State Department Briefing, April 29, 2025: One Hundred Days of America First Diplomacy

Name: "State Department Briefing, April 29, 2025: One Hundred Days of America First Diplomacy"
Uploaded: 2025-04-29
Duration: 30 min 3 s
Description: "State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce marked the administration's first 100 days, citing Secretary Rubio's travel to 15 countries, cartel terrorist designations, a 95 percent drop in southwest border crossings and $2 trillion in Gulf investment commitments, according to the Department of State briefing."

April 29, 2025 · U.S. Department of State · 0:30:03

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce opened the April 29, 2025 briefing by marking 100 days of the administration, noting Secretary of State Marco Rubio was confirmed 99-0 just hours after President Trump took the oath of office, according to the Department of State briefing. She said Rubio has returned the department to the fundamentals of diplomacy and face-to-face meetings, and that the department is rewarding performance based on merit and demanding accountability for every tax dollar, as stated in her remarks.

Bruce said the department and USAID have saved taxpayers billions of dollars by ending outdated and misaligned foreign aid programs, while prioritizing efforts such as the lifesaving response in Uganda, where more than 75 American experts worked with local officials to officially end Uganda’s 2025 Ebola outbreak, according to the briefing. She said Rubio has traveled to 15 countries, securing wins from Panama’s decision to withdraw from China’s Belt and Road Initiative to bringing Ukraine and Russia to the table, as stated in her remarks.

On the homeland, Bruce said six violent Mexican cartels, along with Tren de Aragua and MS-13, have been designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and that illegal crossings at the southwest border have dropped by 95 percent since 2024, crediting agreements Rubio secured with Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador, according to the briefing. She said Gulf allies produced two landmark investment commitments from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia totaling $2 trillion; that dozens of unjustly detained U.S. citizens have been brought home; that Cuba was reinstated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism; and that Iran’s shadow oil fleet and Houthi financiers were sanctioned and the Houthis designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, as stated in her remarks. She also noted Rubio signed a Declaration of Principles between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, according to the briefing.

Why it matters

The 100-days briefing is the State Department’s own scorecard for the opening stretch — a dense list of claimed results that later briefings and outcomes can be measured against.

Sources: U.S. Department of State, “Department of State Press Briefing - April 29, 2025”, 2025-04-29 (official upload, embedded above; published 2025-04-29). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.