Press Gaggle: Donald Trump Speaks to Reporters Before Air Force One Departure - September 13, 2026

Thank you very much. Ireland was fantastic. The tournament was record-setting. The attendance was number one. They have never seen anything like that one because the person in one, Shane, who's a fantastic player, but he's from Ireland and, uh, he played well. He played fantastic, and everybody was, just a very exciting moment.

[The music reference in the beginning was in reference to "Approved Rally Playlist" that was played for the White House press pool on the plane. The songs included: "Jolene" - Dolly Parton; "You Don't Own Me" - Lesley Gore; "Rest in Peace" - Jim Johnston (cited as "The WWE Undertaker Entrance"); "Wild World" - Cat Stevens; "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M.; "Baba O'Riley" - The Who (cited as "Teenage Wasteland"); "Nessun Dorma" - Luciano Pavarotti; "Fernando" - ABBA; "November Rain" - Guns N' Roses]

Uh, so it was an honor to be here. We did a lot of business. Uh, met with Taoiseach, met with, uh, various other leaders and we did a lot of business, but it was great to see it. It was a very festive occasion, very big, a very big thing just happened.

I just wanted to make sure everyone's okay with the music, right?

Mr. President, uh, they say your approval rating is really low in Ireland, around 20%, but by the way those fans scream, you think those polls are incorrect?

We loved it, Mr. President.

I think the polls are fake. My approval rate in Ireland is good. My approval rating in the U.S. is great. The problem is, uh, only the legitimate polls are going, as you understand. No, we're doing well. The country is doing very well. Our country is doing very well.

Are you okay? Do you like the --

President Trump, are you trying to cut off trade with a nation running a trade deficit with the U.S. unless the Federal Reserve lowers interest rates? Are you actually gonna follow through with that --

[Inaudible]

Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm gonna do that with some nations. I'll have no choice. We don't wanna have deficits with nations. We wanna have, uh, surpluses or at least breakevens, but we have, other presidents, and other presidents have allowed tremendous deficits, and we're not gonna have that, so --

I'm only back here. I gave you a press conference before we got on.

When can you do that?

[Laughs]

-- so I will be doing it.

Uh, and the music's great, right?

What year?

Yes, it's great.

It'll take place over a period of time.

Okay?

Um, the 9/11 families, on Friday, asked you to help hold Saudi Arabia accountable for 9/11. They're asking you to release more records that tie maybe some of the hijackers or the people --

It was fantastic.

Yeah.

And were you picking these songs?

-- seen in Saudi Arabia.

I, I picked myself. I want to make you happy, so I'm playing wonderful music, happy music.

I heard that.

Dolly Parton was the best.

Would you be open to that?

Dolly was the greatest. Let's --

Well, I'm gonna look at it when I get back. I know they asked me, uh, Friday. I'll be looking at it when I get back.

And it's [Inaudible]

Do you think you gonna be open to that though?

That was a sad moment when Dolly left us. We have a lot of Dolly songs on there, but Dolly was --

It could be, yeah.

Hey, you're, you're a big music guy. You probably [Inaudible]

Mr. President, what do you think --

I love music. I love good music. That's what keeps me happy. Because with my life, it's a very interesting thing, but I love music.

Did you see that video when AOC and Mamdani laughing at the 9/11 ceremony in New York? What, what were your thoughts?

President Trump, but, when you meet with President Xi soon, will you be dis- -- discussing autos with him? And would you ever allow --

I think it's terrible. It's not a place to be laughing, especially in that case. I thought it was terrible. That fact that they were laughing together in a very important part of the ceremony was inappropriate.

I'll discuss almost everything with him.

Mr. President, what's your, what's your reaction to the countries, like the UK, Ireland, Canada, who put sanctions on the Israeli settlers in the West Bank last week? Did you see that? What's your reaction?

Would you ever allow Chinese autos into the United States?

What sanctions are --

Well, I haven't. I'm the one that kept them out. The tariffs kept them out. I have 100% tariff, from 100 to 150%.

Uh, the UK and a number of European countries --

Oh, thank you.

I did see it. I'll look at it. I'm gonna see it. Uh, the prime minister's calling me on Monday or Tuesday and I'll be taking a look at it.

So unlike Europe, which is being decimated by cars, zero. So, so far, the answer is yes.

Mr. President, when you think of Ken Paxton's race? It's pretty close. Some cases a Democrat win it. Ken Paxton doing what he needs to be doing?

What about Boeing planes? Do you think you're going to get that deal figured out?

I think so. I think the fact that we had such a successful convention really helped Ken Paxton. Uh, he was a big part of it. And look, I mean, he was a great attorney general. Ken Paxton was a great attorney general, and that's, uh, and continues to be, and I think that counts for a lot.

Yeah.

Why do you think he's doing better?

I'll get, I get every deal.

Well, I think he's tied or leading now. I think he got, he picked up blood. I, I hear that the convention helped Ken Paxton a lot.

And on the topic of Xi, um, we recently reported that Chinese entities may have provided the Iranians with satellite imagery, um, of the air bases in Jordan --

Lindy Clancy's attorney, last week, asked you to pardon her. Is that under consideration?

They, they do what we do. They basically do what we do [Inaudible]

Well, I know. I mean, it's a very sad situation. I, I certainly heard that. Uh, but it's, uh, look, it's a very sad, there is no winner there. There's no, there's no win, no matter what you do. It's, uh, three children are dead, so I don't know. But, uh, it's actually a state situation, you know, not a federal.

Are you going to raise that with Xi when he visits?

He's asking you to call the prosecutor in the state. Would you do that?

Uh, I think he's, uh, behaved reasonably well --

I appreciate that he feels that way, but, and he's a good attorney. I've heard from other people, he's a very good attorney. Uh, I hope they can work it out. That's something they have to work out. It's a very sad, there is no win there.

Yes.

Mr. President, are you willing to meet with the Republican candidate predictor in Illinois, Illinois at the end of this month?

-- and we behave reasonably well. You know, when they say that China spies on us, I say, "You're right, and we spy on them too," you know? We spy on them too.

Well, I like the candidate from Illinois. He's a good man.

[Crosstalk]

Darren Bailey.

This is a different trip. I just gave you the --

He had a tragedy, a horrible tragedy. His family was partially wiped out in a terrible helicopter accident on the planet.

Mr. President?

Has JB Pritzker reached out to you prior to the Presidents Cup?

I just wanted to know how you liked the music.

No. I think JB Pritzker is a disaster as a governor. You know, you look at what's happening with Brian. And JD Pritzker could lose. I, you know, for some reason, Democrats win there. I don't know why. But Bailey is a very good candidate. He had a, he had a horrible tragedy, amazing that he can go forward, but his, his, a large portion of his family was wiped out.

[Crosstalk]

I have already endorsed him. I'm all for Bailey.

It's good, isn't it?

Iran says that one of their vessels was struck last night. Was it the United States?

Can we get the, we need the full playlist. Can we keep playing it?

I don't wanna say.

Just keep writing the songs down. Eventually --

Mr. President, JD Vance, are you ready to throw your weight behind him in 2028?

Mr. President, on Friday, you reposted a video you took on January 6th. What was the message for posting that on Friday?

Well, it's too early. I mean, it's too early. I think he's terrific. We've got so many terrific people. We have, as they call, a very deep bet.

Well, I posted about, uh, 30. Which one are you talking?

Who would be most competitive with JD Vance?

You posted a video you took and posted on January 6th asking the rioters to go back home.

I, you know, I just think they're all very good, and JD's fantastic, and he did a very good job.

Okay.

On the whiskey tariff, taking it out, when is that gonna happen? And that's an EU tariff. Are you taking all --

Who?

Yeah. Well, it was very unfair because others have the relief, and they didn't, so I though I'd do it. And actually, Shane asked me about it, too, a lot of people. It was pretty unfair, so I decided to do it.

The rioters of January 6th, 2021.

But just Ireland or all of EU?

I don't know what you saw.

Just Ireland. They already have it, that's why it was unfair. The other ones already have it.

You also reposted Maduro again, the capture of Maduro.

Mr. President, on the $5,000 checks, when did you first come up with that idea and --

Well, they never talk about Maduro.

A while ago.

That was a, that was a great capture.

-- how is that --

They never talk about Maduro.

That's going forward. The $5,000 is actually going forward, and that's because we're taking in so much money in so different ways, including the tariff.

Speaking on Venezuela --

Is there a plan exactly how we're gonna pay for that?

That was a big, that was a big get, Maduro.

Yeah, yeah. No, I know exactly how we're gonna pay.

Yeah.

Why --

Can you [Inaudible]

You know --

Speaking on Venezuela, you're going to New York later this month.

And that's because we're taking in so much money in so different ways, including the tariff.

Yeah.

Is there a plan exactly how we're gonna pay for that?

Will you be meeting with Delcy Rodríguez to talk about the oil?

Yeah, yeah. No, I know exactly how we're gonna pay.

I may be. Yeah, I may be. Well, we have the oil now. Um, we're taking in --

Why, oh.

But the oil deal, will you be speaking with her?

You know, it's interesting on that, because everybody said that the Great Big Beautiful Bill will never happen. It happened. They said that the 1,776 to the military, $1,776 would never happen. And it happened. They were paid. And now they say, "Oh, the 5,000." The 5,000's gonna happen 100%. And the reason is because our country is taking in trillions and trillions of dollars.

We're taking in billions of barrels of oil a month.

And it's gonna happen because the people deserve it because they were treated so badly by the Democrats and by Biden. So remember, they said the Great Big Beautiful Bill, which was basically 17 bills wrapped up into one, will never happen. It happened. They said when I gave the military last year $1,776, 1776, like a certain date that's quite important.

How is --

Mr. President, do --

Mr. President, the way things are going now with, uh, with Russia and Ukraine, which war do you think could end sooner?

They said that wasn't gonna happen, that happened. And what do you think? I think it's gonna happen. I li- -- I like her.

The problem I have with Ukraine and Russia is that, you know, a lot of the diesel comes, diesel oil comes, and that's the one where there's a, a big up, uh, it comes from Russia. And the Russia just, uh, plants are being hit by Ukraine. And I've asked President Zelenskyy not to hit the diesel plants, refineries.

You have Congress, you have Congress now, so why don't you do the checks now versus after the election?

Is it potentially that Ukraine War could end?

Because I don't wanna do it now because if the Democrats go t- -- get in, our country will be in shamble and they won't be able to do it. If we get in, we're taking in tremendous amounts of money. We're taking in over $20 trillion in terms of investment. And if the Democrats, all of that money will be thrown out.

[Inaudible]

If the Democrats get in, they won't be able to pay it. With me, I've always made money. Now I make a lot of money for the country.

Is it potential that --

Mr. President, you told voters to think of you on the ballot.

Yes, sir [Inaudible]

Yeah.

The, the equipment, the diesel is being driven up by the fact that it's having a hard time coming out of Russia.

To consider you're on the ballot. Should they then think that this is a referendum on your administration?

[Crosstalk]

Well, maybe. I don't care. Whatever it takes because when I run, I, you know, everybody does well. When I don't run, maybe they don't go and vote because they don't care. But I'm asking the voters, the Republican voters that, you know, I got a record vote, the highest vote in the history of the Republican Party.

And that's the case that hurts the world. We got to stop.

And if those voters would go out, we will win everything, just like I did. I won every, I won all seven swing states. We won the popular vote. We won. Everything was a landslide, in- -- including counties. If you take a look at counties, we won 86% of the counties in the country. So if we get those people to go out, we're gonna have a tremendous victory.

[Crosstalk]

The problem is if I'm not running, if I'm not on the ballot, they think, "Oh, I'm not running." And if they like me, and they do like me. I mean, I have polls that show me I'm very popular. You know, you have a lot of fake polls, but they like me.

On your election speech --

Uh --

CIA Director Ratcliffe, um, is he gonna be playing a greater role in the negotiation --

Here's the story. If they get out and vote, we win in a landslide. Thank you. Yes. One more question.

[Inaudible] Ratcliffe is doing a great job.

Your kids' tents over there, Mr. President. There could still be a Trump name on the ballot. Would it ever happen? Maybe, maybe they can win.

Do you have concerns about --

I don't n- -- I better not get into that. [Laughter] But they're good. You know why? They work hard and they're very good people. I call them kids. They're not kids --

Ra- -- Ratcliffe is doing --

They're your kids.

-- Witkoff and Kushner at all in their ability to, to close the deal?

But I call them. They're still my kids.

Oh no, they're doin- -- they're doing a great job. Yep. Look at Gaza as an example. Look at the fact we got all the hostages back. We got the hostages back. You know, people forget, uh, there's not a lot of fighting in Gaza. Hamas is now willing to give up their weapons. No, they've done an incredible job.

They're your kids --]

Nobody could have done the jobs they did.

And they're great kids.

[Crosstalk]

What were you doing with the --

But he's involved in everything.

Huh?

Do you think Zelenskyy will get his Patriots and the licensing that he wants. Do you still antici --

[Inaudible] press secretary?

We're talking about it?

I don't know. Would anybody like to be press secretary?

Have you, have you ruled --

No, no favorite? No, no firm pick?

The less sophisticated version.

No, no. But I may have developed one over the weekend, you know? No, we have, we have a lot of people that want it. Many people want it. Many people have been written about, as you know, but many people want it and willing to, you know what we're gonna do for a little while? We're gonna use the secretaries, the, you know, Marco and, uh, maybe JD just did it. He did a great job.

Are you happy that the UK --

But we're gonna use Scott. We're gonna use Howard. We're gonna use a lot of our secretaries. Linda McMahon is so great. And we'll do it for a little while, uh, but ultimately I'll pick somebody.

You know what I mean.

When, when can he do it?

Yeah, yeah. Are you --

We'll do Marco next. I will. Thank you.

They're far less sophisticated.

Are you happy that some of the European allies, some of NATO allies are, planned to sell them some, having bought them from the US, it looks like they're gonna try and give him some.

And they're doing what?

Uh, there's some reports that the, the, some European, uh, countries like UK and others are gonna kind of band together and try and sell them some of their stockpile or sell the ones that they've bought from US.

Well, we'll see. You know, we have a big stockpile of certain weapons. Uh, a lot of them are, you know, virtually unlimited. We have a very big stockpile. When it comes to the elite, a lot of that was given to Ukraine, but we're making it r- -- very rapidly right now. We're building up our stockpile very fast.

[Crosstalk]

Right now, we're making more Patriots than we've ever made. And we are, I mean, plants are literally not just working overtime, plants are literally being made to make Patriots and others.

Mr. President, are these activities in connect --

The Patriots, the FEDs, the Tomahawks, plans are being made for each. So, rather than just overtime at one very big plant, you know, you --

You talked about in your speech in, uh, the, uh, uh, US Ambassador's residence, you've got some new emerging technology coming out, these, this, uh, lasers and the Gatling guns.

Yeah.

Can you tell us any more about the lasers or, or that kind of kit?

Uh, lasers are gonna be a big thing because it's a lot less expensive than sending up Patriots. And the laser's a big thing. So far, it doesn't have the distance, but it'll soon have the distance. My uncle at MIT was a big laser guy, believe it or not, a long time ago. He said, "Lasers is gonna be the future." And I guess, it's turning out to be.

Sir.

Uh, once you have the equipment, the laser beam itself is very inexpensive, almost nothing. And yeah, we're getting close. Uh, the lasers are very, very good for, you know, already for certain types of, of missiles, certain slower missiles. Uh, I think the laser's gonna be the future. Because, because rather than spending a lot of money, as good as they are virtually 100% accurate, uh, the laser's a lot less.

Mr. President, do you t- -- Mr. President, you talked a lot about talked a lot about Canada, AI, you talked a lot about Canada just in the recent weeks or so. You, you keep saying also that Russia and China, ch- -- or that, uh, Canada's more dangerous to the US than Russia and China.

I, I, I said they're more difficult to deal with. I find Canada to be the worst country to deal with.

Really?

The most difficult country. With that being said, they're dying to make a deal.

Why is that?

I find Canada to be very, very difficult to deal with, their leaders, not the people. The people are fantastic.

[Crosstalk]

Well, I find them to be very, very difficult.

[Crosstalk]

And they ripped off our country for years, but they don't rip them off.

Are the tariffs, tariffs still in effect?

Yeah. Well, we have a lot of tariffs. So, a lot more tariffs are coming in. Don't forget on January 1st, car tariff. The big one is cars, as we take in a lot of their cars, car tariffs to come.

President Trump, this week, again, there's been so much concern about AI. Have you heard directly from any of these AI tech leaders?

Yeah.

And you seem to downplay some of the concerns that we've heard.

No, I don't. But it's, you know, it's gonna be more good than bad, but by a lot.

But have you heard directly from any of them?

And I've said, I've said it from the beginning, whoever wins AI, and we're leading by a lot, whoever wins, AI wins.

Have you ever used it yourself or have you been--

I use AI, yeah, I do.

How do you use AI? Do you--

But, uh, I would say, you know, for the most part, you can use AI for a lot of things --

What do you use it for?

-- right away.

Speaking of AI, Flock cameras, you haven't talked a lot about these Flock cameras. A lot of law enforcement say the, they really help them. Would you be willing to back that?

Well, yeah, no, I sort of like them because of that, because of law enforcement. But some people don't, they think it's an infringement, uh.

They help catch a lot of criminals.

But I, I like. Thank you, everybody.

Mr. President, uh, we saw you on Friday showing Melania the helipad. When do you plan to use it first?

Well, it's gonna be, I think the 21st is, it's open now. It's ready now. And it's a masterpiece.

When will you be using it?

Does everybody like it? Is it beautiful?

It's a, I think it's--

It is a masterpiece.

Yeah, it looks nice.

That's all carved granite. It's like, uh, it's a, it's a million, it's a stone rated one million plus years and carved, and carved beautifully.

When's the ballroom gonna be done?

People are, people are really liking it.

Do we have like, a schedule for--

Now, listen, okay, I came back here for dinner. Let's enjoy, enjoy the, uh, every song --

Thank you, Mr. President.

-- every song that you hear is my, they're all good.

Did you handpick--

We like Elton, we like Dolly, we like them all. Have a good time, everybody.

Thank you.

Are you watching football?

Are you watching football, Mr. President?