Transcript - Remarks: Donald Trump Holds a Bilateral Meeting With Leo Varadkar in Shannon, Ireland - June 5, 2019 | Factba.se

Leo Varadkar

00:00:00 - 00:00:21 (21 sec)

So, I just want to welcome all the members of the press who traveled here. And it's a great pleasure to be able to welcome President Trump to the Uni -- to the United States -- to Ireland. And certainly not the first time he's been here, or in County Clare. This is the first he's been here as President of the United States. Only, I think, the sixth time an American President in office --

Donald Trump

00:00:21 - 00:00:21 (1 sec)

Leo Varadkar

00:00:21 - 00:00:27 (6 sec)

-- has visited Ireland. So we're very pleased to have you here and look forward to meeting later on.

Donald Trump

00:00:27 - 00:00:43 (16 sec)

Well, I appreciate it. The Prime Minister has done a fantastic job. And we've become friends over the last very short period of time. And great relationship with Ireland. I think as good as it's ever been. Maybe better. Tremendous trade. We do a lot of business together. A lot of trade business together.

Donald Trump

00:00:43 - 00:01:04 (21 sec)

A lot of tourism together. And maybe most importantly, you are certainly one of the leading countries in terms of people moving and living in the United States. We have millions of Irish. And I think I know most of them because they're my friends. We love the Irish. So, it's an honor to be here. We'll be discussing various things.

Donald Trump

00:01:04 - 00:01:25 (21 sec)

Probably, you'll ask me about Brexit because I just left some very good people that are very much involved with Brexit, as you know. And I think that'll all work out. It will all work out very well. And also, for you, with your wall, your border. I mean, we have a border situation in the United States, and you have one over here.

Donald Trump

00:01:25 - 00:01:44 (19 sec)

But I hear it's going to work out very well. I think it's both going to work out well. It's going to work out very well here. And, again, both the military and the trade is such a big factor, and we're going to be discussing that very much. So, it's an honor to be in Ireland with my friend, and he's doing a great job as your Prime Minister.

Leo Varadkar

00:01:44 - 00:01:49 (5 sec)

The main thing we want to avoid, of course, is a border or a wall between both sides.

Donald Trump

00:01:49 - 00:02:03 (15 sec)

No, I think you do. I think you do. The way it works now is good. You want to try and keep it that way. And I know that's a big point of contention with respect to Brexit, is your border. And I'm sure it's going to work out well. I know they're focused very heavily on it.

Question

00:02:03 - 00:02:07 (4 sec)

Mr. President, can I ask you: Do you think Brexit will be bad for Ireland? You said it's good for the UK, but will it not be bad for Ireland?

Donald Trump

00:02:07 - 00:02:24 (17 sec)

No, I think it should be good. I mean, the big thing is going to be your border, and hopefully that's going to work out. I think it will work out. There are a lot of good minds thinking about how to do it, and it's going to be -- it's going to be just fine. I think, ultimately, it could even be very, very good for Ireland.

Donald Trump

00:02:24 - 00:02:26 (2 sec)

But the border will work out.

Question

00:02:26 - 00:02:31 (5 sec)

Mr. President, what do you think of our President's comments, where he said your stance on climate change was "pernicious" and "reckless"?

Donald Trump

00:02:31 - 00:02:48 (16 sec)

Well, I haven’t heard those comments. But, you know, we have the cleanest air in the world, in the United States, and it's gotten better since I'm President. We have the cleanest water; it's crystal clean. And I always say I want crystal clean water and air. So I haven’t heard his comments, but we do have -- we're setting records, environmentally.

Question

00:02:48 - 00:02:58 (10 sec)

Mr. President, are you concerned that Ireland is not sufficiently worried about the threat from Huawei? I know that issue came up in Britain. Some people worry about it in this country, as well.

Donald Trump

00:02:58 - 00:03:09 (11 sec)

Well, I know that. And we deal very closely, as you know, with your intelligence and your security. And we're working on that together, and I know you're concerned like we're concerned. We're all concerned about it. So we'll have it --

Leo Varadkar

00:03:09 - 00:03:10 (1 sec)

Well, that's something --

Donald Trump

00:03:10 - 00:03:10 (0 sec)

Leo Varadkar

00:03:10 - 00:03:28 (17 sec)

That's something that the Irish government is concerned about as well, and we've been offered some further briefings, information, from the U.S. side, just to give us a security briefing on that. And we'll do our own security analysis first, and then a [Inaudible]. But it is something that we're also concerned about.

Donald Trump

00:03:28 - 00:03:32 (4 sec)

We're working on that together, very much, with not only Europe but with Ireland.

Question

00:03:32 - 00:03:38 (6 sec)

Mr. President, you'll be spending a few days in Doonbeg. What's your plan? What will you be doing in Doonbeg?

Donald Trump

00:03:38 - 00:03:57 (19 sec)

So, we'll be going there, and then, as you know, I'm making a trip tomorrow to Normandy. We had an incredible time today. This was just something that -- the likes of which few people have seen anything like it. We were with the Queen and the Royal Family, and we were with the Prime Minister, and it was something very special.

Donald Trump

00:03:57 - 00:04:20 (23 sec)

And many of you were there. I think almost all of you were there. But it's been very well covered, and it was truly beautiful. And tomorrow we go to where it all took place; we go to Normandy. And I'll be leaving from Doonbeg. I'm staying here overnight, and I thought this would be the best place. I'd love to come to Ireland and stay at Doonbeg, and tomorrow we'll be leaving and going to Normandy.

Donald Trump

00:04:20 - 00:04:21 (2 sec)

So, many of you will be coming with us.

Question

00:04:21 - 00:04:23 (2 sec)

Is this trip about promoting your golf club?

Donald Trump

00:04:23 - 00:04:23 (0 sec)

Question

00:04:23 - 00:04:28 (5 sec)

Mr. President, is this trip, for you, just about promoting your golf club?

Donald Trump

00:04:28 - 00:04:44 (16 sec)

No, this trip is really about great relationships that we have with the UK. And I really wanted to do this stop in Ireland. It was very important to me because of the relationship I have with the people and with your Prime Minister.

Question

00:04:44 - 00:04:45 (1 sec)

[Inaudible] the E3 visa?

Donald Trump

00:04:45 - 00:05:03 (18 sec)

Yeah, we're looking at that. We almost made it last time. It was one vote; you know that. And we're looking at that, and I'm sure that's something we're going to discuss. And I spoke to the one vote, who's a great senator, by the way. And -- he really is; he's a great senator. And we think we're going to be successful.

Donald Trump

00:05:03 - 00:05:16 (13 sec)

He's a terrific person. He doesn’t mean to do any harm -- that, I can tell you. He was telling me he loves Ireland, actually. So I think we're going to be in good shape. We had just about a unanimous vote. And --

Leo Varadkar

00:05:16 - 00:05:16 (1 sec)

Yeah. [Inaudible]

Donald Trump

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

And if we get a unanimous vote, we do something that they've been trying to do for a long time. So I want to do that for the people of Ireland, but I want to do it for the people that are in the United States that want this vote to happen, that happen to be of Irish descent.

Question

00:05:30 - 00:05:40 (9 sec)

President Trump, as USA is co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, what assurances can you offer the government in helping to protect peace in Northern Ireland and avoid a hard border?

Donald Trump

00:05:40 - 00:05:53 (14 sec)

Well, I think what's going to happen is, over the next period of time -- first, they're going to have to see who's going to be Prime Minister. And I think it's a very important decision. We'll see what happens over in the UK, because that's going to be decision number one: who is going to be Prime Minister.

Donald Trump

00:05:53 - 00:06:10 (17 sec)

And once that happens, that person will get in and try and make a deal. And maybe if they don’t make a deal, they do it a different way. But I know one thing: Ireland is going to be in great shape. Ireland is, you know, a special place. It’s going to be in very good shape. I don’t think the border is going to be a problem at all.

Question

00:06:10 - 00:06:21 (11 sec)

Sir, did you see those reports of executions in North Korea of the folks who were involved in your summit? Does that worry you at all that Kim would execute these people?

Donald Trump

00:06:21 - 00:06:43 (22 sec)

Well, I don’t know if the reports are correct because one of the gentlemen who we deal with is -- this is North Korea they’re talking about -- is somebody that we know well. He’s a strong man. He’s a strong person. And they like to blame Kim Jong Un immediately. But they said he was killed, and he wasn’t. He was at the theater the other night, so he wasn’t killed.

Donald Trump

00:06:43 - 00:07:03 (19 sec)

The other four people I know nothing about. But it is -- it’s an interesting situation. And I think that they would like to make a deal and we'd like to make a deal with them. We’ll see how it goes. It’s been going pretty well because there hasn’t been testing of anything major, and, frankly, there’s been no nuclear testing in a long period of time.

Donald Trump

00:07:03 - 00:07:25 (22 sec)

When I became President, and before that, as you know, it was all the time: nuclear testing, ballistic missile testing. And now there’s nothing. I think that Chairman Kim would like to make a deal, and I’d like to make a deal with him. I look forward to seeing him in the appropriate time. And, again, one of the people they were talking about that was supposedly executed wasn’t executed at all.

Question

00:07:25 - 00:07:29 (5 sec)

Corporation tax -- Ireland’s corporation tax over here --

Donald Trump

00:07:29 - 00:07:30 (1 sec)

Question

00:07:30 - 00:07:34 (4 sec)

Are you going to talk about Ireland’s corporation tax with the Prime Minister?

Donald Trump

00:07:34 - 00:07:56 (22 sec)

Well, the corporation tax -- you mean the fact that it’s so low? It is a very low tax. I have to agree. You know, we have our tax very, very low, but they’ve done a very good job in Ireland. And your Prime Minister has kept it there. And he’s -- they have a lot of great companies here. He should try -- he should try keeping it low.

Donald Trump

00:07:56 - 00:08:02 (5 sec)

I agree. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.

Question

00:08:02 - 00:08:04 (3 sec)

[Inaudible] tariffs --

Donald Trump

00:08:04 - 00:08:26 (22 sec)

Oh, it's true. They’re having a meeting at 3 o’clock today. And, look, I think Mexico has to step up. And if they don’t, tariffs will go on. And if they go high, the companies are going to move back into the United States. That’s all. It’s very simple. The people aren’t going to have to worry about paying the tax because the companies are going to move back into the United States.

Donald Trump

00:08:26 - 00:08:47 (20 sec)

There won’t be any tariff. As far as China is concerned, China wants to make a deal. I have no doubt about it. And the -- every signal is they want to. And at the right time, probably that will happen. But right now, they’re paying many billions of dollars to the United States. We never got that before from China.

Donald Trump

00:08:47 - 00:09:04 (17 sec)

And we haven’t even started. It’s relative peanuts compared to the numbers that we’re talking about. But I think China wants to make a deal, and Mexico, you know, wants to make a deal. They have their entire delegation right now going over to, probably, the White House location, but to negotiate with our people.

Donald Trump

00:09:04 - 00:09:26 (22 sec)

It’s headed up by Mike Pompeo and Bob Lighthizer, and Mike Pence is involved. So we have a great group. But Mexico -- look, the drugs that are coming in, the people that are coming in unchecked, they’re swamping our border. They’re coming up by the millions. Mexico can stop it. They have to stop it. Otherwise, we just won’t be able to do business.

Donald Trump

00:09:26 - 00:09:38 (12 sec)

It’s a very simple thing. And I think they will stop it. I think they want to do something. I think they want to make a deal. And they sent their top people to try and -- we’ll see what happens today. We should know something. Thank you very much.