BACKGROUND PRESS CALL BY SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS ON THE ADMINISTRATION’S ACTIONS ON THE DACA PROGRAM

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 28, 2020 BACKGROUND PRESS CALL BY SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS ON THE ADMINISTRATION’S ACTIONS ON THE DACA PROGRAM Via Teleconference   1:47 P.M. EDT              MR. FIELDS:  Thank you, Operator.  Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining today’s briefing call on the immigration announcement regarding DACA that will take place today.      This briefing will be conducted by [senior administration official].  Both opening remarks and the question-and-answer portion to follow will be on background from a senior administration official.      All information is embargoed until the conclusion of this call.  And with that, I’m happy to introduce [senior administration official].      SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks.  So we’ll start from the very beginning here.  The administration was obviously very disappointed in Chief Justice Roberts’s decision at the Supreme Court a few weeks back.      The administration continues to have significant doubts about the policy -- the DACA policy’s legality and the negative consequences that ensue from that policy for law enforcement, child welfare, and overall border security.      It’s important to note here, at the outset, that the Court did not rule that Obama’s program was lawful.  The issue that the Court reached in its decision was only that the administration had insufficiently justified its wind-down of the DACA program.  The court agreed that the administration can, in fact, pursue a wind-down of the DACA program.      And it’s also worth noting that even with the Court’s disposition, there is still significant ongoing litigation in challenging the DACA program in several federal district court jurisdictions across the country.      The administration is now undertaking a comprehensive review of the DACA program and the justifications that have been offered for winding DACA down, including its illegality and the negative effect the program has on what I’d call “immigration behavior,” including smuggling and illegal crossings.      When the administration next acts on DACA, it will be on the basis of the comprehensive review of the substantive legal and legal policy justifications offered for winding down the program.      Obviously, to do this correctly and thoughtfully, the review will have to take time.  We won’t weigh in on how long that will take because it’s a question of a careful review of all the documentation that was provided to Deputy Secretary Duke, Attorney General Sessions, Secretary Nielsen, in the formation of their memos.      In the meantime, the administration will take the following actions on the existing DACA program:      All initial requests and application fees submitted for new filings will be rejected without prejudice should the policy be retained -- the DACA policy be retained following the administration’s review.      We will adjudicate all applications for renewal on a case-by-case basis, consistent with immigration statute, providing one year, rather than the existing two-year renewal.      And consistent with this policy and the reasoning behind the original Napolitano departmental memo, all applications for advance parole will be rejected absent extraordinary circumstances.      The forthcoming memo issued today from the Department of Homeland Security will lay out the background and be pending actions in greater detail.      I’ll just say here, in conclusion: These actions will limit the scope of the program while DHS and the administration review its legality, the justifications for a possible wind-down, and other considerations relevant to deciding whether to keep or wind down the DACA policy.      MR. FIELDS:  Thank you.  Operator, we are now ready to take some questions.      Q    Good afternoon.  Thanks for doing the call.  I have two questions.  First, if you’re rejecting all applications and then considering them, again, how does that not violate the judge’s order to begin processing them, again, as if the status quo prior to the original rescinding of the program was put in place?  How does that not violate the order?      And, second, based on how you’re describing the review, it sounds very much like you’ve already decided that the program is illegal, and it seems like the decision has already been made; you’re looking for a justification for it.  So what -- in what way can this be considered a good-faith review that would actually meet the requirements set out under the Administrative Procedure Act?      SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Great.  Thanks for the question.  So a couple of things here to clarify.  First off, there’s litigation pending in several federal district court jurisdictions.  So when we have an order in DDC, there’s also litigation in Maryland, in the Eastern District of California -- so it’s important to note that there isn't a one track for litigation.  So one judge’s orders are not a penultimate here.      So the (inaudible) --      Q    So this is going to be done on a circuit-by-circuit basis?      SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Sorry, let me just keep going here.      Two, really important to delineate between those who are currently eligible and covered by the DACA problem.  Those individuals, as they face the possibility of the (inaudible) of their eligibility can file for renewal.  The renewal will only run for a year.  New applications or new filing looking to receive a benefit from this program at this point will be rejected.      And now to the second question: This is extremely important.  It’s important not only for the circumstances of this cases and this program, but generally for the rule of law writ large for the Article 2 chief executive management of the administrative state, which is to say a review of this kind needs to be substantive; it needs to be thoughtful.      It cannot -- and I would emphasize it is not -- pretextual to any decided outcome.  We’ll be reviewing the material that informed Deputy Secretary Duke’s decision, we’ll look at the same material that went into shaping the composition of the memo authored by Secretary Nielsen, and then any material including legal decisions that helped the Attorney General Sessions reach his decision.      But the important point here, of course, is the Court was clear that we didn’t comply with their understanding of procedural -- you know, the proper process under the APA.  There is no question about the legality of the program.  So for those who are thinking through this issue, separate on one hand policy justifications, which is part of what we’ll be doing and doing our substantive review, and the underlying legal question as to whether or not this program, in its origin, was lawful.      Q    Yes, hi.  Thank you.  I appreciate it.  So my question is about your point on the issue of the legality of the program.  Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions gave an interview in which he said that if Congress’s intent was to ensure that people are not able to enter the country illegally, and that if they’d done so, they’d broken the law, he said that basically the rule of law is undermined by the DACA program that was created by the Obama administration, by basically ignoring the intent of Congress.  Do you agree with that assessment from Sessions?      SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So I think the Attorney General’s legal reasoning isn't one that I would quibble with.  I think the Supreme Court itself found in its decision that, as I said earlier, the legal justification for the program wasn’t one that they were going to entertain in the litigation that was presented to them.      What’s important here to note is a program that was not enacted through a regulatory process consistent with the APA -- so it went through no formal rulemaking and is neither supported by a statutory underpinning; it lacks sufficient justification in law to extend a benefit under the INA, the Immigration and Naturalization Act.  So we have a program designed through an internal department memo contradicting existing statutory law and extending a benefit to a group of individuals that Congress never contemplated to do so.      So I think the legal justification for saying this was an unlawful exercise of executive power is fairly clear.  What the Court would like us to do is to review materials and to exhaustively consider the various policy inputs that would go into the formation -- that went into the formation of DACA and would go into the formation of any wind-down policy.      Q    Thank you.  Yes.  In terms of the federal judge in Maryland who did order for DACA (inaudible) pre-September 2017 status, how do you reconcile not accepting new applications when a federal judge has ordered that you do so?      SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Right.  So thanks for that question.  So the memo that was issued today -- that should be forthcoming and made available to you all -- rescinds the Duke memo and it rescinds the Nielsen memo.  But you have to consider it as an intervening act.  It, itself, is a memo laying out this administration’s approach to this program.      Now, the basis of DACA all along was discretionary -- a use of discretionary authority to the chief executive, or at least that’s the argument that the Obama administration put forward.  So the reconciliation between the judge’s order and the District of Maryland -- and this one is to say that we are not going back to the pre-2017 status quo -- we’re rescinding the Duke and Nielsen memos and the addendum offered by Attorney General Sessions, but now we are operative under a new memo issued by Acting Secretary Chad Wolf.      Q    Yeah.  Thanks -- thank you.  Just following up on that: It seems pretty clear from the Maryland federal judge’s decision that it restored DACA to its pre-termination status.  I don’t understand your explanation.  Forgive me, but doesn’t that status exist today in the law?  And shouldn’t you be accepting new applications?      SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So, thanks for that question.  So I would just reiterate: Under the law, one would be hard pressed to find any place under the law that the pronounce- -- the statutory pronouncements from Congress giving sanction or voice to this program in its entirety.  Under the judge’s order, absent any intervening action from this administration, we would be back to a pre-2017 context.      This memo is an intervening action that lays out how the administration will proceed both with the substantive review of the underlying conditions that led to the promulgation of those two earlier memos and what steps we’re going to take in ensuring the program is maintained as it’s currently constituted.      Q    Are you creating a new program?  Or what -- what exactly are you doing that allows you to not accept new applications --      SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So -- so, again --      Q    -- under the Court’s (inaudible)?      SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So, again, to answer your question: No, it’s not a new program.  We have issued a new memo.      Q    Hi, my question is just more of the same.  So it’s a new memo rather than a new program.  Do you expect court challenges and to start this whole process over again?      SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, of course.      Q    Yeah.  Thank you for having this.  Can you please explain the rationale behind limiting the extensions for those currently enrolled in the program to one-year protections instead of the two-year protections that have been in place since 2012?  And what criteria would make people eligible for advance parole under the new guideline?      SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So, in answer -- I'll take the second question.  So, advance parole is operative under similar circumstances to DACA.  What we’re just specifying is the Acting Secretary’s discretionary authority over advance parole.      And then, on the first question, that’s all covered in detail in the memo, so I won’t even deign to contradict any of the terms that’s offered in the memo.  So I would just say, once you have it, before you -- you’ll see the rationale articulated by DHS.      MR. FIELDS:  Thank you, everyone.  This will conclude our call.  Again, both opening remarks and the question-and-answer portion will be on background from a senior administration official.  As always, direct all further questions to White House Press Office.      And thank you, everyone, for joining.  And have a great day.                         END                2:03 P.M. EDT

West Wing Reads Moderna, Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccines Begin Final-Stage Testing

Moderna, Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccines Begin Final-Stage Testing “Two of the most advanced experimental coronavirus vaccines entered the pivotal phase of their studies on Monday,” Peter Loftus and Jared S. Hopkins report for The Wall Street Journal. “The start of the pivotal Moderna vaccine trial is the latest sign that the most advanced coronavirus vaccine candidates are moving into the final stages of testing, and could be ready for wider use before year’s end if results are positive.” President Trump visited a biotechnology plant in North Carolina yesterday, where he praised the rapid progress toward a vaccine being made under Operation Warp Speed. Click here to read more. WATCH: “We’ve shaved years off” time it takes to develop a vaccine “It doesn’t get more heartbreaking—soul-wrenching—than the funeral of tiny Davell Gardner, the youngest victim of New York City’s crime spike . . . And [criminals] now believe—alas, with good reason—that the [New York City] police and the rest of the law-enforcement system are helpless to stop them,” the New York Post editorial board writes. The critics have it “100 percent wrong”—the Department of Homeland Security’s actions in Portland “should just be the first step in disrupting the organized violence aimed at intimidating public officials, injuring law enforcement officers, destroying public and private property and making our streets less safe,” James Jay Carafano writes for Fox News. Ivanka Trump joined Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to visit “Duluth Pack, a Minnesota manufacturer that pivoted from leather and canvas products to [personal protective equipment] during the coronavirus pandemic, as part of her Pledge to America's Workers that focuses on job training,” Evie Fordham writes for Fox Business.

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP IN PRESS BRIEFING ON COVID-19 Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies Morrisville, North Carolina

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2020

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP IN PRESS BRIEFING ON COVID-19 Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies Morrisville, North Carolina   3:33 P.M. EDT      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  Great to be in this wonderful state.  So many friends, so much success, and we love being here.  And we're here, actually, today to discuss the exciting progress that we've achieved under the Operation Warp Speed -- our historic initiative to develop, test, manufacture, and deliver a vaccine in record time.  And that's what it is, in record time.  Likewise, therapeutically, we are very, very advanced.  You're hearing about it and you'll be hearing about it a lot more in the next two weeks.  We will achieve a victory over the virus by unleashing America's scientific genius, which is what it is.      I'm therefore proud to announce that this morning, the Moderna vaccine has officially entered phase three already.  And that's phase three clinical trials: the final stage before approval.  There's never been anything like this, in terms of speed -- nothing even close.  A second vaccine is likely to enter phase three in a matter of days.  Under Operation Warp Speed, we've shaved years off of the time that it takes to develop a vaccine -- in some cases, many years -- and we've done it while maintaining the FDA gold standard for safety.  This is the fastest a vaccine for a novel pathogen has ever gone.  It has never gone like this.  And if you look at where we are, by phase three, we could say “ever gone by far.”      Four additional promising candidates are expected to enter final trials in the coming weeks, including the Novavax vaccine being developed right here at this facility.  It's an incredible facility.  We're going to be making a tour in a little while -- a very, very complete tour -- with the folks that run it and the people that operate.      We've just completed a tour of Fujifilm’s innovation laboratories -- and that's going to be done at a much, much higher level in a few minutes after I'm finished, and I believe we'll take a few questions too -- which were carrying out a crucial biomanufacturing process needed to make the Novavax vaccine.  This production is made possible by my administration's $1.6 billion award to Novavax as part of Operation Warp Speed.  It lets us deliver the final product in a time that never has been achieved anywhere, at any time, for anything like this.      These same manufacturing processes are being conducted on an even larger scale in College Station, Texas.  Today, I'm proud to announce that HHS has just signed a $265 million contract with the Fujifilm-Texas A&M Innovation Center, which is quite the place, to dramatically expand their vaccine manufacturing capacity.  I want to thank Fujifilm CEO Martin Meeson for welcoming us today.  And Martin -- where is, Martin?  Thank you.  Thank you very much, Martin.  It's really wonderful to be with you under these circumstances in particular, with all the progress that's being made.  As well as Novavax CEO, Stanley Erck.  Stanley, thank you very much.  Thank you very much for being here.      Thanks also to Secretary Alex Azar, who is with us; Senator Thom Tillis, thank you very much.  Thank you, Thom.  Stand up, Thom.  Good job you've done.  Thank you very much.  You really have.  Representatives Richard Hudson, David Rouzer, Mark Walker, Dan Bishop, and Greg Murphey, thank you.  All friends.  All warriors.  Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest, who I hear is doing a great job -- where is Dan?  Stand up, Dan.  Great job, Dan.  Really good.  North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore -- thank you, Tim.  Great job.  And President pro tem of the North Carolina State Senate, Phil Berger.  Thank you, Phil, very much.  I appreciate it.        Operation Warp Speed is funding a historic portfolio of highly promising vaccine candidates.  In addition to our $1.6 billion investment in Novavax, we've issued a $483 million contract with Moderna, a $1.2 billion contract with AstraZeneca, a $465 million contract with Janssen, and just last week, a $1.95 billion agreement with Pfizer.  Tremendous progress is being made with all of those great companies.      A groundbreaking agreement with Pfizer includes a guarantee to deliver 100 million doses shortly after the vaccine’s approval -- almost immediately -- with the option to purchase an additional 500 million thereafter.  Not only is Operation Warp Speed accelerating the development of a vaccine, we're also directing a colossal industrial mobilization to ensure its rapid delivery.  Nothing has happened like this since the end of World War Two.      Instead of the usual sequence of vaccine development, testing and trials, followed by production, our strategy is to conduct these phases simultaneously.  So everything goes at one time.  We're not waiting and waiting and waiting; it's all going at one time.  We have a system that has -- I think it's unparalleled.  Never been done before, but we suspect it's going to work, and work very well.      We're mass producing all of the most promising vaccine candidates in advance so that on the day one that it's approved, it'll be available to the American people immediately.  And we'll probably have a lot for a lot of other people throughout the world.  The world is suffering from this China virus.      Another dimension of Operation Warp Speed is our focus on therapeutics to treat the virus.  Over 140 clinical trials are underway, and a number of effective therapies have already been developed and widely delivered, including remdesivir, which is having a tremendous impact -- you see that with mortality rates and other things, statistically -- dexamethasone, convalescent plasma, and antibody treatments.  We have numerous treatments right now that are under study, and I think over the next couple of weeks, we may actually have some very positive answers as to that.      On July 7th, we announced a $450 million agreement with Regeneron to begin advanced manufacturing of its antibody treatment, which is currently in late-stage clinical trials.  Late stage.      Due to the medical advances we've already achieved and our increased knowledge in how to treat the virus, the mortality rate for patients over the age of 18 is 85 percent lower than it was in April -- think of that: 85 percent -- and is 25 percent lower than Europe as a whole.      In the middle of April, more than 22 percent of all deaths in the United States were attributable to the China virus.  As the last week, that number has dropped down -- as of last week, it's dropped down to under 7 percent.      To decrease the turnaround times for testing, the first two laboratories have been approved to provide pooled testing -- very important.  In other words, samples from multiple patients are processed together.  They’re pooled.  Now, pool testing will reduce turnaround times by more than -- substantially more than 50 percent.      Last week, our Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began distributing rapid point-of-care diagnostic test instruments to all of the nursing homes in the United States, focusing on the areas of greatest need, which is our elderly and our nursing homes.      What we’ve already sent includes testing instruments to 635 nursing homes for 196,000 rapid point-of-care tests.  It’s a tremendous amount.  That's -- you'll get your response and answer from 5 to 15 minutes.      Over the next three weeks, 1,700 nursing homes will receive an additional 800,000 point-of-care tests.  Think of that.  The United States has conducted over 52 million tests.  That's more than all of Europe put together, times two.  Nobody is even close.  And as countries go, it is -- as an example, India is up to 11 million tests.  We're going to be very shortly at 55 million tests.  India has 1.4 billion people.      Through our relentless efforts, we've completely rebuilt our stockpile, which the previous administration depleted and did not refill.  The cupboards were bare.  I say it often.  In total, we've now distributed nearly 100 million N95 masks, 35 million surgical masks, 15 million face shields, and much, much more.  In addition to that, ventilators, the most difficult thing of all, we are now building thousands a month, and we’re distributing them -- we have all we need in our country, but to other countries that are in desperate need.  Other countries are having a tremendously difficult time with the virus.      Last week, FEMA sent additional personal protective equipment to over 15,000 nursing homes, including 643,000 pairs of protective eyewear, 7 million masks, 34 million pairs of gloves, and 6 million gowns.  It’s a lot.      Over the weekend, cases in Florida, Texas, and Arizona held steady and are now heading down.  In Arizona, they're heading very substantially down, and rapidly.  We've been constant -- and in constant communication with the states, and are surging them resources when requested.  They largely had what they needed, but anything they need, we send them immediately.  We are totally full, we have everything we need, we get it to the states immediately, we deal with the governors.  The relationship with the governors has been very good.      These states are not out of the woods, but rigorous compliance with guidelines should allow them to turn the corner, and very, very quickly.  We are working with every governor and health commissioner across the country to bring a complete, individualized analysis to each state, as well as tailored recommendations.  States are different.      My administration is also closely monitoring the surging caseload in Latin America, which is now the region in the world with the most active reported infections, by far.  Due to the relative scarcity of testing in Latin America, however, the region's reported number of cases is also likely to be dramatically undercut or undercounted.  And I can say that's probably true throughout the entire world.  We report our cases; most of the world doesn't.  They either don't do testing, therefore they have very few cases, even though people are sick, or they just don't report it.      Given the reality of what we just said, we're focusing aggressively on the Texas border and countries that we think have to be watched very, very carefully, because you have some very, very highly infected countries outside of our borders.      I've spoken with Governor Abbott -- terrific gentleman -- and I can report that over 3,300 federal personnel are on the ground in Texas.  We've given them a tremendous amount of extra help, including doctors, nurses, frontline people.  We've supplied Texas with more than 2.5 million gloves, 800,000 goggles, 337,000 surgical gowns, 1.8 million surgical masks, 1.36 million N95 respirators, and half a million KN90 masks.      Beginning this week, Texas hospitals will receive 500 cases of remdesivir, which has proven very effective, enough to treat 3,200 patients.      In addition to the cross-border spread, this stage of the pandemic is being fueled by younger Americans who generally have little risk of being seriously harmed by the disease but can spread the disease.  We need all Americans to be conscious about their actions and to exercise extreme vigilance.      I trust all Americans to do the right thing, but we strongly advise everyone to especially, especially focus on maintaining a social distance, maintaining rigorous hygiene, avoid large gatherings and crowded indoor bars, and wear masks when appropriate.      We also strongly urge citizens to take extra precautions to shield those at highest risk, which are, in most cases, in many cases, the elderly -- especially the elderly with medical problems, such as heart or diabetes.  But you want to shield them and you want to guard them and you want to protect them from the virus especially -- especially those that are really targeted -- almost targeted, you could say, by this horrible, horrible plague, this horrible epidemic, pandemic.      America will develop a vaccine very soon, and we will defeat the virus.  We will have it delivered in record time.  As our visit here demonstrates -- and I want to thank all of the people and representatives from the great state of North Carolina.  This is a great -- this is a great place.  It's a phenomenal place.  And we've had so many great meetings and such a great time.      I want to drive the -- the drive and tenacity of your representatives and your politicians has been incredible.  When they call them there, when they call -- most of them, many of them are sitting here right now -- I will always answer their call.      So thank you very much.  I appreciate you being here with us.  And let's get on to a few questions.  Tremendous progress has been made, and it's been made rapidly and it's been made in areas that nothing like that has taken place before.      So, please.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you.      Q    There’s been a lot of despair when it comes to the virus.  Is today’s event about giving Americans hope, a sense of optimism?  Is that what you’re trying to do?      THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think -- I think so.  But, you know, there would be not that same kind of hope if we weren’t doing so well.      We’re -- you know, before -- just before I left the White House, in the Oval Office, we had a meeting with our doctors, scientists, some others, and they're making tremendous prog- -- progress with respect to therapeutics.  I can tell you, therapeutically, I think over the next couple of weeks, we'll have some, really, very good things to say.  We're just having great answers.      So it is about that, and it's also the vaccine that we discussed today at even greater length is just coming along really well.  And it's not just one company; it’s many companies have had tremendous progress.  So that'll be announced over the next very short period.      Q    When is the soonest you expect a vaccine to be ready for Americans to take?      THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I heard very positive things, but by the end of the year, we think we're in very good shape to be doing that.  By the end of this year, we're going to -- in terms of the vaccine.  I think in terms of therapeutics, even sooner than that.  Therapeutics, meaning, you go and you give somebody, whether it's transfusion or shots or whatever it may be, and they heal, and they heal quickly.      So we've had tremendous progress.  We already have, if you look at remdesivir and if you look at some of the other things.  But we'll have -- we'll have some announcements on that over the next two weeks.      Yeah, it -- it is hope, but it's only hope because we've gotten such incredible results, scientifically.      Q    And one final question, sir.      THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.      Q    You did talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin.  And I wanted to ask if you did bring up the reports of Russia having bounties on our soldiers in Afghanistan.      THE PRESIDENT:  We don't talk about what we discussed, but we had plenty of discussion, and I think it was very productive.      Please.      Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Larry Kudlow, earlier today, said that the V-shaped recovery is showing signs of moderating.  Do you think, given what we're seeing with the increase in cases, that the recovery could be in jeopardy at all -- the economic recovery?      THE PRESIDENT:  I don't think so.  I think the recovery has been very strong.  We've set record job numbers.  We've set record numbers.  Whether it's a pure “V” or a little bit less than that, I think it's going to be very good.      If, therapeutically, we come up with some answers very quickly, which I think we will, then you're going to have a tremendous recovery -- likewise, with the vaccines.  If you do that by the end of the year, that's ahead of schedule -- substantially ahead of schedule.  And it's ahead of anything that's ever taken place, in terms of vaccines, before.      So I think if those things happen -- if just one of those events happen, you'll go right back into that “V,” and I think you're probably in the “V” anyway.      I really do believe a lot of the governors should be opening up states that they're not opening, and we'll see what happens with them.  But a lot will have to do with the fact that, therapeutically, I think you're going to have some great answers -- vaccine-wise, likewise.      Yeah, please.  Go ahead, in the back.      Q    Zachery Eanes from the Raleigh News & Observer.  Now that you've canceled the Jacksonville portion of the RNC, do you think Governor Cooper made the right choice in limiting attendance in Charlotte?      THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we're actually coming to North Carolina, as you know.  We're having a very major -- I guess that would be the nomination night, so that's Monday.  That'll be Monday -- they're going to be here.  And the rest we’ll do in a different form.  We could’ve done it many different ways, but I think we did the right thing.  And I'm really happy that we're going to be having a piece of it at least -- and a very important piece -- in North Carolina.      Yes, please.  Go ahead.      Q    Mr. President, your poll numbers suffered in recent months because of your handling on the pandemic.  You're here now today.  What's your plan, going forward, to prove to Americans that you're the right person for this job?      THE PRESIDENT:  I think the poll numbers are very good.  The poll numbers we have are very good.  We're leading in North Carolina.  We're leading in Pennsylvania.  We're leading in Arizona -- our numbers.  We're leading in Arizona.  We're leading nicely in Florida.  I think our poll numbers are very good.  We're leading substantially in Georgia.      I mean, we get a lot of suppression polls.  We get a lot of fake polls, just like we have fake news.  I mean, it's a terrible thing when you look at it.      But I had the same thing four years ago.  I was losing everywhere.  I had poll numbers where I wasn't going to win any state, and I ended up winning every one of them -- you know, the swing states.  I wasn't going to win any of them, and I won all of them.  And I have the same thing this year.  This year, they have it even closer.  They have it closer, but it's the same suppression-type polls.  We have polls that show me leading in almost every swing state, and substantially in other states, by even more than I won in ’16.      When you look at Florida, as an example, you have thousands of boat out on -- boats out in the ocean, out in the Intracoastal.  You look at other states where, likewise, you have thousands of boats, and they're all waving the Trump sign -- Trump-Pence sign -- and they're so proud.  Thousands and thousands.  You've seen it -- where you have Bikers for Trump with lines that are miles long on highways going along on weekends.      I think there's more spirit now than there's ever been for my campaign, and that includes 2016, where obviously there was great enthusiasm, great spirit.  We had great spirit.  I think there's more today because what we've done, nobody has ever done before.  Nobody has ever rebuilt the military, cut taxes -- the most in our history -- created the greatest economy we've ever had, cut regulations at a level that nobody has ever done, and all of these different things.      The VA -- we got VA Choice.  We got VA everything for the VA.  Right now they had a 91 percent approval rating at -- in a recent poll.  I was just speaking to the Secretary -- 91 percent in the VA.  That’s never happened before.      I think when people see all that we've done -- even Space Force.  We created a Sp- -- a force, an actual -- you know, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines.  Right?  It's -- it's pretty amazing.  Coast Guard.  And now, Space Force -- that hasn't happened in 75 years.  What we've done -- working with some of those warriors over there, by the way -- but what we've done has never been done.      If you look at Alaska with ANWR, one of the bil- -- perhaps the biggest drilling site in the world.  Even Ronald Reagan and Bush and Clinton -- everybody wanted to get it done; I got it done -- ANWR in Alaska.  Probably or possibly the biggest drilling site in the world.  No, what we've done has been incredible.      Recently, it looked like the energy business was going to be a catastrophe.  We were number one in the world, and then we had the pandemic, and nobody was using energy.  Nobody was driving in automobiles, no gasoline.  And by the way, gasoline prices for everyone are very, very low -- in many cases, less than $2.  That's pretty incredible.      And I saved the energy business.  I got Russia and I got Saudi Arabia on the phone, and they cut way back.  And we're now at $40-and-plus a barrel.  And we're saving tens of millions of jobs in energy.  We're the number-one in energy in the world.      So with all that we've done, we made and brought this country to the greatest point in its history.  We never had an economy like we had prior to the China plague or China virus coming in.  We never had numbers like it.  We are going to have them again.  And everyone knows I'm going to rebuild it.  I had to close it up.  We saved millions of lives by closing it.  If we didn't close it, you would have seen numbers that would have been 15 times what you have right now.  One death is too much, but it would’ve been 10 to 15 times, maybe more, than that -- what you have.      We closed this greatest economy ever -- far bigger than China, better than China.  China was having, by the way, the worst year they had in 67 years.  Tariffs -- they paid us tens of billions of dollars.  The worst year they've had -- think of it -- in 67 years.  We were having the best year we've ever had.      I had to close it, and now we're reopening it.  And next year, we’ll be stronger.  It'll be the strongest year so far.  It'll be better, even than last year.      Okay, thank you very much.  I'll be heading back, and I'll see you back at the White House.  Thank you very much.  We're going to take an additional tour of the facility with your great leaders.      Thank you very much to the people of North Carolina.  We love being here.  Thank you.                                  END             3:56 P.M. EDT

Readout from First Lady Melania Trump’s Virtual Roundtable with the Foster Youth Intern Group

Office of the First Lady FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2020 Readout from First Lady Melania Trump’s Virtual Roundtable with the Foster Youth Intern Group   Today, First Lady Melania Trump participated in a virtual roundtable with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s (CCAI) Foster Youth Intern Group.  Mrs. Trump was joined by 12 foster youth interns, Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Lynn Johnson, and other administration officials for a briefing on the policy solutions and report the interns have been working on during their summer internship program. In 2003, The Foster Youth Intern (FYI) Program was initiated to raise awareness to federal policymakers about the needs and views of children in the foster care system. The FYI Program interns spend time in a Congressional office researching policy issues affecting children in foster care. The interns then create a policy report that is presented to Members of Congress and released to child welfare advocates across the United States. The First Lady opened the virtual roundtable thanking everyone for their participation and stressed to the interns the importance of their policy proposals and for the group to “let us know how the Executive Branch can better support foster children and families” and that “taking care of America’s children is a bipartisan effort, and we must never stop fighting for those who need us the most.” Assistant Secretary Johnson provided remarks on the mission and work of the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The interns then briefed the First Lady and participants on their policy suggestions and emphasized the need for increased funding from Congress for access to technology and broadband services, transitional housing, and an increase in access for Social Workers, particularly during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The First Lady concluded by thanking the interns and emphasized that “...taking the time to understand what needs to change in order to support children and families, you have translated your experiences and your passion into action. Now, it is up to us to advance proposals like these, so that children and caregivers can see the benefits of your advocacy. As you continue to pursue your dreams, stay strong and know that we are all cheering for you.” PARTICIPANTS Lynn Johnson, Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Joshua Christian, Administration for Children and Families Intern and Former foster child Kellyanne Conway, Assistant to the President and Senior Counselor Brooke Rollins, Assistant to the President and Acting Director for Domestic Policy Paige Agostin, Associate Director of Policy for the Office of the Vice President Taylor Draddy, CCAI Foster Youth Intern Coordination Staff

PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP IS LEADING A ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION EFFORT TO ENSURE AMERICANS HAVE ACCESS TO A COVID-19 VACCINE

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2020 PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP IS LEADING A ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION EFFORT TO ENSURE AMERICANS HAVE ACCESS TO A COVID-19 VACCINE “Vaccines are coming along really well. Likewise therapeutics. Moving faster than anticipated.” – President Donald J. Trump DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE VACCINES: President Donald J. Trump is harnessing the full power of the public and private sectors to deliver a safe and effective vaccine as soon as possible. The President is using all available means to ensure safe vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics are developed, manufactured, and distributed in unprecedented time and scale in response to COVID-19. Earlier this year, President Trump launched Operation Warp Speed, a groundbreaking partnership between the Federal Government, scientific community, and private sector to develop and deliver vaccines in record time. Operation Warp Speed’s goal is to produce and deliver 300 million doses of safe and effective vaccines with the initial doses available by January 2021. The Administration has made large investments in multiple vaccine candidates to provide financial infrastructure for mass manufacturing, in parallel with late-stage clinical trials. Operation Warp Speed is directing a colossal industrial mobilization to ensure the rapid delivery of an eventual safe vaccine. SEEING TREMENDOUS PROGRESS: The President’s strategy for safely expediting vaccine development is already achieving incredible results. There has been promising early data from clinical trials and manufacturing is ramping up as candidates go through late-stage trials. Operation Warp Speed has invested in more than five vaccines and teamed up with multiple pharmaceutical companies to safely produce as many effective vaccines as possible. A number of vaccine candidates have shown promising early clinical results and are either in or starting Phase 3 clinical trials, including AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer. Several vaccine candidates are using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical trial network to help enroll individuals into the clinical trials. UNLEASHING AMERICAN INGENUITY: President Trump has unleashed the power of American innovation in order to fight the invisible enemy. The Trump Administration is using the whole of our Nation’s scientific genius to help combat COVID-19. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized more than 185 tests under emergency authorities, including more than 150 molecular tests and 30 antibody tests. The FDA launched its Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program to facilitate new treatments for COVID-19 patients as quickly as possible. A number of promising therapies for COVID-19, like Remdesivir, have been identified and are already in use.

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint the Following Individuals to Key Administration Posts

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2020 President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint the Following Individuals to Key Administration Posts   Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration: Colonel Douglas Macgregor, United States Army (Retired), of Pennsylvania, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Federal Republic of Germany. Colonel Douglas Macgregor is a decorated combat veteran, author, and a consultant. Colonel Macgregor is widely recognized as an expert on force design and grand strategy.  He is a frequent radio and television commentator on national security affairs and his writings on military affairs have been influential in the transformation of United States ground forces, NATO, and the Israeli Defense Force. During his military career, Colonel Macgregor worked in support of Ambassador Holbrooke’s team during the Proximity Talks in Dayton, Ohio.  Later, he worked closely with senior military and political leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany as the Chief of Strategic Planning and, subsequently, as the Director of the Joint Operations Center at Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe, during the Kosovo Air Campaign. Colonel Macgregor earned a B.S. degree from the United States Military Academy and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Virginia.  He is the recipient of numerous awards from his military service, including the bronze star with “V” device for valor for his leadership under fire. Mark C. Christie, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Mark Christie is the Chairman of the Virginia State Corporation Commission.  He is one of the Nation’s longest-serving state utility regulators, having served for 16 years. Mr. Christie has served in several leadership roles in multi-state organizations of state utility regulators.  He was elected president of the Organization of PJM States Inc., comprised of states in the PJM power markets region and served on the board for more than a decade.  He was also elected president of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of State Utility Regulators. Mr. Christie is a graduate of Wake Forest University, where he earned Phi Beta Kappa honors.  He received his law degree from Georgetown.  Mr. Christie has taught extensively as an adjunct, including regulatory law at the University of Virginia School of Law and constitutional law and public policy in a doctoral program at Virginia Commonwealth University for 20 years. Mr. Christie served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Allison Clements, of Ohio, to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Allison Clements has over two decades of public and private sector experience in Federal energy regulation.  Ms. Clements is the founder and president of Goodgrid, LLC, an energy policy and strategy consulting firm based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Previously, Ms. Clements spent 2 years as director of the energy markets program at Energy Foundation.  Before this she worked for a decade at Natural Resources Defense Council in New York, New York, as the organization’s corporate counsel and then as director of the Sustainable FERC Project. Ms. Clements also spent several years in private legal practice with the energy regulatory group at Troutman Sanders LLP (now Troutman Pepper) and then with the project finance and infrastructure group at Chadbourne & Parke LLP (now Norton Rose Fulbright). Ms. Clements has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctorate from The George Washington University Law School. Colonel Craig Duehring, United States Air Force (Retired), of Virginia, to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Colonel Craig Duehring was most recently the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, where he led a four-division department that was responsible for providing overall supervision of manpower, military and civilian personnel, Reserve component affairs, and readiness support for the Department of the Air Force. Before this position, Colonel Duehring served 6 years as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.  He performed the duties of acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs during and following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Colonel Duehring is a 28-year Air Force veteran, retiring in 1996.  He is a decorated combat pilot, completing more than 800 missions during the Vietnam War as a forward air controller. Colonel Duehring is a graduate of Minnesota State University at Mankato and Troy State University. He is a recipient of the Silver Star, Defense Superior Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with 3 oak leaf clusters, and the Air Medal with 26 oak leaf clusters, among other awards   --- Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key positions in his Administration: Jon Harrison, of California, to be a Member and Chairperson of the Arctic Research Commission. Michael Newton, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Arctic Research Commission.

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP BEFORE MARINE ONE DEPARTURE

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2020   REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP BEFORE MARINE ONE DEPARTURE South Lawn 1:42 P.M. EDT      THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much.  The stock market is doing very well.  The economy is doing very well.  I think we’re going to have some tremendous numbers over the next number of months.  A lot of things are happening.      I just had a meeting on vaccines and therapeutics, and it was a great meeting.  We had a lot of our wonderful doctors and researchers with me.  I think the meeting went really well.  We’re doing well on vaccines.  We’re doing well on therapeutics.  And now I'm heading to North Carolina to look exactly at that.      Q    Have you seen Robert O’Brien lately?      THE PRESIDENT:  No, I haven’t seen him lately.  I heard he --      Q    Is he okay?      THE PRESIDENT:  -- he tested.  Yeah.  I have not seen him.  I'm calling him later.      Q    When did he first test positive?  When did he first test positive?      THE PRESIDENT:  I don't know.  I don't know.      Q    Mr. President, do you plan on paying your respects to Congressman Lewis either today or tomorrow on the Capitol?      THE PRESIDENT:  No, I won’t be going.  No.      Q    Mr. President, three years ago, you tweeted about (inaudible).      THE PRESIDENT:  I can't hear you.  Go ahead.      Q    Three years ago, you tweeted out a ban on transgender people in the military.  Would you reconsider that?      THE PRESIDENT:  I can't hear a word you're saying.      Q    Mr. President, on the executive order -- the executive order that you signed on Friday, lowering prescription drug prices, why did you wait until three and a half years into your presidency to sign those executive orders?      THE PRESIDENT:  We have a great thing happening with lowering of the drug prices.  The drug prices in our country will be coming down very substantially.  I was given that right because of the DACA decision.  The DACA decision allowed me to do things that some people thought the President didn’t have the right to do.  I was given that right.  Drug prices will be coming down very, very substantially.  No other President has been allowed to do that.  No other President has been able to do that.  No President has ever done what I've done for prescription drug prices -- and, by the way, for many other things too.      Thank you.                                   END                1:45 P.M. EDT

West Wing Reads If You Climb on Top of and Beat an Innocent Stranger's Car, You're a Violent Criminal Who Deserves Prison

If You Climb on Top of and Beat an Innocent Stranger's Car, You're a Violent Criminal Who Deserves Prison The violence in Portland and other major U.S. cities is “slowly percolating across entire cityscapes, and unless these criminals are treated as such, there is zero incentive for this to end,” Tiana Lowe writes in the Washington Examiner. “Nip these escalations in the bud, lest [more places] become Seattle, where law enforcement is so restrained they're warning property and business owners that they can no longer help them.” Click here to read more and watch the videos. “Many media outlets have steadfastly described the violent riots that have gripped cities across the country in recent months as ‘mostly peaceful protests.’ What’s left out of this absurd description is the arson, assault, vandalism, and wanton destruction that people can view through social media or with their own eyes,” Mollie Hemingway writes in The Federalist. President Trump will tour a North Carolina plant today that is working quickly toward a Coronavirus vaccine. “Trump will discuss the collaboration between his administration and the private sector to rapidly develop a vaccine and ensure accelerated manufacturing and distribution once ready,” Matthew Burns reports for North Carolina’s WRAL News. “American workers and businesses have a shared interest in developing high-quality skills for the workplace—and that this doesn’t necessarily require a four-year degree. Instead, there are a broad range of courses, certifications, and apprenticeships that give workers the skills they need for growing fields like health care, cybersecurity, and the skilled trades,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia write in The Advocate.

First Lady Melania Trump Announces Plans to Restore and Enhance the White House Rose Garden

Office of the First Lady FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2020 First Lady Melania Trump Announces Plans to Restore and Enhance the White House Rose Garden    First Lady Melania Trump is pleased to announce a significant renewal of the White House Rose Garden this summer. The restoration of this historic garden is a much-anticipated project meant to improve one of the most iconic locations on the White House grounds. The final design plan is the result of a collaboration by two premier landscape architecture firms, Perry Guillot, Inc and Oehme, van Sweden & Associates/OvS. The plan will provide a renewal of the design first implemented by Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon during the Kennedy Administration, which has been the guiding blueprint for the Rose Garden since that installation in 1962. Decades of use and necessary changes made to support the modern presidency have taken a toll on the garden and have made it more difficult to appreciate the elegant symmetry of the Mellon plan. The refreshment of the Rose Garden will return it to its original ‘62 footprint and help ensure it will thrive with improved infrastructure, better drainage, and a healthier environment for plantings that reduce the risk of leaf blight. In addition, the plans include improved Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility, utilities, and support for audiovisual and broadcasting needs that will allow for the continued enjoyment of the garden’s natural beauty and storied history. “The very act of planting a garden involves hard work and hope in the possibility of a bright future,” said First Lady Melania Trump. “Preserving the history and beauty of the White House and its grounds is a testament to our nation’s commitment to the care of this landscape and our dedication to American ideals, safeguarding them for our children and their children for generations to come.” The plan for renewal went through the approval process of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House (CPWH) and aligned with the recommendations of their sub-committee, Committee for the Preservation of the White House Grounds (CPWHG). As the honorary chairwoman of CPWH, the First Lady established CPWHG to ensure the standards of the Rose Garden are maintained and ensure scholarship and research went into its renewal. The project is supported by the National Park Service, who has cared for the White House and its grounds since 1933, and funded with private donations.   Please click HERE to view the full Rose Garden landscape report.

President Donald J. Trump Approves Texas Emergency Declaration

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 26, 2020 President Donald J. Trump Approves Texas Emergency Declaration                                                                                         Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that an emergency exists in the State of Texas and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Hanna beginning on July 25, 2020, and continuing. The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Aransas, Bee, Bexar, Brazoria, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Harris, Hidalgo, Jackson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, La Salle, Live Oak, Matagorda, McMullen, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, Victoria, Webb, Wharton, Willacy, and Zapata. Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance and reimbursement for mass care including evacuation and shelter support will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding. Pete Gaynor, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Jerry S. Thomas as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.