What White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Had to Say to Legacy Media and New Media in First Press Briefing

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt opened the James Brady Briefing Room to new media and came down hard on illegal immigration, while also tackling questions about government spending and tariffs in her first White House press briefing of the new Trump administration Tuesday. 

She also broke news, announcing that the large number of drones spotted over New Jersey late last year were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration, after much speculation by lawmakers and the media that the outgoing Biden administration declined to address.

“After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons,” Leavitt said, noting she was passing this along from the president. “Many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones. In time, it got worse due to curiosity. This was not the enemy.”

Wearing a burgundy blazer with a prominent gold cross necklace, the youngest presidential press secretary in history announced the White House will restore access for 440 reporters whose credentials were revoked by the Biden administration. The first questions in the briefing went to reporters in special new-media seats from Axios and Breitbart.

“This White House believes strongly in the First Amendment. It’s why our team will work diligently to restore the press passes of the 440 journalists whose passes were wrongly revoked by the previous administration,” Leavitt said.

“We are also opening up this briefing room to new-media voices who produce news-related content and whose outlets are not already represented by one of the seats in this room,” the press secretary continued. “We welcome independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers, and content creators to apply for credentials to cover this White House.” 

She promised transparency and honesty with the media—but added the White House will hold the media to the same standard.  

“I commit to telling the truth from this podium every single day,” Leavitt said. “I commit to speaking on behalf of the president of the United States. That is my job.” 

But, she also asserted that she wouldn’t hesitate to call out the legacy media outlets when coverage of President Donald Trump is not honest.

“We know for a fact there have been lies that have been pushed by many legacy media outlets in this country about this president, about his family, and we will not accept that,” she said. “We will call you out when we feel that your reporting is wrong or there is misinformation about this White House.” 

Leavitt recapped Trump’s more than 300 executive actions during his first week in office, which included dozens of executive orders and a massive deportation effort.

“America will no longer tolerate illegal immigration,” Leavitt said. “And this president expects that every nation on this planet will cooperate with the repatriation of their citizens.” 

Leavitt highlighted Trump’s swift action over the weekend, when he directed his team to issue sanctions and tariffs on the Colombian government for initially turning away U.S. military aircraft with Colombian citizens being deported from the U.S. by his administration. 

“To foreign nationals who are thinking about trying to illegally enter the United States, think again,” Leavitt said. “Under this president, you will be detained, and you will be deported.” 

When asked how many illegal immigrants in the country have a criminal record, Leavitt responded unequivocally.

“All of them,” she said. “They illegally broke our nation’s laws, and therefore, they are criminals as far as this administration goes.” 

Violent criminals, including drug dealers and rapists, will receive priority in the deportation process, Leavitt said, but all illegal immigrants who broke immigration law by entering the country will be subject to deportation. 

When asked whether the president will deport pro-Hamas students on visas or foreign nationals in the country who have overstayed their visas, Leavitt said again the president is open to deporting anyone who is in the country illegally. 

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