President Donald J. Trump Approves Michigan Disaster Declaration

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 9, 2020 President Donald J. Trump Approves Michigan Disaster Declaration   Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Michigan and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding from May 16 to May 22, 2020. The President's action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Arenac, Gladwin, Iosco, Midland, and Saginaw. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. Federal funding also is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding in the counties of Arenac, Gladwin, Iosco, Midland, and Saginaw. Finally, Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Pete Gaynor, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Waddy Gonzalez as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments. Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired.  The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV

1600 Daily The White House • July 9, 2020 President Trump Expands Hispanic Prosperity Initiative

The White House • July 9, 2020 President Trump expands Hispanic Prosperity Initiative President Trump just signed an executive order expanding the White House Hispanic Prosperity Initiative, which will help every member of our country’s proud Hispanic community prosper and achieve the American Dream. The order will encourage pro-growth, pro-family, and pro-community policies such as school choice, personalized learning, family engagement, civic education, and more. “Hispanic Americans are not only living the American Dream, but their incredible efforts are unlocking the American Dream for citizens all across our land,” President Trump says.  Watch: How President Trump’s executive order benefits the Hispanic community Hispanic-American workers and families have thrived under President Trump’s agenda. Before the Coronavirus pandemic, the Hispanic unemployment rate reached a record low of 3.9 percent, and it remained under 5 percent for 23 consecutive months. In 2018, the poverty rate for Hispanic Americans reached its lowest level on record, and since 2016, nearly 611,000 Hispanic Americans have been lifted out of poverty. As the Coronavirus spread from China across the globe, President Trump worked tirelessly to ensure that all Americans could get back to work as quickly as possible. As a result, Hispanic employment increased by a sum of more than 2.1 million in May and June. This Administration won’t stop until every American is back on the job.  President Trump: We will never let public charter schools be taken away! And with today’s actions, America will continue to be a land of opportunity for our incredible Hispanic community, as well as for every other American family. School choice is a big part of that vision. Nearly one-third of all students in U.S. public charter schools are Hispanic. President Trump is expanding educational opportunities for these students and others, both with today’s executive order as well as through restoring local control and ending federal overreach in education more broadly. Community development is another crucial component. Under President Trump, new jobs and investments have poured into nearly 9,000 designated “Opportunity Zones,” which together are home to more than 9 million Hispanic Americans. President Trump is lifting up and empowering Hispanic Americans!  WATCH: “We’re a believer in choice”   Photo of the Day President Trump signs an executive order on the Hispanic Prosperity Initiative | July 9, 2020

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AT SIGNING OF AN EXECUTIVE ORDER ON THE WHITE HOUSE HISPANIC PROSPERITY INITIATIVE

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 9, 2020

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AT SIGNING OF AN EXECUTIVE ORDER ON THE WHITE HOUSE HISPANIC PROSPERITY INITIATIVE Rose Garden   3:38 P.M. EDT      THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much.  Please.  Great honor to be with you in the beautiful Rose Garden on a sweltering day.  (Laughter.)      But I do want to thank you all for being here as we proudly launch the White House Hispanic Prosperity Initiative.  Very exciting.  Very exciting.  (Applause.)      AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Four more years!      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.      With this very exciting new effort, we will deliver a future of greater promise, opportunity, and freedom for our nation's -- really, it's a treasure.  You are a treasure.  The Hispanic Americans and the Hispanic American community is a treasure.  Thank you.  (Applause.)      We're thrilled to be joined today by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.  Thank you, Betsy.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.  Thank you, Wilbur.  (Applause.)  Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.  Thank you, Ben.  (Applause.)  Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza.  Thank you, Jovita.  (Applause.)  Very popular, Jovita.  (Laughter.)  And Representative Mike Garcia.  (Applause.)  Good.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Congratulations, Mike.  That was a big win, huh?  Biggest in 22 years, they say.  Huh?  First time in 22 years.  That's a good one.  Well, you got something special going, right?  Thank you, Mike.  Great job.      Yesterday, I was delighted to host my friend, President López Obrador of Mexico, here in the White House and affirm the close and continued friendship between the United States and Mexico.  It’s never been better.      The executive order I will sign in a few moments will expand our efforts across all the federal government to deliver educational and economic opportunity for Hispanic Americans.  (Applause.)  At the heart of our strategy to create a prosperous future for every Hispanic American, as well as all Americans, is a great family of education.  We are going to have a tremendous program, and we have.  And, you know, we’re a believer in choice.  Choice.  The other folks don’t believe in choice, and choice is a great civil rights issue and maybe the great one of our times.      I’m going to fight to ensure that every Hispanic American parent has the freedom and the right to send your child to the public, private, charter, faith-based, magnet, home, or independent school of your choice.  (Applause.)  And school choice is a incredible issue in many ways.  It’s a political issue, I agree.  Most people agree with us.  The smart ones definitely agree with us.  But it’s also a moral issue, and it really is a fundamental issue of civil rights.  No American student should ever be trapped in a failing government school, which has happened so often for so many years.  It’s one of the problems you see when you see these cities going up in flame.      One of the most successful educational models is the charter school, which has been under unceasing attack from the radical left.  Charter schools.  Charter schools have been incredible, but they’re under attack, and you know why they’re under attack.      More than 1 million Hispanic American children attend charter schools, and nearly one in three charter school students is Hispanic American.  I’m proud that under my administration, we’ve delivered $1.5 billion for public charter schools.  That’s a record.  (Applause.)  As long as I’m President, I will never let your charter schools be taken away from you, be taken down.  I will never let you down.  I will never let Hispanic American or any American down.  That, I can tell you.  (Applause.)      Under our leadership, the Hispanic American high school graduation rate has reached an all-time high in the history of our country, and the dropout rate has reached an all-time low in the history of our country.  (Applause.)      We’ve also delivered a $1 billion grant for minority-serving institutions, including Hispanic-serving institutions of higher learning.  Our new Hispanic Prosperity Initiative will also expand access to trade schools -- something that’s been really badly missing.  Trade schools.  So important.  Work-based learning and vocational education, so important.  Vocational.      When I was young, growing up, I used to see: “vocational school.”  Edison Vocational School.  That meant people with a great talent, but a talent different than history and math and other things.  But they had the same talent or far greater than many of the A students that studied other things.  Vocational school.  Great people, great talent, and they do very well.  They do very well.       Through our Pledge to the American Worker, we have already made available 16 million apprenticeships and training opportunities for the jobs of tomorrow.      To bring jobs and prosperity to our most distressed communities, we created nearly 9,000 Opportunity Zones -- that’s been a great success, a tremendous -- Tim Scott of South Carolina has helped them so much -- (applause) -- which have already brought nearly $100 billion in investment to neighborhoods where millions of Hispanic Americans live.  And you see it.  So many of you already today, in speaking with you, you said what a difference that made.      Before the plague from China came in -- you know what that is; that’s the China virus -- before it came in and hit us, we achieved the lowest Hispanic American unemployment rate and the lowest poverty rate ever recorded -- history of our country -- ever recorded.  (Applause.)  And we're getting back to it very quickly.      We achieved the highest-ever incomes for Hispanic Americans and many other American groups and communities.  We built the greatest economy in history, not only for our country, but for the world.  We were number one, by far.      China had the worst year in 67 years.  They weren't happy with what was going.  They were going in the wrong direction, and then the plague came in.      But together, we will do it again and we will do it very quickly, and we're already doing it.  We will achieve a swift, full, and complete recovery for Hispanic Americans and the Hispanic American community, and we're doing it very, very rapidly.      Our strategy focuses on sheltering the most vulnerable, including older Americans and nursing home residents, while allowing those at lower risk, such as young and healthy -- children, in many cases; the immune system is so powerful, so strong -- but the young and the healthy to safely return to work and to school.  We have to open our schools.  Open our schools.  (Applause.)  Stop this nonsense.  We open our schools.      Germany, Norway, so many countries right now, they're open.  The schools are open and they're doing just fine, and they're opening in the fall.  So we have to get our schools open.  Denmark, Sweden.  We have to get our schools open and stop this political nonsense.  And it's only political nonsense; it's politics.  They don't want to open because they think it will help them on November 3rd.  I think it's going to hurt them on November 3rd.  Open your schools.      At the same time, we're unleashing the scientific brilliance of our people.  We have multiple effective therapies in use already with more being developed.  And you have to see some of them.  The results are looking incredible.  And we are on track to produce a vaccine in record time and very, very soon.  It's going to be announced, I believe, very, very soon.  So we have therapies and we have vaccines.  Utilizing these advances and the skill of our doctors and nurses, we have dramatically reduced mortality rates.  We have among the lowest mortality rate anywhere in the world.      We’ve done a great job, whether it's ventilators or anything you want to look at, testing.  We test so many people, then we have more cases.  Everybody says, “We have so many cases.”  That's because we test so many people.  We're up to approximately 40 million tests, going up to 45 very quickly.  So we have tests; other countries don't do tests like we do.  So we show cases; other countries don't show cases.      But what we do have is we have perhaps the lowest -- but among the lowest, but perhaps the lowest mortality rate -- death rate -- anywhere in the world.  And that's a tremendous sign as to what we're doing and what our doctors have learned and the kind of things that we're using.  It's been an -- it's an incredible number, statistically an incredible number.      A policy of never-ending lockdowns month after month would ultimately do more harm than good to public health, and so bad for our children.  As a result, it really is more loss of life.  We can't do that.  We have to get back now.  We did it right.  We saved millions of lives by what we did.  We shut it down.  We saved millions of lives.      I put a ban on China -- heavily infected.  I put a ban on Europe very early.  Both of them, very early.  We saved millions of lives.  Now it's time to get back to work.  A lot of people were against those bans, and now they admit -- most of those same people admit that ban was the greatest thing.  It saved so many lives.      Crucially, we realize that the health of a nation's economy is fundamental to the health of its people.  In the last two months, we have begun the fastest economic comeback in history, including an increase in Hispanic American employment of more than 2.1 million jobs.  It’s a record.  The Hispanic Prosperity Initiative will help build on this program.      I will be naming a leader of incredible vision, former Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico John Sanchez.  And I know he's here.  John, I'd love to have you come up and say a few words, please.  (Applause.)      Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.      LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SANCHEZ:  Well, thank you, Mr. President.  What an honor it is to be here with you and everybody else here in our nation's capital.      Let me say, from a young boy who grew up in absolute poverty, the youngest of eight kids with a single mother, I understand what it is for the challenges facing all families, but especially Hispanic families in this country.  But because of her leadership through personal responsibility -- stay in school, get a good education -- we have lived the American Dream.      As a young boy, I used to go and search for cardboard boxes out of the trash cans of grocery stores because we didn't have the soles, Mr. President, on our shoes.  We would hope and pray that it wouldn't rain so the cardboard wouldn't melt on our way to school.  Here now, almost 50 years later, I stand next to the most powerful man in the world, in the most powerful city in the world, at the White House, with all of you fine folks.      Today, I have lived the American Dream.  I look at my brand-new black shoes.  That's the American Dream.  (Laughter.)      THE PRESIDENT:  Nice shoes.      LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SANCHEZ:  Mr. President, your leadership, when it comes to job creation; education reform; choice, when it comes to education, will allow this country to fulfill its American Dream.  I'm honored to be here with you, Mr. President.  Your great leadership, making America great -- we stand with you.  We’ll keep America great under your leadership.      God bless you.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, John.  Great job, John.  Thank you very much.  Great honor.      I'll also be appointing the CEO and president of Goya Foods, Bob Unanue.  Please.  Please, Bob.  (Applause.)  Thank you very much, Bob.      MR. UNANUE:  Good afternoon, Mr. President.  Good afternoon, everyone.  It's such an honor and such a blessing to be here in the greatest country in the world, the most prosperous country in the world, and we continue to grow.  And that's what we're here to do today.      Our company was founded in 1936 by my grandfather, who left Spain at only 18 years old.  Did not know where he was heading, but he was heading and looking for opportunity and prosperity, and he found it in this great country.      Today, our company is a multi-billion-dollar company with thousands of employees and with facilities all around the globe.  We have a tremendous group of what we call “la gran familia Goya,” the Goya family -- the great Goya family.      And these are people -- I told the President earlier we haven't gone back to work; we never stopped working.  Because when I asked our group, our family, “This is going to be a tough thing,” they said, “Look, Bob, if we don't do it, nobody will.”  And they stood up and they worked, and we continue to work day and night to provide much-needed food and nutrition to this country.      Today, it gives me great honor -- and, by the way, we're all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder.  And that's what my grandfather did: He came to this country to build, to grow, to prosper.  And so we have an incredible builder, and we pray -- we pray for our leadership, our President, and we pray for our country that we will continue to prosper and to grow.      Today, I have an announcement to make that the gran familia Goya wanted to share with all of you.  There's a great need today in food banks around the country.  Food is being depleted.  Hopefully, as the summer ends, we have new crops coming forward, but right now there's -- there is a shortage.      So our employees and some partners we have in the industry wanted to donate 1 million cans of Goya chickpeas and a million pounds of food.  And these are all products made in the United States: steel from United States Steel; Silgan containers; Producers Rice Mill, in Arkansas, donating food.  Our farmers -- and again, all of our products, a lot of our products are grown here in the United States, made in America.      And we're -- we’re very proud to give back to this nation, to the food banks which are going to be needing some of that important food -- something that we do all year.  But in particular, at this special time, we wanted to make that gift.      So God bless you all.  We hope that we continue to prosper and grow in this great country and give thanks to God.  Thank you very much.      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Bob.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Great.  Thank you, Bob.  It's very nice.      We're also grateful to be joined by future commission members, standing behind me: Mario Rodriguez, Steve Cortes, Lourdes Aguirre, Jose Fuentes, Cassandra Garcia Meade, Chris Garcia, Jesus Marquez, David Olivencia, Alfredo Ortiz.  Thank you all very much for being here.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)  Great.  Great group of people.  We just had a fantastic meeting.      Hispanic Americans are cherished members of our national family.  They have been an integral part of building this country throughout all of American history.      Over generations, Hispanic Americans have started countless small businesses, inspired our communities, and served our country in every way imaginable -- as police officers, service members, Border Patrol agents, pastors, teachers, and business leaders.  They're incredible.      Now Hispanic Americans are watching as the cities they help build, the communities they help police, the businesses they created, and the dreams they pursued are being threatened by an extreme movement that wants to tear everything down.      At the center of this movement is an aggressive effort to defund the police, if you can even believe that.  Defund the police -- think about that.  It’s a sad, sad thing.  These people are crazy.  They are crazy.  Which would inflict great harm on our hardworking Latino communities -- great, great harm.      Many immigrants came to the United States in order to leave countries where the rule of law had been eroded.  And they don't want those same conditions to be replicated here.  They don't want them back.  They know what it is firsthand.  They know what happens when the police cannot protect the innocent, when the rule of law is destroyed, when justice becomes an instrument of vengeance.  Hispanic Americans, they know.  They're hardworking patriots who support our police, protect our communities, and believe strongly in the rule of law.      I will stand arm-in-arm with the Hispanic community to ensure that every child in America can grow up in safety, security, dignity, and in peace.      We believe that the timeless principles of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution are all shared, and they have to be shared in a big, beautiful heritage of all Americans.  Whether you are a first-generation American or a fifth-generation American, this is your home.  American history is your history.  It's about you.  It's about your family.  It's about our country.  And the American Dream belongs equally to you.      American heroes inspire us all, and their legacy falls to all of us to cherish and to protect and to revere.  Every American, no matter your background, is entitled to a government that puts your needs and your families first.      Americans of all walks of life are united by the same noble ideas and the same fundamental designs for good schools, strong families, safe communities, and abundant opportunity.  And I will not rest until we have delivered this future for every community -- not only the Hispanic community, which is doing so well, but every community in our land.      Together, we will write the next great chapter of the American adventure, and we will defend the greatness of America for your children, for your children’s children, and for generations to come.      Before signing this executive order, which is such an important executive order, I'd like to invite Secretary DeVos to come up and say a few words, followed by Administrator Carranza.  Please come up, Betsy.  Thank you.  (Applause.)      SECRETARY DEVOS:  Well, thank you so much, Mr. President, for your leadership on this initiative.  As you have noted, education opens the door to prosperity and opportunity.  And Hispanic students, like all students, need to have the freedom and choice to find their education fit.      Mr. President, you have led in advancing opportunity for Hispanic students by supporting Hispanic-serving higher-ed institutions by expanding the opportunities for charter schools, by expanding the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program right here in the district.  And there's still more to do because all Hispanic students across our country need to have the opportunity to choose their right education fit.  They need to have school choice.  We know this is broadly supported by Hispanic families.  Eighty percent of them support this notion of ensuring their children and their grandchildren have that opportunity.      So, thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership in ensuring that all Hispanic students have that chance at the American Dream.      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.      SECRETARY DEVOS:  Thanks, Mr. President. (Applause.)      ADMINISTRATOR CARRANZA:  I can't believe I blinked at you, President.  (Laughter.)      Thank you, Mr. President.  It's a tremendous honor to be part of an administration so dedicated to helping Latino entrepreneurs during this extraordinary time in our country.      As a daughter of first-generation Mexican Americans, I know firsthand how important opportunity is toward promoting upward mobility and enabling the American Dream.  Creating opportunities is the central goal behind the President's new executive order establishing the White House Hispanic Prosperity Initiative, designed to help Hispanic Americans reach their dreams through innovative education and career pathways.      Under your leadership, Mr. President, Latinos have been the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the country, and we want to see that continue.      (Speaks Spanish.)  (Applause.)      THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, Mike, maybe you'd come up just and say a real quick word because it's about, you know, like, setting records out here.  But come on up.  This man is such a big star now in California.  You win in California, you got to be good.  The Republican -- we’re going to have a lot of Republicans winning in California, Mike, I think.  Please.      REPRESENTATIVE GARCIA:  I hope so.  I think it's the beginning of something great in California, personally, Mr. President.      Thank you for the honor of being here today.  It's a -- it's a huge honor to be here with my Hispanic brothers and sisters, leaders in your communities, leaders in your respective businesses.  I am the American Dream.  I am a first-generation American.  My dad immigrated here from Mexico when he was nine years old.  I had the opportunity to serve my country in the U.S. Navy, flying the most powerful strike fighter jets in the world, the F-18, off of aircraft carriers, and combat operations.  And now I'm sitting here as a member of Congress on the -- on the lawn of the White House.  So -- (applause).      I'd like to just echo the President's comments that now is the time where we need to unite as Americans and really realize what this fight is all about.  It's about freedom.  It's about liberties.  It's about fighting like it's 1776, all over again.  That's how real this fight is.      So I'm proud to be here.  I'm proud to be serving my country again at this most critical time in our nation's history.  And, Mr. President, thank you for your leadership.  Brothers and sisters, thank you for being here today.      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.      REPRESENTATIVE GARCIA:  It's a huge honor.  Thank you.      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, Mike.  (Applause.)      Ben Carson, please come up just for a minute.  Say a few words, Ben.  You've done such a great job.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Ben.      SECRETARY CARSON:  Well, thank you, Mr. President.  And thank you all for being here today.  You know, it's so important the emphasis that you have placed on opportunity.      And you asked the White House Council on Opportunity and Revitalization to look at those communities that were particularly affected in the COVID-19.  And we looked at that, and not just the fact that there was more hypertension and diabetes, obesity, asthma, but to look another layer underneath that and to deal with that.  And that’s what we are doing under your leadership.      And, you know, every single person in our society is worth saving.  We only have 330 million people -- it sounds like a lot, but it's a quarter of what China has, a quarter of what India has.  And we're going to have to compete with them in the future, so we need to develop all of our people.  And your emphasis on education and educational choice will be the thing that really distinguishes and liberates our people.  So thank you, Mr. President.  (Applause.)      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, Ben.      So now I'm going to go and sign a very important document -- one that we've been working on for a long time.  And I just want to congratulate the Hispanic American community.  Incredible people.  Thank you very much.  And God bless you all.  God bless America.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)      (The executive order is signed.)                          END                 4:06 P.M. EDT

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP DURING ROUNDTABLE WITH HISPANIC LEADERS

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 9, 2020 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP DURING ROUNDTABLE WITH HISPANIC LEADERS Cabinet Room   2:39 P.M. EDT      THE PRESIDENT:  Okay, thank you very much.  We wanted to watch Kayleigh finish up her news conference, which I think she did.  I assume she did a great job.  She's always doing a good job.      We appreciate you being here.  We're with our great Hispanic leaders from all over the country.  And we've done really well with Hispanics.  We like them, they like me, and we've helped them a lot with the jobs.  Whether it's jobs, education, or so many other things, it's been really good.      And I think what I might do is I might ask our lieutenant governor from Florida to start just for a short period, and just say what we're looking for and how we've done and how we can improve would be great.      So, Jeanette, please go ahead.      LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR NÚÑEZ:  Thank you, Mr. President.  It's truly an honor to be here with you and this illustrious group.  And what I want to say is that, from the perspective as the first female Hispanic lieutenant governor in the history of the state of Florida, I'm honored to be here.      All of the things that you have stood for and championed -- faith, freedom, future -- those are things that are critically important to Florida, the economy.  We don't need to reiterate all the numbers and -- lowest unemployment, homeownership on the rise -- and nothing reverberates the American Dream louder than owning your own home.      THE PRESIDENT:  Right.      LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR NÚÑEZ:  And choice and education -- as a mother, my youngest attends True North Classical Academy, an excellent charter school in Miami.  I can tell you that those policies make a difference.      They make a difference to a young man, Orlando Rivera, that had to put his dream on hold, and yet he was able to avail himself of a scholarship and make that dream a reality.  And those are stories, Mr. President, of people not only that support you, that are going to continue to support you.  And I stand ready to support you as well.      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Jeanette, very much.  Thank you.  Thank you.      Please.      MS. AGUIRRE:  Mr. President, Lourdes Aguirre, founder of Eres America and JEMICA Enterprise.  Not only are we thankful for your leadership with the Hispanic community that you impacted in such an amazing way the last few years, but the Hispanic faith leadership also surrounds you -- and not only believes in you, but will deliver for you your -- your reelection because we understand that you are the beacon of hope for the Hispanic community.      We will rebuild America with you, and we will make Amer- -- America great again.  As you did for our community, we will be there at your side to do the same for you.      THE PRESIDENT:  That’s very nice.  Thank you very much.  We’re very proud of the Hispanic community.      Steve, please.      MR. CORTES:  Mr. President, I'm Steve Cortez, and I am your cable news TV warrior.  And my father immigrated to this country legally from Colombia, and I hope that he's looking down from Heaven and very proud that I'm sitting at the table with the President of the United States.      THE PRESIDENT:  He is.      MR. CORTES:  Regarding Hispanics, I think school choice is a critical issue.  You've spoken a lot about it lately -- that it's the civil rights issue of our time.  I think that's particularly true for the Hispanic community.  Too many Hispanic children today are trapped in substandard or failing government schools.      We need to empower their families, empower those parents with educational choice so that they can go to the schools that will serve them well -- many of them Catholic and evangelical schools.  I think this is a winning issue for the country, a winning issue for you -- politically, as well -- with Hispanic community.      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, Steve.  Great job you’re doing, too.      Dan, yes.      MR. GARZA:  Mr. President, thank you so much for this opportunity to dialogue with you on the priority issues for Latinos.  Daniel Garza, president of the Libre Initiative --      THE PRESIDENT:  Right.      MR. GARZA: -- son of migrant farmworkers who came from a small township called Garza Gonzalez in Nuevo Leon, Mexico.  My parents came to America because they saw it as the Promised Land, and it was here where they achieved the American Dream.      We were very motivated when you set the tone early in your administration when you lessened the tax burden on Latino individuals and businesses.  It's so important for Latinos to prosper in America, to have a prosperous America.  And it's important to have a prosperous America to have a prosperous Latino community; we're interdependent.      And we want to see a continued activity of deregulation that we've seen -- especially in the area of healthcare, through telemedicine, where a doctor doesn't have to be in the same room with the patient.  We've seen that during the COVID era, and we want to continue that down the road.      Also, Mr. President, I want to remind you of a phone call that we had not that long ago, about a month ago --      THE PRESIDENT:  Right.      MR. GARZA:  -- on the state bailouts.  Those debts that preceded the COVID era should not be considered.  We have to consider our financial health -- the fiscal health in America -- and make sure that we lessen the debt that we have that are passed on to the next generation.      So I want to thank you for commitment to that, and, again, for, I think, setting a table where we're able to unleash an economic bonanza for the Latino community.      THE PRESIDENT:  Right.      MR. GARZA:  Again, you know, low unemployment, high labor participation rates, high wage increases, homeownership -- again, we benefited from that.      Thank you.      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Daniel.  We’re setting records on jobs.  You see that.      MR. GARZA:  That's right.      THE PRESIDENT:  And for the Hispanic community, 2.1 million people back to work already.      MR. GARZA:  That’s right.      THE PRESIDENT:  So we're very proud of that.  Thank you very much, Dan.      John, please.      LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SANCHEZ:  Thank you, Mr. President, for allowing us to be here today.  What an honor to be here not only as an American, but a Hispanic American.      You know, I could trace my family roots to this country decades before the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, you know.  (Laughter.)      THE PRESIDENT:  That’s pretty good.      LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SANCHEZ:  Yeah.  And -- and yet, hardworking Americans -- growing up in poverty, the youngest of eight kids, no dad -- it was through those conservative American ideals -- those that you are fighting for every single day -- I was raised by this great woman who had the responsibility of raising eight kids by herself.      THE PRESIDENT:  Great.      LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SANCHEZ:  No running water.  But through hard work, staying in school, getting a good education, and taking advantage of the American Dream, I'm here, sitting across the table from the President of the United States.  What an honor. That's the American Dream.  Thank you, sir.      I want to say, coming from New Mexico -- now the third-largest energy-producing state in the country -- some of the most richest producing oil fields in the world, rival -- some say, maybe more than Saudi Arabia -- it is because of your policy, sir, that have unleashed American energy that makes this country now energy independent.      And, in New Mexico, that translates into jobs.  And, you know, sir, a majority of those jobs, Mr. President, are Hispanic workers.  They may not have a college education or a degree, but you know what?  They're working in the oil field, making $100,000 a year for their families.  They're able to buy homes, send their kids to school, buy a truck.  That's the American Dream.      And so I want to let you know, from the great state of New Mexico, the people, the Hispanics -- the largest percentage of Hispanics of any state in the nation -- we want to say thank you.  And we hope that you continue with your second administration, sir, so that you continue to bring the American Dream to all Americans, especially Hispanics.      THE PRESIDENT:  That's great, John.  And you know, the wall is going up, and it's a big factor in New Mexico.  We're giving you tremendous safety, security -- like never before.  But the wall is going up.      LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SANCHEZ:  Yes, sir.      THE PRESIDENT:  And it's going up -- a big chunk of it is going up in New Mexico, so you know that.  And I know they're very happy about that.      LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SANCHEZ:  And they appreciate national security and public safety.      THE PRESIDENT:  Right.      LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SANCHEZ:  That big, beautiful wall -- but it has big gates so the people who want to enter our nation --      THE PRESIDENT:  Absolutely.      LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SANCHEZ:  -- properly, legally, they’re able to do it.      Thank you, Mr. President.      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.      LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SANCHEZ:  Thank you.      THE PRESIDENT:  Appreciate it.          MR. RODRIGUEZ:  Mr. President, thank you for -- thank you.  Mario Rodriguez, Hispanic 100.  First of all, as a son of a Korean and Vietnam veteran, I want to thank you for what you’ve done for the veterans of this country.  Thank you so much.      I remember my dad and mom complaining that it took them so long to get an appointment with the VA.  And now, you have taken care of that for them.  And for that, we thank you.      I want to also thank you for the Opportunity Zones, what you’re doing on that.  I’m a buil- -- I’m building single-family homes in Santa Ana, which is an Opportunity Zone, and it’s flourishing.  And we’re taking these areas that were downward in areas, and they’re going to -- in the next five years, you’re going to see them flourish, and it’s going to be incredible, what you’re doing with -- with the Opportunity Zones in this country.      And one thing I would really -- I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve tried to do for these DACA recipients.  You put something on the table that was very fair.  I have -- we run a mentorship program, and I spoke to one of my ment- -- mentees, and she’s a DACA recipient.  And I put on the table what you had on -- what you put -- your initiative, which you put forward.  And I said, “You tell me -- and I don’t want -- forget about the politics, but you tell me if you think this is a fair start.”  And she said “absolutely.”      And what was really disappointing is that the Democrats are using these young adults as political pawns, and that’s just totally unacceptable in this country.      THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’ve had a deal on DACA, and the Democrats broke it.  But we had a deal, it was a done deal, and then they broke it.  And now, as you know, we start the process all over again.  But we’re going to take care of DACA.  They’re not going to have anything to worry about.  But we did have a deal on DACA, and the Democrats decided not to make the deal, so it was --      MR. RODRIGUEZ:  It was a very, very fair deal, too.      THE PRESIDENT:  It was.  It was a great deal.      MR. RODRIGUEZ:  It really was.  Really, it was very disheartening to see --      THE PRESIDENT:  We’ll take care of it.      MR. RODRIGUEZ:  Thank you very much.      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.          MR. RODRIGUEZ:  Thank you.      THE PRESIDENT:  Appreciate it.      MR. ORTIZ:  Mr. President, good afternoon.  I’m Alfredo Ortiz, President and CEO of Job Creators Network, an organization that was started by Bernie Marcus, one of our greatest entrepreneurs stories -- he started the Home Depot.      THE PRESIDENT:  Great guy.      MR. ORTIZ:  An amazing -- amazing patriot and entrepreneur.  We’re proud to have created an organization over the past 10 years that literally went from 0 to over 500,000 small-business owners in this country.  As you correctly identified pretty much from the first day of your presidency, small business is not only the backbone of our country, but the backbone of our communities.      Just before COVID, they were really experiencing some of the best growth they had ever seen.  Hispanics, in particular, were seeing some of the best growth.  They had also seen, from a small business perspective, in general, with the highest -- you know, some of the highest homeownership on record, as you know; lowest unemployment in history.  It really had -- had been an amazing run.      I know we had this little blip in COVID, but as you just correctly identified, over 2 million jobs in the last two months were created that were actually Hispanic.  And so we’re very excited.  I’m very excited to here -- to be here.      Also, from a personal perspective, I am the son of -- I am a proud American of Mexican descent.      THE PRESIDENT:  Great.      MR. ORTIZ:  I'm the son of two immigrants.  My dad was a tailor.  My mom was a housekeeper.  So to go from literally picking trash and cleaning toilets to sitting here, having this conversation with you -- only in this country could this happen.  So I’m proud to be here.      THE PRESIDENT:  That’s great.  Well, we had a great gentleman here yesterday -- you know that, right?  The President of Mexico.  And he -- we had a tremendous dialogue going.  We’re working very well with Mexico, as you know.  A lot of people didn’t think that was going to happen, and it happened beyond anybody’s expectations.  So it was really good.  It was a great day.      Brooke, would you like to say something?      MS. ROLLINS:  Well, thank you.  It just strikes me -- Steve talked about school choice, Daniel talked about deregulation, John talked about the energy independence, Mario talked about Opportunity Zones, you just mentioned talking about jobs -- this is -- this is what you’re fighting for.  This is your vision.  And to have seen it executed and implemented and the results over the last three and a half years is really remarkable.      So thank you all for being here and for being such warriors for the cause of liberty.  Thank you for your leadership.      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  Thank you, Brooke, very much.      MR. VERÁSTEGUI:  Hello, Mr. President.  My name is Eduardo Verástegui.  I am an actor and a filmmaker.  I am from Mexico, but I work in both Mexico and United States.      THE PRESIDENT:  Good.      MR. VERÁSTEGUI:  So I produce films, and our mission is to make films that hopefully not only will entertain, but hopefully will make a difference in people's lives, because we know how media influence -- influences how people think.      Thank you for your leadership in defending the unborn.  As you know, Mexicans -- the majority of Mexicans support the right to life.  And thank you for defending life in America and in Latin America.  Without a doubt, you are the best, the greatest pro-life President in the history of the United States.  Thank you for that.      Thank you for your leadership in the USMCA.  I am from Mexico, so I was very proud to --      THE PRESIDENT:  Very good.      MR. VERÁSTEGUI:  -- what happened last night.      THE PRESIDENT:  That’s very good.      MR. VERÁSTEGUI:  And I'm very -- it’s a win-win for Mexico and United States.  But I’m convinced that very soon -- very soon Mexico will be the number-one partner -- trading -- of the United States.      God bless you.  And let’s make Mexico, America -- America and Mexico great together.  (Laughter.)      THE PRESIDENT:  That’s great.  That’s happening.  Good to hear.      MR. VERÁSTEGUI:  God bless you.  Thank you.      THE PRESIDENT:  Great job.  Thank you very much.      MR. VERÁSTEGUI:  Thank you, Mr. President.      THE PRESIDENT:  Robert.      MR. UNANUE:  Mr. President, what can I tell you?  I'm so blessed to be here in the most prosperous country in the world, the greatest country in the world.  And we're so blessed to have you as our leader, as we continue to build this country and make it -- continue to make it the most prosperous nation in the world.      I'm Bob Unanue, third generation.  I'm CEO and president of Goya Food, Inc., a multibillion dollar company with facilities all over the United States and the Caribbean --      THE PRESIDENT:  Good job.      MR. UNANUE:  -- and Spain.  We have about 4,500 employees we call “la gran familia Goya” -- the great Goya family.  And these people, we didn't -- we haven't been back to work because we never stopped.  We never stopped working.  We doubled our efforts.  And I asked the guys and gals, and I said, “Hey, this is tough.”  And they said, “Look, if we don't do it, nobody will.”  And they said, “Presente.”  The said, “Count on us.”      My grandfather left Spain at 18 years old from -- on a steamship in 1904 with a lot of other European people who -- the economy over there was not the most prosperous in -- in the world.  So they came to the Unit- -- he came to the United States through Puerto Rico.      In 1936, he established -- he was importing products in Spain.  That was the Spanish Civil War.  That dried up.  He established Goya foods on Duane Street in Manhattan.      THE PRESIDENT:  Okay.      MR. UNANUE:  At that time, it was a butter and egg market.  And now you have Bouley and all these great restaurants and all the -- the marvelous things of New York.      But anyway, we're all over the United States.  And the United States, after Mexico, is the largest Hispanic country in the world.  By 2050, we will be one third of the population.  Prosperity is what we need to -- faith in God, prosperity -- to work hard and to build.      You are an incredible builder.  And that, I tell our -- our people, our family, “Look, we're just beginning.”  Because as the country grows, as the Hispanic community grows, we continue to grow.  And that is the American Dream.  That's our (inaudible).  Thank you.      THE PRESIDENT:  Great job.  Really great job.      So we'll be speaking outside in a little while in the Rose Garden.  And I look forward to seeing you out there, media.  And thank you all very much.  And you folks are invited.      Q    Mr. President what constitutes an open school (inaudible_?      Q    What's your reaction -- reaction to the Supreme Court?  Do you have a reaction to the Supreme Court rulings today, Mr. President?      THE PRESIDENT:  Well, the rulings were basically starting all over again, sending everything back down to the lower courts, and you start all over again.      So, from a certain point, I’m satisfied.  From another point, I'm not satisfied because, frankly, this is a political witch hunt, the likes of which nobody has ever seen before.  It's a pure witch hunt.  It's a hoax, just like the Mueller investigation was a hoax that I won.  And this is another hoax.  This is purely political.      I win at the federal level -- and we won very decisively.  And so they send it into New York.  And you know what's going on in New York: Everyone is leaving.  It's turned out to be a hellhole.  And they better do something about it because people are leaving New York.      But this is a political witch hunt.  It just continues.  It's been from before I got here, when Obama and Biden and everybody else was spying on my campaign illegally.  They were illegally spying on my campaign.  And that's a very grave crime.  It's the biggest political crime in the history of our country.      And I want to thank the Hispanic Americans for being with me.  You're great people.  Thank you very much.                              END                2:56 P.M. EDT

PRESS BRIEFING BY PRESS SECRETARY KAYLEIGH MCENANY

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 9, 2020 PRESS BRIEFING BY PRESS SECRETARY KAYLEIGH MCENANY James S. Brady Press Briefing Room   2:05 P.M. EDT      MS. MCENANY:  Hello, everyone.  There has been no greater champion for rectifying racial and income disparities in America’s educational system than President Trump.      Every child regardless of race, income level, or zip code deserves an equal playing field of opportunity to access the American Dream.  Making that goal a reality begins in our schools.  The evidence is clear: An analysis of 41 major urban areas found that black and Hispanic students made the largest gains in educational access because of school choice, according to a CREDO study.      That is why President Trump has been clear in saying in his State of the Union: “For too long, countless American children have been trapped in failing government schools.  To rescue these students, 18 states have created school choice in the form of Opportunity Scholarships.  The programs are so popular that tens of thousands of students remain on a waiting list.”  Now I go -- “I call on Congress to give 1 million American children the same opportunity…Pass the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunities Act,” he said, “because no parents should be forced to send their child to a failing government school.”      Well, now, if Democrats have their way, children will not have access to schools at all.  And that is not acceptable to President Trump.  President Trump continues to fight for equal opportunity in our schools by boldly and firmly underscoring the absolute necessity of America's schools to reopen this fall.  The data is clear: Sustained school closures hurt students who have fewer resources the most.      McKinsey and Co. created these models -- I have some graphs for you -- to estimate the potential impact of school closures, and they found this, quote: “How much learning students lose during school closures vary significantly by access to remote learning, the quality of remote instruction, home support, and the degree of engagement.”      As you can see in this chart, students who experience average-quality remote learning progress, but at a slower pace; students who are getting lower-quality remote learning stagnate at current grade levels; and students who are not getting instruction at home lose significant ground with some students dropping out altogether.      As you can see in the three scenarios mapped on this graph, if students return to school in the fall, the disparities are far less than if they return in January of next year or the fall of next year, where disparities and learning are enormous.      But school closures affect more than just learning.  As the NAACP has pointed out, “For students of color at all levels across the country, school closings create problems even more urgent than the interruption of their educations.  Schools also serve as a community nexus for food and for housing.”      Rest assured that President Trump knows more than anyone the importance of opening our schools, which is why he has been the most vocal advocate for reopening.  And President Trump's America -- make no mistake that he will continue to be the biggest fighter for equal opportunity in our schools and continued access to the American Dream for all.      And with that, I'll take questions.      Q    Thank you, Kayleigh.  I'm just curious: After today's Supreme Court rulings, how is President Trump feeling about the two justices that he appointed to the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, who ruled against him today?      MS. MCENANY:  Well, the justices are entitled to their opinion.  This is an independent branch of government.      But as for the decision, President Trump underscored to me -- I was just in the Oval Office with him -- that it was Justice Kavanaugh who pointed out in the New York State court case that there was unanimous agreement that this should be remanded to DC, to the -- excuse me, to the district court, where the President may raise constitutional and legal arguments.  That was unanimous agreement.      Also, there was a note in the Roberts opinion that the New York State case -- basically, the grand jury said that they were prohibited from arbitrary fishing expeditions, and initiating investigations out of malice or intent to harass.  So that language made it pretty clear that this was a win for the President.      Q    So when you were speaking to the President in the Oval Office, did he have anything to say specifically about Justices Gorsuch or Kavanaugh?      MS. MCENANY:  We didn't speak specifically about the two justices.      Q    Okay.  And if I could, one question about the CDC’s guidelines.  Yesterday -- about reopening schools.  Yesterday, the Vice President came out and said that -- he said that the CDC was going to be putting out new guidelines next week, in terms of reopening.  But the head of the CDC, he was on another network this morning and said that they would not be changing those guidelines; they would just be putting out some additional document.  So can you explain the discrepancy between those two?      MS. MCENANY:  Yeah, the CDC director noted that there would be additional guidance; the Vice President noted that as well.  But we're on the same page with Dr. Redfield who has said, “I don't want this guidance to be a reason for schools not to be -- to reopen.”  And he said that these were not meant to be prescriptions; they are guidelines.  Ultimately, it's up to state and local governments as to what their guidelines look like.  There are 47 states who have issued their own guidelines so far.      I would also note that the CDC recognizes in their guidelines that many of these things that they're recommending are not feasible, which is why they use the words “not possible” 18 times and “not feasible” 9 times.      We want our schools to reopen.  It's imperative for the health and wellbeing of the child.      Yes.      Q    Thanks, Kayleigh.  You said yesterday that you would ask the President whether he supports the idea of staggered school reopening schedules, where kids go to school on some days and not others.  Did you have a chance to talk to him?      MS. MCENANY:  Yeah, I did endeavor to get with him on that today, but because of the Supreme Court ruling, we didn't quite get to that yet.  But it is on my list of things to follow up with him about.      Q    And then to follow up, so -- I’m sorry, it’s two different things that the Vice President and Dr. Redfield described.  One was changing the guidelines -- the guidance that is the previously released, and what Dr. Redfield discussed this morning was just adding supplemental guidance.  Which of those is actually happening?  And is the White House, in addition, also planning to release its own guidance?      MS. MCENANY:  Well, I think Dr. Redfield was noting he doesn't plan to rescind the current guidance texts out there.  It will be supplemental guidance, but these are not requirements and not prescriptive -- was the way he characterized the initial guidance.  And he said that this guidance should not be used as a reason for schools not to reopen.      We all have the same goal here, and it's for schools to reopen because the health of the child absolutely depends on it.  And it's imperative, as the presentation I showed, to rectify disparities that we get these schools open.      Q    And is the White House releasing an additional document as well?      MS. MCENANY:  I have no announcements on that.  None in the works, but it doesn't mean that it won't happen.      Yes.      Q    Thank you, Kayleigh.  I'll try to barrel through these quickly.  Are the President's taxes still under audit, and specifically which years?      MS. MCENANY:  The President's taxes are still under audit.  I don't have years for you.      Q    Okay.  Let me ask you, if I can: He could release his taxes at any time.  This case went all the way to the Supreme Court.  His own nominees ruled against him.  Why shouldn't the American public, at this point, believe that the President has something he's trying to hide?      MS. MCENANY:  First, let me note something: The taxes are under audit.  He said he released -- he would release them when they are no longer under audit.  The justices did not --      Q    Obviously, he can do whatever he likes.  Do you agree?      MS. MCENANY:  The justices did not rule against him.  In fact, it was a unanimous opinion saying that this needs to go back to the district court.  And they even recognized that the President has an ample arsenal of arguments that he can make.      And, in fact, I would show that the Vance majority laid out a roadmap for the President.  The Vance majority said the President has “the right to challenge the subpoena on any grounds permitted by state law,” be it “bad faith or undue burden or breadth.”      They went on to say the President can raise subpoena-specific constitutional challenges, and they specifically mentioned a violation of the supremacy clause as one thing that he can raise.      So they essentially laid out a roadmap.  This -- his justices did not rule against him.      Q    So to be clear -- okay, fine.  I don’t dispute anything that you just said.  What I'm asking, though, is the President -- whatever the court says, the President can release his taxes whenever he likes.  So why shouldn’t Americans, at this point, believe that the President isn't trying to hide something in there?      MS. MCENANY:  You know, the media has been asking this question for four years, and for four years, the President has said the same thing: His taxes are under audit, and when they're no longer under audit, he will release them.      But I would also note the excruciating ruling for House Democrats who were very much called out for their partisan games.  They also subpoenaed the President's information -- financial information.  And Justice Roberts said, “Far from accounting for separation of powers concerns, the House’s approach aggravates them by leaving essentially no limits on the congressional power to subpoena the President’s personal records.”      So leave it to House Democrats, who did a partisan impeachment, a political witch hunt against this President -- and this was yet another part, only to be rebuked by the Supreme Court.      Q    Let me ask about coronavirus.  Just my follow-up, if I may, on coronavirus, quickly, Kayleigh.  Hospitalizations in the country are up 50 percent since mid-June.  How can the President say that the country is in “good shape” right now?      MS. MCENANY:  So, I would note, with hospitalizations, in a lot of these hospitals -- I spoke with Dr. Birx this morning --about 10 to 40 percent in the hospitals reaching high capacity are COVID, so a lot of hospitalizations aren’t pertaining to COVID.      What I would also note, and I’m glad --      Q    So the growth in hospitalizations is not because of COVID?      MS. MCENANY:  Well, a lot of it is elective surgeries and other surgeries that have opened up.  About 10 to 40 percent in the hospitals reaching capacity are COVID-related.  But I’m glad that you asked about COVID because I do want to take a moment to highlight some of the things that the federal government has done.      Q    Can you answer my question first on why we’re in good shape right now with hospitalizations going up, in spite of what you said about elective surgeries?      MS. MCENANY:  Well, one of the things I would note is the mortality rate, which has had -- if you look at the week in numbers -- a tenfold decrease.  You could argue an even greater decrease if you compare to some of our highest days.  We’re seeing the fatality rate in this country come down.  That is a very good thing.      We grieve when any one -- even one life is lost, but I think it’s progress as we enter the next phase of this.      Yes.      Q    But aren’t a lot of other people seriously ill, Kayleigh?      Q    Thank you, Kayleigh.  On China: So the administration today will announce some sanctions against high-level Chinese officials over --      MS. MCENANY:  Yes.      Q    -- the Uyghur abuses.  But can you speak overall what that does to the U.S. relationship with China, and does it jeopardize the phase one deal?      MS. MCENANY:  Look, I think with regard to -- I look at these Magnitsky Act sanctions, and the administration does, not with regard to phase one China deal.  These are very serious sanctions that were put in place by this administration to take strong action against the human rights abuses of the Chinese Communist Party.      I just want to emphasize and underscore that we sanctioned officials, several of them: the Party’s secretary, his former deputy, and its current Party secretary; it's -- also its former -- its former Party secretary.  So that was three.      And today's announcement is the latest in a series of actions by the Trump administration.  So it's not just these sanctions that were put in place.  There were export patrols --controls.  The President signed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act.      So we've taken a very strong stance on the side of human rights and against the atrocities we've seen.  And just so the American public knows, some of these atrocities have been forced abortions and sterilizations and really despicable things that have been done.      Q    So the message you’re communicating to the Chinese is that this issue is separate from the phase one trade agreement (inaudible)?      MS. MCENANY:  It’s a -- human rights is a paramount issue; it's very important.  We took action.  We've crafted a phase one deal, and we hope the Chinese government will honor that.      Jeff.      Q    Thanks, Kayleigh.  You mentioned that the Court decision today was a win.  It didn’t -- it didn't sound, from the President's tweets this morning, that he viewed it that way.  Has his thinking on it changed as he’s had more time to digest?      MS. MCENANY:  No, the President was making a general point about deference on the principle of absolute immunity, which is the posture that the admin- -- that the President took in court.  You know, he believes there should have been more deference there.      Justice Alito, citing the Harvard Law Review, made a very good point that, “Constitutionally speaking, the President never sleeps.  The President must be ready, at a moment's notice, to do whatever it takes to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and the American people.”  And we wish there would have been more deference to that point of view.      But it is a big win, as Justice Kavanaugh noted, that all nine justices said this needs to be remanded back to the lower court and that, in fact, the attorney, Cy Vance, had not established his ability to secure access to those records.  Instead, further proceedings are required.      Q    But giving -- giving the opportunity for the U.S. Attorney in New York to look at those documents is no doubt not something the President is happy about.  I'm wondering, in general, if after this ruling and the ruling on DACA, the ruling on LGBT rights, the ruling on the census, whether the President regrets at all his criticism of judges, in particular Justice Roberts -- Chief Justice Roberts.      MS. MCENANY:  No, I think what the President -- what has been underscored to him after all of these rulings is that, you know, we need more conservative justices on the court.  And that's something he's very strong about; it prompted him to say he'll release a list of more conservative justices he wants on the court.      So I think that's been the big takeaway, not particularly with regard to this ruling, but with the previous ones that you mentioned.      Q    But there are -- there are conservative judges on the court now.  It's a 5 to 4 --      MS. MCENANY:  Yes, and then there was a 9 to 0 unanimous decision that this needed to be remanded, and there was a roadmap, as I noted -- a roadmap set forward on how to proceed in the lower court.  And there were several arguments proposed that the President could make in lower court.      Yes, Kaitlan.      Q    I've got two questions for you.  One, on these rulings today: The Supreme Court is rejecting this assertion from the President that he is immune to investigation while he's in office.  Does he agree that he is not immune?      MS. MCENANY:  Well, where the President stands is he still maintains his initial position, and he agrees with Justice Thomas in the dissent, who said, “The demands on the President’s time and the importance of his tasks are extraordinary, and the Office of the President cannot be delegated to subordinates.  A subpoena imposes both demands on the President’s limited time and a…burden.”  And he went on to describe that position.  So he agrees with the dissent.      Q    But they agreed that he’s not immune.      MS. MCENANY:  He agrees with the dissent by Justice Thomas.  So he takes issue with the point that the majority made on absolute immunity, but nevertheless, I would underscore the victory here as Cy Vance, the attorney, was not given what he wanted, which was access to the records.      Q    So he still thinks immunity is -- he’s immune to investigation?      MS. MCENANY:  The President still stands beside the posture that he made.  He accepts any Supreme Court opinion as the law of the land, but nevertheless, doesn't change his viewpoint.  He can disagree with the opinion but he certainly will follow it.      Q    And on coronavirus --      Q    Kayleigh --      MS. MCENANY:  Yes.      Q    -- my second question, on coronavirus -- I’ll be quick: You’re saying that you don’t want these CDC guidelines to be one size fits all, overly prescriptive about how these schools reopen.  So why is the administration making it one size fits all that they all need to reopen fully and at the same time?      MS. MCENANY:  Because there’s a way to safely do it, and there's a lot at stake.  You know, I mentioned the 67,000 pediatricians represented by the American Academy of Pediatrics who say it's imperative schools reopen.  That was underscored by another 1,500 United Kingdom pediatricians.      The costs are high when -- you know, your network, CNN, is reporting about child abuse.  I mentioned this study yesterday.  It was a good -- a good piece by CNN that --      Q    But no one -- no one -- no one is disagreeing with the assertion.      MS. MCENANY:  -- in Massachusetts alone, reports of alleged child abuse dropped almost 55 percent because when kids are not in school, a lot of times we don’t catch that abuse.  The costs are too high to keep schools shut down.  They can safely reopen; even the American Academy of Pediatrics believes that.  And the President is going to stand on the side of the child always.      Yes.      Q    And no one is disagreeing with that about child abuse.  But I’m saying, how can you say you’re not going to tell all the schools how to reopen but you’re going to tell them all when to reopen?      MS. MCENANY:  There are forty- --      Q    That doesn’t make sense.      MS. MCENANY:  There are 47 guidelines issued by the states.  There’s local guidelines that have been put in place.  This can be done safely.  It can be done well.  And the American Academy of Pediatrics -- I've pointed out a lot of what they put out -- they put out their own set of guidelines.  There's number of guidelines floating out there, and we believe there's a way to safely do this, and a child will always come first in this administration.      Yes.      Q    Thank you, Kayleigh.  A logical follow-up to Kaitlan’s first line of questioning, though, is: If the President still believes he has absolute immunity, it makes him sound as though he thinks he's above the law while he's President of the United States, at least.      MS. MCENANY:  It’s a very -- it’s almost as if folks don’t understand a legal term of art.  “Absolute immunity” is a legal term of art.  And, you know, I can go and describe that, and maybe I can best describe that by quoting Alexander Hamilton, who was referenced in the Thomas opinion.      And Alexander Hamilton really created the posture and the outlook that laid the foundation for the notion of absolute immunity.  And it was this: “Energy in the executive is [a] leading character in the definition of good government.  It is essential to the protection of the community against foreign attacks; it is not less essential to the steady administration of the laws; to the protection of property against those irregular and high-handed combinations which sometimes interrupt the ordinary course of justice; to the security of liberty against the enterprises and assaults of ambition, of faction, and of anarchy…A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government.”      And the point he was making is that the executive in imbued with many constitutional authorities, many responsibilities to protect this nation from threats, foreign and domestic.  And he must be able to operate unencumbered.  That’s where the proposition of absolute immunity comes from, and that is what the administration was defending in court.  And we are pleased by the 9 to 0 opinion to send this back to the lower court, though we’re not pleased by the absolute immunity component.      Yes.      Q    But perhaps -- could you -- Kayleigh, could you expand a little bit on Education Secretary DeVos’s comments today about he’s not going to cut funding to schools, but to shift funding to families?  Do you know what that means?      And the second question, unrelated, is: Does the White House have a comment on the retirement yesterday of Colonel Vindman from the Army?      MS. MCENANY:  So to your first question, I did not see Secretary DeVos’s comments.  But as you describe them, it leads me to believe that it was a reference to the President's tweet yesterday about changing education funding if schools don’t reopen.      As I noted yesterday, what this administration's goal is, is that funding be tied to the child, not to a school district where schools are staying closed.  That’s our paramount guiding principle.  As to what that looks like in action, that will be forthcoming.  We're hopeful that all the schools reopen in the nation; that's the goal.  And we are hopeful for more education funding in phase four, as I noted.      And with Colonel Vindman, you know, I'm not going to focus or comment on a former junior employee.  I know the White House has not spoken to him since he left, and I would refer you for further to the Army.      Q    Was there any pressure from the White House to -- for him to retire?      MS. MCENANY:  No.      Yes.      Q    Kayleigh, picking up on the coronavirus questions and schools, though: North Carolina, for instance, has seen a record high number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations -- more than 1,000 today -- and that’s a five-day rising count for those hospitalizations.  So it's the White House's position that schools in North Carolina and hard-hit areas by coronavirus should absolutely reopen next month?      MS. MCENANY:  It is our opinion that schools should reopen, and I'd refer you to Dr. Redfield, who said yesterday -- head of CDC: “This virus has a very limited effect on kids.”  He went on to say, “Unlike the flu, kids are not driving the transmission cycle.”  He's in agreement with Dr. Scott Atlas, former Chief of Neuroradiology at Stanford, who said, “Children under 18 have virtually zero risk of death from COVID, virtually zero risk of serious illness,” which was also underscored by Yale School of Public Health Professor Albert Ko.      The bottom line is that the impacts of COVID-19 on children is minimal, or very low, compared to other age groups.  But you know what is at risk for children, is people not reporting child abuse; is these very serious consequences that are at play; and the educational disparity I noted when kids stay home from school.      Q    Dr. Birx also said yesterday, however, that there wasn't enough data on how this affects children because they weren't originally testing children at the same rate as adults.  But to the point about places like, again, North Carolina, where they have been hard hit, do you think that they should absolutely reopen next month?      MS. MCENANY:  We believe that they should absolutely reopen the schools in this country; that kids are at very low risk.  And I would also quote to you the American Academy of Pediatrics.  I would venture to say those 67,000 pediatricians care very deeply about the children that they treat.  And they have said that children and adolents [sic] are at considerable risk of morbidity, and in some cases mortality, should they stay home from school.  This President will fight for the health and wellbeing of children.      Yes.  Emerald.      Q    Thank you, Kayleigh.  A study that came out of Detroit last week about hydroxychloroquine, which the President tweeted about, showed that it cuts deaths in half, yet the American people have been told by government agencies like the FDA and some government medical experts that it is not effective for coronavirus.  So what is the American people supposed to think?  What is the official position from the administration on this possible therapy?      MS. MCENANY:  So I'm glad you’ve asked this.  The President has always said that he sees hydroxychloroquine as a very promising prophylactic, but that every person should not take it unless they get a prescription from their doctor.  That's paramount, very important.  The President has taken it himself as a prophylactic.      And I would note that there's been a lot of wrong studies out there that were heavily touted.  Like, there is a Lancet study that was published, and many in the media pounced on this Lancet study and it questioned hydroxychloroquine.  And you had folks like NBC’s Glenn Kirschner saying the President should resign over the Lancet study, questioning hydroxychloroquine.  And CNN spent over 90 minutes heralding the study that's now debunked, that has been detracted.      But what we have found -- though the Lancet study has been retracted, we have seen a Henry Ford Health Systems study.  And that Henry Ford Health Systems study showed that it is very promising, leading CNN to now tweet a surprising new study found that the controversial anti-malarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, helped COVID-19 patients better survive in hospitals.  And the CEO of Henry Ford Medical Group said it's important to note that, in the right settings, this potentially could be a lifesaver for patients.      So our position where we always were, where the President was weeks and weeks before the study ever came out: that this was a promising drug, but it should only be taken in consultation with your doctor.      Q    So is the -- is the FDA going to reauthorize it for emergency use?      MS. MCENANY:  I would refer you to the FDA on that.      Q    Okay.  And one more, if I may, on a follow-up to what the President talked about a few weeks ago regarding Antifa, saying that his administration planned to designate it as a terrorist organization.  We haven’t really heard anything else about that.  Is that still the plan?  Or when is that happening?      MS. MCENANY:  So that was the Department of Justice saying that they will prosecute these cases as domestic terrorist cases, so I’d refer you to the DOJ as to how that's working operationally.  But the DOJ has arrested many individuals, including seven out in Portland, Oregon, for a variety of offenses, including attacks on law enforcement.      So we're working hard to ensure that Antifa does not dominate the streets.  This administration stands against that kind of lawlessness.      Q    Does the President think they should still be designated a terrorist organization?      MS. MCENANY:  The President stands by what he said.      Yes.  Chanel.      Q    Thank you, Kayleigh.  My question -- one question on Cyrus Vance, the New York DA who is demanding Trump’s taxes.  Vance has a troubling history of protecting predators and attacking Republicans.  Case in point for non-New Yorkers: In 2011, he worked to reduce Epstein’s sexual predator status; in 2015, NYPD had audio evidence of Weinstein admitting rape, and Vance’s office refused to prosecute.  All this while attacking President Trump’s family and their enterprises.      Given this history, what is President Trump’s view of Vance from both a personal standpoint and a political standpoint?  Is this Vance just -- I mean, is he just politically abusing the court system?  What is President Trump’s view on him?      MS. MCENANY:  Yeah, you raise some very some very good points about the partisan attorney in Manhattan.  You know, Justice Alito said this in his opinion, and it really stood out to me.  He said, “As for the potential use of subpoenas to harass, we need not ‘exhibit a naiveté from which ordinary citizens are free.’”  “As we have recognized, a President is ‘an easily identifiable target.’”  “There are more than 2,300 local prosecutors and district attorneys in the country…Many local prosecutors are elected, and many prosecutors have ambitions for higher elected office.”      Bring in Cy Vance, a Democrat, someone who -- Justice Thomas pointed out something very interesting.  Justice Thomas noted that the district attorney for the county of New York, Cyrus Vance, served a subpoena on the President's personal accounting firm that, quote, “was nearly identical to a subpoena issued by a congressional committee, requesting nearly 10 years of the President's financial records.”      So the partisan attorney, the Democrat from New York, is aiding and abetting the Democrats, the lawless Democrats like Nancy Pelosi who have pursued this President with bogus charges of collusion, with bogus charges in the impeachment inquiry, and are now pursuing this, only to be rebuked by the Supreme Court and assisted by Cy Vance.       Q    For non-lawyers, I mean, is there a legal recourse against overly political DAs out here?  Or is this just a war on a different front?      MS. MCENANY:  So I’d have to -- yeah, you know, this was an individual who was elected at the state level, so I guess the recourse would be the ballot box.      But I would also note, just on that point, that, you know, you have President Obama and Vice President Bidend [sic] -- Biden, who were caught spying on the Trump campaign, the opposition party.  You had former Vice President Biden in the Oval Office, just before the inauguration, talking about the Logan Act, when later, the Logan Act was weaponized and used against Lieutenant General Michael Flynn in a way that was so unfair and a grave miscarriage of justice.  But you have Obama and Biden who get away with this, but yet we need to go investigate President Trump.  It really is quite nonsensical.      Yes.      Q    Thanks, Kayleigh.  In President Trump's tweets about the Supreme Court decisions this morning, he said he thinks the court treated him differently than it would have treated other presidents.  So does he think this was a political decision by the Supreme Court, or that politics or personal views somehow entered into their legal reasoning?      MS. MCENANY:  So I think you were referring to the tweet about broad deference.  And what he was trying to note there - what he was noting was just that there was -- should have been further deference to this notion, that I read by Alexander Hamilton and others, of absolute immunity to allow the executive and the President to do the very important job of protecting this country and all the other tasks given to a President of the United States.      Q    He said, “The Supreme Court gives a delay ruling that they would never have given for another President.”      MS. MCENANY:  Yeah.  And one of the -- I would also point you, with regard to that -- I think Justice Alito hit on this.  He said in the Clinton case, for example, the Court held that a sitting President could be sued in federal court, but the Court took pains to reserve judgment on the question of whether a comparable claim might succeed in the state tribunal.  Any “direct control by a state court over the President,” the Court observed, might raise concerns about protecting federal officers from “possible local prejudice.”      So that is to say that even back in the Clinton case, where federal court prosecutions were green-lighted, they gave their grave reservations for a state court proceeding of this nature.  So I think he was noticing -- noting the distinguishing features there.      Yes.      Q    I’d like to ask a clarifying question from something that was said earlier.  The President, you said, would like to see more conservative justices.  Is he comfortable with the number of nine justices?  There's nothing in the law that says he has to only have nine.  Would he consider appointing more?      MS. MCENANY:  So the President has never mentioned adding other justices, but the Democrat Party has, as a way to get around, I guess, the rulings they don't like.      Q    And then I have a question about the unemployment numbers from today: 1.3 million additional claims in the last week, a bit of a slowing down of that recovery.  Are you at all concerned that the numbers continue to be so high, still almost four months into continued unemployment claims?      MS. MCENANY:  So I would note that the numbers fell 100,000.  This was the 14th consecutive weekly decline that we've seen.  And from its peak in late March, initial claims are down 5.6 million.      Also looking at continuing claims, a number -- another metric that we -- that came out today, they reflect actual benefit payments, and those fell 700,000 from its peak in May 8th -- the week of May 8th, and they are down nearly 7 million.      And combined -- as Larry Kudlow shared with me those facts -- in May and June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 8 million jobs gain.  And as Larry likes to say, the V-shaped rebound continues.      Q    But are there any concerns that those jobs are not returning fast enough?  Particularly, today, the market seemed to notice the unemployment claims, more so than it has in recent weeks.      MS. MCENANY:  I would say that the two jobs reports, the 8 million together -- both record-breaking months -- are very encouraging signs, and we like what we see on the horizon.  Of course, there's more work to be done, but we have the jobs President at the helm to do that work.      David.      Q    Hi.  The health department director in Tulsa has said President Trump's rally there likely contributed to a big surge in coronavirus cases in the area.  Does the President now regret holding that rally?      MS. MCENANY:  So we have not seen data to reflect that, and, no, we don't regret holding the rally.      Yes.      Q    Can I ask about the visit yesterday by the Mexican President?  Can you tell us if President Trump discussed the issue of funding for the wall with the President?  And if not, is that now a dead issue for the President?      MS. MCENANY:  It didn’t come up in the discussions that I was a part of, but I’m grateful that you bring up the wall, which is being built at accelerated pace -- you know, more than 500 miles by the end of the year.  And we really appreciate the help of the Mexican government in securing the border with the troops that they’ve provided.          Q    Does the President contend that the Mexican government still contribute, like, directly to fund --      MS. MCENANY:  So, again, I'm not aware of their other discussions they may have had.  But what I would note is the USMCA -- that Mexico was a big part in making happen -- is bringing tons and tons and tons of money and revenue into the United States, and we're very grateful for that.      Yes.      Q    Hello.  Thank you, Kayleigh.  Two quick questions.  First of all, given United Airlines’ recent announcement that they might have to furlough some 36,000 workers, does the President support extending the aid that was already given to the airlines further?      And second, on vaccines, does the President have any views on whether or not K-through-12 students should be mandated to get vaccinated against COVID-19 once a vaccine is safe and effective?      MS. MCENANY:  So I haven't talked to him either about that point, specifically on vaccinations, or the airline extension, but I can circle back.      Yes.      And so, one thing -- I think I got to everyone.  So, just one last note I want to leave everyone with, because I do think it's a very important point, is just that there is a Rasmussen poll that came out recently that showed 64 percent of Americans are concerned about the growing criticism of America's police and that it will lead to a shortage of police officers and reduced public safety.  And of all of the demographics polled, black Americans fear most for public safety, with 67 percent acknowledging their concern for this.      And this is why President Trump has taken action, calling strongly for law and order, and peace in our streets, and he’s set the tone at the top for mayors and governors.  Additionally, we've had the hundreds of federal arrests, the executive order that’s enhanced our police departments, and Operation LeGend which I announced yesterday from the Justice Department in honor of LeGend Taliferro, a 4-year-old boy who was tragically killed in his sleep in Kansas City.      And as we head into the weekend -- this our last press briefing of the week, and so I just wanted to make a plea for peace in our streets because far too many children have been lost.  It's important to know their names.  It's important to see their faces.  And may we all hold in our prayer and keep close to our hearts the families of Natalia Wallace, who was 7; Mekhi James, who was 10 [3]; Vernado Jones Jr., who was 14; Sincere Gaston, who was 1; Lena Nunez, who was 10; Amaria Jones, who was 13; Davon McNeal, who was 11; and Secoriea Turner, down in Atlanta, who was 8.      Let's make sure we have peace in our streets this weekend and hold these families in our prayers.      Thank you.                                           END           2:37 P.M. EDT