In town report #1: Leavitt gaggle

Good morning and happy Opening Day from the White House. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt gaggled with reporters for about three minutes after a Fox News hit.

She said the White House has not yet received a request from Congress about the Signal chat, and would only say "stay tuned" when asked to preview the executive orders the president is scheduled to sign later.

Full quotes below:

On MS13 arrest: "This is a big win for the American public, and the president is very proud of Attorney General Bondi and the FBI Director Kash Patel, and they worked alongside Governor Youngkin in Virginia. So, we applaud the effort of state and local law enforcement. This was a very violent individual who was picked up in a home with five children present. So, our communities are safer this morning, and it's a good day for our country."

Update on internal investigation into Signal chat?

"Not this morning, but we've been incredibly transparent about this entire situation, and we will continue to be."

On auto tariffs and when lumber/pharmaceutical tariffs might be expected:

"Well, I won't get ahead of the president on any additional tariffs. As you know, on April 2, there will be the reciprocal tariff announcement, which is going to focus on countries particularly that have been ripping off the United States. The president said yesterday he thinks that some of these numbers would be more conservative than many people are expecting, but we're going to make sure that American workers are put first, and we're ending the unfair trade practices that have been hollowing out our middle class for decades."

"And I would just like to emphasize these auto tariffs yesterday are a big deal for auto workers in the industry. And you saw the United Auto Workers Union, Shawn Fain, who wasn't the greatest fan of the president on the campaign trail, came out this morning and applauded the president for this move, saying it's a great thing for auto workers who have been sold out by unfair trade practices."

On whether the White House will change its message or hold anyone accountable on the Signal matter:

"Well, we have never denied that this was a mistake, and the national security aviser took responsibility for that. And we have said we are making changes. We are looking into the matter to ensure it can never happen again. But of course, the president has put together a team — look at the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, who was voted in by the United States Senate, putting our war fighters first, making the world a safer place for the American people and for all people. And we're going to stay focused on that. and I think the arrest of an MS 13 gang leader this morning speaks volumes about the confidence of the president and his team."

Brett Samuels
White House reporter
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