Trump to Bukele: “You’re Helping Us Out, We Appreciate It”; Bukele: Border Drop “99.1% to Be Exact”; Noem: “Phenomenal”

President Trump hosted El Salvador President Nayib Bukele at the White House in April 2025 for a joint statement that produced the most dramatic border statistic of the administration. When Trump cited a 95% drop in border crossings, Bukele corrected him: “99.1% to be exact.” Trump thanked Bukele for housing deported gang members: “It’s a sin what they did. And you are helping us out, and we appreciate it.” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem praised the transformation: “It’s been absolutely phenomenal what a great leader can do. Clear direction. Our laws matter.” Trump also revealed record police and military recruiting numbers — “the highest in the history of our country."

"21 Million People”

Trump opened with the indictment of the Biden-era border crisis.

“We had a terrible thing happen,” he said. “We had an administration that allowed people to come in freely into our country. From not only South America, but from all over the world — many from the Congo and Africa, Asia, all over the world, Europe, rough parts of Europe.”

He quantified the scale: “Hundreds of thousands and even millions of them came. 21 million people altogether.”

He assigned blame: “This was allowed by a man who — what he did to our country is just unbelievable.”

Trump described the predictable consequence: “Since I heard that, I said every prison is going to be emptied out into our country. That’s what happened.”

The correction: “And we’re straightening it out. We’re getting them out.”

The 21 million figure represented the administration’s estimate of the total number of individuals who had entered the country illegally during the Biden years — a number that included border apprehensions, known “gotaways” who evaded detection, and visa overstays. The scale was staggering — equivalent to the combined populations of several major metropolitan areas.

Record Police and Military Recruiting

Trump revealed recruitment data that illustrated a transformation in public confidence.

“We had the highest recruiting numbers in the history of our country going into police departments,” he said. “And a year ago, we had the lowest numbers. You couldn’t hire — a bigger change nobody’s ever seen.”

He extended the data to the military: “The military now — Marines, the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard — we have the best numbers we’ve ever had. We had recruitment records. We’ve never had anything like it. We had records on every single level.”

Trump emphasized the police numbers: “Very important, the policemen. The policemen are joining forces now. We really were having a hard time with policemen because we weren’t protecting our police. And we cherish our police.”

The reversal from “lowest in history” to “highest in history” in police recruiting within a single year was a direct reflection of the changed political environment. Under Biden, police departments had struggled to recruit as anti-law-enforcement rhetoric, defunding movements, and lack of political support demoralized the profession. Under Trump, the explicit presidential support for police — combined with aggressive immigration enforcement that removed criminal threats from communities — had made policing attractive again.

Tariff Revenue: “$3 Billion a Day”

Trump wove the tariff update into the border discussion.

“We’re taking in billions and billions of dollars,” he said. “Two weeks ago, I gave them a little bit of a pause because you have to show a little flexibility. But we go back to what we have to do.”

He cited market recovery: “The markets have been very strong once they got used to it.”

Then the revenue comparison: “But we were losing $2 billion a day. There’s no company big like this. This is the biggest deal ever made. Now we’re making $3 billion a day.”

He summarized: “We’re a great country, but we had stupid people running this country.”

He returned to the border: “And I can say what they’ve done to us at the border should never and can never be forgotten. It’s a sin, what they did. And you are helping us out. And we appreciate it.”

Bukele: “99.1% to Be Exact”

When Trump cited a 95% drop in border crossings, Bukele provided the correction that made headlines.

“Actually, what you’re doing with the border is remarkable,” Bukele said. “It has dropped — what, 95%?”

Trump: “It’s incredible.”

Bukele: “99.1% to be exact.”

Trump reacted: “What? Those numbers aren’t in the media?”

Bukele’s observation: “Well, they get out with the fake news.”

Trump turned to CNN: “Like CNN over here doesn’t want to put them out because they don’t like putting out good numbers. They don’t like putting them out because I think they hate our country, actually.”

He pressed: “Isn’t that a great question? Why doesn’t the media put out these numbers? 99%. I mean, it’s crazy, right?”

The 99.1% decline in border crossings was the single most dramatic enforcement statistic in the history of American immigration policy. It meant that illegal border crossings had been reduced to less than 1% of their peak Biden-era levels. The transformation had been achieved in approximately 80 days without new legislation, without completing a border wall, and without any tool that previous presidents hadn’t also possessed.

Noem: “Clear Direction, Our Laws Matter”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem provided the operational perspective.

“It’s been absolutely phenomenal what a great leader can do,” Noem said. “Clear direction. Our laws matter. We should only have people in our country that love us.”

She praised the enforcement personnel: “The Border Patrol and our ICE officers and law enforcement officers have done fantastic work.”

Noem thanked Bukele: “Mr. President, Kelly, we thank you very much for your partnership. It has been wonderful for us to be able to have somewhere to send the worst of the worst and someone to partner with.”

She connected the El Salvador partnership to deterrence: “We’d like to continue that partnership because it’s been a powerful message of consequences. Mr. President, you wanted people to know that there were consequences if you break our laws and harm our people and endanger families. And this is a clear consequence for the worst of the worst — that we have somewhere to put them.”

Key Takeaways

• Bukele corrected Trump’s 95% border drop figure: “99.1% to be exact” — the most dramatic immigration enforcement statistic in U.S. history.
• Trump revealed record police recruiting (“highest in history”) and military recruiting records “at every single level” after historically low numbers under Biden.
• Tariff revenue: “We were losing $2 billion a day. Now we’re making $3 billion a day.”
• Trump thanked Bukele: “It’s a sin what they did at the border. You are helping us out, and we appreciate it.”
• Noem: “Phenomenal what a great leader can do. Clear direction. Our laws matter. It’s been a powerful message of consequences.”