Pool Reports of March 19, 2025

In-Town Pool #1: Waltz remarks

Good morning, I'll be your print pooler today.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz spoke briefly to reporters outside the West Wing entrance at 8:27 a.m. after finishing a TV hit on Pebble Beach. Waltz said he spoke to his Russian counterpart and also has a call scheduled with unspecified Ukranian officials this morning.

Quote: "Shuttle diplomacy is difficult, it's tough, but we are going back and forth at every level driving both sides toward a cease fire and driving both sides toward the end of this war."

Waltz said he did not discuss foreign aid with Russia in response to a shouted question. He did not respond to a follow up on whether the Kremlin is being dishonest about that point.

In-Town Pool Report #2: Zelenskyy call

President Trump is scheduled to speak with Zelenskyy by phone in the next 30 minutes or so, per a White House official.

In-Town Pool Report #3: Lunch lid

At 11:19 a.m., the press office called a lunch lid until 12:30 p.m.

In-Town Pool Report #4: Zelenskyy call

President Trump posted on Truth Social at 11:38 a.m.:

"Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. It lasted approximately one hour. Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs. We are very much on track, and I will ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, to give an accurate description of the points discussed. That Statement will be put out shortly."

In-Town Pool #5: 2-minute warning for briefing

[APP Note: No additional text was included in this report.]

In-Town Pool #6: Briefing concludes

It was another jam-packed briefing with reporters crowding the aisles.

The Q&A lasted 35 minutes and 15 seconds. Karoline Leavitt took 31 questions from 19 reporters. Many centered on judicial authority and peace negotiations for Ukraine.

In-Town Pool #7: Miller gaggle

Stephen Miller appeared for a brief gaggle near the West Wing entrance. (h/t to Jennifer Dlouhy for capturing audio.)

• He rejected the premise of a reporter's question on whether every undocumented migrant deported recently is in fact a criminal.

• "Is it your position that a member of Tren de Aragua who is in the United States should be allowed to commit crimes limitlessly until such time as that individual is incarcerated? That it should be open to ISIS coming into your country or Al Queda coming into your country and that you let them stay here — catch and release, catch and release, catch and release — and then eventually, only after they have served some prison time in America, that they get sent out?

Our job is to send the terrorists out before anyone else gets raped or murdered."

Miller sidestepped a follow-up on whether the administration would present additional evidence that all those deported were part of Tren de Aragua.

• Miller reiterated that foreign nationals visiting the US are "prohibited from supporting any designated terrorist organization."

• He also said President Trump, and the administration as a whole, stands by DJT's comments about impeaching U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg.

"You cannot have a democracy where single, individual district court judges can assume the full, total powers of the commander in chief," Miller said.

In-Town Pool #8: Hassett gaggle

NEC director Kevin Hassett did a quick gaggle near the West Wing entrance after a hit on Larry Kudlow's show.

Hassett declined to respond to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who reportedly said Trump's policies are contributing to negative market sentiment. Hassett he respects the independence of the Fed too much to weigh in and "cherry pick" Powell's statements.

He highlighted positive industrial production data released yesterday, including autos, saying it's evidence in favor of Trump's tariffs.

"We're onshoring activity with our trade policy and it's really clearly in the data already."

Egg prices are down $2.50 nationally, Hassett said. It is even greater in some places, he added, citing a trip to the grocery store with his family last Saturday.

In-Town Pool #8: Wright gaggle soon

Energy Secretary Chris Wright will gaggle with reporters momentarily near the West Wing entrance.

In-Town Pool #9: Wright and Burgum remarks

Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum took questions outside the West Wing after meeting with President Trump and oil executives.
The secretaries said there was no discussion of oil prices in the meeting, largely because it is out of their control. They did talk about permitting (presumably of the drilling variety) and overregulation.

Wright also appeared to back off a goalof pushing crude to $50 a barrel.

Wright said he signed a liquified natural gas export approval today for a facility put on pause by the Biden administration. He hoisted a DOE report on LNG exports he claimed was completed in September 2023 but buried by the Biden administration because it didn't fit the admin's narrative on greenhouse gas emissions. Your pooler has not seen the study, though it has received some news coverage in recent days.

Your pooler has requested a complete list of meeting attendees.

More feed and quotes TK.

In-Town Pool #10: statement/lid

We have a travel/photo lid at 6:35 p.m.

The press shop did not provide details on today's oil meeting but provided a statement from WH spox Taylor Rogers: "Today, President Trump met with leading oil executives who are eager to unleash American energy after four years of Biden's radical climate regulations. President Trump reaffirmed his commitment to restore America's energy dominance and drill, baby, drill."

Good night, and thanks for letting me serve as your pooler.