White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made her much-anticipated return to the briefing room on Thursday.
Leavitt has been on maternity leave for nearly two months, prompting changes to how press briefings will be handled.
Right off the bat, Leavitt confirmed that President Trump’s primetime address tonight will focus on “protecting the integrity of our elections.”
Leavitt also boasted about major economic wins.
“Tuesday’s CPI report confirmed what President Trump predicted: prices are falling, and this administration’s economic policies are working. Inflation dropped .4% last month, beating expectations and marking the largest monthly decline in more than 6 years,” Leavitt declared.
She also spoke about Trump Accounts and encouraged parents to sign up their young children.
“I want to remind everyone that Trump Accounts are now officially live. Government projections how that a child whose family maxes out contributions could see the account grow to nearly $300,000 by the time the child turns 18. This is, I think we can all agree, an enormously powerful head start toward the American Dream,” Leavitt said.
Trump is set to address the nation at 9 p.m. ET tonight in a highly anticipated primetime speech focused heavily on securing America’s elections and confronting ongoing threats from Iran.
White House sources and close allies say the President will stress that free and fair elections are the foundation of our republic and that urgent action is needed to protect them ahead of the November midterms.
Trump has repeatedly called for stronger federal safeguards, including nationwide voter ID and measures to address vulnerabilities in voting systems.
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Insiders expect him to highlight new findings on election security and urge Congress to act swiftly on tighter rules to restore confidence in the process.
The President has described the topic as one of the biggest issues facing the country, noting that without secure elections, the United States itself is at risk.
Expect Trump to lay out a clear plan to strengthen ballot integrity, countering years of resistance from Democrats who have blocked common-sense reforms.
This will likely include a major push for paper ballots, stricter chain-of-custody rules, and federal oversight to prevent any repeat of past irregularities.
Reports indicate that Trump will detail how his administration is protecting American interests, energy security, and allies in the region while keeping pressure on Tehran.
Sources indicate the President may have additional “really big news” to share, potentially tied to either bolstering election defenses or advancing a decisive strategy against Iranian aggression that threatens global stability.
This also comes as the conflict between the United States and Iran may be entering a far more dangerous phase after President Trump convened his top national security advisers for a high-level Situation Room meeting.
The closed-door session came as U.S. forces continued military operations against Iranian targets and the president publicly warned that even more devastating strikes could be on the horizon if Tehran refuses to negotiate.
President Trump met Tuesday with senior members of his national security team to discuss plans for a significantly expanded military campaign against Iran, according to multiple sources familiar with the meeting.
Axios first reported that the discussions centered on military options extending well beyond the current U.S. strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, to increase pressure on Iran to reopen the strategic waterway and accept U.S. demands regarding its nuclear program.
