During a review of the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, President Trump held a press gaggle to take questions from the traveling press pool. President Trump began his remarks by announcing the JFK files will be released tomorrow, Tuesday March 18th, after being assembled for public release by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
President Trump notes he has not personally seen all of the documents related to the Kennedy assassination; however, there is “a lot of paper” to review by the media. President Trump also notes he anticipated all of the documents to be released “without redactions.”
The release of the JFK files was a promise made during his 2024 campaign. The president remarked, “I am a man of my word.” WATCH:
Some interesting developments in the aftermath of special envoy Steve Witkoff spending four hours in discussions with President Vladimir Putin.
After Witkoff relayed the substance of the lengthy Putin meeting, the White House and President Trump announced a phone call between Trump and Putin is scheduled for Tuesday. The Kremlin have confirmed the call schedule.
It is important to stay focused on the factual aspects to these ongoing negotiations. President Putin’s public statements after the Witkoff meeting essentially said Russia agrees in principle with the need for a ceasefire, and the details of coordinating a 2,000km long point of conflict need to be worked out.
Meanwhile, in somewhat of a surprise statement, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s commissioner for sanctions policy, said they are open to the removal of economic sanctions against Russia as part of a negotiated peace deal.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a press conference on St Patrick’s Day amid a fury of import issues domestically and on foreign policy.
Anticipated start time 1:00pm ET, with livestream links below:
Conor McGregor, former UFC two-weight world champion and Irish businessman, is at the White House on Saint Patrick’s Day to meet with President Donald Trump for what McGregor called the “most important meeting” for Ireland’s future.
“I’m here to raise the issues the people of Ireland face,” McGregor said while addressing reporters with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “It’ll be music to the people of Ireland’s ears because never on the main stage [have] the issues the people of Ireland face been spoke.”
“There are rural towns in Ireland that have been overrun in one swoop,” he said. “That have become a minority in one swoop. So, issues need to be addressed, and the 40 million Irish-Americans, as I said, need to hear this because, if not, there will be no place to come home and visit.” WATCH:
President Trump sends a shot across the bow to those who received a preemptive pardon from the administration of Joe Biden, noting the use of an autopen could nullify the issuance.
Via Truth Social – “The “Pardons” that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen. In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them! The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime.
Therefore, those on the Unselect Committee, who destroyed and deleted ALL evidence obtained during their two year Witch Hunt of me, and many other innocent people, should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level. The fact is, they were probably responsible for the Documents that were signed on their behalf without the knowledge or consent of the Worst President in the History of our Country, Crooked Joe Biden!” (Source)
Flying back to Washington DC from Florida, President Trump takes questions from the media and outlines his perspective on current events.
President Trump noted the people behind former Vice-President Joe Biden using an auto-pen to sign presidential policy declarations and the ramifications therein. WATCH:
Together with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special Envoy/Ambassador Steve Witkoff, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is one of the three key delegation members negotiating with Ukraine and Russian officials.
Steve Witkoff has spent more time in direct face-to-face meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin than any other official or diplomat in many years. Marco Rubio is the diplomat in charge as point of contact for all foreign stakeholders, and Mike Waltz talks directly to his peers in the security services of both Russia and Ukraine.
Mike Waltz appears on Fox News to discuss current foreign policy matters including the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israeli-Hamas war and the current U.S. targeting of Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
President Trump is likely to have another phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week according to Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff was in Moscow Thursday for talks with President Putin and he shares how many specific details and issues were discussed. The conflict zone in Ukraine is 2,000 kilometers long, with Russian and Ukraine fire on multiple points. Despite a ceasefire on such a complicated scale, Steve Witkoff is optimistic it is possible. Video and Transcript Below:
[Transcript] – MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to President Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who joins us this morning from Miami Beach. Welcome back to “Face the Nation,” Ambassador.
SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST STEVE WITKOFF: Thank you. Thank you, Margaret. Thanks for having me.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you just heard Secretary of State Rubio talk about these efforts to broker a ceasefire. You were the man face-to-face with Vladimir Putin. I wonder what your answer to the question is, in regard to whether this is a delay tactic or whether Vladimir Putin is sincere in seeking a ceasefire?
STEVE WITKOFF: Well, I was there for quite some time, Margaret, and I agree with the Secretary’s assessment. We made a lot of progress in that meeting. It was a meeting that was- it could have been as long as four hours, but it was certainly at least three. We talked about a lot of specifics, and I point to the large gap that existed between Ukraine and Russia prior to the inauguration, and where we are today. We have narrowed the issues between both of these parties, making a lot of progress, in my opinion, and I think that meeting underscores that.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears on CBS’s Face the Nation to discuss current geopolitical events. The first question and response surrounds President Trump’s decision to strike Houthi Rebels in Yemen.
Secretary Rubio, totally eviscerates the attempted narrative engineering. Video and Transcript Below:
[Transcript] MARGARET BRENNAN: Let’s get straight to it this morning with Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who joins us from Miami, Florida. Mr. Secretary for our audience, just to explain, this Red Sea area is a really important transit point for global shipping. The Houthis out of Yemen have been disrupting transit there for some time. President Trump cited these concerns when he announced the strikes. I’m wondering, how long will this campaign last, and will it involve ground forces?
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO: Well, first of all, the problem here is that this is a very important shipping lane and in the last year-and-a-half, the last 18 months, the Houthis have struck or attacked 174 naval vessels of the United States. Attacking the U.S. Navy directly 174 times, and 145 times they’ve attacked commercial shipping. So we basically have a band of pirates, you know, with guided precision anti-ship weaponry and exact- exacting a toll system in one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. That’s just not sustainable. We are not going to have these people controlling which ships can go through and which ones cannot and so your question is, how long will this go on? It will go on until they no longer have the capability to do that.
President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador sends a reactionary message to federal Judge James Boasberg who had demanded all of the criminal gang members deported by President Trump be returned to the United States.
Using his X Account, Bukele says, “Oopsie, too late.” El Salvador has taken custody of the criminals and put them in maximum security prison, a Terrorism Confinement Center. The President also shared a video of the repatriation.
