Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2026
January 14, 2026
The President. Okay. Hello, everybody. Thank you very much. You see that beautiful milk? That's what we're here for. We're going to be discussing milk and whole milk, and how good it is and how nourishing.
And these people all come from beautiful farms. They have a wonderful life, and they're happier today than they would have been if we didn't sign this. So we'll be talking about that in a second.
Will, could you read the first two——
White House Staff Secretary William O. Scharf. Sure.
The President. ——items? Then we're going to get going after that. And we'll be talking about a couple of things. We have some news on Iran, which we're going to talk about.
Staff Secretary Scharf. So, shortly before you all came in, the President signed two executive actions.
The first is the result of a section 232 trade investigation into critical minerals supplies. What it does is it sets up a mechanism, a process by which the United States will seek to secure its international supply chain of critical minerals and critical mineral–derived products.
The second is actually the result of another section 232 trade investigation, this one into semiconductors. It sets up a two-phase process. Under the first phase, semiconductors that are imported into the United States of America that are not then used domestically to build out our AI or computing architecture here will be subject to a 25-percent tariff. So, for example, semiconductors that were transshipped through the United States to other foreign countries would be subject to that 25-percent tariff.
But those are two executive actions that the President reviewed shortly before you all came
in.
The President. So they're going to sell chips, basically. And it's a chip. It's not the highest
level, but it's a very good level. And China wants them and other people want them, and we're going to be making 25 percent on the sale of those chips, basically.
So we're allowing them to do it, but the United States is getting 25 percent of the chips in terms of the dollar value. And I think it's a very good deal—a great deal. We're going to take in billions of dollars. And they are—they've done a fantastic job.
But it's not the Blackwell or the Rubin—those are the two top—but it's a very good chip, and people want it. And we think it's in our best interest to do.
And we have some other little things to talk about. Maybe we'll start that first. Should I start that first? I think they're going to want me to. I have a feeling they're going to want me to.
Iran/Political Demonstrations
We have been notified and—and pretty strongly, but we'll find out what that all means—we've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping. It's stopped. It's stopping. And there's no plan for executions or—an execution or executions. So I've been told that on good authority.
We'll find out about it. I'm sure, if it happens, we'll all be very upset, including you will be very upset.
But that's just gotten to me, some information, that the killing has stopped, that the executions have stopped. They're not going to have an execution, which a lot of people were talking about for the last couple of days. Today was going to be the day of execution.
Classified National Security Information Leak
And another piece of information that I think is very important is the leaker has been found and is in jail right now. And that's the leaker on Venezuela. We had a very bad leaker.
So there could be some others, and we'll let you know about that. We're hot on their trail.
But the leaker has been found, and the leaker is in jail and will probably be in jail for a long time. Let's see what happens.
So we'll let you know. We'll keep you apprised as to what's going to happen with that.
Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025
And I want to thank all of the incredible people behind me, political people—both Republicans and Democrats—because they like whole milk. Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, whole milk is—right?——
Senator Peter Welch. It's good for you.
The President. ——a great thing. The Senator was in the office many years ago. It feels like many years ago, but quite a while ago—right at the beginning of my first term.
Sen. Welch. Yes, with Elijah Cummings.
The President. Right, with Elijah. A very good person. You and I had a good relationship with him.
At that time, I think you were a Congressman, and you've made a lot of progress. [Laughter] You've done very well.
Sen. Welch. Well, some would disagree. [Laughter]
The President. No, I don't disagree—I think you—I think you've done a great job. But it's great to have you here again.
Sen. Welch. Thank you.
The President. Appreciate it.
So today I'm delighted to sign the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act into law, which is a very important thing for our farmers and, I think, maybe more important for our people.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. Yes, sir.
The President. Right? The people that drink milk.
This is the first bill signing of the new year, and it will ensure that millions of school-age children have access to high-quality milk as we make America healthy again.
I want to thank Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who's behind me; Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.; Senators John Boozman and Mike Crapo, Roger Marshall, Peter Welch; as well as Representative G.T. Thompson and Tim Walberg. All great people.
Also with us today is USDA National Nutrition Adviser Dr. Ben Carson, my friend for a long time. We went head to head, and it was not easy going head to head with Ben. Where's Ben? He's a great—he still looks good. That's because he drinks a lot of milk. [Laughter]
And some of our Nation's wonderful dairy farmers and their children. They're going to be farmers for a long time, we hope.
As it currently stands, schools participating in the National School Lunch Program are only able to offer students low- or nonfat milk options. That was changed during the Obama administration. A lot of people disagreed with it at the time.
With this legislation, schools will finally be able to expand their offerings to include nutritious whole milk. It's actually a legal definition: whole milk. And it's whole with a "w", for those of you that have a problem. [Laughter] Most of the media will get that.
This is the perfect follow-up to the new real food pyramid. And Secretary Kennedy and Secretary Rollins announced that last week. You probably heard.
This legislation also allows parents to directly request a substitute for milk for children with dairy intolerance. Previously, parents were required to submit a written statement from a doctor, but we're eliminating that rather ridiculous policy, allowing parents to choose what is best for their child, which is a big move. Hard to believe that that would be a big thing, but it is.
And of course, these changes will be major victories for the American dairy farmers, who we love and who voted for me in great numbers, I will say. [Laughter] I think I got every one of them. [Laughter]
In December, I also signed the Secure Rural Schools Authorization—Reauthorization Act. And I'm proud to say that these two pieces of legislation will give school-age children across the country the resources and support that they need not just to succeed, but really to thrive in life and later on in life.
So I want to ask Secretary Rollins to say a few things, and then I'd like to ask Secretary Kennedy and Dr. Carson. I'd also like to hear from these great political leaders—Senators, Congressmen. If they'd like to say something, I'd be honored.
So, Brooke, do you want to start, please?
Secretary Rollins. Yes, sir. Thank you. And what a joy and an honor it is to be here. I feel like I have the best job in the world with representing all of these farmers.
And, Mr. President, not in our lifetime has a president been a President who loves and supports our farmers more—and certainly the dairy farmers.
I want to thank all of our farmers here today, sir. Most of them are fifth and sixth generation. They represent States from all across our country, and bringing the children too and seeing what the next generation of dairy farmers looks like. The amazing thing is, some of these farmers back here from Butler, Pennsylvania, he milks——
The President. Where?
Secretary Rollins. Butler, Pennsylvania. [Laughter]
The President. I love Butler. I do.
Secretary Rollins. Yes. They—and they love you.
Thiele Dairy Farm owner William Thiele. We love you too.
Secretary Rollins. They love you.
But he milks about 40 to 60 cows.
And then we have Jamie, from Wisconsin, who milks about 5,000 cows. So they represent all across the spectrum and——
The President. Wow.
Secretary Rollins. ——and what this means. And I think it's important to note that in the last year, your support for these American farmers, for rural America—the "One Big Beautiful Bill" was the largest investment in rural America in history. I think that's important to note.
The trade—and I see my friend Jamieson Greer over there and Howard Lutnick on this end. We've opened up more than 24 different markets. Milk exports, dairy exports are up 23 percent just in the last year.
And when you think about the ag deficit that happened under Joe Biden and the 4 years, we went from a surplus of agriculture products when we left the first time to a $50 billion deficit when we came back.
The President. Yes. That's great.
Secretary Rollins. So these are massive, massive wins for America, and I think it's important to note that.
I also want to note, and you said it as well, that over a decade ago, Michelle Obama, in this very room, made an announcement on a shortsighted campaign to ditch whole milk in schools, and that's what we're working to fix today.
Last week, Bobby Kennedy and Ben Carson and Dr. Oz and the whole crew, sir, announced the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, which also reintroduced full-fat dairy into a healthy diet.
And today, by signing this bill, Senator Marshall and Congressman Thompson and Ben—all the wonderful men to the right who worked so hard on this—Peter Welch—it is a bipartisan issue. And understanding where we are in this country and how important the health of certainly our children are—is so important.
USDA is posting today the guidance. So we're signing the bill, and USDA—we're moving at Trump time—is posting today the new rulemaking that is necessary to get whole milk back into school lunches. So that's a really, really big deal too.
The President. So how long will that take?
Secretary Rollins. It should just take a few weeks, and then the milk starts moving in. So, it's—it's a—it's a big announcement, sir, for our schools and our children. And I know that Secretary Kennedy will talk a little bit about the health issues, so I won't do that. I'll skip over that.
You mentioned—and the last thing I'll say: I know we're here to sign the bill on whole milk, but Senator Crapo's work and our wonderful friend Doug LaMalfa, who we lost way too soon—
—
The President. Right.
Secretary Rollins. ——their work on Securing Rural Schools Reauthorization Act—how important that too is for rural America: 700 eligible rural counties across the nation are now guaranteed funds for schools and roads and infrastructure.
So, sir, you say it all the time: Those are your people. They voted for you and with us and saw your vision from the beginning. This is who we're here to support today, in addition to the Whole Milk for Healthy Schools, which will help all children.
Just remember: Eat real food—eat real food and drink whole milk.
What a joy, again, it is to be here. And I especially want to thank all of our incredible farmers for what you do.
So, sir, with that, I'll turn it over to Secretary Kennedy.
The President. And just before you do that, how are we doing with food prices, bringing them down?
Secretary Rollins. Yes, sir. Well, I'm glad you asked, because I brought a chart. [Laughter] And—that just happened to be right behind me.
So, speaking of milk, milk is actually way down, and I know we're here to talk about that today, obviously.
The President. It's 44-percent down.
Secretary Rollins. That's right, sir. Eggs——
The President. Forty-four percent down. Milk: 44-percent down.
Secretary Rollins. Eggs is way down. Milk is way down.
This is just since we took office, sir. Fresh, whole chicken: down 2 percent. Cheese down. Tomatoes down. Butter down. Of course, eggs are way down. Potatoes down almost 3 percent. Fresh fruits down almost 3 percent.
But this is just the beginning. And as we continue to bring the cost of farming down, bring the cost of inputs down, open up the market, support our farmers, we'll see even more affordability moving forward. So thank you.
The President. And eggs are down 31 percent.
Secretary Rollins. Yes.
The President. So that's really something.
Secretary Rollins. Yes.
The President. Where's Bobby?
Secretary Rollins. Bobby's right here.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Right here, Mr. President.
The President. Go ahead, wherever you are. [Laughter] Go ahead.
Secretary Kennedy. Nice to see you.
The President. We like Bobby.
Secretary Kennedy. And I want to echo what Brooke said about finally having a President that sees the alignment between farm prosperity——
Secretary Rollins. That's right.
Secretary Kennedy. ——good food policy, and health of our children. These are commonsense associations. Democrats been talking about them for eons. Republicans been
talking about them. We finally have a President that is implementing these policies and getting real food to our children.
Today President Trump signs the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025, a long overdue correction to the school nutrition policy that puts children's health first. For years, Washington treated fat—especially saturated fat—as the enemy. It made a war on saturated fat.
[At this point, Secretary Kennedy continued his remarks, concluding as follows.]
As Secretary of Health and Human Services, I support this reform because it aligns federal policy with evidence-based nutrition, not ideology or dogma. Healthy kids need real food. They need real protein, they need healthy fats, and they need policies grounded in reality and the science.
I want to thank President Trump again for his vision, for signing this bill, for continuing to put children's health first. This is exactly the kind of practical change that will make America healthy again.
The President. Thank you, Bobby.
Participants. Thank you.
The President. Thank you, Bobby. We have some milk here. It's been sitting here for 5 days, so—[Laughter]. It's from the original bottle. And I brought it so the press can have some. You can swig it all out of the same—[laughter].
Remember the old days, when we were kids? Everybody shared a bottle.
Today, we tend not to do that. But if you'd like to, if you trust the person to your—[inaudible]—[laughter]—it's right here. It's yours, okay? It's semifresh. Five, six days old. [Laughter] Thank you.
So, Ben Carson. Special man. Knows a lot about health. He looks better than ever. So, Ben, how about it?
National Nutrition Adviser Benjamin S. Carson, Sr. Well, thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for being interested in the health of the people. It's made a big difference in facilitating an atmosphere where the agencies can work together.
You know, Secretary Rollins, Secretary Kennedy, Marty Makary, Dr. Oz—the whole group—every week, at least meeting once to talk about these things, and it's made a big difference. And I want to thank the dairy farmers. I know you guys have been in the doghouse for a little while. You're out of the doghouse as of today.
And you know, whole milk is a wonderful beverage. Good protein. We talk about real food.
It is real food. Healthy fats, important nutrients. You look at vitamin D, you look at calcium, phosphorus, the things that are absolutely essential for bone development and for teeth.
But as a neurosurgeon, the thing I really like is the brain, what it does for the brain. You know, the brain starts to develop right after conception and adds millions of neurons every single day, continues to do that right up until the mid- to late twenties.
Now, it's important what that brain is getting during the development. Is it getting soda, or is it getting milk?
The President. So milk would help your cognitive ability?
Nutrition Adviser Carson. Absolutely. You can tell who's been drinking milk.
The President. Take a cognitive test. [Laughter] I've seen—I've taken a lot of them. I've got—I've aced every one of them because I drink milk. [Laughter]
Nutrition Adviser Carson. It's good for—and it shows.
The President. Do you consider there to be a big difference in taste between what you are having and this?
Pagel Family Businesses Chairwoman Jamie Pagel Witcpalek. Oh, yeah.
The President. This is just—it just looks so good sitting there, right?
French Brothers Dairy herd manager Thomas French. Yes, sir.
The President. It looks better—nice, thick. Go ahead, Ben. Sorry to interrupt you.
Nutrition Adviser Carson. Yes, well, you know, when you go to school and you give the kids milk—real milk—they love it. When you pour the stuff that looks like, you know, dishpan water, they don't particularly want that. It doesn't taste good either. So this is a great day. It's only a part of what's happening with our emphasis on health.
You know, our longevity has been going down. In other industrialized nations, it's been going up. And it's because we haven't been paying attention to this. That has changed, and we want to thank you for your leadership.
The President. Well, thank you very much, Ben. Appreciate it. Appreciate all you've done, too, for the country.
I'd like to ask a few of our senators to say a couple of words. Maybe we should start with the Democrat in our midst. What do you think, Peter?
Peter Welch.
Sen. Welch. Yes.
The President. And thank you very much for being here, Peter.
Sen. Welch. No, thank you. You know, our dairy farmers are so vitally important, and they have a way of life that transmits from one generation to another. And it's tougher than ever for our dairy farmers in Vermont, our dairy farmers in Pennsylvania, and others—South Carolina—are here.
But they're the lifeblood of the community. Nobody works harder, and nobody does things that are better for our nutrition and also for our kids. I'm in agreement. Kids having access to healthy milk is real—good milk, whole milk—is really good for them.
And one of the things that I get very excited about—the—really, the Vermont farmers talked about—is they have their milk from their farm that then goes directly to many of our schools, and then kids come out to the farms and start seeing how milk is made, what farming is about. That's good for America. It's not a party deal. This has been a bipartisan effort.
I appreciate working with my colleague Senator Marshall, who did a great job, and GT, when I was in the House. And, Tim, thank you.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The President. Thank you, Peter. It's got to be like a 90/10 issue. Another one of those 90/10s. It's good to have you on our side.
But it's a great—it's a great issue, and it's a great thing to do, and we're very proud of it.
We're very proud of our farmers.
Senator, do you want to say a few words?
Senator Michael D. Crapo. Sure. I'll be very brief. We all want to see you sign this bill. [Laughter]
But I really appreciate you and Brooke bringing up the Secure Rural Schools legislation.
This is critical legislation to our rural communities across this country, and we have to fight every couple of years to get it extended just a couple of years. And this extension we got this year went back to pick up a few years that we missed and is going to expire again at the end of the next year.
And, Mr. President and Secretary, I'm going to encourage us to get back in here to sign a health —a Secure Rural Schools bill that is permanent. I want to set a goal or hope that you'll set a goal with me to get that done.
Thank you.
The President. Good. Thank you very much. Great.
Secretary Rollins. Love it.
The President. Anybody?
Senator Roger W. Marshall. Mr. President——
The President. Please, Roger.
Sen. Marshall. Yes. Yes, Mr. President, thank you so much for having us here. On behalf of Kansas dairy farmers, thank you.
Milk is the most wholesome, nutritious drink known to humankind. Not only is it full of essential nutrients, it's full of healthy fats as well as protein. As Dr. Carson pointed out, those healthy fats are what helps that brain develop and help you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins. The protein is why you drink milk and you're not hungry again in 30 minutes.
And I have to point out that under the previous couple administrations ago, thanks to them, we have a whole generation of young adults who have osteopenia and osteoporosis because they never drank milk for an entire generation. So getting milk back in the schools is going to give us healthy bones and healthy minds. It sticks to your ribs, and it tastes great.
The President. Thank you.
Sen. Marshall. Thanks for your leadership.
The President. Great job. Great job.
Sen. Marshall. Yes, sir, Mr. President. Thank you.
The President. Anybody? Politically first, and then we're going to go to the farmers.
Senator John N. Boozman. Yes.
The President. Yes, please.
Sen. Boozman. Mr. President, thank you so much. I want to ask Dr. Carson if there's an age limit on the cognitive ability. You might see me—[laughter]—eating—drinking a whole lot more of this.
But thank you so much.
The President. Thank you so much.
Sen. Boozman. You know, we literally have legislatures here—legislators here that have worked on this for years. This is something—
The President. Really? Wow.
Sen. Boozman. ——that's been very, very difficult. You were able to help us get it over the——
The President. You would think it would have been very easy, actually.
Sen. Boozman. Exactly. But you were able to help us get it over the finish line.
The President. Yes.
Sen. Boozman. You and your great team, Brooke and all of these people, have done such a good job, not only with this issue but all that we're doing for the farm community, which is so, so very important.
So thank you very, very much.
The President. Thank you.
Sen. Boozman. And I know that you're going to continue to support farmers like you have—
—
The President. We do. Right from the beginning.
Sen. Boozman. ——since you were elected. Thank you.
The President. Thank you very much. Go ahead.
Representative Glenn W. "G.T." Thompson. Well, Mr. President, G.T. Thompson——
The President. Yes.
Rep. Thompson. ——chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. I have been working on
this bill for 15 years. [Laughter] And thank you.
The President. That's amazing.
Rep. Thompson. Because of your support and your leadership, we were able to get this across the line.
The President. It's such a shame that it would be so hard. You think it would be——
Rep. Thompson. Oh, common sense would—was lost.
The President. Yes, it's common sense.
Rep. Thompson. And you know, the benefits today go to those precious children that we see over there; it goes to our dairy farm families who work so hard seven days a week—there's no day off for a dairy farmer; and quite frankly, our rural communities, who—when the misguided move to take whole milk and 2 percent milk and flavor out of schools, we lost a generation—probably, two generations—of milk drinkers. And it devastated those rural communities, because you lose the dairy farms, then you lose all the supplies businesses, and then you lose grocery stores, and you use community—lose community pharmacies.
Well, that day ends today with your signature. And we'll reverse that trend and rebuild a robust rural economy.
And I'll just close with what will be the theme of my next bumper sticker: Whole milk heals. [Laughter]
Secretary Rollins. Amen.
The President. Yes, that's right, too.
Rep. Thompson. Yes.
The President. That's what they say. I think it's probably true. Anybody else—political?
Representative Timothy L. Walberg. Well, Mr. President——
The President. Please.
Rep. Walberg. ——as chairman of the——
The President. Yes.
Rep. Walberg. ——Education and Workforce Committee, this fits, you know, with the kids, with what they—they can enjoy in school and grow from.
Also, to have G.T. Thompson sponsor the bill on that committee—and I think I've worked with you for 15 years, but we finally got it done in committee.
This makes an impact for education, for our workforce, the health that's there, and the reality of what this farming industry does.
I live in the most diverse farm district in Michigan. Thanks for coming to Michigan yesterday.
The President. Yes, it was great.
Rep. Walberg. And my kids were raised on—it's legal now—raw milk—[laughter]—taken right out of the bulk tank. And my oldest son became a Pulitzer-nominated journalist for the Chicago Tribune——
The President. Wow.
Rep. Walberg. ——and I think the milk did it. Right? [Laughter]
The President. I think so.
Rep. Thompson. That put him over the top.
Secretary Rollins. That's right.
[Several reporters began asking questions at once.]
Rep. Walberg. Then I have the benefit of—of Dr. Carson being a graduate of Andrews University in my district. So all of that goes together.
Thank you for signing this. It will make a difference.
The President. Thank you very much. Great—great job.
So how about a couple of the farmers? Would anybody like to speak?
New Mexico dairy farmer and podcast host Tara Vander Dussen. Yes. Do you want to?
is?
The President. Would you like tell it—do you like—do you want to just say how great milk
Gwenevere Vander Dussen. It's so amazing. [Laughter]
Secretary Rollins. It's so amazing.
Rep. Thompson. I love it.
The President. That's good.
Tara Vander Dussen. Yes, Mr. President, we want to say thank you for doing this. It's been
stated several times how long this took, and so thank you for your support and leadership in finally making this happen.
As a mom and a dairy farmer, this isn't just a big win for the dairy farm families across the country, but, as it's been said, the millions of school-aged kids that depend on school lunches for their nutrition and to fuel their bodies.
So thank you.
The President. So they've been fighting this for years then, huh?
Tara Vander Dussen. Fifteen years.
The President. Wow. Have you been fighting——
Tara Vander Dussen. Before these kids——
The President. You're too young to be fighting. [Laughter] Have you been fighting it for that long a period of time?
Tara Vander Dussen. For a while, we've been fighting it.
The President. Yes.
Tara Vander Dussen. I mean, I think I speak for everybody: It's been a long time coming.
Ms. Pagel. Long time.
Mr. French. Yeah, it's been——
Tara Vander Dussen. So your leadership is——
The President. Incredible.
Tara Vander Dussen. ——is it.
The President. Well, it's great. I had no idea—you would've—it just seems to make sense.
Right? Hard to believe. When you said 15 years, I said, "You have to be kidding."
Rep. Thompson. Yes.
The President. It's—government is tough. Government can be very tough. How about you? Would you like to say something?
Ms. Pagel. So we are very grateful and thankful that you passed this bill, because it is common sense as to what we should be consuming——
The President. Right.
Ms. Pagel. ——whole foods and whole milk.
Unfortunately, that has not been the case for a few years. But research shows, and our MAHA movements have been taking the right steps to make America healthy.
And our children are growing into active teenagers and athletes, and what do they need?
They need strong bones. They need the energy. They need the healthy muscles. And so, we are so grateful that the science is there, and we are actually at the right point and the right step, making sure America is healthy.
So we are very thankful.
Secretary Rollins. Well said. Well said.
The President. That's so great. I'll tell you, I look forward to getting it all the time. [Laughter]
Sometimes I open a refrigerator; I see milk with rice and milk with water and milk with everything. [Laughter] And I say, "What kind of milk is it?" That's what I like right there.
That's great. Thank you very much. Beautiful. Please, ma'am.
Independent Women's Forum Vice President for Economic Policy Patrice Onwuka. Hi. My name is Patrice Onwuka. I am the center director at the Independent Women's Forum. I work on economic policies—
The President. Right.
Ms. Onwuka. ——but I'm also a mom of boys, as you can see. This is Jesse. He's—Jess, do you want to say your name and age?
Jesse Onwuka. My name is Jesse. I am 6 years old—I am 7 years old. I want to be an engineer when I grow up. I am a first grader. I also know where does milk come from. [Laughter]
Ms. Pagel. Good job. Good job. Ms. Onwuka. Can you tell us? Tara Vander Dussen. Good job. Mr. French. We love that.
Ms. Onwuka. Can you tell us?
The President. Where does it come from?
Jesse Onwuka. So first, farmers milk it. And then, next, they put it into a cold tank, and then they—to take the germs out, they put it very hot, and then they put it back in the cold tank. And then they hauled it to somewhere that is cold in a big refrigerator.
The President. Well, that is unbelievable.
Mr. French. Yes, we appreciate the—[inaudible].
The President. I didn't—I didn't know that. Actually——
Tara Vander Dussen. We may have to invite him out, huh?
The President. ——I'm going to give a medal. [Laughter] You see that? [The President handed Jesse Onwuka a challenge coin.]
Everybody—these guys want it, let me tell you. Politicians want it. I'm going to give that to you. Is that ok?
Jesse Onwuka. Yes. Secretary Rollins. Good job. Jesse Onwuka. Thank you. Ms. Onwuka. Thank you, sir.
The President. Thank you. That's beautiful. Wow. Ms. Onwuka. And this is Daniel, his younger brother. Daniel, how old are you?
Daniel Onwuka. Five.
Ms. Onwuka. And what grade are you in? Daniel Onwuka. First—kindergarten. [Laughter] Ms. Onwuka. Kindergarten.
And these boys are involved in sports. They go to a public school in the Maryland area.
The President. That's great.
Ms. Onwuka. And you know, many of their friends, you know, are drinking, you know, the kind of options that they don't really like. And so it's good that, as they get to drink a glass of milk every morning, their friends will be able to drink that at school as well.
So thank you very much for what you're doing for—
The President. I think that's great. Beautiful boys.
Ms. Onwuka. ——for public school kids, in particular.
The President. Beautiful—beautiful people. Beautiful people. Thank you very much. Doing a great job too.
Ms. Onwuka. Thank you.
The President. Please.
Independent Women's Forum Executive Vice President Amber Schwartz. I'm Amber Schwartz. I'm also with Independent Women, but I'm here with my son Luke, who is 13 years old. We're in Alexandria, Virginia.
Luke needs a lot of protein right now to grow. In fact, his doctor just told us between 60 and 70 grams a week. And that's—I can't feed him a whole chicken every day, so supplementing with milk is really helping us.
Unfortunately, at school, they've offered skim milk and chocolate——
The President. Yes. [Laughter]
Ms. Schwartz. ——and he does not like either, and so he has been turning to the juice boxes and other drinks that have sugar. And so thank you for giving him the opportunity——
The President. That's great.
Ms. Schwartz. ——and parents, too, to make a choice.
The President. That's great. That's really great. How about you?
Mr. Thiele. Thank you, Mr. President. I'm the one——
The President. Nice, beautiful red hair.
Mr. Thiele. Yes. [Laughter] I tried to match here, so——Secretary Rollins. Yes.
Mr. Thiele. But I'm the aforementioned one from Butler, Pennsylvania.
The President. Yes.
Mr. Thiele. So we—you know that place very well.
The President. I do.
Mr. Thiele. And we still love you. So——
The President. Thank you.
Mr. Thiele. But——
The President. Thank you.
Mr. Thiele. ——Mr. President, I was thinking last night, when I was milking, what I was going to say, and I thought, well, this is such a monumental day in agriculture—not just dairy farmers, but for all of agriculture, because this helps me as a producer, helps the processors. It also helps these kids here. So it's good all around, and this is perfect legislation. A great day for America is what this is.
The President. Thank you very much. Beautifully said, and we appreciate it. And it is a great place that you come from. I love it.
Please.
Satterwhite Farms owner Kevin Satterwhite. Mr. President, thank you. It's an honor to be here.
And you know, I think this is about choices. You know, this is—this day has been a long time coming. We've been waiting on this for many years. And, you know, it's great that we're able to provide choices now in schools with whole milk. I want to thank you for that, and thank you for everything that you do for the dairy industry, that us dairy farmers produce nutrients—valuable nutrients every day for consumers.
The President. So you're going to need to produce more milk because you're not mixing it up with all sorts of things, right?
Mr. Satterwhite. That's right.
The President. That's great. That's a big——
Secretary Rollins. Really great.
The President. How much of an increase will that be? Do you have any idea?
Mr. Satterwhite. Uh, I mean, pretty good.
The President. A lot more.
Tara Vander Dussen. A lot more. [Laughter]
Secretary Rollins. A lot.
Mr. Satterwhite. A lot more. Absolutely. Absolutely. So——The President. That's great. Boy, that's so good for the industry. Mr. Satterwhite. Absolutely.
The President. Hard to believe you had to wait so long.
Mr. Satterwhite. Yea. So thank you.
The President. Would you like to say something?
Mr. French. Mr. President, I would like to thank you again for your support behind this. And the gentlemen standing behind you——
The President. Yes.
Mr. French. ——like you said, we worked 15 years on it.
The President. That's amazing.
Mr. French. I advocate for our industry a lot out in the community, and I know—I've been in the high schools, I've been in middle schools where the students want milk. I did a taste test one time at a high school where we gave them whole milk versus the skim milk their school was giving, and the kids loved the whole milk.
So, just your all support behind us, your support getting it pushed through, I really appreciate what you've done and——
The President. Yes.
Mr. French. ——and what the gentlemen behind you were able to do.
The President. We support the farmer.
Mr. French. Yes, sir. Secretary Rollins. Yes, we do. Tara Vander Dussen. Yes, sir.
The President. The farmer knows what's right, better than anybody else. Bobby would tell you that. I mean, the farmer, they know what's right.
Mr. French. Yes, sir.
The President. Especially when it comes to things like this.
Mr. French. [Inaudible]
The President. Sorry it took so long. It was 15 years. I can't believe it.
Secretary Rollins. Yes.
The President. Howard, would you like to say something?
Secretary of Commerce Howard W. Lutnick. What's amazing is that the President has the leadership and common sense to drive the right outcomes. Why should kids not be given the choice to drink whole milk? How is that even possible?
So it's amazing to work for you because you just own common sense, and you're driving it through our economy. You're driving it through the farmers. You've got great leadership in Secretary Rollins and Secretary Kennedy. And it's great fun to be here because—I mean, think of today. I mean, how much fun is this? It's just common sense. Come on.
The President. How do you like the Oval Office? Isn't it great?
Mr. French. Yes, sir.
Secretary Rollins. Beautiful.
The President. Even the media, they come here, they're here a lot, but it's sort of, like, you're in the Oval Office. It's the whole ball game. [Laughter] It all begins and ends and then rebegins here. There is no place like it, right?
Tara Vander Dussen. Yes, sir.
Mr. French. Yes, sir.
The President. Isn't that exciting? There's no place like—if you love the country, especially, there's no place like it.
So thank you. Thank you, Howard, very much. So let's sign it. Should I sign it?
Mr. French. Yes, sir.
Gwenevere Vander Dussen. Yes.
The President. Last chance. I could—[laughter]—we could—we could go another 15 years, right?
Rep. Thompson. Please.
The President. Let's do it. Do it?
Secretary Rollins. You go stand right there by the President.
The President. Come on right over here.
Secretary Rollins. Come on. Jesse, come on over here. Come on, Daniel.
The President. We have to do a good one here. This is—right?
Rep. Thompson. Yes, sir.
The President. This is an important one for me. [The President signed the bill is signed.]
Okay. Not bad. Not bad.
See, Biden—Biden used to sign by autopen. The previous person would sign by autopen—[laughter]—so you can never make a mistake. They made a lot of mistakes.
Anyway, here it is. Thank you.
Thank you all very much. You have it, right?
Ms. Pagel. Thank you. Thank you, all.
Tara Vander Dussen. Thank you.
The President. Going to drink a lot of milk. I'm going to start drinking a lot of milk. [Laughter]
Mr. French. We appreciate it.
The President. Okay. Thank you very much. That's great.
Here, hold that on for a little while. You'll give it to us later. Okay? [The President handed the signed bill to a Jesse Onwuka.]
That's a good job you do. [Laughter]
Rep. Thompson. That's great.
The President. So any questions on what we just signed, please?
Q. Mr. President, on Iran. Mr. President——
The President. Yes, let's talk about this first, please.
National Economy
Q. I've got one with milk. Coming from a family—my dad was a dairy engineer from Texas Tech University.
The President. Right. So you're a big, strong guy, Brian [Brian Glenn, Real America's Voice].
Q. There it is. Drank lots of whole milk in my day.
Would you look at this as being a shift from what the industry kind of went woke with the oak [oat; White House correction] milk and the almond milk?
The President. It's doing the exact—it's amazing.
Q. It's going in the exact opposite direction. Let's talk about the impact of the dairy farmers on this whole milk.
The President. There are a lot of changes being made in the last year, as you know. We're still a little bit less than a year. I think there's probably never been a year like this for a President or for a country. We have tremendous success. We've had success with everything we've done.
And the economy now is coming back. And here's an example of farmers. They're going to be working harder to produce because it's not going to be watered down by something, and it's great to see it.
And if you'd like a sip of that, I'd give it to you. It's actually been here—[laughter]—it's only been here for a few minutes before we started. [Laughter] Hasn't—it's not 5 days. [Laughter] Five days and open, right?
Q. Yes.
The President. No, it's not. But it's an honor. What we've done in the country in the last year, it's incredible. All of us together. It's incredible. So I appreciate the question.
Iran/Political Demonstrations
Q. On Iran, you said that the killing has stopped. Who told you that the killings have stopped there?
The President. We have been——
Q. And if it's the Iranian regime——
The President. We have been informed by very important sources on the other side, and they said the killing has stopped and the executions won't take place. There was supposed to be a lot of executions today and that the executions won't take place. And we're going to find out. I mean, I'll find out after this. You'll find out. But we've been told on good authority, and I hope it's true.
Who knows, right? Who knows? Crazy world.
Q. We've seen body bags. So how do you trust them?
The President. No, no, you've seen that over the last few days. And they said people were shooting at them with guns, and they were shooting back. And you know, it's one of those things. But they told me that there'll be no executions, and so I hope that's true.
Please.
[Several reporters began asking questions at once.]
Iran/Government Suppression of Protests
Q. Does this mean military action is now off the table against Iran?
The President. Well, we're going to watch and see what the process is. But we were given a very good statement by people that are aware of what's going on.
Q. Are you considering military action? Is that still a threat?
The President. I mean, when they say no executions, everyone is talking about—a lot of executions were taking place today. We were just told no executions. I hope that's true. That's a big thing.
Yes, please.
Greenland/Arctic Security
Q. The Foreign Minister of Greenland, she said a while ago in a press conference in an embassy of Denmark that she made very clear in the meeting that happened here in the White House what are their limits. She also said that it was a very respectful meeting. Are those limits going to be respected?
The President. Well, we're going to see what happens with Greenland. We need Greenland for national security. So we're going to see what happens. They're going to brief me on the meeting right after this conference. In fact, the sooner I get you out, the faster I'm going to know exactly what happened. [Laughter] But we have a very good relationship with Denmark, as you know. We'll see.
But you know, we're doing the Golden Dome. We're doing a lot of things, and we really need it. If we don't go in, Russia is going to go in and China is going to go in. And there's not a thing that Denmark can do about it, but we can do everything about it.
Q. [Inaudible]
The President. Well, we're going to see. We're going to see what happens. But we need it. You know, I'm not the first one. This was talked about in—by President Truman. And 40 years before President Truman they were talking about it. They've been talking about this for a hundred years. This is not anything so new. A lot of people don't realize that.
But this was a hot subject, probably not as hot as it is now, but it was a hot subject for a long time. We need it for national security, and that includes for Europe. And I spoke with, as you know, Mark, the head of NATO, and he really wants to see something happen. It's very important. Very important for national security.
Planned Parenthood
Q. It's being reported that Health and Human Services released frozen funds to Planned Parenthood. I'm wondering why this happened and why Planned Parenthood is receiving any Federal funds.
The President. I don't know anything about that. Bobby, do you know anything about that?
Secretary Kennedy. What was the question?
Q. It's being reported that frozen funds were released to Planned Parenthood in December, by HHS. I'm wondering why that happened.
The President. I haven't heard——Secretary Kennedy. I haven't heard of that. The President. I have not heard that.
Greenland/North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Q. Mr. President, on NATO. On NATO. Right now it sounds like you are saying that you would potentially acquire Greenland by force. That would be a NATO country.
The President. Well, you're saying that.
Q. Are you saying that?
The President. No. No, you're saying that. I didn't say that.
Q. Would you acquire them by force right now?
The President. No, you're telling me that that's what I'm going to do.
Q. I think we're——
The President. You don't know what I'm going to do.
Q. So what are the options then?
The President. Your network doesn't know either.
Q. Because the Danish Foreign Minister said that there's still fundamental differences after the meeting with Rubio and with the Vice President. Are you willing to leave the NATO Alliance in order to get what you want with Greenland? What are the options right now?
The President. Well, I wouldn't be telling you what I'm willing to do certainly. I'm not going to give up options. But it's very important. Greenland is very important for the national security, including of Denmark. And the problem is there's not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland. But there's everything we can do. You found that out last week with Venezuela. There's everything we can do about things such as that. Not going to happen. We're not, you know—I can't rely on Denmark being able to fend themselves off.
You know, they were talking about they put an extra dogsled—and they were serious about this—they put an extra dogsled there last month. They added a second dogsled. That's not going to do the trick.
Q. Denmark fought alongside the United States in both Afghanistan and Iran.
The President. Thank you for telling me that. I appreciate it. I have a very good relationship with Denmark.
Q. They're an ally of the United States though.
The President. And we'll see how it all works out. I think something will work out. Yes, please.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez Gomez of Venezuela
Q. On Venezuela. Cabello, the de facto number two in Venezuela right now, he seemed pretty reluctant to work with the U.S. And obviously, he's in——
The President. With us? We just gave—they just gave us 50 million barrels of oil.
Q. Cabello, the number two. The Venezuela security chief.
The President. Well, I don't know. I know the number one, we just had a great conversation today. And she's a terrific person. I mean, she's somebody that we've worked with very well.
Marco Rubio is dealing with her. I dealt with her this morning. We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things. And I think we're getting along very well with Venezuela.
Yes, please.
Department of Justice National Fraud Enforcement Division
Q. You created a new Assistant Attorney General position dedicated to rooting out fraud in the United States.
The President. Yes. He's fantastic. The person is fantastic.
Q. Who is it?
The President. It's a he.
Q. When are you going to nominate them?
The President. I will tell you, maybe, within minutes. I mean, I don't know if I'm—it's appropriate to say yet because we're going through a process, but we have chosen a person who's very tough, very smart, very fair.
China-U.S. Trade/Tariffs
Q. Mr. President, you gave a speech yesterday in Michigan about how you recalibrated the American economy to work for workers, U.S. auto factories. We've seen core inflation is completely tamed. You've lowered the trade deficits, the lowest amount since 2009. American exports are growing. But we're also waiting on the Supreme Court case with the tariffs. Given the success that you've had in the first 12 months, what is at stake in this case, sir?
The President. A little bit like whole milk: I can't believe we even have a case. [Laughter] This was a case started by very China-centric people and also anti-American people, frankly—people that don't want us to do well.
Tariffs have helped us stop eight wars. They've helped us get the best trade numbers we've ever had. They've helped us get $18 trillion brought into the country. And maybe above all else, they've given us tremendous national security, just the threat of tariffs. You saw that just yesterday when I put tariffs on a certain country—we won't talk about that country, but you know who it is—based on the fact that if you do business with that country, you know, it's going to make them—it's going to bring them to the table a lot faster. So we have made hundreds of billions of dollars with tariffs.
We have very little inflation. Think of it. Inflation has gone down, and productivity—everything has gone up. We're never taken in money like we have. We've never had anywhere near $18 trillion invested in our country. And neither has any other country. It's the biggest
number by maybe five times. Five times, not 5 percent. Five times. Nobody's ever seen numbers like this.
We have plants going up. You know, you mentioned I was in Michigan yesterday. I was at the Ford plant, where they make the Ford 150. It's one of the original plants. It's a—it was from before World War I. It's a giant plant. That plant was probably going to be closed. And 2 years ago, they were doing very poorly, and now they just announced yesterday that they're going to go 24 hours around the clock—three shifts, which they rarely do.
That's Ford. And Ford's having the best numbers they've ever had. General Motors is having the best numbers they've ever had. Stellantis, which hasn't been here, is now investing billions—hundreds—tens of billions of dollars on building in the country.
We're building auto plants all over the country. We're building AI all over the country. We're leading China by a lot, and a lot of it has to do with tariffs.
That would be a very disappointing decision, and—especially since the people that are fighting me are people that want China to do well. And we're doing great against China. We're doing great against everybody.
We're the hottest country anywhere in the world. As I say often: We're right now the hottest country anywhere in the world, and a year and a half ago we were a dead country.
Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.
NOTE: The President spoke at 2:59 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones, a Government contractor and former servicemember of the U.S. Navy, who was arrested on charges of mishandling classified national defense information between October 2025 and January 2026; and Secretary General Mark Rutte of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He also referred to Proclamations 11001 and 11002. Rep.
Walberg referred to his son Matthew. Nutrition Adviser Carson referred to Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz; and Commissioner of Food and Drugs Martin A. Makary. Reporters referred to Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Motzfeldt of Greenland; Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Lokke Rasmussen of Denmark; and Minister of Interior Justice and Peace Diosdado Cabello Rondon of Venezuela. S. 222, approved January 14, was assigned Public Law No. 119–69. The transcript was released by the Office of Communications on January 15.
Categories: Bill Signings and Vetoes : Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025, signing remarks; Interviews With the News Media : Exchanges with reporters, White House.
Locations: Washington, DC.
Names: Biden, Joseph R., Jr.; Boozman, John N.; Carson, Benjamin S., Sr.; Crapo, Michael D.; French, Thomas; Kennedy, Robert F., Jr.; Lutnick, Howard W.; Marshall, Roger W.; Obama, Barack; Onwuka, Daniel; Onwuka, Jesse; Onwuka, Patrice; Pagel Witcpalek, Jamie; Perez-Lugones, Aurelio Luis; Rodriguez Gomez, Delcy; Rollins, Brooke L.; Rutte, Mark; Satterwhite, Kevin; Scharf, William O.; Schwartz, Amber; Thiele, William; Thompson, Glenn W. "G.T."; Vander Dussen, Gwenevere; Vander Dussen, Tara; Walberg, Timothy L.; Welch, Peter.
Subjects: Agricultural production, strengthening efforts; Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies; China, trade with U.S.; Classified national security information; Denmark, relations with U.S.; Economic improvement; Egg prices; Food markets and prices; Fraud enforcement, strengthening efforts; Greenland, ownership and administration; Inflation; Iran, political unrest and violence; Missile defense, modernization efforts; National Nutrition Adviser; National School Lunch Program; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Planned
Parenthood; Secretary of Agriculture; Secretary of Commerce; Secretary of Health and Human Services; Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025; Semiconductor manufacturing; Tariffs; Venezuela, Interim President; Venezuela, relations with Venezuela; Venezuela, U.S. military capture and exfiltration of President Maduro; White House Staff Secretary; Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025.
DCPD Number: DCPD202600023.