Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, Feb. 18, 2026

February 18, 2026 · The White House · 0:41:20

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

What happened

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt briefed members of the media at the White House on February 18, 2026. She opened with the President’s week: the Black History Month reception that afternoon; the Board of Peace meeting the next day, where, she announced, member states had “pledged more than five billion dollars towards the Gaza humanitarian and reconstruction efforts” and committed thousands of personnel to the International Stabilization Force and local police; the Georgia trip that afternoon after; a working breakfast with governors on Friday; and the Governors Dinner on Saturday night.

Her economic update, as she stated it: the January jobs report had beaten expectations; 615,000 private-sector jobs had been added in President Trump’s second term, while federal government employment had shrunk to its lowest level since 1966, “saving taxpayers $29 billion annually”; year-over-year inflation fell to 2.4 percent in January, “the lowest level since May,” with core inflation at its lowest in nearly five years; real average hourly earnings had outpaced inflation by nearly $1,400 over the President’s first year back; and the annual mortgage cost for a new home had fallen by $4,000 under President Trump, bringing mortgage affordability to a four-year best.

In questions she took the administration’s position on Iran deliberations without disclosing military details, addressed the President’s statement on the Reverend Jesse Jackson’s passing, and, asked about a reported Taiwan arms package, said she had no announcements or updates. She closed by confirming the President would sign an executive order later that afternoon, ahead of the Black History Month reception.

Why it matters

This briefing is the administration’s own program note for the busiest week of February 2026 — the Board of Peace pledge figure was first stated here, a day before the meeting itself raised it — and its January economic figures are the baseline the President’s Rome speech and State of the Union repeated. It is recorded on the Economy, Tariffs & Trade hub.

Scoreboard watch

Leavitt’s figures as stated at the briefing — more than $5 billion in Board of Peace pledges, 615,000 private-sector jobs, 2.4 percent January inflation, and the $4,000 mortgage-cost decline — are recorded here as candidate items for the weekly scoreboard. The scoreboard entry itself remains review-gated.

Sources: The White House, “Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, Feb. 18, 2026,” The White House, February 18, 2026 (official upload, embedded above). All figures and characterizations as stated by the Press Secretary at the briefing.