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Press Briefing by Kayleigh McEnany; July 1, 2020
PRESS BRIEFINGS
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany
Issued on: July 1, 2020
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
4:43 P.M. EDT
MS. MCENANY: So I am pleased to inform everyone that Seattle has been liberated. The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, otherwise known as “CHAZ” — I think they switched their name to “CHOP,” but I’m told they went back to “CHAZ” — was a failed four-week Democrat experiment by the radical left. And the results are in: Anarchy is anti-American, law and order is essential, peace in our streets will be secured.
While the Democrat mayor of Seattle proclaimed that CHAZ was to be, quote, “the summer of love,” in fact, it was not. And other failed Democrat politicians also remained passive, or even silent, in the face of anarchy. But while that happened, President Trump set the tone: Law and order must prevail to preserve peace in our streets.
The President is not the Democrat governor of the state of Washington. The President is not the Democrat mayor of Seattle. But, nevertheless, the President must lead by example and be prepared to act in the face of failed Democrat leadership, which is what we saw in Democrat Seattle and Democrat Wisconsin.
President Trump has always stood on the side of law and order, and we are pleased to report that law and order has prevailed, and Seattle has been liberated from the anarchists.
In President Trump’s America, autonomous zones will have no sanctuary. The BHAZ, B-H-A-Z — which stood for the Black House Autonomous Zone, across from the White House — was swiftly dismantled. One hundred anarchists were arrested for rioting and destruction of federal property here in D.C; I believe that number is now above 300. Four men have been charged in federal court for attempting to tear down the statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square. And there are 200 open domestic terrorism investigations.
You contrast the President’s vision of law and order to that of the failed CHAZ experiments and anarchy, and here’s what you find in the failed Democratic experiment that took place out in Seattle: The Seattle Times said the shooting at Seattle’s CHOP protest tragically killed a 16-year-old boy, leaving a 14-year-old “seriously injured.” That’s what happens in an autonomous zone.
{snip}
And with that, I’ll take questions.
Kristen.
Q Kayleigh, thank you so much. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said that the intelligence about the alleged Russia plot was being taken so seriously that U.S. allies were alerted and that it could impact military tactics. So how is that a hoax?
{snip}
Q Kayleigh, why is the President calling “Black Lives Matter” a symbol of hate?
MS. MCENANY: Well, what the President was noting is that that symbol, when you look at some of the things that have been chanted by Black Lives Matter, like “Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon,” that’s not an acceptable phrase to paint on our streets.
Look, he agrees that all black lives matter, including that of Officer David Dorn, Patrick Underwood, two officers whose lives were tragically taken amid at these riots. All black lives do matter; he agrees with that sentiment. But what he doesn’t agree with is an organization that chants, “Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon,” about our police officers, our valiant heroes, who are out on the street protecting us each and every day.
Q Kayleigh, Americans of all races have protested in all 50 states around that phrase, “black lives matter.” And the President is here calling it a symbol of hate?
MS. MCENANY: He is talking about the organization. I would note to you that the —
Q He didn’t say organization in his tweet.
MS. MCENANY: — Greater New York BLM president has said, “If this country doesn’t give us what we want, [that] we will burn down [the] system…And I could be speaking…literally.” I’d call that a pretty hateful statement.
Q But, Kayleigh, he’s not —
MS. MCENANY: Yes. Ben.
Q — talking about the organization in his tweet. He says the words —
MS. MCENANY: Yes, Ben.
Q — he says the words, “Black Lives Matter.”
MS. MCENANY: Which — what’s the name of the organization again?
Q Black Lives Matter.
MS. MCENANY: There you go. You just answered my question.
Q Those are words that are going to be on Fifth Avenue.
MS. MCENANY: Go ahead, Ben.
{snip}
Q The President has come under criticism this week for statements that he has made, that his detractors say are “dog whistles” to a certain segment of his base that he’s trying to gin up for reelection. Those include comments like “Kung flu,” “our heritage” while talking about Confederate statues, and most recently they include the video — that I know you discussed in here the other day — but the video of a supporter of his using the term “white power.” So why hasn’t the President denounced that video and called that a hateful statement?
MS. MCENANY: The President took down that video. That deletion speaks strongly. And what I would note: The President has repeatedly condemned hate.
{snip her reading from the three-ring binder}
Yamiche?
Q Hi. Thanks, Kayleigh. The first question I have — two questions. The first is: On Monday, the President went after stripping racist names on buildings. On Tuesday, he went after a rule to combat racial segregation. And then today, he said that he described the words “Black Lives Matters” as a symbol of hate. Why is he digging in on race in this way?
MS. MCENANY: So, first, I mean, if you’re saying that the fact that he does not want to rename our bases — if you’re considering that racist, then apparently 56 percent of America is as well, because 56 percent of America is against changing the name —
Q I just was (inaudible) things that he did just this week.
MS. MCENANY: — of U.S. military bases. He believes that our young men and women who left these bases overseas — many of whom lost their lives, and the last thing they saw was being on one of these military bases — that they should not be told that the base that they trained in, the last place they saw on American soil was a racist institution.
Q (Inaudible) I just listed three —
MS. MCENANY: And that’s a proposition the vast majority of America agrees with.
Q I just listed three (inaudible), including him saying that the words “Black Lives Matter” — as you noted, it has been chanted in 50 states — why is he saying that that’s a symbol of hate, on top of all the other things that he’s done just this week alone, in terms of race?
MS. MCENANY: Well, is “Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon” racist? I mean, is that — is that hateful? That is a hateful thing to say, I would argue. I would think the vast majority of America would agree with that, too.
I think the vast majority of America would think it’s hateful to say that “We will burn down this system.” And I could be speaking literally.
I think the vast majority of America would agree with him, yet again, that holding up a severed pig’s head is unacceptable. He —
Q If you’re not going to engage on that, I have a second question. Since you’re not —
MS. MCENANY: I did engage on that.
Q The second question I have is —
MS. MCENANY: I engaged on that, Yamiche, and I said we agree all black lives matter, with that sentiment, but we will not stand with an organization that exhibits that kind of hate against our police officers.
Q My second question is: What does the President have to say to military service — the families of service members who are really afraid that their loved ones might have been killed in connection to this to this Russia bounty? There are families that are already saying, “We want the United States to — and federal government to call us and settle us up.” Kristen had an interview with a father saying that, just this week. What is this President’s message to the military families in this country?
MS. MCENANY: So that — it’s unverified intelligence. It’s continually being assessed. And the Department of Defense has said they do not know of any Americans that have been killed in relation to this unverified intelligence that’s currently being assessed.
Q Quick follow-up.
MS. MCENANY: Yes. Chanel.
Q Thank you, Kayleigh. The President has stated in the past that he will not tolerate defunding police, and he said this multiple times. Considering that many Democrat-led cities have now done so — including New York City, as of this morning — what does not tolerating this move look like from the President’s vantage at this time?
MS. MCENANY: Yeah, I mean, speaking out fervently against it. And what it means is — you know, this executive order gives additional funding to police departments if they meet certain standards.
We want safe policing. We want to make sure that police officers are trained to de-escalate. That’s why there is this supplementary funding in the EO that incentivizes and rewards police departments that train their officers in de-escalation; that get rid of chokeholds, except when there’s an incident of lethal force.
But, look, he stands firmly with America yet again on this, with 64 percent op- — opposing defunding the police. That’s a huge number. Fifty-seven percent, according to another HuffPost/YouGov poll, stand against it.
And, look, they — where America stands is here, where — we’re at a place where 64 percent of the nation are concerned that the growing criticism of America’s police will lead to a shortage of police officers. That will harm all Americans. It’s an untenable principle. And it’s unacceptable when you have people like Representative Ocasio-Cortez really suggesting where the Democrat Party stands today — because taking a billion away from NYPD police officers wasn’t enough for her. She wants to take it all away. She doesn’t want police officers. And that’s a really unacceptable proposition.
Q On the USMCA also: It takes effect at midnight. What immediate changes is the White House hoping to see immediately starting tomorrow? And then, are there any elements of the USMCA that may be hindered because of COVID-19?
MS. MCENANY: The USMCA — today, that goes into effect. It’s a huge deal. For years, for decades, NAFTA wreaked havoc on American society — closing our factories, hemorrhaging American manufacturing jobs.
And the USMCA is a massive win. It will create 176,000 jobs, add $68 billion to the U.S. economy, 28,000 manufacturing jobs are expected to be added, and agricultural — agricultural and food exports will increase by 2.2 billion — a big win for our farmer — farmers.
So we expect to see that start to take effect. It’s a big deal, and it’s a reversal of decades of failed U.S. policy, with the USMCA [NAFTA], the Trans-Pacific Partnership — horrible trade deals that betrayed America’s workers. Under President Trump, the forgotten man and woman is forgotten no longer.
Thank you, guys.
END
5:04 P.M. EDT
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany
Issued on: July 1, 2020
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
4:43 P.M. EDT
MS. MCENANY: So I am pleased to inform everyone that Seattle has been liberated. The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, otherwise known as “CHAZ” — I think they switched their name to “CHOP,” but I’m told they went back to “CHAZ” — was a failed four-week Democrat experiment by the radical left. And the results are in: Anarchy is anti-American, law and order is essential, peace in our streets will be secured.
While the Democrat mayor of Seattle proclaimed that CHAZ was to be, quote, “the summer of love,” in fact, it was not. And other failed Democrat politicians also remained passive, or even silent, in the face of anarchy. But while that happened, President Trump set the tone: Law and order must prevail to preserve peace in our streets.
The President is not the Democrat governor of the state of Washington. The President is not the Democrat mayor of Seattle. But, nevertheless, the President must lead by example and be prepared to act in the face of failed Democrat leadership, which is what we saw in Democrat Seattle and Democrat Wisconsin.
President Trump has always stood on the side of law and order, and we are pleased to report that law and order has prevailed, and Seattle has been liberated from the anarchists.
In President Trump’s America, autonomous zones will have no sanctuary. The BHAZ, B-H-A-Z — which stood for the Black House Autonomous Zone, across from the White House — was swiftly dismantled. One hundred anarchists were arrested for rioting and destruction of federal property here in D.C; I believe that number is now above 300. Four men have been charged in federal court for attempting to tear down the statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square. And there are 200 open domestic terrorism investigations.
You contrast the President’s vision of law and order to that of the failed CHAZ experiments and anarchy, and here’s what you find in the failed Democratic experiment that took place out in Seattle: The Seattle Times said the shooting at Seattle’s CHOP protest tragically killed a 16-year-old boy, leaving a 14-year-old “seriously injured.” That’s what happens in an autonomous zone.
{snip}
And with that, I’ll take questions.
Kristen.
Q Kayleigh, thank you so much. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said that the intelligence about the alleged Russia plot was being taken so seriously that U.S. allies were alerted and that it could impact military tactics. So how is that a hoax?
{snip}
Q Kayleigh, why is the President calling “Black Lives Matter” a symbol of hate?
MS. MCENANY: Well, what the President was noting is that that symbol, when you look at some of the things that have been chanted by Black Lives Matter, like “Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon,” that’s not an acceptable phrase to paint on our streets.
Look, he agrees that all black lives matter, including that of Officer David Dorn, Patrick Underwood, two officers whose lives were tragically taken amid at these riots. All black lives do matter; he agrees with that sentiment. But what he doesn’t agree with is an organization that chants, “Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon,” about our police officers, our valiant heroes, who are out on the street protecting us each and every day.
Q Kayleigh, Americans of all races have protested in all 50 states around that phrase, “black lives matter.” And the President is here calling it a symbol of hate?
MS. MCENANY: He is talking about the organization. I would note to you that the —
Q He didn’t say organization in his tweet.
MS. MCENANY: — Greater New York BLM president has said, “If this country doesn’t give us what we want, [that] we will burn down [the] system…And I could be speaking…literally.” I’d call that a pretty hateful statement.
Q But, Kayleigh, he’s not —
MS. MCENANY: Yes. Ben.
Q — talking about the organization in his tweet. He says the words —
MS. MCENANY: Yes, Ben.
Q — he says the words, “Black Lives Matter.”
MS. MCENANY: Which — what’s the name of the organization again?
Q Black Lives Matter.
MS. MCENANY: There you go. You just answered my question.
Q Those are words that are going to be on Fifth Avenue.
MS. MCENANY: Go ahead, Ben.
{snip}
Q The President has come under criticism this week for statements that he has made, that his detractors say are “dog whistles” to a certain segment of his base that he’s trying to gin up for reelection. Those include comments like “Kung flu,” “our heritage” while talking about Confederate statues, and most recently they include the video — that I know you discussed in here the other day — but the video of a supporter of his using the term “white power.” So why hasn’t the President denounced that video and called that a hateful statement?
MS. MCENANY: The President took down that video. That deletion speaks strongly. And what I would note: The President has repeatedly condemned hate.
{snip her reading from the three-ring binder}
Yamiche?
Q Hi. Thanks, Kayleigh. The first question I have — two questions. The first is: On Monday, the President went after stripping racist names on buildings. On Tuesday, he went after a rule to combat racial segregation. And then today, he said that he described the words “Black Lives Matters” as a symbol of hate. Why is he digging in on race in this way?
MS. MCENANY: So, first, I mean, if you’re saying that the fact that he does not want to rename our bases — if you’re considering that racist, then apparently 56 percent of America is as well, because 56 percent of America is against changing the name —
Q I just was (inaudible) things that he did just this week.
MS. MCENANY: — of U.S. military bases. He believes that our young men and women who left these bases overseas — many of whom lost their lives, and the last thing they saw was being on one of these military bases — that they should not be told that the base that they trained in, the last place they saw on American soil was a racist institution.
Q (Inaudible) I just listed three —
MS. MCENANY: And that’s a proposition the vast majority of America agrees with.
Q I just listed three (inaudible), including him saying that the words “Black Lives Matter” — as you noted, it has been chanted in 50 states — why is he saying that that’s a symbol of hate, on top of all the other things that he’s done just this week alone, in terms of race?
MS. MCENANY: Well, is “Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon” racist? I mean, is that — is that hateful? That is a hateful thing to say, I would argue. I would think the vast majority of America would agree with that, too.
I think the vast majority of America would think it’s hateful to say that “We will burn down this system.” And I could be speaking literally.
I think the vast majority of America would agree with him, yet again, that holding up a severed pig’s head is unacceptable. He —
Q If you’re not going to engage on that, I have a second question. Since you’re not —
MS. MCENANY: I did engage on that.
Q The second question I have is —
MS. MCENANY: I engaged on that, Yamiche, and I said we agree all black lives matter, with that sentiment, but we will not stand with an organization that exhibits that kind of hate against our police officers.
Q My second question is: What does the President have to say to military service — the families of service members who are really afraid that their loved ones might have been killed in connection to this to this Russia bounty? There are families that are already saying, “We want the United States to — and federal government to call us and settle us up.” Kristen had an interview with a father saying that, just this week. What is this President’s message to the military families in this country?
MS. MCENANY: So that — it’s unverified intelligence. It’s continually being assessed. And the Department of Defense has said they do not know of any Americans that have been killed in relation to this unverified intelligence that’s currently being assessed.
Q Quick follow-up.
MS. MCENANY: Yes. Chanel.
Q Thank you, Kayleigh. The President has stated in the past that he will not tolerate defunding police, and he said this multiple times. Considering that many Democrat-led cities have now done so — including New York City, as of this morning — what does not tolerating this move look like from the President’s vantage at this time?
MS. MCENANY: Yeah, I mean, speaking out fervently against it. And what it means is — you know, this executive order gives additional funding to police departments if they meet certain standards.
We want safe policing. We want to make sure that police officers are trained to de-escalate. That’s why there is this supplementary funding in the EO that incentivizes and rewards police departments that train their officers in de-escalation; that get rid of chokeholds, except when there’s an incident of lethal force.
But, look, he stands firmly with America yet again on this, with 64 percent op- — opposing defunding the police. That’s a huge number. Fifty-seven percent, according to another HuffPost/YouGov poll, stand against it.
And, look, they — where America stands is here, where — we’re at a place where 64 percent of the nation are concerned that the growing criticism of America’s police will lead to a shortage of police officers. That will harm all Americans. It’s an untenable principle. And it’s unacceptable when you have people like Representative Ocasio-Cortez really suggesting where the Democrat Party stands today — because taking a billion away from NYPD police officers wasn’t enough for her. She wants to take it all away. She doesn’t want police officers. And that’s a really unacceptable proposition.
Q On the USMCA also: It takes effect at midnight. What immediate changes is the White House hoping to see immediately starting tomorrow? And then, are there any elements of the USMCA that may be hindered because of COVID-19?
MS. MCENANY: The USMCA — today, that goes into effect. It’s a huge deal. For years, for decades, NAFTA wreaked havoc on American society — closing our factories, hemorrhaging American manufacturing jobs.
And the USMCA is a massive win. It will create 176,000 jobs, add $68 billion to the U.S. economy, 28,000 manufacturing jobs are expected to be added, and agricultural — agricultural and food exports will increase by 2.2 billion — a big win for our farmer — farmers.
So we expect to see that start to take effect. It’s a big deal, and it’s a reversal of decades of failed U.S. policy, with the USMCA [NAFTA], the Trans-Pacific Partnership — horrible trade deals that betrayed America’s workers. Under President Trump, the forgotten man and woman is forgotten no longer.
Thank you, guys.
END
5:04 P.M. EDT
2 replies
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