in the beltway, there's so much noise between Democrats, Republicans. It's the Democrat's fault. It's the Republican's fault. But what is the White House's message to the American people that are struggling because they're not getting that paycheck? Take away the politics. What do you have to say to those people?
Karoline Leavitt (10:01):
President Trump wants the Department of Homeland Security. He wants TSA. He wants FEMA. He wants the brave men and women of our United States Coast Guard to receive their paychecks. And he wants this department to be fully funded and fully reopened. And so to any American out there who is struggling without a paycheck, we know there's more than 100,000 of you across the country, to any American out there who is showing up to an airport and facing incredibly long wait times and lines, call your Democrat member of Congress and tell them to fund the Department of Homeland Security. That's what President Trump wants to do. And it's completely ridiculous that the American people are suffering as a result of these partisan games that are being played by Democrats on Capitol Hill. Thank you. Steve.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
You said the operation was going faster than anticipated. What is your current timeline for how long the war will last?
Karoline Leavitt (10:50):
So look, as you know, Steve, the president and the US military's initial timeline was about four to six weeks to achieve the full objectives of Operation Epic Fury. Again, to destroy their missiles and their ability to make them, destroy their Navy, permanently deny them nuclear weapons forever, and to, of course, weaken their evil terrorist proxies in the region. We know that the US military and our brave war fighters are quickly and expeditiously executing these objectives well ahead of schedule, but ultimately the operations will end when the Commander in Chief determines the military objectives have been met, fully realized, and that Iran is in a position of complete and unconditional surrender, whether they say it or not.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
And does the president still want Iran's unconditional surrender?
Karoline Leavitt (11:35):
Well, when President Trump says that Iran is in a place of unconditional surrender, he's not claiming the Iranian regime is going to come out and say that themselves. What the president means is that Iran's threats will no longer be backed by a ballistic missile arsenal that protects them from building a nuclear bomb in their country. I could make an empty threat, but if I have no actions to back it up, then it's an empty threat. And so President Trump will determine when Iran is in a place of unconditional surrender, when they no longer pose a credible and direct threat to the United States of America and our allies. Adriana.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Can you explain why the Energy Secretary posted and then appeared to have deleted a post on X saying that the US Navy escorted an oil tanker through the Straight of Hormuz?
Karoline Leavitt (12:22):
Yes. I was made aware of this post. I haven't had a chance to talk to the Energy Secretary about it directly. However, I know the post was taken down pretty quickly and I can confirm that the US Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time, though of course that's an option the president has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
And if this was something that was posted erroneously, could it be because of a staffer? I guess will there be any consequences for this? I know you still have to consult, but just generally speaking-
Karoline Leavitt (12:53):
Again, I would defer you to the Department of Energy to answer that question.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
And if I could just follow up really quickly.
Karoline Leavitt (12:58):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
In terms of oil sanctions, the president said that there would be some sanctions that will be lifted. Would those be on Venezuela, Russia? Could you give some specifics there and then timing for that as well?
Karoline Leavitt (13:09):
Sure. I know it's something that the Treasury Department and the president's energy team continue to discuss and they will ultimately consult with the president before decisions are made. I don't have any announcements on new sanctions or the lifting of new sanctions for you today. Alex.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Thank you. Reuters has reported that about 150 US service members have been injured so far. Can you confirm that number and elaborate on that?
Karoline Leavitt (13:33):
I can't confirm the exact number. I know it's within that ballpark, but I would defer you to the Pentagon for a specific number of wounded or injured thus far.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
And then secondly, if I can, I wanted to ask about, excuse me, there was a briefing on the Capitol Hill today and some senators came out and said they were more convinced than ever that there would be US boots on the ground. Senator Blumenthal said that in fact. Your reaction to that and any update on President Trump's thinking about it?
Karoline Leavitt (14:06):
Look, I would say that Democrats on Capitol Hill are clearly being quite disingenuous. Three years ago, not a single Democrat voted against the resolution condemning Iran as the world's leading state sponsor of terror. Yet now, with President Trump as Commander in Chief finally taking the action that so many Democrats have called on the Commander in Chief to do for many, many years to wipe out the threat of a rogue Iranian terrorist regime, now all of a sudden, Democrats are playing politics with this long-standing bipartisan policy of the United States and 53 of them in the House recently voted against the resolution condemning Iran as the world's state sponsor of terror. So I wouldn't take Democrats at their word. As for boots on the ground, the president has talked about this repeatedly. Wisely, he does not rule options out as Commander in Chief. So again, I would hesitate to confirm anything that a Democrat on Capitol Hill says right now about the president's thinking. Garrett.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
Karoline, you outlined to Steve the military components of what would be involved in ending this war, but it seems like there's a political component too. The president said to Fox earlier today, he doesn't believe the new Ayatollah can live in peace. He made a variety of comments suggesting that he should be involved in picking the new Iranian leader. Is the ending of this war also contingent on Iran selecting a leader that the president finds acceptable? And if so, how is that not the definition of a regime change war?
Karoline Leavitt (15:34):
Look, as President Trump has blatantly and frankly stated, it's obviously within the best interest of the United States and the West to no longer have a radical terrorist in charge of Iran, especially as we see their reaction to Operation Epic Fury. They had their missiles turn towards our Gulf and Arab partners in the region. Again, this was a regime that chanted or still chants "Death to America." We look at the way
Karoline Leavitt (16:00):
Way that they are holding the entire world hostage with the restricting of the free flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz. The president, I think, is making quite an obvious comment. Again, as for the timeline of the military operations with respect to Iran, we have objectives that we have laid out that the commander in chief wants to see achieved. When they are achieved, then it will ultimately be up to the president to end this operation.
Speaker 5 (16:23):
Okay. I think you're not exactly addressing my question though. Is that political objective also necessary for the president to decide to end this war?
Karoline Leavitt (16:32):
Look, again, I just told you the objectives of Operation Epic Fury. When those objectives are met, the president will dictate the end of these operations, when he deems that Iran no longer poses a credible threat to the United States of America. Again, it goes back to what does that [inaudible 00:16:48] surrender look like? Iran can talk all they want and their words will be very empty when we've completely annihilated their Navy as we are doing, when we've taken out the threat of their ballistic missile capability, when we can firmly, finally ensure that they can no longer make a nuclear bomb to threaten the United States, and our allies, and our troops in the region. That's what President Trump is ultimately seeking to do with respect to this operation.
(17:10)
Jennifer.
Speaker 6 (17:11):
There was a shooting outside of a synagogue in Baltimore. Do you know if the president has been briefed on that? And do you have any more details on what happened?
Karoline Leavitt (17:18):
I don't, but we certainly will get you more details, Jennifer. I don't know if the president has briefed, but I'll check on that when I get back to the Oval Office after this. Sure.
Speaker 7 (17:28):
Thanks, Karoline. The president said yesterday for the first time that he had to strike Iran because he believes that Iran was going to strike US targets within seven days. Then he then bumped that down later to three days. Where is he getting that?
Karoline Leavitt (17:41):
Well, that's not the first time the president has said that he chose to launch Operation Epic Fury because he felt as though Iran was going to strike the United States and our assets in the region first. Again, I addressed this in the last briefing. This was a feeling the president had based on facts. Facts provided to him by his top negotiators who had been engaged with the Iranian regime in a good faith effort. The Iranian regime was lying, deceiving the United States of America, clearly trying to continue their nuclear program to create a bomb that would, of course, threaten the United States of America. Again, their ballistic missile arsenal, they were rapidly and aggressively increasing that by the month to a place where they would essentially build immunity for themselves where a future president or President Trump would not be able to launch this incredibly successful operation. The president, again, as I have reiterated, and he has said, was not going to sit back and allow the Iranian regime to threaten or to attack the United States of America any longer.
Speaker 7 (18:40):
But there are no US leaders or Israeli leaders who are making those same claims. Is he making this up to justify his decision to go to war now?
Karoline Leavitt (18:49):
The president is not making anything up, Nancy. He is looking at this every single day based on intelligence, based on facts, and based on intelligence that he, himself, and his negotiators have consumed based on their, again, negotiations with the rogue Iranian regime over the past year. The president and his team tried, in a good faith way, to reach a diplomatic deal through peaceful means with the Iranian regime, and Iran chose this path to death and destruction. Iran wanted to attack the United States of America and the president was not going to sit back and allow that to happen. He was not going to sit back and allow that to happen and everyone in this room should be grateful for it.
(19:28)
John.
Speaker 8 (19:29):
Thanks a lot, Karoline. Two questions for you. One has to do with a followup to your statement that you made at the beginning of the briefing regarding the Save America Act.
Karoline Leavitt (19:37):
Sure.
Speaker 8 (19:37):
Yesterday, the Senate majority leader, John Thune, spoke on the effort to potentially have the rules for the filibuster broken. He said the votes aren't there, one, to move the filibuster and their votes aren't there for a talking filibuster. He says that's the reality. What's your reaction to what Senator Thune said?
Karoline Leavitt (19:59):
Look, I think President Trump, the urgency behind his need to pass the Save America Act and his desire to get this country-saving legislation passed has been made quite clear. He wants all options on the table, and he wants the Senate to move as quickly as possible through whatever means necessary.
Speaker 8 (20:17):
And then secondly, just regarding the president's trip tomorrow, looking ahead, why Ohio, and why Northern Kentucky?
Karoline Leavitt (20:23):
Well, why not? These are two great states with great Americans.
Speaker 8 (20:27):
I wanted to know why they were chosen.
Karoline Leavitt (20:28):
Great states with great Americans. The president will be joined by lawmakers from both states who he greatly admires, and respects, and supports. He'll be meeting with business owners in both of these places and talking about the economy, which is, of course, the utmost importance to him.
Speaker 9 (20:48):
Thank you. Last week, the energy security issued a waiver for India to get Russian oils during this energy crisis.
Karoline Leavitt (20:53):
Yes.
Speaker 9 (20:54):
Have you spoken to president about it? What's the idea behind this?
Karoline Leavitt (20:56):
Have I spoken to the president about it?
Speaker 9 (20:58):
Yeah.
Karoline Leavitt (20:58):
Yes, I have spoken to the president about it. The president and the secretary of treasury, and the whole national security team came to this decision because our allies in India, as you know, [inaudible 00:21:09], have been good actors and have previously stopped buying sanctioned Russian oil. So as we work to appease this temporary gap of oil supply around the world, because of the Iranians, we have temporarily permitted them to accept that Russian oil. This Russian oil was already at sea, it was already out on the water. So this short term measure, we don't believe it will provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government at this time.
Speaker 9 (21:33):
I have one more question about Pakistan. You know Pakistan's a neighbor of Iran and Pakistan is also an ally of US. President has been praising a lot about the field marshal. Is Pakistan providing any kind of support in this war against Iran?
Karoline Leavitt (21:47):
That I will have to check on with the Pentagon and give back to you. Sure.
Speaker 10 (21:51):
Thanks, [inaudible 00:21:52]. The president said yesterday that President Putin told him he wanted to be helpful in the Middle East. The Kremlin put out a statement where Putin said, "I would like to reaffirm our unwavering support for Tehran and our solidarity with Iranian friends." How does the president think that Russia could be helpful, if not helping Iran? Did the president push Putin on Russia sharing intelligence with Iran in this war?
Karoline Leavitt (22:15):
The president and his Special Envoy Witkoff have both said that, of course, they've sent a message to Russia that if that was taking place, it's not something they would be happy with, and they hope that it is not taking place. As for further details about the discussions between these two leaders, I'll leave it to the president to divulge any more of that conversation, but he did confirm it yesterday and provided you with a little bit of the background in his view, and his perspective, as he always does.
(22:39)
Luke.
Speaker 11 (22:40):
Regarding the missile strike on the Iranian school, how long does the administration expect that investigation to take, and will the White House, or the Department of Defense release a full report of its findings once the investigation is completed?
Karoline Leavitt (22:54):
The Department of War will do that. The investigation continues. As the president said yesterday at his press conference, he will accept the conclusion of that investigation, whatever it may be.
(23:05)
We'll go to the back row for some love. Sure. In the back with the glasses.
Speaker 12 (23:09):
Karoline, regarding the shield of the American ...
Karoline Leavitt (23:13):
Sitting down. And then you can go, but go first.
Speaker 12 (23:16):
Okay. Thank you.
Speaker 13 (23:17):
Is there an update regarding ...
Karoline Leavitt (23:17):
You have rough real estate back there, so I'm trying to give you some love.
Speaker 13 (23:19):
Is there an update regarding Cuba, and also is an economic deal imminent?
Karoline Leavitt (23:25):
Sure. I don't have any updates on Cuba for you today. Obviously, this is something the administration is actively dealing with. The president's made it quite clear it's his belief, based on fact, that the Cuban regime is bound to fall. The country is obviously in a very weak place, economically speaking. The people are crying out for help. The president believes and knows that the Cuban regime wants a deal. So as you know, Secretary of State Rubio has been engaged in those conversations as directed by the president. I don't have any updates for you today though.
Speaker 12 (23:53):
Thank you, Karoline. Regarding the Shield of the Americas, the initiative by President Trump this weekend, big names, a lot of countries, but some
Speaker 12 (24:00):
... notable absences. For instance, Colombia, which is a key ally with the United States in terms of counter narcotics and President Gustav Petro was here at the White House and he met with President Trump. Why wasn't Colombia invited to the Shield of the Americas?
Karoline Leavitt (24:13):
I don't think we're seeing the level of cooperation we quite want to see yet from the Colombian government to invite them to the Shield of Americas event and pact, but we certainly hope that this newfound organization will expand and we can continue to invite additional member countries. But there was quite a few countries there. I believe there were 17 countries represented, 12 heads of state with the president over the weekend. They signed a defense agreement with all of our militaries to emphasize the need to combat drug cartels through Latin America and the Western hemisphere. And ultimately, of course, to curb the illegal trafficking of drugs to the United States, which is the president's utmost priority in all of this. So, it was a great event on Saturday and we look forward to the coalition expanding. Kelly, in the back.
Kelly (25:02):
Karoline, thank you. Good to see you. I want to get back to another question that was asked earlier. It talked about the political aspects, but there's also the ideological and the spiritual aspects of what Iran has said for 47 years, "Death to America. Death to Israel." And we've just finished talking about the fact that terror has been around the world. Iran has been the nexus of that in so many ways. Has the president stated clearly to the American people why this is such an imminent threat in order for Democrats on Capitol Hill and Republicans and the American people to understand how imminent the threat was?
Karoline Leavitt (25:41):
I think he has, Kelly. I mean, you've heard from the president on an almost daily basis over the course of the past 10 days. You've heard it from me at this podium. You've heard it from the secretary of War, the secretary of State, the vice president of the United States. The president's top cabinet and his officials have been repeatedly explaining to the American public the threat that Iran has posed to our country in this moment, but of course, over the course of the past 47 years. In their words, again, chanting, "Death to America," speak for themselves.
(26:12)
Go ahead. You can follow up.
Kelly (26:14):
Why the division within the American people? I realize that we have the people talking about the War Powers Act, they're talking about all kinds of issues, but have people forgotten just how imminent that threat was if they keep saying, "Death to America," and, "Death to Israel," they mean it?
Karoline Leavitt (26:31):
Look, I don't think the American people have forgotten, but I think Democrats on Capitol Hill, they have not forgotten, but they are just so plagued with this resistance to President Trump on everything that they do, that again, they can't even rally behind the common sense, bipartisan, longstanding principle of the United States of America that Iran absolutely poses a threat to the United States that Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. And I think that's reflected, again, in their voting pattern. In 2023, every single member of the House of Representatives, with the exception of one, I believe the final vote was 412 to 1 in 2023 for a resolution condemning Iran as the world's state-leading sponsor of terror. And now, in this year, under this president in 2026, 53 Democrats voted against that exact same resolution with the exact same language. I don't think that's a change in the threat that Iran has posed to the United States. I think it's a change in the Democrat party's thinking and their vicious hatred for President Trump. Danny.
Danny (27:38):
Following on Kelly, what's the national threat level right now because of this, "Death to America. Death to Israel," issue?
Karoline Leavitt (27:45):
I believe the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have repeatedly and continuously provided updates on the threat level to the homeland. I don't want to speak on it out of turn from up here, but of course, the federal government is continuing to coordinate and partner with local law enforcement agencies across the ground to thwart potential threats to the homeland. This is something the administration obviously takes very seriously. We are thwarting threats that, frankly, most Americans don't know about because they never make headlines, but that's the great work that the Department of Homeland Security is doing. And it emphasizes and underscores the point of why Democrats need to fund and reopen fully the Department of Homeland Security right now. Dave.
Dave (28:27):
On the Iranian school, why did President Trump say yesterday that Iran may have Tomahawk missiles when there are only three other US allies plus the US that have those missiles and therefore could-
Karoline Leavitt (28:38):
Again, as the president said yesterday, he will accept the conclusion of this investigation by the Department of War. I know there's been a lot of speculation in the media about who may be responsible for this. We're not going to get ahead of the Department of War and the conclusion of that investigation. The president has a right to share his opinions with the American public, but he has said he'll accept the conclusion of that investigation. And frankly, we're not going to be harassed by the New York Times who's been putting out a lot of articles on this, making claims that have just not been verified by the Department of War to quickly wrap up this investigation because the New York Times is calling on us to do so.
Speaker 15 (29:16):
Thank you-
Speaker 14 (29:16):
Thank you so much, Karoline. With the DHS currently under a partial Democrat shutdown, does the administration have any specific concerns about potential impact on homeland security or intelligence monitoring of sleeper cells inside the United States? And do you have any comment on the bombing, the two individuals that bombed New York City or tried to?
Karoline Leavitt (29:34):
Yeah, it was absolutely despicable to see that attack in New York City. I know the FBI is investigating and the Department of Justice and SDNY have announced they are charging those two individuals and alleged terrorists, and I know they won't rest until justice is sought in this case. Daniel. Daniel.
Daniel (29:51):
Thank you, Karoline. Appreciate it. Millions of Americans are filing taxes for the first time since the president signed one Big Beautiful Bill Act into law. New reports say that new IRS data says that the average federal tax refund is around $3,800, a little bit up from the last period of last year. Does the president believe that the average federal tax refund increasing this year could provide a little bit more economic growth, something that he's been very focused on, as the year progresses?
Karoline Leavitt (30:16):
Absolutely. And Americans are going to start benefiting from the fruits of President Trump and Republicans' labor through the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill in these historic tax cuts. We are midway through tax season. So, just to provide an update from the Treasury Department that just went out moments ago, nearly 63.5 million tax returns have been processed thus far, 45% of the anticipated total number of tax returns by April 15th, so don't forget to file your taxes, people. And the average refund this year is more than $3,700. And we know that more than 27.5 million individuals who have filed their tax returns thus far have claimed at least one of President Trump's new tax cuts. Over 3.5 million returns have claimed no tax on tips. Over 15.5 million returns have claimed no tax on overtime. Over 9.2 million returns have claimed the enhanced deduction for seniors, and over 690,000 returns have claimed no tax on car loan interest.
(31:20)
And another amazing statistic, nearly 3.5 million Trump Accounts have been opened for children in our country thus far. So, I know the Treasury Department continues to look forward to seeing these checks go out the door and into the pockets of hardworking Americans and the president will be meeting with them himself tomorrow on the road in both Ohio and Kentucky. And we look forward to seeing you all there. Thank you, guys.
Speaker 16 (31:44):
Thank you, Karoline.
Speaker 17 (31:44):
Thank you, Karoline.