Trump plans to attend Carter funeral, says 'I'll be there'

U.S. President-elect and former President Donald Trump spoke with reporters on Tuesday night, on his way into his New Year's party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump said he plans to attend the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. He also answered questions about a number of topics including immigration and the conflict between Israel and Hamas as well as the fighting between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump used the news conference to express support for Speaker of the House Michael Johnson, saying "he's the one that can win right now. People like him. Almost everybody likes him," despite the opposition that Johnson faces from some House Republicans.

Trump expressed his support for H1-B visas. A dispute over the visas has divided Trump supporters.

Trump, in an interview with the New York Post on Saturday, praised the use of visas to bring skilled foreign workers to the U.S. The topic has become aflashpoint within his conservative base.

He repeated that support on Tuesday, saying "I've always felt we have to have the most competent people in our country. We need competent people. We need smart people coming into our country. And we need a lot of people coming in. We're going to have jobs like we've never had before."

In fact, Trump has in the past criticized the H-1B visas, calling them “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. During his first term as president, he unveiled a “Hire American” policy that directed changes to the program to try to ensure the visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants.