2026 03 25 Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, Mar. 25, 2026 part001 (0 14min)

Good afternoon, everybody. Good to see all of you, thanks for coming today, as always. We're going to start with some scheduling announcements. This evening, President Trump will deliver remarks at Union Station for a political dinner. Tomorrow morning, the President will host the second Cabinet meeting of the year and the 11th Cabinet meeting of his second term. And later, tomorrow afternoon, the President will host a Greek Independence Day celebration in the East Room. On Friday, the President will celebrate National Agriculture Day alongside nearly 1,000 farmers who are coming in from across the country for the first event of the season on the South Lawn, so pray for good weather, to highlight the President's successful policies in support of America's farmers, including efforts to lower input costs, open new trade markets, bolster the farm safety net, double the death tax exemption, and taxes on rural property loan interest, and create rural opportunity zones. Also, I'm pleased to announce that President Trump's meeting and a long-awaited meeting with President Xi in China will now take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15th. First Lady Melania and President Trump will also host President Xi in Madame Peng for a reciprocal visit in Washington, D.C., at a later date to be announced this year. Turning to the ongoing military operations in Iran, the United States military continues to decimate the terrorist Iranian regime's offensive and defensive capabilities. Just over three weeks in, it's abundantly clear that Operation Epic Fury has been a resounding military triumph. More than 9,000 enemy targets have been struck to date, compared to the start of the operation, Iran's ballistic missile attacks and drone attacks are down by roughly 90 percent. The United States is also annihilating the Iranian regime's navy. We have destroyed more than 140 of their naval vessels, including almost 50 mine layers. This is the largest elimination of a navy over a three-week period since World War II. Again, let me reiterate, this is the largest elimination of a navy on the face of the planet in a three-week period since World War II. We are systematically dismantling Iran's defense industrial base, which will prevent future threats to the region. Our military also remains laser focused on eliminating the regime's threat to the free flow of energy through the strait of Hamus. Over the weekend, we dropped several 5,000-pound bombs on an underground facility used to store equipment, including anti-ship cruise missiles and mobile missile launchers positioned along the coastline of the strait. Our military efforts grow more successful with each passing day, steadily degrading Iran's ability to terrorize merchant ships. For all of these reasons, we are very close to meeting the core objectives of Operation Epicfury and this military mission continues unabated. From the outset, President Trump and the Department of War estimated it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve this critical mission. 25 days in, the greatest military the world has ever known is ahead of schedule and performing exceptionally. Day by day, the Iranian regime is being crippled and their ability to threaten the United States and our allies is being significantly weakened. Their ambitions of building a nuclear weapon have also been crushed to an even greater degree than they were in Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025. That's why you're beginning to see the regime look for an exit ramp. They recognize they are being crushed, their ability to attack American and ally forces, as well as their ability to defend their own territory is dwindling literally hour by hour. Following President Trump's powerful threat on Saturday evening, it was made clear to the United States that Iran wanted to talk. President Trump is willing to listen. As President Trump announced on Monday, the United States has been engaged over the last three days in productive conversations, which led the President to temporarily instruct the Department of War to postpone plan strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure only. The remaining elements of the Iranian regime have another opportunity to cooperate with President Trump permanently abandoned their nuclear ambitions and cease actively threatening America and our allies. But the President's preference is always peace. There does not need to be any more death in destruction. But if Iran fails to accept the reality of the current moment, if they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be, President Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before. President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not miscalculate again. Their last miscalculation cost them their senior leadership, their navy, their air force, and their air defense system. Any violence beyond this point will be because the Iranian regime refused to understand they have already been defeated and refused to come to a deal. Here at home, we are now on day 40 of the Democrats' shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats in Congress are forcing American travelers to wait in hours long lines at airports across the country, robbing TSA officers and other federal workers of their hard earned paychecks that they use to feed their families and causing billions of dollars in damage to our economy. A father of three recently told CBS News that he felt he had no other choice but to quit his job as a TSA officer and find other work as the Democrats' shutdown of DHS continues. This is the quote from the father, and I encourage everyone to listen. I think the hardest thing is seeing the struggle that my wife was going through and not trying to bring more stress to her. The father of three said, but seeing her cry every night, how am I going to feed my family? How am I going to survive? For the Democrats in Congress, the cruelty of this shutdown is the point. Nearly 500 TSA officers have quit since the Democrats' shutdown began. President Trump, to alleviate this pressure, made the decision to send some of our amazing ICE agents to help alleviate that stress and address the long wait times. And for all of the critics of this solution a few days ago when it was proposed by the President, it is yielding results wait times have improved since ICE arrived, and they are doing everything in their power to help their fellow federal service members. But it's important to take a step back and remember why is this even happening in the first place. For nearly six weeks, Democrats in Congress have kept DHS shut down because they care more about illegal aliens than American citizens. You have Democrat elected representatives in states across the country who are willing to inflict massive pain on their own constituents to fight for illegal aliens who broke our nation's laws to come here. In recent days, we saw the deadly consequence of this deranged policy of Democrat Open Borders in an illegal alien first agenda. A beautiful 18-year-old girl, Sheridan Gorman, she was shot and killed in Chicago last Thursday morning while walking in a park with friends. The suspect in custody for murdering her is a Venezuelan illegal alien who was caught in released at the border by the Biden administration in May of 2023. Why would the Biden administration catch and release a Venezuelan illegal alien that is not happening anymore under this President? But there are still tens of thousands, if not millions, of these illegal aliens in our country who seek to do harm to innocent Americans, like this beautiful young woman whose family will now never be the same because of her death. To make matters even worse, this monster was also released from local custody again after a shoplifting arrest where in the sanctuary city of Chicago in June of 2023. Again, another innocent American citizen had her life stolen from her because Democrats embrace reckless open border policies and reckless sanctuary city policies which put criminals back into American communities. How many more Americans have to die before the Democrats end this madness? President Trump's position is very clear. He wants the federal government opened. He wants the Department of Homeland Security funded and he wants the Democrat shutdown to end immediately. The president will also continue to call on Democrat leaders in sanctuary cities and states like J.B. Pritzker, where this young beautiful girl was murdered, to cooperate with ICE and stop releasing illegal alien criminals into American neighborhoods. It is for the safety of every American citizen, including all of the people in this room. With that, I will take your questions and hear in our new media seat today. We have Gabe Fleischer. Thanks, Caroline. Two questions for me here. Thank you. I have two questions for you. First, if the war in Iran continues past this current round of peace talks and with thousands of troops on their way to the Middle East, is there a point, either a number of ground troops or a number of days at which the President will consider seeking authorization from Congress? Well, as you know right now, that formal authorization from Congress is not necessary because we're currently in major combat operations in Iran. The Department of War and the President, as I said, estimated about a four to six week timeline for the full completion of these military combat operations were, again, on day 25 today. And as a courtesy, nevertheless, the administration did notify Congress the gang of eight ahead of the launch of the operation 25 days ago. And we've also had our top national security officials go to Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers, again, out of courtesy and out of respect for them. So at this moment, it's unnecessary, but of course, President and the administration will always abide by the law. Gabe, do you want to have a follow? Sure, go ahead. Second question. In our reporting, speak a lot to young voters, many of whom voted for President Trump for the first time in 2024, hoping to have no more wars and to have lower prices. Now, with a war taking place and with gas prices going up, here's what President Trump's message would be to those voters who kind of swung into his coalition in 2024, but maybe don't feel the administration is going as they had expected. President Trump is doing this for you. He's doing this for young people so that we are no longer threatened by a rogue terrorist regime in the Middle East that seeks to kill the brave men and women who serve in our country in the Middle East. Many of them, young people themselves, young men and women who serve this country honorably in uniform and have been threatened, killed and maimed by the rogue Iranian terrorist regime for 47 years. President Trump finally had the courage to step up and do what's right by our national security, our homeland security. As for the temporary short-term fluctuation in gas prices, the President has said once these combat operations are over, this administration is going to continue to unleash American energy dominance. We're continuing to do that every day and we're going to see prices at the pump go back down just as we have over the past year because of this President. And don't think for one second if that the Democrats had their way, gas prices would be as they were under the previous administration, the Biden administration record highs. This President is keeping them as low as he can during this short-term combat operation and they're going to go right back down when this is over. Thank you, Caroline. Just within the past few hours Iranian State TV has said that Iran has rejected the USS 15 point plan to end the war. What's the White House's response to that and have these talks hit at that end? They have not. Talks continue. They are productive as the President said on Monday and they continue to be. However, I saw a 15 point plan that was floated in the media. I would caution reporters in this room from reporting about speculative points or speculative plans from anonymous sources. The White House never confirmed that full plan. There are elements of truth to it, but some of the stories I read were not entirely factual. So I am not going to negotiate on behalf of the President here at the podium. What I will tell you is these talks are ongoing. We're not going to get into the nitty-gritty details that have been exchanged between the United States and Iran at this time. Well, yesterday the President mentioned a very big President that the Iranians had given the U.S. He wouldn't go into detail, but was it that ship that was carrying two million barrels of oil that made it through the state of foremost? I'll let the President speak on that at the appropriate time. And it's finally, Caroline. Today, Iraq's government reportedly is planning for a lot of protests with the U.S. according to the Wall Street Journal. There was an attack in Iraq that hit a military clinic killing seven soldiers reportedly. What's the U.S.'s response to that? What's the U.S. responsible for that attack? I'll have to check in with the Pentagon on that and we'll get you an answer. Thank you, Caroline, too, if I may. As Speaker Johnson today described the conflict as wrapping up, but the 82nd Airborne Division, they're typically deployed at the beginning of conflicts. So does the White House consider this conflict as wrapping up or is it changing shape? As I said, at the beginning of my remarks, we are meeting our goals of Operation Epiphuri expeditiously. The President likes to maintain options at his disposal. It's the Pentagon's job to provide those options to the Commander-in-Chief for any specifics on troop deployments, though. I would point you to the Pentagon. And today Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner reiterated threats to potentially arrest ICE agents that were sent into assist with these historically long KSA lines. He said, quote, the President cannot pardon you. Does the President see in Krasner's comments as he have any response? The President cannot pardon you for what? He's talking to the ICE agents who are handing out water bottles and are helping people move through lines at airports. It's a disgraceful comment. The men and women of ICE are great people. I would encourage this lawmaker, whose name I don't know and don't care to know, to actually sit down and speak with the ICE agents who are on the ground doing this important work, not just in our nation's airport airports, but again, to remove violent, dangerous, illegal alien criminals from our country to protect