Photo: Alamy
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a press briefing Tuesday morning announcing new upcoming trips for President Trump, as well as the administration’s latest admirable progress on trade deals with countries around the world.
Leavitt opened her remarks by expressing the “thoughts and prayers” from the White House to Catholics worldwide mourning the passing of Pope Francis, and noting that “as a mark of respect for his memory,” President Trump has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff.
On that note, she announced that President Trump will be traveling to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, flying out Friday morning and returning Saturday. Additionally, the president’s schedule for his upcoming trip to the Middle East is slated for May 13-16.
Leavitt said Trump would visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Just before the president departs for Pope Francis’s funeral, he will hold a working visit with the Norwegian Prime Minister on Thursday.
The secretary also touched on the issue of illegal immigration, pointing out that there has been a stark drop in illegal alien border apprehensions since Trump took office.
“Thanks to President Trump, operational control of the border is becoming a reality,” she said.
Two other main issues she briefly highlighted was the president’s commitment to “ensure we are producing critical medicines and pharmaceutical drugs right here in America,” elevating Swiss pharma company Roche’s recent commitment to investing $50 billion in the U.S.
Leavitt also reiterated the Trump administration’s stance against Joe Biden’s “illegal student loan bailout attempts,” vowing that this White House “will never force taxpayers to pay student loan debts that don’t belong to them.”
“If you take out a loan, you have to pay it back – [it’s] very simple,” she added.
Finally, Leavitt answered a question about the ongoing “Maryland Man” narrative being pushed in the media, regarding alleged MS-13 gang member and illegal alien Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador.
“It is despicable to see the media refer to this individual as just a peaceful man living his life in Maryland,” she said, noting his hefty rap sheet.
Responding to a question about alleged leakers in the Pentagon, Leavitt defended Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth against rampant “smear campaign” efforts by some, commenting, “The Secretary of Defense is doing a tremendous job…there’s a lot of people in this city who reject monumental change.”
She added, “Let me reiterate: the president stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth.”
Lastly, Leavitt heralded massive progress in terms of trade, revealing that there are currently 18 proposals on paper that the president’s trade team are reviewing. She described the process as moving at “Trump Speed” and also shared that the trade team is “meeting with 34 countries” just this week.
Additionally, more than 100 countries worldwide want to make a trade deal with the United States of America, she said, which is “setting the stage” for a trade deal with China.
“The ball is moving in the right direction,” she said.
