Leavitt on first day back fields hail of questions on Trump elections speech, tells press 'tune in'

In her first White House press briefing back from maternity leave, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday verified for reporters that President Trump's speech tonight will be about the security of the U.S. voting system but urged them not to rely on speculation and instead 'tune in' to learn for themselves. 

“It will shock you, if you have an honest eye,” she said, noting that the speech will be “based on fact.” 

Leavitt told the room full of reporters there has been misreporting from some outlets about what the president will talk about and clarified that the speech will mainly focus on the integrity and security of U.S. elections and the country’s voting system. 

"If we don’t have a safe and secure election, we don’t have a country," Leavitt, who until Thursday gave her last White House briefing in April.

Leavitt urged reporters multiple times to keep an open mind before “jumping ahead” and predetermining what exactly Trump will speak about: “again, you guys have not heard the speech yet.”

She also encouraged the American people to tune in tonight so they can hear directly from the president about a topic “near and dear” to them – the election system – to draw their own conclusions.

To one reporter who asked why the president is “unable to let [the 2020] election go,” Leavitt said, “We should have the safest and most secure elections in the history of the world.”

Trump will also touch on both the economy and current situation with Iran, according to Leavitt.

President Trump’s speech is slated for 9 p.m. He has long raised concerns about the country’s election system, specifically concerning election interference of those who are not legally allowed to vote, and is still pushing to get the SAVE America Act passed in the Senate.

Katherine Pugh is a reporter for Just the News. Follow her on X for more coverage.