Leavitt: 76% Approved Speech; DOEd Sues Maine Over Women’s Sports; Abbey Gate Bomber Captured

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt held up a CBS/YouGov poll showing 76% approval for Trump’s joint address — a note the president had personally passed her during the briefing — and called it “incredibly sad that we have a modern-day Democrat Party so severely out of touch with the American public.” She announced the Department of Education had sued the state of Maine over women’s sports compliance and called out Democrat women who wore pink but “couldn’t stand for a young woman severely injured by a man on the volleyball court.” In the briefing’s most dramatic revelation, Leavitt announced the capture of Mohammed Sharifullah, the Abbey Gate bomber responsible for killing 13 American service members, who had been delivered to Dulles Airfield that morning.

Trump Passes a Note: The 76% Poll

In an unusual live moment, Leavitt revealed that Trump had passed her a note during the briefing itself.

“Speaking of the President, he just passed me a note while I’m standing here,” Leavitt said. “He wanted me to hold this up.”

She displayed the CBS/YouGov poll. “This is the poll that I cited — the CBS/YouGov poll that shows that 76% of those who watched the President’s speech last night approved of his speech,” Leavitt said.

She connected the number to the broader Democratic disconnect. “It goes to my earlier point about how incredibly sad it is that we have a modern-day Democrat Party who is so severely out of touch with the American public,” Leavitt said.

She then cited the ultimate metric: “The ultimate poll, though, came on November 5th when the President won by an overwhelming margin that he spoke about last night. Democrats weren’t happy to hear that either.”

The real-time note-passing was characteristic of Trump’s management style — directing his press secretary from behind the scenes during a live briefing, ensuring the data point he considered most important was physically displayed for the cameras. It demonstrated the kind of hands-on media management that defined the administration’s communications approach.

Democrat Women in Pink: “You Can’t Say You’re the Party of Women”

Leavitt delivered the most pointed gender-politics critique of the briefing when a reporter raised the subject of Democratic congresswomen who had worn pink to the joint address.

“I think the message that Americans should take away from last night is that they have a President in the Oval Office who is committed to doing what’s right for them, especially women and girls across the country,” Leavitt said.

She then turned the pink clothing into an indictment. “Thank you for bringing up the point about women — that Democrat women were wearing pink to support our fellow females, yet they couldn’t stand again for a young woman who was severely injured by a man on the volleyball court,” Leavitt said. “They couldn’t stand for the mothers of two beautiful young women.”

She delivered the logical conclusion: “You can’t say you’re the party of women and then support men in women’s sports and not stand up for basic law and order and immigration reform that will protect women in this country.”

Leavitt concluded: “That’s what President Trump is doing. He’s the president for women.”

The argument was effective because it exposed an internal contradiction in the Democratic messaging. The pink clothing was supposed to signal solidarity with women. But the refusal to applaud for a girl injured by a male athlete in women’s sports and for mothers whose daughters were killed by illegal immigrants made the solidarity selective — it applied to women in the abstract but not to specific women whose stories conflicted with the Democratic policy agenda.

Department of Education Sues Maine

Leavitt announced a significant legal escalation in the women’s sports enforcement campaign.

“The Department of Education has sued the state of Maine,” Leavitt said. “As you know, there’s ongoing litigation. The President has made a commitment to ensure that states are being held accountable if they continue to allow men in women’s sports, which he believes is an egregious violation of taxpayer dollars.”

She cited the public support: “This is a common-sense policy. 80% of the American people, including more than 60% of Democrats, do not want men in women’s sports.”

The DOEd lawsuit against Maine escalated the confrontation that had begun when Trump cut Maine’s federal funding and confronted Governor Janet Mills to her face at the governors’ meeting. The funding cutoff had been the first enforcement action; the lawsuit represented the legal follow-through. Maine was now facing both financial consequences and judicial proceedings for its refusal to comply with the executive order.

The 80% support figure — including 60% of Democrats — underscored why the women’s sports issue was one of the administration’s most politically effective positions. Even a majority of the opposing party agreed with Trump’s policy. Democrats who refused to applaud at the joint address were opposing a position that most of their own voters supported.

Abbey Gate Bomber Captured

The briefing’s most consequential news was the announcement that the terrorist responsible for the Abbey Gate bombing had been captured.

“Finally, after nearly four years, President Trump delivered justice for the families of the 13 American heroes who were killed at Abbey Gate and the Biden-botched Afghanistan withdrawal, which was one of the worst humiliations in the history of our country,” Leavitt said.

She provided the details: “President Trump announced that we have detained Mohammed Sharifullah, the monster who was responsible for that horrific attack. And he was delivered to Dulles Airfield earlier this morning.”

Leavitt described the intelligence operation. “On his first day in office, President Trump’s national security team across the federal government prioritized intelligence gathering to locate this evil individual,” she said. “President Trump’s team shared intelligence with regional partners such as Pakistan, who helped identify this monster in the borderland area late last month.”

She revealed the confession details: “Mohammed confessed to his crimes related to Abbey Gate and other attacks in Russia and Iran as well to the Pakistanis. And U.S. law enforcement officers traveled to Pakistan over the weekend where he again confessed his crimes to the FBI.”

Leavitt quoted Trump’s speech: “As President Trump said last night, this killer will now face the swift sword of American justice for these atrocities, right here on United States soil.”

She drew the contrast with Biden. “Joe Biden was responsible for this botched withdrawal, and he had three years to find this evil terrorist. And he didn’t even try to get the job done,” Leavitt said.

She described the personal dimension: “President Trump campaigned on behalf of and grew very close to the Gold Star families. He promised them accountability, and last night he kept his promise. He spoke to those Gold Star families yesterday ahead of his speech in an incredibly heartwarming call to share this incredible news.”

The capture of the Abbey Gate bomber within weeks of Trump’s inauguration — after Biden had failed to apprehend the individual in over three years — was one of the most powerful “promises made, promises kept” moments of the second term. The 13 service members killed at Abbey Gate had become symbols of the Biden administration’s Afghanistan failure. Trump’s personal relationship with their families, dating to the 2024 campaign, had made their story part of his political identity. Delivering justice by capturing the bomber and bringing him to American soil for prosecution fulfilled a commitment that was both personal and presidential.

Key Takeaways

• Trump personally passed Leavitt a note during the briefing to display the CBS/YouGov poll showing 76% approval for his joint address.
• Leavitt called out Democrat women wearing pink who “couldn’t stand for a young woman severely injured by a man on the volleyball court,” saying “you can’t say you’re the party of women and support men in women’s sports.”
• The Department of Education filed a lawsuit against Maine over its refusal to comply with the women’s sports executive order, with Leavitt citing 80% public support for the policy.
• The Abbey Gate bomber Mohammed Sharifullah was captured and delivered to Dulles Airfield, after confessing his crimes to both Pakistani authorities and the FBI.
• Leavitt said Biden “had three years to find this evil terrorist and didn’t even try,” while Trump’s team “prioritized intelligence gathering on his first day in office.”