Transcripts For FBC The Intelligence Report With Trish Regan 20170221

Different things. Blake. Se, you talked about how the manufacturing i didnt know where you were going. [laughter] in the back. [inaudible conversations] you get next. Manufacturers are coming on thursday, so something thats important to them which is the border adjustment tax, earlier this year called it, quote, too complicated. So does he still feel that way, and whether he feels this is complicated or not, is there something within the Administration One way or another about whether the president , the administration wants to see this in or out of the tax package . So theres several pieces to that, and ill try to unpack. That counts as, like, eight questions, blake no, can does he feel its complicated first of all, i have a meeting on thursday. This is going to be a really historic opportunity for ceos to come in and talk to members of the white house staff and others through various agencies about how we can create jobs, how regulations are stifling economic growth, and i think well have further details on that, but this is going to be a real interesting opportunity to really create a dialogue. I think in a manner that hasnt been done before, but im not going to get ahead of myself on this, where we can really discuss sooe of the inhibitors to job creation, job retraining, what do we need for American Workers to get them ahead of the curve. With respect to specific policy positions, i think the president s been very clear that in the next couple weeks we expect to have a tax plan that gets out there, that ising being worked on continuously, so im not going to get in front of that. While the ceos are here, im sure beyond some of these things, thats an opportunity for them to express what some of the policies are that are helping them create jobs and grow the econom and also inhibiting them. So lets let that conversation play out. Yes. Okay, thanks, sean. My name is raquel [inaudible] and i have a question that [inaudible] brazil right now about whats going to happen to the relationship between the two countries, especially as it relates to immigration and also to trade deals. Does President Trump also plan to review policies, wisconsin lateral policies bilateral policies [inaudible] and also my second question, how does the administration see the current economic and political turmoil, and one more question [laughter] President Trump spoke with some foreign leaders from south america like argentina, colombia and peru, but not [inaudible] the Vice President spoke with [inaudible] why is that . Well, obviously, we cherish our relationship with brazil. I think theres a timing factor here, and i think well look forward to speaking with the president soon, so i wouldnt read too much into that right now, its just a matter of getting things on the schedule. Were going to review all the trade deals that are out there. The president s made very clear some of them have occurred, you know, well into a decade, two decades ago. I think the idea is to make sure that we are looking at all of the trade deals we have throughout the globe to make sure they continue to benefit america and American Workers. And in many cases, we can update these deals. So its not any one particular country. I think that were going to look throughout the whole host of trade agreements and then other traderelated agreements that we have with countries to make sure that they are the most uptodate and they address the technological advances that have occurred and look at the various services, you know, whether its Financial Services or manufacturing, ask that they reflect and that they reflect the current state of play. This isnt any one country, i think the president made clear throughout the campaign and subsequent that he want toss review every trade deal to make sure americandAmerican Workers are maintaining the best [inaudible] oh, sorry. The you are the hoyle, how does the administration see the turmoil i think thats a question for the department of state. Cover bin. Yeah. Thanks, sean, two questions for you. One on the nsc meeting this afternoon, is that the first meeting with all the principals no. That is just a routine briefing, but because of the nature of it, its happening in the situation room. But is that with staff, or is that with staff. Okay [inaudible] the first formal meeting of the National Security council. Well, i think general mcmaster got here at noon today [laughter] so we move fast, but i think that we need, we need to give him a few days probably to get his team together. So, you know, the president was obviously very pleased with the selection. I think when you saw the bipartisan support that general mcing mattser mcmaster received from the variety of the political spectrum, people who are serving, republicans and democrats, academics, pundits, columnists. You know that he made an outstanding choice. We want to get him in, show him around the offkc and then get him going. But when we have a date to announce the next meeting, well let you know. The joint address for next week with. Whats the president s goal for that address . I think that ill have a further update as the week goes on, well have briefings. The president s going to lay out, i think, two main things, where weve come and where were going. I think that he is very pleased with the progress hes head so far in the first month in office, and i think its an opportunity to remind members of congress and the American People what he promised them on the campaign trail, what hes done already in a very significant way to achieve and fulfill those promises that he made but also talk about the challenges that we have as a nation and where were going. And thats everything from our relationship with other countries in this world to some of the various domestic problems that we face, the challenges that we face this cities, health care, education. But the president wants to make sure that the American People have a very clear indication as to wherees ting this country and why hes going to enact the policies hes going the enact. George, sorry. Thanks a lot, sean. Let me ask you about a question about the Vice President s european trip. Yeah. Im curious whether he received any commitment from our european allies to commit more in terms of their financial contributions to nato. I think several of them, i saw chancellor merkels comments previous to that, noting that they understand that the u. S. Is asking for that commitment. Look, were one of the only countries theres a handful that are doing what nato requires which is 2 of gdp. Some of them are at 1. 2, 1. 3, 15, and some of them are below that. But weve got to ask them to do what they agreed to do. And i think we had a very positive reaction from most of these nato countries that understand that the financial commitment that they agreed to is something that they need to live up to. And i think the Vice President continued to receive assurances, much like the president s has through his foreign leader calls, where people not only understand, but are willing to follow through on it. Is it an ongoing process . Of course. I think we these to toll to up that the commitments theyre making on the tone or in person are followed up. Dave. Dhs memos today, obviously, immigration enforce bement efforts cost money, hiring her agents. Right. Do you envision that the current budget is sufficient . Yeah, i think right now i. C. E. And dhs in particular as well as cbp are looking at what this is going to cost and how much in putting a request together and figuring out how much can be handled through reallocation of resources and how much we can save in maybe another area but also work with [inaudible] there was an election record report out today that the president raised more Small Campaign donations in 2016 than either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders combined. Does he have a reaction to that . Has he seen that . I dont know. Thats a political matter that we generally dont discuss. Yeah. Sean yeah. The national [inaudible] citing reliable sources said the President Trump administrationc do [inaudible] allowing kids to use a restroom with their gender identity. Will the trp administration rescind that guidan . Right now thats an issue that the department of justice and the department of education are addressing, i would tell you and i think therell be further guidance from the doj in particular with respect the not just the executive order, but also the case thats in front of the supreme court. The president has maintained for a long time that this is a states rights issue and not one for the federal government. So while therell be further guidance coming out on this, i think all you have to do is look at what the president s view has been for a long time, that this is not something that the federal government should be involved in. This is a states rights issue. Matt. In the wake of the Vice President s trip to europe, theres questions to the administrations position on the future of the European Union with regard to a number of political movements across the continent advocating for the disbandment of the European Union and wanted to see if you could clarify the administrations position. I think the Vice President had great meetings with several European Union leaders and made it very clear to them that we continue, will continue to work with them and reare affirmed our commitment the working with these nations. I mean, theres no update on that. Cecilia. On immigration [inaudible] two parts, if i may. Is one of the goals here mass deoration . No. Not at all . This isnt i think what we have to get back to is understanding a couple things. Theres a law in place that says, you know, if youre in this country illegally, that we have an obligation to make sure that the people who are in this, in our country are here legally. What the order sets out today is insures that the million or so people that have been adjudicated already, that theres that i. C. E. Requiretizes, creates prioritizes, creates a system of prioritization and make sure that we walk through that system in a way that protects this country. This is consistent with everything the president has talked about which is prioritizing the people who are here who represent a threat to Public Safety or have a criminal record. And all this does is lay out the exact procedures to lay out that that subgroup of people who pose a threat to our nation because of a conviction or a violation of Public Safety or have a criminal record are adjudicated first and foremost. Thats it, plain and simple. So a followup to that, is the white houses messaging to date undocumented people in this country whose only crime is being in this country illegal, dont worry . Or no the message from this white house and from the dhs is that those people who are in this country and pose a threat to our Public Safety or have committed a crime will be the first to go, and we will be aggressively making sure that occurs. That is what the priority [inaudible] cecilia, the president has said multiple times that weve got to look at this issue on a very, very case, you know, holistic way. And the number one priority when you look at the scope of how many people are in the country illegally, the number one riority is making sure that people who pose a threat to this country are immediately dealt with. And this is not a small group of people. Were talking close to a Million People who have already been adjudicated and had their status processed through a formal due process, you know, system. And we need to do now is to make sure that we focus the resources and the efforts on those people going first and foremost. And the fact sheet and the information that we put out lays that out very, very clearly, you know, what is being done. But for so long the people at i. C. E. And cbp had their hands cuffed behind them, and when they were going to deal with the mission of their job, the last administration had so many carveout toes for who could be and couldnt be adjudicated that it made it very difficult for the agents to do their job and enforce the laws of this country. Right now what weve done is to make sure that they have the ability and the guidance and the resources to do what they, what their mission is, and thats it. Plain and simple. And the president is consistent with his priority of making sure those people who pose a threat to this country are the first ones to go. [inaudible conversations] on immigration, just to follow up, the president has a carveout himself for daca. Yeah. Could you explain the process, expand on what you were saying on thursday about the process that the administrations taking. Yeah. I think this is [inaudible] yeah. And this is what i was basically talking to cecilia about which is the president s made clear when you have, whatever, 12, 14, 15 Million People in the country illegally, that there has to be a system of priority. And right now i. C. E. s priority is going to make sure we focus first and foremost on that specifically in the guy dance it talks about daca and dapa unless someone in that program fits under the remember, everybody who is here illegally is subject to removal at any time. That is consistent with every country, not just ours. The youre in this country in an illegal manner, then, obviously, theres a provision that could insure that you be removed. With but the priority that the president has laid forward and the priority that i. C. E. Is putting forward through dhs guidance is to make sure that the people who have committed a crime or pose a threat to Public Safety are the priority of their efforts, first and foremost. Caitlin. [inaudible conversations] wait with, let me follow up. Yeah. The president and his team also have reservations about undocumented people in the United States who are beneficiaries of public assistance or is access to benefits either at the state or the federal level. What is the president going to be doing to either issue guidance or executive action of some sort to indicate that he would like to preclude that from continuing . I think we have talked in the past about theespect that the president has for taxpayer monies with respect to sanctuary cities and the enforcement measures that hes putting forward on immigration. Right now, obviously, the actions today are focused on people who are in this country andc what we need to do on our southern border to facilitate the building of the wall that hes talked about. So were doing this in a very methodical way, and right now the focus is to make sure that i. C. E. , cbp and dhs have the authority and the resources to carry out that first mission. We will have more, and we continue to see that immigration is one of those issues that he was very familiar and consistent on in the campaign, and were going to continue to implement the policies that he a talked about to keep the country safe. Caitlin. Thank you. John kasich has been a very vocal critic of President Trump, his statement that the electionses were rigged, and he did not endorse him or vote for him. What is the president hoping to accomplish with their meeting at the white house on friday . So governor kasich has reached out on multiple occasions to meet with the president to follow on, and the president , you know, has shown through the transition and since time in office that he wants to meet with anybody that can help move this country forward and share in his vision. I think that includes people who are with him, who are not with him, who are on the other side of the aisle, who are independents, union workers, business leaders. Now that he is president and, frankly, i would again date it back to the transition, he understands that hes the president for every american, and hes talked consistently about having a united country. And you do that by bringing people together whether or not they agree with you on every issue or one or two issues. But if theres comm ground that can be found to move the country forward, then great. I think so many of the president s Priority Issues are issues that ohio is dealing with, and he wants to make sure he can continue to work with governor kasich so that every American Benefits from [inaudible] april. Did kasich ask for the meeting . Yes. What does the president gain from his tour today . You talked about where he [inaudible] the exhibits that he visited. Did he also visit slavery . And the reason why im asking this is because when he was candidate trump, he said things like, you know, we made this country, meaning white america, not necessarily black i dont know why you would say that. What do you mean . No, no, no, he said that. I heard him say that. No, look, the answer to your question is one of the first exhibits that he visited was one of the slavery exhibits. And the director walked him through some very Amazing Stories and statistics about where slavery was prevalent not just in traditional southern colonies, but throughout the country. And so they did have a very robust discussion about slavery early on in the tour. And i think that it was a very eyeopening and powerful tour for him. And, frankly, for every american. And i would encourage any american that can find the time and get in, because its so popular. But it really is enlightening as far as parts of our history that people may not fully appreciate or know and the contributions and sacrifices that so many america have made that are a critical piece to our histy that sometimes dont get the attention they deserve. So i think the president walked away from there and, you know, i mentioned in the remarks that he mentioned that he wanted to come back. Because you cant do it justice. And its much like the Holocaust Museum where you go through once, and then you sit there and start thinking of all the things that you saw and think, you know, id like to go back and . H more fully explore what i just saw because it piqued some degree of interest or intellectual curiosity. But he was very taken back. Its a very, very powerful institution and tour, and it covers a lot of ground. I think he was really proud to share with dr. Carson. I mean, when you walk through that museum and you see all of the elements of our history and you walk up to this one glass exhibit that has dr. Carsons scrubs and pictures of him, and to experience that with him and his wife for the first time, and you realize how amazing that is for any american to be part of a zit sewn january smithsonian, and youre standing with dr. Carson and his wife where he is experiencing it with you for the first first time and how powerful that must have been was, i think, a real interesting opportunity for him to sit there hand to hand with another american and watch them be part of american history. And you also appreciate some of the real contribution that dr. Carson has made to medici and what, and the depth and breadth of his accomplishments. And lastly, kind of fitting this with the next question, is there any advancement on the cbc meeting with the president and also the head of the cbc god bless you. He was wondering if the president saw anything from current and past members to get a Little Information on them before this meeting. Ill have further updates on that. I though the president looks forward to that meeting, and i think that were in the process of trying to begin setting that up. And so ill have further updates on that once we get closer. I know that weve got some additional work before the month concludes on historically black colleges and universities and some meetings that were working out with them. But i want to get them locked in before i get what did he think about the members that he saw in the museum . Well, when you walk through one of them, theres a big jumbotron, and we paused for a while, and john lewis was there giving a very powerful speech, and we just paused and watched that for a little while. Again, i think that, respectfully, when you walk through a museum like this, theres a lot of moments where youre just stopping and taking it in. And theres, you know, if you havent been there, you walk up this one ramp, and they stop, and theres two big screens, and one of them is a video screen, and its a massive jumbotron civil rights. Yeah. And we watched the video of john lewis talking there and describing his efforts and championing of voting civil rights. And so i dont i know the president paused and watched it and listenedded to it. And, again, i would just go back to how he describes his overall, we didnt dissect the different things, but i watched him, and it was a very powerful experience for him, and i know he looks toward to going back. [inaudible] the president s priority is to deport those who pose a threat to Public Safety. Right. I know youre familiar with the case in arizona, the mother of [inaudible] is she a threat to this country . Im going to leave that up to i. C. E. We dont get involved from the white house to particular cases [inaudible] righ and i understand is she a threat . Halle, i think the answer is that i. C. E. Determined that she had violated law in a way that was in accordance with this again, weve got to get back to this idea that our job, especially here at the white house, isnt to call balls and strikes and say, well, this person only violated part of the law, met them go. If this was any other subject, if this was tax evasion and we said, well, they really only violated a little been they only cheated on their taxes a little, you wouldnt say, hey, should they be going to prison or getting a fine. At some point laws are laws. And if people have a problem with the law, then we should, you know, petition our lawmakers and the executive at that particular branch of government and change it. But our job shouldnt be to figure out should this individual not have to abide by the law, should in this individual get a pass. If we want to change the law, weve got a very amazing process here in this country to both create and change law. And so i dont want to comment on the specifics of any one case because i think that that then puts the white house in a position of deciding, you know, who is following the law and who isnt and who should get a pass. [inaudible] what you just said, right . A prioritization no, no, theres a difference. When you have 13 or 14 Million People that are in the country, you know, i think its one thing to say prioritize people who pose a threat to Public Safety and go after this individual or that individual or whatever. That is, theres no question that you have to have priorities in anything. What do you do first, second, third. And when youre talking about 13, 14, 15 potentially more millions of people in this country, the president needed to give guidance especially after what they went through in the last administration where there were so many carveouts that i. C. E. Agents and cbp members didnt had to figure out each individual whether or not they fit in a particular category. The president wanted to take the shackles off individuals in these agencies and say you have a mission, there are laws that need to be followed. You should do your mission and follow the law. And as far as specific cases, i would refer you to i. C. E. In particular and do that. [inaudible conversations] hold on, hold on. Halles on number two. [inaudible] where did you get that number . Go ahead. Its please n interrupt her. [inaudible] you wan t take that now . No, im n going to allow you to be interrupted. [laughter] the second question is the antisemitism as you referenced from the podium, the president made very clear you said he has taken opportunities in the past. Just last week he had the opportunity to deliver a message about antisemitism. He made very clear that he was, in fact, insulted by that. But as far as a broader message to the American People, he declined to offer one. Is the president comfortable with his obligation as leader of this country to deliver that kind of broad and forceful message to americans, and if so, why didnt he do it sooner . I think the idea, halle, that he has. I think theres a point where he talked literally on Election Night about uniting this country. And every time theres an incidence, its interesting. I get a question, is he going to denounce this one, this one. At some point the questions asked and answered. He has stood very forcefully against [inaudible] im not asking what are you asking . Im asking if hes comfortable with his role as the person who needs to be delivering a broader message well, he i think [nhudible] right, and i think he is very comfortable and understands that as the leader of the free world, the president of this country, the commander in chief, that he has an awesome be responsibility to make it very clear where were going as a country and what our values are. And be he has spoken very forcefully that we dont stand for this kind of behavior, words, intolerance, that we are a country that should bring people together and cha we shouldnt and that we shouldnt tolerate people hating on individuals because of their gender or because of their religion or the color of their skin or a variety of other things. But that theres a point at which its asked andnswered. And i think the president has been vy clear over and over again, you know, going back through the campaign, the transition and now that thats the kind of president that he wants to be, thats the kind of country that he wants to be [inaudible] thanks, sean, the aclu said the courts wont allow these memos to become law, and do you have a response to the aclu . I think we have done a phenomenal job of working with the various departments, particularly dhs, doj, state and through the white house staff to make sure that we are well within any concerns that the court might have. And as i mentioned, i think its important to continue to emphasize we feel as though the first one did that as well. And we were vindicated several times in the court. We have an issue with the ninth circuit, and i think well overcome that ultimately on the merits. But in the meantime, a dual track is something that we wanted to pursue to make sure that we do everything we can, as i mentioned before, to keep the country safe. Yeah. [inaudible] sure. Thanks. [inaudible] the Australian Foreign minister is im sorry . The Australian Foreign minister is meeting the Vice President today and also the secretary of state tomorrow. I guess we can assume that the u. S. australian refugee deal will come up. Now, last time we spoke, the president was still considering and reviewing a deal. Can you just update us on yeah. Well have a readout of that [inaudible] of course. Everyone gets two. [laughter] if you could just update us on the current [inaudible] on the deal. And also given that recent exposure on the president s [inaudible] will australia be expected to return the favor . Look, again, i would wait, lets well have a readout after that call as far as what they discussed, but ive got nothing. I dont want to get ahead of the Vice President s meeting with either the secretary of state or the Vice President. Kristin. Sean, thank you. I have two questions. One on the [inaudible] refugee executive order that were expecting in the coming days. So that it withstands legal challenges, can you tell us what the language might look like as it relates the Syrian Refugees . I appreciate the effort, but [laughter] but when we have it ready, well get it out. And i think [inaudible] excuse me . I, again, i appreciate the second try. [laughter] but were not ready to announce it. And part of it is that were making sure that it is completely ready to go, and so when we have that, we will get it out to you. Andc ill just the reason tt we havent announced it is its not ready to be announced. One more on the of course. Comment that the president made today about antisemitism. In terms of the timing, obviously, he was asked about it, but they also came out after his daughter, ivanka, sent out that tweet. Has she counseled him . Was she one of the people saying its important look, because the president was visiting the africanamerican museum, he wanted to make it very clear, i think it was very powerful that while there and while understanding the struggles of so many, and we talk about how, you know, one of the beauties of history is that we dont repeat it. And i think when youre at a museum like that and seeing the struggles that so Many Americans faced and overcame, that you want to remind people that there is still issues that our country is grappling with and that there is no place for that hate and for that language. And i think, you know, as i mentioned, it was a very powerful opportunity for him to say that and to make clear, again, what his opinions were. Sarah. Last week, sean . Im sorry . [inaudible] no, the was very clear the president was very clear. As i mentioned to halle, he has discussed this over and over again. I think theres a point to which his position is abundantly clear. His attempts and his desire and his rhetoric to unite the country has been expressed over and over again. Sarah. The New York Times is reporting that trumps budget director is preparing a budge that eliminates the exportimport bank. Several lawmakers including senator heitkamp have come out of private meetings with President Trump and said that in those private meetings he expressed support for the export bank, so which is it . Be does he support exim or support eliminating i cant confirm that the omb director is working on a budget i can confirm. Beyond that im not going to get ahead of the omb director. They are drafting a budget, they are talking to members of congress and other interested parties about funding levels and such, but were not at a position to go yet. Yes. Sean, just square the circle on the [inaudible] the dhs guidance did not eliminate daca, does that mean the program is remaining place, its a settled matter and its not going away . No, jordan. What it means is that this particular enforcement is tailored to what ive been referencing over and over again, that what were talking about today is the implementation of those two executive orders, one specifically thats tasking the agencies under dhs to address a very specific problem of the million or so plus or minus people that they have identified that have been adjudicated having, already gone through the process to be adjudicated and taken out of the country. [inaudible] thats right, exactly. It just means that what it means more than anything is that this order does not address that, and its veryery clear ine q and, again, i would refer you back to dhs web site that has all of that. Two questions, please. One, its been one month on the job for you and for the president , and you are already talk of the town around the globe. Two questions [laughter]c my wife would disagree with you. Its not always positive. [laughter] it looks like the president s order is working around the globe because more than 60,000 pakistanis have been deported by saudi arabia [inaudible] they were illegals and also [inaudible] and also at the same time pakistani government is arresting hundreds of terrorists inside the country. Any president ial message . No, look, theres nothing that i have in terms of an update on whats going on in pakistan. I might refer you to the department of state with respect to specific policies. The broader point youre making is, i think, each country needs to look at what they these to do to control the people that are entering their country and keeping their people safe. When you look at our laws in particular and compare them to so many other countries around the globe, we actually tend to probably fall on the lower end of having of how tough our immigration policies are visavis someone else. Yeah. My second question in oh, sorry. As far as illegal immigration is concerned in the u. S. , millions of Illegal Immigrants are waiting for the last eight or ten years that they might see a light in the dark tunnel. And now theyre hoping that President Trump will have a light for them. So what is the president ial message for them . Who are in this country for 5, 10, 15 or 20 years but theyre not they dont have any criminal record . Right. Well, look, the president has said before hes got a big heart. And i think that as we continue to develop policies on immigration, its going to be as weve talked about in the past, prioritized, what we go after first, second, third. The president s been very clear he understands the plight of some of those individuals. Hes got a big heart. He understands the impact it has on many families and many communities. But we will continue to develop policies that will address that and, again, todays focus is specifically on those two executive orders, and im going to limit it to that. [inaudible conversations] at the beginning, at the beginning of the month senator john mccain sent a letter to the president requesting that the administration provide arms to ukrainians fighting russian separatists within their country. When will the president respond to senator mccains letter, and what is the administrations position on lethal aid to ukrainians fighting russian separatists . I dont have anything for you on that. Ill try to get back to you on that. I know were very pleased to have watched senator mccain praise the pick of general mcmaster, we were pleased to see so much support for him. Scott. Or. Yeah, sean, russia. Critics of the president have said that at times he doesnt talk tough enough on the subject. General mcmaster, though, has been labeled by a lot of people as being pretty hawkish. Im curious what, if any, different in tenor, tone or strategy we should expect now that theyre working today . For general mcmaster and his understanding and command of National Security matters, Foreign Policy matters. Hes going to be a great asset to the president s National Security team. But ultimately, the president s always been the decider whether its russia or any other issue, and i think youre right. He has made it very clear that if he can get a deal with russia, something that the last several administrations have tried to do, then hes going to do it. And if he cant, he wont. But he is going to try, and i think his success as a businessman and negotiator should be seen as a positive sign for him to be able to do that. But he understands that if he can find Common Ground on defeating isis and combating terrorism, growing the economy where we can find areas of economic interest, then were going to do it. But thats, you know, thats where were going to continue to work with russia. If we can. Hell get a deal if he can, and he wont if he wont. But hes going to try. And i think where others have failed, you know, hes going to make sure he does Everything Possible to make sure if its in the interests of the United States, he will get a deal. Vivian. I have another question on general mcmaster, how much leeway is he going to get to wring on his own people . There were some reports that admiral ha rward thank you, i can. He will have 100. President has been very clear with that. He is the National Security adviser, and he will have whatever he needs to implement a successful team. But, you know, with respect to admiral harwood that you brought, he made it very clear that he wanted this job, he would love to take it, he was impressed with the team, but during the course of discussions, it came up he said before i continue with this discussion, i need to address some financial is and family concerns. He went back, he came back to us and said i am unable to continue the discussions because of these financial concerns and some family issues that we have. Ive spent 40 years serving this country in the United States navy. I talked to him again saturday night. He said if theres another opening in a year or two, i would be honored. I was so impressed with the team thats there. And i would urge people to actually talk to him. He was so excited about being part of the team. He was available to as many reporters as he could take. We gave out his contact information. And hes been very clear, he wrote a letter to the president prior to, fist thing tuesday morning. He was in the uae, and he sent the letter over where he said because of family concerns, because of some financial constraints having served this nation for 40 years, i cant take this j but im unbelievably impressed. All of the rumors about, you know, the discretion that he would have over staff or any other thing were 100 false. Hes made it clear that he would love to serve in the future, that he was impressed with the team, that he wanted to do this. There were just some constraints financially and family wise that come with or after having served 40 years in the military and some sacrifices both financially and family wise that he had had to make. But, you know, ive talked to him several times and the team has talked toc him. But ultimately, the president was very, very impressed with general mcmaster. Hed always been one of the individuals that he was, thought stood above so many other folk. He was impressed with the spire list. Entire list, john bolton and others. But he, so many people had spoken to him, general mattis, tom cotton, other senators really praised general mcmasters command of the issues, his management, his style, his understanding of the geopolitical landscape. And i think thats why you saw such amazing, widespread, bipartisan praise for him and why he will be such an asset to the National Security team. So ultimately, we ended up with the best choice. And i think thats going to benefit not just in administration, but our this administration, but our entire nation. Anybody else on the top any senior people im sorry . We expect he may replace do i cant be any clearer. I think we have got an amazing team, hes been impressed with them, but the president did, as witther candates, told them he would have the discrion. Jeff . Thank you very much. [lghter] sort of following on that, you said he has the full authority to structure his office as he sees fit. Does that extend to the Principles Committee as well . After he comes in and takes a look at the apparatus, if he advised the president he would prefer not to have the chief strategist as a member of the Principals Committee the president has made clear to him, as i said, hes got full authority to structure the National Security team the way he wants. Obviously, its Something Like that, he would come to the president and make that recommendation. But the president would take that under high, you know, serious consideration. I dont want to go ahead with this person or that person or structure, but the president made it very clear with him and the other candidates that they had 100 control and authority over 100 control and authority over the National Security committee. Thank you, guys, ill see you tomorrow. [inaudible] thank you. He will stay on active duty. [inaudible] no, he will stay on active duty. That was the case with powell and some other folks just before you go, so when the new e. O. Comes up, you wont rescind the original one and leave it in place . Thats correct. Are you cheryl last word or to john roberts of fox news channel. That was White House Press secretary sean spicer, the first News Conference after a long weekend. A lot of ground was covered, in particular the issue of immigration. We got today more details, of course, on the dhs implementation of the executive rder on Border Security, immigrati enforcement, basically, more detas given now to the American People and to the press and the White House Press corps exactly what this iming gration order is going to look like. Lets go through a few things that i think were, actually, very important. Hello, everybody, im cheryl casone, no, i am not trish regan. Basically, a couple things came out of this press conference. First, john roberts at the end of the press conference asked him would the new executive order that the president s going to be writing, would that actually stand legal muster . Course, was the First Executive order that the president unveiled with regards to immigration and visas that caused some would say chaos at airports across the country and that he asked in addition to that what that would mean for the second or the second executive order. Sean spicer, he just got it at the end as well saying, look, were going to continue to fight on both fronts. Were going to continue the court fight on the lower courts when it comes to the First Executive order, but on the second side, were going to write up a new executive order on immigration. A lot of questions as well in particular be, blake burman asked this, about some of the future plans, tax reform. Many americans are waiting to hear more and many investors are waiting to hear more about tax reform. The dow ticked up just a little bit when blake asked that question about tax reform, in particular a lot of these manufacturing ceos that are going to be coming to the white house on thursday. We believe its the same group that wrote a letter to the white house saying we need more clarity, in particular, on a proposed border tax. The dow ticked up. We were higher by about 85 points, now were up 104 points as well. So, again, blake burman who now joins me from the white house that was in the press briefing room, so many issues were covered, blake, but investors really wanted to hear about when were going to get that tax proposal. Correct me if im wrong, he said within the next couple of weeks. Repoer yes. And thats been the position of the president and the white house here for a little bit of time already, that they will put this tax reform package out at some point in the next few weeks, the timeline that we are being led to believe is that this will be this early march. And so that led to my question, cheryl, about one of the central issues about this, the border adjustment tax, whether or not it will be in or if it will be out. Up on capitol hill, House Republicans are pushing for it. Senate republicans, many of them, are saying it is dead on arrival. Lindsey graham the other day said it cant get ten votes in the senate. When push comes to shove, will it be in, will it be out . The president said earlier this year, in january, he said it was, quote too complicated. So that led to my question to sean spicer, the White House Press secretary, has the president changed his hind in any way . Does he feel that way, and does the white house have a preference on whether it is if in or out . He was not going to get ahead of anything, which was kind of the feeling that weve been getting here at the white house, cheryl, in terms of the border adjustment tax. What ive been told here is that all options are on the table, and spicer pretty much reiterated that earlier today. Cheryl also asked about the fiscal plan when it comes to the border wall along with the details we got from dhs today, we see theyre targeting specific cities; el paso, texas, tucson, arizona. To, quoteunquote, build that wall. But one of the reporters saying wheres the funding going to come from . Reporter right. Cheryl there seems to be a push and pull between how much local, state authorities and how much federal funding is going do go into this, and also do you get the National Guard involved in all of this, andc where does tt funding come from . I think that goes back, blake, to your issue, your question on tax reform. Where are we going to get the money for the wall . Right. And depending on who you listen to, the wall could cost anywhere from 610 billion or at least double or triple that. The funding question was a very good one, cheryl, earlier today because you basically what the dhs memos lay out is a spending spree. From the immigrations and Customs Enforcement and customs and Border Patrol, 15,000 agents at the very beginning. Thats at least what theyre putting into this. And then on the judicial side of things, the judges that will need to be involved to handle a lot of these cases. So the question was whos going to pay for this. And spicer said some of this might have to be done at the congressional level, some of this through allocations, maybe moving money around and so forth. But that is most certainly one of the questions surrounding the new guidelines here put out by dhs earlier today. Cheryl blake burman, dow up 108 points, of course, talking about tax reform and funding for that wall. Blake, thank you very much. Live for us at the white house, just walking out from sean spicers First White House briefing after the holiday. I want to bring in former spokeswoman for president george w. Bush and Fox News Contributor Mercedes Schlapp are, American University executive in residence capri cafaro and the host of media buzz on the fox news channel, howie kurtz. Howie, ive got to ask you this. What i loved was when he opened up the press conference, and he said, hey, guys, dida miss me . [laughter] again, some of the first questions were about this thing, you know, bill maher saying that the president had been discussing classified information in front of guests at maralago. I mean, sean spicer turned it around, but thats where we began. The press is not letting up on their attacks of President Trump. Thats true, but i thought while it was a very contentious News Conference, that the temperature has kind of been dialed down a little bit on both sides. I think sean spicers becoming more confident in the role of White House Press secretary. I think the reporters, while certainly asking a lot of aggressive questions or not, are not harassing him in the way of some of the earlier sessions. What really struck me, here we have a day in which the president goes to the africanamerican history museum, makes very forceful comments denouncing antisemitism, and several of the questions from an nbc reporter and others were, well, is he comfortable talking about that . Why didnt he do that sooner . Talk about not being able to please people even when the president does speak out on this topic. Cheryl a lot of varied questions, mercedes, besides the immigration issue that i was talking about with blake burman, antisemitism from the white house. This is something that has really just erupted for the white house in the last 4 hours. You had 24 hours. You had yesterday several threats against jewish communities throughout the country, and then you had ivanka trump herself tweeting out saying in defense of the Jewish Community. Now President Trump, whos always aligned himself with the Israeli Community and Benjamin Netanyahu he was just here on a visit is now defending himself and steve bannon theyre potentially against the Israeli Community. What do you make of what weve seen erupt in that . I cant believe thats even a discussion were having right now. Press keeps asking questions as to why he has President Trump hasnt addressed this issue before about being an antisemitic. Or being supportive of the Jewish Community. Its been very clear from President Trump even during the time of the campaign that he sits strong with israel, that Jewish Community. Obviously, its personal for that family knowing that his soninlaw, jared, is an orthodox jew as well as his daughter ivanka. So i really feel that its very unfortunate that we keep having to discuss this issue and that the medias actually even bringing it up as something where President Trump feels very strongly about it. Cheryl i want to play you the sound bite, because donald trump actually cameut in defense of himself. I want youys to listen to this and, capri, i want you to respond. Donald trump responded to those antisemitic attacks. Listen. Antisemitic threats targeting our Jewish Community ands are horrible and are painful and be a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil. Cheryl in a weird twist of all of this, he made those comments after Hillary Clinton, in a rare tweet against the president , frankly, said that, you know, basically, we must have potus must be speaking up, and theres the tweet. Jcc threats, online attacks so troubling and they need to be stopped. Everyone needs to speak out, starting with potus. He made that about one hour later, do you think that was in response to her . Who knows . Because this has been an issue over the last few days, because there had been an uptick in, you know, aggression, you know, for example, vandalization of a Jewish Cemetery and things of that nature, increased security at community centers, this is an issue thats been percolating, and i would anticipate that President Trump was probably trying to respond not necessarily to Hillary Clinton, but the fact that people are saying, you know, you need to be more forceful, you need to speak out. It wasnt just Hillary Clinton. Now, he has said what he needs to say. I think that what he said in the earlier remarks at the africanamerican museum were spot on. Yes, there is criticism that, you know, maybe it was too late. I say lets move on, and lets see how he conducts himself going forward. Because, you know, continuing to just pick at the scab isnt going to solve any problems, you know . Now hes said what he needs to say, now lets look at, you know, the actions that he will make not just in regards to the Jewish Community, but to the muslim community, the immigrant community, you know, and the diverse population that we have here in the United States. Cheryl how is he going to work with all of these groups and, howie, were obviously thinking about that now. How is he going to work with the press but also the Global Community that seems to be attacking him right now. Thank you so much, i dont have a lot of time, thank you for joining me. Appreciate it, guys. All right, intelligencec repo will be right back. Cheryl well, weve got some more breaking news for you right now. Rightwing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos will resign as an editor for breitbart news, that news is according to our own charlie gasparino. He is expected to hold a News Conference at the top of the hour. Hes facing heavy criticism over his comments about relations between boys and older men. That breaking news from charlie gasparino. Weve had a lot of breaking news in this hour, in particular this morning. Want to tell you about what happened. The department of Homeland Security announced a new wave of Border Security and immigration measures. That order addresses many of President Trumps original Campaign Promises including that wall. I want to bring in fox news strategic analyst Lieutenant Colonel ralph peters. Hi, cheryl. Cheryl hi. A lot of talk about that wall, thfunding of the wall, getting Additional Border agents on the ground, some 15,000. Will that be enough to secure the border, or is this just the beginning, do you think . Were looking at this plan again, 10,000 i. C. E. Agents, 5,000cbp agents as well. Is this enough . Well, well find out. But certainly, its going to take time. You cant snap your fingers and have 15,000 new agents for two agencies, because youve got to make sure you recruit people of quality, smart but levelheaded, physically strong enough, fit. So theres that problem. The wall, the wall is largely a psychological measure, to me, and a symbol. What really matters and having read the memos is that it really embraces, in a common sense way, that even centrist americans can get behind. It addresses the issue of truly Illegal Immigrants, those who not only violated our laws to come here, fine. Well, done. But those who, once here, abused our hospitality by committing felonies, other violent crimes, theft, ganglandrelated crimes or defrauding the federal government. And so its preposterous for those on the left to say, well, we need to give them a pass. Cheryl, you and i wouldnt get a pass if we defrauded the federal government to get benefits we didnt deserve. So i just see this as a series of very sensible measures that take into account the humanity of the people who are here. But were just saying if once youre here, if you break our laws, if you commit vicious crimes on our soil, youre going to go. Cheryl right. Now, whats wrong with that . Cheryl thats exactly what President Trump and sean spicer reiterated today. Colonel, we had to keep it brief for time, thank you. Thanks. Cheryl intelligence report, more after the break. So when sean spicer took to the briefing room, now were up 136, one of the questions asked by blame burman was are we going to see tax reform . Sean spicer said yes. Lets give it to ainsley Ashley Webster. Ainsley Ashley Webster thats my new name. Thank you very much. Was it A Sean Spicer bounce . A holiday high for the markets. Wall street celebrating the start of a short week with new record highs. The dow, nasdaq, and s p 500 all looking at new records as, yes, the trump rally resumes in the meantime, President Trump also flexing his muscles, delivering Campaign Promises on immigration with sweeping new guidelines to crack down on illegal immigration and Border Security. That does include Broader Authority for Border Patrol and ice agents to detain People Living in the country illegally