Leavitt doesn't answer directly when asked if pro-Hamas university students could get deported.

"If they are here illegally, then certainly he is open to deporting them," the press secretary says.

She is asked whether violent offenders are still the priority for deportations, after Leavitt points out that anyone who has migrated to the US illegally is a "criminal".

"Two things can be true," she says, adding that Trump wants all illegal immigrants removed - from rapists and murderers, to common undocumented migrants.

Leavitt is asked why non-government organisations were not given more notice before Trump's decision to cut funding.

She says the move was "incredibly to important to ensure" that the White House shows it is taking into consideration "that the American people are working and their dollars actually matter to this administration".

She criticises a now blocked pledge to send $37m to World Health Organization, and calls a programme "to send condoms to Gaza" a "preposterous waste of taxpayer money".

This comment is in reference to a USAID programme which involves HIV prevention care.

Leavitt is next asked about the pause on federal assistance for certain grants and loans.

The White House press secretary insists that the freeze will not impact individuals receiving assistance - referencing the examples of social security benefits, Medicare benefits and food stamps.

However, she adds Trump wants to be a "good steward" of taxpayer money and ensure that the money is "not conflicting" the executive actions he is taking.

Therefore there will be no more funding for "illegal DEI programmes", she says, also citing "transgenderism" and "wokeness" across federal agencies.

• For context: DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programmes aim to promote participation in workplaces by people from a range of backgrounds. Their backers say they address historical or ongoing discrimination and underrepresentation of certain groups, including racial minorities, but critics argue such programmes can themselves be discriminatory.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Karoline Leavitt has, so far, taken a slightly adversarial tone with the media.

When asked about her job, Leavitt quickly vowed to tell the truth, which she said would be "easy" under what she has already repeatedly termed a "transparent" Trump administration.

The previous administration - particularly at the end - also had, at times, a tense relationship with the press.

But this one seems more willing, right at the outset, to take a combative tone when they feel it necessary.

Leavitt is next asked by a member of the press about whether she intends to speak on behalf of the president or if she intends to tell the truth as she takes up the mantle of White House Press Secretary.

She replies: "While I vow to provide the truth from this podium, we ask that all of you in this room hold yourselves to that same standard."

She goes on to claim that there have been "lies that have been pushed by many legacy outlets in this country" about Trump and his family.

"We will not accept that," she asserts, adding that they will call that out when it does occur.

Leavitt is asked what steps the White House will take to expand the types of news media that are allowed into the briefings.

"It is a fact that Americans are consuming their news media from a variety of different platforms," she says, adding that as the youngest-ever White House press secretary, she is aware that this is especially true of young Americans.

"Anybody in this country, whether you're a TikTok content creator, a blogger, a podcaster, if you you producing a legitimate news content, you will be allowed to apply for press credentials for this White House," she says.

Leavitt takes her first question about the new AI chatbot DeepSeek, which was launched by a Chinese firm and caused US market turmoil yesterday.

The press secretary says Trump believes this is a "wake up call" for the American AI industry - adding that the last administration "sat on [their] hands".

Leavitt refers to Trump's executive action in rolling back regulations and the appointment of an AI and crypto tsar - David Sacks.

Trump is confident about the restoration of American dominance in AI, she adds.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

The difference in tone between this briefing and those that took place during the Biden era is stark.

For one - Leavitt was quick to point out to reporters that Trump is "transparent" and has spoken to journalists directly several times already.

"That's because President Trump has a great story to tell, about the legendary American revival that is already underway," she says.

She also took swipe at the media, saying that trust has fallen to an all-time low. A total of 440 revoked media passes will be invited back, while podcasters and social media influencers will be invited.

Seats to her right - traditionally reserved for White House staff - will be given to "new media".

And the first question Leavitt answers is from one of these newly added media outlets.

Leavitt continues to issue a warning for those thinking of entering America illegally to "think again".

She adds that this administration has already removed "heinous individuals" who committed violent crimes.

She then addresses law enforcement officials - saying Trump "has your back".

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Reuters

The first briefing of the second Trump administration has jumped right into business - as press secretary Karoline Leavitt only briefly acknowledges the room.

Within a minute of starting to speak, she urged lawmakers to do the "imperative" work of confirming his cabinet picks, before diving into a list of accomplishments.

Much of her early commentary focused on immigration - which has so far been a primary focus of the Trump administration.

She also had a warning for would-be undocumented migrants: "think again...you will be deported."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has arrived and the briefing has started.

You can click watch live at the top of this pgae to follow along.

Sarah Smith
North America editor, reporting from the White House

The rising decibel level of the background chatter in the White House press room today demonstrates the excitement around the first press briefing of the Trump administration.

It feels like the first day of a new school term as we wait for Karoline Leavitt to make her first appearance at the lectern.

The briefing room is exactly as it looks on TV – except that it is about half the size you would imagine.

Seats are strictly assigned to different news organisations. With the American TV networks in prime position in the front rows.

Then the biggest US newspapers.

The BBC position is much less prominent – squeezed in near the back between News Nation and the FT.

Far more journalists than usual have turned up today. Which means many are crushed together standing in the aisles.

Tempers are starting fray as more and more people keep squeezing in.

And we are still waiting to learn if the Trump administration is planning to add new people – including friendly podcasters – to the invite list

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr / BBC

It's only a few minutes to go until the briefing begins - and the room is crowded with photographers and reporters jostling for space.

There are 30 seats in the room. All of them are assigned, although many are shared between news outlets. There are, however, many more reporters that hope to attend this briefing, meaning that space in the walkways is at a premium.

Much of the discussion, at least among reporters, has been about whether - or not - the briefing will begin on time.

In Biden's era, late briefings were the norm. Over the two years of the administration in which I attended these regularly, it was not at all uncommon to wait 45 minutes or an hour or more for then-Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre to get underway.

This White House, however, operates differently - and it's by no means clear that we will have briefings as regularly as before.

Trump, after all, seems to relish in speaking directly to reporters.

While we wait for the White House briefing to begin, we have some breaking news to bring you.

Caroline Kennedy, the cousin of Trump's health secretary nominee Robert F Kennedy Jr, has written a letter to multiple US senators which describes him as a "predator". BBC's US partner, CBS News, has a copy of the letter.

The letter, sent the day before RFK Jr's confirmation hearing is scheduled, Kennedy says her cousin is "addicted to attention and power" - as well as accusing him of being a hypocrite by telling people not to vaccinate their kids while doing so for his own.

She goes on to accuse him of causing several family members to become addicted to drugs.

Senator minority leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, criticised the Trump administration for its plan to freeze funding for grants and loans.

He accused the president of shutting off billions, if not trillions, of dollars that would directly support American families.

"This a dagger at the heart of the average American family in red states, in blue states and cities in suburbs, in rural areas," he said.

"It is just outrageous. Funds for things like disaster assistance, local law enforcement, rural hospitals, aid to the elderly, food for people in need all are on the chopping block in this new administration."

Schumer claims these cuts will be used to make up for tax cuts for the ultra wealthy.

Image source, Reuters

Karoline Leavitt, the youngest White House press secretary in history, is due to give her first White House press briefing at 13:00 EST (18:00 GMT).

The 27-year-old served on Donald Trump's campaign as a spokeswoman.

The first briefing of a new administration is a huge moment, as the press secretary comes face-to-face with the media.

Trump's first press secretary during his first term, Sean Spicer, caused controversy in his debut briefing by inflating crowd size estimates at Trump's inauguration. Spicer also said the White House may sometimes "disagree with the facts".

• Read more: Who is Karoline Leavitt, the youngest White House press secretary?

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News

During a brief pause to wander off in search of a much-needed coffee and snack, I strolled through the briefing room - where I saw a handful of White House workers installing two large screens on either side of the podium.

It's unclear what function these will serve. They may be to show graphs, charts or footage that new White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt feels can help support the point she's making.

On the other hand, some in the press room have theorised that the Trump White House may be restarting the practice of taking questions remotely from reporters outside of DC, or from podcasters - something that officials now in the administration have suggested is a possibility.

Last week, for example, Leavitt told conservative outlet Newsmax that she plans to make the White House more accessible to "un-traditional" forms of media, including podcasts and social media influencers.

It's been unclear exactly what will have a funding pause, but we can now confirm Pell Grants and Direct Loans will not be impacted.

Pell Grants are financial awards given to undergraduate or graduate students who have financial need for assistance. Unlike loans, Pell Grants do not usually need to be repaid.

“The temporary pause does not impact ‘assistance received directly by individuals,'" Madi Biedermann, a spokesperson for the US Department of Education told the BBC.

"As such, Title IV, HEA funds that are provided to individual students, such as Federal Pell Grants and Direct Loans, are not impacted."

To understand the scale of how much the US spends on federal assistance programmes, let's look at what was spent in 2024 - $3 trillion (£2.4tn).

That is the figure the White House used in the leaked memo, which our US partner CBS News verified earlier today.

As a reminder, we don't yet know which programmes this funding freeze will impact.

The White House has said it will not impact Medicare or Social Security benefits.

Image source, Getty Images

Democrats in Washington DC were quick to sound an alarm of concern about the looming funding freeze .

The top Democratic appropriators in Congress - Washington Senator Patty Murray and Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro - sent a letter to the White House Monday evening expressing their "extreme alarm" with the memo.

"The scope of what you are ordering is breathtaking, unprecedented, and will have devastating consequences across the country," they wrote.

"We write today to urge you in the strongest possible terms to uphold the law and the Constitution and ensure all federal resources are delivered in accordance with the law."

The Democratic minority leader of the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, was also critical of the pause: "Congress approved these investments and they are not optional; they are the law."