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March 11, 2025 - The Benny Show - Benny Johnson
01:01:31
🚨 White House Press Briefing LIVE Right Now: Karoline Leavitt vs. Fake News as Deep State in PANIC
Participants
Main voices
b
benny johnson
12:05
k
karoline leavitt
30:57
Appearances
p
peter doocy
02:00
Clips
h
harris faulkner
00:14
m
mike johnson
00:17
| Copy link to current segment

Speaker Time Text
mike johnson
If congressional Democrats refuse to support this clean CR, they will be responsible for every troop who misses a paycheck, for every flight delay from reduced staffing at TSA, for every negative consequence that comes from shutting down the government.
harris faulkner
Congressional correspondent Chad Pergram is on Capitol Hill.
Chad.
unidentified
Good morning, Harris.
Well, House Speaker Mike Johnson is confident they'll pass the bill, maybe with only one GOP defection.
That would be Thomas Massey of Kentucky.
But Kat Kamek of Florida and Rich McCormick of Georgia remain undecided, and they're not the only ones.
Are you still undecided on this?
Yeah, I'm still undecided.
Will we change your mind?
I'd just like some commitments that we're going to spend less money in the future.
This CR, for the first time I've been in Washington, is less spending.
So there's that.
President Trump began calling skeptical members last night.
Burchett says he did not get a call from the White House.
One House Republican says even the appeals of Vice President Vance in person did not necessarily close the deal.
The one person who can apparently close the deal is President Trump.
That's why Missouri Republican Eric Burleson says he will support the emergency spending bill, but barely.
What's the barely part?
The barely is Donald Trump.
I mean, he is the difference maker.
I would never support this language, but I do trust Donald Trump.
Basically, this is not Lucy with the football.
The analogy doesn't work.
It's Donald Trump saying, give me the football and I'll kick the ball.
So I trust that he's going to do it.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries would not guarantee that all Democrats will vote no.
Democrats are asking all of their members to be present and oppose the bill.
If the House passes the bill, it still must overcome a Senate filibuster.
Harris?
harris faulkner
Chad, before I let you go, are there any Democratic names that have bubbled up for those people who also are on the fence?
I mean, you gave us the Republicans, Burchett and Kamek.
What about on the left side of the aisle?
unidentified
Not necessarily.
I would always look at moderate Democrats who represent swing districts.
Marie Gouzenkamp-Perez in Washington State, and Jared Golden in Maine.
What?
Wrong answer.
Be nice.
I'd hate to have to come back here.
I'd hate to have to come back here.
benny johnson
The memes are out of control.
They're out of control.
unidentified
All right.
benny johnson
Memes are out of control, ladies and gentlemen.
We're back live because Caroline Levitt will be at this podium in just one moment bringing the flamethrower we hear today.
Can I get some flames out in the comments?
Can I get some flames in the comments?
Can I get a couple Caroline Levitts?
In the comments, please, ladies and gentlemen.
Here we go.
I have so much to talk about.
I want to talk about Dr. Fauci, COVID, and a massive bombshell that just dropped against Dr. Fauci and the massive cover-up operation from inside of the deep state that we've been telling you about from such a long time.
Here's what's just happened.
The White House reporters for Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN.
Have just sat down.
Now, what that normally means in these things is that they got a two-minute warning.
So they got to sit down and shut up, right, is what they were told.
And so then this, you know, when you see those kind of things, you don't really want to cut away or jump into something too much because you'll miss Carolyn Levitt walking up to the podium and getting going.
So this is obviously, you don't exactly know when she's going to come out, so you just kind of roll with it and play the game.
So I'm just like filibustering here for a second to see if she is heading out.
Producers, Peter Doocy just did a stand-up.
Make sure that we grab that one and toss it up so we can see sort of how Fox News is framing this press conference.
I know that Peter Doocy, who's sitting there in the front row, was live just moments ago.
You can see a little action there on the screens.
Everybody has seated.
I mean, typically there's a little sound.
It's a two-minute warning.
Everyone take your seats.
unidentified
Sit down, is what they say.
benny johnson
So who knows?
Who knows?
Sometimes they say that, and it's like another 30 minutes.
So nobody knows.
We have a lot to talk about, and we had a wild morning show.
We like splitting these things up because, well, quite frankly, we don't know exactly when Caroline Levitt will come to the press dais.
So it's easier to close one show out and just kind of jump live over there.
And it's more respectful to our guests, to be quite honest with you.
More respectful to the individuals who come on the show.
Alina Haba and Alex Jones on the program this morning.
Holy moly.
What a crazy, wild conversation that was.
Still processing that.
Getting the clips up and ready to rock and roll.
Ladies and gentlemen, we assume there's going to be plenty of fire tier from Carolyn Levitt today because, well, there's a lot to be talked about.
I'm going to head on over to sort of our production producers and Killer Kline.
You just smash Carolyn Levitt back onto the screen when she goes out and takes that press dice.
But I'm letting you know, this is a live shot of the White House right now.
The White House feed hasn't begun yet.
So, you know, it's always like these little indicators.
We don't like keeping people waiting, but we have plenty to talk about.
So there it is.
Holy smokes!
Yeah, that's right.
Smash that like button.
Make sure that you're smashing the like button on this live.
We are giving you the front row seat to the golden era.
We did our first, that was our first, Killer Kline.
That was our first live from inside the White House that we just did with Alina.
How cool was that?
Yeah, she was there.
She posted a video.
Okay, hold on.
Grab me that video.
So Alina Haba just posted on social media.
Can a producer please grab that?
It's on the top of Rex.
She's posted on social media where she did the hit from for our program.
You're going to love this.
If you were watching the morning show, it was Joe Biden.
There it is.
It was Joe Biden's old fake-ass studio!
The fake White House!
She did the hit from the fake White House!
We're processing the video right now, and we'll pop it up for you.
This was what she just did the hit from for our program.
She was using Joe Biden's fake white house.
We thought this was so awesome.
This isn't the breaking news that we want to talk about when it comes to COVID, but you remember this is where Joe Biden got his vaccine shot and everything like that, right?
Okay, let's watch Alina.
And ladies and gentlemen, again, we will smash on over to...
Carolyn Levitt, as soon as she takes the press podium, the best production team in the world, standing by, here's Alina Haba.
unidentified
You guys, I just finished a show.
Look at the room that they put me in.
We're in Biden's bank Oval Office, everybody.
And I've actually figured this out.
I now know why.
I now get it.
Turn the camera around.
There is a screen.
karoline leavitt
Teleprompter to the face.
All I can say is...
unidentified
The last administration was a disgrace.
Disgraze?
Disgraze?
benny johnson
That doesn't sound like English.
Somebody deport her!
I'm just kidding.
I love Alina Hama.
This is great.
This was the show.
This was the hit.
unidentified
Disgraze!
benny johnson
Disgrace, right?
In Italian?
Am I hearing that correct?
Yeah, this is what she says.
This is what she says there in the tweet.
I just cracked the case!
Ladies and gentlemen, speaking of cracking the case, we'll see what Peter Doocy has to say at the White House press briefing.
And yes, if it sounds like I'm filibustering, I am, because it does seem like Carolyn Levitt is imminent.
And I want to jump into this big story about Dr. Fauci and COVID origins.
Massive, breaking whistleblower from the highest levels of the administration.
Saying that Dr. Fauci not only created the virus, calling him the father of COVID, and then he worked with the CIA to cover all of it up.
I'm ready to go.
I'm ready to jump right into that.
But since this is what I promised you, let's jump over to Peter Doocy real fast.
This was Peter Doocy in the White House moments ago.
You'll see him seated right there in the front row, but he was just live on Fox saying this as a preview to the press secretary.
peter doocy
Any minute now, John.
And what we're seeing before President Trump sends his spokesperson out is a different approach than he had last week.
Last week, when he was taking some heat, including from some conservative economists about this tariff strategy, he decided to tinker with it a little bit.
There were exceptions made for some products from Mexico, some products from Canada for a few weeks.
This week, amid the criticism, the president is doubling down.
And what remains to be seen is how exactly...
Hopefully he can help this 1.5 million person block in New York and Minnesota and Michigan that is going to be affected by higher prices for Canadian energy.
He and the Canadians are going back and forth, back and forth.
So we do expect to hear a little bit more about the president's thinking on that.
And then we didn't see him at all yesterday, but he is going to speak to some nervous CEOs later on today.
President Trump, of course, has great job security.
He never needs to run for re-election again.
But these CEOs who are coming to town, including from IBM and HP and Qualcomm, they all need to go back to their boards and to their shareholders to explain what exactly is going to happen.
We also expect the White House to try to reassure folks who are sitting there looking at their 401ks going down and down and down.
This is a White House that came in trying to get federal workers to retire by the hundreds of...
benny johnson
Here we go, ladies and gentlemen.
Carolyn Lovett just took the dais.
Let's go.
White House feed, ready to rock.
karoline leavitt
Settled.
There's a lot of news today, so I look forward to taking your questions.
Good to see you.
And I have some updates for you as well.
Later today, President Trump will address the Business Roundtable's quarterly meeting, where he will tout his pro-growth economic agenda and answer questions before more than 100 of our nation's leading CEOs.
In fact, it's the largest attendance ever for this event because business leaders are so eager and encouraged by President Trump's return to Washington.
This follows President Trump's roundtable yesterday with the Technology CEO Council here at the White House, where he met with key leaders in the technology industry.
And last night, President Trump also held an official swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office for Sean Curran, who is now the 28th Director of the United States Secret Service.
Sean demonstrated unbelievable bravery under gunfire in Butler, Pennsylvania this past July when an assassin tried to kill President Trump.
As someone who got to know Sean personally throughout the campaign last year, I can say unequivocally that there is nobody better suited for this important role.
And following the confirmation of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez de Romer last night, the Senate has now confirmed 21 of President Trump's well-qualified cabinet-level nominees, far outpacing the previous administration.
And looking ahead tomorrow, the President will welcome the Tisha, Michal Martin of Ireland, for the annual White House Shamrock Ceremony.
And Thursday, President Trump will welcome the NATO Secretary General for a working meeting and lunch.
On the economy, February's jobs report was good news for America, particularly our manufacturing sector.
The manufacturing sector gained 10,000 new jobs in just one month under President Trump.
This rebound was led by the automobile sector where we saw 9,000 new auto jobs created already.
That is the most auto jobs added to the economy in 15 months.
This was a complete turnaround from the Biden administration where we were losing an average of 9,000 manufacturing jobs per month last year.
Reuters is out with a report that a number of companies are now looking at expanding their presence or bringing their businesses into America because of President Trump's policies.
And just moments ago, before coming out here, I saw another report by Reuters revealing that Merck has opened a $1 billion facility at its North Carolina site.
This is just the latest pharmaceutical company to boost its U.S. manufacturing in lieu of President Trump's tariffs.
This announcement follows Eli Lilly's plans to invest at least $27 billion to build four new manufacturing plants here in the United States.
And Pfizer has also said it's considering moving their manufacturing overseas right here to the United States of America.
As the president has said over and over again, when we purchase products made in the USA, the profits stay here, the revenue stays here, and most importantly, the jobs stay here.
And despite the globalist mainstream media's attempts to worry consumers, President Trump will not repeat the trend of past American presidents who broke their promises to the American public and smiled while they stuck a knife in the back of American workers and shipped their jobs overseas.
Our country has lost more than 5 million jobs in more than 90,000 factories due to devastating globalization over the last three decades alone.
North Carolina lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs, including 60% of its furniture manufacturing jobs in the years following NAFTA.
And in Michigan, globalist policies destroyed 250,000 jobs, including 40% of the auto industry, which again we know is clawing back because of President Trump's action already.
These are harrowing statistics that represent countless towns and families who have been completely destroyed.
But the America's last globalist era is ending under President Trump.
He will no longer allow our country and our workers, our hard-working American families, to be ripped off.
On another very important issue for the President, he continues to work hard to secure the border.
If you missed it yesterday, CBP launched an enhanced home mobile app with a new feature, the Intent to Depart, which offers unlawfully present aliens or those aliens whose parole has been revoked an orderly and defined process to notify the U.S. government of their intent to depart the country.
The CBP home app strengthens our mission to secure the border and provides illegal aliens with a straightforward way to leave now before facing much harsher consequences later.
A new report from Bloomberg just found that the number of aliens trying to reach our country by traveling through the jungle to Central America dropped a whopping 99% last month.
And this follows the incredible news that illegal border crossings plummeted last month as well, down 94% at our southern border from last February.
Under the Biden administration.
As President Trump made clear during his historic address to Congress, we must finish this job and continue to carry out the largest deportation campaign in American history.
And that is why the President fully endorses the continuing resolution that is before Congress and was negotiated by Speaker Johnson.
He is encouraging all Republicans to vote yes on this clean CR, which freezes funding at current levels and will prevent the Democrats from getting their long-awaited government shutdown.
Voting against this CR will hurt the American people and kill the incredible momentum that President Trump has built over the past 51 days.
And lastly, before I take questions, I would like to commend the Washington Post, who I believe is in the room today.
According to a new report from Axios, the Washington Post is overhauling their newsroom structure.
It appears that the mainstream media, including the Post, is finally learning that having disdain for more than half of the country who supports this president does not help you sell newspapers.
It's not a very good business model.
And that's why we have people in our new media seat.
And today, we have Sargar Anetti.
Who is the host of Breaking Points, a popular political YouTube news and podcast show that has racked up nearly 1 billion views on YouTube, several hundred million podcast downloads since its launch in June 2021.
He's also a former member of the White House Correspondents Association, but is now a part of the thriving independent media.
We're very happy to have you with us here today.
Why don't you kick off our briefing?
Thank you.
unidentified
Really, really appreciate you having me, Caroline.
A couple of questions for you, if I may.
First is first on this stock.
So currently, it's the 25th anniversary today of the dot-com bubble crash.
There's a lot of concern for a lot of Americans right now about the state of the economy.
President Trump has refused to rule out a recession.
Secretary Lutnik, however, has told us there will not be one.
So can the White House just tell and assure Americans today that there's not going to be a recession?
karoline leavitt
Well, there's a lot to unpack there.
So let me start by saying that, first of all, when it comes to the stock market, the numbers that we see today, the numbers we saw yesterday, the numbers we saw...
We'll see tomorrow are a snapshot of a moment in time.
And as President Trump has said, and I'm here to echo the remarks of this president of this White House, we are in a period of economic transition.
We are in a period of transition from the mess that was created under Joe Biden in the previous administration.
Joe Biden left this country in an economic disaster.
Several statistics to point out.
The delinquency rate on credit card loans increased 63% under Joe Biden, hitting a near 12-year high.
Under Joe Biden, all net job growth went to foreign-born Americans.
Real wages declined by 1.5% under Joe Biden.
And as we all know, and this administration continues to combat, prices soared more than 20%.
Under Joe Biden because of his reckless spending and economic policies.
So we are in a period of transition from that economic nightmare under a president who had no idea what he was doing, never held a private sector job in his life, into a golden age of American manufacturing under a businessman and a dealmaker in chief and President Donald J. Trump, who will be implementing, is implementing, the formula that we know works.
Look at President Trump's results in his first term.
If people are looking for certainty, they should look at the record of this president.
That's why the American people re-elected him back to this office.
And look at everything that President Trump has already done and his team has already done in just 51 days.
The massive efforts to deregulate.
Tax cuts, which we need Congress to pass the Trump economic agenda.
The Trump tax cuts, which will unleash economic growth.
And the president also addressed this directly, I will point out.
Well, when you look at what he said on Air Force One, and he said he wants the American people to have so much money in their pockets they don't even know what to do with it.
That's the intent of this administration, and we're working very hard every day on that goal.
unidentified
Second question on the CR.
So President Trump came out today in a primary challenge against Congressman Thomas Massey.
Congressman Massey's been a supporter of Doge.
He's been a supporter of Make America Healthy Again.
What kind of message is this White House sending against a congressman who's sticking up for principles that he's long held in the chamber in voting against continuing resolution and spending?
karoline leavitt
I think the president has made it very clear that he believes it's critical for conservatives and Republicans and, frankly, all members of Congress to get behind this continuing resolution to keep the government funded.
The president wants to continue the momentum that he has built over the last 51 days.
In order to keep the government funded, we've got to keep moving with these deportations.
And he believes that everybody needs to get on board with this bill.
He's been active in this process.
He's been making calls to get this over the finish line.
Republican and Democrats too, to do what's right for the American public to prevent a government shutdown.
unidentified
Just the last question here on Mahmoud Khalil.
Does the administration believe that it needs to charge a green card holder with a crime to be eligible for deportation?
karoline leavitt
In fact, Secretary Rubio reserves the right to revoke the visa of Mahmoud Khalil.
And I'm glad you brought this up.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Secretary of State has the right to revoke a green card or a visa for individuals who serve or are adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States of America.
And Mahmoud Khalil was an individual who was given the privilege of coming to this country.
To study at one of our nation's finest universities and colleges.
And he took advantage of that opportunity, of that privilege, by siding with terrorists.
Hamas terrorists who have killed innocent men, women, and children.
This is an individual who organized group protests that not only disrupted college campus classes and harassed Jewish American students and made them feel unsafe on their own college campus, but also distributed pro-Hamas propaganda.
Propaganda.
Flyers with the logo of Hamas.
That is what the behavior and activity that this individual engaged in.
And I have those flyers on my desk.
They were provided to me by the Department of Homeland Security.
I thought about bringing them into this briefing room to share with all of you, but I didn't think it was worth the dignity of this room to bring that pro-Hamas propaganda.
But that's what this individual distributed on the campus of Columbia University.
And this administration is not going to tolerate individuals having the privilege of studying in our country and then siding with pro-terrorist organizations that have killed Americans.
We have a zero tolerance policy for siding with terrorists, period.
Peter Ducey.
peter doocy
Thank you, Caroline.
So you said that the Dow dropping and dropping and dropping is a period of transition.
You're sure nobody here at the White House short of the Dow?
karoline leavitt
No, I don't think so.
peter doocy
Okay.
But is there any concern here that it's going to be harder to ask?
Certain federal workers to retire if they look at their retirement accounts and they're getting robbed every day.
karoline leavitt
Well, I'm glad you brought up workers because that's exactly who President Trump is looking out for with his America First trade.
Policy and his America First economic agenda.
And if you look at, there's great indication to be optimistic about where the economy stands.
And the American people, investors, CEOs, small business owners, but most importantly, workers should bet on President Trump because his tariff policies, what he envisions is reciprocity, fair trade practices where American workers are put first and are no longer ripped off by foreign countries all over this world.
unidentified
President Trump says he's going to buy a Tesla today.
peter doocy
Did he buy it?
And when is the last time he drove a car?
karoline leavitt
That's a very good question.
I have heard the president remark that he misses being able to drive, that luxury of driving his own vehicle, although the beast is nice.
But he is going to be viewing a Tesla that is making its way to the White House complex.
Now, I can confirm.
Perhaps the press pool today will have an opportunity to witness this very exciting moment later this afternoon.
But Tesla is on its way here now, and we'll see if the president likes it when he checks it out.
peter doocy
So they're bringing him a Tesla to look at, and if he likes it, he's just going to buy it.
karoline leavitt
You know, he's intent on, he's definitely going to buy one, but he'll take a look at it when it gets here later this afternoon.
peter doocy
Full retail?
karoline leavitt
Yes, full market price.
Kelly.
unidentified
Can we talk about Canada?
What is the status of President Trump having a conversation with Mark Carney?
We have seen the president use the term governor to refer to Justin Trudeau.
Will that moniker also go to Mr Carney going forward?
And is the decision to increase...
The tariffs, is that based on a specific economic metric that he looked at?
Is it impulse?
How would you describe his reaction to candidates?
karoline leavitt
The president has not yet spoken to Mr. Carney, not since I checked, which was just moments ago.
But certainly his phone is always open to leaders who wish to speak with him.
As for the tariffs, the president made his position on this quite clear with the statement that he put out.
And it was a retaliatory statement due to the escalation of rhetoric that we've seen out of Ontario, Canada.
The president saw the premier, Doug Ford, make an egregious and insulting comment threatening to shut down electricity for the American people, for hardworking American families.
The president saw that and has an obligation and a responsibility to respond accordingly.
And represent the interests of the American people.
So he has made the decision to add a 25% tariff.
So now steel and aluminum tariffs will come into effect tomorrow at the rate of 50%.
And our steel and aluminum industries have actually applauded these tariffs because, again, they know it's going to grow their industry here.
It's going to allow them to export more steel that is made right here in the United States with American workers.
unidentified
I'm insulting your words here, but that's what many Canadian leaders have said about the actions President Trump has taken toward Canada.
And what do you think the timeline is for speaking to Mr. Carney?
Because normally a sitting president speaks to a close ally very quickly when there's new leadership.
karoline leavitt
Well, the president is, again, responding to the fact that Canada has been ripping off the United States of America and hardworking Americans for decades.
If you look at the rates of tariffs across the board that Canadians have been imposing on the American people and our workers here, it is egregious.
In fact, I have a handy-dandy chart here that shows not just Canada, but the rate of tariffs across the board.
If you look at Canada, since you brought it up, American cheese and butter, nearly 300% tariff.
You look at India, 150% tariff on American alcohol.
You think that's helping Kentucky bourbon be exported into India?
I don't think so.
100% tariff on agricultural products from India.
Look at Japan tariffing rice, 700%.
President Trump believes in reciprocity.
And it is about dang time that we have a president who actually looks out for the interests of American businesses and workers.
And all he's asking for at the end of the day are fair and balanced trade practices.
And unfortunately, Canada has not been treating us very fairly at all over the past several decades.
To the woman in the purple, because I saw you were making a face at my previous answer.
So what's going on?
unidentified
Well, actually, I have a couple of questions.
At the core of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses and elsewhere is a demand to end the war in Gaza, a goal that this administration actually supports and has pursued.
So why has this not been acknowledged or highlighted even?
karoline leavitt
Because these colleges and these protests have again put out Hamas propaganda.
The flyers that have been distributed call for violence.
The flyers that have been distributed have the logo of an organization that has held Americans hostage, that murdered innocent babies, that murdered men, women, and children.
They are a designated And we are not going to tolerate non-citizens, foreigners who come here on a visa engaging in such behavior, siding with terrorists.
And the Secretary of State reserves the authority to revoke the green card or the visa of an individual who serves as an...
Actually, it says right here, reasonable grounds to believe that the alien's presence or activities in the United States would have potentially serious adverse...
And I think siding with Hamas makes that quite clear.
Secretary Rubio exercised that authority, and we fully believe that we are going to move forward with more arrests, as President Trump previewed in his statement yesterday.
unidentified
Ed?
Thanks.
karoline leavitt
Go ahead.
unidentified
So are there conversations between the administration and the Canadians going on over this tariff?
Because the Ontario Premier says the next step is to cut off electricity to the US.
karoline leavitt
And the president put out a statement after seeing those comments and said that there would be grave consequences imposed on Canada if they think about shutting off electricity for the United States of America and our citizens.
And the president is also determined to ensure that we are depending on American electricity, not the electricity production of foreign nations, including our allies in Canada.
As for conversations, there is continued correspondence between The President's team, particularly Secretary Lutnik, and the Canadians as well.
unidentified
How do you sell to the American people then, after looking at what's happening in the markets this week, and say that the tariff policy long-term is something good?
karoline leavitt
Well, just think about what the tariff policy long term will do for our country.
I think many of us probably grew up in small towns.
I know at least I did.
And the Main Street in my small town looks a heck of a lot worse than it probably did decades ago before I was alive.
At least my parents and grandparents tell me so.
And I know many Americans feel that same way.
What the president envisions for this country is for the United States of America to be a manufacturing superpower where there are American factories and businesses owned by Americans producing goods that we are exporting to the rest of the world.
Those revenues will stay here.
It will increase wages for people here in our great country.
It will ensure our national security and it will boost the morale of the American people to have thriving industries again.
Think about Detroit, Michigan.
Think about North Carolina, as I mentioned, that used to have a thriving furniture industry that no longer exists because of the globalist trade policies of previous and past administrations.
And the American people gave the president a And he's intent on doing just that.
John.
unidentified
Thanks a lot, Caroline.
Two questions.
First, on the CR, you put up on the screen the president's message to Republicans to support this continuing resolution.
Is there outreach to Democrats?
Because what we've seen since the beginning of the fiscal year is that in order to get A continuing resolution.
You need bipartisan support and you need compromise.
karoline leavitt
Well, right now we are focused on House Republicans and on the House because that's the first step, as you know, John.
And so the president has engaged in correspondence with House Republicans, whipping votes and getting them to a yes, which I understand has been pretty successful this morning thus far.
And so, again, the president is encouraging Republicans especially.
But again, as I said, all members of Congress to vote to continue funding this.
unidentified
We've seen this decline yesterday.
We see it today as well.
It seems that the read on the president's policies is one in which they do not have confidence in his trade tariffs policy.
They do not have confidence in what the president said to Fox News over the weekend that he didn't rule out the idea of a recession.
What is your read?
In terms of the decline that we've seen over the last week and a half.
karoline leavitt
Well, I think there's actually a lot of reason to be confident, and many people do feel confident.
Just look at the nearly $2 trillion in private investment that this president has secured.
Look at the comments made by the CEO of Apple, one of the biggest companies in this world, who said that he is bullish on the future of American innovation under the leadership of President Trump.
Look at CEO confidence.
According to the conference board measure of CEO confidence in Q1, Under the leadership of this president, it jumped to its highest level in three years from cautious optimism to confident optimism.
If you, again, look at the $2 trillion in investments from some of the biggest companies in the world, look at the jobs report last Friday, as I also cited in my opening remarks.
Fox Business reported that Trump sees a manufacturing boom in First Bowl's jobs report of his second term.
Look at the auto jobs that have already poured back into America.
9,000 new auto jobs.
Those are sticky jobs.
Those are good-paying jobs.
That's 9,000 American families who will now be able to live the American dream because of the policies of this administration.
You also look at small business optimism.
The NFIB put out a report this morning.
Small business optimism continues to be far higher than it ever was under the previous administration.
There's a lot of reason to be optimistic.
And again, the American people, CEOs and people on Wall Street and on Main Street should I bet on this president.
He is a dealmaker, he is a businessman, and he's doing what's right for our country.
He wants to restore wealth to the United States of America.
Michael, good to see you.
unidentified
Hey, Carolyn, thank you.
Two questions, if I may.
Will the administration be providing any relief to states affected by the Ontario power term?
karoline leavitt
Well, the president has made it very clear that Canada would be very wise not to shut off electricity for the American people.
And we hope that that does not happen.
As for what would happen if that does take place, I'll leave it to the president to make those decisions.
unidentified
Does President Trump share the Justice Department's concern over rising egg prices and possible collusion of big eggs?
karoline leavitt
Well, we definitely do share the concerns of the American people when it comes to the price of eggs.
However, good news, the average cost of a dozen eggs is actually down since Secretary Rawlins and President Trump announced their plan.
It's down $1.85.
So that's good news on the cost of eggs.
And as we know, under the Biden administration, egg prices went up 22%.
This is another example of an economic mess that President Trump and Thanks, Caroline.
unidentified
Just back on the market, you said that what we're seeing this week right now on Wall Street is a snapshot of a moment in time.
But does the president think he bears any responsibility for the turmoil in the stock market this week?
karoline leavitt
Look, the president is unwavering in his commitment to restore American manufacturing and global dominance.
And I think he doubled down on that this morning with his new statement and the tariffs that will be implemented tomorrow on steel and aluminum.
unidentified
He has said recently, he's not looking at the market.
He said you can't really watch the stock market.
But all of the gains since Election Day have been erased in the S&P 500.
At what point, how far do new stocks have to fall before the president considers it a factor and changes course?
karoline leavitt
Again, as I just said, the president will look out for Wall Street and for Main Street, just like he did in his first term.
And people on Wall Street and Main Street should bet on this president.
He's doing what's right for this country.
Nick, good to see you.
unidentified
Is the president prepared like what we saw with Congressman Massey to pressure other Republican lawmakers into supporting this continuing resolution?
karoline leavitt
Well, he is very much, as I said, engaged in this process.
He's been making calls to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and I think his statements against Congressman Massey speak for themselves.
And I will let the president put out any additional statements if he chooses to, but he fully expects all House Republicans to vote for this continuing resolution.
unidentified
Just to follow up, can we start to anticipate seeing more of the president weighing in on upcoming 2026 races like we saw this morning?
karoline leavitt
I'm not sure about that.
I'm not even sure if I'm allowed to speak about that from this podium.
I would check in with our outside political team for guidance on future races and the president's involvement.
Elena.
unidentified
Thank you.
I wanted to ask about some comments Elon Musk made yesterday.
He said that there is $500 to $700 billion in waste and fraud and entitlement spending.
He called it, quote, the big one to eliminate.
Earlier this month, he also referred to Social Security as a Ponzi scheme.
Should Americans expect big changes to Social Security and Medicare?
karoline leavitt
President Trump has been unequivocally clear on this.
He is going to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits and Medicaid for hardworking Americans who paid into these entitlement programs and deserve those hard-earned benefits.
And unfortunately, the mainstream media has taken Mr. Musk out of context.
I saw a Bloomberg headline that our team actually worked on getting updated and fixed because it was so wrong.
And it took Mr. Musk out of context.
What he was specifically referring to cutting was the waste.
And the fraud and abuse that does exist in these programs.
According to an IG report from the Social Security Administration, there's more than $70 billion of fraud in the Social Security program alone that we know of.
And so the president will continue to protect these programs for hardworking Americans.
And actually cutting the waste, fraud, and abuse out of these programs will protect it for hardworking Americans.
unidentified
He said around $500 to $700 billion.
There was no evidence to claim that.
And also that that is...
That would represent more than a third of what Social Security paid out last year, maybe 20% of Social Security and Medicare.
karoline leavitt
Again, if you read his full quote, he said, So it's an estimate based on what he's seen.
He's not saying definitively.
He's saying that's what Doge suspects and thinks.
And that's exactly why Doge was created, to ensure that we are investigating the fraudulent spending, the wasteful abuse across our federal government.
And I would remind everybody in this room that 77% of the American people support this effort by Elon Musk and Doge to identify such waste, fraud, and abuse.
unidentified
Go ahead.
Thanks, Caroline.
You're welcome.
If we could just step back for a second.
When President Trump last addressed the BRT when he was on the campaign trail, his big push was on tax cuts.
He's going there today as he's proposing tax hikes in the form of tariffs.
And I'm curious for why he's prioritizing that over the tax.
karoline leavitt
He's actually not implementing tax hikes.
Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that, again, have been ripping us off.
Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people.
And the president is a staunch advocate of tax cuts.
As you know, he campaigned on no taxes on tips, no taxes on overtime, no taxes on Social Security benefits.
He is committed to all three.
unidentified
I'm sorry, have you ever paid a tariff?
Because I have.
They don't get charged on foreign companies.
They get charged on the importers.
karoline leavitt
And ultimately, when we have fair and balanced trade, which the American people have not seen in decades, as I said at the beginning, revenues will stay here, wages will go up, and our country will be made wealthy again.
And I think it's insulting that you're trying to test my knowledge of economics and the decisions that this president has made.
I now regret giving a question to the Associated Press.
Mary, go ahead.
unidentified
The first one was on Russia, Ukraine.
I know Special Envoy Whitcoff said yesterday that Zelensky apologized in his letter to Trump.
Can you share any more about that letter and what else might be interesting from it that we don't know?
karoline leavitt
Yes, the President did reference that letter, as you're saying, in his joint address to Congress.
And I do have an update.
As you know, Secretary of State Rubio and our National Security Advisor Mike Waltz have been negotiating with the Ukrainians today in Saudi.
They will be providing a full readout of that meeting very soon.
But I can...
I assure you and everybody here and the American people that the news we've received from that meeting throughout the day and the President has been briefed on is positive.
This meeting has been productive.
I will let Secretary of State Rubio and our National Security Advisor speak to the specifics of what has taken place today when they are ready to do so when the meeting concludes.
Lindsay, go ahead.
unidentified
The president has said this is the first of many arrests like this.
Does the administration have a rough estimate of how many arrests you're planning to make similar?
karoline leavitt
I don't have an estimate.
I do know that DHS, based on very good intel that they have gathered at the direction of the president's executive order, which made it very clear to the Department of Homeland Security that engaging, as I said, an anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas protest will not be tolerated.
So since the president signed that executive order, And since Secretary of Known has taken the oath at DHS, they have been using intelligence to identify individuals on our nation's colleges and universities, on our college campuses, who have engaged in such behavior and activity, and especially illegal activity.
And so I don't have a readout on how many arrests will come, but I do know that DHS is actively working on it.
And I also know that Columbia University has been given the names of other individuals who have engaged in pro-Hamas activity.
those individuals on campus and as the president said very strongly in his statement yesterday, he is not going to tolerate that and we expect all America's colleges and universities to comply with this administration's policy.
Jasmine.
unidentified
Thank you so much, Carla.
After all of these threats to increase tariffs or turn off electricity, I wonder, does this administration still consider Canada to be a close ally of the United States?
karoline leavitt
Well, I think Canada is a neighbor.
They are a partner.
They have always been an ally.
Perhaps they are becoming a competitor now.
But as the president also laid out in his Truth Social post today, he believes that Canadians would benefit greatly from becoming the 51st state of the United States of America.
to some of the research about the cost of living in Canada.
And the cost of living is much higher than it is here in the United States of America.
The average cost of a home in Canada is much higher.
In Quebec, the highest tax rate for an income of $150,000 or more is 53.3%, more than half of Canadians' incomes they are being taxed on.
So the president has made it clear that he believes Canadians would be better served economically, militarily, if they were to become I would defer you to the Department of Justice.
I don't have a timeline here.
I don't at this moment.
Again, I would defer you to our DNI director, Tulsi Gabbard, and also the Department of Justice.
I know that they are working on that diligently, as the president requested them to do.
Christian.
Well, we need reciprocal tariffs to go into effect first.
And as you know, the president will be rolling those out on April 2nd.
And then the next start of that process is collecting that revenue to ultimately create the external revenue service, which Secretary Lutnik is working very hard on and is quite enthusiastic about, if you have noticed from his media interviews.
Well, the president already signed an executive order to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish the external revenue service, or at least to identify ways in which it can be done.
I would defer you to the Department of Commerce for more on specifics on that.
Sure, in the back.
unidentified
I have a few questions on South Korea and North Korea.
First question, as you know, South Korean President Yoon has been released from illegal detention.
What is the reaction of the United States as an ally?
Is there a possibility of a summit with President Trump when President Yoon returns?
Second question on North Korea.
North Korea launched a Sure.
karoline leavitt
Yes, I'll start with your question on North Korea.
We condemn these actions and we call on North Korea to stop their unlawful and destabilizing actions.
As for South Korea, the US and Republic of Korea's alliance is ironclad and the Trump administration remains in close contact with our South Korean counterparts as we work together to promote a free and open Indo-specific.
unidentified
Sure.
I have a question.
You didn't answer that.
Elizabeth, South Korea President from Daesh.
karoline leavitt
I don't have anything on that but I can certainly check in with the National Security Council and get back to you.
Sure.
Good to see you.
unidentified
Press Secretary, many are concerned about the validity of President Biden's official actions and also his pardons of the possible criminal actions of individuals such as his family members and Liz Cheney as information is emerging that many of his official actions were auto-signed, possibly even the pardons and without his knowledge or consent.
Does the White House have any information available currently that Biden was actually the one that approved and signed those pardons?
karoline leavitt
And second question, will the DOJ investigate whether President Biden's cognitive decline I don't know the answer to that question, but I can check in with our folks here who may know the answer to that question and get back to you.
Dasha, go ahead.
unidentified
You did a great job articulating the vision that President Trump has for what his tariffs, he believes his tariffs can do in terms of bringing jobs back to the United States.
I asked you last week about how much Americans might need to buckle up for some short-term pain, a conversation that with the President.
Thank you.
How high is the pain threshold for President Trump and for this White House as you watch some of the turbulence in the stock markets, as you field concerns from businesses that potentially see some of those approval ratings drop in the short term?
How much is he willing to stomach that, and will he stay committed to his vision for tariffs even as all of this comes up?
karoline leavitt
Well, the president has been working hard every single day to alleviate the pain that was inflicted by the previous administration through massive deregulation, through drill baby drill, as we like to call it, unleashing the might of our energy industry, which we know will ultimately drive down costs for consumers here.
And again, as I mentioned, the president is intent on signing tax cuts for the American people to put more money back into their pockets, which will ultimately unlock consumer confidence.
And again, I'll reiterate the president's words in layman's terms, as he does best.
The president wants the American people to have so much more money in their pockets, they don't know what...
I know there was a lot of fake news about an invitation that wasn't sent or was sent.
We want to correct the record.
We sent an invitation.
They enthusiastically accepted, and you will see them here on April 28th.
And lastly, on a sad note, I would like to express our condolences to Fox News and to the entire Fox family who did lose a cameraman, Craig Savage, who passed away at 61 years old recently, a very tragic death, an individual who was a great man and covered this building for many, many years.
So the entire press office, the communications office here wants to express our condolences with his family and also with Fox News.
And I'll see you guys later.
Perhaps you'll see the president in a Tesla later this afternoon.
Have a good one.
unidentified
Thank you.
*clap clap clap* *laughs*
benny johnson
So fun to watch these with you.
It's always a wild ride.
This has been one that has been an administration that doesn't back down, doesn't back away.
From going straight up bare knuckle brawling with the press.
Clearly the most viral moment from that entire presser was the Associated Press little goblin asking, What do you know about tariffs?
You don't know anything about tariffs.
I know tariffs.
The Associated Press is the same organ that...
It says that they refuse and will refuse to use the name Gulf of America in any of their reporting.
Now, far be it for me to give Carolyn Levitt any advice, because she's excellent at this.
But all you have to do is flip the question around.
So he's like bitching at you about tariffs, and we'll play the clip here in just a second, pop it up on screen when we got it.
All you have to do is flip it around and be like, oh, really?
Hmm.
You want to, like, argue over truth?
Why don't you tell me, what is the large body of water that borders the southern states in America?
Border Mexico, Texas, Louisiana.
What's that called?
What's the name of that?
You know, it's like, you should totally put them on the hot seat for this.
Beautiful.
Here's this exchange.
Carolyn Love is saying she regrets calling on the ASP.
unidentified
Thanks, Caroline.
You're welcome.
If we could just step back for a second.
When President Trump last addressed the BRT when he was on the campaign trail, His big push was on tax cuts.
He's going there today as he's proposing tax hikes in the form of tariffs.
And I'm curious for why he's prioritizing that over the tax cuts.
karoline leavitt
He's actually not implementing tax hikes.
Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that, again, have been ripping us off.
Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people.
And the president is a staunch advocate of tax cuts.
As you know, he campaigned on no taxes on tips.
No taxes on overtime, no taxes on Social Security benefits.
He is committed to all three of those things, and he expects Congress to pass them later this year.
unidentified
I'm sorry, have you ever paid a tariff?
Because I have.
They don't get charged on foreign companies.
They get charged on the importers.
karoline leavitt
And ultimately, when we have fair and balanced trade, which the American people have not seen in decades, as I said at the beginning, revenues will stay here, wages will go up, and our country will be made wealthy again.
And I think it's insulting that you're trying to test my knowledge of economics and the decisions that this president has made.
I now regret giving a question to the Associated Press.
Mary, go ahead.
unidentified
Alright, hold on.
Let's go back to this.
There we go.
Speaking as a white man, have you ever had a tariff?
Because I have.
benny johnson
I was out getting my toy latte and I said, what will I be offended about today?
And I was noticing that everybody is appropriating Hispanic culture.
It's Cinco de Mayo.
We're standing on stolen land of the Choctaw tribe.
Oh, you didn't do a land acknowledgement.
Excuse me, Carolyn Levitt, can you do a land acknowledgement before you start your briefing?
These people.
These people.
So it's like, it's a brain cancer, alright?
It's a brain, for lack of a better term.
It's a brain virus, alright?
This guy, it's the same thing that pissed you off about Jim Acasa.
It's not about reporting.
It's about you.
These people are nihilists.
They're black hole narcissists.
They ask questions like petulant, College freshman.
And what is the indication of a child?
I have four young children.
What is the marker of a child?
Well, children are naturally very selfish.
They can only think about the brain development.
They're beautiful.
I love my kids.
But their brain development, they kind of only see the world in one dimension through their own lens, and that's all they know.
Now, as you develop, and your brain grows, and your understanding of the greater world around you grows, you like, Especially if you're a reporter on TV asking a question, you would assume to take a more holistic, royal understanding of the greater overall world.
And you'd say, well, maybe this question isn't about me.
Maybe I'm not here, like, maybe the entire world isn't here to, like, listen to me.
And, like, what happened to me today?
Even the way that he asks it.
The way that you ask it, bro, is like, this is like a before, like if this was a testosterone injection ad, this would be the before.
unidentified
Yeah.
karoline leavitt
No taxes on tips, no taxes on overtime, no taxes on Social Security benefits.
He is committed to all three of those things and he expects Congress to pass them later this year.
benny johnson
I'm sorry, have you ever paid a tariff?
unidentified
Because I have.
They don't get charged on foreign companies, they get charged on the importers.
And ultimately...
benny johnson
Bro is crashing out because he thinks he's special because he paid a tariff once.
unidentified
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
benny johnson
Also, he dresses like he's a character, like a background character in an Aaron Sorkin drama about DC.
unidentified
Who dresses like this?
What a complete...
Total dork!
Look at this guy!
What a loser!
Excuse me!
Have you ever paid a tariff?
benny johnson
Like, he's saying it as though sometimes...
What is wrong with these people?
Okay, so you're some doughy, dorky, white dude who, like, is cosplaying a reporter for the Associated Press, and you have to come up with some type of victim.
status that you have.
And the best you can come up with from being raised in your middle-class family in the suburbs of Indianapolis Is there, like, a section of Hallmark cards at CVS for people that had to pay a tariff?
Like, it's either your dad died, your mom died, had to pay a tariff once.
What is wrong with these people?
Seriously, like, what is wrong with you, bro?
You're going to come at Carolyn Leavitt.
You know how Carolyn Leavitt, she just sends the smoke.
It's amazing.
Like, you know, we love Sarah Sanders and we love Kayleigh McEnany, but they didn't have the brass knuckles that Carolyn Leavitt has.
She's just ruthless with these reporters.
Just brawling.
Now I regret calling on you.
It's like, it's such a perfect way to address these frauds.
She didn't let them get away with it, is what I'm saying.
And that's what's particularly glorious.
Ladies and gentlemen, we won't let him get away with it on this channel, on this program.
We're out here to speak the truth and to speak for you.
Because we are you.
I'm just a regular dad going about watching this, being as entertained as you are by all of it.
We have a rockin' show.
Tomorrow we'll have cabinet secretaries on the program, members of Congress, and the Senate.
You don't want to miss it.
We're going to be diving deep into a massive whistleblower story about Dr. Fauci.
We have some reporting to still do on that and other breaking news.
We appreciate you so much.
Please subscribe to the channel.
It's the best way to support us.
Subscribe, like, smash the like button, and leave a comment, ladies and gentlemen.
It's your boy, Benny.
You won't defeat us.
We will win.
See ya.
unidentified
*music*
What?
Wrong answer.
Be nice.
I'd hate to have to come back here.
You know it's prime time when Benny invades.
From saving the nation to stories untold.
The Benny Show's a storm, see the truth unfold.
Stay in the loop, let freedom take hold.
Salt in all the libs, soul never sold.
It's the Benny Show, where the truth gon' be.
Faith and freedom on your TV screen.
Stand up strong, battle through the night.
The Benny Show's here bringing liberty to light.
Bringing liberty to light.
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