White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a briefing with reporters — 2/18/2026
Speakers
Karoline Leavitt — White House Press Secretary
— White House Press Secretary
Summary
- The administration is aggressively pursuing a "Drill Baby Drill" and deregulation agenda, explicitly repealing EPA emission limits and pushing for new fossil fuel infrastructure (Constitution Pipeline), which favors traditional energy and ICE automotive sectors.
- A hardline stance on immigration involves mass deportations and the expansion of detention facilities, creating a direct tailwind for private prison operators.
- The White House is targeting "Wall Street billionaire corporations" with a proposed ban on institutional ownership of single-family homes, posing a significant regulatory risk to Single-Family Rental REITs.
- Geopolitical strategy involves a "Board of Peace" and continued arms sales to NATO, sustaining the Defense Industrial Base despite "peace" rhetoric.
Trade Ideas
Karoline Leavitt
White House Press Secretary
Leavitt explicitly stated, "Coal truly keeps the lights on in this country," and mentioned the President's push for "more fossil fuels" and the "drill baby drill agenda." The administration is actively removing regulatory hurdles (EPA repeals) and offering rhetorical and policy support to the coal industry, contrary to the global transition narrative. This extends the lifespan and profitability of US coal assets. LONG US coal producers as regulatory pressure eases and baseload power demand is prioritized. Global demand drops or natural gas becomes significantly cheaper, displacing coal despite policy support.
Karoline Leavitt
White House Press Secretary
Leavitt stated the administration has deported "nearly 3 million illegals" and is engaging with governors to "open more detention facilities" to handle "illegal alien criminals." The federal government does not have sufficient capacity to house this volume of detainees. They must rely on private contractors for detention infrastructure. This volume of "arrested, detained, and deported" individuals guarantees high occupancy rates and contract renewals for private prison REITs. LONG private prison operators due to explicit government demand for detention space. Legal challenges to deportation orders or changes in federal contracting laws.
Karoline Leavitt
White House Press Secretary
The President announced the EPA has "repealed these federal limits on emissions for cars, trucks," claiming it will save families "$2,500 for a new car." The repeal of strict emission limits reduces the R&D and compliance costs for legacy automakers associated with forced EV transitions. It allows them to sell higher-margin Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) trucks and SUVs without penalty. LONG legacy automakers who benefit from extended ICE runways and reduced regulatory overhead. California or other states enforcing stricter state-level standards creating a bifurcated market.
Karoline Leavitt
White House Press Secretary
Leavitt confirmed the US is "still selling weapons to NATO," pledged "five billion dollars" for Gaza reconstruction (requiring security), and mentioned potential military action regarding Iran. Despite the "peace" branding, the "International Stabilization Force" and continued arming of NATO allies ensure sustained order flow for major defense prime contractors. The "peace through strength" doctrine requires high defense spending. LONG defense primes as geopolitical volatility and reconstruction security demand hardware. A sudden, comprehensive peace deal in Ukraine or the Middle East that significantly reduces procurement budgets.
Karoline Leavitt
White House Press Secretary
When asked about policy announcements, Leavitt said, "When you see it on Truth Social, you know it's directly from President Trump... that's the beauty of this president." The administration is officially validating Truth Social as a primary channel for government communication and policy dissemination. This drives user engagement and legitimacy for the platform's parent company. LONG the media entity linked to the President due to its status as a quasi-official state communication channel. Regulatory scrutiny or user churn if the President migrates back to X (Twitter).
Up Next
This CNBC video, published February 18, 2026, features Karoline Leavitt discussing ARCH, CEIX, BTU, GEO, CXW, GM, F, STLA, ITA, RTX, LMT, DJT. 5 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.
Speakers: Karoline Leavitt · Tickers: ARCH, CEIX, BTU, GEO, CXW, GM, F, STLA, ITA, RTX, LMT, DJT