Transcript - Press Gaggle: Donald Trump Speaks With Reporters Prior to Air Force One Departure - October 20, 2018 | Factba.se

Donald Trump

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

[No video] We had a great time in Nevada. It was really terrific. We had a very special couple of hours. I think we're going to have a big success with Dean Heller and with Adam Laxalt. Really a good time. Any questions? Yeah?

Question

00:00:02 - 00:00:05 (3 sec)

[Video Begins] Mr. President, you said yesterday you were looking to talk to MBS. When do you plan on talking to him? Today?

Donald Trump

00:00:05 - 00:00:15 (10 sec)

I'll be speaking to him. Soon, very soon. Could be today, but I will be speaking to him. A lot of progress is being made. We'll have an answer probably Tuesday or so.

Question

00:00:15 - 00:00:15 (0 sec)

Does that include sanctions? You're looking -- you're going to propose sanctions?

Donald Trump

00:00:15 - 00:00:32 (17 sec)

It may. And I'm gonna work also with the Senate, with the House. We'll be working with Congress because, you know, they're very involved and I wanted to keep them involved, much as I did with Justice Kavanaugh. I wanted to keep them involved. I think it's important.

Question

00:00:32 - 00:00:35 (2 sec)

Mr. President, do you have any sense of where the body is?

Donald Trump

00:00:35 - 00:00:44 (9 sec)

No we don't. Nobody seems to know. Somebody knows. But, nobody of the various investigation groups at this moment know. But we'll find out.

Question

00:00:44 - 00:00:46 (2 sec)

Is that a concern that they haven’t identified that from Saudi?

Donald Trump

00:00:46 - 00:00:57 (10 sec)

It's a concern. We'd like to find out where it is, and what happened, and I think we're -- we're inching our way there.

Question

00:00:57 - 00:01:00 (4 sec)

Has anyone in the U.S. government heard audio or seen video from the consulate?

Donald Trump

00:01:00 - 00:01:15 (15 sec)

No we haven't. Mike Pompeo has not. Secretary of State. Somebody came out with a false report. I think it was ABC. It was totally false. He has not seen that, has not heard that, and I would tell you if he had. So far we've heard about it, but nobody's seen it.

Question

00:01:15 - 00:01:19 (3 sec)

Not even the CIA, or NSA --

Donald Trump

00:01:19 - 00:01:20 (2 sec)

Not that we know of.

Question

00:01:20 - 00:01:20 (0 sec)

Have you seen a transcript of it? Have the Turks turned over any --

Donald Trump

00:01:20 - 00:01:29 (9 sec)

We have not gotten the transcript either. We've heard all about it. We're hearing about it just like you're hearing about it, probably from the same people. We have not seen it yet.

Question

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

Is it possible the Crown Prince didn’t know any of this?

Donald Trump

00:01:29 - 00:01:44 (15 sec)

It's possible. You don't know that, but it's possible. We've had a -- a tremendously positive development with Mexico. I just want to say, on behalf of the American public, that we appreciate what Mexico is doing. They've really stepped up, and it will not be forgotten.

Donald Trump

00:01:44 - 00:01:53 (9 sec)

We just signed our new trade deal with Mexico, with Canada, the USMCA, and now I'm very happy that we signed it. I -- I really appreciate, and they've had some people that were very badly injured, six people at least. And we really appreciate what Mexico has done on the border. We appreciate it.

Donald Trump

00:01:53 - 00:02:00 (7 sec)

First time this has ever happened, and hopefully it's because they respect the leader of the United States, but they have never done that before, and I will tell you that I appreciate what Mexico has done.

Question

00:02:00 - 00:02:03 (3 sec)

Mr. President, you said yesterday that it was a good first step what Saudi had said. Are you satisfied that some of them have been fired?

Donald Trump

00:02:03 - 00:02:22 (19 sec)

No, I'm not satisfied until we find the answer. But it was a big first step. It was a good first step. But I want to get to the answer. With all that being said though, we have $450 billion, 110 billion of which is a military order, but this is equipment and various things ordered from Saudi Arabia, $450 billion. I think it's over a million jobs. That's not helpful for us to cancel an order like that. That hurts us far more than it hurts them.

Donald Trump

00:02:22 - 00:02:35 (13 sec)

For the military equipment they go to China, they go to Russia, and they don't have great equipment like we do. Nobody does. But they can buy their equipment from other people. So that wouldn't hurt us far more than it would hurt them. But there are other things that can be done including sanctions.

Question

00:02:35 - 00:02:35 (0 sec)

Back on Mexico, have you ever considered completely sealing off the U.S. border with Mexico?

Donald Trump

00:02:35 - 00:03:11 (36 sec)

So if it doesn't work out, on the border, what I want the Democrats to do -- the beautiful thing of what's happening is the Democrats are watching on television, in this case, probably better than reading it, because you visually see what -- and in one hour I could have an agreement done that would solve all of the things that you're watching, that are so vicious and violent, where soldiers from Mexico are being injured, badly, by these -- by people. And I could solve this in one hour with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, but they don't want to, but I think now they do, because I think it's a terrible political ploy for Democrats.

Question

00:03:11 - 00:03:11 (0 sec)

[Inaudible] consider completely sealing off the border, like having no one be allowed to [Inaudible]?

Donald Trump

00:03:11 - 00:03:33 (22 sec)

I would call in the military, and I would seal off the border. I would close up the border. If that happens, and if that continues to move forward, the caravan we're talking about, which is I think a man-made caravan, if you want to know the truth. I think some bad people started that caravan.

Donald Trump

00:03:33 - 00:03:53 (19 sec)

More importantly, or maybe almost as importantly, you have some very, very bad people in the caravan. You have some very tough criminal elements within the caravan. But I will seal off the border before they come into this country, and I'll bring out our military, not our reserves. I'll bring out our military.

Question

00:03:53 - 00:04:05 (12 sec)

Any response to former Vice President Biden's appearance? You mentioned him on stage. Did you watch his rally? He had some harsh words for you earlier today.

Donald Trump

00:04:05 - 00:04:17 (12 sec)

Now look, Biden is a man that he -- number one, he can't draw a crowd. He had almost no -- you see what we have. And we have thousands of people that couldn't get into today, many thousands. Now look, I wish Biden the best. You know, I hope he's going to be the nominee.

Donald Trump

00:04:17 - 00:04:45 (28 sec)

I mean -- one percent Joe. I -- I just hope they pick somebody good, somebody that is going to represent their interests. If it's Biden or Elizabeth Warren, I think she's been very badly damaged by what happened over the last couple of days, or a man that ran Newark, New Jersey into the ground. A lot of people, but I don't see it yet but we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens. Anything else?

Question

00:04:45 - 00:04:45 (0 sec)

What's Ambassador Bolton's message to the Russians going to be?

Donald Trump

00:04:45 - 00:04:49 (4 sec)

Ambassador Bolton?

Question

00:04:49 - 00:04:49 (0 sec)

The message to the Russians. Is he going to pull out of that --

Donald Trump

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

I don't hear, you gotta talk louder.

Question

00:04:53 - 00:04:59 (5 sec)

His message to the Russians. Is he going to pull out of the arms control treaty?

Donald Trump

00:04:59 - 00:05:14 (15 sec)

Yeah, Russia has violated the agreement. They've been violating it for many years, and I don't know why President Obama didn't negotiate or pull out. And we're not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement, and go out and do weapons and we're not allowed to.

Donald Trump

00:05:14 - 00:05:24 (10 sec)

We're the ones that have stayed in the agreement, and we've honored the agreement, but Russia has not unfortunately, honored the agreement. So we're going to terminate the agreement. We're going to pull out.

Question

00:05:24 - 00:05:26 (3 sec)

Is that the INF?

Donald Trump

00:05:26 - 00:05:27 (1 sec)

Question

00:05:27 - 00:05:27 (0 sec)

Any update on your pick for U.N. Ambassador?

Donald Trump

00:05:27 - 00:05:40 (12 sec)

No, we'll have somebody great. Nikki's a friend of mine, she's gonna work in the campaign. But she's been doing it for a long time, and we're going to pick somebody very quickly.

Question

00:05:40 - 00:05:42 (2 sec)

Would you prefer it to be a woman?

Donald Trump

00:05:42 - 00:05:43 (1 sec)

Question

00:05:43 - 00:05:45 (3 sec)

Would you prefer it to be a woman?

Donald Trump

00:05:45 - 00:05:46 (1 sec)

Question

00:05:46 - 00:05:47 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:05:47 - 00:06:03 (16 sec)

I'm going to pick the best person. I think it would be good. I think she's done an excellent job, great job. And I would -- I would love to see -- and I'll tell you, I'm interviewing three women and two men. We have five people: three women, two men. I think I might prefer that, but we'll see. Okay?

Question

00:06:03 - 00:06:10 (7 sec)

Mr. President, you said you're going to do more on taxes. Do you expect to do something more in the next couple months? And what should we expect to see?

Donald Trump

00:06:10 - 00:06:11 (1 sec)

In what? With respect to what?

Question

00:06:11 - 00:06:14 (3 sec)

With respect to tax legislation, the next piece?

Donald Trump

00:06:14 - 00:06:23 (9 sec)

We're looking at putting in a very major tax cut for middle-income people. And if we do that it will be sometime just prior, I would say, to November.

Question

00:06:23 - 00:06:24 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:06:24 - 00:06:44 (20 sec)

A major tax cut. We are going to be putting in, and are studying very deeply right down, round the clock, a major tax cut for middle-income people. Not for business at all, for middle income people. Now, the last was for middle income and for business, and our business is now coming back because of it.

Donald Trump

00:06:44 - 00:06:54 (10 sec)

But we are looking at -- Kevin Brady is working on it. Paul Ryan is working -- we're all working on it, and we're looking at a major tax cut for middle income people who need it.

Question

00:06:54 - 00:06:56 (1 sec)

What was the timeframe on that?

Donald Trump

00:06:56 - 00:07:01 (5 sec)

And I would say sometime around the first of November, maybe a little before that.

Question

00:07:01 - 00:07:10 (9 sec)

Sorry, if I can follow up on the INF real quick. You intend to terminate the agreement. Does that mean that you plan on developing those weapons and deploying them once again?

Donald Trump

00:07:10 - 00:07:29 (18 sec)

We'll have to develop those weapons, unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all come to us and they say, let's really get smart, and let's none of us develop those weapons. But if Russia is doing it, and if China is doing it, and we're adhering to the agreement, that's unacceptable.

Donald Trump

00:07:29 - 00:07:52 (24 sec)

So, we have a tremendous amount of money to play with on the military, 700 billion plus, 716 billion. So Russia has not adhered to the agreement. So we are going to terminate the agreement, and we are going to develop the weapons. If they get smart, and if others get smart, and they say let's not develop these horrible nuclear weapons, I would be extremely happy with that.

Donald Trump

00:07:52 - 00:08:04 (11 sec)

But as long as somebody is violating that agreement, then we're not going to be the only one to adhere to it. I think you understand. Okay? We'll see you on the plane. Thank you. Thank you everybody.