Photo: Alamy
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday noted President Donald Trump’s willingness to work across party lines as the federal government shutdown stretched over three weeks.
The comments came shortly after the president announced on Truth Social that he would postpone deploying the National Guard to San Francisco following a discussion with the city’s Democratic mayor, Daniel Lurie. The president said Lurie had requested the opportunity to address the city’s crime and public safety problems without federal assistance.
“The President is willing to work with anyone across the aisle, across the country to do the right thing and clean up American cities,” Leavitt said during the daily briefing. “He is genuinely interested in this effort to make our streets safer, our cities safe and clean again.”
Leavitt also addressed security concerns after reports of threats made by the “No Kings” protest group against government officials, including Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
“I would think myself, the President, and everyone else at the White House would hope anyone making violent threats against public officials will be arrested and prosecuted,” she said.
The press secretary warned that the shutdown’s impact was deepening, with roughly half a million federal workers expected to miss their next paycheck and $4 billion in capital withheld from small businesses. She also cautioned that funding lapses for food assistance programs and strain on air traffic controllers could worsen if Congress does not pass a spending bill soon.
The Thursday briefing also addressed renovations to the White House, including a new ballroom. The ballroom, estimated to cost $300 million, is being financed through private donations, according to the administration, which released a list of contributors.
“I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom,” President Trump said recently on Truth Social. “Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!
