Transcript - Press Gaggle: Donald Trump in Bedminster, NJ on North Korea, Opioid, McConnell - August 10, 2017 | Factba.se

Donald Trump

00:00:00 - 00:00:26 (26 sec)

Hello everybody. We're having some meetings. I know you're going to be watching a couple of them. We have a lot of people here today. A lot of subjects under discussion, including Venezuela, including, of course, North Korea and other things, and I think we're making tremendous headway.

Donald Trump

00:00:26 - 00:00:37 (11 sec)

We'll be spending quite a bit of time here and then we, uh, through the weekend, as you know, towards at the end we go into Manhattan, where I have a lot of meetings scheduled in Manhattan. Any questions?

Question

00:00:37 - 00:00:45 (8 sec)

Mr. President, the North Koreans said yesterday that your statement on Tuesday was nonsense. That's the word they used. Do you have any response to that?

Donald Trump

00:00:45 - 00:01:07 (22 sec)

Well, I don't think they mean that, and I think the first time they've heard it like they heard it, and frankly, the people that were questioning that statement, was it too tough? Maybe it wasn't tough enough. They've been doing this in our country for a long time for many years, and it's about time that somebody stuck up for the people of this country, and for the people of other countries.

Donald Trump

00:01:07 - 00:01:26 (19 sec)

So, if anything, maybe that statement wasn't tough enough. And we're backed by a hundred percent by our military, we're backed by everybody. And we're backed by many other leaders. And I noticed that many Senators and others today came out very much in favor of what I said. But if anything, that statement may not be tough enough,

Question

00:01:26 - 00:01:28 (2 sec)

What would be tougher than fire and fury?

Donald Trump

00:01:28 - 00:01:30 (2 sec)

Well, you'll see, you'll see.

Question

00:01:30 - 00:01:34 (4 sec)

Mr. President, is one of the options being considered a pre-emptive strike [Inaudible]

Donald Trump

00:01:34 - 00:01:52 (18 sec)

We don't talk about that. I never do. I'm not like the other administration, that would say we're going into Mosul in four months. I don't talk about it. We'll see what happens, but I can tell you that what they've been doing, and what they've been getting away with, is a tragedy and it can't be allowed.

Question

00:01:52 - 00:01:55 (3 sec)

Mr. President, did you ever consider negotiations [Inaudible]?

Donald Trump

00:01:55 - 00:02:17 (22 sec)

Sure, we'll always consider negotiations, but they've been negotiating now for 25 years. Look at Clinton. He folded on the negotiations. He was weak and ineffective. You look what happened with Bush. You look what happened with Obama. Obama, he didn't want to talk about it. But I talk. It's about time. Somebody has to do it. Somebody has to do it.

Question

00:02:17 - 00:02:21 (4 sec)

Mr. President, can you talk about your relationship with Senator McConnell?

Donald Trump

00:02:21 - 00:02:42 (21 sec)

I just wanted to get repeal and replace done. I've been hearing repeal and replace now for seven years, but I've only been doing this for two years, and I've really only been doing this for six months. But I've been running, so now it's almost two years, and all I hear is repeal and replace. And then I get there and I said where's the bill? I want to sign it, first day.

Donald Trump

00:02:42 - 00:03:07 (25 sec)

And they don't have it. And they passed repeal and replace, but they never had a President, frankly, or a Senate, that was going to do it. But they never had a President. So it didn't matter. So I say very simply: where is repeal and replace? Now, I want tax reform and tax cuts. We're going to reduce taxes for the people. We pay more tax than anybody in the world, and we're going to reduce taxes.

Donald Trump

00:03:07 - 00:03:21 (14 sec)

So I say: tax cuts, tax reform and I want a very big infrastructure bill, where we're working on that very hard already. And we can do that, and we may even get bipartisan on infrastructure. But we want to have it.

Donald Trump

00:03:21 - 00:03:36 (15 sec)

But I said Mitch: get to work and let's get it done. They should have had this last one done. They lost by one vote. For a thing like that to happen is it disgrace and frankly, it shouldn't have happeed. That I can tell you. It shouldn't have happened.

Question

00:03:36 - 00:03:43 (7 sec)

Should Senator McConnell consider stepping down as Majority Leader? There are some conservatives, [Inaudible] including Sean Hannity, who say it's time for him to retire.

Donald Trump

00:03:43 - 00:03:58 (15 sec)

Well, I'll tell you what. If he doesn't get repeal and replace done, and if he doesn't get taxes done, meaning cuts and reform, and if he doesn't get a very easy one to get done, infrastructure, if he doesn't get them done, then you can ask me that question.

Question

00:03:58 - 00:04:00 (2 sec)

So what is that, a yes or a no?

Donald Trump

00:04:00 - 00:04:02 (2 sec)

You can ask me the question. That means ask me that

Question

00:04:02 - 00:04:06 (4 sec)

Mr. President, is the opioid crisis an emergency and if so, why haven't you declared it?

Donald Trump

00:04:06 - 00:04:19 (13 sec)

The opioid crisis is an emergency, and I'm saying officially, right now, it is an emergency. It's a national emergency. We're going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money on the opioid crisis.

Question

00:04:19 - 00:04:21 (2 sec)

What do the emergency powers [Inaudible]?

Donald Trump

00:04:21 - 00:04:35 (14 sec)

We're going to draw it up, and we're going to make it a national emergency. It is a serious problem, the likes of which we have never had. You know when I was growing up, they had the LSD, and they had certain generations of drugs.

Donald Trump

00:04:35 - 00:04:53 (18 sec)

There's never been anything like what's happened to this country over the last four or five years, and I have to say this, in all fairness, this is a worldwide problem, not just the United States problem. This is happening worldwide, but this is a national emergency, and we are drawing documents now to so attest.

Question

00:04:53 - 00:05:02 (9 sec)

Mr. President [Inaudible] mixed messages coming out of your administration on North Korea? Secretary Tillerson seems to advocate for diplomacy. Secretary Mattis seems to advocate for...

Donald Trump

00:05:02 - 00:05:16 (14 sec)

There are no mixed-messages. There are no mixed-messages. I heard... I mean to be honest, General Mattis may have taken it a step beyond what I said. There are no mixed messages, and Rex was just, you know, stating the view...

Donald Trump

00:05:16 - 00:05:30 (14 sec)

But look, here is the view. I said it yesterday. I don't have to say it again, and I'll tell you this: It may be tougher than I said it, not less. It may very well be tougher than I said. Okay, how about one more?

Question

00:05:30 - 00:05:43 (13 sec)

Can you offer any assurance to the American people who are understandably anxious about the situation to North Korea. The images of [Inaudible] fire and fury. Should they be comfortable that you have this under control?

Donald Trump

00:05:43 - 00:06:02 (19 sec)

The people of this country should be very comfortable, and I will tell you this: if North Korea does anything in terms of even thinking about attack of anybody that we love, or we represent, or our allies, or us, they can be very, very nervous.

Donald Trump

00:06:02 - 00:06:27 (25 sec)

I'll tell you what, and they should be very nervous, because things will happen to them like they never thought possible, okay? He's been pushing the world around for a long time, and I have great respect for what China and what Russia did, and those 15... we got a 15 to nothing vote. I have great respect for China and Russia, what they did on sanctions. I believe that will have an effect.

Donald Trump

00:06:27 - 00:06:45 (18 sec)

I don't think it will have the kind of effect, even though I was the one... we were the ones that got it, and Nikki Haley did a great job. We all did a great job. But I have great respect for what they did, I have great respect for the 15 to nothing, but probably it will not be as effective as a lot of people think it can be, unfortunate.

Question

00:06:45 - 00:06:47 (2 sec)

Do you think China can do more?

Donald Trump

00:06:47 - 00:07:03 (16 sec)

I think China can do a lot more, yes. China can... and I think China will do a lot more. Look, we have trade with China. We lose hundreds of billions of dollars a year on trade with China. They know how I feel.

Donald Trump

00:07:03 - 00:07:16 (13 sec)

It's not going to continue like that. But if China helps us, I feel a lot differently for trade, a lot differently for trade. So we will do.... I think...

Donald Trump

00:07:16 - 00:07:49 (33 sec)

The people of our country are safe, our allies are safe, and I will tell you this: North Korea better get their act together, or they're going to be in trouble like few nations ever have been in trouble in this world. Okay? Thank you very much. We're going down to the other side, and we're going to take a few more questions, okay?