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Trump Gaggles with Press Upon Departure from the White House, Oct. 23, 2026

October 23, 2026 · The White House · 0:22:17

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

What happened

President Donald Trump took questions from the press upon departure from the White House on Oct. 23, 2026, carried on the White House channel, saying he was traveling to Fort Myers, Florida, after what he called a very successful night in Iowa. Asked whether the First Lady would take part in trilateral peace talks, he said it was “not the worst idea I’ve ever heard,” adding that “what she wants to do is save children and that’s her focus and both sides are cooperating with her,” as he stated her role.

Asked about a report concerning Jared Kushner and Middle East funds, the President said: “It’s a false story. It’s a totally false story. Totally an incorrect story. It was just fake news,” as he stated his denial. Asked for news of a new press secretary, he said there was nothing to announce. On voting, he said, as he stated the figures, that a batch of 20,000 “absolutely fraudulent” registrations had been found in California and that the true figure “could be hundreds of thousand,” adding: “California is very corrupt in voting. So is Minnesota. So are many other states,” as he characterized them.

Why it matters

This departure gaggle is the day’s on-record sweep before the Florida trip: the First Lady’s child-focused diplomacy described by the President himself, a flat denial of the Kushner report in his own words, and his California and Minnesota voting claims stated as the midterm early-voting fight intensifies.

Scoreboard watch

This gaggle is a scoreboard reference point: the President’s Oct. 23, 2026 statements on California voter registrations — 20,000 in a batch, possibly hundreds of thousands in total — each as stated by the President, to be checked against the registration and prosecution record.

Sources: The White House, “President Trump Gaggles with Press Upon Departure from the White House, Oct. 23, 2026” (official upload, embedded above). All figures and characterizations as stated by the President.

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Donald J. Trump