The First 100 Days Cabinet Report

I listened to the Cabinet meeting celebrating the first 100 days of this administration. And I felt like that was worth preserving. If only those people I know who are so worried about the chaos, and feel like they just can’t take four years of it—if they could listen in to the calm, reassuring, action-oriented, capable people surrounding our very action-oriented President, they would wonder what chaos it was they were worrying about. To those of us aware of the chaos of the past four years, a meeting like this is so soothing to the soul. One thing you can notice is that there is a total lack of authoritarian dictatorship; it is about rule of law, common sense, the Constitution, and returning power to the people.

Vice President JD Vance addresses the President at the 100-day Cabinet Meeting,
Robert Gouveia in corner of screen, screenshot from here

I listened to it on Robert Gouveia’s podcast, and I think the meeting was underway by the time he joined us in. I believe we missed Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, going by the lineup starting to the left of the President. We joined the livestream in the last few seconds of Department of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins.

Each of them was mostly going through a list of accomplishments from those first 100 days, and I thought maybe I’d just go through it and bullet point those accomplishments. It is yet another time I think something will be simpler and quicker than it is. This was about an hour and a quarter (like I said, it was underway, and also I don’t include President Trump’s comments after going around the table). Each one took from 3-5 minutes, maybe a couple were longer.

I used the online transcript as a starting point at least. But what I did is still longer and more detailed than I intended. They don’t exactly talk in bullet points, but I still wanted to capture what they said.

So, read, or skim, or scroll to what interests you. But at least this is here for a record so we can look back on what this historic first 100 days entailed. I’ve included the time stamps for each one’s starting point. I started out just writing bullet points, but later got in a rhythm of just notetaking, mostly using full sentences, and mostly their own words. The list of cabinet members is on Wikipedia with links to their photos.

 

Department of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins [1:53]

·        Hospitals getting workforce they need.

·        Suicidality down.

·        Sec Def helped transition them out of military.

 

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer  [2:15]

·        Reordering of global trade, as it hasn’t happened since the end of WWII.

·        Global tariffs, no retaliation except China.

·        Dozens of countries have come to negotiate, including written offers.

 

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (within the day was removed from that position and made Ambassador to the UN) [3:50]  

·        Over 40 Americans being held hostage have come home.

·        Many terrorists no longer threatening our homeland.

o   Including person responsible for Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 (prosecution underway).

o   Pulling together many agencies as a team.

·        Revitalizing shipyards, Cyber, Space.

 

CIA Director John Ratcliffe [5:40]

·        President’s priorities:

o   advance peace.

o   end war.

o   take terrorists off the battlefield.

o   keep illicit drugs out.

·        Profound positive impact (can’t be detailed publicly).

o   Americans safer.

·        CIA provided intelligence that led to apprehension of Abbey Gate bomber.

·        Negotiated and secured release of Americans: Mark Fogle, Cassinia Karolina.

o   President forgets about no Americans being held unfairly and unjustly.

·        Reorient CIA to core mission; eliminate politicization.

 

Director of Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought  [7:30]

·        Involved in budget bills, President’s priorities are reflected in reconciliation.

o   Work of entire cabinet on budget.

·        Sending rescission bills on things Elon (DOGE) has found.

·        Deregulatory Agenda goal: ten removed for every one regulation added.

·        Stopped $200 Billion costs to American families by stopping Biden regulatory agenda.

o   $2000 per family.

·        We think, if we hit 10:1 goal, we’ll hit $900 Billion in savings.

·        Example story: Barry Sterner, Townstone, accused of redlining and disparate impact; ruined his life; we overturned.

o   Agencies are using their enforcement discretion, with backing of President.

President comments: the one Big Beautiful Bill, John has been amazing, and Mike Johnson. Would mean a 58% tax hike if Democrats block it, and other bad things. If successful, will be the biggest tax cut in American history.

·        Doing great on the bill—making a ton of progress.

o   Your stuff is in there.

o   Border resources.

o   Tax cuts the President ran on.

o   Get people back into the workforce.

 

Chief of Staff Susie Wiles  [11:25]

·        Unparalleled congratulations to everyone.

·        It hasn’t gone unnoticed.

 

HUD Secretary Scott Turner  [12:30]

·        Cutting red tape and bureaucracy.

·        Restoring local control for builders and developers.

·        Took down the affirmatively furthering fair housing rule—

o   zone tax from Washington.

o   Washington is no longer picking winners and losers.

·        No more prioritizing illegal aliens over the American people.

o   HUD funding goes only to citizens.

o   We have 9 million people living in subsidized housing.

o   59% of illegal aliens get some form of welfare program—costing US taxpayers $42 B/year—reason for making this change to citizens only.

·        To make more affordable housing, have signed partnership with Secretary Bergam at DOI to use underutilized federal lands on which to build affordable housing.

·        Have restored biological truth in sports.

o   Took down the equal access rule at HUD to ensure that women’s shelters will be for biological women only.

·        With help of DOGE, have identified over $2B in savings.

o   $260M of that was in contracts now ended.

o   $4M was DEI contracts now ended.

o   $1.9B has been sent back to Treasury.

 

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins  [15:30]

·        Price of eggs is down.

·        Have been focused on cost of groceries—significant decrease.

·        Massive issue with Mexico on water getting to farmers along the border for decades.

o   Thanks to President’s involvement, and Secretary Rubio’s Deputy Secretary, we have the best deal in history on that issue.

·        Energy: with Secretary Bergam and his partner Secretary Wright, Agriculture is a big piece:

o   Timber, minerals, biofuels.

·        Farmers were hurting under Biden 30% increase in cost of doing business.

o   At end of Trump’s first term, we had zero dollar trade deficit with agricultural products.

o   Biden caused a $50B deficit—didn’t make an effort.

o   Congress passed $10B for farmers.

o   USDA moved it fastest in history, so farmers could plant their crops.

o   Recipients not based on color of skin or other ways.

·        Canceled $6B in contracts based on DOGE recommendations.

o   A lot were DEI-related studies.

o   No more racism in pest management.

·        Major restructuring at USDA—downsizing and putting aligning to put farmers first.

·        Food Stamps—largest welfare program and supplemental nutrition.

o   Working with Secretary Kennedy (HHS).

o   Assuring that Food Stamp recipients receive access to nutritious foods, where we’re facing and obesity crisis and chronic disease crisis.

·        Working with Secretary Noem to end lawfare against farmers and ranchers.

o   Example: Maude family, ranchers in South Dakota, prosecuted and threatened with jail time by Biden administration over a dispute over a fence line (in place since 1910)—all charges now dropped.

§  Thanks to DOJ for dropping charges.

o   Regulation through prosecution is no more.

 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent  [21:00]

·        First 100 days were for peace deals, trade deals, and tax deals.

·        Next 100 days will be for harvesting results of leadership.

o   Energy costs have plummeted.

o   Mortgage rates are down.

o   Food costs are moving lower.

·        America is on the verge of becoming an AI superpower.

·        We were barbelled: high-tech and finance on one end, natural resources and particularly energy on the other.

o   You are filling in the middle with precision manufacturing.

o   We’ll be bringing that manufacturing back with good trade policies and good tax policies.

·        DOGE at Treasury and the IRS, tech support and efficiency have increased.

o   IRS revenues are up.

o   The IT update that began in 1990 will be finished during this term.

·        Trade, taxes, and deregulation—the One Big Beautiful Bill.

o   Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune have done a great job, with President as closer on many of their members.

·        Economic security is national security; national security is economic security. And it’s never been better—we’re rebuilding it.

·        At IMF and World Bank conferences last week—America First does not mean America alone.

o   Under Trump it means leadership.

 

Vice President JD Vance  [23:15]

·        In his 40 years of life, we went from world’s manufacturing superpower to dependent on China for things we need.

·        We went from the proudest military in the world to not meeting our recruiting goals.

o   With President and Secretary of Defense Hegseth, we have people breaking down the doors to join the military.

·        We went from bipartisan consensus on border policy to allowing 20 million to enter illegally and run roughshod, causing crime, stressing the welfare system.

·        In these 100 days we have started to reverse every one of these negative trends.

·        The media attacks this administration as chaotic because they are solving problems.

·        President is actually doing the things he promised the American people he would do.

·        Vance calls out the media for instead covering the legal deportation of an MS-13 gang member.

o   Media hasn’t yet learned the lessons of the last 40 years.

 

Department of Justice, Attorney General Pam Bondi  [26:13]

·        Directive: Make America safe.

·        Defending over 200 lawsuits filed against the President, over 50 injunctions, multiple cases in front of the Supreme Court.

·        Also representing everyone in this room to prevent US Marshalls from arresting you.

·        Yesterday, DEA told her President has removed handcuffs from their agents.

·        Have seized more that 22 million fentanyl pills, 3,400 kilos of fentanyl in this 100 days.

o   Saving 258 million lives of those who think they’re taking Tylenol, Aderall, or Xanax that is laced with fentanyl.

·        14,500 guns off the streets; 651,000 rounds of ammo.

o   That’s up 151% from 2024.

·        Now seeking the death penalty in cases.

·        Terrorism: going after arsonists.

o   Tesla arsonists—have arrested 9 in 7 jurisdictions.

o   No negotiations; 20 years in prison.

o   Also arsonists of Governor’s mansion in PA.

o   ISIS terrorists: we got one in New York.

o   October 7 task force.

·        Broke up human trafficking ring by Sinaloa cartel.

·        1,000 pounds of methamphetamines, and 20,000 molly pills.

o   Choice of young people at clubs and bars, but fake with fentanyl.

o   20,000 lives saved.

·        Brought back 29 cartel members from Mexico at President’s direction.

o   One killed Kiki Camareno, a DEA agent, in 1985.

o   Thanks to many in this room working together, the families have justice.

·        Going after antisemitism.

·        No more DEI; no more weaponization.

o   Have rescinded 200 policies.

 

Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer  [30:01]

·        Good collaboration among cabinet members, agency heads; in contact daily.

o   Example: yesterday speaking to Farm Bureau of Texas; I’m not the Ag Secretary, but it affects labor.

·        Working with Secretaries Lutnick and McMahon on education and workforce investments, as asked.

o   Having negotiated repatriation of companies and investments, we will need workforce to build back the economy.

·        Have kicked off 50-state tour by end of the year; five states toured so far.

o   Talking to workforce, talking to companies about what the market demand it.

o   What do they need, when do they need it, and how fast can I get these apprenticeships.

o   Lofty goal of 1 million apprenticeships; so far 80,000 since January.

·        Illegal immigration: have put states on notice that if they reward illegal immigrants with unemployment benefits as a handout, they lose federal funding.

o   All 50 governors have been warned.

·        Eliminated discriminatory DEI offices.

o   Especially office of Federal Contract Compliance programs;

o   most contracts were focused on DEI compliance.

·        $4.4 Billion in unspent COVID funds returned to the Treasury through the CARES Act.

·        Saved $250 Million by cancelling America-last contracts.

o   Examples: for transparency and accountability for Uzbekistan cotton industry.

o   Thanks to DOGE for uncovering the fraud that we’re seeing.

·        Executive order for preparing Americans for high-paying skilled trade jobs of the future.

·        Efficiency continues: out of our department’s 14,000 federal employees, 3,000 have taken the DRP.

o   We offered it again; over 21% have taken it.

o   We’ll keep our critical workforce (including OSHA) to make sure our workers stay safe.

 

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright  [33:46]

·        You ran on unleashing American energy. 100 days have shown tremendous impacts.

·        Oil, gasoline, and diesel prices are lowest in years.

o   Because of messaging that we’re pro-energy.

o   Market understands that supply is easier to grow.

·        Besides more affordable energy, we need a lot more energy.

o   For AI, a new emerging critical industry that’s very energy intensive.

o   America must be leader in AI.

o   Without this administration, energy would not be there for us to win AI race.

·        Reshoring of manufacturing—trillions of dollars will come back to us to make chips, steel, automobiles, and to make AI—all industries we had outsourced.

o   Only possible with way more American energy.

o   We have resources and capitalists; we need to stop standing in the way.

o   Enable them, not subsidize them, to enable them to invest American money and to create American jobs here.

·        Balance in trade—second largest export is liquified natural gas.

o   In a few years it will be our largest export.

o   18 months ago Biden administration decided to stop issuing permits for LNG terminals.

o   LNG is a great competitive advantage, huge trade driver, ready to go.

o   Poland (just returned from) thrilled America is back in business, and rest of Europe can get off of Russian energy—can enable their own economic growth with secure, reliable, affordable energy from the US.

·        Witnessed signing ceremony for a deal between two American companies to build large nuclear power plant in Poland, first of this design in Europe.

o   First of many; other nations want to get American technology and partner with us.

o   Message to them: unleashing energy is the way to make your society safer, more prosperous, and more free.

o   Climate alarmism doesn’t do anything to help environment, but it does impoverish people and reduce security of nation, and makes nation weaker.

·        Unleashing consumer products that Americans want to buy that Biden was making illegal

o   Example from Georgia: tankless natural gas water heaters.

o   Return of common sense is incredibly welcome.

·        With help of DOGE, we’re going to deliver all of this with less people, less money, less taxpayer burden.

o   Not smaller departments and smaller services; better, more thoughtful services done more efficiently—the way you’d run a business with fiscal house in order.

 

Homeland Security Kristi Noem  [38:00]

·        Border is 99.99% safe, under control.

o   Completely reversed the situation.

o   Border Patrol agents in El Paso (told her yesterday) are completely impacted by how things changed in a year—put up comparative photos of chaos and violence now quelled.

o   Peaceful; people who do business between US and Mexico are coming, following the law—because of what Border Patrol has been empowered to do.

·        Recruitment is through the roof.

o   ICE agents recognize they can do their job.

o   Coast Guard recruitment up 20% in the last 60 days.

o   Coast Guard repositioned to focus on border and drug interdiction.

o   As we’ve secured the border, cartels have gone to the water.

o   Coast Guard in last two months has taken into custody over 126 tons of cocaine, millions of doses of fentanyl.

·        Aliens being deported.

o   Refuting the lie that Biden deported more people—they counted everyone processed and let into the country as a deportation.

o   Trump administration has deported over 250 known terrorists, thousands of foreign terrorist organization members and gang members, hundreds of thousands of people here illegally.

·        Have collected $30 Billion in tariffs through CBP.

·        Have collected hundreds of millions in fines and penalties from visa overstays.

·        Thank Pete Hegseth’s leadership at DoD and Marco Rubio for diplomacy in getting us travel documents into these countries.

o   Mexico has come to the table, will accept a lot more people we send back to that country.

o   President of Mexico said she turned around over half a million people in Mexico before they reached our border.

§  We should be able to count those as additional deportations; they would have otherwise come into our country.

§  People never came here because they got the message.

·        And Tom Homan’s a great border czar; he’s hardcore.

 

Small Business Administration Kelly Loeffler  [41:30]

·        34 million small businesses make up 99% of all businesses in this nation.

·        Main Street is open for business again; they’re thriving.

·        We’re putting out a record 26,000 new loans in first 100 days.

o   That’s 2,000 small businesses a week receiving funding.

·        That investment creates two our of every three new jobs.

·        The jobs economy is back; manufacturing is back.

o   38% increase in manufacturing loans so far.

o   1,500 manufacturing loans in first 100 days.

·        Startups increased by 54% in first 100 days.

·        Businesses under 5 people increased 95%.

·        On a manufacturing tour; have met with 250 manufacturers.

o   On factory floor, people thank you for fighting for their jobs and industries.

o   Pharmaceuticals to aerospace to food—all the essentials American needs to be independent and strong.

·        Announcing tomorrow (May 1) that we’re upsizing our manufacturing loans to make sure that economic engine continues.

o   Because 98% of all manufacturers are small businesses.

o   It’s not the intersection of technology and manufacturing.

o   What they can create for our war fighters, for our aerospace, for pharmaceuticals with less than 300-500 employees, sometimes less than 100 employees.

§  Example from Georgia: machines Iron Dome defense for Israel with less than 50 employees.

·        Thank Elon Musk, DOGE, for $3 Billion in cuts from contracts; that’s $3 Billion less burden on American families.

Cabinet Meeting view from end of table, from Elon Musk's point of view,
Robert Gouveia in corner of screen, screenshot from here

 

DOGE Elon Musk [44:30]

·        The American people voted for secure borders, safe cities, and sensible spending; that’s what they’ve gotten.

·        In first 100 days, more accomplished than in any administration.

o   This portends well for the rest of the administration.

·        $150 Billion saved so far.

o   (President adds) a lot being worked on; that number could be doubled or tripled.

 

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard [46:30]

·        Focused leadership on delivering the mandate to the American people.

o   Cabinet has been empowered to deliver that mandate.

·        Ending weaponization and politicization of the intelligence community.

·        Building a lean and agile intelligence community to deliver promise of safety to the American people—safety, security, and freedom.

·        Because of designation of cartels as terrorist organizations have prioritized National Counterterrorism Center to focus on terrorists and gang members attempting to enter the country through both legal and illegal means, and to seek out those already here.

o   Working with AG’s team at DEA to get these in our system, to stop them at the border.

o   Turning names over to Department of Homeland Security and FBI to find those already here in our country.

o   The other day found 700 illegal aliens who had ties to MS-13, Tren de Aragua, and the Sinaloa cartel.

o   Just yesterday our NCTC identified 600 with ties to other terrorists that illegally claimed asylum under Biden administration were paroled here within our borders.

·        Like too many government organizations, the ODNI has become bloated with waste and abuse.

o   Have done some immediate steps. We’re doing more.

o   Already the ODNI is 25% smaller and leaner than when she began in office.

o   We shut down the DEI Office as soon as given the order.

§  We have shut down (this morning) a Human Capital Office.

§  We discovered this was a slush fund for DEI initiatives.

§  Will save $150 Million.

o   We have an additional $2.6 Billion in savings from ending contracts that do nothing to secure our national security interests.

·        Holding Deep State accountable, ending politicization and weaponization of the intelligence community.

o   This week sent 3 criminal referrals for illegal and unauthorized leaks to the media of classified information.

o   We have 11 more under investigation.

o   We have revoked 67 security clearances, at President’s directive.

o   We continue to declassify documents—already JFK assassination, more coming for RFK, and MLK assassinations.

o   Continue investigations into election interference, illegal abuses of FISA, Crossfire Hurricane, and others.

·        Bringing about the transparency and accountability the American people deserve.

 

Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin  [50:30]

·        Under Biden’s EPA, the Green New Deal was raging.

o   Billions of tax dollars were burned; we saw industries suffocate.

·        Under Trump’s EPA, the Green New Deal is dead.

o   We can both protect the environment and grow the economy.

·        13 pages listing accomplishments of first 100 days, including 100 environmental accomplishments at the Trump EPA.

o   Released to the media this morning (April 30).

·        Every day Trump is in office there will be a major environmental accomplishment.

·        We’re launching what is the largest deregulation action in history of the country.

o   We’re going to be giving our Director of the OMB a whole lot of work, because we inherited a big mess.

·        With help of DOGE we have cancelled $22 Billion in grants.

·        While we’re here celebrating, the House is voting on Congressional Review Act bills.

o   Considering EPA waivers given to California tailpipe emissions, where CA set their own standard; there should be one national standard, which House is voting on today.

·        Personal note: today is last day he serves in US Army. In 27 years, this is the best national security team ever assembled to back our soldiers.

o   And President deeply committed to ending foreign wars instead of starting new ones.

 

Department of Education Linda McMahon [54:00]

·        Have never worked so hard to fire myself.

·        Department of Education now 50% fewer through our RIP program.

o   Have closed a lot of district offices, consolidated..

o   Fewer working more efficiently

·        Meeting with commissioners of education from every state and territories.

o   They are thrilled to have more control over their education, and less red tape and regulation preventing them from making improvements.

·        We’ll see test scores go up—it will take a bit of time.

·        In higher education, we have restored proper enforcement of Title IX protections to schools.

o   Example: Columbia and other universities had Title IX and Title VI infractions—enforcements moving along; they’re making changes, making campuses safer again.

·        Antisemitism was out of control; we’re correcting that.

o   Example: Harvard, you removed funding. They’re suing, claiming it’s a First Amendment right, but it’s a civil rights safety issue.

o   117 violations of big universities like Harvard, not reporting foreign money as required by law.

§  Until they comply, they’re not getting any more grants from Homeland Security.

·        With Pam Bondi’s help, and task force we’ve formed with HHS and GSA and other agencies, we’ll make sure our campuses are safe.

·        We’re putting back into place collecting on delinquent student loans.

o   Since March 2020 there has been no effort to collect these loans.

o   On May 5 a letter goes out informing people that collection is beginning again; they can go online to learn how to restructure payments.

o   When in default they can’t buy a house or get a car loan, so it’s helpful to them as well.

o   There’s been a $60 Billion increase in student loan debt since 2020; in total we have almost $1.7 Trillion in student loan debt.

o   Appreciate help of Scott Bessent (Treasury).

·        As she’s firing herself, she would like President to be known as the Education. President because of the best practices systems that we want to put in every state to incorporate AI.

o   Training entrepreneurs and business leaders—we need infrastructure in place.

o   Elevate education so every student has access to excellent education.

 

Health & Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr  [59:40]

·        Over past 100 days we are already making America healthy again.

·        Last week we announced a ban on 9 petroleum based synthetic food dyes.

·        Within two months we’re going to ban the worst two of them.

·        Working with Secretary Rollins on dietary guidelines.

o   Biden administration gave us 453 pages of unreadable of the same politicized science that put Fruit Loops at the top of the food pyramid.

o   We’re using real science, gold standard science.

o   We have until this summer to do it—we have until December to do it, but we are working very fast to get it done by end of summer.

§  In time to drive dramatic changes in school lunch programs over the next school year.

·        Also working with Secretary Rollins on SNAP.

o   Take sodas and candy off the food stamp program; 10% of food stamps go to SNAP.

·        Thanks that President is both business friendly and willing to stand up to powerful businesses.

o   Soda industry person tried claiming SNAP wasn’t supposed to be about nutrition, when confronted with lack of nutrition in sodas. Response was “SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition.”

·        38% of our kids are diabetic or pre-diabetic.

o   We’ve been paying at both ends: for food-like substances that make them diabetic, and then for medical treatments.

o   We’re going bankrupt pay a trillion dollars a year for metabolic dysfunction.

·        In last two weeks have visited Arizona, Utah, West Virginia, and Indiana—all have applied for SNAP waivers—thanks to Brooke Rollins, they’ve applied.

·        Supplemental fluoride: Utah is first state to ban supplemental fluoride.

o   Yesterday Florida passed ban on supplemental fluoride.

o   Working with Governor DiSantis to help change federal fluoride regulations.

o   We’re looking at the science now.

§  In August the National Toxicity Program, an arm of NIH, did a meta review of all science on fluoride and found a direct inverse correlation between fluoride exposure and low IQ in children; the more you get, the stupider you are.

§  We need smart and healthy kids in this country; we’re going to get there.

·        We’re reviewing standards: we have 10,000 ingredients in our foods; Europeans only have 400 ingredients. These are chemicals we know nothing about.

o   We’re going to stop that process and make companies either get rid of them or label them.

·        We’ve launched Operation Stork Speed for infants, to ensure we have high-quality milk for children.

·        We have launched the autism study, at President’s direction.

o   By September we’ll have some of the first answers.

o   Within 6 months after that we should have definitive answer on autism.

o   We should also know about the etiology of a whole array of autoimmune diseases that are epidemic in our children.

·        We have ended HHS as the principal vector in this country for child trafficking and sex slavery.

o   During the Biden administration, HHS became a collaborator in child trafficking and sex slavery.

o   We have ended that and are very aggressively trying to find 300,000 children lost by the Biden administration.

·        We have ended funding to gender mutilation surgeries and other gender dysphoria practices.

·        Thanks to Elon Musk and DOGE, we have saved $67 Billion at our agency without compromising any critical programs.

·        100 busiest days of my life, and most exciting and rewarding. Next 100 days we’re going to do much more.

 

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum  [1:05:30]

·        President declared national energy emergency; this was essential because it signaled a 180-degree change from dangerous Biden administration policies.

o   Those policies were based on climate ideology.

o   They were the root cause of inflation in this country and wars abroad, and manufacturing disappearing from our country.

o   Without energy security, we can’t have national security.

·        Because of that declaration and dozens of executive orders, America is back in the energy business.

o   Signal has been sent around the world. Capital is flowing in; smart money is coming to this country.

·        You’ve given us a chance to win the AI arms race against China.

o   China, a formidable competitor, opened up 94 gigawatts of coal in the last year.

§  More than California and New York combined.

·        We’ve had past administrations (Biden) that were running away under this climate ideology; this President has embraced base load power in this country.

o   Stood in the East Room with the President, surrounded by coal miners, and President called it “Big Beautiful Coal.”

o   Coal resources just on public lands estimated at $8 Trillion; that was all going to be taken off the balance sheet by Biden; now we’re back in the business.

§  He was recently 1800 feet underground in an Alabama metallurgical coal mine—needed to produce steel; this would have been a mining operation shut down under Biden.

·        We’re doing leasing public lands appropriately and by law.

o   for oil & gas,

o   for timber with Brooke Rollins,

o   we’re leasing for grazing,

o   for critical minerals.

o   We’re bringing in revenue and jobs.

·        We’re treating our natural resources like the American balance sheet they are; America’s resources are the 700 million acres of surface that’s public, and 700 million of subsurface, and 2.5 billion offshore.

o   They contain all we need to have self-sufficient supply chains.

·        We’re focused deeply on critical minerals.

o   The Biden administration put us in a real predicament.

o   Of the top 20 critical and rare earth minerals we need for defense and industry, China’s controlling 86% of the refining for that.

o   So we are running at warp speed to put us back in business.

·        The border: 41% of the southern border is in the Department of the Interior.

o   We’ve got a few more percent with Brooke Rollins with timber and the forest service.

o   That has been a risk area. Biden wasn’t enforcing the border, and certainly not of public lands.

·        In 1907 Roosevelt created the Roosevelt Reservation, a 60-foot strip that goes from Texas to the Pacific Ocean, because he wanted to thwart smuggling.

o   We have human trafficking and fentanyl trafficking.

o   This mostly unused authority has been given to us to transfer.

o   So we are transferring authority to work with Kristi Noem and Pete Hegseth, so they can detain and assist with the military.

o   He can confirm that enthusiasm and morale at the border are 100% opposite of when he and Kristi went down to the border as governors.

o   People say please thank President Trump.

·        Last week we renamed a US wildlife refuge on the Pacific coast in honor of Jocelyn Nungare, who lost her life to illegal Venezuelan gang members.

o   Her mother, Alexis, and grandmother and great-grandmother were at the ceremony, and they say thank you.

o   We’re saying every 12-year-old child in America should be safe in their own communities.

·        Appreciate the President’s fearlessness to take on issues other presidents would not touch.

o   Streamlining and right-sizing government.

o   Taking on issues at the border.

o   Embracing the power we need to win the Ans (?? Possibly AI or arms) race.

o   All of us can sprint, because the President is running ahead.

 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio  [1:12:00]

·        First, this team. The President deserves credit for assembling this great team—talented individuals that work well together.

·        Second, action.

o   Past presidents would say we need to do something, and then would do a study, and a study on the study. By the time they got to it, it was too late, or somebody had forgotten it.

o   But in this administration it’s moving in the direction—because you know why you were elected.

o   The American people elected you.

o   He used to say things were measured in days and weeks; now they’re measured in hours and minutes.

·        Foreign policy:

o   This president inherited 30 years of foreign policy based on what was good for the world, global community.

o   This President is making policy based on what is good for America.

o   Rubio was appointed and confirmed to be the United States Department of State, not the Global Department of State.

·        Our foreign policy is guided by three things:

o   Does it make America stronger, safer, or richer?

o   If something doesn’t do one of those things, and hopefully all of those things, we’re not doing it.

·        DOGE has been consulting, helping us. We had been funding some crazy stuff.

o   Example: puppet shows in foreign countries—doesn’t make us stronger, safer, or more prosperous.

·        We have reorganized the Department of State.

o   We had offices within offices within offices that we didn’t know they existed themselves.

o   Reorganized in a way to empower our ambassadors and our regional bureaus—to do what they signed up to do.

§  We have a great team of ambassadors.

o   We had an office within the Department of State whose job it was to censor Americans.

§  At least one person at this table today had a dossier in that building.

§  Of social media posts that identified them as purveyors of disinformation.

§  We will turn these dossiers over to the individuals.

§  They did this against American citizens, when we know the best way to combat disinformation is with free speech and transparency.

§  We’re not going to have an office that does that.

·        We have told other countries, if you want good relations with the United States, you need to take back your people who are here illegally.

o   We’ve had historic cooperation.

o   We are unapologetically and actively searching for other countries—not just El Salvador—to take people from third countries, some of the most despicable people, as a favor the us.

§  A way to become safer, to get rid of perverts, pedophiles, child rapists, get them out of our country.

·        We have stopped giving student visas to people who are coming here to burn down universities, take over libraries, harass people, and create disruption.

o   And we’ve taken away the student visas of people come here to do that.

o   14 countries I’ve traveled to in 14 weeks tell me that’s what they would do too.

·        Good news: we’re going to have the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Club Cup, and then we’re going to have the Olympics.

o   We need a good Consular Affairs Bureau.

§  We have talented people, but will infuse technology, with help of our consultants (DOGE) to be able to grant millions of people coming to this country with improved customer service.

o   A year and a half ago we had a meltdown under Biden; you couldn’t get a passport.

§  In March we processed 2.78 million American passports—historic, largest month ever.

§  Good momentum to do this with visas.

·        Want to acknowledge Steve Woodcock—doing work he doesn’t have to do, leaving a good life in Miami, has no personal agenda.

·        Want to acknowledge Mr. Boulos as well for work on peace deal between DR Congo and Rwanda; we hope this will lead to a lasting peace.

·        47 wrongfully detained Americans have been returned to the United States.

 

For anyone scrolling down this far, I will add that it has been my frequent prayer for some time that God will guide and direct good leaders to help make things right. I believe we see some good leaders in that room, around that table, worth praying for. And I believe they’re in the business of making things right in America, as our Constitution promises.