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freeze on billions, potentially trillions in government funding while leaving key details out how an order less than a thousand words long, could upend the services that americans rely on every day. >> the blast. >> radius of. >> this terrible. >> decision is virtually limitless. >> plus ice. >> storm trump's immigration crackdown shifts east to new york city. just as we're learning about the government's new goal to bring at least 1200 migrants in every single day. plus caroline kennedy sending a stark warning to senators that her cousin rfk jr is a predator who put baby chickens and mice in a blender as a younger man and, in her words, later encouraged members of his own family to become hooked on drugs. the gut wrenching allegations landing less than 24 hours before kennedy is set to testify in his bid to lead the hhs. so much to get to. but we

start with president trump. the disrupter showing in a series of new moves his determination to blow up the federal government. the problem is, it's not clear he has the power to do all of what he's planning. and today, those plans are sowing panic and confusion. in just the last 24 hours, he ordered a pause on all federal loans, grants and financial assistance, which could freeze hundreds of billions of dollars in critical programs starting at 5:00 this afternoon. it could have a vast impact on everything from aid for state and local governments to disaster relief, funding for education, transportation and small businesses. trump also wants to clean house at the justice department, an unprecedented firing of officials who helped prosecute him. while it's the retribution he promised, justice department officials tell us it may also be a violation of the law and civil service protections for nonpolitical employees. his

administration also put dozens of u.s. international aid workers on leave for what he characterizes as resistance to trump policies. but as democrats point out, the president doesn't directly control most of the foreign aid budget. congress does all of it, raising the question of how much of this is political posturing and how much might land as a reshaping of government as we know it. we could get some answers. when white house press secretary caroline leavitt holds her very first briefing, which is scheduled to start any minute now. in the meantime, i want to bring in nbc's kelly o'donnell at the white house. nbc's ken dilanian is at the justice department. anthony coley worked for doj under president biden. and ashley parker is a staff writer at the atlantic. both anthony and ashley are msnbc political analysts. so, kelly, let's start with this pause in funding. what exactly does it mean? do we know what happens at 5:00 this afternoon? >> well, candidly, chris, we

have more questions than we have answers at this point. but this is a sign of the disruption that donald trump is bringing to washington by sending this memo, which takes effect at 5 p.m. today and has a pause period where programs are reviewed. the intent there is to make certain, according. to the trump administration, that the priorities of these various programs executed by federal employees, most of them career employees, are in line with this president's vision of how the federal government should work. the memo says, in part, this it talks about at the federal agencies must temporarily pause all the activities related to obligation or disbursement. that's what's causing such concern of all federal financial assistance and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders. those are the ones the president has just signed, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, non-governmental organizations, die woke gender

ideology, and the green new deal. that's a quote from the memo. there is no such thing as a green new deal. that's just a political term of art. there is no such act that has been passed by congress, die and woke. you know those terms as well. so it is densely packed with the kind of imagery and color and views that are consistent with what we have heard from president trump as a candidate. now, as the head of the federal government, this is a real challenge to how the government is supposed to work. congress appropriates the funds. it is under law that presidents can't simply shuffle the decks on that when they come into office. and so this is raising questions. now, the acting director of the omb under the new trump team is saying this is not to scare people. it is not about ending of the financing of critical programs that might help to pay for school lunches or programs that directly affect people. but trying to take an

alignment look at this. but all of that said, it has caused confusion. it has caused unease, and it certainly is another signal from president trump about how he wants to use that disruptive force, even when things are set in law, they might bump up against or cross over some of those lines to try to make their points. chris. >> so, ashley. >> let's. >> talk about the confusion. let me just give you one example. the head of the national council of nonprofits called it a, quote, potentially five alarm fire for their organizations and the communities they serve. what are you hearing and what are the potential real world consequences on his organization and countless other people? >> well. >> again. >> it's a. >> question of. >> just what power he has. >> congress has a role. >> in controlling the purse strings. >> i see the briefing. >> is starting. but, you know. >> i think the. >> big question.

>> is because. >> as kelly pointed. >> out, those terms. >> are so. >> amorphous, right? >> woke gender. >> ideology. green new deal that. >> gives the president and his allies. >> broad berth. >> to define it and to potentially try to penalize programs. >> that they. >> don't like. and that's what we're still. >> waiting to. >> figure out. >> how broadly did they define it and just how far those powers actually go. >> all right. you pointed out caroline leavitt is at the podium. she is the youngest press secretary ever, i might say 27 years old. this is her first briefing. eight days into the new administration, she went up to the podium and started by saying that donald trump is back, president trump is back, and the golden age of america has begun. we're going to continue to listen to her brief opening remarks. and when questions and answers begin, if news is made, obviously we will go in as we often do and have for a long time for these press briefings. but, anthony, in the meantime, i want to ask you

about democrats, because they are up in arms about what they've heard from president trump. and i want to play just part of what chuck schumer said just a few hours ago on the senate floor. >> the funding president trump is halting is not optional. congress has approved. >> these funds. >> and they are law. the president does not, no matter what he thinks, have the authority to ignore the law and ignore congress. >> so where. >> does president trump's legal authority begin and end when it comes to how congressionally approved funding is spent? i know you've lived this from the inside, right? >> well. >> as kelly. correctly pointed out, congress. >> has the purse. >> strings here. and what is clear to me. >> chris, from what we just saw. >> chuck schumer. >> say. >> number. >> one, i'm. >> glad to see him. >> on the floor. >> talking about this in real time. >> you remember. >> it. >> was seven days. >> ago when the president. decided that he would pardon. >> so many. january 6th. >> defendants, including those.

>> who attacked capitol police officers. >> and democrats. >> in congress, in. >> the. >> senate in particular, didn't come out forcefully against that until today. so the. >> first thing. >> is, i'm. >> glad to. >> see that senate democrats are. on the floor in real. >> time in. >> the same media cycle, criticizing what the president. >> is trying. >> to do and restricting these congressionally approved funds. now, i will tell you, this is real money. >> that impacts. >> real families. >> and because. >> of that, it has real political risk for donald trump. >> and i. >> suspect that ultimately, chris, this pause is. >> going to. >> be relatively brief because i think he's got enough smart political people around him to. know that the. >> the downstream. >> effect of. restricting this money. on in communities, red states and blue states across the country, it's pretty real. >> i should say that. caroline leavitt. caroline leavitt is talking about president trump's interactions with the colombian government. folks who follow this will recall that he threatened tariffs if they

didn't take back some of the migrants who had been put on planes to be sent back. and she's calling it a big win for the president. she's also warning migrants who come here, foreign nationals, that they shouldn't think about even doing it. this is very common. this is the job of the press secretary. yes, to answer questions, but also to advocate what the positions are of the president she serves. so, ken, let's shift to the justice department, where we've now seen prosecutors who worked on investigations into president trump fired. what do we know about that, chris? >> when jack smith was appointed special counsel, he staffed his. office with. >> career prosecutors. >> and fbi. >> agents from around the government. >> these are people. >> who have worked for the justice department for years, some. >> very experienced. >> very competent people. >> and after the investigations ended, they went back to their old jobs. well, yesterday they got. >> a letter. >> many of. >> them did. we're not sure exactly. how many. from the acting. >> attorney general, james.

>> mchenry. >> summarily firing. >> them, dismissing them from their posts, saying that they can no longer be trusted to faithfully execute the president's. orders because they participated in what he called the weaponization. >> of government. >> and i can't express strongly enough what an unusual. >> if not unprecedented. >> move this is. >> and the kind of reaction that. >> i've gotten today from both republicans and democrats in the legal community, the idea that you would fire career. prosecutors because they brought a case you didn't like is anathema. >> to the rule of. >> law. and no allegation. of wrongdoing, by the way, has been made against these people or was made in this letter. and for that reason, legal experts. >> believe these firings are illegal. >> they will contest them through the civil service process, but it won't matter. >> in the end. their careers. >> at the justice. >> department are over. nobody i've talked to can remember. this ever happening before in american. >> history, and it has sent a chilling message across. >> the justice department. >> and it's a message that there is peril for anybody at the doj that believes they see wrongdoing. >> by trump. >> political appointees. who's going to bring that case now

after these people have been fired, chris? >> well, for all the reasons you all laid out, ken, anthony and ashley, there are lots of questions in that room at the white house briefing, and it looks like caroline leavitt is getting close to answering some of them. so let's go in and let's listen. >> this past week. >> president trump has held multiple news conferences gaggled on air force one multiple times and sat down for a two part interview on fox news, which aired last week. as politico summed it up best, trump is everywhere again. and that's because president trump has a great story to tell about the legendary american revival that is well underway. and in keeping with this revolutionary media approach that president trump deployed during the campaign, the trump white house will speak to all media outlets and personalities, not just the legacy media who are seated in this room because, according according to recent polling from gallup, americans trust in mass

media has fallen to a record low. millions of americans, especially young people, have turned from traditional television outlets and newspapers to consume their news from podcasts, blogs, social media and other independent outlets. it's essential to our team that we share president trump's message everywhere and adapt this white house to the new media landscape in 2025. to do this, i am excited to announce the following changes will be made to this historic james s brady briefing room, where mr. brady's legacy will endure. this white house believes strongly in the first amendment, so it's why our team will work diligently to restore the press passes. of the 440 journalists whose passes were wrongly revoked by the previous administration, we're also opening up this briefing room to new media voices who produce news related content, and whose outlet is not already represented by one of the seats in this room. we welcome

independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers and content creators to apply for credentials to cover this white house. and you can apply now on our new website, whitehouse.gov. slash new media starting today. this seat in the front of the room, which is usually occupied by the press secretary's staff, will be called the new media seat. my team will review the applications and give credentials to new media applicants who meet our criteria. in past united states secret service requirements to enter the white house complex. so in light of these announcements, our first questions for today's briefing will go to these new media members whose outlets, despite being some of the most viewed news websites in the country, have not been given seats in this room. and before i turn to questions, i do have news directly from the president of the united states that was just shared with me in the oval office from president trump

directly. an update on the new jersey drones. after research and study, the drones that were flying over new jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the faa for research and various other reasons. many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones. in meantime, in the. in time, it got worse due to curiosity. this was not the enemy. a statement from the president of the united states to start this briefing with some news. and with that, i will turn it over to questions. and we will begin with our new media members mike allen from axios, matt boyle from breitbart. mike, why don't you go ahead? >> thank you very much. >> caroline. >> does the president see anything fishy about. >> a deep. >> sea, either. its origins or. its cost? and could china's ability. >> to make. >> these models. >> quicker. >> cheaper affect our thinking about. >> expanding generation data centers? and i'm.

>> sure the president was. asked about deep sink last night on air force one when he gaggled for, i think, the third or fourth time throughout the weekend with members of the traveling press corps, the president said that he believes that this is a wake up call to the american ai industry. the last administration sat on their hands and allowed china to rapidly develop this ai program. and so president trump believes in restoring american ai dominance, and that's why he took very strong executive action this past week to sign executive orders to roll back some of the onerous regulations on the ai industry. and president trump has also proudly appointed the first ai and crypto czar at this white house. david sacks, whom i spoke with yesterday, very knowledgeable on this subject, and his team is here working every single day to ensure american ai dominance. as for the national security implications, i spoke with nsc this morning. they are looking into what those may be, and when i have an update, i will share it with you. mike. >> carolyn. >> you. >> say restore u.s. dominance.

is there a fear that the u.s. either. is falling or has fallen behind? and how would the president make sure the. >> u.s. stays ahead? >> no, the president is confident that we will restore american dominance in ai. >> so, caroline. >> first of all, thank you to you and president trump for actually giving voices to new. >> media outlets. that represent. >> millions and millions of americans. the thing i would add, i've. >> got a two part question for you. the first is, is just can you expand. >> upon what. steps the white. >> house is going to take to bring more voices, not less, which is what our founder, andrew breitbart, believed in into this. >> room where they. >> rightfully belong. >> yeah, absolutely. >> and as i said in my opening statement, matt, it is a priority of this white house to honor the first amendment. and it is a fact that americans are consuming their news media from various different platforms, especially young people. and as the youngest press secretary in history, thanks to president trump, i take great pride in opening up this room to new media voices to share the president's message with as many

americans as possible. in doing so, number one, we will ensure that outlets like yours, axios and breitbart, which are widely respected and viewed outlets, have an actual seat in this room every day. we also, again, encourage anybody in this country, whether you are a tiktok content creator, a blogger, a podcaster, if you are producing legitimate news content, no matter the medium, you will be allowed to apply for press credentials to this white house. and as i said earlier, our new media website is whitehouse.gov slash new media. and so we encourage people to apply again, as long as you are creating news related content of the day and you're a legitimate independent journalist, you're welcome to cover this white house. >> secondly. >> caroline, you said you laid. >> out several of the. >> actions that president trump has taken, that obviously. a stark contrast to the previous administration and breakneck. speed from president trump. can we expect that pace to. continue

as. >> the you. >> know, the first 100 days. moves along here and beyond that? >> absolutely. there is no doubt president trump has always been the hardest working man in politics. i think that's been proven over the past week, this president has again signed more than 300 executive orders. he's taken historic action. i gaggled aboard air force one to mark the first 100 days of this administration. 4 p.m. last friday, our first 100 hours, rather. and this president did more in the first 100 hours than the previous president did in the first 100 days. so, president trump, i think you can all expect for him to continue to work at this breakneck speed. so i hope you're all ready to work very hard. i know that we are. zeke miller. >> thanks, caroline. >> a question that we've. >> asked your. predecessors of both parties in. >> this job. >> when you're up here in this briefing room speaking to the american public, do you. >> view. >> yourself and your role as speaking and. advocating on. behalf of the president or providing the unvarnished truth? that is not to lie, not to obfuscate. >> to the american people? >> i commit to telling the truth

from this podium every single day. i commit to speaking on behalf of the president of the united states. that is my job. and i will say it's very easy to speak truth from this podium when you have a president who is implementing policies that are wildly popular with the american people. and that's exactly what this administration is doing. it's correcting the lies and the wrongs of the past four years. many of the lies that have been told to your faces in this very briefing room, i will not do that. but since you brought up truth seek, i would like to point out, while i vowed to provide the truth from this podium, we ask that all of you in this room hold yourselves to that same standard. we know for a fact there have been lies that have been pushed by many legacy media outlets in this country about this president, about his family. and we will not accept that. we will call you out when we feel that your reporting is wrong or there is misinformation about this white house. so, yes, i will hold myself to the truth, and i expect everyone in this room to do the same. >> and i. >> just had a substantive.

>> question yesterday. >> the white house. >> office of management. >> and budget directed across the board, freeze, with some. >> exceptions, for individual assistance. >> we understand, to federal grants. it's caused. >> a lot of confusion around the country. on head start, providers, among providers of services to. homeless veterans, you know. >> medicaid providers, states saying they're having. >> trouble accessing the portal. >> could you help us. >> clear up some of the confusion and. >> give. >> some certainty to folks? >> and also, is. >> that uncertainty? how does that uncertainty service the president's voters? >> well, i think there's only uncertainty in this room amongst the media. there's no uncertainty in this building. so let me provide the certainty and the clarity that all of you need. this is not a blanket pause on federal assistance and grant programs from the trump administration. individual assistance that includes i'm not naming everything that's included, but just to give you a few examples, social security benefits, medicare benefits, food stamps, welfare benefits, assistance that is going directly to individuals will not

be impacted by this pause. and i want to make that very clear to any americans who are watching at home, who may be a little bit confused about some of the media reporting this administration. if you are receiving individual assistance from the federal government, you will still continue to receive that. however, it is the responsibility of this president and this administration to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. that is something that president trump campaigned on. that's why he has launched doge, the department of government efficiency, who is working alongside omb. and that's why omb sent out this memo last night, because the president signed an executive order directing omb to do just this. and the reason for this is to ensure that every penny that is going out the door is not conflicting with the executive orders and actions that this president has taken. so what is this pause mean? it means no more funding for illegal di programs. it means no more funding for the green new scam that has cost american taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. it means no more funding for

transgenderism and wokeness across our federal bureaucracy and agencies. no more funding for green new deal social engineering policies. again, people who are receiving individual assistance assistance, you will continue to receive that. and president trump is looking out for you by issuing this pause, because he is being good stewards of your taxpayer dollars. >> thanks, caroline. >> sure. >> how long is. >> this pause going. >> to last? >> and how is the trump administration recommending that organizations that rely on federal funding make. >> payroll. >> pay their rent? in the meantime? >> it is a temporary pause in the office of management and budget is reviewing the federal funding that has been going out the door, again, not for individual assistance, but for all of these other programs that i mentioned. i also spoke with the incoming director of omb this morning, and he told me to tell all of you that the line to his office is open for other federal government agencies across the board. and if they feel that programs are necessary and in line with the president's

agenda, then the office of management and budget will review those policies. i think this is a very responsible measure. again, the past four years, we've seen the biden administration spend money like drunken sailors. it's a big reason we've had an inflation crisis in this country, and it's incumbent upon this administration to make sure, again, that every penny is being accounted for. honestly, why. >> impose this. >> pause with so. >> little notice? why not give organizations more time. >> to plan. for the fact that they are about to. >> lose. >> in some cases, really. crucial federal. >> funding. >> at least for a period. >> of time there was notice it was the executive order that the president signed. there's also a freeze on hiring, as you know, a regulatory freeze. and there's also a freeze on foreign aid. and this is, again, incredibly important to ensure that this administration is taking into consideration how hard the american people are working and their tax dollars actually matter to this administration. you know, just during this pause, d.o.j. and omb have

actually found that there was $37 million that was about to go out the door to the world health organization, which is an organization, as you all know, that president trump, with the swipe of his pen in that executive order, is no longer wants the united states to be a part of. so that wouldn't be in line with the president's agenda. doge and omb also found that there was about to be 50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in gaza. that is a preposterous waste of taxpayer money. so that's what this pause is focused on, being good stewards of tax dollars. and so this doesn't affect meals on wheels or head start. or disaster aid. again, it does not affect individual assistance. that's going to americans. to follow. >> up on nancy, do you think there will be a list of who is affected and how much money is affected? how how will these contractors and organizations. >> know if they are actually being having their funding frozen? >> and then secondly. >> if you're willing. >> can. you just. >> clarify is the end goal of this to essentially challenge congress. >> or to prove.

>> that the president can. withhold federal funding. >> is. >> in other. >> words, is this an attempt to pick. >> a fight to prove. >> that he can. >> do this? no. absolutely not. as it says right here in the memo, which i have, and i'd encourage all of you to read it. it says the american people elected president trump to be the president of the united states, and gave him a mandate to increase the impact of every federal dollar. this memo requires federal agencies to identify and review all federal financial assistance programs and support sporting activities consistent with the president's policies and requirements. the american people gave president trump an overwhelming mandate on november 5th, and he's just trying to ensure that the tax money going out the door in this very bankrupt city actually aligns with the will and the priorities of the american people. >> yes. >> welcome. >> you look great. >> you're doing a great job. >> you talked about transparency, and some of. >> us in this room. >> know how just transparent. >> president trump has been the last 5. >> or. >> 6 years. i think you'll do the same. >> but my question is, do you

think this latest incident with the. president of columbia is indicative of the global. >> powerful respect. >> they have. >> for president. >> trump moving. >> forward, not only to engage in. >> in economic diplomacy with these. >> countries. >> but also world peace? >> absolutely. i'll echo the answer that the president gave on air force one last night when he was asked a very similar question by one of your colleagues in the media. this signifies peace through strength is back, and this president will not tolerate illegal immigration into america's interior. and he expects every nation on this planet again to cooperate with the repatriation of their citizens who illegally entered into our country and broke america's laws won't be tolerated. and as you saw, the colombian government quickly folded and agreed to all of president trump's demands. flights are underway once again. >> two questions. >> on deportations, if i may. president trump had said on the campaign trail that he would

deport pro-hamas students who are here on visas. >> and on his first day in office. >> he signed an executive order that said, quote, the us must ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise. >> already present in the. >> us do. >> not bear hostile. >> attitudes toward. >> the citizens, culture, government. >> institutions or. founding principles. so should we take this executive order as trump saying he would be open to deporting those students who. >> are here. >> on visas, but hold pro-hamas sympathies. >> the president is open to deporting individuals who have broken our nation's immigration laws. so if they are here illegally, then certainly he is open to deporting them. and that's what this administration is hard at work at doing. we receive data from dhs and from ice every single day. from what we hear on the ground, ice agents are feeling incredibly empowered right now because they actually have a leader in this building who is supporting them in doing their jobs that they were hired to do, which is to detain, arrest and deport illegal criminals who have

invaded our nation's borders over the past four years. that's what the president is committed to seeing. >> peter does very quickly. >> just following up on the question on immigration. first, president. >> trump, during the course of the. >> campaign in 2024, said the following about illegal immigration. he said they're. >> going back home where they belong. >> and we start. >> with the criminals. >> there are many. >> many criminals. >> nbc news. >> has learned that ice arrested. 1179 undocumented immigrants. on sunday, but nearly. half of them, 566 of the migrants. >> appear to have no. >> prior criminal. >> record. besides entering the country illegally. >> is the president. >> still focused exclusively, which is a civil crime? not a. >> not a not. >> a it's not criminal. >> federal crime. >> it's a federal. >> so i'm asking though he said he was going to focus on those violent offenders first. so it. >> was violent offenders. >> no longer the predicate for. these people to be deported. >> the president has said countless times on the campaign trail. i've been with him at the rallies. i know you've been there, covering them to peter, that he is focused on launching the largest mass deportation operation in american history of illegal criminals. and if you

are an individual, a foreign national who illegally enters the united states of america, you are by definition a criminal. and so therefore you are subject to deportation. i apologize. >> for interrupting. so to be clear, it's not violent. criminals do not receive precedence in terms of the deportations. >> taking place. >> the president has also said two things can be true at the same time. we want to deport illegal criminals, illegal immigrants from this country. but the president has said that, of course, the illegal drug, criminal drug dealers, the rapists, the murderers, the individuals who have committed heinous acts on the interior of our country and who have terrorized law abiding american citizens, absolutely. those should be the priority of ice. but that doesn't mean that the other illegal criminals who entered our nation's borders are off the table. >> understood. >> let me. >> ask. >> you a separate. >> question about. >> the confusion. >> that still exists. >> across the country right now as it relates to the freeze. >> or the pause. >> as it's described. >> president trump, of. >> course, ran one of the key policy items was. >> that. >> he was going to lower prices, lower the cost of everything from.

>> groceries. >> as he. >> often said. >> but in many of the cases. >> it would. >> seem that some. >> of these. >> moves could raise prices for. >> real americans on everything. >> from low. >> income heating. >> that program, child. >> care programs will nothing that the president. >> is doing. >> here in. >> terms of the freeze in these programs. raise prices. >> on ordinary americans. >> what particular actions are you referring to that would. >> to leap right now? that's the low income heating program. for example, we can talk about. there's no clarity. so i could refer to a lot of them. we don't know what they are specifically. can you tell us that he that liheap is. >> not one. >> of. >> those affected. >> so you're asking a hypothetical based on programs that you can't even identify? what i can tell you. >> just just. >> to be. >> clear, since. >> you guys haven't identified. >> let's do it together just. >> for americans at. >> home, medicaid. is that affected? >> i gave you a list of examples. social security, medicare, welfare benefits, medicaid, food stamps that will not be impacted by this federal pause. i can get you the full list after this briefing from the office of management and budget. but i do want to address the cost cutting, because that's certainly very important. and

cutting the cost of living in this country. president trump has taken historic action over the past week to do that. he actually signed a memorandum to deliver emergency price relief for american families, which took a number of actions. i can walk you through those. he also repealed many onerous biden administration regulations. we know over the past four years, american households have been essentially taxed $55,000 in regulations from the previous administration. president trump, with the swipe of his pen, rescinded those which will ultimately put more money back in the pockets of the american people. so deregulation is a big deal. and then when it comes to energy, i mean, the president signed an executive order to declare a national energy emergency here at home, which is going to make america energy dominant. we know that energy is one of the number one drivers of inflation. and so that's why the president wants to increase our energy supply to bring down costs for americans. the trump energy boom is incoming and americans can expect that. >> thank you. i think. >> some of the. >> confusion, i think, may be here with this pause. >> on federal funding, you've

made. >> it clear you're not stopping funds that go directly to individuals. but there certainly are lots of organizations that receive. >> funding and then. >> may pass along a benefit. meals on wheels. >> for one. >> they provide meals for over 2.2 million seniors. what is. >> the president's message to americans. >> out there, many of whom. >> supported him. >> and. >> voted for. >> him. >> who are. concerned that this is going to impact them directly, even if, as you said, the funding isn't coming directly to their wallets. >> i have now been asked and answered this question four times to individuals at home who receive direct assistance from the federal government. you will not be impacted by this federal freeze. in fact, omb just sent out a memo to capitol hill with q and a to clarify some of the questions and the answers that all of you are asking me right now. again, direct assistance will not be impacted. i've been asked and answered about this omb memo. there's many other topics of the day. jacqui heinrich, direct assistance is going to another organization. >> and then. >> trickling down direct assistance that is in the hands of the american people will not be impacted. again, as i said to

peter, we will continue to provide that list as it comes to fruition. but omb right now is focused on analyzing the federal government's spending, which is exactly what the american people elected president trump to do. and one question on immigration. >> the 3500 arrests. >> ice. >> has made so far since. >> president trump. >> came back into office. can you just tell us the numbers? how many have. >> a criminal record. >> versus those who are just in the country illegally. >> all of them, because they illegally broke our nation's laws and therefore they are criminals? as far as this administration goes. i know the last administration didn't see it that way. so it's a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal. but that's exactly what they are the worst. >> they all have a criminal record. >> and welcome to the program. >> they broke our nation's laws. yes, they are criminal. yes. thank you. >> on stripping security details. >> for. >> figures like. >> john bolton, pompeo, brian hook, senator tom cotton said that he's seen. >> the intelligence. >> and the threat from iran is real. for anyone who played a role. in the soleimani strike, he. >> voiced concern. >> it wouldn't just impact those

individuals, but potentially their family, innocent bystanders. >> friends, anyone. >> who's near them when they're out in. >> public. >> is the president open to reconsidering his decision? the president was asked and answered this yesterday, and he was firm in his decision. despite some of the comments that you had referenced, and he's made it very clear that he does not believe american taxpayers should fund security details for individuals who have served in the government for the rest of their lives. and there's nothing stopping these individuals that you mentioned from obtaining private security. that's where the president stands on it. i have no updates on that. is there any concern that this decision might jeopardize the administration's. ability to. hire the best. >> advisors for these kinds of positions in the future? >> no. in fact, i've talked to the presidential personnel office who has told me directly that there is such an influx of resumes for this administration that it's incredibly overwhelming. there is no lack of talent for the trump administration. reagan. would you take any responsibility. >> if anything. >> happened to. these people?

would he feel at all. >> that his decision. was a factor in that? >> the president was asked and answered this yesterday. i'd refer you to caroline reagan. since you're in the back row, i hear you at the back row hasn't gotten much attention in the last four years, so i'm happy to answer your question. does the president intend. >> to permanently. >> cut off funding. >> to ngos. >> that are. >> bringing illegal foreign nationals to the country, such as catholic charities? >> i am actually quite certain that the president signed an executive order that did just that. and i can point you to that. >> one more, caroline. >> president trump issued an executive order on increased. >> vetting for refugees. >> and visa applications. >> part of that. >> order was considering an outright ban for countries that have deficient screening processes. has the president. considered yet which countries might fall into this category, or countries like afghanistan or syria under consideration for a full ban? >> yeah. so the president signed an executive order to streamline the vetting for visa applicants and for illegal immigrants in this country who are coming, of course, from other nations. it also directed the secretary of state to review the process and

make sure that other countries around the world are being completely transparent with our nation and the individuals that they are sending here. and so the secretary of state has been directed to report back to the president. i haven't seen that report yet. we've only been here for a few days. >> caroline. >> one on. >> the freeze in federal funding. >> who advised the president on the. >> legality of telling government. >> agencies that they don't have to spend. money that was already appropriated. >> by congress? >> well, as the omb memo states, this is certainly within the confines of the law. so white house counsel's office believes that this is within the president's power to do it, and therefore he's doing it. okay, so. >> they disagree with. >> lawmakers who. >> say that. >> they don't. >> have the power to. >> to freeze this funding. >> again, i would point you to the language in the memo that clearly states this is within the law. >> and all. >> what happened. >> on. >> friday night. >> the administration. >> fired several inspectors general without. >> giving congress. >> the 30 day, legally required notification that they were being fired. i think only two

were left at. >> doj, dhs and. >> the doj. >> and then yesterday we saw. several prosecutors, i. >> believe. >> 12 fired from the justice. >> department who worked. >> on the investigations. >> into the president. as you know, they are career prosecutors. >> therefore, they. >> are afforded civil. >> service protections. >> how is the administration deciding which laws. >> to. >> follow and which ones to ignore? >> so it is the belief of this white house and the white house counsel's office that the president was within his executive authority to do that. he is the executive of the executive branch, and therefore, he has the power to fire anyone within the executive branch that he wishes to. there is also a case that went before the supreme court in 2020, scalia law, llc versus the customs. the bureau protection. i would advise you to look at that case. and that's the legality that this white house was wrestling on. >> so you're. >> confident that if. >> they bring lawsuits. >> against you as prosecutors. >> you were fired, that that they will succeed. we will win in court. and did he personally. >> direct this, given they worked on the. >> classified documents. >> investigation and. >> the election. interference

investigation? >> this was a memo that went out by the presidential personnel office. and the president is the leader of this white house. so, yes. yes. caroline. >> caroline. caroline. caroline. >> caroline. >> thank you. congrats on your first day behind the podium. >> thank you. >> president trump ended funding for underoath and also designated. >> the houthis a. >> foreign terrorist organization. >> both were decisions that the. >> previous administration had reversed. so here's my question. >> will there be an investigation. into who gave the previous. >> administration this. >> terrible advice? >> well. >> that's a very good point. i haven't heard discussions about such an investigation, but it wouldn't be a bad idea, considering that the houthis certainly are terrorists. they have launched attacks on u.s. naval ships across this world. and so i think it was a very wise move by this administration to re designate them as a terrorist group, because they are and i think it was a foolish decision by the previous administration to do so. as for an investigation, i'm not sure about that, but it's not a bad idea. josh. >> thank you for the question, i appreciate it. can you give us

an update on the president's plan for his tariff agenda? >> he spoke a lot. >> about this. >> yesterday, and there's a. >> couple. >> of dates coming up that he's spoken to. number one, on february 1st. he's alluded to both the potential for tariffs for canada and mexico. >> but. >> also china to take effect on those days. whereas what's he thinking about that? should those countries. expect that? >> again, he was asked and answered this question this past weekend when he took a lot of questions from the press, and he said that the february 1st date for canada and mexico still holds. >> what about the china 10% tariff that he also had mused about last tuesday, going into effect on the same day? >> yes. the president has said that he is very much still considering that for february 1st. >> yesterday he talked also about sectoral tariffs on, for instance, pharmaceuticals as well as semiconductor computer chips. he talked about steel, aluminum and copper. what's the timeline on those? is that a similar sort of coming days thing. >> yeah. so when the president talked about that in his speech yesterday, that actually wasn't a new announcement that was within a presidential memorandum that he signed in one of the first days here in the white house on his america first trade agenda. so there's more details

on those tariffs. and they're as far as a date. i don't have a specific date to read out to you, but the president is committed to implementing tariffs effectively, just like he did in his first term. >> finally, he also was asked on the plane when he gaggled about the potential for a universal tariff. he was asked maybe about 2.5%. there was a report about that. he said he wanted much bigger than that. should we understand that these tariffs would add up? you know, in other words, you might have country specific tariffs like canada, mexico, china, you might have sectoral tariffs like on pharmaceuticals, as well as a potential universal tariff. on top of that. do these stack on one or the other, or would one sort of take precedence over another? >> all i can point you to is what the president has said on this front. the february 1st date for canada and mexico, also the china tariff that he has discussed, he rejected the 2.5% tariff. he said that was a little bit too low. he wants it to be higher. i'll leave it to him to make any decisions on that front. >> what the mexicans and canadians have done so far. do you have any comment on whether that has met the bar of what he wants to see on fentanyl? >> thank you. i won't get ahead

of the president again. on advocating to foreign nations on what they should or shouldn't do to get away from these tariffs. the president has made it very clear again that he expects every nation around this world to cooperate with the repatriation of their citizens. and the president has also put out specific statements in terms of canada and mexico when it comes to what he expects in terms of border security. we have seen a historic level of cooperation from mexico. but again, as far as i'm still tracking, and that was last night talking to the president directly. february 1st is still on the books. phil. >> thank you. caroline. >> a quick. >> programing note and then. >> a. >> question on taxes. >> well. in terms. >> of programing, should we expect to see you here every day? how frequently will these press briefings be? >> it is a good question, april. so look, the president as you know, is incredibly accessible. first day here. he wanted all of you in the oval office. you got a 60 minute press conference with the leader of the free world while he was simultaneously signing executive orders, i may add. that's pretty impressive. i don't think the previous office holder would be able to pull such a thing off. so, look, the president is the

best spokesperson that this white house has, and i can assure you that you will be hearing from both him and me as much as possible. >> and then a question. >> about tax cuts. you know, the president has promised to extend the tax cuts from the previous term. i'm curious, does the president support corresponding spending cuts, as some republicans have called for in congress? >> and will. >> the new treasury secretary. >> be leading. >> those negotiations with the hill, as mnuchin did during the first administration? >> the president is committed to both tax cuts and spending cuts, and he has a great team negotiating on his behalf. but there's no better negotiator than donald trump, and i'm sure he'll be involved in this reconciliation process as it moves forward. >> and caroline, in. >> the announcement. >> that you made last night. >> on the iron dome. >> it said the. >> president had. directed that the united. >> states will. build this iron dome. >> when you read into. >> the executive order, it seemed short. >> of that. >> it asked. >> for a series of studies and.

reports back home. >> can you tell us whether the president. >> has directed this. >> and if he is. >> as. >> concerned on this issue? why the. suspensions that. >> we saw. >> listed by omb included so many different. nuclear programs, nonproliferation programs, programs. >> to blend down nuclear. >> weapons, and so forth. >> first of all, when it comes to the iron dome, the executive order directed the implementation of the of an iron dome. it also, as you said, kind of directed research and studies to see if or how the united states can go about doing this, particularly the department of defense. when it comes to the other question that you asked about those specific programs, again, i would say this is not a ban. this is a temporary pause in a freeze to ensure that all of the money going out from washington, d.c, is aligned with the president's agenda. and as the office of management and budget has updates on what will be kick started, once again, i

will provide those to you. >> just clarify. >> for. >> a second what you were saying before. on medicaid. >> it wasn't. >> clear to me whether you were saying that. >> no medicaid would be cut off. >> obviously, a lot of this goes to states before it goes to individuals and so forth. so are you guaranteeing here that no individual now on medicaid would see a cut off because of the policy? >> i'll check back on that and get back to you, john. >> thanks a lot, caroline. >> as you know. >> in the first week that the president was in >> signed an. >> executive order as it relates to. birthright citizenship. >> trying to eliminate. >> that. >> about 22. >> state attorney. >> generals have said that this is unconstitutional. a federal judge has. >> just agreed. >> with their argument. >> what's the administration's argument. >> for doing. away with birthright citizenship? >> the folks that you mentioned have a right to have that legal opinion, but it is in disagreement with the legal opinion of this administration. this administration believes that birthright citizenship is

unconstitutional, and that is why president trump signed that executive order. illegal immigrants who come to this country and have a child are not subject to the laws of this jurisdiction. that's the opinion of this administration. we have already appealed the rule. the lawsuit that was filed against this administration. and we are prepared to fight this all the way to the supreme court if we have to, because president trump believes that this is a necessary step to secure our nation's borders and protect our homeland. >> foreign policy on foreign policy, caroline, on foreign policy, if i may, the. >> president's commitment. >> to the. nato defense alliance, is it. >> as strong. >> as the prior administration? >> is it. >> the same. >> as when he. >> served. >> as president. >> in his. >> first term in office? >> as long as nato pays their fair share? and president trump has called on nato allies to increase their defense spending to 5%, you actually saw the head of nato at davos last week on bloomberg television saying that president trump is right, and if europe wants to keep itself

safe, they should increase their defense spending. i would just add that there was no greater ally to our european allies than president trump in his first term. the world for all nations in europe. and of course, here at home was much safer because of president trump's peace through strength diplomatic approach. thank you. >> thank you. >> caroline. >> and it's. >> great to finally be. >> called on as well. >> in the briefing room. i appreciate that. >> you're welcome. >> of course, we know president. >> trump just got back from north carolina and california meeting with victims. >> of natural disasters. >> there's the two year anniversary. >> of the east. >> palestine. >> ohio toxic train derailment. does the president have any plans to go visit the victims of that toxic spill, or just visit in general? >> not no plans that i can read out for you here. if that changes, i will certainly keep you posted. what i can tell you is that president trump still talks about his visit to east palestine, ohio. that was one of the turning points, i would say, in the previous election campaign where americans were reminded that president trump is a man of the people and he, as a

candidate, visited that town that was just derailed by the train derailment, no pun intended. and he offered support and hope. just like i saw the president do this past week, it was a purposeful decision by this president on his first domestic trip to go to north carolina and to california to visit with americans who were impacted by hurricane helene and also by the deadly fires. a red state and a blue state, both of which feel forgotten by the previous administration and the federal government that is now that is now ended under president trump. he will continue to put americans first, whether they're in east palestine, in pacific palisades, or in north carolina. >> thank you. caroline. on california, could you please clarify what the. >> military did with the water last night. >> as referenced in the president's truth social post? >> the water has been turned back on in california. and this comes just days after president trump visited pacific palisades. and as you all saw, applied tremendous pressure on state and local officials in pacific

palisades, including los angeles mayor karen bass, to turn on the water and to direct that water to places in the south and in the middle of the state that have been incredibly dry, which has led to the expansion, the rapid expansion of these fires. >> so could you clarify. >> what the. >> military's role was. >> where the water. >> came from and how it got there? >> again, the army corps of engineers has been on the ground in california to respond to the devastation from these wildfires. and i would point out that just days after president trump visited the devastation from these fires, the water was turned on. that is because of the pressure campaign he put on state and local officials there, who clearly lack all common sense. and i will never forget being at that round table with the president last week and hearing the frustration in the voices of pacific palisades residents who feel as though their government has just gone insane. before president trump showed up on the scene, karen bass was telling private property owners that they would have to wait 18 months to access

their private property. so this administration, the president and his team that's on the ground in california, rick grinnell, who he has designated to oversee this great crisis, has and will continue to put pressure on karen bass and state and local officials to allow residents to access their properties. this is a huge part of it. these residents want to take part in their own clearing out of their properties. they should be able to do that. it's the united states of america. what happened to our freedom? clearly it's gone in california, but not anymore under president trump. april. >> caroline, welcome to the briefing room. thank you. several questions. one on the pause, will minority serving institutions, preferably colleges and universities, have those monies held back temporarily at this moment? >> again, i have not seen the entire list because this memo was just sent out. so i will provide you all with updates as we receive them. okay. >> awesome, awesome. >> secondly, when it comes to immigration, there is this southern border focus. what

happens to those who've overstayed their visas that is part of the broken immigration system. in 2023, there was a report by the biden administration, the homeland security department that said overstays the visas for three times more than usual. will there be a focus on the overstays for visas as well? >> if an individual is overstaying their visa, they are there for an illegal immigrant residing in this country and they are subject to deportation. and also. >> lastly, lastly, as we're dealing with anti die anti-woke efforts, we understand this administration. could thinking about celebrating black history month. have you got any word on that. anything that you can offer to us? >> as far as i know, this white house certainly still intends to celebrate and we will continue to celebrate american history and the contributions that all americans, regardless of race, religion or creed, have made to our great country. and america is back. christian day. >> thanks, caroline. just real quick. you mentioned the inflation executive order the president signed, but egg prices have skyrocketed since president trump took office. so what

specifically is he doing to lower those costs for americans? >> really glad you brought this up because there is a lot of reporting out there that is putting the onus on this white house for the increased cost of eggs. i would like to point out to each and every one of you that in 2024, when joe biden was in the oval office or upstairs in the residence sleeping, i'm not so sure. egg prices increased 65% in this country. we also have seen the cost of everything, not just eggs, bacon, groceries, gasoline have increased because of the inflationary policies of the last administration. as far as the egg shortage, what's also contributing to that is that the biden administration and the department of agriculture directed the mass killing of more than 100 million chickens, which has led to a lack of chicken supply in this country. therefore, lack of egg supply, which is leading to the shortage. so i will leave you with this point. this is an example of why it's so incredibly important that the senate moves swiftly to confirm all of president trump's

nominees, including his nominee for the united states department of agriculture, brooke rollins, who is already speaking with kevin hassett, who's leading the economic team here at the white house, on how we can address the egg shortage in this country. as for costs, i laid out costs. i laid out the plethora of ways that president trump has addressed saving costs for the american people over the past week. he looks forward to continuing to doing that in the days ahead. thank you guys. >> one more border question. >> the new. >> press secretary and her first press briefing, caroline leavitt, speaking to and answering questions from reporters for more than 45 minutes, starting with what she said was some news which remember that story, which seems like it was a couple of years ago, but was really only a few months ago about drones over new jersey. she affirms that it was not the enemy, but also affirmed that the pace that we have been seeing from this white house, which in the first week included 300 plus executive orders signed, is something we should

expect to continue at breakneck speed. we have a whole team of experts and fact checkers to talk about what we just heard from caroline. ashley parker is back with me, so let me get your big picture. beyond the drones, i mean, a lot of this press conference really did deal with the specifics, which have been vague for a lot of folks about the impact of the executive orders. what's your overall takeaway from this first 45 minutes with the new press secretary? >> so first, i just want to. >> pull. >> back and sort. >> of talk about tone and even vibes. >> i mean, i. >> think what. >> you saw, macro big picture is that this is a president who values communication and values that. in his. >> press secretary. >> as we were watching this, someone texted me, she's practically. >> levitating. by which they meant. >> she came. >> into the briefing room projecting confidence. >> and authority. she set a tone

that she was willing. >> to be. >> and perhaps even. >> enjoyed. being combative. with the reporters. taking shots. >> at the former administration. that she wants to go in there, she wants to mix it up, she wants to spar. she wants to fight on the president's behalf. she was not really. >> in response to a. >> number. of questions, looking. >> down through a. >> briefing book reading. it was. a and. >> again. >> different people. >> and i'm. >> sure viewers certainly may. >> disagree with some of the. things she said. that will always be the case. but she. >> established from day. >> one that. >> she views herself, and she just about said as much. outright as a forceful advocate. for donald trump. >> and that included. >> one of the. >> first things she. >> said. >> which is that. >> essentially we are going to elevate other types of media. >> and she. >> didn't quite. >> say this so overtly. but when you look at some. >> of those. >> people who she called on made

a point of sort of gleefully calling on this is media, she. >> would say that is incredibly influential. >> or new media. >> you could. >> also say. >> this is media. >> some of these folks, not all of them, but some who have been largely friendly to this president, his policies and his administration. >> yeah, i don't think there's any doubt about that. i also don't think that there is a way to necessarily keep a job as press secretary without being the kind of forceful advocate that i mean, it's not like, you know, president trump has made any secret of that. that is what he expects from the people he works with. let me bring in nbc's julia ainsley, because julia, the press secretary, talked about the people arrested in the targeted enforcement operations by ice. she called them criminals. we saw operations in chicago. they're ongoing, as far as we know. still in new york. they're planning to move to colorado tomorrow. your reporting, though, indicates that that is not necessarily the case. what can you tell us about who's a criminal who isn't, and what you make of what she had to say

about the what this administration is doing? >> well. >> chris, she. >> said a number of things. >> i'd like to fact check about the people who are being. >> arrested are. >> peter alexander really. >> pressed her on whether or not. >> they were going to. >> expand the net of people that they're arresting, and not just. >> focus on. >> those with criminal records. >> and her. >> response to him and to others is that they're all criminals. >> they all came into this. country illegally. >> that's not true, actually. >> because what trump has done is he has rescinded a biden administration policy that allowed over 800,000 migrants from cuba, haiti. nicaragua and venezuela to apply to legally come into the united states. he's taken. >> away that status so that now they can not only be deported, but. >> they can lose their right for a hearing inside an. >> immigration court where they could. >> apply. >> for asylum. >> he's also ending temporary protected. >> status. >> which. >> allowed people. >> to live here legally. >> so those. >> people are. >> now losing their. >> status, even if they did not come. >> here illegally. and the thing that. peter was trying to separate is the difference between. >> someone who's crossed the.

>> border illegally, which is a misdemeanor. and someone who has committed a serious. crime such as murder. i mean, they're prosecuted completely differently, in fact, a misdemeanor which is under. >> the code. >> 1325 has usually not been something that. has been prosecuted. in fact. >> they only started prosecuting. >> all of those people under zero tolerance. that allowed. trump to separate families. so big difference between those two pools. >> one more thing. >> i want to address is what they said about catholic charities. there was a question she. got about. >> catholic charities actually. >> helping migrants, basically. abetting them. >> in illegal immigration. when i'm down at the border and anyone who's reported from the border will tell you this, this isn't an inside scoop. the border patrol calls the catholic charities. they're calling the nuns before they come and drop migrants off. they're without catholic charities. those people would be left on the streets, overwhelming the border towns, homeless without a place to go. all they do, they take them to these catholic charities. the biggest. >> one. >> i've seen. >> is in mcallen, texas. >> they give them maybe. >> a chance to have a meal. >> a hot shower, a change of

clothes, and then they make sure that they can get a bus ticket to the destination, where they can see an immigration judge. >> and process their claim. if they. >> don't make it to that step, they are not allowed in, they're not released, and they can be removed very quickly, which is what has really been the case for most people crossing since biden's executive action in june. so just to say that's. what the catholic charities are doing there. and every border patrol agent i've ever spoken to over 11 years of covering this said they don't know what they would do without catholic charities at the border. and i want you to clarify one more thing, because one of the things that she talked about was that the ice agents now feel empowered, that they feel very positive about what the administration, the changes that they have made. i know you're in contact with folks. is that your experience? you know, i do think there was an initial boost in morale where people feel like now they can go out and they have got so many resources from across the federal government to arrest a lot of people that may have been on their list for

years. there were over 400,000 who were not detained. >> who had. >> committed some kind of crime, not all of them high level, but but people who they wanted to go out and arrest and they feel like they have that. i will say there is a fear of what's coming, that this could become an unfunded mandate to meet quotas, like having to arrest 1500 in a day without new funding, without more resources. >> yes. >> they get some overtime. >> pay. >> but eventually they could burn out and lose space to try to take these people into detention after they're arrested. so there's a fear of what to come. but yeah, i do think in general, she is reporting that what she's heard across law enforcement that they do feel emboldened by, by this message from trump. and we are watching that unfold in real time. thank you for that, julia. so when it comes to the freeze on federal funding and the loans that the white house announced overnight, we just got some details from the press secretary on what will not be affected. social security, medicare, snap benefits. but our peter alexander pressed her on other programs.