President Donald Trump revealed the “friends” who convinced him to walk back on plans to send federal troops to San Francisco.
“I got a great call from some incredible people, some friends of mine, some very successful people, ”Trump said at a roundtable Thursday.
The president spoke of "Marc" and "Jensen", appearing to reference Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
The president had earlier posted on social media that he was preparing to "surge" troops to the California city Saturday but changed his mind after friends "in the area" asked him to hold off because Mayor Daniel Lurie was "making substantial progress.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to sue the Trump administration if he sent the National Guard to the state, while former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested that if federal law enforcement violates California law, local police could arrest them.
Before Trump's latest announcement, federal immigration agents were seen arriving in the Bay Area Thursday morning.
Key Points
- San Francisco braces for federal immigration authorities
- Food assistance program could soon be suspended for millions as shutdown drags on for 23rd day
- Trump demolishes the East Wing of the White House
- Hegseth confirms second U.S. strike in the Pacific Ocean
- FBI announces sweeping takedown of illegal gambling ring involving NBA players and coaches
- Trump holds a roundtable on his administration's efforts to combat cartels
2028 watch: Cory Booker heads to the Granite State
01:00
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Eric Garcia
Sen. Cory Booker will head to the First in the Nation Primary next month. Booker will host a town hall at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College on November 14th.
Booker will also speak at the New Hampshire Democratic Party that evening.
New Hampshire historically holds the first presidential primary. But Joe Biden made South Carolina, a state with a larger Black population, the first primary in 2024. Booker's jaunt shows New Hampshire's attempt to move back up the calendar.
Booker, who came to the Senate after a special election in 2013, ran for president in 2020, but his campaign fizzled out before the contests began. He then endorsed Biden.
Since then, Booker has become an outspoken critic of Trump, and even some of his fellow Democrats for not sufficiently opposing Trump. Most recently, he broke the record for the longest Senate speech at 25 hours and 15 minutes.But Booker has also faced major criticism from some on the left for his outspoken support for Israel, particularly after Israel's war in Gaza.
Trump says he's donating 'millions' to the ballroom project. Here's who the other donors are
00:30
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Kelly Rissman
When asked how much money he was planning on donating to the ballroom project, Trump said “millions of dollars,” but didn’t give an exact amount.
Here’s who else is donating to the 90,000 square-foot ballroom, according to the White House:
- Altria Group Inc.
- Amazon
- Apple
- Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
- Caterpillar Inc.
- Coinbase
- Comcast Corporation
- J. Pepe and Emilia Fanjul
- Hard Rock International
- HP Inc.
- Lockheed Martin
- Meta Platforms
- Micron Technology
- Microsoft
- NextEra Energy Inc.
- Palantir Technologies Inc.
- Ripple
- Reynolds American
- T-Mobile
- Tether America
- Union Pacific Railroad
- Adelson Family Foundation
- Stefan E. Brodie
- Betty Wold Johnson Foundation
- Charles and Marissa Cascarilla
- Edward and Shari Glazer
- Harold Hamm
- Benjamin Leon Jr.
- The Lutnick Family
- The Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Foundation
- Stephen A. Schwarzmann
- Konstantin Sokolov
- Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher
- Paolo Tiramani
- Cameron Winklevoss
- Tyler Winklevoss
WATCH: Trump reveals the friends who convinced him to call off surging troops into San Francisco
00:00
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Kelly Rissman
Officials say the administration has 'authority' to carry out U.S. strikes. This might be what they mean.
23:30
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Kelly Rissman
On Thursday, Secretary of War said the administration has the “authority” to carry out the kinetic strikes against the alleged drug-carrying boats while President Trump said he doesn’t plan on asking Congress for a declaration of war.
The United States is formally engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels that Donald Trump’s administration has labeled “unlawful combatants,” according to a confidential notice to members of Congress.
A unclassified notice obtained by The Independent was delivered to congressional national security committees this week. The New York Times first reported the statements.
The designation appears to claim extraordinary wartime powers to justify a series of strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea, which have drawn legal scrutiny and allegations that the administration and defense officials committed extrajudicial murder.
Alex Woodward has more.
Stephen Miller on Trump: 'This country was going to die without you'
23:15
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Kelly Rissman
ICE recruits are showing up for training with disqualifying criminal backgrounds: report
23:00
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Kelly Rissman
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is flush with cash for an aggressive recruiting campaign to fulfill Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. But new recruits are reportedly failing physical fitness requirements and entering training programs before the agency performed background checks or finished a screening process.
ICE officials have discovered that some recruits failed drug testing or had disqualifying criminal backgrounds while they were already enrolled in training, according to NBC News.
Since the beginning of a summer hiring surge after the president approved $178 billion to expand the agency into one of the most expensive police agencies in the world, ICE has dismissed more than 200 new recruits while they were in training for falling short of requirements, according to agency data reviewed by NBC.
ICYMI: FBI releases new footage and offers $500K for information about suspect who placed pipe bombs ahead of Jan 6 riots
22:30
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Kelly Rissman
The FBI has shared new surveillance footage of the suspect who planted pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters, the night before the January 6 riots, and offered a $500,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
The new video shows the as-yet unidentified suspect walking through Washington, D.C., before and after the pipe bombs were placed on the night of January 5, 2021.
One clip shows the suspect walking toward the DNC headquarters before sitting down on a bench outside the building. The individual later stands up and walks past the building, with a backpack in their hand, before eventually turning around and retracing their steps through the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Isabel Keane has the story.
WATCH: White House defends Trump pardoning crypto head with links to First family
22:15
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Kelly Rissman
In photos: Demolition of East Wing of White House for Trump's ballroom
22:00
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Kelly Rissman
Trump says he's not sure if there will be a resolution to the shutdown when he returns from Asia
21:44
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Kelly Rissman
Asked if he expected to have a resolution to the shutdown by the time he returns from his trip to Asia, President Trump said: “I don’t know.”
“I think the Democrats have gone totally crazy,” he said, calling some lawmakers “low IQ people.”
Trump leaves for Asia over the weekend. The shutdown has dragged on for 23 days.
Bondi refuses to comment on whether grand jury is considering case against Schiff
21:41
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Alex Woodward
Attorney General Pam Bondi won’t comment on whether a grand jury is mulling a case against Senator Adam Schiff.
At the roundtable Thursday, Trump said he hopes it’s true.
“Adam Schiff is one of the lowest forms of scum of anyone I’ve ever dealt with in politics,” he said.
His comments follow reporting from MSNBC that the top federal prosecutor in Maryland has stalled her case against the senator and has asked Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for advice on how to proceed. Prosecutors reportedly have not drummed up enough evidence to prosecute him, after Trump commanded Bondi to swiftly file charges.
'I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,' Trump says about drug boats
21:30
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Kelly Rissman
Asked why not ask Congress for a declaration of war on the operations against the “narco-terrorists,” the president said he doesn’t need a declaration of war.
“Well, I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” Trump said.
“I think we’re just going to kill people who are bringing drugs into our country. … They’re gonna be, like, dead,” the president added.
Earlier Thursday, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee demanded a hearing on Trump’s drug boat strikes.
“The absence of any credible legal rationale for the administration’s armed campaign against drug cartels raises alarming questions about whether it intends to conduct similar extrajudicial strikes elsewhere in the world — or even within the United States,” Rep. Gregory Meeks said in a statement Thursday. “Equally troubling is the credibility of the intelligence underpinning these operations.”
'Beautiful accent but we can’t understand what you’re saying,' Trump struggles to understand French reporter
21:18
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Kelly Rissman
A reporter from France asked President Donald Trump a question at his roundtable — but he admitted he couldn’t understand her.
“Yesterday there was a vote at the Knesset on annexing the West Bank. Do you see it as a challenge to your peace efforts.
“Could you say that louder please,” the president asked.
She repeated her question, but Trump still appeared puzzled.
“Would you answer that please because I could understand a word she’s saying,” Trump said, tapping Bondi.
“Where are you from? You’re from France. Beautiful accent but we can’t understand what you’re saying,” the president said.
Then, as she repeated part of her question, Trump responded: “The West Bank? Don’t worry about the West Bank. Israel’s not going to do anything with the West Bank.”
Trump and Hegseth defend U.S. strikes against alleged drug boats
21:09
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Kelly Rissman
President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defend U.S. strikes on alleged drug-carrying vessels.
Since last September, at least 37 people have been killed in at least nine strikes.
“We know everything about them. We know where they’re coming from, who they’re coming with, generally, who’s in the boat,” he said.
Boats have five engines, going 60 mph “loaded up with white powder in silver cases — generally speaking, that’s not a good sign. They’re not going fishing, right?” the president said.
“We have all the license and authority necessary to take these kinetic strikes,” Hegseth said.
Mike Johnson confronted with MTG’s statements bashing him over healthcare
21:00
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Kelly Rissman
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson brushed off MAGA congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s criticisms of him for supposedly not focusing on affordable healthcare Wednesday evening by using the insult “bless her heart.”
Greene, who has more frequently broken from her party’s messaging in recent months, wrote a lengthy X post, accusing Johnson of avoiding affordable healthcare policies and not providing “a single policy plan” on a conference call with Republicans this week.
Hours later, Johnson appeared on CNN’s The Source with Katilan Collinsto push back on Greene’s claims, saying she was not privy to conversations about policy plans.
Ariana Baio has the latest.
WATCH: Trump says drug cartels are the 'ISIS of the Western Hemisphere'
20:51
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Kelly Rissman
Pam Bondi made an effort to personally laud task force members at roundtable
20:50
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Kelly Rissman
Attorney General Pam Bondi personally lauded members of the task force at the roundtable.
“We all work so well together. I don’t think another administration in our nation’s history has worked so well together,” she said.
Bondi went around the table, mentioning certain anecdotes about how “committed” each task force member is, like texting one member at 1 a.m.
Everyone around the table is working tirelessly, Bondi said before turning to Trump: “President Trump, thank you for giving them the ability to do it.”
Trump addresses decision to hold off on San Francisco 'surge'
20:42
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Kelly Rissman
President Donald Trump said he had a “great call” with the San Francisco mayor after he walks back plan to “surge” federal troops into San Francisco.
The president said he had “four or five” calls from his friends urging him to “hold off” on sending federal troops to the city.
San Francisco has the “potential to be a great city again,” he said.
On the other hand, he said he’ll take “special care of Chicago.”
He said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker doesn’t have the city’s crime situation “under control” and called Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson “low IQ.”
Trump holds a roundtable on his administration's efforts to combat cartels
20:32
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Kelly Rissman
President Donald Trump hailed the “extraordinary, historic achievements” of the Homeland Security Task Force at the roundtable Thursday afternoon.
The cartels are the “ISIS of the Western Hemisphere,” Trump said.
Cartels are “waging war on America...and we’re waging war on them in ways they’ve never seen before,” he said.
California officials celebrate Trump's decision to call off sending troops to Bay Area
20:20
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Kelly Rissman
After the president called off his plan to “surge” federal troops into San Francisco on Friday, California officials celebrate.
President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post Thursday that after speaking with the city’s mayor and friends “who live in the area,” he opted not to send troops to the California city for now.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who threatened to sue the Trump administration if he deployed the National Guard, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi celebrated the decision.
Mayor Daniel Lurie has demonstrated exceptional leadership in his steadfast commitment to the safety and well-being of San Franciscans.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) October 23, 2025
He has underscored that public safety must be driven by local priorities, respectful of our values and communities.
I salute Mayor Lurie for… https://t.co/X4Oc3s1bhX
Trump has finally, for once, listened to reason – and heard what we have been saying from the beginning.
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) October 23, 2025
The Bay Area is a shining example of what makes California so special, and any attempt to erode our progress would damage the work we've done.
We will continue to monitor… https://t.co/uAsPbSSxrA
Democrat demands hearing on U.S. strikes against alleged drug boats
20:10
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Kelly Rissman
The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee is demanding a hearing on Trump’s drug boat strikes.
“The absence of any credible legal rationale for the administration’s armed campaign against drug cartels raises alarming questions about whether it intends to conduct similar extrajudicial strikes elsewhere in the world — or even within the United States,” Rep. Gregory Meeks said in a statement Thursday. “Equally troubling is the credibility of the intelligence underpinning these operations.”
The president’s “unilateral, ongoing expansion of these strikes into a potentially broader regional war should concern every Member of Congress who wishes to reclaim Congress’ authority to prevent endless wars that lack clear objectives and needlessly endanger American lives,” he said.
The U.S. strikes on alleged drug-carrying vessel have killed at least 37 people so far.
Hegseth confirmed a second boat was hit in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, marking at least nine strikes so far since September.
Trump pardons Binance founder convicted on money laundering charges to end ‘war on crypto’
20:00
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Kelly Rissman
President Donald Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, this week in a move the White House framed as a response to what it called the Biden administration’s “war on cryptocurrency.”
Zhao, also known as “CZ”, pleaded guilty to enabling money laundering and agreed to step down as the CEO of Binance as part of a $4.3 billion settlement with the Justice Department in 2023. He served four months in prison.
“President Trump exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for Mr. Zhao, who was prosecuted by the Biden Administration in their war on cryptocurrency,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Ariana Baio has the story.
WATCH: Mike Johnson STILL doesn't know about Trump's $230m 'compensation' deal
19:45
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Kelly Rissman
Trump called off sending border agents to San Francisco after mayor’s phone call
19:30
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Kelly Rissman
The Trump administration is temporarily holding off on launching a long-threatened federal crackdown on San Francisco, the president wrote on Truth Social on Thursday, even as immigration agents massed at a Coast Guard base just outside the city in anticipation of the planned surge operation.
“The Federal Government was preparing to ‘surge’ San Francisco, California, on Saturday, but friends of mine who live in the area called last night to ask me not to go forward with the surge in that the Mayor, Daniel Lurie, was making substantial progress,” Trump wrote.
“I spoke to Mayor Lurie last night and he asked, very nicely, that I give him a chance to see if he can turn it around,” the president added.
Trump also said tech executives like Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Salesforce’s Marc Benioff “called saying that the future of San Francisco is great,” pressure that convinced him to suspend the operation, at least temporarily.
Lurie, in a statement on X, said he spoke with the president and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who assured him the administration was “calling off any plans for a federal deployment in San Francisco.”
Josh Marcus has the story.
San Francisco mayor details call with Trump after president calls off sending in federal troops
19:16
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Kelly Rissman
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie shed light on his call with Donald Trump over the president’s plans to ‘surge’ federal troops into the city on Saturday.
The president announced Thursday in a Truth Social post that he was walking back plans to send troops to San Francisco after speaking with the mayor and ‘friends’ who live in the area.
Trump called Lurie on Wednesday evening, the mayor said in a social media post.
On the call, “I told him the same thing I told our residents: San Francisco is on the rise. Visitors are coming back, buildings are getting leased and purchased, and workers are coming back to the office,” he said.
While the city welcomes partnerships with federal law enforcement, “having the military and militarized immigration enforcement in our city will hinder our recovery,” Lurie added.
Yesterday, I spoke to San Franciscans about a potential federal deployment in our city. I said then what I have said since taking office, that keeping San Franciscans safe is my top priority.
— Daniel Lurie 丹尼爾·羅偉 (@DanielLurie) October 23, 2025
Late last night, I received a phone call from the President of the United States. I…
WATCH: White House asked if Trump can tear down anything he wants
19:09
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Kelly Rissman
Leavitt asked if Trump gambled in light of sweeping FBI probe into sports betting criminal ring
19:08
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Kelly Rissman
In light of the NBA players’ arrests as part of the FBI’s sweeping investigations into sports-rigging and illegal gambling, a reporter asked if President Donald Trump gambled.
Leavitt said she wasn’t sure.
“You know, I’m not sure. I don’t think he does. I’ve been with him for quite some time and I’ve never seen him gamble,” she said.
Follow The Independent’s live coverage of the game-rigging investigation here.
Leavitt slams states' methods to document ICE activity and addresses Trump's decision to call off troops toSan Francisco
19:03
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Kelly Rissman
New York has launched a portal and Illinois created a commission to document federal immigration activity.
“This is actively putting the lives of our ICE agents at risk,” Leavitt said.
She also remarked on Trump’s U-turn on deploying troops to San Francisco.
Trump is “willing to work with anyone to do the right thing and clean up America’s cities,” she said. He is “genuinely interested” in making U.S. cities safer and cleaner, Leavitt continued.
“That law enforcement operation has now been paused,” but the administration will continue to watch the situation in the Bay Area, she said.
Trump hasn't seen 'enough interest and enough action' from Putin toward peace, Leavitt says
18:55
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Kelly Rissman
Leavitt addressed the cancelled Putin-Trump meeting and the newest sanctions on Russia.
“The president has always maintained that he would implement sanctions on Russia when he felt it was appropriate and necessary. Yesterday was that day,” she said.
“He has not seen enough interest and enough action in terms of moving the ball forward toward peace,” she said of Russia.
She added that Trump wants to see “action, not just talk,” when asked what changed.
White House press secretary defends demolition of East Wing — with visual aids
18:50
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Kelly Rissman
Leavitt defends the demolition of the entirety of the White House’s East Wing to build Trump’s gold-plated ballroom.
Asked whether Trump could demolish part of the historic building, Leavitt said: “This is a legal opinion that’s been held for many years.”
“There have been many presidents in the past who have made their mark on this beautiful White House complex,” she said, showing photos of past renovations.
“In due time, the East wing will be more beautiful and modern than ever before.”
Leavitt addresses questions over Binance founder's pardon
18:46
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Kelly Rissman
Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the convicted founder of the crypto exchange Binance, on Wednesday.
Asked about Zhao’s alleged ties to World Liberty Financial, which was founded by the president’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric, Leavitt said: “The president is exercising his constitutional authority to grant clemency requests.”
Ongoing shutdown threatens Thanksgiving travel, Leavitt warns
18:39
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Kelly Rissman
At a press briefing Thursday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said more than 500,000 federal employees will miss a paycheck Friday due to the “Democrat shutdown.”
It’s “egregious and truly sad” that 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay, Leavitt said.
“If the Democrats continue to keep the democrats closed, we fill there will be significant delays and disruptions” in holiday travel, she said, noting Thanksgiving — the busiest travel time — is nearing.
Democrats are “solely responsible for all this unnecessary pain,” she continued.
In photos: Work continues on the largely demolished part of the East Wing of the White House
18:29
,
Kelly Rissman
Trump walks back on plan surge federal agents into San Francisco for now
18:16
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Kelly Rissman
President Donald Trump says he won’t “surge” federal agents into San Francisco on Saturday after speaking with friends in the area.
“The Federal Government was preparing to “surge” San Francisco, California, on Saturday, but friends of mine who live in the area called last night to ask me not to go forward with the surge in that the Mayor, Daniel Lurie, was making substantial progress,” he wrote on Truth Social Thursday.
“I spoke to Mayor Lurie last night and he asked, very nicely, that I give him a chance to see if he can turn it around. I told him I think he is making a mistake, because we can do it much faster, and remove the criminals that the Law does not permit him to remove,” the post continued.
“I told him, ‘It’s an easier process if we do it, faster, stronger, and safer but, let’s see how you do?’”
“The people of San Francisco have come together on fighting Crime, especially since we began to take charge of that very nasty subject, the president said.
White House press secretary to give briefing
17:53
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Kelly Rissman
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is scheduled to give a press briefing at 1 p.m. ET.
You can watch a livestream of the briefing here.
DC man sues over being detained after playing Darth Vader theme song in protest of National Guard
17:50
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Kelly Rissman
A Washington, D.C. man, who was detained after playing Darth Vader’s theme song while recording National Guard troops in the nation’s capital, says his First Amendment rights were violated, according to a new lawsuit.
Last month, Sam O’Hara “calmly walked” behind National Guard members and began playing “The Imperial March” on his phone while recording, the suit says.
That’s when officers put him in handcuffs, “preventing him from continuing his peaceful protest,” the suit states.
The ACLU-DC filed the suit on O’Hara’s behalf Thursday against an Ohio National Guard member, four Metropolitan Police Department officers and the District of Columbia.
“Armed National Guard should not be policing D.C. residents as we walk around our neighborhoods,” O’Hara said in a statement.
“It was important to me not to normalize this dystopian occupation. Instead of respecting my right to protest, police officers handcuffed me so tightly my wrists were still marked and sore the next day. This shows the danger of deploying troops onto American streets: it puts all our basic rights at risk.”
Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao
17:40
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Kelly Rissman
President Donald Trump has pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the convicted founder of the crypto exchange Binance, the Wall Street Journal first reported.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump had “exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for Mr. Zhao, who was prosecuted by the Biden Administration in their war on cryptocurrency.”
She added: “The Biden Administration’s war on crypto is over.”
Zhao was convicted in 2021 after he pleaded guilty to one count of failing to maintain an anti-money-laundering program.
The company also pleaded guilty to federal charges and agreed to pay over $4 billion to resolve the Justice Department’s investigation into violations related to the Bank Secrecy Act, failure to register as a money transmitting business, and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
WATCH: Speaker Mike Johnson Responds To Marjorie Taylor Greene Criticizing Him For Not Working To Fix Healthcare Cost Issues
17:30
,
Kelly Rissman
ICE recruits are showing up for training with disqualifying criminal backgrounds, report says
17:20
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Kelly Rissman
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is flush with cash for an aggressive recruiting campaign to fulfill Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. But new recruits are reportedly failing physical fitness requirements and entering training programs before the agency performed background checks or finished a screening process.
ICE officials have discovered that some recruits failed drug testing or had disqualifying criminal backgrounds while they were already enrolled in training, according to NBC News.
Since the beginning of a summer hiring surge after the president approved $178 billion to expand the agency into one of the most expensive police agencies in the world, ICE has dismissed more than 200 new recruits while they were in training for falling short of requirements, according to agency data reviewed by NBC.
Most did not meet physical and academic standards — including failing open-book tests — while several were dismissed for their criminal backgrounds or over safety concerns that were flagged in background checks, the outlet reported.
Alex Woodward has the story.
Virginia Dems plan to redraw state map to pick up House seats: report
17:10
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Kelly Rissman
Virginia Democrats are planning to redraw the state’s map to counteract similar efforts in Republican-led states for additional House seats in the midterm elections.
With the redrawn map, Democrats could pick up two or three additional House seats, the New York Times reported.
“We are coming back to address actions by the Trump administration,” said Scott Surovell, the majority leader of the Virginia Senate, who confirmed the plans.
On Wednesday, North Carolina’s GOP-controlled legislature passed a new congressional map that hopes to provide its party with an additional U.S. House seat.
In August, Texas passed a redrawn map that could provide Republicans with five additional seats.
In California, voters will decide next month on a redrawn map, in which Democrats seek to gain five seats to directly counteract Texas’ efforts.
Duffy warns of potential holiday travel disruptions if shutdown continues
17:47
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Kelly Rissman
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that holiday travel could be disrupted, citing the ongoing government shutdown and an air traffic controller shortage.
“I can’t guarantee you that your flight’s going to be on time. I can’t guarantee you that your flight’s not going to be cancelled. It’s going to depend on our air traffic controllers coming in to work every single day,” he said.
Blaming Democrats for the shutdown, which has dragged on for 23 days, Duffy added: “If they do not, we’ll know whose fault it is.”
Dr Oz jumps through hoops – and changes the laws of math – to explain Trump claims about lowering drug prices
17:00
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Kelly Rissman
Dr Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, got himself into a desperate mathematical tangle attempting to defend President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on drug prices on Wednesday.
Appearing on NBC News’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, the former daytime TV personality was invited to watch a montage of Trump making wildly inflated promises on the percentage by which his administration planned to cut the cost of pharmaceuticals, which rose from 1,200 percent to 1,500 percent depending on which press event the president was speaking at.
“Cutting drug prices by 400 percent, anything over 100 percent, wouldn’t that effectively make them free? Is that a realistic goal from the president?” Welker asked Dr Oz.
Joe Sommerlad has the story.
