Leavitt: 81% Support Deportations, 76% Back DOGE; Apple Announces Largest-Ever $500B U.S. Investment

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a data-driven briefing on February 26, 2025, citing Harvard-Harris polling showing overwhelming public support for every major Trump policy initiative: 81% supported deporting criminal illegal immigrants, 76% backed DOGE’s fraud investigation, 76% supported closing the border, 69% supported banning men from women’s sports, 65% supported ending racial preferences in government contracts, and 61% supported reciprocal tariffs. She then announced that Apple had committed to its “largest-ever commitment to American jobs and industry” — more than $500 billion in U.S. investment over four years, creating approximately 20,000 new jobs across nine states. Separately, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived at Guantanamo Bay to tour deportation support facilities.

The Harvard-Harris Numbers: Issue by Issue

Leavitt opened with a systematic presentation of polling data that supported the administration’s narrative of broad public approval. She cited the Harvard-Harris poll, which she noted was “a very legitimate pollster,” and walked through the numbers issue by issue.

“The American people continue to overwhelmingly give President Trump very positive marks,” Leavitt said. “Nearly every one of President Trump’s policy initiatives are receiving strong majority support. And I have noted that in every briefing since Inauguration Day.”

She then delivered the figures in descending order of support:

81% — Deporting criminal illegal immigrants: “81% of Americans support deporting illegal migrant criminals from our nation’s interior.”

76% — DOGE fraud investigation: “76% of Americans support the DOGE-led efforts of a full-scale investigation to find and eliminate fraud and waste in government expenditures.”

76% — Closing the border: “76% of Americans support closing the border.”

69% — Banning men from women’s sports: “69% of Americans support President Trump’s common sense efforts to ban men from women’s sports, as you all know. We celebrated that executive order at the White House a couple of weeks ago.”

65% — Ending racial preferences in contracts: “65% of Americans support the President’s efforts to eliminate all preferences by race in the hiring and awarding of government contracts, which is another pledge that DOGE is working hard to fulfill.”

61% — Reciprocal tariffs: “61% of Americans, a vast majority, support the President’s plan for reciprocal tariffs to ensure that other countries are treating us the way we have always treated them.”

The data presentation was strategically constructed. Every single policy that Democrats and media critics had characterized as extreme or dangerous enjoyed majority public support. Even the most contentious items — the women’s sports ban and the elimination of racial preferences — received support from roughly two-thirds of Americans. The reciprocal tariff policy, which had generated the most Wall Street nervousness, was backed by 61%.

”Overwhelmingly Popular Because It’s Common Sense”

Leavitt drew the explicit conclusion from the polling. “Despite what many Democrats and media members want you to believe, the Trump agenda is not only necessary but it is overwhelmingly popular,” she said. “Why? Because it’s driven by common sense.”

The “common sense” framing had been a recurring theme of the administration’s messaging, and the polling data validated it. If three-quarters or more of Americans supported deporting criminals, investigating government fraud, and closing the border, these were not partisan positions but common-sense positions that transcended party lines.

The briefing served as a preemptive answer to media stories about opposition to the administration’s agenda. Whenever reporters cited town hall protests or individual critics, the administration could point to these numbers: 81%, 76%, 76%, 69%, 65%, 61%. The majorities were not close calls; they were overwhelming.

Apple: $500 Billion, 20,000 Jobs, Nine States

Leavitt then pivoted from polling to what she presented as the ultimate validation of the Trump economic agenda: Apple’s investment announcement.

“During his Inaugural Address, President Trump promised that America would be a manufacturing nation once again, and liberal pundits mocked him for it,” Leavitt said. “But those critics were proven wrong once again.”

She described the Apple commitment in detail: “On the heels of President Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook last week, Apple just announced its largest-ever commitment to American jobs and industry, with plans to spend and invest more than $500 billion in America over the next four years.”

The scale was staggering. $500 billion over four years meant Apple would be investing approximately $125 billion per year in the United States — a commitment that exceeded the GDP of most countries. For context, Apple’s total global revenue in fiscal 2024 was approximately $391 billion. A $500 billion four-year investment plan meant the company was committing more than its annual revenue to American operations over the course of the Trump administration.

Leavitt detailed the employment impact: “Over the course of the current Trump administration, Apple plans to hire around 20,000 new workers, creating high-paying jobs right here in America.”

She emphasized the geographic breadth: “The investment isn’t limited to one specific region of our country. Apple teams and facilities will expand all over our country, in Arizona, California, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.”

The nine-state footprint was politically significant. The list included swing states (Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan), tech hubs (California, Washington, Oregon), agricultural states (Iowa), and energy states (Texas). The geographic diversity ensured that the economic benefits of Apple’s investment would be felt across different regions and political constituencies.

Tim Cook: “Bullish on American Innovation”

Leavitt quoted Apple CEO Tim Cook’s own characterization of the decision. “Apple CEO Tim Cook said it best in the company’s announcement: ‘We are bullish on the future of American innovation,’” Leavitt said.

The word “bullish” — a financial term meaning optimistic about future growth — carried particular weight coming from the CEO of the world’s most valuable company. If Tim Cook was bullish on American innovation under Trump, the argument that the administration’s policies were bad for business collapsed.

Leavitt then placed the Apple announcement in the context of the broader investment wave: “On top of this incredible Apple announcement, President Trump already announced more than $1 trillion in pledged investments into the United States.”

The $1 trillion figure represented the cumulative total of investment commitments since the election: SoftBank’s $100-200 billion, DAMAC’s $40 billion, the Oracle-OpenAI-SoftBank $500 billion AI consortium, and now Apple’s $500 billion. The administration was approaching or exceeding $2 trillion in total announced investments within its first month — a figure that no previous administration could match.

Hegseth at Guantanamo Bay

In a separate development, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The visit placed the Defense Secretary on “the front lines of the war against America’s southern border.”

Hegseth’s statement framed the visit in military terms: “The protection of the United States’ sovereign territory is a Department of Defense mission, and we’ve moved swiftly to implement the Commander-in-Chief’s executive orders on border security.”

The characterization of border security as “a Department of Defense mission” reflected the administration’s treatment of illegal immigration as a national security threat rather than merely a law enforcement challenge. By deploying the Defense Secretary personally to Guantanamo Bay — which was being used to process and detain certain deportees — the administration underscored its commitment to using every available resource, including military infrastructure, to enforce immigration law.

Key Takeaways

• Harvard-Harris polling showed 81% support for deporting criminal illegal immigrants, 76% for DOGE fraud investigations, 76% for closing the border, 69% for banning men from women’s sports, and 61% for reciprocal tariffs.
• Apple announced its “largest-ever commitment to American jobs and industry” — $500 billion over four years, hiring 20,000 workers across nine states including Arizona, North Carolina, Michigan, and Texas.
• Total pledged U.S. investment under Trump exceeded $1 trillion even before the Apple announcement, which pushed the total toward $2 trillion.
• Tim Cook called Apple “bullish on the future of American innovation” after his Oval Office meeting with Trump the previous week.
• Defense Secretary Hegseth visited Guantanamo Bay to tour facilities supporting deportation operations, calling border security “a Department of Defense mission.”