Leavitt Marks Trump’s One-Month Anniversary: 73 Executive Orders, 95% Border Crossing Drop, “Beating Canada”

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt opened a February 21, 2025, briefing by noting that President Trump “looks forward to watching the game tonight — and we look forward to the United States beating our soon-to-be 51st state, Canada,” referencing a USA hockey matchup. She then marked one month since Trump’s return to office with a comprehensive catalogue of achievements: 73 executive orders signed (more than double Biden’s pace and quadruple Obama’s), 18 cabinet-level nominees confirmed, border crossings down 95 percent, the Laken Riley Act signed into law, and Kash Patel’s expected confirmation as FBI director. She also announced Trump’s first cabinet meeting and upcoming visits from Macron and Starmer.

”Soon-to-Be 51st State”

Leavitt opened with the line that generated the most social media attention, delivered with the casual confidence that had become her trademark.

“He looks forward to watching the game tonight, and we look forward to the United States beating our soon-to-be 51st state, Canada,” Leavitt said.

The quip continued Trump’s running joke about Canadian statehood, which had begun during the transition period when he suggested Canada become the 51st state and called Prime Minister Trudeau “Governor Trudeau.” The joke had taken on a life of its own, becoming a staple of administration messaging that served both as humor and as a reminder of the leverage the United States held in the bilateral trade relationship.

The hockey reference was well-timed. USA Hockey games against Canada were among the most-watched sporting events in both countries, and the framing of the game as a competition with “our soon-to-be 51st state” ensured the clip would circulate widely on both sides of the border.

One Month: “A Historic Start”

Leavitt then shifted to the substance of the briefing, delivering a point-by-point summary of the administration’s first-month accomplishments.

“Today marks one month of President Trump’s return to the Oval Office, and there is no denying this administration is off to a historic start,” Leavitt said.

She led with executive action volume: “The President has already signed 73 executive orders. That is more than double the number signed by Joe Biden and more than quadruple the number signed by Barack Obama over the same period.”

Leavitt then categorized what those orders accomplished: “These executive orders have ended burdensome regulations, sealed the border, unleashed our domestic energy sector, eliminated divisive DEI from our federal government, stopped the weaponization of government, cut waste, fraud, and abuse, reinstituted America First trade and foreign policies, and ultimately restored common sense.”

The list covered every major policy domain — regulation, immigration, energy, government culture, law enforcement, fiscal policy, trade, and foreign affairs — in a single sentence. The breadth was the point: the administration wanted to convey that it was moving simultaneously on every front, not sequentially.

She highlighted one legislative achievement. “The President also signed the Laken Riley Act into law, which ensures ICE will detain illegal aliens arrested or charged with theft or violence,” Leavitt said. The Laken Riley Act, named after a nursing student murdered by an illegal immigrant, was the first piece of legislation signed by Trump in his second term and represented a rare bipartisan accomplishment on immigration enforcement.

Personnel: 18 Confirmed, Patel Expected

Leavitt provided a personnel update that compared favorably to previous administrations.

“As of today, the Senate has already confirmed 18 cabinet-level nominees,” she said. “Which is more than at this point under the Obama administration in 2009 and more than double the pace of the Biden administration in 2021.”

She previewed the day’s expected confirmation: “And today we expect Kash Patel to be confirmed as the next Director of the FBI.”

Patel’s confirmation would be one of the most consequential personnel decisions of the early second term. The former National Security Council official and Department of Defense chief of staff had been one of Trump’s most trusted national security aides and was expected to overhaul the FBI’s leadership culture and redirect the bureau’s focus away from what the administration characterized as political targeting of domestic opponents.

Leavitt also announced upcoming events that demonstrated the administration’s diplomatic momentum. “We are proud to announce that the President will host his first official cabinet meeting here at the White House next Wednesday, February 26th,” she said. “In just four weeks, President Trump has already hosted the leaders of Israel, Japan, Jordan, and India. And next Monday, the President will host France’s President Emmanuel Macron. And on Thursday, the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit the White House as well.”

The parade of foreign leaders — five heads of state or government in four weeks, with two more coming in the next week — underscored the administration’s argument that American leadership was being restored on the world stage. Under Biden, critics had argued, world leaders came to Washington out of obligation; under Trump, they were coming because the United States was where decisions were being made.

Border: “Down 95 Percent”

The most dramatic statistic in the briefing was the border crossing figure, which was presented as the signature achievement of the first month.

“Border crossings since the day he took office are down 95 percent,” Leavitt said, citing a figure attributed to Stephen Miller. “I think it’s almost impossible to even describe the scale and scope of that achievement.”

The 95 percent reduction in border crossings within one month was, if accurate, one of the most dramatic policy reversals in modern American history. Under Biden, the southern border had seen record illegal crossings, with encounters exceeding 300,000 per month at the peak. A 95 percent reduction would mean that crossings had been cut to roughly 15,000 per month or fewer — levels not seen since the Trump first term.

Miller then provided the specifics of how the reduction was achieved: “President Trump, within days of taking office, cut border crossings 95 percent. He’s reimplemented Remain in Mexico and he has obtained historic cooperation from foreign countries all around the world in accepting their deportees back.”

He continued with the operational details: “He has used the United States military to fully seal the southern border with a historic deployment of both active-duty and National Guard troops, resumed the building of infrastructure. He has opened up Guantanamo Bay and he’s using military aircraft to carry out deportations all across this country.”

The mention of Guantanamo Bay as a detention facility for certain deportees was a notable detail that had not been widely reported. Military aircraft for deportation flights represented a significant escalation of resources beyond the commercial charter flights that had been used under previous administrations.

Miller described the inter-agency coordination: “ICE is joining with ATF, DEA, and FBI to carry out the largest deportation operation in American history.”

He concluded with the overarching assessment: “This is the biggest and most successful change in any area of law enforcement that this nation has ever seen, and he did it in under one month.”

Trump’s Message to America

Trump himself provided the closing message in a recorded statement. “As one team, we can make our borders stronger, our communities safer, our schools better, our families happier, our citizens wealthier, and our country freer — freer, freer — and more exceptional than ever before,” he said.

He concluded: “We will work together, and we will absolutely, without question, make America great again.”

The repetition of “freer” three times was characteristic of Trump’s speaking style when emphasizing a point he considered particularly important. The word choice reflected the administration’s framing of its deregulation, tax cut, and government reform agenda as fundamentally about expanding individual freedom by reducing government control.

Key Takeaways

• Leavitt marked Trump’s one-month anniversary by noting 73 executive orders signed — more than double Biden’s pace and quadruple Obama’s — covering border, energy, DEI, trade, and government reform.
• Border crossings were down 95% since inauguration, which Miller called “the biggest and most successful change in any area of law enforcement that this nation has ever seen.”
• The Senate had confirmed 18 cabinet nominees, outpacing both the Obama and Biden administrations, with Kash Patel expected to be confirmed as FBI director that day.
• Leavitt joked that Trump “looks forward to the United States beating our soon-to-be 51st state, Canada” in a hockey game, continuing the administration’s running gag.
• Trump had hosted the leaders of Israel, Japan, Jordan, and India in his first four weeks, with Macron and Starmer scheduled for the following week, plus the first cabinet meeting on February 26.