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In April, the IRS agreed to begin sharing information with ICE.

Last Updated: November 23, 2025, 7:49 AM EST

President Donald Trump on Thursday called several Democratic veterans and national security specialists "traitors" who should face the death penalty for releasing a joint video in which they said that U.S. service members could refuse illegal orders.

This week, the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure to force the Department of Justice to release all files related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump signed the legislation on Wednesday night, starting the clock on the 30 days the DOJ has to release the documents.

Nov 20, 2025, 2:31 PM EST

White House says Trump posts on Democrats not political violence

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the idea that President Donald Trump's social media posts calling Democratic lawmakers "traitors" who should face the death penalty amounts to the political violence he's accused the "radical left" of partaking in.

"The president and the vice president, for that matter, have accused the other side of encouraging political violence. Isn't that exactly what the president is doing when he says that members of Congress should be killed?" a reporter asked Leavitt during Thursday's briefing.

"Why aren't you talking about what these members of Congress are doing to encourage and incite violence?" Leavitt responded. They are literally saying to 1.3 million active duty service members not to -- to defy the chain of command, not to follow lawful orders," Leavitt said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, November 20, 2025.
Evan Vucci/AP

Leavitt added, "To suggest and encourage that active-duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing for sitting members of Congress to do, and they should be held accountable. And that's what the president wants to see."

When the reporter followed up that the video that prompted Trump's posts was about illegal orders, Leavitt said they're "suggesting" that Trump "has given illegal orders, which he has not."

Nov 20, 2025, 2:01 PM EST

Leavitt says a 'communist' will be visiting the White House, ahead of Mamdani meeting

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said details are being worked out for Friday's meeting between the president and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.

However, she did take a shot at the progressive democrat.

"It speaks volumes that tomorrow we have a communist coming to the White House," she said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, November 20, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

Mamdani has been a member of the Democratic Socialists group, which experts have argued are far from the authoritarian socialism practices of communist governments such as the Soviet Union and Cuba.

"I also think it speaks to the fact that President Trump is willing to meet with anyone, and talk to anyone, and to try to do what's right on behalf of the American people, whether they live in blue states or red states or blue cities," Leavitt added.

Nov 20, 2025, 2:00 PM EST

'No' Trump doesn't want to execute members of Congress: Leavitt

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt faced several questions after President Donald Trump called several Democratic veterans "traitors" who should face the death penalty for releasing a joint video where they said that U.S. service members could refuse illegal orders.

"Just to be clear, does the president want to execute members of Congress?" one reporter asked Leavitt during Thursday's briefing.

"No," Leavitt said. "Let's be clear about what the president is responding to, because many in this room want to talk about the president's response but not what brought the president to respond in this way. You have sitting members of the United States Congress who conspired together to orchestrate a video message to members of the United States military to active duty service members, to members of the national security apparatus, encouraging them to defy the president's lawful orders."

In the video directed at military members, Democratic veterans and former intelligence officials -- including Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly -- said that military service members can refuse illegal orders. None of the Democrats mentioned any specific illegal orders given to service members, but they said "this administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens."

Nov 20, 2025, 12:51 PM EST

Trump admin expected to announce relief plan for farmers in early December

A USDA official confirmed to ABC News that the Trump administration intends to release its plan to provide relief for farmers in early December.

The official also confirmed comments made by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to Bloomberg about the plan.

"We've been able to really analyze, build our formulas around what is happening. We're obviously in a different place today than we were a couple of months ago. Having said that, we expect to release and announce that the first week of December," Rollins told Bloomberg.

For months, administration officials have discussed providing economic relief to farmers as President Donald Trump's tariff plan has greatly impacted them.

President Donald Trump meets Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington.
Win McNamee/Getty Images

During Trump's Asia trip, Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to resume purchasing soybeans from the U.S. as part of their larger trade framework.

In an interview with Fox Business in late October, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that China has agreed to purchase 12 million metric tons of soybeans between now and January.

--ABC News' Hannah Demissie

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