(VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

The usually media-shy Jared Kushner opened his mouth and spoke before cameras for his first public remarks since joining the Trump administration in January.

The remarks came as Jared welcomed tech CEOs to the White House on Monday, to talk efforts by the Trump administration to modernize government.

“Today we’ve assembled a very impressive group of leaders from the private sector and are putting them to work here today to work on some of the country’s biggest challenges that will make a very meaningful difference to a lot of its citizens,” Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and a top White House adviser told the crowd, reading his remarks.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google parent company Alphabet, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty and venture capitalist Peter Thiel were among those attending an afternoon of working groups on issues like technology infrastructure, cyber security and visas for foreign workers.

The gathering was the first event for a technology-focused effort within the White House Office of American Innovation, which seeks to overhaul government functions using ideas from the business sector.

Also on hand was Trump’s daughter and Kushner’s wife, senior presidential adviser Ivanka Trump.

Kushner said that while he had been warned that government change could be slow, he has found “exactly the opposite” and praised the “talented civil servants” he is working with. He also cited some examples of the current technology infrastructure, noting the use of floppy discs in Pentagon “legacy systems.”

“Despite 16 years of failed efforts, the Trump Administration got it done in 5 months,” Kushner said of unifying VA and DOD records systems.

Some technology executives have clashed with Trump over his decision to exit the Paris climate accord. Leaders at Apple and Google were among the American corporate executives who appealed to the president to stay in the pact.

Chris Liddell, a White House aide who directs the technology effort, said the executives would participate in a series of working groups, concluding with a session with Trump.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the administration was focusing on technology this week. He said there was “a lot of room for optimization in the federal government.”

(Nat Golden – YWN)