Pool Reports of April 23, 2025

In town note #1 - Homan gaggle

Good morning from the White House.

Tom Homan spoke briefly to reporters after a TV hit.

He was asked about the 27 people with ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and Anti-Tren being indicted in NYC on racketeering, sex trafficking, drug, and firearms charges in New York: "That's a classic example how collaboration between ICE and state and local law enforcement - the success of the collaboration. 27 Tren de Aragua people are indicted. I believe six are still standing orders for that. But we send a strong message to Tren de Aragua. We're going to keep doing this. … That was the first time we used RICO. The underlying offenses were sex trafficking, gun trafficking, drug trafficking, murder for hire. We seized a lot of weapons and rescued some victims of sex trafficking. What's specifically important to me about New York is Mayor Adams, who's getting beat up by the left for cooperating with us. Look what, look what transpired. Look at the lives we saved in the New York City. Right at the same time you got the City Council file a lawsuit to shut down our memorandum of understanding – the executive orders he signed to get us in Rikers Island. We proved yesterday what collaboration can do to the safety and security in New York. But now the city council wants to lock us out of Rikers Island where TDA and MS 13 house so we can get custody of them before they hit the streets in New York. It's just ridiculous. Of course, no city council members at the press conference yesterday.  They don't want to hear the truth. This is about open borders. This is about sanctuary cities. Sanctuary cities are for criminals, and I salute Mayor Adams. … I think we'll win that case. I hope the judge who's going to hear that case saw the press conference yesterday and see the results of collaboration. Cops should be working with cops. I never asked New York City, NYPD, to be an immigration officer. I asked them to help us be cops working with cops to remove public safety threats and national security threats and terrorists from the streets of New York and from Rikers Island when they're done with their sentence. That's exactly what we proved yesterday.

On the Kilmar Abrego Garcia a case, he was asked about a judge accusing the administration of bad faith: "Bad faith? We removed an MS-13 gang member, public safety threat, wife beater, designated terrorist from the United States. He's home. He's a citizen El Salvador, a of native El Salvador, who had due process, despite what you're hearing. … The best that could happen for him, if he actually gave back the United States, he would be detained and removed again because he has an order of deportation. What people don't talk about, the withholding order, they keep saying was the mistake or oversight was issued years ago under different circumstances. The gang he was afraid would attack him no longer exists. The country of Salvador is a much safer country because of the actions of President Bukele. I don't think any court can order another nation, a sovereign nation, to take a citizen national of their country and their custody and come back to us. Again, I'm not an attorney. I'll let DOJ argue this in court, but I think we remove the public safety threat, gang member designated terrorist from the United States who have been ordered deported twice by a federal judge. I think he got plenty of due process. He got more due process than Laken Riley got."

Asked about the Supreme Court order that administration facilitate Garcia's return: "I'll leave that to the Department of Justice and the State Department. I think I stand by - we did the right thing for the safety and security of this country. .. These are two plane loads of terrors and international orders. Again, I'm not I'm not litigating the case. I'm not an attorney. I'll let DOJ handle that. But again, I think we're keeping President Trump's promise to the American people who voted into office on number one issue, secure the border and then remove public safety to address the national security. That's what we keep doing. I find it I find it incredible that there's all this push for more and more and more due process, more process for these designated terror groups, when, in fact, no one asked for due process when they crossed the border? No one asked for a vetting when they crossed the border? Where was all the media? … Where were you all folks when we had 10.5 million people came to border in your asylum? Where were a lot of these folk when you had 600% increase in sex trafficking, women and children?  Where was everybody when we had a quarter million Americans dying from fentanyl that come that open border? Where's all the anger, where's all the press then?. But now they enter the country legally against legal process, and now they demand legal process. It's just, it's just ridiculous how this has come full circle, and I think President Trump's doing the right thing and this country's much safer today. I looked at numbers today . We're about 68,000 illegal aliens arrested in the interior United States – a hell of a lot more than Biden administration ever done, ever thought of doing?  …This country lot safer. New York City is lot safer today because the operations we did up there, arresting public safety threats and national security threats. Every time we arrest one of these people, when we remove them, the country gets us more safe. President Trump secured a quarter in matter of seven weeks. Today, as I'm talk to you, we have the most secure border in the history of this nation. The data approved it. He did in seven weeks what Biden administration couldn't or wouldn't do in four years, this President is keeping his promised American people. I'm happy. I walk in there every day working for the greatest president of my lifetime, because I spent over 40 years doing immigration enforcement and border security. We've never been where we're at right now, the most secure border in the history of the nation right now. Lives are being saved every day."

More: "They want to say our administration is inhumane, we're not giving due process.  We're saving lives by the thousands. Every day. The wall, everybody's screaming and yelling about the wall going up. Every place we build a border barrier, illegal Immigration went down, illegal drug flow went down. But, you know, what no one talks about - the wall saves lives. Women and children can't get over that wall, so that means they're going to a place where there's not a wall and what's waiting on them, the men and women of the border patrol who's going to deal with those health issues and the humanitarian crisis. Walls save lives. Secure borders save lives. President Trump saving thousands of lives every day by securing that border. And we're going to continue, despite what the district court says. Maybe we can hope maybe we gotta hold off on some of the deportation operation we're doing. But it's not gonna stop us from seeking these people now, arresting them and take them off the street to United States while we're waiting for the courts to decide. You know about the Alien Enemies Act and these other things. We're gonna keep doing what we're doing. We're gonna arrest these public safety threats every single day. 24-7 across this country. That will not stop."

Asked how many people used the CBP app to self report: "I don't have that number right now."

Here is the footage of the gaggle via our friends at CSPAN: https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/tom-homan-on-kilmar-abrego-garcia-deportation-case/658975

In town pool note #2 - POTUS on the north lawn

President Trump is out walking on the north lawn with aides. More tk...

In town pool note #3 - North lawn details

The president said he is out looking for a place to put a flag pole on the North Lawn. 

He walked down toward the fence and over toward the fountain. It appears there are four aides with him. 

Secret Service has cleared the street and Lafayette Park of people. 

Reporters gathered on the drive and asked him to come over and chat. But he walked down the stairs toward the Palm Room Doors. 

He is taking questions here outside the doors. More tk

In town pool note #4 - Trump Q&A

As always please check against transcript and video feed. 

POTUS was asked about tariffs:

"We have a lot of action going on. We are making a lot of money in this country. This country is not going to be losing money on trade anymore. We are losing $2 trillion a year on trade. Now we're going to be making money, a lot of money. So that's very good. Every country wants to partake, even countries that have ripped us off for many, many years, China as an example. But it's not just China, European Union. They ripped us off for many, many years. And those days are over. We're going to make a lot of money for our people. We'll be able to lower taxes substantially, and we're going to be proud of ourselves. We're not going to be a laughing stock that got taken advantage of by virtually every country in the world."

Why he was on the lawn: "We're putting up a beautiful, almost 100 foot tall American flag on this side and another one on the other side, two flags top of the line. And they needed flag poles for 200 years. It was something I've often said, you know, they don't have a flag pole per se. So we're putting one right where you saw us, and we're putting another one on the other side, on top of the mounds. It's going to be two beautiful poles."

He added: "Paid for by Trump."

Asked if he's making a deal with China: "It's gonna be fair."

More: "Everybody wants to be a part of what we're doing. They know that they can't get away with it any longer, but they're still going to do fine, and we're going to have a country that you can be proud of. We were  a laughing stock all over the world for many years. You know, in 1913, they traded to the income tax system. We used to be all tariffs, and we had no income tax, and we had the wealthiest country that had, proportionately from about 1870 to 1913. ... We had more money than anybody. They had committees how to spend the money. They had so much money they didn't know how to spend then some we money. Then some brilliant person said let's go income tax."

More: "We're anywhere from three to $5 billion a day. Think of it. We're losing billions of dollars a day under Biden and other presidents, frankly, but under Biden, it got really worse. China got out of control. .. Now we're going to be making money with everyone and everyone's going to be happy."

in town note #5 - lunch lid

We have a lunch lid until 12:15 pm.

in town note #6 - Karoline Leavitt gaggle

Karoline Leavitt took questions on the driveway after a TV hit. As always, please check the official transcript and video playback:

She offered a preview of the executive orders President Trump is signing this afternoon: "There will be seven executive orders focused on education. Secretary Lindsay McMahon will be here in the Oval Office as well, and I won't get ahead of them, but we'll see you all there. And the President will take some questions."

Asked what the China tariffs have accomplished: "Leverage and ensuring the rest of the world knows that the United States of America is no longer going to be ripped off. President Trump has made that very clear, not just with China, but with almost every single country on the planet, there have been hundreds of countries now that have reached out to the United States, to the Trump administration to make deals. As I said yesterday, there were 18 proposals on paper that have been presented to our trade team, and we're negotiating on behalf of the American worker. And no other President has taken on such an endeavor. Many have talked about it. Many on both sides of the aisle have pledged to do what's right for the American worker and our manufacturing industry, but this is the first president to actually use the leverage of the United States to bring people to the table."

Asked if the tariffs have actually worked: "Have some patience and you will see."

On Ukraine, Leavitt was asked if the United States has asked Ukraine to give up the Crimea and if President Trump will meet with President Zelensky when both leaders are in Rome for the pope's funeral: "As President Trump rightfully pointed out in that statement, it was President Obama who gave up Crimea, who allowed Russia to take it over in 2014 and so the President is not asking Ukraine to recognize Crimea. Nobody has asked them to do that. What he is asking is for people to come to the negotiating table, recognizing that this has been a brutal war for far too long. And in order to make a good deal, both sides have to walk away a little bit unhappy, and unfortunately, President Zelensky has been trying to litigate this peace negotiation in the press, and that's unacceptable to the president. These should be closed door negotiations. The President's national security team, his advisors, have exuded significant time, energy and effort to try to bring this war to an end. The American taxpayer has funded billions of dollars in this effort, and enough is enough. The President frustrated. His patience is running very thin. He wants to do what's right for the world. He wants to see peace. He wants to see the killing stop but you need both sides of the war willing to do that, and unfortunately President Zelensky seems to be moving in the wrong direction."

Asked if President Trump will walk away if Zelensky doesn't come to the table by end of today: "Not by the end of the day today, but the President has maintained that his frustration is growing and he needs to see this thing come to an end."

Asked if President Trump will meet with President Putin in Saudi Arabia on that trip: "I'm not tracking a meeting at this time but, as always we'll keep you updated."

Here is the otter link: https://otter.ai/u/kT0NOWw0d8QyCtGieQODokgOx7I?utm_source=copy_url

In town note #7 - gathering for Oval

Pool is gathering for executive ordering signing. 

Pool is told the signing will air live on the regular channels. 

In town pool note #8 - Roosevelt Room

This is a different unscheduled event happening in the Roosevelt Room. It's different from the executive order signing. Pool is headed in shortly. 

More tk. 

In town note #9 - Oval spray + livestream link

Scratch precious note. Pool was turned around to head to the Oval without going into Roosevelt Room. 

Pool entered at Oval at 5:13 pm. 

POTUS is sitting at his desk. There are 10 wounded veterans in chairs around the room. 

Event is airing live: https://www.c-span.org/event/white-house-event/president-trump-signs-education-executive-orders/432687

More tk... 

In town note #10 - executive order details

Preside Trump welcomed the veterans. There are several red MAGA hats on the Resolute desk along with a big box filled with challenge coins. 

Also here are the education, commerce and labor secretaries. 

Staff secretary Will Scharf is describing the orders and handing them over for POTUS to sign. 

First executive order is on foreign gifts to American universities, second is on university accreditation process, third sets up an initiative on HCBUs to "make sure they do their job effectively," fourth is on AI and its use in education, fifth is on trade training in education, sixth is on school discipline policies, and seventh is on ending Disparate impact theory.

POTUS then invited a few guests to speak including one on her experiences as a teacher and one who is talking about the wounded veterans who are here. 

President Trump asked one veteran about the sticker on his artificial leg limb. 

The veteran responded: "That is Joe Biden and it says let's go Brandon."

POTUS also complimented the veteran on his red MAGA hat and was told it is one of the originals. Trump promised him a new one but said to keep the old one too. 

POTUS passed out the challenge coins to the veterans. "It's gun metal," POTUS said. Veterans got a choice between black and gold coins. 

Pool will also ask for names of those in Oval. 

Q&A is starting. More tk... 

In town note #11 - Q&A

Pool left the Oval at 6:03 pm. 

As always please check quotes against the official transcript and video playback. 

On tariffs: "We're going to make deals, but they're going to be fair deals. They're not going to be rip off deals. … And by the way, if we don't have a deal with a company or a country, we're going to set the tariff. We just set the tariff. It's something that we think that will happen. I'd say over the next couple of weeks."

China tariffs: "We're dealing with almost all of them, too many to fully deal with, but we're going to be fair to them, but we're dealing with a lot of countries right now, and could be with China, but maybe we'll make a special a deal, and we'll see what it will be."

More on tariffs: "I think we're going to make so much that we're going to be able to reduce taxes in this country by a lot, and we're also going to treat those countries very fairly, but if we don't make a deal, which is possible, we're going to just set the price, because, you remember, they have to come in, they want to come in here, and they want to do business with the United States, so we want to set a fair price, and we'll do that. We're going to be very fair, but we'll set a fair price, and then they can make a determination as to whether or not they want to do business with the United States."

Asked about the upcoming Rome trip, POTUS said he would have several meetings but declined to say with who. "Yes, I do. I have a lot of meetings set up."

More: "I got every leader in the world, which tells you that we have a good product. It's called the United States of America."

Asked who else would be in the US delegation: "We have a couple of people coming. We'll announce it probably this evening, and tomorrow. The First Lady's going, and some people are coming with me from staff, but we'll have a number of people going to be I'm sure it's going to be a beautiful ceremony."

Asked about a Ukraine deal: "If I can solve it because of a certain ability, that will be great. And if it doesn't happen, I will say that I think Russia is ready. And a lot of people said Russia wanted to go for the whole thing. And I think we have a deal with Russia. We have to get a deal with Zelensky, and I hope that Zelensky, I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelensky. So far, it's been harder. But that's okay. It's all right, but, but I think we have a deal with both. I hope they do it, because I'm looking to save and, you know, we spend a lot of money, but this is about a lot of humanity. This is the worst. I get the pictures, the satellite pictures, I've never seen anything like it, of the fields after these, some of these battles, it's horrible that it's going for nothing. We would have never had this problem. You would have never had that war if I were president, I guarantee you that."

Asked if he'll meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia: "It's possible, but most likely not. I think we'll meet with him shortly thereafter."

On Jerome Powell: "I haven't called him. I might call him. I haven't called him, but I believe he's making a mistake by not lowering interest rates. … He's keeping rates too high. He historically has been late, except when it came to Biden. He was recommended by a certain person that I'm not particularly happy with. But he will hopefully do the right thing. The right thing is to lower interest rates. So we'll see what happens."

Elon Musk: "Well, first of all, I can't speak more highly about any individual. He's an incredible guy. He's a brilliant guy. He's a wonderful person. I've seen him with his family. I've seen him with a lot of his children. He's got a lot of children. He treats him good. He loves His children, but he's a brilliant guy, and he was a tremendous help, both in the campaign and in what he's done with DOGE."

More: "Makes everything he does is good, but they took it out on Tesla. And I just thought it was so unfair, because he's trying to help the country, but he has helped the country. I also want him to make sure that he's going to be in great shape. And I know he is."

On Canada election: "Oh, I don't want to predict other nation's elections. It's tough enough doing this one. Look, I love the Canadian people. I like Canada, but it's costing us $200 billion a year to support Canada.

Asked if the Ukraine deal includes recognizing Crimea as Russia's: "Well, everything is good. I just want to see the war end. I don't care what if they're both happy, they both sign an agreement. I have no favorites. I don't want to have any favorites. I want to have a deal done. I want to save their lives."

Asked if he would raise car tariffs on Canada: "We're not considering it now, but at some point it could go up, because, again, we don't really want Canada to make cars for us."

Otter link: https://otter.ai/u/exHZH-Q2wnSW4gzfKFWwX-EvxLE

in town note #12 - lid

At 6:17 pm, the White House called a travel photo lid.

Have a great evening everyone!