Hello, everybody. So they're checking the slide over here and I think it's going to take 15 minutes. Uh, they were doing a check on the slide, you know, on the emergency. So I think it takes about 15 minutes. So we're heading over to Dallas. I think we're going to have a tremendous crowd tonight, sold out.
Looks very big. Looks very exciting. And we're going to, uh, explain what we've done. We've done things that have never been done in the first term or the second term, frankly, of a president. Uh, the economy is very strong. The investment in our country is the biggest in the history of any country, not just our country.
We have factories being built all over the world right now, and it's very exciting to see.
Mr. President, do you know why they're checking the slide? Is there a security concern with the plane?
No. They were checking it before and they just wanted to make sure. So they've, uh -- I guess they've already put it up. They wanted to make sure everything works perfectly.
And Mr. President, you've been saying for weeks that oil and gas prices are going to come down.
They will.
Oil is now back above $100 a barrel. How do you explain this to Americans who are wondering when prices are going to come down?
Well, I think it's very easy to explain to America. All you have to do is say, will you let Iran have a nuclear weapon? And the answer is no. And they're doing very poorly. Their country is in shambles right now. They are, as you probably have seen the numbers, 300 percent inflation. Their money is valueless.
They're not paying their soldiers. We control the strait and lots of other things. So for a little while. I would say this, uh, shortly, but right after the election, because they'd like to have it that way. But right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward. They're going to be tumbling down and we'll get them down.
I think, for gasoline, we'll get them below $2 a gallon.
But not until after the midterms?
I think it's going to take a little bit longer than the midterm. Yeah.
And Mr. President, several Republicans in competitive races are not coming to the convention. Do you understand why they're deciding not to come?
Everybody that's -- everybody is coming to the convention. Everybody wants to come, but we only want -- and the people that are -- by the way, we're going to be sold out tonight, just so you understand. Who are you with?
ABC News, sir.
ABC fake news. One of the worst -- you are the worst of all, in my opinion. The reason that some people are not coming is because we don't have room for 500 politicians. We have room for the ones that have a close race, if they're slightly behind or slightly ahead or tied. But we don't have rooms for people that are 35 points up and don't need to be there.
We said, stay back and campaign. Every politician that we've wanted to be there is there. Go ahead.
Mr. President, are you sure this plane is safe to fly?
Yeah, I am, or I wouldn't be on it. What do you want?
Mr. President, can you tell us about your conversation with President Putin? We had a great conversation.
He is wanting to make a deal. And if Zelenskyy is wanting to make a deal, that would be very nice.
What is the holdup?
The holdup is two people that hate each other.
What gives you --
I think more than anything else, it's two people that hate each other.
But what has changed that gives you confidence --
I think that because I speak to people -- that's all I do, is speak to people my whole life. I know about deals and these are two people that are tired of fighting.
[Inaudible] set up a bilateral meeting?
It could happen. We had a good conversation. It could happen. Too many people are dying in that war, 25,000 last month.
Mr. President, would you pardon Michael Cohen?
I haven't even been -- I've never been asked that question.
You mentioned recently that he recanted --
Well, he did. He recanted. He said it was a very -- it was illegal, what they did. What they put him through was incredible, you want to know the truth. Nobody's asked me about a pardon. But what they put -- well, if he's -- if everything is checking out, it's something I would consider. Yeah. I mean, what they did to Michael Cohen was a disgrace.
They forced him to say things that he didn't want to say and that he didn't believe. And I appreciate that at least he came out, although late, he came out and rectified the situation.
[Inaudible] what should Republicans need to be doing that they aren't currently doing [Inaudible]
Just keep fighting and just keep explaining how well we're doing as a country. We're doing better now as a country than we've ever done before. Yeah.
Britain, France and Canada have imposed sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. What's your reaction to that? Is the US opposed to it, or --
Well, I've just seen it and I'll be speaking to Israel, I'll be speaking to them and I'll find out what they -- what's their thinking. I understand. You know, I understand exactly what's going on, but I want to find out why all of a sudden has that happened.
We're seeing a lot of attacks now in the Strait of Hormuz between the United States and --
Well, the attacks -- the attacks are made by us. We've knocked out nine of their ships. I would say that the attacks are caused by us. Yeah. And you're going to see -- you're going to see a lot more. We've taken out about nine of their tankers. Many of them are gonzo.
Mr. President?
We're going to find out. No, I think the war is going to end immediately after the election.
Why?
I think the war will end immediately after the election.
[Inaudible]
Because they can't hold out any longer. They're desperate to try and affect the election so that we can get a nice, weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon. All they want is a nuclear weapon. And if they had a nuclear weapon, the whole world is in deep trouble.
Are you still hoping for a nuclear deal? Secretary Wright said a nuclear deal might not be on the table anymore.
No.
Is that true?
I'm doing much more than a nuclear deal. There's a lot more than nuclear. We're going to have nuclear. That's 99.9, but there's going to be a lot of other things on the table that wouldn't have been on the table three months ago.
Such as? [Inaudible] do you expect that to restart at some point?
We're not looking for it, to be honest with you, Jeff. Originally, I wanted to make a deal. We're so far down the line. They have very little country left right now, so we're not looking for it. Yes, a negotiation could possibly happen, but it's not something we're looking at. This war will end immediately after our election.
Thank you very much.