Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, May 9, 2025

May 9, 2025 · The White House · 0:29:10

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What happened

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt briefed members of the media on May 9, 2025, carried on the White House channel, opening with the President’s upcoming trip: “The President looks forward to embarking on his historic return to the Middle East, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates next week, where he will focus on strengthening ties between our nations,” she said.

She then presented the trade agreement with the United Kingdom announced the day before, saying it “will massively expand U.S. market access in the United Kingdom, creating a $5 billion opportunity for new exports for U.S. farmers, ranchers and producers,” and that “the UK will also be purchasing $10 billion of American-made Boeing planes as part of the deal,” as she stated the figures. She noted the trip would also take the President to the U.S. air base in Qatar to visit American service members.

Why it matters

The briefing is the White House’s own eve-of-trip framing: the Gulf tour previewed as a return to the President’s first-term “peace through strength” approach, and the UK agreement — the first of the administration’s trade deals — presented with its headline export and aircraft figures the day after its announcement.

Scoreboard watch

Scoreboard watch: the $5 billion UK export opportunity and $10 billion Boeing purchase figures as presented at the May 9, 2025 briefing — flagged for the scoreboard editors; the entry itself remains review-gated.

Sources: The White House, “Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, May 09, 2025” (YouTube, May 9, 2025) — official description and broadcast transcript as aired.