Thank you very much. So we had a very busy weekend. We got the six hostages out of Venezuela, as you probably know. And, uh, they're very safe right now, they're home with their families. And we appreciate the hard work of a lot of people, including Rick Grennell. Uh, we appreciate the cooperation from Venezuela.
And, uh, we have some very happy people right now, nobody thought that was going to happen. So they are home, they're safe, and they're with their families. That was a big one. Uh, Secretary of State Rubio is in Panama, Panama right now, and, uh, we're talking about the Panama Canal. What they've done is terrible, they've violated the agreement.
They're not allowed to violate the agreement. China's running the Panama Canal. That was not given to China, that was given to Panama, foolishly. But they violated the agreement, and we're gonna take it back or something very powerful is going to happen. And as far as other things are concerned, as you know, we had a very busy weekend, we're dealing with Israel, we're dealing with Ukraine and Russia.
We have meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia. And I think those discussions are actually going pretty well. The discussions on the Middle East with Israel and various and sundry other countries are progressing. Uh, Bibi Netanyahu is coming on Tuesday, and I think we have some very big meetings scheduled.
Mr. President, do you feel that Elon Musk is delivering on his promises to you? Do you feel he's doing a good job right now with DOGE?
I do, I think Elon is doing a good job. He's a big cost-cutter. Uh, sometimes we won't agree with it and we'll, uh, not go where he wants to go. But I think he's doing a great job. He's a smart guy, very smart, and he's very much into cutting our, the budget of our federal government.
Mr. -- Mr. President --
Mr. President. Mr. President. When you talk about retaliatory tariffs from Canada --
Say it.
-- talks of retaliatory tariffs from Canada and with the rider and, and the order, are you planning, uh decrease the tariffs against Canada?
Well, it could happen. If they do anything, we will. Canada's been very abusive of the United States for many years. Uh, they don't allow our banks, did you know that? Canada does not allow banks to go in. If you think about it, that's pretty amazing. If we have a US bank, they don't allow them to go in. Canada's been very tough on oil, on energy, they don't allow our farm products in, essentially.
Uh, they don't allow a lot of things in, and we allow everything to come in, it's been a one-way street. We subsidized Canada by the tune of about $200 billion a year, and for what? What do we get out of it? We don't get anything out of it. I love the people of Canada. I disagree with the leadership of Canada, and, uh, something's gonna happen there.
But if they wanna play the game, I don't mind, we can play the game all they want. Mexico, we've had very good talks with them. And, uh, this is retaliatory. This is retaliatory to a certain extent. Millions of people flowed into our country through Mexico and Canada, and we're not gonna allow that. And by the way, we have among the lowest numbers we've ever had of people crossing our border, the lowest numbers since my administration.
Mr. President. Mr. President you said, so on Truth Social you said that you were gonna cut aid from South Africa. Were you planned to cut aid across other African nations, and why South Africa?
No. It's only South Africa. Terrible things are happening in South Africa. The, uh, leadership is, uh, doing some terrible things, uh, horrible things. So that's under investigation right now, we'll make a determination. And until such time as we find out what South Africa is doing, they're taking away land, they're confiscating land, and actually they're doing things that are perhaps far worse than that.
Mr. President. And on the Fed, I -- on the Fed, Fed chair Jerome Powell, he held rate. What's your reaction to him not, uh, changing the rate?
Uh, what did you say?
Fed chair Jerome Powell, the fed meeting was [Inaudible], he held the rate, he didn't cut down or anything.
No, I'm not surprised. I think holding the rates at this point was the right thing to do.
Mr. President. Mr. President.
[Crosstalk]
Mr. President, will you -- which country will be next on tariffs? Would you consider taxing the UK for example?
Well, we're gonna see what happens. Th- it'll happen, but we're gonna --
When?
-- might, we'll see how things work out. It might happen with them, but it will definitely happen with the European Union, I can tell you that, because they've really taken advantage of us. And, you know, we have over a $300 billion deficit. They don't take our cars, they don't take our farm products. They take almost nothing, and we take everything from them.
Millions of cars, tremendous amounts of food and farm product. So the UK is way out of line and we'll s- we'll see the, uh, UK, but European Union is really out of line. UK is out of line, but I'm sure that one, I think that one can be worked out. But the, uh, European Union is, it's, uh, an atrocity, what they've done.
Well, have you talked [Inaudible] the Prime Mister Starmer wants to close the relationship with to the EU, so anything on that [Inaudible]
Well, Prime Minister Starmer has been very nice, we've had a couple of meetings, we've had numerous phone calls. We're getting along very well. We'll see whether or not we can balance out our budget. With the European Union, it's, you know, $350 billion deficit. So obviously something's gonna take place there.
So [Inaudible] for the European Union, what's the timeline, and are you planning --
Where? Where?
-- along line, 25% --
With who? With who?
EU. Um, the EU, you how much?
Uh, I wouldn't say there's a timeline, but it's gonna be pretty soon.
[Inaudible, about tariffs]
No, no. I'm not concerned. We may have short-term, some little pain and people understand that, but long-term, the United States has been ripped off by virtually every country in the world. We have deficits with almost every country. Not every country, but almost. And we're gonna change it, it's been unfair.
That's why we owed $36 trillion. We have deficits with everybody, we help everybody, we've been helping everybody for years. And to be honest, I don't think they appreciate it. So we're gonna change that. We're gonna change it fast. We're gonna make America great again. We have to focus on our country. We have tremendous potential if properly used, and we have to focus on our country.
Uh, tremendous deficits with China, tremendous deficits with the European Union, tremendous deficits with Mexico and Canada. And why? Uh, what's the purpose of that? Why would we have deficits? And yet you look at, uh, if you look at pharmaceuticals and drugs, if you look at various products, it's much cheaper in other countries.
We're not gonna allow that much longer, we're not gonna take it.
Mr. President. Were you planning -- USAID, what's going on there? What's the --
[Crosstalk]
Well, it was, it's been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we're getting them out. USAID run by radical lunatics, and we're getting them out. And then we'll make a decision.
Mr. -- Mr. President, have spoken with anyone from Canada or from Mexico [Inaudible] oppose it.
I've spoken with people from Canada, I've spoken with people from Mexico, and I've spoken to a lot of other people too.
Can you say who? So, Prime Minister Trudeau or someone else?
I'm speaking with Prime Minister Trudeau tomorrow morning, and I'm also speaking with, uh, Mexico tomorrow morning. And, uh, I don't expect anything very dramatic that we put tariffs on. Uh, they owe us a lot of money, and I'm sure they're gonna pay.
Um, Panama, uh, uh, would you do you send troops, to retake the Canal Panama? Would you send --
About what?
Panama, the Canal of Panama, would send you US troops.
I don't think troops will be necessary in Panama. Uh, what Panama has done is terrible for national security, for this part of the world. And, you know, 70% of the signage on the Panama Canal was written in Chinese. That's not right. So, it wasn't meant for China. It should have never been made, the deal was a ridiculous deal.
We lost 38,000 people building the Panama Canal, one of the great wonders of the world. 38, think of it, 38, it was the most expensive project ever built by this country, if you take it forward. The most expensive project ever built. We lost 38,000. And what happens? China owns it all of a sudden? Not gonna happen, we're not gonna let that happen.
We have national security concerns, and they wouldn't let it happen, either.
Mr. President, what does Canada and Mexico need to do for you to lift the tariff?
What?
What are you specifically things you want?
They'd have to balance out their trade, number one. They've gotta stop people from pouring into our country. And we've stopped it, they haven't stopped it. We've stopped it. They have to stop people from pouring in. And we have to stop fentanyl, and that includes China. Fentanyl has killed this year at least 200,000 people.
It's pouring in from China through Mexico and Canada, and they've gotta stop it. And if they don't stop it, the tariffs are gonna get worse, a lot worse.
Mr. President --