President Donald Trump held an impromptu news conference Monday, in part to promote the ways his “no tax on tips” tax policy has benefitted working Americans.
Watch the full news conference in the video player above.
Dressed in a “DoorDash grandma” T-shirt, Sharon Simmons knocked on the door of the Oval Office at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with two McDonald’s delivery bags. The president opened the door, saying to nearby reporters, “This doesn’t look staged, does it?”
READ MORE: Doing your own taxes? Experts say ‘it might be the year to get professional help’
Simmons thanked the president and said the policy had helped her family immensely. When a reporter asked her if people at the White House were good tippers, she hesitated before Trump took some cash out of his pocket and handed it to her.
“Yes, very,” she said.
READ MORE: IRS issues guidance on tax on tips and overtime income for 2025
Trump opened the event up to other questions from reporters on Iran, his criticism of Pope Leo XIV and more.
Trump says he won’t apologize to Pope Leo over Iran war criticisms
Trump refused to apologize for sharply criticizing Pope Leo, saying that the pontiff “went public” in his criticisms of the war in Iran, and “I’m just responding.”
In comments to reporters outside the Oval Office, Trump added, “There’s nothing to apologize for” and said of Leo, “He’s wrong.”
WATCH: Pope Leo says he has ‘no fear’ of the Trump administration
Trump was also asked about posting an image of himself as a saint-like healer, which seemed to draw comparisons between himself and Jesus Christ.
Screenshot of Truth Social on April 13, 2026
The image was posted Sunday night and drew widespread condemnation from Evangelical Christian leaders and has since been taken down.
Trump said, “I did post it.” But he suggested it had something to do with the Red Cross and insisted: “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better.”
Trump confirms that Strait of Hormuz blockade started at 10 am Monday
“We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world because that’s what they’re doing,” Trump said of Iran.
Trump repeated his argument that safeguarding the strait is of greater concern to other parts of the globe than the United States. The effective closure of the strait since the start of the war, however, impacts global oil prices — which has led to surging gas prices for American motorists and rising inflation on other goods.
“We don’t use this strait,” Trump said. “We have our own oil and gas, much more than we need.”
Trump says ‘we’ve been called by the other side’ but offers no details on conversation
Speaking outside the Oval Office on Monday, Trump suggested the U.S. is still willing to engage with Iran to negotiate a resolution.
“I can tell you that we’ve been called by the other side,” Trump said, adding, “We’ve been called this morning by the right people, the appropriate people, and they want to work a deal.”
Trump did not say who called or what was discussed.
