Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleBrendan RasciusThursday 16 July 2026 19:04 BST(Reuters)White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt hosted her first media briefing since taking maternity leave on Thursday afternoon — hours before President Donald Trump is expected to deliver a national address on election security.A reporter asked Leavitt to respond to concerns from Republicans that the president’s address on elections could turn off swing voters. “I would encourage everyone to tune in tonight,” Leavitt responded. “I’ve seen a lot of reporting and frankly misreporting about what the president will say.”Karoline Leavitt said Americans will be “relieved” by President Donald Trump’s address this evening on election security. "I think the American people will be relieved to hear what they are hearing from the president of the United States and his commitment to transparency, and the focus on the integrity of our elections tonight.”When asked about the Iran war, Karoline Leavitt reiterated that diplomatic discussions are ongoing while stating that the U.S. is well within its rights to continue attacking Iran. “We can hit Iran anytime, anywhere, any place,” she said.The press secretary told reporters that Donald Trump’s teleprompter operator, who is alleged to have made money by betting on the president’s speeches is on “unpaid administrative leave.” Gabriel Perez — Trump’s teleprompter operator since 2016 — is thought to have made more than $100,000 by betting on the president’s speeches on the prediction platform Kalshi, ABC News reported on Thursday.In fullTrump news live: Karoline Leavitt promises America will be ‘relieved’ by Trump’s election speechMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in