WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday convened a roundtable in the East Room of the White House focused on protecting Americans from foreign cybercrime and online scams, citing government actions that officials said have prevented at least $1.6 billion in losses this year and disrupted networks targeting seniors and others.
Trump, joined by senior administration officials including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, FBI Director Kash Patel and Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, described cybercrime as a long-running threat.
“For years, our nation has faced a growing menace of cybercrime perpetrated by fraudsters, hackers, and scammers who try to steal Americans’ money, prey on senior citizens, exploit children and young people through fraud, ransomware, impersonation schemes […] and other illegal acts,” Trump said.
He pointed to recent enforcement results, saying federal authorities “prevented $1.6B in losses, at least this year.”
“Federal law enforcement has also frozen nearly $1 billion of cybercurrency tied to foreign scammers, shut down more than 500 fraudulent websites, and coordinated with technology companies to disrupt millions and millions of online accounts used by foreign criminals.”
Miller credited the administration’s approach with protecting Americans’ savings and reducing related crimes.
“You have effectively declared cyber warfare against the cyber criminals, and that is saving the pensions, the life savings, the retirement accounts, the earnings of countless American citizens, not to mention protecting people from extortion, from child trafficking, from human trafficking,” Miller said. “Now you’re bringing cyber crime to the lowest level since this has existed as an industry. It’s just one more example of how you have put the American people first. You’ve put the American people’s safety first.”
Miller also framed the issue more broadly.
“Whether it’s welfare fraud, where we’re getting ripped off by these refugees and foreign scammers or cyber crime, where you have entire foreign economies that are propped up on stealing from American seniors,” he said. “America is not a pile of treasure for other countries and other people, and other scammers all around the world to loot for themselves. You’re protecting American wealth for American people and American families in a way no leader has ever done before.”
During the discussion, Trump also addressed the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American who had been held in Russia.
“The other day, I was talking to Vladimir Putin about settling his war with Ukraine, which I think we’re getting closer to […] I mentioned, ‘Could you let Stephen Hubbard out please?’ and he agreed to do it. He was met today in Russia, and he’s on his way back,” Trump said.
Trump pushed back against criticism of his approach to Russia amid the Ukraine conflict, saying pressure for new sanctions could have complicated the release.
“Let’s say we did what a lot of stupid people wanted me to do. A lot of really stupid people. I took a lot of heat. ‘Well, why don’t you do this?’ They didn’t even know what it was. […] If we did what these foolish people wanted me to do, he would not be coming out right now. He’d be there for another 20 years,” he said, adding that Russia and China could have taken stronger roles regarding Iran.
The roundtable followed earlier administration steps on cyber-enabled crime, including an executive order and a memorandum expanding private-sector involvement under government oversight. Officials described the efforts as targeting transnational criminal organizations that use scam compounds and online schemes.
After the event, Trump was scheduled to travel to Clemson, South Carolina, for remarks at T. Ed Garrison Arena at Clemson University.
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