The Trump White Home’s 27-year-old press secretary staunchly defended an abrupt freeze on federal grants and proclaimed a brand new period of aggressive immigration enforcement on Tuesday, marking a confrontational return to Trump-era media relations within the administration’s first official briefing.
Karoline Leavitt, the youngest White Home press secretary in historical past, insisted the controversial funding pause set to activate on Tuesday night wouldn’t have an effect on particular person advantages like social safety and Medicare, however would goal what she referred to as “unlawful DEI packages” and the “inexperienced new rip-off” initiatives that she claimed waste taxpayer cash.
“The American folks gave President Trump an amazing mandate on November 5, and he’s making an attempt to make sure that the tax cash going out the door on this very bankrupt metropolis truly aligns with the desire and priorities of the American folks,” Leavitt mentioned.
The federal funding pause might have an effect on trillions of {dollars} in grants and loans, having an affect on all the pieces from college meals for low-income college students to wildfire preparedness and packages for homeless veterans, in line with inside paperwork. The workplace of administration and finances has requested particulars from federal companies about greater than 2,600 packages that might be affected, together with the WIC vitamin program for pregnant ladies and infants and Medicare enrollment help.
The press secretary claimed the administration had already blocked “$37m that was about to exit the door to the World Well being Group” and “$50m taxpayer {dollars} that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza”, calling such spending “preposterous”.
On immigration, Leavitt celebrated the arrest of greater than 1,100 undocumented immigrants in current operations, in line with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. When pressed about stories that almost half had no prior prison report, she declared that coming into the nation illegally made them “by definition, a prison”.
She additionally defended Trump’s govt order trying to finish birthright citizenship, regardless of authorized challenges from 22 state attorneys common. “This administration believes that birthright citizenship is unconstitutional,” Leavitt mentioned, vowing to take the battle to the supreme courtroom.
Leavitt introduced a brand new protection protocol growth, saying the White Home would open the briefing room to “new media” voices, together with social media influencers and impartial journalists.
The practically hour-long session centered on the administration’s swift coverage shifts, and left a warning for reporters about their protection.
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“We all know for a truth there have been lies which were pushed by many legacy media shops on this nation about this president, about his household, and we won’t settle for that,” Leavitt mentioned.
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