White House. President Trump and Vice President JD Vance Participate in Signing Time, Mar. 16, 2026

This video features President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance announcing a major executive order aimed at rooting out fraud within federally funded programs (0:04). The administration estimates that billions to hundreds of billions of dollars are being lost to fraudulent activity, particularly mentioning issues in Minnesota and California (0:46).Key Highlights of the Initiative:

• Task Force Creation: An executive order establishes a new task force chaired by Vice President JD Vance, with Andrew Ferguson (FTC) serving as vice chairman (0:41 – 0:58).
• Whole-of-Government Approach: The initiative forces different federal agencies, such as the Treasury and Health and Human Services, to share data to detect financial and Medicaid fraud (7:46).
• Combating Fraud in Minnesota: Specific attention is paid to fraud involving Medicaid programs meant for autistic children in Minneapolis (6:41).
• Targeting Illegal Immigration: The administration connects widespread fraud to illegal immigrants receiving benefits like Medicaid and free hospital care (4:12 – 5:07).
• Drug Price Reduction: President Trump highlights the success of his Most Favored Nations policy in significantly lowering prescription drug prices (9:14 – 10:10).Following the signing of the executive order, the President takes questions covering the war in Iran (21:01), the potential for future foreign policy actions in Cuba (48:24), and domestic issues like the Save America Act (39:28).

Thank you very much, everybody. I appreciate it.

This is a very big thing that we’re doing. It’s about fraud — all the fraud that’s taking place in our country. We have two people who are extremely brilliant and very talented, and they’re going to be put in charge.

I’d like to ask Will to give a brief description of what we’re signing in this executive order, and then I’ll ask JD to speak.

Will said that, as stated in the State of the Union address, in light of widespread revelations of fraud in federally funded programs in states like Minnesota and California, this executive order will establish a new task force aimed at rooting out that fraud and returning potentially billions, tens of billions, or even hundreds of billions of dollars to the American taxpayer.

The task force will be chaired by the vice president. The vice chair will be FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson. According to Will, this will launch a whole-of-government approach to deal with what he described as a very serious problem in federally funded programs around the country.

Trump then said that in Minnesota alone there was $19 billion connected to one aspect of fraud, and that California was supposedly much worse. He said this is not a Republican or Democrat issue in theory, but claimed it appears to happen most heavily in blue states. He added that if it is happening in red states, his administration will go there too.

He then moved into accusations involving Minnesota, Somalia, Governor Tim Walz, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and the state attorney general, saying he believed they were complicit and that investigators should look into it.

Trump argued that if even half of the fraud taking place in the country were uncovered, the federal budget could be more than balanced. He described the theft as incredible and suggested the federal government should not be deeply involved in many domestic service areas such as nursing homes.

He also complained about federal spending connected to illegal immigration, saying the federal government had been paying out money in ways it should not, and said, “We’re not paying them anymore.”

Trump then joked that JD Vance would actually do the job and that this would not be like Kamala Harris being put in charge of the border and, in his telling, never really handling it. He then invited Stephen Miller to speak.

Stephen Miller said that while the illegal flow across the southern border had been stopped under Trump, Democrats had set up a system that funneled hundreds of billions — and ultimately trillions — of dollars to migrants in the country, often mentioning Somalia. He gave an example involving illegal immigrants in detention who, he claimed, admitted they were receiving Medicaid or free hospital care billed to taxpayers.

Miller said this was only one example of broader abuse and argued that, under Trump’s leadership and with JD Vance and Andrew Ferguson involved, this would be the first serious effort in American history to reclaim massive sums stolen from taxpayers. He claimed that stopping this theft could be enough to balance the budget and called it a primary cause of the national debt.

Trump followed by saying this kind of cheating had been going on for years and had to stop. He made further harsh comments about Somalia, described it as one of the worst and most dangerous countries, and alleged that billions of dollars had been stolen by people coming from there. He also repeated allegations about Ilhan Omar, including the old claim that she married her brother, and said he hoped someone would investigate that too.

JD Vance then spoke and described the executive order as a whole-of-government approach to tackle fraud. He told a story about supposed fraud in Minneapolis involving Somali immigrants and a Medicaid program meant for autistic children. He said children were being falsely labeled autistic so that benefits could be claimed, which in his telling enriched fraudsters while depriving American children of services they needed.

Vance said the administration discovered that different federal agencies were not properly sharing fraud evidence with one another. He said the executive order would force the federal government to do two things: stop fraud against taxpayers and ensure benefits intended for American citizens actually go to them rather than to fraudsters.

Andrew Ferguson then said millions of Americans pay into these programs and expect something in return, but fraud is siphoning money into fake businesses. He argued that it is unfair both to taxpayers and especially to vulnerable Americans who need those resources most. He also suggested the previous administration had been lax in enforcing anti-fraud controls.

Trump interrupted to say the previous administration was not merely lax but fraudulent. He then shifted topics to prescription drug prices, describing his “Most Favored Nations” drug pricing policy and claiming it had taken the U.S. from having the highest prescription drug prices in the world to the lowest. He argued that while his administration worked hard to save money in this way, fraud was simultaneously draining public funds.

He continued to say the fraud task force could be one of the most important initiatives his administration had launched. He repeated claims about exploding spending related to autism in Minnesota, suggesting the rise itself proved corruption.

Trump then signed the order and said they would take questions from the media.

When asked why previous leaders had not addressed systemic fraud, Trump responded that they were crooked, made money from it, and gained power from it. He alleged that Somali voters in Minnesota vote as a bloc in exchange for benefits and said officials in Minnesota and New York were corrupt.

A reporter then asked JD Vance about critics calling them “the frauds” and about Vance’s position on the war in Iran. Vance dismissed the criticism, said the administration was actually tackling real problems, and stated that Trump had consistently held that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. He said the administration had taken military action under Trump’s leadership and that Americans should pray for success and for the safety of U.S. troops.

Trump then launched into an extended defense of military action against Iran. He said he does not want wars, but insisted Iran’s leadership is violent and vicious and would use a nuclear weapon if it obtained one. He argued that anyone who believes Iran should have a nuclear weapon is either naive, evil, or stupid.

He claimed that if he had not destroyed Obama’s Iran nuclear deal and then later taken military action, Iran would already have used nuclear weapons in the Middle East. He praised U.S. military technology, especially B-2 bombers, and described the strikes as devastating and precise. He claimed Iran’s navy, air force, anti-aircraft systems, factories, drones, missiles, and leadership had been largely destroyed.

Trump also said many foreign governments should be thanking the United States, especially countries that depend heavily on Middle Eastern oil routes. He criticized allies, especially within NATO and the UK, for not stepping up quickly enough to help, and complained that America spends enormous sums defending other countries without guaranteed support in return.

He then described Iran as a sick regime with a dangerous ideology and religious fervor, and said the U.S. had done a great thing for the world by crippling it.

Later in the press conference, Trump shifted back to domestic politics. He discussed what he called the “Save America Act,” saying it must pass the Senate. He argued that Democrats stick together politically even when their policies are bad, while Republicans often split apart. He then listed policies he said should be overwhelmingly popular: voter ID with a photo, proof of citizenship, and restrictions on mail-in ballots.

He claimed that most Democrats also support voter ID and proof of citizenship, and said widespread mail voting is vulnerable to fraud because too many hands touch the ballots. He also added culture-war issues to the same legislative package, including banning transgender participation in women’s sports and ending what he called the mutilation of children through gender-related medical procedures.

Trump then attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom, mocking him and making insulting remarks about his intelligence and past public comments.

Toward the end, Trump was asked whether a ground force might be needed in Iran to secure nuclear material. He refused to answer, calling it a stupid question for any president to answer publicly. He also said a possible trip to Beijing might be delayed because of the war.

Asked about Cuba, Trump said it is a failed nation with great people and beautiful land, and suggested that he might have the honor of “taking Cuba” in some form or freeing it, though he did not explain what that meant in practical terms.

JD Vance was later asked whether halting Medicaid payments to Minnesota over fraud concerns could become a broader model. He said there were two clear tools: first, stop payments when fraud is identified; second, use law enforcement to prosecute criminal conduct. He said DOJ involvement was essential because much of the fraud, in his view, is criminal and intentional.

The press conference ended with Trump taking a question about DHS funding. He blamed Democrats for refusing to provide funding and called them bad people who do not love the country. He then thanked everyone and ended the event.

Sources: WH.gov , Midtown Tribune news

Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York

President Donald Trump’s March 7, 2026 proclamation lays out an aggressive new anti-cartel doctrine, calling for the destruction of criminal cartels and foreign terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere “to the fullest extent possible consistent with applicable law.” The proclamation says the United States will work with allies to strip these groups of territory, money, weapons access, and outside influence, while training and mobilizing partner-nation militaries to build a stronger regional force against cartel violence. It also highlights the newly formed Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, involving representatives from 17 countries, as a sign that Washington is pushing beyond law enforcement toward a broader hard-power strategy against organized crime.

COMMITMENT TO COUNTERING CARTEL CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The United States, under my leadership, has demonstrated a sustained commitment towards achieving the dismantlement of cartels and foreign terrorists operating in the Western Hemisphere.  My Administration has designated a number of cartels and transnational gangs as foreign terrorist organizations and has since dedicated unprecedented resources towards their destruction.  These international entities control territories and commerce, extort political and judicial systems, wield arms and field military capabilities, and use assassinations and terrorism to achieve their ends.  In furtherance of our efforts, the Secretary of War established the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, a pledge from military leaders and representatives from 17 countries demonstrating that the region is ready to operationalize hard power to defeat these threats to our security and civilization.  We will address these grave dangers by use of any necessary resources and legally available authorities, together with our partner nations.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim as follows: 

(1)  Criminal cartels and foreign terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere should be demolished to the fullest extent possible consistent with applicable law.

(2)  The United States and its allies should coordinate to deprive these organizations of any control of territory and access to financing or resources necessary to conduct their campaigns of violence.

(3)  The United States will train and mobilize partner nation militaries to achieve the most effective fighting force necessary to dismantle cartels and their ability to export violence and pursue influence through organized intimidation.

(4)  The United States and its allies should keep external threats at bay, including malign foreign influences from outside the Western Hemisphere.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.

DONALD J. TRUMP

Proclamations

March 7, 2026

It’s a pretty wild time, but it’s going very well. Sit down, please.

Tremendous progress has been made, as you’re probably seeing just by watching. We’re doing something very significant. I built the military, rebuilt it, and made it really strong during my first administration. Along with a lot of other things we did, we had a great first term, and now we’re using that strength. Unfortunately, we have to. But you’re seeing how great it is. There is no military like it on Earth — not even close.

And we’re doing very well in Iran. You can see the results. It’s been amazing. We knocked out 42 Navy ships, some of them very large, in three days. That was the end of their Navy. We knocked out their air force. We knocked out their communications — all telecommunications are gone. I don’t know how they communicate now, but I guess they’ll figure something out. It’s not working out too well for them. And they are bad people — just bad people.

When you look at October 7 and everything beyond October 7, look at all the killing they’ve done over 47 years. This had to be done. They were very close to a nuclear weapon. They would have had one if we hadn’t carried out our B-2 strike, Midnight Hammer. They would have had a nuclear weapon eight months ago. And you know they’re crazy — they would have used it. So we did the world a favor.

Someone asked me, “On a scale of 0 to 10, how are you doing with the attack?” I said, “About a 15,” with 10 being the best. It’s something that had to be done, and we’re doing it well. I want to thank everybody involved.

I’ll be leaving right after this for Dover. It’s a very sad situation. I’m going there to greet the families of the heroes coming home from Iran — coming home in a very different way than they thought they would. But they are great heroes in our country, and we’re going to keep it that way. When it comes to war, there is always tragedy. But we’re going to keep it to a minimum, I think, Pete. And what we’re doing is really a service — not just for the Middle East, but for the world. These were sick people, very sick people.

This morning, I’m honored to welcome distinguished heads of state from across the Western Hemisphere for the first Shield of the Americas Summit. It is something very, very special. Marco has been working on it very hard, and so have a lot of other people, because this region is very important to us. It’s nice to be home. It’s very important. We travel all over the world — 9,000 miles away, 12,000 miles away. I ask, “How long is this flight, sir?” “Nineteen hours.” I say, “Oh, that’s great.” Now I have flights that last two hours. I like that much better.

But on this historic day, we come together to announce a brand-new military coalition to eradicate the criminal cartels plaguing our region. We were talking backstage, and you were telling me about the crime and the cartels. We’re knocking the hell out of them where we can, and we’re going to go even heavier. You saw what we were doing with the boats coming in. There aren’t many people coming in by boat anymore. Drugs coming in by sea are down 96%. We’re trying to find out who the other 4% are, because I think they must be the bravest people in the world — or maybe they just don’t watch television.

We’re calling this military partnership the America’s Counter-Cartel Coalition. That’s what you need. The cartels seem to grow unbelievably rapidly in this region, largely because of drugs. Earlier this week in Miami, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who is right here — Pete, you’re fantastic, doing a great job, we’re proud of you — and representatives of 17 different nations formally entered into this new alliance.

At the heart of our agreement is a commitment to using lethal military force to destroy the sinister cartels and terrorist networks once and for all. We’ll get rid of them. We need your help. You just have to tell us where they are. We have amazing weaponry, as you have probably noticed over the last short period of time.

I want to thank the members of the coalition, most of whom are friends of mine, and a few of whom I just met. Many of them I endorsed, and they took that endorsement and went on to win big. I haven’t had a bad endorsement yet.

The President of Argentina is here — Javier Milei, thank you very much for being here. The President of El Salvador, another friend — a man we’ve gotten very close to. When I first saw him, I thought he was too young, but then I saw the job he did and I changed my mind. He has been a great president, and we appreciate the relationship very much.

Also here are the President of Paraguay, Santiago Peña; the President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa; the President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino; the President of Honduras; the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali; the President of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz; the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago; the President of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves; the president-elect of Costa Rica, Laura Fernández Delgado; the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader; and the president-elect of Chile, José Kast. Congratulations to all of you.

I want to thank Secretary of State Marco Rubio for his leadership in organizing this really important summit. He’s fantastic — a fantastic Secretary of State. Thus far, we’ve had the most incredible year of any president. I ended eight wars. We’re not going into all of that today, but what we’ve done is incredible, and we’re going to be doing some incredible things together.

All of the nations in this room share the same priorities: security, prosperity, free commerce, and the rule of law. That’s why together we are also forming the Shield of the Americas, a new organization to advance these shared priorities in our hemisphere.

For decades, leaders in this region allowed large swaths of territory in the Western Hemisphere to come under the control of transnational gangs and bloodthirsty cartels that impose their will through murder, torture, extortion, drug trafficking, bribery, and terror. Some of you are in danger — real danger. It’s hard to believe, but we are working with you to do whatever we have to do. If you need help, we will help.

Many of the cartels have developed sophisticated military operations. In some cases, they are said to be more powerful than the military in the country itself. We cannot have that. These brutal criminal organizations pose an unacceptable threat to national security, and they provide a dangerous gateway for foreign adversaries in our region. They are a cancer, and we do not want that cancer spreading.

Every leader here today is united in the conviction that we cannot and will not tolerate this lawlessness in our hemisphere any longer. The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries. You have to use your military. You cannot fight these people with ordinary policing alone.

Just as we formed a coalition to eradicate ISIS in the Middle East, we must now do the same to eradicate the cartels closer to home. As part of our commitment to countering cartel violence, we must recognize that the epicenter of cartel violence is Mexico. The Mexican cartels are fueling and orchestrating much of the bloodshed and chaos in this hemisphere. The United States government will do whatever is necessary to defend our national security and protect the safety of the American people.

At the same time, all of us must recommit ourselves to ensuring law and order within our own nations. That includes showing zero tolerance for gang activity. The savages who murder and rape with impunity must be permanently removed from society. We must not allow our criminal justice systems to be corrupted so that they protect criminals at the expense of the people.

By securing our border and cracking down on traffickers and smugglers, we’ve reduced fentanyl pouring across our border by 67% in our first year. With a little more time, we’ll do even better. We’ve also been working closely with many of you to end human smuggling and implement safe third-country agreements.

We are also looking forward to major change in Venezuela and Cuba. Under our new doctrine — and it is a doctrine — we will not allow hostile foreign influence to gain a foothold in this hemisphere. That includes the Panama Canal. Together, we will protect our sovereignty, our security, and our cherished freedom and independence.

The nations gathered here today are filled with unlimited potential. But to fulfill that tremendous potential, we must smash the grip of the cartels, criminal gangs, and violent organizations that have terrorized our people for too long. With the courage and resolve of the leaders in this room, we will make our nations safer, stronger, richer, and more successful than ever before.

So I want to thank you all very much for coming. I look forward to the incredible progress that is soon to come. You’re going to see some incredible things. And now I’d like to ask Secretary Rubio and Secretary Hegseth to say a few words. Then I will sign a proclamation formally launching the America’s Counter-Cartel Coalition.

Thank you all very much for being here. We appreciate it.

Sources: WhiteHouse.gov , Midtown Tribune news

Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York

President Trump has announced the new Trump Accounts program, a groundbreaking initiative designed to provide every newborn American child with a significant financial head start (3:18). This program aims to inject an estimated $3 to $4 trillion into the hands of young Americans (4:18).

Key Features of Trump Accounts:

• Automatic Account Creation: The U.S. government will automatically establish a tax-free investment account for every newborn (7:13).
• Initial Funding: Each account will receive a seed contribution of $1,000 (7:43), designed to grow and compound over the child’s lifetime.
• Additional Contributions: Family members, employers, churches, and states can contribute up to $5,000 annually to these accounts (7:54).
• Significant Growth Potential: With even modest contributions, an account could reach $50,000 by age 18 (8:01), with potential for accounts to exceed $300,000 per child with greater contributions (8:16).

Trump emphasized that this program is a departure from historical norms, aiming to provide children with real assets and financial freedom rather than inherited debt (9:20). He also highlighted a substantial $6.25 billion donation from Michael and Susan Dell (9:47), which will fund Trump Accounts for an additional 25 million children aged 10 and under.

The program is slated to officially launch on July 4th (30:13) and will be accessible via trumpaccounts.gov (30:24). Numerous major companies, including Uber, Schwab, Charter Communications, Intel, Nvidia, Broadcom, IBM, and Comcast, have already committed to incorporating Trump Account contributions into their employee benefits (32:07). Additionally, Visa is developing a platform to allow credit card cashback rewards to be deposited directly into these accounts (37:45).

January 28, 2026 Whashington DC.

Sources: The White House , Midtown Tribune news

Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York

Trump in Iowa, January 27, 2026: A “One-Year Turnaround” Speech Focused on Jobs, Borders, and Farm-State Wins

CLIVE, Iowa (January 27, 2026) — President Donald Trump returned to Iowa to deliver a rally-style address built around a single theme: the administration’s first-year results and the next set of priorities he wants Congress to lock in ahead of the 2026 midterms. The event blended celebration, policy rollouts, and a direct political ask—keep the House and Senate to protect and expand the agenda.

A familiar Iowa message: “We’re back where it started”

Trump framed Iowa as the state that helped launch his return to office, using the setting to connect campaign momentum to governing outcomes. He thanked caucus-goers and voters for what he portrayed as the foundation of the administration’s governing mandate—especially on the economy, immigration enforcement, and energy.

The core achievement pitch: growth, investment, and “America First” trade

A central section of the speech focused on what Trump described as a rapid economic rebound—rising investment, improving incomes, and strong financial-market performance. He repeatedly credited tariffs and trade leverage as tools to drive domestic production and encourage companies to expand inside the U.S., citing major manufacturers and new plant activity as examples of the trend he wants to accelerate.

Farm country priorities: ethanol and market access

In Iowa, the administration’s most locally resonant deliverables are tied to agriculture—and Trump leaned into that.

Year-round E15 (15% ethanol) was one of the biggest applause lines. Trump told the crowd he expects Congress to send him a bill supporting year-round E15 and said he would sign it quickly, positioning this as a direct win for corn growers, ethanol producers, and consumers.

He also highlighted trade openings and export purchases he attributed to U.S. trade negotiations, presenting them as expanded demand for American farm products.

Tax relief framing: “keep more of your paycheck”

Trump used the Iowa stage to sell the administration’s tax-and-take-home-pay messaging, spotlighting three headline items he wants associated with the first-year story:

• No tax on tips
• No tax on overtime
• No tax on Social Security (for seniors)

To make the policy message tangible, he invited local workers to the stage and described how these changes, in the administration’s framing, are meant to boost household finances—especially for service workers and hourly employees.

Housing: pushing back on institutional competition for single-family homes

One of the clearest “governing” moments in the speech was housing.

Trump pointed to a newly signed executive order aimed at limiting the role of large institutional investors in the single-family housing market—presenting it as a pro-homeownership move designed to keep the “American dream” within reach for families and first-time buyers. The White House published the order as “Stopping Wall Street from Competing with Main Street Homebuyers.”

Border and public safety: enforcement as a signature result

Trump also emphasized border enforcement and public safety outcomes, repeatedly stating that the administration has moved aggressively to secure the southern border and expand deportation operations—particularly targeting criminals. These themes were central to the event’s structure and coverage, and Trump cited polling he said supports the administration’s approach.

The political bottom line: midterms as the “protect the agenda” election

While the speech highlighted a long list of results and priorities, the closing logic was straightforward: the administration’s next phase depends on keeping Congress. Trump told the crowd that losing the midterms could jeopardize tax policy and other priorities, and he explicitly framed the Iowa stop as part of a broader midterm push.

Why this Iowa speech was designed to land

In a single night, the White House packaged its first-year story into a tight, Midwestern-friendly frame:

• Economic momentum and reshoring (investment, production, tariffs)
• Farm-state deliverables (E15, trade and market access emphasis)
• Paycheck priorities (tips, overtime, seniors)
• Housing action (institutional buyer restrictions)
• Border and law-and-order emphasis (enforcement and removal operations)

That combination is not accidental: it’s a governing record presented in campaign form—built to reinforce core supporters while putting concrete, kitchen-table policies at the center of the argument going into 2026.

Sources: Midtown Tribune News WH.gov Youtube

Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York