2025 11 20 Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, Nov. 20, 2025 part002 (14 28min)

and grant fulfilling system, then the Department of Education does. As a matter of fact, our executive manager that went over with that group over to labor said he would compare what the labor system is to education's like held together by bubblegum that is not connected to any other parts. So we were able to get those grants out the door. More smoothly in states have actually better access for those systems than they do at the Department of Education. So that's a real bonus. Take a couple more. Carrie, go ahead. As part of the diversity, equity, and inclusion of new regulations that came out from these administrations, a lot of schools, whether high school or even higher education concerns, some of them are trying to find these new administration policies, even apparently according to a report. I'm sorry, I can't hear you, but please follow me. There's been a new report from the administration saying that half of medical schools are defined the administration when it comes to DEI policies. What type of action will the administration take for these schools that are defined in the DEI policies? Well, certainly the president has been very clear and the Department of Education has taken measures to make sure that as schools are developing their policies or if they have open DEI offices, their closed or DEI regulations and rules are stripped from their programs, and so that will continue. Great, we'll take one more. Go ahead. Thank you, Caroline. Secretary, my question is, since you said three out of ten students literate with regard to their reading capacity, will now the states help to improve those numbers since you have gone back to the states? Well, what were you finding? The states that are making great progress? It's through their own innovation. It's not coming from the Department of Education. I think the Department of Education is really misunderstood about what our function is. We don't teach one student. We have nothing to do with the curriculum that are in any states. We are a pass-through pathway for money that's appropriated by Congress to get to the states. But what we have seen in those states that have taken that initiative, and they are embracing the science of reading and returning that into their school programs. Louisiana has done it in Mississippi. They call it the Mississippi Miracle because they were like, I think bottom or next to last in reading proficiency in Mississippi. Now they're like the middle of the path, which is going to a really big jump. Florida has Iowa has Tennessee. But these are innovations that are done at the state level. This is not anything we're dictating. That's why I'm saying, returning education to the states, where they really are already leading in their education endeavors. And 90% of their budget, they provide. The federal government only provides 8 to 10% of the budget for education. So let's make sure that that grant money that's coming from the federal government is getting in their hands as efficiently as possible and getting to students. We don't want teachers having to spend their time and money in regulatory compliance. There was one superintendent chief who said to me that they had done some calculation in their state and that for every dollar that went into the classroom in a grant 47 cents was spent in regulatory compliance. So let's get the money into the hands of our students and our teachers. Let's raise the level of education. The other thing I'll do, and I'll quickly wrap up for years, is this 50 state tour that I'm having barked on? We've done about 14 states. We've shut down a little bit during these shutdown. But what I am doing is visiting different kinds of schools, grammar schools, middle schools, high schools. Microschools, private schools, charter schools, the whole gambit. And in the end, my goal will be as we step away and fully deliver education back to the states is to provide them with a best practices tool kit of all of the things that I have seen around the country to say, hey, this is working. Check with these superintendents, check with these governors. And you know what I've found a little bit is that governors are a little competitive. So it's kind of nice to give some of these best practices out there. It'll work because it's already working. If we leave it with the people who are closest to the students, the president believes as do I. The best education is that it's closest to the child. And parents involvement is critical to the success. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I appreciate your comments today. Thanks for your great work. Thank you all very much. A busy lady, so we'll let her get back to work. All right. Thank you again. Well, let's get to it. You guys were so calm with her. I wish you were that calm with me. We'll kick off with our new media. See, as always, Javier. Why don't you start us off? And then we'll get to the rest of the room. Go ahead. Thank you very much. My name is Javier Negre. I'm from Spain. I'm the owner of the biggest media platform in the Hispanic politics with brands like La Vechariario, Eda TV, or New Edge and Glass, or Bisegrapin in Spanish. And I'm happy to be here. Thanks for supporting the new media. Also in the Hispanic community. We try to fight against media as like gentlemen going in this year on CNN or NBC News that are spreading fake news and attacking the ICE operations. We will premiere this Sunday. The Real America is going to the right in the show. The first Hispanic show against communism and world culture that is promoted by people like George Soros to bring communism all over the world, like happening in New York. I have two questions for you. You don't mind. In Mexico, the young people is protesting against President Sheyman. They think she's doing nothing against the cartels. Sheyman used the police to attack them. The young people eat girls. And she's attacking journalists like me in a country where 150 journalists have been killed in the past years. The USA legacy media is attacking President Trump for his comments about the fake news media. While they are not publishing anything about the murders, journalists in Mexico, why do you think they stay silenced about the murder of journalists in Mexico and the attacks in businessmen like Ricardo Salinas? And my second question is Trump said he has a plan for the Narcostea of Venezuela. Does this have a plan for Mexico where according to his unfamiliar cartels and controlling government and territories? Well, thank you, Javier, for the question. And thank you again for being here. We're proud to have new media voices in the briefing room. As for President Shinebaum and the President's relationship with Mexico, I will tell you that we have seen historic strides from President Shinebaum and her administration in Mexico when it comes to cracking down on the cartels. They have been incredibly cooperative with the President's efforts at our southern border to crack down on illegal immigration and also the illegal trafficking of drugs at the southern border. Now the President is very interested in taking additional measures against the drug cartels. He's been very clear about that. He's spoken about it. And this is a promise that he made to the American public. And so his national security team is discussing these options all of the time. And on the campaign show, the President promised to take on the cartels. He has taken unprecedented action to do so. And he has left additional options at his disposal on the table. So those are only decisions that the President can make. Thank you. The legacy media about the martyrs of journalists in Mexico, 150 journalists have been killed in the past years. Yeah, well, it's certainly something I wish the media would report on more and it's something that this administration absolutely condemns. I can't speak for the media, but I can't speak for the President. That's not something he wants to see. Thank you. Sure. Thank you, Caroline. Is there anything that Maryland to Mamdami could say tomorrow that would ease the President's concerns about his future leadership in New York? Look, I don't want to speak for the President or get ahead of this meeting that we are currently working on for tomorrow. As you saw, the President put out a statement tomorrow that the mayor elect will be coming to the Opal Office, and so our teams are arranging those details. I won't get into the President's thinking on it. I think you'll all hear from him directly. I also think I will just add, it speaks volumes that tomorrow we have a communist coming to the White House, because that's who the Democrat Party elected as the mayor of the largest city in the country. I think it's very telling, but I also think it speaks to the fact that President Trump is willing to meet with anyone and talk to anyone and to try to do what's right on behalf of the American people, whether they live in blue states or red states or blue cities in a city that's becoming much more left than I think this President ever anticipated in his many years of living in New York himself. Nancy? Caroline, this morning President Trump accused six Democratic lawmakers of seditious behavior punishable by death. Just to be clear, does the President want to execute numbers of Congress? No. Let's be clear about what the President is responding to, because many in this room want to talk about the President's response, but not what brought the President to responding in this way. You have sitting members of the United States Congress, who conspired together to orchestrate a video, message to members of the United States military, to active duty service members, to members of the National Security apparatus encouraging them to defy the President's lawful orders, the sanctity of our military rests on the chain of command. And if that chain of command is broken, it can lead to people getting killed. It can lead to chaos. And that's what these members of Congress, who sworn oath to abide by the Constitution, are essentially encouraging. We have 1.3 active duty service members in this country. And if they hear this radical message from sitting members of Congress, that could inspire chaos, and it could incite violence, and it certainly could disrupt the chain of command. These three members of Congress, I will also add new exactly what they were doing. You look at Alissa Slotkin. She's a former member of the CIA. Mark Kelly was a captain in the U.S. Navy, Maggie Goodlinder, was a naval officer, and notably, she is also the wife of Joe Biden's National Security Former Advisor, Jake Sullivan. And so these members knew what they were doing. They were leading into their credentials as former members of our military, as veterans, as former members of the National Security apparatus, to signal to people serving under this commander-in-chief Donald Trump. That you can defy him, and you can betray your oath of office. That is a very, very dangerous message, and it perhaps is punishable by law. I'm not a lawyer. I'll leave that to the Department of Justice and the Department of War to decide. But the President has frequently, but Caroline can I just follow up, the President and the Vice President, for that matter, have accused the other side of encouraging political violence. Isn't that exactly what the President is doing when he says that members of Congress should be killed? Why aren't you talking about what these members of Congress are doing to encourage it in sight violence? They are literally saying to 1.3 million active-duty service members not to defy the chain of command, not to follow lawful orders. Every single... But they are suggesting Nancy that the President has given illegal orders, which he has not. Every single order that is given to this United States military by this commander-in-chief, and through this chain of command, through the Secretary of War, is lawful. And the courts have proven that. This administration has an unparalleled record at the Supreme Court, because we are following the laws. We don't defy court orders. We do things by the books. And to suggest and encourage that active-duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing for sitting members of Congress to do. And they should be held accountable, and that's what the President wants to see. Phil. Thank you. Ambassador Mike Huckabee had a meeting with Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. citizen who was convicted and spent three decades in jail for selling state cigarettes to Israel. Did the White House know that that meeting was going to happen? Does the administration condone that? The White House was not aware of that meeting, but the President stands by our Ambassador Mike Huckabee and all that he's doing for the United States and Israel. You said that the President was going to do what was right for U.S. citizens regardless of whether they lived in blue or red states. I'm curious if there's any chance in tomorrow's meeting with Mayor-elect Mamdani that he will be able to convince the President to abandon that promise to cut off federal funding to New York City. Look, Phil, we'll see how the meeting goes tomorrow, and I'll let the President speak for himself, Natalie. Thank you, Caroline. What did the President mean when he called rapport piggy? Look, the President is very frank and honest with everyone in this room. You've all seen it yourself. You've all experienced it yourselves. And I think it's one of the many reasons that the American people reelected this President because of his frankness. And he calls out fake news when he sees it. He gets frustrated with reporters when you lie about him, when you spread fake news about him and his administration. But he also is the most transparent President in history. And he gives all of you in this room, as you all know, unprecedented access. You are in the Oval Office almost every day asking the President questions. And so I think the President being frank and open and honest to your faces, rather than hiding behind your backs, is frankly a lot more respectful than what you saw in the last administration, where you had a President who lied to your face and then didn't speak to you for weeks and hit upstairs and didn't take your questions. So I think everyone in this room should appreciate the...