WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Domestic and foreign policy were all part of the first official on-camera press briefing for the Trump-Vance administration.
At her first White House press briefing, Karoline Leavitt took questions for about 47 minutes.
Gray Television’s White House correspondent Jon Decker asked Leavitt about President Donald Trump’s executive order eliminating birthright citizenship.
“What’s the administration’s argument for doing away with birthright citizenship?”
Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, defended the Trump administration’s legal position, a position which has already been described as blatantly unconsitutional by a federal judge.
“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.”
White House correspondent Jon Decker followed up with a question concerning President Trump concerning the NATO defense alliance and America’s commitment to it.
“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?”
Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, focused on defense spending by NATO allies.
“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 and Europe, and of course, here at home was much safer because of President Trump’s peace through strength diplomatic approach.”
NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte has been meeting with the President of the European Council in Brussels.
Leavitt also served in the press office in the first Trump administration, but at 27 years old, she’s the youngest press secretary in U.S. history.
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