Hey, Karoline.
I'm glad to see everyone on the court today. All right. Well, happy Monday. It's good to see you all here. We have another busy week. When is it not a busy week here at the White House? As you all know, we'll be traveling to Michigan tomorrow. I know the president's really looking forward to it. He's going to give a speech at the Detroit Economic Club in addition to touring a factory in Dearborn, Michigan that produces F-150s. And my understanding is Ford is ramping up that manufacturing and also going to be hiring more American workers at this facility thanks to President Trump's policy.
So he'll be doing that tomorrow and, and talking about all of the great economic news, which I would be remiss if I did not point out to you all. We have mortgage rates falling below 6% for the first time in years. Thank you, NBC for this very fair and honest headline. But this is the truth and these are the facts thanks to President Trump's economic policies so frankly, they're hard to deny.
And then again, we have the Washington Examiner out this morning with gas prices. The national average has fallen to 279 per gallon for the first time in nearly five years. So these were two of the biggest pain points for the American people, as you all know, under the previous administration. Gas prices, mortgage rates, interest rates, all things that this administration is committed, uh, to seeing fall.
In, in addition to prices, we know core inflation is at its lowest point as it has been in five years. And so these economic policies are really coming into fruition now that we're in 2026. And we'll be seeing more tax cuts into the pockets of the American people later this spring as well. So it's all good news on the economic front, and I know the president looks forward to talking about that tomorrow in Michigan.
I'll take some of your questions too.
[Crosstalk]
Hi, Karoline. On Jerome Powell, President Trump has mentioned on multiple occasions that the administration could probably bring a lawsuit against him. Did the president ever direct DOJ officials to open an investigation into Powell?
No.
And can you reassure the American public that his longstanding criticism, um, and public comments about Powell had nothing to do with the investigation?
Well, look, the President has every right to criticize the Fed share. Uh, he has a First Amendment right, just like all of you do. And one thing for sure, the president's made it quite clear, is Jerome Powell is bad of his job. As for whether or not, or not Jerome Powell is a criminal, that's an answer the Department of Justice is going to have to find out, and it looks like they intend to find that out.
More questions on the Fed for you. Uh, Senator Tillis is promising to hold up all said nominees until this legal matter with Jerome Powell, uh, is resolved. Well, what does the President make of that?
I haven't been spoken to the President about Senator Tillis's comments. I'll leave that to our legislative affairs shop to figure out, and I'll let the President speak on that himself.
[Crosstalk]
Go ahead.
-- believe that, that the Fed should operate independently from him.
The President has made it quite clear he thinks Jerome Powell is bad at his job. And the President has made it quite clear as have many economists, by the way, that interest rates should be lowered and they should have been lowered a long time ago.
But does he believe in the independence of the State?
Uh, he has, and he said that many times.
[Crosstalk]
Use your.... Eman, you're yelling out a question that's being asked in a different way, but it's the same exact question as we just answered and I just answered it. We'll let the Department of Justice determine that.
[Crosstalk]
[Inaudible] strikes off the table in Iran, and does he believe there's a potential path to end the protest there without military act?
Well, I think one thing President Trump is, is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table, and airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table, uh, for the commander-in-chief. Diplomacy is always the first option for the president. He's told all of you last night that what you're hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite differently from the messages the administration is receiving privately.
I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages. Uh, however, with that said, um, the president has shown he's unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.
[Crosstalk]
Go ahead. Go ahead.
-- talking to the Iranians at the moment.
I, I understand that Steve Witkoff will continue to be a very important player, uh, in diplomacy --
Karoline.
-- with respect to Iran.
[Inaudible] Trump had confidence in Delcy Rodríguez?
I think the last week has shown that the president made the right realistic assessment, uh, of what needed to take place in Venezuela at this moment in time. And the interim authorities and Delcy Rodríguez and, uh, her team have been very cooperative with the United States and the president and his team, as evidenced by the massive energy deal that the president was able to cut with the interim authorities, their commitment to release Venezuelan political prisoners, which we also saw last week.
So we've seen a, in a great level of cooperation and the president expects that to continue.
[Crosstalk]
Go ahead. Sorry.
And how soon do they want to see elections in Venezuela?
I think right now it's still too soon to say. And I don't want to set a, a deadline for the president.
Was the meeting this morning with Marco Rubio about Venezuela and what can we see this week from Venezuela? More meetings?
Uh, the president meets with the Secretary of State and national security advisor daily, sometimes multiple times a day, uh, and so it was on a range of topics as it always is.
[Inaudible] on Venezuela, uh, what, uh, passable steps would the White House like to see those interim authorities paying stop, uh, Iran and Hezbollah from operating in the country and have those authorities done anything on that yet?
I think right now, the main, uh, correspondence with the interim authorities is really focused on obviously ensuring stability, uh, and prosperity and continued to co- -- cooperation with respect to energy. As you all know, there was a very powerful and big group of oil executives who were here at the White House on Friday, and so continuing to iron out some of these energy deals.
Uh, we also have made it very clear, the president has made it very clear that, uh, we don't wanna see, uh, any more drug boats sailing from Venezuela towards the United States of America, which we have not, frankly, in the last week.
President has also made it very clear, um, that only, um, oil tankers that are approved by the United States of America will be flowing from Venezuela, uh, and we will continue to seize, uh, ships that are stateless, uh, or that are not approved for commerce by the United States.
Back to Iran, is the objective in these discussions with Iran still complete de-denuclearization? Or what else is the president looking for as he, you know, engages in this discussion?
Well, he's made it quite clear he certainly doesn't want to see people being killed in the streets of Tehran. And unfortunately, that's something we're seeing right now.
[Crosstalk]
I'll get to you, don't worry.
Has Witkoff spoken with Iranian officials today and has President Trump spoken with Elon Musk about the internet situation there as well?
Uh, I understand he has spoken to Elon about that. Yes, he talked to all of you about that on the plane last night. What was your first question, Kelly?
Has Witkoff spoken with Iranian officials today? Could you give any updates on those conversations?
I haven't spoken with Mr. Witkoff today about that, but we can certainly get you an answer.
[Inaudible] are they meeting on Thursday?
Mm-hmm. Yes he is.
President Trump is meeting with Archbishop Coakley --
It's of great interest to you, I'm sure. [Laughs]
Absolutely. And they may be speaking as we, as we're speaking. Uh, can you give us a preview of what they'll be talking about or will there be a readout as well after they're done of what they discuss?
I can see if the president will provide you a readout. How's that?
Sounds good. And also President Trump, has he seen the video put out by Jerome Powell on Sunday? Uh, and what's, and if so, what's his reaction?
Um, that video was put out after I was with the president when Air Force One landed last night, I believe. So I was no longer with him when that video came out. I don't know if he's seen it or not.
Does the president have a dateline or a timeline?
Uh, no, he has not set a timeline, but it's definitely a priority for. She, she's asking about Greenland, and I think the president was very clear last night. He said that he wants to see the United States acquire Greenland because he feels that if we do not, then it will eventually be acquired or even perhaps hostilely taken over by either China, uh, or Russia, which is not a good thing for the United States or, or for Europe or for Greenland as well.
Let's not forget, it would not just be in the best interest of the United States, but perhaps it would be in the best interest of Greenland as well, uh, to be part of, part of the United States. I can't even finish my answer. Everybody's screaming. Go ahead, Monica.
What did the president mean the last night when he said that Iran had called to negotiate and that there may be a meeting that is set up?
Mm-hmm. I mean, what, what else do you want me to explain by that?
Who called and who would be a part of that?
Uh, there was an official from the Iranian government, I believe it was reported earlier that reached out to member of the president's very close team, Special Envoy Witkoff, uh, expressing a far different tone than what you're seeing publicly.
Secretary Kristi Noem has been front and center in response to this ICE video. Is the president satisfied with her efforts there and all of her media interviews?
Yes, 100%. Uh, President Trump and I actually spoke about this last night and how Secretary Noem is doing a phenomenal job, uh, not just securing the border, which she and the president did together in record time, but also in defense of the brave men and women of ICE who put on a law enforcement, uh, uniform every single day to protect our communities and to protect all of you and every American, regardless if they are Democrat or Republican.
Uh, ICE is doing a very important job to remove illegal alien criminals from our communities. And I think it's very striking that all weekend long, you had agitators and violent American citizens out in the streets of Minneapolis 'protesting'. Protesting what exactly? Apparently, they are protesting the removal of heinous murderers and rapists and criminals from a city that I can guarantee you, when you look at the list of the illegal criminals that ICE is removing from our communities every day, not a single person in those protests and not a single person standing here that works in the mainstream media in Washington, DC would want those individuals in your neighborhood, in your community, around your children and around your families.
ICE is doing, uh, an incredibly important job that's not just important to our homeland security, but our national security, and this administration will continue to stand wholeheartedly by the brave men and women of ICE, including that officer in Minneapolis who was absolutely justified in using self-defense against a, a lunatic, who is part of a group, an organized group to interject and to impede on law enforcement operations.
And it's disgusting what we have seen from the left, and I think that it just shows you where the modern day Democrat Party stands today in protecting illegal alien pedophiles and rapists and murderers over law-abiding American citizens and our brave men and women, uh, who serve in law enforcement. Thank you.