The roundtable featured cabinet members and law enforcement leaders who described an anti-cartel operation as unprecedented in scope, with Trump emphasizing plans to expand efforts to cities like Chicago while postponing a planned surge in San Francisco after tech leaders requested time to address crime independently.
Assistance from Claude AI
Summary
President Donald Trump convened a White House roundtable on October 23, 2025, to announce what administration officials called the most successful anti-cartel operation in American history. The newly formed Homeland Security Task Force, operational for just one month, arrested more than 3,200 cartel members and gang affiliates while seizing 91 tons of narcotics and over 1,000 illegal firearms. Trump declared the drug cartels “the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere” and detailed aggressive new enforcement measures including maritime strikes on drug-smuggling vessels, coordination across all federal law enforcement agencies, and successful crime reduction in Washington, D.C., which officials said had been transformed from one of the nation’s most dangerous cities to “about as close to crime free as you’re going to get.” The roundtable featured cabinet members and law enforcement leaders who described the operation as unprecedented in scope, with Trump emphasizing plans to expand efforts to cities like Chicago while postponing a planned surge in San Francisco after tech leaders requested time to address crime independently.
Participants
Administration Officials:
– Donald J. Trump – President of the United States
– Pam Bondi – Attorney General
– Pete Hegseth – Secretary of War (Department of War, formerly Department of Defense)
– Kristi Noem – Secretary of Homeland Security
– Tulsi Gabbard – Director of National Intelligence
– Stephen Miller – Homeland Security Adviser and Task Force Leader
– Kash Patel – FBI Director
– Todd Blanche – Deputy Attorney General
Law Enforcement Representatives:
– Patrick Yoes – National President, Fraternal Order of Police
– Chris West – President, National Sheriffs Association
– Laura Cooper – Executive Director, Major Cities Chiefs Association
– Megan Noland – Executive Director, Major County Sheriffs of America
– Paul Perez – President, National Border Patrol Council
Additional federal agency heads and law enforcement officials were present but not individually named in all cases.
Detailed Breakdown by Topic
Formation of the Homeland Security Task Force
President Trump opened the roundtable by describing the task force’s creation on his first day in office, January 20, 2025. He explained that he signed two critical executive orders that day: one officially designating drug cartels and transnational gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, and another directing the creation of the Homeland Security Task Force with the stated goal of “eliminating the cartel presence in America once and for all.”
The task force brings together an unprecedented coalition of federal, state, and local agencies. Trump listed the participants: “Led by ICE and the FBI, this task force includes the Department of Justice, the Department of War, DHS, the intelligence community, ATF, the DEA, the US Marshals and the state and local agencies in every part of our country.”
Stephen Miller, who conceived and leads the task force, provided important context: “When you stepped forward, originally in 2016, you started the movement to Make America Great Again… Your vision and your leadership in declaring war on the drug cartels is the single most successful public safety initiative in American history.”
Miller emphasized that the task force consolidated efforts across government: “When you consolidated the Homeland Security Task Force, you took 1,000 other task forces that were already established in the federal government and you streamlined them into this room, into this group right here.”
Context for readers: The designation of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations is significant because it provides the U.S. government with expanded legal authorities to combat these groups, similar to powers used against organizations like ISIS and al-Qaeda. This includes the ability to use military assets and intelligence resources that might not be available for standard law enforcement operations.
Unprecedented Arrest Numbers and Drug Seizures
The Statistics:
Trump announced that in just one month of full operations across all 50 states, the task force achieved record-breaking results:
– More than 3,200 violent gang members and drug cartel operatives arrested
– Over 120,000 criminal arrests nationwide since January 20, 2025
– 91 tons of illegal narcotics seized
– More than 1,000 illegal firearms confiscated
Attorney General Pam Bondi provided vivid context for these numbers: “91 tons of drugs have been seized as a result of this task force. We tried to put this in perspective for you. This would be filling four 18 wheelers, four, all the drugs just in the last month that have been taken off the streets.”
Breaking down the drug seizures specifically:
– 58,000 kilos of cocaine – Bondi noted this “would fill one and a half swimming pools, just the powder cocaine”
– 2,300 kilos of fentanyl powder
– 2.1 million fentanyl pills
Targeted Organizations:
The arrests included members of several notorious criminal organizations:
– CJNG (Jalisco New Generation Cartel)
– Sinaloa Cartel
– LNFM Cartel
– MS-13 gang
– Tren de Aragua (Venezuelan gang)
Trump was particularly harsh about Tren de Aragua: “Another beauty, that’s a group of real garbage we have to deal with that we shouldn’t have to deal with.”
Context for readers: To understand the scale of 91 tons of drugs: that’s approximately 182,000 pounds. The fentanyl seized alone – at 2,300 kilos – represents enough of the drug to potentially kill millions of people, as just 2 milligrams can be a lethal dose.
Washington, D.C.: The Showcase Success Story
The administration repeatedly cited Washington, D.C. as proof of concept for their approach.
Trump’s assessment: “We went from one of the most unsafe places, uh, in the planet, I hate to say, but in this country, to a totally safe city. It’s — nothing is crime free, I guess, but this is about as close to crime free as you’re going to get.”
He described the previous conditions: “People would go to the nation. They’d go from, I always say, Iowa, Indiana, they’d go from Florida, they’d come up. They want to see the monument. I want to see the Lincoln Memorial… And they’d go home in a coffin.” Trump claimed this was “averaging more than one a week.”
The results: “We took out 1700 criminals, many of them career criminals, many of them given to us by Joe Biden and his ridiculous open borders policy.”
Trump emphasized the transformation: “We have a city where the restaurants are booming. People are going out. Nobody is being mugged, hit over the head with a baseball bat. None of it. That stuff is gone.”
On completion time, Trump stated: “I think we had DC done not perfectly, but pretty much done at least normalized in 12 days. Wouldn’t you say 12? Would you say 12 days? On the 12th day, it felt different.”
Context for readers: While Trump’s characterization of D.C. as one of the most dangerous places “on the planet” is hyperbolic, the city has historically struggled with violent crime, particularly in certain neighborhoods. The claim of transforming the city in 12 days represents an extraordinarily rapid timeline that would be unprecedented in urban crime reduction.
Memphis Operations and Missing Children
Memphis was highlighted as another major success story, though operations there were described as only halfway complete.
Trump noted: “In Memphis, as you know, where the numbers are down in half already and it’s only been about two weeks… Nobody thought it was possible. It was really a — it was a very sick city.”
A reporter raised the issue of missing children discovered in Memphis, to which Trump responded with broader statistics: “It’s hundreds of thousands were lost through Biden and the Biden administration. And we are getting a lot of them back, but they’re either dead, they’re slaves, they’re captured in some form.”
Trump placed blame squarely on border policies: “They came in through the border. They were sold. They were bargained for.”
Context for readers: The issue of missing migrant children became a significant concern during increased border crossings. When unaccompanied minors cross the border and are placed with sponsors, tracking their welfare has proven challenging for federal agencies. Trump’s claim of “hundreds of thousands” likely refers to children the government lost contact with after placement, though not all are necessarily victims of trafficking.
Chicago: The Next Target
Chicago received extensive attention as a city requiring intervention, with Trump making pointed criticisms of local leadership.
The current situation: Trump cited weekend violence: “Last week, it was last weekend four were murdered. 11 were shot.”
Criticism of Governor J.B. Pritzker: “I have Pritzker get up and say how great they’re doing in Chicago. They’re doing very poorly… And you know what his excuse was? Yeah, but that was a long weekend, OK. Can you believe it?”
Trump also criticized Chicago’s mayor: “And then, mayor is worse. I mean, that mayor is worse. Low IQ, very low IQ.”
The administration’s stance: “They just don’t want to be mugged, killed, raped, shot in the head… So we’re going to be given a very special — uh, we’re going to give Chicago a very special care.”
Trump confirmed plans to deploy federal resources: “We’ll have Chicago taken care of very quickly… We won the big court case the other day on the National Guard.”
Context for readers: Trump’s reference to winning a court case on the National Guard likely refers to legal challenges about deploying National Guard troops to cities without state governors’ consent. The Insurrection Act gives presidents authority to deploy military forces domestically under certain conditions, though its use is rare and controversial.
San Francisco: Surge Postponed
In a surprising development, Trump announced he was postponing a planned federal surge in San Francisco after receiving calls from prominent tech leaders.
Trump’s explanation: “I got a call, a great call from some incredible people, some friends of mine, very successful people. Uh, Mark, who’s — everybody knows him. And Jensen, everybody knows Jensen. Nvidia, uh, and others, call me from San Francisco.”
These leaders requested time: “They said we’re working really, really hard with the mayor, and we’re making progress. Would it be possible for you to hold off — for you to hold off the surge?”
Trump’s response: “So we are holding off that surge, everybody. And we’re going to let them see if they can do it. I said I think we can do it much faster. I know we can do it faster. I think we can do it better than anybody.”
He set conditions: “If we need to, we’ll do it. But it’s possible that we won’t need to and we will be focusing on other places like Chicago.”
Attorney General Bondi added that she would be “meeting on fentanyl in a few weeks” with San Francisco’s mayor, “working hand in hand on that.”
Context for readers: “Mark” likely refers to Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, while “Jensen” is Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia. The tech industry’s intervention represents an unusual private sector role in urban crime policy, suggesting concern about San Francisco’s business climate while also indicating these leaders wanted to avoid federal intervention in a liberal-leaning city.
Maritime Operations: Striking Drug Boats
One of the most dramatic elements of the new strategy involves kinetic military strikes against drug-smuggling vessels.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth provided the military perspective: “We stopped the invasion. And then we’re proud to be going on the offense, counter cartel operations… These are designated terrorist organizations, foreign terrorist organizations… We will find you, we will map your networks, we will hunt you down and we will kill you.”
Hegseth described recent operations: “You’ve seen that evidence in the maritime domain, whether it’s in the Caribbean or in the Pacific with the last two strikes. We know exactly who these people are. We know what networks they work with, what foreign terrorist organizations they’re a part of.”
Trump on intelligence capabilities: “We know everything about them. We know where they’re coming from, who they’re coming with, generally who’s in the boat… Usually when you see five engines — I’ve never even seen that before, but when you see five engines on a boat going about 65 miles an hour loaded up with white powder in silver cases. Generally speaking, that’s not a good sign.”
The results: Trump claimed dramatic success: “The sea drugs, as they call them, they use the term sea drugs, the drugs coming in by sea are like 5 percent of what they were a year ago, less than 5 percent.”
On survivors: When asked about smugglers who survived strikes, Hegseth explained: “Those two, they were treated by American medics and handed immediately over to their countries where they came from hopefully to face prosecution, which is a very standard way of handling something like this.”
Context for readers: Using military force to sink drug boats represents a significant escalation from traditional interdiction methods where vessels would be stopped and crews arrested. Hegseth’s comparison to hunting al-Qaeda and ISIS suggests treating drug traffickers as enemy combatants rather than criminals, which carries different legal implications.
The Fentanyl Crisis and China
Fentanyl emerged as a central concern, with Trump preparing for discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The scale of the problem: A reporter noted that according to CDC data, “nearly 330,000 Americans died over the past five years from fentanyl.” Trump responded: “It’s more than that.”
Trump’s strategy with China: “They are paying right now a 20 percent tariff because of fentanyl. That’s billions and billions of dollars that they’re paying… On November 1st, the tariff on China goes to 157 percent.”
Trump explained his leverage: “Think of this, they make $100 million selling fentanyl into our country, $100 million. They lose $100 billion with the 20 percent tariff. So, it’s not a good business proposition.”
Upcoming meeting: “I’m meeting with President Xi, and I would say the first — we have some big issues like with the farmers and various other things. But the first question I’m going to be asking him about is fentanyl.”
On China’s role in smuggling: When asked if China is smuggling fentanyl through Venezuela, Trump confirmed: “They are doing that, yes.”
Context for readers: Most fentanyl in the U.S. is manufactured using precursor chemicals from China, then processed in Mexico by cartels before entering the United States. The drug is 50 times more potent than heroin and can be deadly in doses as small as 2 milligrams – about the size of a few grains of salt. Trump’s tariff strategy represents an attempt to use economic leverage to force Chinese action on precursor chemical exports.
Intelligence Operations and Coordination
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard highlighted the intelligence community’s new role in domestic counter-cartel operations.
New fusion cell: “Under your leadership for the first time, there is a newly created National Intelligence fusion cell at the office of the Director of National Intelligence, National Counterterrorism that has a very simple purpose, to make sure that we have two-way intelligence sharing of actionable information between the intelligence community and law enforcement.”
Recent successes Gabbard cited:
- Sinaloa Cartel boss captured: “Just this last week, our National Counterterrorism Center supported through actionable intelligence to both US law enforcement as well as Mexican law enforcement, the arrest of a Sinaloa cartel boss, El Plato in Juarez, Mexico, as well as his top three money launderers.”
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Major cocaine trafficker: “NCTC worked closely with the US Marshal Service that led to the arrest of another dangerous Sinaloa Cartel member responsible for trafficking huge amounts of cocaine and hundreds of thousands of dollars in this single incident with drug proceeds through his network.”
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Baby trafficker arrested: The most disturbing case Gabbard described: “Providing intelligence to the Mexican law enforcement that led to the arrest of a CJNG cartel affiliated baby trafficker called La Diabla. Her whole money-making operation was centered around luring pregnant women, performing illegal C-sections, harvesting organs and selling newborn babies.”
Gabbard noted dedication during the government shutdown: “In the midst of this government shutdown, our folks, like everyone around this table, are working 24/7 without pay, and eager to get after this because they believe in your leadership.”
Context for readers: The creation of a domestic-focused intelligence fusion cell represents a significant shift. Traditionally, the intelligence community focused on foreign threats while domestic law enforcement remained primarily an FBI responsibility. This integration suggests treating cartels with the same intelligence apparatus used against international terrorist organizations.
Border Security Claims
The administration made sweeping claims about border security improvements.
Trump’s assessment: “We have closed borders. We have people coming into our country, but they only come in legally. We have the strongest borders we’ve ever had. We might have the strongest borders of almost any nation right now.”
On recent crossings: “We had actually nobody for the last four months, I guess five months. They say — they report nothing, they report zero. I don’t know if that can be possible, but that’s — we’ll accept it.”
Secretary Noem on fentanyl at the border: “Fentanyl has been cut down by 50 percent coming into this country over our borders.”
Secretary Hegseth on military presence: “We still have 10,000 troops there. We have national defense areas. We’re standing alongside the Border Patrol, and we’ve locked that border down, 100 percent control of the southwest border.”
Context for readers: Claims of “zero” border crossings or “100 percent control” would represent unprecedented achievements in U.S. border security. Historical data shows some level of unauthorized crossings has occurred even during periods of strictest enforcement. The 50% reduction in fentanyl seizures could indicate either less fentanyl coming across or changes in interdiction patterns.
Criticism of Previous Administration
Throughout the roundtable, Trump repeatedly criticized the Biden administration’s border and immigration policies.
On the inheritance: “What we inherited from this past administration is like disgraceful… For four long years before I took office, the last administration allowed the cartels and their operatives to frankly take over our country.”
On Biden’s role: “Thank you very much, Joe Biden, for allowing that to happen. Biden surrendered the — I mean, he just surrendered our country to the cartels.”
On criminals entering: Trump claimed “11,843 murders came in. 11,800, many of them committed — more than 50 percent committed more than one war — murder.”
He expressed bewilderment: “Why would Biden and that group of thugs that he had working for him, why would they accept these people? Why would he accept? Nobody understands it.”
Stephen Miller’s framing: “Let me just say Mr. President that this country was going to die without you, this country was going to actually die without you. That’s what we were facing in 2024. We’ve been invaded for four years.”
Attorney General Bondi on law enforcement constraints: “The Biden administration was — for way too long, all of these great law enforcement officers surrounding the table were not able to do their jobs. What they’ve said is now they’ve been uncuffed; they can do their jobs now.”
Context for readers: Immigration policy debates often involve sharply different interpretations of the same data. The Biden administration faced record numbers of migrants at the southern border, which immigration restrictionists attributed to policy changes that they argued incentivized unauthorized crossings. Critics of Trump’s characterization note that most border crossers are not violent criminals and that immigration law provides for asylum seekers.
Military Recruitment Success
Trump highlighted dramatic improvements in military recruitment as evidence of renewed national spirit.
The turnaround: “When I was running for office second term, everybody was talking about the fact that nobody wanted to join the military; nobody wanted to join the great police force… They didn’t want to join anything having to do almost like with the country with the uniform.”
Current status: “We are setting records with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Force, Coast Guard. We’re setting records. We’ve never had anything like it. And I’ll tell you when it started, November 5th, we didn’t even have to wait until January 20th.”
Trump emphasized the contrast: “Last year at this time, you were doing stories that the recruitment was a disaster. We couldn’t get men and women to go into the military. Now we have such an overabundance. We’ve never had — I mean, as I understand it, it’s like record setting recruitment.”
Secretary Hegseth on border troop morale: “If you talk to the troops down, say, on the southwest border, Mr. President, morale is sky high and continues to be, because they’re proud to be defending their own communities, their own state and their own country.”
Context for readers: Military recruitment did face significant challenges in recent years, with several services missing their goals. However, claiming “record-setting” recruitment less than a year into an administration would require verification from official Department of Defense data. The change from “Department of Defense” to “Department of War” mentioned by Trump represents a symbolic shift, though the department was originally called the War Department until 1947.
Press Questions and Notable Exchanges
On Venezuela and B-1 Bombers
A reporter asked about reports of B-1 bombers near Venezuela. Trump denied it: “No, it’s not accurate. No, it’s false. But we’re — uh, we’re not happy with Venezuela for a lot of reasons, drugs being one of them, but also they’ve been sending their prisoners into our country for years under the Biden administration.”
He continued: “They’ve emptied their prisons into our country. Nobody can do that. Only a stupid person would have accepted it.”
On Congressman Dan Goldman
When asked about Representative Dan Goldman calling for NYPD to arrest ICE agents, Trump dismissed him: “I know Dan and Dan’s a loser. You understand, he’s a guy that doesn’t have what it takes… It’s so ridiculous, right, a suggestion like that.”
Trump pivoted to criticism of Democrats: “They’ve even now started imitating me, of all people they want to imitate me, and they start using foul language, but they use too much of it. You know, you can’t use the F word seven times in one sentence, it doesn’t work.”
On Israel and the West Bank
A French reporter asked about an Israeli vote on West Bank annexation. After some difficulty understanding the accent, Trump was dismissive: “The West Bank is — don’t worry about the West Bank. Israel is not going to do anything with the West Bank, OK? Don’t worry about it… They’re not going to do anything with it.”
On Binance Founder Pardon
When asked about pardoning the founder of Binance (cryptocurrency exchange), Trump explained: “A lot of people say that he wasn’t guilty of anything. He served four months in jail and they say that he was not guilty of anything… I don’t know him. I don’t believe I’ve ever met him. But I’ve been told by a lot of support, he had a lot of support.”
He added: “What he did is not even a crime. It wasn’t a crime. That he was persecuted by the Biden administration.”
On January 6 Pardons
When asked if his pardons of January 6 defendants undermined the task force’s law enforcement mission (given that one pardon recipient was charged with threatening a congressman), Trump defended the pardons: “We had the courage to do something that should have been done. The problem, sometimes the Republicans are too nice.”
He compared it to a Democrat candidate: “Look what he said, he’s going to kill his opponent and he’s going to kill the children of his opponent, and I think the wife. I said this guy is sick.”
Trump concluded: “We’re very proud of what we did.”
On Adam Schiff Grand Jury
When asked about reports of a grand jury investigating Senator Adam Schiff, Trump was characteristically harsh: “Adam Schiff is one of the lowest forms of scum I’ve ever dealt with in politics. He’s a horrible human being. A very dishonest person. I have no idea what’s going on.”
Attorney General Bondi declined to comment: “We’re not going to comment on any grand jury that’s open. We can’t legally.”
On Declaration of War Against Cartels
When asked why not seek a formal declaration of war if treating cartels as terrorists, Trump gave a blunt answer: “I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK. We’re going to kill them. You know, they’re going to be like dead. OK.”
On ICE Agent Tracking Apps
When asked about apps that track ICE agent locations, Trump initially seemed unfamiliar: “I’m not a big app guy. I’m not into that too much.”
Attorney General Bondi provided details: “These organizations, President Trump, are coming in and there are apps to track our federal law enforcement officers, and it jeopardizes their lives, where they’re going to be their location. And we’ve actually been working really well with the tech companies who have been cooperating because they don’t want our law enforcement officers to get injured.”
Trump also addressed officer safety regarding masks: “I noticed some do it and some don’t, but it’s pretty dangerous. But when you look at, you know, you talk about that question, I think it’s very dangerous.”
The “Department of War” Name Change
Trump repeatedly emphasized the rebranding of the Department of Defense to the “Department of War.”
Trump’s explanation: “Secretary of War Pete Hegseth — sounds so much better than Secretary of Defense. I don’t know. Do you guys agree with that? I don’t know, it sounds — you know, we won the First World War, the Second World War. I always say everything before and everything in between. And then we got woke and we said, well, let’s call it defense.”
He expressed surprise at reception: “It’s funny, that’s something I thought would be maybe controversial. And it’s only controversial that we changed the name in the first place.”
Context for readers: The Department of Defense was originally called the War Department from its founding until the National Security Act of 1947 reorganized the military establishment. The name change to “Defense” was part of a broader reorganization after World War II. Trump’s reversion to “War Department” represents a symbolic shift emphasizing offensive rather than defensive military posture.
Government Shutdown Discussion
The ongoing government shutdown came up several times, with Trump blaming Democrats.
Trump’s position: “I said long ago, we shouldn’t have been in this problem. Uh, this was September 28th. It came due in Biden’s regime and before the election, September 28th, and they pushed it off into the future.”
On Democrat leadership: “I really think they have no leadership. They have a lot of very low IQ people. Jasmine Crockett is a low IQ person. A lot of them are… They’ve never done this before. They always agreed to go and you know, called an extension.”
The solution needed: “All we need is like five Democrat votes so we open our country again.”
Anonymous donor support: Trump revealed: “A man — a friend of mine, a man that’s great. I’m not going to use his name unless he lets me do it… He called us the other day, and he said, I’d like to contribute any shortfall you have because of the Democrat shutdown… Today, he sent us a check for $130 million.”
When pressed for the name, Trump declined: “I would love to tell you. He deserves — he doesn’t really want the recognition if you want to know the truth. But he gave us a check for $130 million, which was sort of a shortfall, yeah, and that’s going to go to the military.”
Claims About National Transformation
Trump and his team made sweeping claims about the country’s transformation in less than a year.
Trump on economic conditions: “We have the hottest country anywhere in the world right now. The whole world is talking about it… We have the highest stock market, all these things are rocking. We have — we will have by the end of my first year more than $20 trillion of investment. The all-time record is $3 trillion.”
On national direction: “They did a poll the other day. The direction of our country is better than it’s been in 37 years. And I’m upset because I think it’s bet — it should be better than that.”
Stephen Miller’s assessment: “This country was going to die without you, this country was going to actually die without you. That’s what we were facing in 2024.”
Kash Patel on the task force impact: “Enough, excuse me, enough fentanyl to kill over 200 million Americans gone, evaporated off our streets permanently… These statistics would have taken other administrations decades, decades.”
Team Chemistry and Working Relationships
Multiple officials emphasized the collaborative nature of the task force.
Attorney General Bondi: “I’m looking around this table. We all work so well together. I don’t think another administration in our nation’s history has worked so well together. We talk constantly Secretary Noem, Tulsi, Pete, constantly, but also all of our agencies working hand in hand.”
She noted late-night coordination: “Rob, I was on — texting — Todd Blanch and I were on texting you at 1 am on cases. I mean, that’s how committed all of these people are.”
Kash Patel on responsiveness: “When I call these people, they pick up. I don’t get a voicemail. When I make an ask, they answer… We are actual friends. And I know the media doesn’t want to call us that, but we do do that. We do hang out. We do work together. It’s a 24/7/365 mission.”
Trump on talent: “The best thing we have going is we have such talent around this table. I could go over every one of these men and women. And we have unbelievable talent. They’ve got — their naturals.”
Defense of Law Enforcement
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche provided a forceful defense of federal agents executing arrests.
On the scope: “Over 3000, 3266 terrorists have been taken off the streets in two months. And for each of those arrests there’s anywhere — anywhere from between 4 to 20 law enforcement agents, federal, state and local executing those arrests. And that, that means every one of them are putting their lives on the line.”
Warning to critics: “To the extent that there are politicians as recently as today suggesting they are doing something wrong… governors, district attorneys, mayors and even congresswomen suggesting that our federal law enforcement and the state and local law enforcement that are helping them are doing something wrong. That is — that is disgusting and something that we will not tolerate.”
On protecting officers: “Everyday Attorney General Bondi and I talk with all of our partners making sure that they know that if any one of our federal agents, our state or local agents working under the HSTF banner are even touched by any of these terrorists or rioters, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Claims About Protesters and Funding
Trump suggested that anti-administration protesters are paid agitators.
On protest funding: “When you see some of these people, these people are going crazy. They’re going crazy because they’re getting paid, because there’s no reason for them to be going crazy.”
He described protest materials: “When you look at signs, and they’re all made beautifully, the yellow signs, I saw the yellows, the blues, but they’re all made professionally in a printing shop, looks like on Madison Avenue someplace. Some guy is paying for all that stuff.”
On investigation: “We are finding out who’s paying them, yeah. We have a lot of information about who they are. You’re going to be very surprised when you find out.”
Trump also mentioned task force work on this: “Yeah, where the money’s coming from… You see it, like even that garbage deal they had this weekend, which was embarrassing to them, and the crowds were much smaller.”
Other Notable Moments
On the White House itself: Trump discussed his personal investment in maintaining the White House: “I give a lot of money to the White House. The White House is — uh, as you know, I give my salary. And I usually like to steer it to the White House because this house was a little bit abandoned.”
He specifically mentioned renovations: “The floors downstairs. I paid for them. Marble, the most beautiful marble you’ve ever seen. The white floors down in the Palm Room… They were all broken, but now they have the most beautiful floors, the most beautiful lights and chandeliers.”
On the White House ballroom: When asked about funding for a new ballroom, Trump responded: “Actually, we’ve raised I think $350 million, all donor money and money that we put up, we’ve raised. It’s going to be — it’s going to cost right in the neighborhood of $300 million… It will be the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world, I think.”
On the “Gulf of America”: Trump referenced renaming the Gulf of Mexico: “I would like to call it by its official name, the Gulf of America, another little triumph of the Trump administration. I said for years, I said why aren’t we calling — why do we call it the Gulf of Mexico? It’s 93 percent — the shoreline is 93 percent ours.”
MLA Citation
“Remarks: Donald Trump Speaks at a Homeland Security Roundtable – October 23, 2025.” Factbase, FiscalNote, 23 Oct. 2025, transcript.