New media members were formally welcomed into the White House on Friday, as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that President Donald Trump’s White House will be seating one non-traditional, independent media outlet at each briefing.
The White House has received applications from over 10,000 independent journalists since going live with the new application process earlier this week, Leavitt told reporters. She joked that they may have to make the briefing room larger.
Leavitt kicked off the presser by introducing John Ashbrook, from the Ruthless Podcast, into the press briefing room for the first time.
The press secretary also announced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Trump next Tuesday. The two men are expected to have a more formal meeting during the day and then meet for an informal dinner later that evening.
The president has been an outspoken supporter of Israel in its fight against the Hamas terrorist group. A ceasefire agreement was reached between the warring parties during the presidential transition period while former President Joe Biden was still in office. Trump has promised to quickly work out a deal to end the fighting in the region.
Leavitt was asked about Trump’s plans for Black History Month in February, and if his recent criticisms of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) will signal an end to the annually observed commemorative month.
“The president looks forward to signing a proclamation celebrating Black History Month,” Leavitt said. “It’s going to be ready for the president’s signature to signify the beginning of that tomorrow.” Trump later signed the proclamation.
On the eve of a potential trade war with the United States’s biggest trading partners, Leavitt also confirmed on Friday that tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico will still go into effect on Saturday as planned.
China will face an additional 10 percent tariff on all goods coming into the United States, while Canada and Mexico will be dealt a 25 percent tariff.
“Promises made and promises kept,’’ Leavitt said, referring to Trump’s campaign promises to use tariffs on trading partners that he sees as taking advantage of the United States.
Friday’s press briefing was a change of pace from Thursday when Trump faced reporters himself, just one day after the tragic midair collision between an American Airlines passenger flight and an Army helicopter on a training exercise over Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport just outside of the capital city.
Both aircraft plunged directly into the icy Potomac River. No survivors have been found. The black boxes were retrieved from the airliner on Thursday and search teams recovered the Army helicopter’s black box on Friday. The presumed death toll is 67.
It is among the worst U.S. aviation disasters since November 2001, when another American Airlines flight crashed shortly after takeoff into the Belle Harbor neighborhood in Queens, New York, killing all 260 people on board and five people on the ground.
The president blamed DEI hiring policies on Thursday as one of the likely factors in this incident, and later signed an executive order to end DEI at the Federal Aviation Administration.