Transcript - Press Gaggle: Donald Trump Speaks to the Press After Air Force One Arrival #2 - September 14, 2020 | Factba.se

Donald Trump

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

[Inaudible] I love California. I love all of our first responders and FEMA. And we're here to see your governor, to see a lot of your state representatives, but we're also here to see FEMA and thank them for the great job they're doing. We have an army of people here, and it's very dangerous work.

Donald Trump

00:00:10 - 00:00:12 (2 sec)

We're going to give away seven medals. I guess some of you will be in there to see the ceremony.

Donald Trump

00:00:12 - 00:00:15 (2 sec)

I want to thank you for being here. It's a great honor to be here.

Donald Trump

00:00:15 - 00:00:25 (10 sec)

We're going to Arizona after this, but we're also paying our respects to Oregon and the State of Washington. We're helping them very strongly. We're going to be discussing that inside with FEMA. And they also have a very explosive situation. So we'll be talking about Oregon, the State of Washington, California. This is one of the biggest they've ever had.

Donald Trump

00:00:25 - 00:00:41 (16 sec)

So we talk about forest management. And I've been talking about it for a long time -- that they have to do that. You go to other countries, and they don't have this problem, and they have more explosive trees -- meaning they catch fire much easier. So we have to talk about that, in addition to other things.

Donald Trump

00:00:41 - 00:00:52 (11 sec)

But we've been working very well with Gavin. We've been working very well with the state. We approved emergency declarations. And hopefully, it'll be under control fairly soon.

Donald Trump

00:00:52 - 00:01:14 (22 sec)

We want to pay our respects to the families and loved ones. We had a number of people die, unfortunately. They got caught. They got caught. And when you get caught in these things, it's really be bad. It's really bad. So we want to pay our respects. God bless all. We want to pay our respects to the families where they've lost -- they've lost some wonderful people, from what I understand.

Question

00:01:14 - 00:01:20 (5 sec)

Mr. President, what role do you think climate change plays in the fires we're seeing here?

Donald Trump

00:01:20 - 00:01:40 (20 sec)

Well, I think this is more of a management situation. You know, if you look at other countries -- you go to other countries in Europe -- Austria and Finland and numerous countries -- and I talk to the heads. They're -- they're forest nations. They're in forests. And they don't have problems like this. And they have very explosive trees, but they don't have problems like this.

Donald Trump

00:01:40 - 00:01:45 (5 sec)

So I view that as -- number one, that's something we can do something about quickly.

Donald Trump

00:01:45 - 00:02:07 (23 sec)

When you get into climate change -- well, is India going to change its ways? And is China going to change its ways? And Russia -- is Russia going to change its ways? You know, so you have a lot of countries that are going to have to change because they make up -- we're just a small speck. They make up a big preponderance of the pollution. And so you have to get them to do it, and nobody ever talks about that.

Donald Trump

00:02:07 - 00:02:12 (5 sec)

You like that, right? Look at him. He likes -- I like you.

Unidentified

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

I love you, sir!

Question

00:02:13 - 00:02:19 (6 sec)

[Inaudible] is run by -- owned by the federal government. What is the plan to do something about that?

Donald Trump

00:02:19 - 00:02:20 (1 sec)

Question

00:02:20 - 00:02:22 (2 sec)

The plan. The plan -- with the government.

Question

00:02:22 - 00:02:23 (1 sec)

What is the plan?

Donald Trump

00:02:23 - 00:02:32 (9 sec)

Well, we would help them with respect to forest management. And we'll, you know, work along with them, and we already are. We've done large sections of land owned by the federal government.

Donald Trump

00:02:32 - 00:02:52 (20 sec)

And, you know, forest management is not only the leaves that have been sitting there for many years that are dry as a bone, but there are also the trees that go over. Anytime -- anything over 18 months, that's just like a matchstick. It's absolutely like a matchstick. And the standing trees, as you know, they're taking in water. They're wet, and they're much harder to catch.

Donald Trump

00:02:52 - 00:03:08 (16 sec)

So, they have to do forest management. They also have to do cuts -- 50-yard cuts -- so that if you have a section that goes, it's not going to take the whole, you know, 100,000 acres. So, you do cuts, and you can do them in ways that look, actually, very good. But you have to be able to do them.

Donald Trump

00:03:08 - 00:03:24 (16 sec)

So, you know, we'll be talking about that. It's very important. The management is very important. That's why you always have them here. When you think of it, you see it in Europe, it doesn't happen to -- they manage -- well, it doesn't happen much. I'll have to be exact with you people. You understand that.

Donald Trump

00:03:24 - 00:03:48 (24 sec)

But it doesn't happen much because they manage their forests, and they manage it brilliantly, and they've been doing that for many years. Other places, it doesn't happen where they manage their forests, and it should happen here. And they've done something -- and I will tell you, federal government is now starting to do it in a very big way, but the state has to really do that -- that includes the State of Washington, that includes Oregon.

Question

00:03:48 - 00:03:53 (5 sec)

The governor says that -- the governor says that forest management --

Donald Trump

00:03:53 - 00:03:54 (1 sec)

Question

00:03:54 - 00:03:56 (2 sec)

-- is a big issue. But he says --

Donald Trump

00:03:56 - 00:03:57 (1 sec)

Question

00:03:57 - 00:04:02 (6 sec)

He says forest management is a big issue -- Governor Newsom. But he says, fundamentally, this is a climate crisis.

Donald Trump

00:04:02 - 00:04:15 (13 sec)

Well, that's up to him. Look, he does agree with me on forest management. You have to understand, when I first started talking about it, three years ago, nobody agreed with me. Now everybody agrees that forest management is a very important subject, and you can do it beautifully.

Donald Trump

00:04:15 - 00:04:42 (27 sec)

But if you did manage your forest, and if you removed all of that really dry and just -- it's like -- "explosive" is the only word. You drop a cigarette on it, you come back a half hour later, and you have a forest fire. If you don't have that sitting there, nothing is going to burn. Because the last thing to go are the bases of the trees because they're soaking wet from the tree soaking up the water. So they have to be able to do that. If they do that, they're going to have a much different situation.

Donald Trump

00:04:42 - 00:04:49 (7 sec)

But every year, it's the same thing, and this one is a very big one. This is a number of big ones. You put them together, and it's -- it's a big monster.

Question

00:04:49 - 00:04:53 (4 sec)

What do you say -- what do you say to [inaudible] -- say something about California [inaudible]? Do you --

Donald Trump

00:04:53 - 00:04:56 (4 sec)

No, no, I said it immediately. And I spoke --

Question

00:04:56 - 00:04:59 (2 sec)

Do you care about the blue states [inaudible]?

Donald Trump

00:04:59 - 00:05:17 (18 sec)

Let me just tell you -- let me just tell you about your nasty question. I got a call from the governor immediately, and I called him immediately. In fact, he returned my call. And on that call, I declared it a national -- an emergency. I gave an emergency declaration. That was immediate.

Donald Trump

00:05:17 - 00:05:27 (10 sec)

So don't tell me about not doing, because I gave immediate. That included FEMA coming here immediately, while it was just starting -- FEMA and everything else. So that's a nasty question.

Question

00:05:27 - 00:05:29 (2 sec)

What is your relationship with Governor Newsom?

Donald Trump

00:05:29 - 00:05:29 (1 sec)

Question

00:05:29 - 00:05:31 (2 sec)

What is your relationship with Governor Newsom?

Donald Trump

00:05:31 - 00:05:49 (18 sec)

I think it's very good. We have a good relationship. We're obviously from different sides of the spectrum, but we have a very good relationship. We've worked well. And as I've said, as soon as this started, we spoke right at the beginning, and I gave a -- an emergency declaration. And he will tell you that.

Donald Trump

00:05:49 - 00:06:00 (11 sec)

He thanked me. Because a lot of Presidents wait for months and months and months. They wait until after it's all over, and then they consider it, and then oftentimes they don't do it. I did it right at the beginning, and I think he'll admit that.

Question

00:06:00 - 00:06:03 (3 sec)

Do you believe that there's a climate change issue here in California at all?

Donald Trump

00:06:03 - 00:06:04 (1 sec)

Question

00:06:04 - 00:06:07 (3 sec)

Is there a climate change issue in California?

Donald Trump

00:06:07 - 00:06:12 (5 sec)

Uh, you'll have to ask the governor that question; I don't want to step on his toes.

Unidentified

00:06:12 - 00:06:16 (4 sec)

Mr. President, no question. Thank you for making America great again, sir.

Donald Trump

00:06:16 - 00:06:20 (4 sec)

Thank you very much. I like this guy.

Supporter

00:06:20 - 00:06:23 (3 sec)

I love you, sir!

Donald Trump

00:06:23 - 00:06:27 (4 sec)

I don't know who you are, but I like you.