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The White House • November 29, 2018

The 96th lighting of the National Christmas Tree Last night, President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump celebrated a classic America tradition: the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. “This is a time of the year for rejoicing with our family and friends, for spreading charity and goodwill in our commitment all over this country in all of our communities, and for giving thanks for all of the blessings in our lives,” the President said from the Ellipse at President’s Park, just steps from the White House. “No matter one’s faith or beliefs, the Christmas season reflects all that is best in the American spirit.” Every year, crowds withstand the sometimes frigid D.C. temperatures to witness the ceremony put on by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation. Amid multiple musical performances by a range of guests, including the U.S. Army Band, the President and First Lady led a countdown to the tree’s first lighting of the season. “On behalf of Melania and myself and the entire Trump family—many of whom are with us tonight—I want to again wish you all a very, very Merry Christmas.” Watch President Trump and the First Lady lead the National Christmas Tree lighting. More: The First Lady unveils this year’s White House Christmas decorations First Lady Melania Trump talks opioid abuse at Liberty University Yesterday morning, First Lady Melania Trump joined Eric Bolling, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen at Liberty University in Virginia for a town hall on opioids. “When I took on opioid abuse as one of the pillars of my initiative BeBest, I did it with the goal of helping children of all ages,” the First Lady said. To a full stadium of students, she explained the scale of the problem and how each person can make a difference. More than 130 Americans die each day from opioid overdoses. Last year, those overdoses accounted for over 72,000 deaths—more than any previous year on record. Under President Trump’s leadership, signs of hope are emerging. “The results speak for themselves,” Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway wrote last month. “Seizures of several kinds of illicit drugs are up, the number of new 30-day prescriptions is down and overdose deaths attributed to prescription pain medications have started to level.” Watch highlights of the First Lady’s talk at Liberty University. Kellyanne Conway: We can bring the opioid crisis to an end Photo of the Day Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave to the crowd after lighting the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse | November 28, 2018 Ivanka Trump teams up with Apple CEO Tim Cook Yesterday, students at Wilder Elementary School in Idaho lined up in anticipation for two very special guests: Apple CEO Tim Cook and Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump. With iPads in hand, the students got a chance to show off their tech prowess. The goal of the visit was simple: to see firsthand how American companies like Apple are transforming classrooms across the country. By incorporating handheld technology, the Wilder School District is personalizing the learning process for students, tailoring the instructional environment to individual strengths and needs. “Instead of a teacher standing before the entire class and lecturing, the students at Wilder hold the classroom in their hands and complete the work at their own pace,” Cynthia Sewell writes in the Idaho Statesman. Great teachers remain as important as ever in the age of high-tech classrooms. “This is what is so exciting, the harnessing of technology in conjunction with incredible educators to create this type of really personalized learning experience,” Ms. Trump said yesterday. Such programs “prepare students for a world where digital literacy is absolutely critical.” This summer, President Donald J. Trump unveiled his “Pledge to America’s Workers” and established the National Council for the American Worker. Spearheaded by Ivanka Trump, the Council is working to develop a strategy that will help train America’s students for the jobs of the future. Apple was among the first companies to sign the pledge committing 10,000 new training opportunities for workers. Why Ivanka Trump and Tim Cook visited Idaho The pledge: More than 6 million opportunities for American workers Migrant caravan: How we got here Over the weekend, a group of more than 1,000 migrants—the vast majority of them single adult males—attempted to illegally rush America’s southern border. “People started throwing rocks. Assaulting our agents,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said. Law enforcement responded professionally to the situation and dispersed the crowd before more serious injuries were sustained. How did we get here? One important fact looms large: In the past 5 years, the number of "credible fear" claims made by illegal immigrants crossing our southern border has multiplied tenfold. As the number of asylum claims grows, the backlog in our immigration courts has more than tripled in the past decade. Furthermore, well-known immigration loopholes accommodate and even incentivize fraudulent family relationship claims among migrants. When that happens, children face a frighteningly high risk of exploitation by human traffickers and smugglers. The bottom line: It's time for Congress to fund real border security, letting immigration courts address the cases of asylum-seekers who present themselves lawfully at our Nation's Ports of Entry. See President Trump’s 4-part plan to fix America's immigration system. More: 110 percent surge in migrant men using kids to enter the U.S. Photo of the Day Photo Courtesy of Apple Senior Adviser to the President Ivanka Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook visit the Wilder School District in Idaho | November 27, 2018 President Trump Signs NAFTA Replacement Deal with Mexico, Canada Earlier this morning, President Donald J. Trump signed a three-way trade deal with Mexico and Canada that will replace the outdated NAFTA if it is approved by Congress. “Trump signed the U.S. Mexico Canada trade agreement in Argentina on the side of the G-20 summit,” Pete Kasperowicz reports in the Washington Examiner. “This is a model agreement that changes the trade landscape forever, and this is an agreement that first and foremost benefits working people, something of great importance to all three of us here today,” the President said. Click here to read more. “The International Labor Organization estimates that worldwide, nearly 25 million children and adults of all ages and backgrounds are victims of human trafficking, including forced labor and sex trafficking. Every government in the world has a moral obligation to do all in its power to stop these heinous crimes within its borders,” Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump writes in The Washington Post. “That is why President Trump took strong action on Thursday to hold accountable those governments that have persistently failed to meet the minimum standards for combating human trafficking in their countries.” “Son-in-law and senior adviser to the president Jared Kushner received Mexico’s highest honor awarded to foreigners on Friday. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto bestowed the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle to Kushner in a ceremony that President Trump made an unscheduled stop at Friday morning,” Katelyn Caralle reports in the Washington Examiner. “I believe we are at a historic place in the relationship between our two countries,” Mr. Kushner said during the ceremony. “U.S. Border Patrol agents have arrested a member of the infamous Salvadoran MS-13 gang who admitted to authorities that he traveled with a caravan of Central American migrants who were hoping to qualify for asylum in America,” Mairead McArdle reports for National Review. “During questioning at the El Centro station, the Honduran citizen confessed that he is an active member of MS-13 and had intended to enter the country illegally after traveling to the U.S. with the caravan of thousands of other migrants. He is in custody pending his deportation back to Honduras.” “New numbers from the Department of Homeland Security show that just 9 percent of asylum claims made by individuals from Central America turn out to be legitimate,” Katie Pavlich reports for Townhall. “The fact that only 9 percent of those who initially claim asylum are found eligible, indicates that we are expending most of our limited resources – detention space, court space and the time of our asylum officers and immigration judges – denying frivolous or illegitimate claims of asylum from the 9 out of 10 who are found ineligible,” DHS said in a statement. President Trump, First Lady Participate in Tree Lighting Ceremony President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump “participated in the 96th National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on the Ellipse outside the White House on Wednesday, with the White House grounds fully decked out for the holidays,” CBS News reports. “The president had the crowd count down to the tree lighting with him. The tradition draws hundreds of spectators each year, even in frigid conditions.” Click here to read more. “Consumers boosted their spending in October at the fastest pace in seven months, while their incomes rose by the largest amount in nine months — both good signs for future economic growth,” Martin Crutsinger reports for The Associated Press. “Consumer spending rose a sharp 0.6 percent last month, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. It was the biggest increase since a similar gain in March.” The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed by President Trump last year “continues to encourage the business investment that leads to higher productivity and higher wages for American workers. Today the government reported that such investment was higher than it initially reported for the third quarter of the year,” James Freeman writes in The Wall Street Journal. As the economy continues to boom, it’s time to “get ready for more speeches featuring America’s 44th President [Barack Obama] asserting ownership of the growth breakout that never managed to arrive during his eight years in the White House.” “First lady Melania Trump spoke about the importance of raising awareness about the opioid crisis and ending the stigma associated with addiction Wednesday,” Megan Keller reports in The Hill. “The chances of you knowing someone who struggles with it are very high,” the First Lady said during a town hall at Liberty University.   “A self-identified member of the violent gang MS-13 was arrested on Saturday, telling authorities that he traveled to the United States with the migrant caravan,” Leah Barkoukis reports for Townhall. The 29-year-old told authorities he traveled to the U.S. border with a large group of people from Central America with plans to file for asylum. “As President Trump and Secretary Nielsen warned, over the last few weeks we have identified over 600 known criminals and gang