Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 29, 2019 Statement by the Press Secretary regarding the Trilateral Meeting of the National Security Advisors from the United States, Israel, and Russia   In June, United States National Security Advisor Ambassador John Bolton, Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat, and Russian Secretary of the Security Council Nikolay Patrushev will meet in Jerusalem, Israel, to discuss regional security issues.

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Appoint Individual to a Key Administration Post

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 29, 2019 President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Appoint Individual to a Key Administration Post Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key position in his Administration: James E. Hutton of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs.  Mr. Hutton currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  He previously served as Executive Director of Public Affairs and Director of Media Relations at the VA.  Before joining the VA, Mr. Hutton served as the Chief Communication and Engagement Officer for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a non-profit located in Arlington, Virginia.  Additionally, Mr. Hutton served for nearly 27 years as an active duty officer in the United States Army, retiring as a colonel.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University, a Master of Arts degree from Webster University, and a Master of Science degree from the National Defense University’s National War College.  Mr. Hutton’s military awards include the Legion of Merit, three awards of the Bronze Star Medal, and two awards of the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 29, 2019 Joint Statement from United States National Security Advisor Ambassador John Bolton and United Arab Emirates National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan   United States National Security Advisor John Bolton and United Arab Emirates National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan are pleased to announce the entry into force of the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between the United States and the United Arab Emirates.  The DCA will enhance military coordination between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, further advancing an already robust military, political, and economic partnership at a critical time. The United States and the United Arab Emirates share a deep interest in promoting prosperity and stability in the region.  The DCA will advance that interest by fostering closer collaboration on defense and security matters and supporting efforts by both nations to maintain security in the Gulf region.

May 29, 2019 Statement from the Press Secretary

May 29, 2019

Statement from the Press Secretary
 
“The Special Counsel has completed the investigation, closed his office, and has closed the case. Mr. Mueller explicitly said that he has nothing to add beyond the report, and therefore, does not plan to testify before Congress. The report was clear—there was no collusion, no conspiracy—and the Department of Justice confirmed there was no obstruction. Special Counsel Mueller also stated that Attorney General Barr acted in good faith in his handling of the report. After two years, the Special Counsel is moving on with his life, and everyone else should do the same.” Sarah Sanders
 

West Wing Reads Gallup: Trump leadership rating jumps, beats Obama on issues, ideology

Gallup: Trump leadership rating jumps, beats Obama on issues, ideology  Despite constant negative coverage from the liberal-leaning mainstream media, “Gallup found that 47% [of Americans] agree with Trump on the issues, edging Obama at the two year mark of his presidency,” Paul Bedard reports for the Washington Examiner. “And Trump was graded more in line with the political ideology of Americans than Obama and former President George W. Bush.” Over the past two years, as the results from President Trump’s policies—from economic growth to better national security and trade deals on the world stage—have come in, his ratings have steadily gone up. Click here to read more. “U.S. consumer confidence rose by more than expected to the highest level since November as Americans felt the best about current economic conditions in 18 years, highlighting the effects of a robust labor market and rising wages,” Katia Dmitrieva reports for Bloomberg. “The broad-based gain in sentiment bodes well for consumer spending, which makes up the majority of the U.S. economy, amid unemployment near a five-decade low, sustained wage gains and more affordable mortgages.” “Recently, President Donald Trump presented Congress with the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal (USMCA) that, if passed, will give Texans a major economic victory,” Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) writes in the Dallas Morning News. “There should be nothing partisan about a deal that adds fuel to our economy, puts money back into consumers' pockets and keeps Main Street booming. We must accept and celebrate a win for America when we get it and push partisan fights aside.” “The skies are growing dark and increasingly ominous for dirty officials at the top of Obama-era law enforcement and intelligence agencies,” Charles Lipson writes in RealClearPolitics. “These defenders of the old guard are sliming Attorney General Bill Barr, who heads the investigation into their actions . . . Barr won’t be deterred. He did not return for a second stint as AG to pad his résumé or protect Donald Trump. He returned to clean out the Augean Stables.” “American exporters face systematically higher tariffs in the markets of more than 100 U.S. trading partners,” White House Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro writes in The Wall Street Journal. “Whether you’re a pure free trader or a fair, reciprocal and balanced trader like the president, if you live in a relatively low-tariff country like the U.S., you should oppose an international trading system that helps institutionalize nonreciprocal tariffs.”

Text of a Letter from the President to Selected Congressional Committee Leadership

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 28, 2019 TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT TO THE CHAIRWOMAN OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, THE CHAIRMEN OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, THE CHAIRMEN OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEES ON ARMED SERVICES, AND THE CHAIRMEN OF THE HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE May 28, 2019   Dear Mr. Chairman: (Dear Madam Chairwoman:) Consistent with section 1264(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115-91) (the "Act"), I am transmitting Executive Order 13862 of March 6, 2019 (Revocation of Reporting Requirement).  This Executive Order revokes an annual reporting requirement from Executive Order 13732 of July 1, 2016, related to counterterrorism strikes undertaken by the United States outside areas of active hostilities. After closely evaluating the reporting requirement called for in Executive Order 13732 and in light of subsequent requirements specified by the Congress in the Act, I determined to revoke section 3 of Executive Order 13732, while retaining all other portions of that Executive Order.  The report submitted to the Congress by the Department of Defense pursuant to section 1057 of the Act is more comprehensive in certain ways than the report Executive Order 13732 required, which was limited in geographic scope and type of United States Government operation. The United States Government is committed to minimizing civilian casualties and complying with its obligations under the law of armed conflict.  All United States efforts to minimize civilian casualties described in Executive Order 13732 continue to apply.                         Sincerely,                           DONALD J. TRUMP

West Wing Reads President Trump Puts US Service Members in Spotlight During Memorial Day Address

President Trump Puts US Service Members in Spotlight During Memorial Day Address  “President Donald Trump spoke Tuesday to 1,000 sailors and Marines and a few servicemembers from other branches aboard the [USS Wasp], which was moored at Yokosuka Naval Base” in Japan, Seth Robson reports for Stars and Stripes. “Trump had plenty to tell the troops about his state visit to Japan and meetings with Abe and Emperor Naruhito, who assumed the throne this month. But the president also surprised an enlisted sailor and Marine by calling them onto a stage and inviting them to say a few words of their own.” Click here to read more. “President Donald Trump landed aboard a Japanese destroyer south of Tokyo where he was greeted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Japanese forces. Speaking on the deck of the J.S. Kaga docked at Yokosuka, Abe spoke of the strong alliance between the United States and Japan. Abe says the fact that he and Trump are standing together on the ship is evidence of the ‘robust’ nature of that alliance,” The Associated Press reports. “Democrats are desperately trying to downplay the booming economic success under President Trump [by using identity politics as a wedge] . . . That will be difficult given recent economic data,” Alfredo Ortiz writes in The Hill. “The fact is that Hispanics are flourishing in the Trump economy,” with Hispanic unemployment at a new record low of 4.2 percent and Hispanics driving 70 percent of the recent surge in workforce growth. “The mantra invoked by those Democrats who are seeking to impeach President Trump is that ‘no one is above the law.’ That, of course, is true, but it is as applicable to Congress as it is to the president. Those members of Congress who are seeking to impeach the president, even though he has not committed any of the specified impeachable offenses set out in the Constitution, are themselves seeking to go above the law,” Alan Dershowitz writes in Fox News. “The time has come to stop weaponizing the Constitution and our legal system for partisan advantage. Impeachment would be a lawless response to undertake, as is the use of partisan committees to obtain an electoral advantage.” “By the time you’re reading this, the window for the 116th U.S. Congress to notch a significant, substantive accomplishment will be down to 38 ‘working’ days,” Brad Rateike writes in Indianapolis Business Journal. “Five months into this Democrat-led House and what does it have to show for itself? Nothing … Providing political theater is not an accomplishment. Promoting a culture of unlimited congressional investigations is not an accomplishment.”