Transcript - Press Gaggle: Donald Trump Holds an Impromptu Meeting With Press - January 24, 2018 | Factba.se

Question

00:00:00 - 00:00:00 (1 sec)

Are you going to talk to Mueller?

Donald Trump

00:00:00 - 00:00:03 (3 sec)

I'm... I'm looking forward to it, actually.

Question

00:00:03 - 00:00:04 (0 sec)

Question

00:00:04 - 00:00:05 (1 sec)

Do you have a date set? Do you have a date set, Mr. President?

Donald Trump

00:00:05 - 00:00:26 (21 sec)

Here's the story, just so you understand. There's been no collusion whatsoever. There’s no obstruction whatsoever. And I'm looking forward to it. I do worry when I look at all of the things that you people don't report about, with what's happening. If you take a look at, you know, the five months' worth of missing texts -- that's a lot of missing texts. And as I said yesterday, that's prime time.

Donald Trump

00:00:26 - 00:00:35 (9 sec)

So you do sort of look at that and say, "What's going on?"" You do look at certain texts where they talk about insurance policies or insurance

Question

00:00:35 - 00:00:40 (5 sec)

When... when will you do it, Mr. President? Do you have a date set?

Donald Trump

00:00:40 - 00:00:42 (2 sec)

So here's the story…

Question

00:00:42 - 00:00:45 (3 sec)

Do you have a date set, Mr. President?

Donald Trump

00:00:45 - 00:00:49 (4 sec)

I don't know, no. I guess you're talking about two or three weeks, but I would love to do it.

Question

00:00:49 - 00:00:50 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:00:50 - 00:00:53 (3 sec)

You know, again, it’s — I have to say — subject to my lawyers and all of that — but I would love to do it.

Question

00:00:53 - 00:00:56 (3 sec)

Would you do it under oath, Mr. President?

Donald Trump

00:00:56 - 00:00:58 (2 sec)

You mean like Hillary did it under — who said that?

Question

00:00:58 - 00:00:59 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:00:59 - 00:00:59 (0 sec)

Question

00:00:59 - 00:01:00 (1 sec)

Would you do it under oath?

Donald Trump

00:01:00 - 00:01:04 (4 sec)

Oh you said it. You did say it. You say a lot. Did Hillary do it under oath?

Question

00:01:04 - 00:01:05 (1 sec)

I have no idea, but I'm not asking about --

Donald Trump

00:01:05 - 00:01:07 (2 sec)

I think you have an idea. Don’t you have an idea?

Question

00:01:07 - 00:01:09 (2 sec)

Do you think he'll be fair to you? [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:01:09 - 00:01:12 (3 sec)

Wait, wait, wait. Do you not have an idea? Do you really not have an idea?

Question

00:01:12 - 00:01:19 (8 sec)

I really don't remember. I'll give you an idea. She didn't do it under oath. But I would do it under oath. [Crosstalk] Listen, but I would do it. And you know she didn’t do it under oath, right?

Question

00:01:19 - 00:01:20 (1 sec)

She would do it under oath.

Donald Trump

00:01:20 - 00:01:23 (3 sec)

If you didn't do it... if you didn’t know about Hillary, then you’re not much of a reporter.

Question

00:01:23 - 00:01:26 (3 sec)

Mr. President, you are going to do it under oath? [Crosstalk]

Question

00:01:26 - 00:01:27 (1 sec)

To reach a higher standard, you would do it under oath?

Donald Trump

00:01:27 - 00:01:28 (1 sec)

Oh, I would do it under oath.

Question

00:01:28 - 00:01:29 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:01:29 - 00:01:29 (0 sec)

Question

00:01:29 - 00:01:32 (2 sec)

Do you trust the FBI? Do you trust the FBI?

Donald Trump

00:01:32 - 00:01:49 (17 sec)

No I would do it. Well, we're going to see... I am very disturbed, as is the general, as is everybody else that is intelligent. When you look at — five months? This is the late great Rose Mary Woods, right? With a step, right? This is a large-scale version.

Question

00:01:49 - 00:01:50 (1 sec)

It was 18 minutes

Donald Trump

00:01:50 - 00:02:02 (13 sec)

That was 18 minutes, this is five months. They say it's 50,000 texts and it's prime time. That's disturbing. Say hello to your [inaudible]. Good bye everybody. General?

Question

00:02:02 - 00:02:06 (3 sec)

Should McCabe go? Should McCabe go, Mr. President?

Donald Trump

00:02:06 - 00:02:12 (6 sec)

Well, McCabe got more than $500,000 from essentially Hillary Clinton. And is he investigating Hillary Clinton?

Question

00:02:12 - 00:02:13 (1 sec)

So should he go?

Donald Trump

00:02:13 - 00:02:32 (19 sec)

Do you remember, did anybody hear many of my speeches when I talked about McCabe? He was the star of my speech. This isn't now. And I said a man who was more or less in charge of her — that, the wife got $500,000 from Terry. Now Terry is Hillary. And, yeah, I mean —

Question

00:02:32 - 00:02:35 (3 sec)

Do you regret having him as your acting FBI director, then?

Donald Trump

00:02:35 - 00:02:53 (19 sec)

You know what? I keep out of it. You'd find that hard to believe. I keep out of it. That's the way it fell. He's been there. It's one of those things. But he was the star of many of my speeches. Because he got from $500,000 to $700,000, whatever the number was. Got that money for the wife. And, you know, in Virginia, in Virginia — [Crosstalk]

Question

00:02:53 - 00:02:55 (2 sec)

Did you ask him who he voted for?

Donald Trump

00:02:55 - 00:02:57 (2 sec)

It's very interesting. [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:02:57 - 00:03:06 (9 sec)

Wait. In Virginia, you don't have to spend the money. So I never checked as to whether or not they spent the money on the campaign. How much of the money did he spend on the campaign, do you know — she — how much was it? [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:03:06 - 00:03:08 (2 sec)

Wait, how much of the money was spent?

Question

00:03:08 - 00:03:10 (2 sec)

Did you ask who he voted for?

Donald Trump

00:03:10 - 00:03:11 (1 sec)

Question

00:03:11 - 00:03:15 (4 sec)

Did you ask... Did you ask McCabe who he voted for? Did you ask him that?

Donald Trump

00:03:15 - 00:03:16 (1 sec)

I don't think so.

Question

00:03:16 - 00:03:17 (1 sec)

You don't think you did?

Donald Trump

00:03:17 - 00:03:18 (1 sec)

No, I don't think I did.

Question

00:03:18 - 00:03:18 (0 sec)

Question

00:03:18 - 00:03:18 (0 sec)

Is it possible you did?

Donald Trump

00:03:18 - 00:03:24 (6 sec)

I don't know what's the big deal with that. Because I would ask you, "Who did you vote for?"" [Laughter]"

Donald Trump

00:03:24 - 00:03:29 (5 sec)

I don't think that's a big deal. But I don't remember that. I saw that this morning. I don't remember asking him that question.

Question

00:03:29 - 00:03:31 (2 sec)

Is it possible you did? Is it a possibility?

Donald Trump

00:03:31 - 00:03:37 (6 sec)

I don't remember asking him the question. I think it's also a very unimportant question, but I don't remember asking him that. [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:03:37 - 00:03:46 (9 sec)

Hey, chief, would you do me a favor? When we come back, when we come back, I want you to have a deal, OK? See if you could have a deal. [Crosstalk]

Question

00:03:46 - 00:03:51 (5 sec)

Thank you, Mr. President. [Crosstalk]

Question

00:03:51 - 00:03:53 (1 sec)

We can use all the audio?

Donald Trump

00:03:53 - 00:03:58 (5 sec)

Yeah, nice — and, not — you don't repeat, and this and that, just one nice piece. OK?

Question

00:03:58 - 00:04:01 (3 sec)

One more quick one. Do you believe Robert Mueller will be fair to you?

Donald Trump

00:04:01 - 00:04:05 (4 sec)

I only repeat, I only repeat for the purposes of making sure you understand.

Question

00:04:05 - 00:04:12 (7 sec)

One more quick one — do you think Robert Mueller will be fair to you in this larger investigation?

Donald Trump

00:04:12 - 00:04:15 (3 sec)

We're going to find out. [Crosstalk]

Question

00:04:15 - 00:04:17 (2 sec)

Are you concerned about it?

Donald Trump

00:04:17 - 00:04:28 (11 sec)

Because here's what we'll say, and everybody says: No collusion. There's no collusion. Now they're saying, "Oh

Question

00:04:28 - 00:04:33 (5 sec)

How do you define collusion? Maggie asked this earlier during the briefing to Sarah, but how do you define...

Donald Trump

00:04:33 - 00:05:01 (28 sec)

You're going to define it for me, OK? But I can tell you, there's no collusion. I couldn't have cared less about Russians having to do with my campaign. The fact is — you people won't say this, but I'll say it: I was a much better candidate than her. You always say she was a bad candidate. You never say I was a good candidate. I was one of the greatest candidates. Nobody else would have beaten the Clinton machine, as crooked as it was. But I was a great candidate. Someday you're going to say that. Goodbye, everybody.

Question

00:05:01 - 00:05:07 (6 sec)

Thank you Mr. President. Appreciate it.