Leavitt Says Dems ‘Fell Right Into’ Trump’s State Of The Union ‘Trap’
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Democrats “fell right into” a political “trap” set by President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, explaining that their reaction to the recognition of crime victims exposed their “true colors” on immigration and public safety.
“They fell right into it because they cannot help themselves. They truly stand on the side of the tens of millions of illegal aliens who they allowed to pour into our nation’s open borders under the Biden administration. They truly stand on the side of career criminals who have gone to jail not once, not twice, not three times, but 12 times in the case of [Iryna Zarutska] … whose neck was slit by a career criminal who was released back onto the streets of North Carolina by Democrat policies,” Leavitt said during an interview on Fox News with host Sean Hannity.
“They could not even stand for her heartbroken mother, who President Trump was commending last night. They couldn’t even stand for a young girl [Dalilah Coleman] who is now suffering a brain problem for the rest of her life because of an illegal alien truck driver who smashed into her family’s vehicle,” Leavitt continued.
Leavitt’s comments came after most of the Democratic lawmakers in the House on Tuesday did not stand and applaud when Trump honored a few victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants, political violence, and policies that are too lenient on crime.
Anna Zarutska, the mother of Charlotte rail-stabbing victim Iryna Zarutska, and 7-year-old Dalilah Coleman, who was seriously hurt in a car accident with an illegal immigrant driving an 18-wheel tractor-trailer, were both honored.
During the speech, Trump also honored Erika Kirk, the widow of his late friend and co-founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk.
Leavitt called the Democrats’ actions “despicable,” but she praised Trump’s “brilliant” idea to put them on the national stage by challenging lawmakers to stand if they thought protecting the interests of American citizens was more important than protecting those of illegal immigrants.
“It was his idea to put that into the speech, and it proved to be right, because he wanted the American people to know that this is a choice between common sense, and President Trump, and Republicans and crazy radical Democrats who stand for nothing except for being against Donald Trump,” she said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) struggled to maintain control over his conference during a lively State of the Union address on Tuesday night. During the speech, Donald Trump provoked Democrats, leading to numerous outbursts and taunts from the audience.
Prior to the event, Jeffries had instructed his caucus to either remain in “silent defiance” or to skip the speech entirely. However, as soon as Trump began speaking, House Democrats quickly disregarded Jeffries’ directive.
Rep. Al Green (D-TX) started the event by getting himself removed from the well of the chamber for holding a sign that read, “Black people aren’t apes!” It was in response to a widely condemned video posted by Trump on Truth Social, which depicted the Obamas as monkeys. It’s important to note that the video was not edited or created by Trump or his team.
The incident echoed last year’s events when Representative Green was reprimanded for a confrontation with Trump, during which he waved a cane. As before, Trump chose to ignore Green, letting the disruption become a spectacle in itself.
Other Democrats also gave Trump some political ammunition as his address stretched nearly two hours. Representatives Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Bill Foster (D-IL), and Madeline Dean (D-PA) stood up and left the chamber midway through Trump’s speech in protest, the Washington Examiner reported.
Trump received the strongest reactions when he asked the entire chamber to stand if they believed the U.S. government’s priority should be placing American citizens ahead of illegal aliens. When Democrats did not stand, Trump quickly capitalized on the moment.
“You should be ashamed of yourself for not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourself,” Trump said.
The comments prompted a strong reaction from Representatives Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
They accused the president of being responsible for the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two U.S. citizens who were shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Trump Warns Iran of ‘Total Obliteration’ if They Try To Harm Him HH
President Donald Trump warned Iran that continued assassination threats made by leaders in Tehran would be met with the country getting “blown up” and “total obliteration.”
“Well, they shouldn’t be doing it but I’ve left notification,” Trump said. “Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole — the whole country’s going to get blown up.”
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Biden-era Intelligence officials briefed Trump about the alleged threats against him during his presidential campaign in 2024. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland said the plot was retaliation for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani by the U.S. in 2020, during Trump’s first administration.
Despite being briefed by his administration, Trump on Tuesday said President Biden “should have said something” on the matter, adding that presidents should defend each other on such matters.
“But I have very firm instructions,” Trump continued. “Anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth.”
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Trump also spoke about the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva.
“What are you expecting from these Iran talks in Geneva?” a reporter asked Trump aboard Air Force One.
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“So, I’ll be involved in those talks indirectly, and they’ll be very important. We’ll see what can happen. Typically, Iran’s a very tough negotiator; they’re good negotiators — or bad negotiators. I would say they’re bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B2s to knock out their nuclear potential. We had to send the B2s. I hope they’re going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal,” Trump said.
“Have you been told that a deal is next to impossible?” the reporter followed up.
Trump replied, “No. I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal.”
WATCH:
Trump previously said that he instructed officials to destroy Iran if they killed him.
The president said this after signing an executive order right after taking office that gave him all the tools he needed to talk to Iran’s government and put as much pressure on Tehran as possible.
“They haven’t done that and that would be a terrible thing for them to do,” Trump said at the time. “Not because of me — if they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end. I’ve left instructions, if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left. And, they shouldn’t be able to do it.”
Trump warned last week that the United States could send additional warships toward Iran if ongoing diplomatic negotiations fail to produce a deal, signaling that military pressure could increase as talks over Tehran’s nuclear program stall.
In remarks to Axios, Trump said the administration is considering deploying a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region in addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln and 9 additional warships already positioned near Iran, though he expressed hope that a diplomatic agreement can still be reached.
“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” the president told Axios on Tuesday, a reference to the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites in June.
“Last time they didn’t believe I would do it. They overplayed their hand,” Trump added. “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.”
The president emphasized that the United States is seeking to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions, halt the development of its ballistic missile program, and end support for militant proxy groups. Iranian officials have so far resisted expanding negotiations beyond nuclear-related issues.
He described the nuclear issue as a “matter of course” part of any negotiation, but also insisted that an agreement with Iran must also address Tehran’s ballistic missile stockpiles, per Axios.
Trump said the US “can make a great deal with Iran,” and Tehran “very much wants to make a deal.”
Trump’s comments came ahead of a planned visit to Washington, D.C. by Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to press for a tougher U.S. stance and broader terms for any Iran deal that would include constraints on Tehran’s missile capabilities and regional activities.
Before heading to DC, the Israeli leader previewed some of what he and Trump were going to discuss.
“I will present to the president our understanding of the principles of the negotiations (with Iran) – the essential principles that are important not only to Israel – but to everyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” Netanyahu told reporters, per the New York Post.
The administration has already bolstered its military presence in the Middle East, with multiple warships and aircraft deployed as a means of deterrence and leverage.
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