Karoline Leavitt Holds Press Briefing on Gaza take over remark

 Auto-transcribed on Wednesday, February 05, 2025.media and text playback available on this page: https://aliceapp.ai/recordings/dxJHwEQtn9YKU_mNrFTXul5ZaczMqsOp

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Speakers:

 Karoline Leavitt - 85.73%
 White House Press Secretary

 Reporter - 14.27%

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[00:00:00]  Karoline Leavitt 
Everybody, Good to see you all. President Trump is in charge and America is back. This week further demonstrated that the Trump effect is real. Over the weekend, Americans celebrated the return of American Israeli citizen Keith Siegel and two Israelis who were held captive by Hamas terrorists since October 7, 2023. President Trump and his administration worked diligently to secure their release and are committed to freeing all remaining hostages.

[00:00:34]   
Yesterday, as you all know, President Trump held his first foreign meeting at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And as the President said, the bonds of friendship and affection between the American and Israeli people have endured for generations and are absolutely unbreakable. The President is committed to eliminating Hamas and securing a lasting peace for the entire region.

[00:01:02]   
The historic proposal for the United States to take over Gaza announced by President Trump last night underscores this commitment. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. President Trump is an outside of the box thinker and a visionary leader who solves problems that many others, especially in this city, claim are unsolvable.

[00:01:27]   
We've already seen the results from President Trump's bold peace through strength diplomacy on the world stage. In response to President Trump's tariffs this week, both Mexico and Canada took immediate steps to alleviate the illegal alien migration and flow of deadly drugs, particularly fentanyl, into our country. Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum, agreed to permanently supply 10,000 Mexican soldiers on the US border who will be specifically designated to stopping fentanyl and criminal aliens from pouring into our country.

[00:02:00]   
And Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to appoint a fentanyl czar, list cartels as terrorists, and increased resources to assist the 10,000 frontline personnel at our northern border with Canada. In recognition of these steps, President Trump paused the implementation of tariffs for one month while negotiations continue and final deals can be structured throughout the transition.

[00:02:25]   
Enduring his inaugural address, President Trump made it known that the United States cannot and will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue with its effective and growing control over the Panama Canal. Following Secretary Rubio's successful first trip and visit there over the weekend, Panama's president said he will allow its participation in the Chinese Communist Party's.

[00:02:48]   
It will no longer allow the participation in the Belt and Road Initiative. That participation will expire. This is significant because Panama was the first Latin American nation to join Beltun Road and now becomes the first to back away from it. Because of President Trump and to assist with the ongoing mass deportation effort, El Salvador's president has agreed to the most unprecedented migratory agreement anywhere in the world.

[00:03:14]   
Because President Trump is back in charge. El Salvador has offered for illegal aliens of any nationality facing deportation in the US to be booked in his country's prison system. And finally, President Trump's envoy for Special missions, Rick Grinnell, traveled to Venezuela and not only secured the release of six American hostages, but Venezuela also agreed to accept the return of illegal alien.

[00:03:38]   
Trend Aragua gang members all of these incredible victories prove how well President Trump's peace through strength approach is working. And the days of weak American leadership are over. In another success story this week, efforts to seal the border, halt the invasion, and carry out the largest mass deportation campaign continue at lightning speed.

[00:03:59]   
Customs and Border Protection protection has approximately 79 miles of new border wall projects already underway in various stages of construction and planning. The first flights arrived to Guantanamo Bay yesterday afternoon out of El Paso. And who were some of the passengers aboard, you may ask? There were 10 members of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua on this flight.

[00:04:24]   
And overall, our heroic ICE agents continue to prioritize the removal of violent criminal illegal aliens in communities across the country. On February 3, ICE Dallas arrested a citizen of Nicaragua who has been convicted of sexual assault, strong arm and lewd acts with a minor and sentenced to 15 years in prison. ICE Los Angeles arrested a Mexican citizen who has been convicted of lewd acts with a minor and sentenced to 364 days.

[00:04:54]   
And ICE Atlanta arrested a citizen of Mexico who has been convicted of homicide by vehicle and hit and run and sentenced to six months month's confinement. AN ICE New York arrested a Venezuelan national and known TDA gang member who has a prior criminal conviction for assault in the third degree causing physical injury.

[00:05:13]   
Americans are safer every single time one of these criminals is arrested and deported from our country. On another important and ongoing topic, the Senate is working fast to confirm President Trump's exceptional Cabinet nominees in the face of relentless media smear campaigns. As of right now, 12 members of the President's Cabinet have been confirmed, most recently Pam Bondi, who, as you all know, I was just in the Oval Office for that swearing in ceremony, surrounded by Pam's lovely family, and we look forward to watching her serve as the Attorney General of the United States.

[00:05:45]   
According to cnn, President Trump is getting more Cabinet picks confirmed so far than the average president in the modern era. Another success story, and we believe it's critical that Republicans in the Senate majority stay tough and keep their foot on the gas to confirm all of the remaining nominees as quickly as possible so we can continue President Trump's important work here at the White House and across our entire federal government.

[00:06:12]   
And lastly, throughout his historic campaign, President Trump pledged to restore common sense to our country and he is continuing to deliver on that with an executive order that he will sign. Later today, the president will be signing an executive order keeping men out of women's sports to defend the safety of athletes, protect competitive integrity, and uphold the promise of Title 9.

[00:06:37]   
This common sense action from President Trump ends the disgusting betrayal of women and girls by the previous administration who for years catered to radical activists who wanted biological males to to be treated as women in workplace showers, competitive sports, prisons and even rape shelters. Gender ideology insanity is over. Submissions from individuals across the country interested in participating in our new media seat at a future briefing continue to flood in.

[00:07:07]   
We are at more than 12,000 and counting. If you're watching right now and are interested, you can continue to apply on our New Media website, whitehouse.govnewmedia and in the seat today, we have a longtime national television broadcaster. I'm sure many of you recognized her when she came in, Sage Steele, who is now the host of an incredibly successful podcast, the Sage Steele show on YouTube and all podcast platforms.

[00:07:33]   
And previously, Sage was a fixture at ESPN from 2007 to 2023, primarily hosting SportsCenter, which we all know well before leaving the company to exercise her First Amendment rights more freely. We are honored to welcome her to the briefing room today. She will be join the President at the big EO signing later this afternoon.

[00:07:52]   
I know many of you will be there as well. So, Sage, why don't you kick us off on this very exciting day for women and girls across the country. Thank you for joining us. It is exciting. And Caroline, thank you for welcoming people like me with a little bit of a different perspective, different background in this seat.

[00:08:07]   
It really does mean a lot. Thank you. Obviously, the House already passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports act, which was a really big step for women and girls. So far at the Senate, as we know, has not brought it up to vote. We all know executive orders can be overturned.

[00:08:20]   
So I'm wondering how important it is to the President to get Congress to bring this to pass legislation so there are no instances like the past administration that really tried to destroy Title IX. Ms. It's incredibly important that Congress immediately acts on this priority. I think the president is really setting the tone, making this a very immediate priority for this administration, just as he promised promised to do on the campaign trail.

[00:08:45]   
And I'd like to get into the executive order a little bit because it is the news of the day here. At the White House and talk about what this executive action will actually do. So the executive order that the president will be signing later this afternoon, as I said, upholds the promise of Title ix.

[00:09:01]   
It also will require the DOJ to abide by the nationwide previous administration's illegal Title IX rewrite that would have dissolved single sex spaces and opportunities. It also requires immediate action, including enforcement actions against schools and athletic associations comprised of schools that deny women single sex sports in single sex locker rooms. The executive order also calls for the convening of private sporting bodies in the White House.

[00:09:30]   
We want them to come to this campus so the president can hear in person the stories of female athletes who have suffered lifelong injuries, who have been silenced and forced to shower with men and compete with men on athletic fields across the country. Many of those women will be at the White House today.

[00:09:48]   
I encourage all of you in the media to actually talk to them, to hear their stories. And I would also just add one more thing. This is a wildly popular position with the American people. In fact, there was a new poll recently that showed the overwhelming majority of Democrats also support keeping biological men out of women's sports.

[00:10:06]   
And so I know the president is very excited about the bill signing that will take place at 3:00 this afternoon. You will hear from him. More on that later. And we look forward to seeing you there. Sage. So thank you very, very much. Garrett, great to see you here today.

[00:10:19]  Reporter 
Thank you. On Gaza, the president has spent basically his entire public career criticizing foreign entanglements, nation building, sending American troops to fight abroad, particularly in the Middle East. This plan seems like it could ultimately, ultimately involve all of those things. Can you explain this reversal and how building and owning Gaza squares with America?

[00:10:41]   
First, foreign policy.

[00:10:42]  Karoline Leavitt 
I would reject the premise of your question that this forces the United States to be entangled in conflicts abroad. The president has not committed to putting boots on the ground in Gaza. He has also said that the United States is not going to pay for the rebuilding of Gaza. His administration is going to work with our partners in the region to reconstruct this region.

[00:11:04]   
And let me just take a step back here because this is an out of the box idea. That's who President Trump is. That's why the American people elected him. And his goal is lasting peace in the Middle east for all people in the region. And as I said in my opening remarks, we've had the same people pushing the same solutions to this problem for decades.

[00:11:26]   
And it's been made very clear to the president that the United States needs to be involved in this rebuilding effort to ensure stability in the region for all people. But that does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza. It does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort. It means Donald Trump, who is the best dealmaker on the planet, is going to strike a deal with our partners in the region hold up because he.

[00:11:47]  Reporter 
Did not rule out American troops in Gaza last night. Are you doing that now? Ms.

[00:11:51]  Karoline Leavitt 
I am saying that the president has not committed to that just yet. He has not made that commitment, and you know that.

[00:11:56]  Reporter 
And on the foreign partners, the Jordanians, the Egyptians, the Saudis have already panned this plan. What foreign partners, if any, have expressed any interest in being part of it?

[00:12:05]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. Well, the President has said he's been socialing this idea for quite some time. He's been thinking about this. He said in his remarks last night this was not a decision or an announcement that he takes lightly. And the president has already spoken to the President el Sisi. In fact, that was his first foreign leader call.

[00:12:22]   
He is meeting with the king of Jordan, King Abdullah, next week. He spoke with the king of Bahrain, he spoke with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, and he has made it very clear, he's been very vocal that he expects our partners in the region, particularly Egypt and Jordan, to accept Palestinian refugees temporarily so that we can rebuild their home.

[00:12:41]   
I'd like to show you some images of Gaza that were taken Fox News aired this I mean, that is, as they put it, in a apocalyptic scene in Gaza. This is an unhabitable place for human beings. Do you really think that families can live their dream in a region that looks like this, with no running water, no electricity?

[00:13:03]   
And the special envoy to the president, Steve Witkoff, recently traveled to Gaza, as you all know, and he came back with images that he showed the president of the dire situation here. And the president made that this decision with a humanitarian heart for all people in the region.

[00:13:19]  Reporter 
Peter thank you, Caroline. Are any officials here preparing to fight Democratic lawmakers in the streets?

[00:13:26]  Karoline Leavitt 
Absolutely not, and thanks for the question.

[00:13:30]  Reporter 
Some elected Democrats are so steamed about doge. Congresswoman Lamonica McIver says we are at war. Ilhan Omar says we might actually see somebody get killed. And Chris Van Hollen says we have to fight this in the Congress, we have to fight this in the streets. So what now?

[00:13:46]  Karoline Leavitt 
And may I just point out, if you heard that type of violent, enticing rhetoric from our side of the aisle, from Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, I think there would be a lot more outrage in this room today. It's unacceptable the comments that have been made by these Democrat leaders, and frankly, they don't even know what they're talking about, because President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American people to make this government more efficient.

[00:14:12]   
He campaigned across this country with Elon Musk, vowing that Elon was going to head up the Department of Government Efficiency. And the two of them, with a great team around them, were going to look at the receipts of this federal government and ensure it's accountable to American taxpayers. That's all that is happening here.

[00:14:28]   
And for Democrat officials to incite violence and encourage Americans to take to the streets is incredibly alarming, and they should be held accountable for that rhetoric.

[00:14:37]  Reporter 
It sounds like something that they're most concerned about is Doge engineers with access to treasury systems. Can you clarify? Do the Doge engineers have read only access in these systems, so they are not allowed to write new code? No, they are not.

[00:14:51]  Karoline Leavitt 
Okay.

[00:14:51]  Reporter 
And then one more thing. NBC is reporting that some of the illegal immigrants that we've seen rounded up and arrested are not being deported. They're being released with ankle or wrist monitoring devices or they have to check in on the phone. So is the administration arresting more people than you have room for?

[00:15:11]  Karoline Leavitt 
I have seen the reports, and I'm glad you brought it up, because we want to address it. There have been a total of 461 illegal aliens. This is of this morning when I got this information from DHS that have been released from custody. Of the more than 8,000 that have been arrested since President Trump was inaugurated, it's less than 6%.

[00:15:31]   
And there are reasons for their release. Some of the factors include a lack of significant likelihood of removal in the foreseeable future, lack of detention availability, which is something this president and this administration has been incredibly vocal about. We are doing everything we can to deport and detain illegal immigrants. But we need Congress's help to increase funding for Border Patrol and for ICE to increase detention capability in our facilities.

[00:15:57]   
And then other serious medical conditions have also been the reasons for some of the release of these individuals. But none of them have final deportation orders. Many of them are probably contesting their immigration status. I'd refer you to DHS for more details, but I did get that information because I knew it would be a question.

[00:16:12]   
So thank you. Sure. Carolyn. Yes. The president and you here again today have made clear, given the devastation, you think Palestinians have no choice but to leave Gaza and go elsewhere. But Palestinians say this is their home. They don't want to go. The president last night said he's willing to use the military if necessary.

[00:16:29]   
Is the US prepared to remove Palestinians from Gaza by force? Ms. The President is prepared to rebuild Gaza for Palestinians and all people in the region, peace loving people who want real economic development and opportunity in the region. This is a region that has been controlled by Iranian backed terrorists, Hamas, who have brutalized not just Israelis, but Palestinians, too.

[00:16:52]   
It is because of Hamas that you see those images on that screen that Gaza has become a demolition site because Hamas launched that brutal attack on Israel on October 7th. And so, again, I would stress President Trump wants to ensure that this can be a place where all people can live in peace.

[00:17:09]   
He is a peacemaker in chief. He made that very clear in his first term. And as for how that will be accomplished, the president and his team are talking with our allies in the region to consider next steps. But should the American people be prepared to see military on the ground fighting a ground war against Hamas?

[00:17:25]   
Ms. Again, the President has not committed to U.S. troops in the region, but.

[00:17:29]  Reporter 
It is an option.

[00:17:29]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. I have said that the president has not committed to that yet. Sure.

[00:17:33]  Reporter 
Let me just follow up on that, though. Why not rule out the idea of committing US Troops? This has been a longstanding argument that the president has made really over the last decade or so, talking about endless wars and not something the US Wants. Why not rule out?

[00:17:48]  Karoline Leavitt 
Because I think the president is very good when he's making deals and negotiating not to rule out anything because he wants to preserve that leverage in negotiations. And so I think that's what he's doing here. Mary, if I follow up on that.

[00:18:00]  Reporter 
Though, he also said that everyone loves this plan. He said that in the Oval Office this morning. In fact, the deputy prime minister of Jordan called it the declaration of war on the Arab people. So how does he square the fact that even some Republicans on the Hill are objecting to this or questioning this?

[00:18:17]   
How does he square the fact saying everyone loves this place?

[00:18:19]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. Well, King Abdullah of Jordan will be here next week, so I can provide you more context on the conversations he will have directly with the president of the United States after that meeting. And I would just point out that there's been a lot of leaders and officials all around the world who have doubted, I suppose, the deal making ability of President Trump.

[00:18:37]   
You heard the Panama leader saying that he would not agree to some of the concessions that he has now made because of Secretary Rubio's visit. You have the Colombian president saying he wouldn't accept flights of Colombian illegal nationals who have entered into our country illegally and those flights are underway, so actions speak louder than words.

[00:18:55]   
Dasha Caroline, you said the president has been working on this idea for a while behind the scenes. Now, is there a written plan based on the president's proposal for Gaza, and if so, when was it drafted and who had a hand? Ms. The plan was written in the president's remarks last night as he revealed it to the world and to the American people and his team are continuing to be engaged on this effort.

[00:19:17]   
I saw the national security advisor this morning. He has a very busy day of calls and they will again continue to engage with our partners. That includes Steve Witkoff as well. Mary, two questions for you on the news of the day. So how is today's executive order going to impact the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles?

[00:19:35]   
For example, would a man who thinks that he's a transgender woman be allowed to compete as a female on US Soil? It's a very good question. And the president has actually mentioned this, that he does expect the Olympic Committee and the NCAA to no longer allow men to compete in women's sports. And I think the president, with the signing of his pen, starts a very public pressure campaign on these organizations to do the right thing for women and for girls across the country.

[00:20:04]   
Again, this is an incredibly popular position. There have been many notable female athletes who have had the courage to speak out against some very powerful institutions in this country. They deserve to have a voice and a say. The president is bringing their voice to the highest level at the White House this afternoon, and he expects these organizations to comply with this federal executive order that he'll be signing today.

[00:20:24]   
Thank you. And one more on media coverage of this executive order and the topic in general, what's the White House's view of framing that calls men transgender females or similar rhetoric coming from organizations like the ACLU and glaad. Well, it's been very clear the policy of this administration is that there are only two sexes, male and female.

[00:20:47]   
Pretty simple.

[00:20:47]  Reporter 
Brian Glenn, Yes, USAID has gotten a lot of attention the last couple of with some of these bizarre things that we've been taxpayers have been funding. Now, it looks like there are a couple media outlets that have been dragged into this conversation as far as USAID funding as well. Does the president have any comment on that?

[00:21:11]  Karoline Leavitt 
So upon coming out here to the briefing room, I was made aware of the funding from USAID to media outlets including Politico, who I know has a seat in this room. And I can confirm that the more than 8 million taxpayer dollars that have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the American taxpayers dime will no longer be happening.

[00:21:33]   
The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now. Again, this is a whole of government effort to ensure that we are going line by line when it comes to the federal government's books. And this president and his team are making decisions across the board on do these receipts serve the interests of the American people?

[00:21:54]   
Is this a good use of the American taxpayers money? If it is not, that funding will no longer be sent abroad and American taxpayers will see significant savings because of that effort. Thank you. I'd like to give some love to the back row. I've heard that unfortunately they haven't been called on in years past.

[00:22:12]   
So Reagan, why don't you go ahead. Thanks, Caroline. The WHCA announced that comedian Amber Ruffin, who has called the President a toddler with his pants pulled down, will be the entertainment for this year's Correspondent's Dinner. Does the White House have a reaction to this choice and will the President be attending the dinner this year?

[00:22:28]   
Ms. Certainly an interesting choice. I have the President's invitation on my desk. I have the invitation for myself on my desk as well. Haven't talked to the President about it. When he makes his decision, I will let you all know. But definitely an interesting choice of the comedian. I'll talk to the boss about it and see what we decide.

[00:22:45]   
Sure, go ahead. Yes, on the executive order set to be signed today, you said that this will be enforced. Can you spell out for schools and the public how exactly the administration plans to enforce this even at a local level?

[00:22:59]  Reporter 
And on top of that, there are.

[00:23:01]  Karoline Leavitt 
Human rights groups who say that this could expose kids to discrimination.

[00:23:05]  Reporter 
What is your response to that?

[00:23:06]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. I think kids have already been exposed to discrimination, especially young women and girls who have been forced to shower in locker rooms with biological men, who have been forced to compete on playing fields with biological men, which is incredibly unfair and unsafe and again, an incredibly unpopular policy with the American people.

[00:23:27]   
As for the actions that this executive order takes, I already laid those out at the beginning of the briefing. I'm happy to give you a copy of this fact sheet so you can let your audiences across the country know the what's your message to schools who.

[00:23:37]  Reporter 
Don'T comply with this?

[00:23:38]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. They should because it's going to be federal law in about an hour and a half. So your colleague to your right, to.

[00:23:44]  Reporter 
My left, Taylor with Spectrum News, you talked a bit about Doge. Elon Musk is currently a special government employee who also owns companies that have billions of dollars in federal contracts. You said earlier this week that he has abided by all applicable federal laws, but what steps is the Trump administration taking to to address that conflict of interest?

[00:24:04]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. The President was already asked and answered this question this week, and he said if Elon Musk comes across a conflict of interest with the contracts and the funding that Doge is overseeing, then Elon will excuse himself from those contracts and he has again abided by all applicable laws. In the back left, go ahead.

[00:24:21]  Reporter 
Trade Advisor Peter Navarro, when asked about the External Revenue Service today, said, we're going to collect a lot of tariff.

[00:24:27]  Karoline Leavitt 
Revenues and we're going to get tax cuts out of it. Is it the official position of the.

[00:24:31]  Reporter 
White House that tariffs will lower taxes for Americans?

[00:24:35]  Karoline Leavitt 
The president has always been clear that he believes tariffs are a tax on foreign nations, and he's committed to cutting taxes for the American people here at home. He also believes tariffs are a great revenue raiser for this country, and that's exactly why he has committed to the creation of the External Revenue Service, which I think is a phenomenal idea.

[00:24:54]   
Or just go down the whole row. Go ahead.

[00:24:56]  Reporter 
Tom Bateman with the BBC. Can you confirm that under the president's plans for Gaza, any and all Palestinians who want to stay in Gaza on their land will be allowed to do so?

[00:25:06]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. I can confirm that the president is committed to rebuilding Gaza and to temporarily relocating those who are there because, as I've showed you repeatedly, it is a demolition site. There is no running water. There is no electricity. The president wants these individuals to live in peace. He is committed to doing that with this very bold new plan.

[00:25:26]   
And we will continue to keep you apprised of updates as we receive them. Ed Lawrence, go ahead. Yes, go ahead, Ed.

[00:25:32]  Reporter 
Thank you. So now that President Trump's policies are starting to take shape, how long will it take to cycle through and get some of the actual prices that Americans are paying to come down?

[00:25:42]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. Prices at the store and at the grocery pump all of across the board, sure. Ms. Well, the president is doing everything he can, obviously, to reduce the cost of living crisis in this country as quickly as possible. That's why he signed a litany of executive orders across the board in the first couple of weeks here.

[00:25:59]   
He declared a national energy emergency. He committed to cutting 10 regulations for every new one on the book. As you know, working for a Fox Business related outlet, deregulation and energy independence are huge drivers of reducing inflation in this country. And I think Americans can be assured by the results. President Trump had in his first term when, again, inflation was 1.4% when he left office.

[00:26:21]   
Is it six months or is it a year?

[00:26:23]  Reporter 
And will Americans have the patience to wait for it?

[00:26:25]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. I don't have a timeline, but the president is doing everything that he possibly can to reduce cost of living for Americans at home. Phil Wegman, thank you.

[00:26:35]  Reporter 
Is it worth risking the life of a single US Marine to turn the Gaza Strip into the Riviera of the Middle East?

[00:26:41]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. Phil, I'm not sure why you're asking me that question, because I've already said the president has not committed to sending Marines or any boots on the ground in Gaza. We'll bring it to the front row.

[00:26:50]  Reporter 
Good to see you again here in the front row. Caroline, two things on today's announcement, Title ix, if he scales back the Education Department or moves to shut it down entirely, what entity will enforce Title IX?

[00:27:04]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. As of now, this will be enforced through education, through Title ix. If the abolishment of the Department of Education continues, which, as the President said yesterday, it's something he's team is looking at and considering it's something he talked a lot about on the campaign trail, then, of course, we will look at additional maneuvers to ensure that these very important policies can be implemented.

[00:27:27]  Reporter 
Okay. So the education abolishment thing is still on the table, kind of.

[00:27:30]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. Yeah. The President talked about it yesterday in the Oval Office, and he has good reason to talk about it. I mean, look, our education system is failing students in this country. The nation's report card I brought it up in my remarks last week. It shows that fourth graders are not reading at the level they should.

[00:27:44]   
I believe it was 40% of them are proficient in reading. As the mother of a child, I want an education system that helps my child read and write, teaches him math, nothing else in the classroom. And the president is wholeheartedly committed to we can make academia great again in this country. One other question, Deanna, go ahead.

[00:28:03]  Reporter 
Thanks, Caroline.

[00:28:05]  Karoline Leavitt 
Does the president is is he looking at offering anything to these Arab countries that take in Palestinians? Is he willing to give them anything in return? And secondly, when the president announced his taking over Gaza policy yesterday, was Netanyahu aware of this and what was his reaction when Trump presented that idea to him?

[00:28:26]   
Ms. I was not I won't get ahead of the president's discussions or negotiations on your first question about what would be offered. I think the president has made it clear that he expects these nations in the region to step up and to accept Palestinian refugees who will be temporarily relocated for the rebuilding of Gaza.

[00:28:45]   
As for whether Prime Minister Netanyahu was aware before the president's remarks, he was indeed. I wasn't present for that reaction, but again, this is something the president has been socializing and thinking about for quite some time. Nick, good to see you.

[00:28:57]  Reporter 
Jordan.

[00:28:58]  Karoline Leavitt 
Jordan.

[00:28:59]  Reporter 
Sorry, Caroline. So Secretary Hegseth announced yesterday that army recruiting levels have reached 12 year highs in December, 15 year highs in January. What is making young people want to serve the military under the Trump administration? And how does that contrast to Biden's failure consistently to meet recruiting average? Does DEI play President Trump's anti DEI agenda, play a role in this?

[00:29:24]  Karoline Leavitt 
Well, first of all, the recruitment level for all branches of our military are at crisis levels and it serves as a national security risk that our military branches are not fully staffed to where they need to be. And I do believe it's a culture problem within these institutions that the president is very much committed to fixing, as emphasized by the executive orders he has signed to root DEI out of the military.

[00:29:49]   
And I think when young men and women who are honorably signing up to serve in our nation's military see somebody like Pete Hegseth, the new Secretary of Defense, who is a proven war fighter, who risked his life in battle for this country, who understands what it means to deploy and to defend the Constitution and your nation abroad and to put your life on the line, when they see a leader like that and a leader like President Trump who is committed to peace through strength, that's very inspiring.

[00:30:15]   
And we look forward to seeing those recruitment numbers and retention numbers skyrocketing over the next four years. And I know Pete Hegseth is committed to increasing recruitment at all branches of the military. I'd defer you to the Department of Defense on exactly what he plans to implement. Jeff, thanks very much.

[00:30:31]  Reporter 
Two questions. One, the president yesterday used the word permanent for permanently resettled Palestinians. I hear you saying temporarily today. Is that a shift or a specific change that that you want to highlight? And my second question is yesterday he spoke about the US Owning Gaza. Who owns Gaza now and how would the US Acquire ownership?

[00:30:54]  Karoline Leavitt 
Well, Gaza is currently run by Iranian backed terrorists in the Middle East, Hamas, who we all agree, I think everybody in the region agrees that can no longer stand. Just look at the events of October 7th and the events since. And the president again is committed to rebuilding the region for all people who want to return to it once it is no longer a demolition site.

[00:31:17]   
And it's a place where people can actually live and thrive in harmony, as he said. Last night. His words, not mine.

[00:31:24]  Reporter 
Daniel permanent versus temporarily resettle.

[00:31:26]  Karoline Leavitt 
Can you please?

[00:31:26]  Reporter 
Ms.

[00:31:27]  Karoline Leavitt 
The President has made it clear that they need to be temporarily relocated out of Gaza for the rebuilding of this effort. Again, it's a demolition site right now. It's not a livable place for any human being. And I think it's actually quite evil to suggest that people should live in such dire conditions.

[00:31:42]   
DANIEL Caroline, thank you so much.

[00:31:44]  Reporter 
The daily guidance says that the president will be meeting with the pair of governors today, Governor Abbott of Texas and Governor Newsom of California. It comes after the president took executive action to turn the water back on in California. Billions of gallons are flowing now.

[00:31:57]  Karoline Leavitt 
What can you tell us about the.

[00:31:57]  Reporter 
Two meetings and the importance of President Trump's actions to help people in California?

[00:32:02]  Karoline Leavitt 
Ms. Sure. Those meetings those meetings will be taking place shortly, so I will get out of here to get to those meetings. We can always provide you a readout, as we always do. We try to be very transparent about what the president is doing in the Oval Office. Perhaps he'll even call you in to join him.

[00:32:18]   
We never know around here, as you all know. But Governor Abbott is obviously a great friend and an ally to the president. He has been on the front lines of the border crisis in this country. And as for Governor Gavin Newsom, well, the president is willing to work with anybody from blue states or red states to do what's best for the American people.

[00:32:35]   
And he really enjoyed the president, really enjoyed his trip to Pacific Palisades last week. He felt very inspired by the frustration of the residents there. And he has been wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that the water is flowing in California to prevent these wildfires and also that people have access to their properties. And he has continued to apply tremendous pressure to Gavin Newsom and also the Los Angeles mayor to allow private residents and property owners to access their property.

[00:33:05]   
He believes that's their right to do so, and they should be able to do it. And one more thing before I wrap up, because I do want to get to these meetings, and I will see you all at the EO signing later this afternoon. I would just say that you brought to mind California and North Carolina, who continue to be on our hearts and the president and this administration are committed to ensuring that these individuals get the funding that they need.

[00:33:26]   
And I would just say a strong message to Democrats who are out there pretending to be outraged about the long list of crap that this administration is cutting federal waste and funding like $2 million 6 for sex changes in Guatemala, million to fund tourism in Egypt, 20 million on a new Sesame street show in Iraq, 4.5 million to combat disinformation in Kazakhstan.

[00:33:51]   
I could go on and on, and I'm happy to provide this list to every single one of you. Democrats are outraged that the American people want to be. They want their taxpayers going to good uses, not stuff like this. But then they're very quiet about the fact that there are still North Carolinians and people in California who have lost everything.

[00:34:10]   
And in the last four years, this federal government did nothing to help them. This president will continue to put Americans first. And. And I think the successes of this week so far speak to that. And it's only Wednesday. So I'll see you guys later this week, and we'll see you this afternoon. Thank you very much.