Press Gaggle: Donald Trump Speaks to Reporters Before Marine One Departure - October 10, 2026

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Well, we're heading to Tennessee, we're gonna get a couple of great congressmen elected, et cetera. And we have a wonderful senator that we're gonna get elected. Bill is gonna be great. And then, uh, we're gonna do a few other things today. We have some meetings, very big meetings. Things are going very well.

Our economy is literally -- we've never had anything like it. It's so good. In terms of factories, plants, everything else being built, we've never had anything like it.

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What do you think [Inaudible]

Yeah, they're giving me a report. I heard that.

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Mr. President. Mr. President, uh, Mr. President, critics of this, uh, Russia diesel deal say it could prolong the war on Ukraine 'cause it's giving --

What is that? What?

The critics of the Russia diesel deal say it could prolong the war in Ukraine because it's giving an, an economic [Inaudible]

Well, I look at it differently. Zelenskyy could've settled this war many times. Many, many times. And, uh, he cho- -- he chooses not to. Very difficult. Uh, it's a war that should have never been started. If I were president, if the election weren't rigged, I would have been president and that war would have never started.

But he could've settled it many times and he chose not to. We said, "You can do whatever you want to Russia. Don't hit the refineries because that's a world problem that's caused." And he wants to make problems for the world. He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers with, uh, diesel fuel, because Russia supplies a large portion of the diesel fuel throughout the world.

And we told him, "Do whatever you want, but don't hit the diesel fuel, because there's a big problem, big shortage." And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel. He can do whatever he wants, but he can't do that because we have a world problem. And the problem is caused by the lack of refineries for diesel fuel.

So what does he do? He goes and hits refineries. And I said to him, "Do what you want. Don't hit refineries." There's plenty of talking: "Don't hit refineries." And he went out and he hit, and he's not going to affect our farmers, and he's not going to affect our ranchers, and he's not going to affect the rest of the world.

So, uh, we -- he better damn well stop.

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-- the message to Ukrainians, Mr. President, for daily suffering from the attack, from the rocket attack, for suffering hunger issues [Inaudible]

Well, I agree with you. And you know what I suggest? I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal, because he could have made many deals, but for some reason he never does. And let me go a step further. If I were president, you wouldn't have ever had that war. That war would have never started. There was no reason that that war with Ukraine and Russia started.

It started due to incompetence. Should've never started. You wouldn't have lost 30% of your country already. You've lost 30% of your country and you've had over a million people killed. Between the two of them, over two million people killed.

Mr. President.

That's a war that should have never started. And I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president.

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Mr. President, are you committed, Mr. President, are you committed to the --

We may, we- -- we'll look at it.

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Just found out about the recent attack. Now, we'll [Inaudible] We, we move very quickly.

Because you said that there would not be another strike on Iran until after midterms [Inaudible]

Okay.

-- could I ask you about the midterms? Are you committed to accepting the results of the midterms no matter what party wins?

What do you think the answer is to that?

I don't know, Mr. President. I'm asking you.

What do you think? Of course I will. But we don't want cheating.

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You don't want cheating in the --

We don't want cheating in the midterms.

So if Republicans lose, you'll, you'll be okay?

We don't want cheating. Do you understand me? Go ahead. Go ahead.

What about the live-streaming, Mr. President? Have you heard [Inaudible]

Go ahead, ask your question.

There, there are lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who have criticized the idea of live-streaming the execution of Nidal Hasan. They say that it could radicalize other [Inaudible] --

Well, you have two thoughts. He's a vicious killer, killed 13 people in cold blood, wounded over 20. Some of those people will never have their lives back in a true sense. Uh, he was vicious. He was violent. There are two thoughts. Don't show it and show it. 'Cause you know, by showing it, maybe other people won't be doing what he did.

So I'll make a decision ultimately. I know what the military would like to do, but we'll make a decision.

[Inaudible] sir, because the sanctions, uh, were unacceptable [Inaudible]

What does that mean? To who?

The, the Nobel Prize, sir, he lied. He said today that the sanctions to the court are inacceptable. [Inaudible]

Well, you know, it's very interesting because I ended eight wars. I got all the hostages back, dead and alive. I brought in over 300 hostages from other countries. Uh, I stopped China and I stopped Taiwan. I mean, that's going along. Who knows what happens, but I stopped it. Uh, stopped a lot of things from happening, but I ended eight wars, eight actually --

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-- inflamed wars. And they gave the Nobel Prize to a person that nobody ever heard of. I'd never heard of her. Nobody that I know ever heard of her. All we know is I think she's very anti-Israel. That's what I hear. But I've never seen her. I've never heard of her. And they gave her the Nobel Prize. Uh, something wrong in Norway. Let me tell you.

Thank you very much.