Sir --
Is this --
Yes, sir. First, we have a list of pardons and commutations relating to events that occurred on January 6th, 2021.
OK. And how many people are these?
I think this order will apply to approximately 1,500 people, sir.
So, this is January 6th, and these are the hostages. Approximately 1,500 for a pardon.
Yes.
Full pardon.
Full pardon or commutations?
Full pardon. We have about six commutations in there where we're doing further research.
OK.
Nice to see you again.
And you, sir.
So, this is a big one. Anything you want to explain about this? We hope they get them -- we hope they come out tonight, frankly. They're expecting it. Approximately 1,500 people. Six -- six commutations.
Were there any cases you did not commute or pardon [Inaudible]
We're looking at different things, but the commutations would be the ones that we'll take a look. And maybe it will stay that way or it will go to a full pardon.
And the order does require the Bureau of Prisons to act immediately on receipt of the pardons and commutations orders.
Yeah.
Sir, this is a -- an --
Why don't we get that down so they can get them going right now?
Yes, sir.
Is that OK?
Yep, absolutely. This is a proclamation guaranteeing the state's protection against invasion based on the current crisis at the southern border. It invokes various executive powers relating to the ongoing invasion at the southern border.
Mr. President, what makes you confident that those are not going to be blocked by the court?
I don't think they will. I don't think they can be. They're very straight up. Why don't you take that and go over here? Can you get him over here, not on the side angle? Do you mind? Just go right over here with your friends. OK.
Sir, this is an executive order realigning the United States Refugee Admission Program to better align with American principles and American interests.
OK. OK.
Thank you, sir. This next executive order is about protecting America from foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats. Again, crisis at the border, but it goes beyond that. Implicates other executive powers as well.
OK.
President Trump, with cartels are now going to be seen as foreign terror organizations. Would you think about ordering U.S. Special Forces into Mexico to take them out?
Could happen. Stranger things have happened.
That was actually --
Mr. President, how will you make sure that Maduro would accept Venezuelans?
Say it?
How will -- how will you make sure that Maduro will accept Venezuelans?
Well, we're going to see Venezuela. We're looking at Venezuela very strongly. It's a country I know very well for a lot of reasons and it's -- well, it was a great country 20 years ago, and now, it's a mess, right?
Sir, can we expect ICE raids starting tomorrow in major cities?
What does that mean?
Can we expect ICE raids in major cities? [Inaudible]
I don't want to say when, but it's going to happen. It has to happen, or we're not going to have a country left.
This is actually an executive order designating the cartels and other organizations to be foreign terrorist organizations.
That's a big one.
Yes, sir.
People have wanted to do this for years. So, they are now designated as terrorist organizations, foreign. And Mexico probably doesn't want that, but we have to do what's right. They're killing our people. They're killing 250,000, 300,000 American people a year, not 100, like has been reported for 15 years.
It's probably 300,000.
This is an executive --
Sir, you just said Mexico doesn't want that. How are you going to deal with this?
I don't know. You'll have to ask them.
Sir, this is an executive order entitled, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, which, again, deals with the southern border and the unprecedented admission of illegal -- illegal aliens across the southern border.
OK.
What do you see the biggest national security threat to the US, Mr. President? What's going to be your priority on foreign policy?
Say?
What's going to be your priority on foreign policy? What you see is the biggest emergency situation --
Foreign policy is a big statement. I mean, my priority on foreign policy is going to keep -- is going to be to keep America safe. Very simple. That's a big question, though. That's a very big question.
Who is going to be the first foreign leader that you plan to meet, or who will they call tomorrow for your first day in office?
I've already been meeting people. I've been meeting them. I've been talking to them. He's -- I -- I met with Prime Minister Trudeau, like all Governor Trudeau. I met with numerous foreign leaders. Go ahead.
Sir, what might be your first step?
This -- this next order relates to the definition of birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment of the United States.
That's a good one. Birthright, that's a big one.
What about that one in the courts? That one is likely to be --
Could be. We think we have good grounds, but you could be right. I mean, you'll find out. It's ridiculous. We're the only country in the world that does this with birthright, as you know. And it's just absolutely ridiculous. But, you know, we'll see. We think it -- we have very good grounds.
Sir --
People have wanted to do this for decades.
Sir, this is a proclamation declaring a national emergency at the southern border of the United States.
That's a big one. A lot of big ones, huh? You know what that means, right?
President Trump, did President Biden leave you a letter?
He may have. Wait. Don't they leave it in the desk? I don't know. Oh --
What's in there?
Thank you, Peter. It could have been years before we found this letter. Wow, thank you.
Can -- what does it say on the outside?
Maybe we should all read it together.
Let's read it.
Well, maybe I'll read it first and then make that determination.
That sounds great.
Peter, thank you very much. I may not have seen this for months.
Happy to help with the passing of the torch.
I did. I left him one in the desk just like this.
What did -- what did you talk to him about in the limo?
Unification of our country. You know, I didn't know that he gave a pardon to his family because he did it during my speech.
He didn't tell you in the limo?
No, he didn't tell me. No, no. He did it -- they released it during my speech. I mean, during my speech, so all I could do was say, "Excuse me, I'd like to come back and speak some more." So -- now, we were surprised by that.
Mr. President, where are you --
It's a bad precedent, obviously.
Where are you thinking on tariffs on Mexico given these actions you're signing on the border?
Well, we're thinking in terms of 25 percent on Mexico and Canada because they're allowing vast numbers of people. Canada's a very bad abuser also. Vast numbers of people to come in and fentanyl to come in.
When do you think you would enact those --
I think February 1st.
Are you planning on giving notice of that [Inaudible]
I think -- I think we'll do it February 1st.
Twenty-five percent on both, sir?
Sir --
On each.
On each, yes.
This is an executive order taking a large number of executive actions to secure our southern border.
OK, sounds reasonable.
President Trump, we remember four years ago, Barack Obama had told you that the top threat to the country was going to be North Korea. Did Joe Biden tell you what he thinks the top threat to the country is [Inaudible]
No. No.
Why not?
I think we have a lot of them. Right now, we really -- I think we have a lot. I think North Korea turned out to be good. I -- I was very friendly with him. He liked me; I liked him. We got along very well. They thought that was a tremendous threat. Now, he is a nuclear power, but we -- we got along. I think he'll be happy to see I'm coming back.
And --
I think he has tremendous condo capability. He's got a lot of shoreline.
Thank you, sir.
Are you going to work with countries from South America to coordinate on immigration?
About who?
About immigration in general.
This is an executive order -- sorry, sir.
I'm fine with legal immigration. I like it. We need people, and I'm absolutely fine with it. We want to have it. We need it because we're going to have a lot of companies coming in to avoid tariffs. You know, if you don't want tariffs, all you have to do is build your plant in the US. So, we're going to have a lot of workers coming in, but we have to have legal immigration.
Do you have a date in mind for when you want to put in on the China tariffs which you were talking about?
Which one?
Sixty percent?
You're talking about which? Say it again.
The China -- China tariffs, the [Inaudible] tariffs.
Oh, China. Well, as you know, I put on large tariffs on China, and they've really been forced to leave them. And if we didn't leave them, you wouldn't have one steel mill that's open in this country because they were dumping massive amounts of steel. We've taken in hundreds of billions of dollars from China because they were unable to terminate the tariffs that I put on China because it was too much money and the budgets didn't work.
And other reasons, too. No. I mean, we're going to have meetings and calls with President Xi. I spoke to President Xi last week, as you know. Did you know that? I had a very good phone call, long --
[Inaudible] with NATO this moment. Are you planning to meet your NATO allies?
No. NATO has to pay more money. NATO has to pay five percent. We are -- we're under the Ukraine war by $200 billion more than NATO. It's ridiculous because it affects them a lot more. We have an ocean in between, and we're -- we've spent $200 billion more on Ukraine than NATO has spent. And they've got to equalize.
Did you talk to Xi about -- did you talk to Xi about the Ukraine war?
Yeah.
Because China and Brazil together has a proposal to bring Russia and Ukraine to talk.
Well, that's good. That's fine. I'm -- I'm ready. That's good.
When are you going to talk with the Brazilian president?
How did Brazil get involved?
Brazil is involved.
This is a new one.
When are you going to talk to Lula?
Are you from Brazil?
I'm from Brazil.
Ah, that's -- that's why they're involved, I guess.
When are you going to talk with the Brazilian president? How do you see a relationship with Latin America and Brazil?
Great. It should be great. They need us much more than we need them. We don't need them. They need us. Everybody needs us.
Mr. President, it sounds like you will not proceed with additional China tariffs necessarily depending on how talks go with President Xi. Is that correct?
What does that -- define that?
Well, we were asking -- you pledged from to the campaign potentially a 10-percent tariff on China and as much as --
Because of fentanyl.
Right. So, I'm asking what are your thoughts are now.
That's only because of fentanyl. There are other things, too.
Are additional China tariffs --
And a very big thing is the Panama Canal. China controls the Panama Canal. What's that all about? They're not supposed to be -- when Jimmy Carter gave it, which was a terrible mistake, a terrible mistake -- he didn't do it. He didn't give it to China. He gave it to Panama, and China controls the Panama Canal.
So, China tariffs are [Inaudible]
And we're not going to going to allow that to happen.
Are they still on the table, or is that on hold?
We're not -- no. We're not going to allow that to happen.
Thank you, sir.
What can we expect of the countries in NATO that spend the least amount of money like Spain, France, below the five percent --
Spain is very low. And yet, are they a BRICS nation?
What?
They're a BRICS nation, Spain. You know what a BRICS nation is? Well, you'll figure it out. But -- and if the BRICS nations want to do that, that's OK. But we're going to put at least a 100-percent tariff on the business they do with the United States. You know what the BRICS is, right? You guys know.
Yes. Brazil, Russia --
You know what I'm saying, right? You know what I'm saying.
But Spain is not under the BRICS.
So, it's not even a threat. In fact, since I made that statement, Biden said, "Well, they have us over a barrel." I said no. We have them over a barrel, and there's no way they're going to be able to do that.
This is an executive order relating to --
So, they are risking 100-percent tariffs, those countries like Spain?
As a BRICS nation, yes. They will have 100-percent tariff if they so much as even think about doing what they thought.
Can you explain how is --
Which -- which -- and therefore, they'll give it up immediately. And so will China give it up.
Sir, this is about reforming the system of hiring in the federal government to ensure that merit is the lodestar of hiring decisions --
As per the Supreme Court.
Other matters -- yes, sir.
Mr. President --
Here's a big deal, merit. Our country is going to be based on merit again. Can you -- can you believe it?
Mr. President, you had said you would end the Russia-Ukraine war on the first day in office. Where do things stand right now? And how do you make that --
Well, this is only half a day. I have another half a day left. We'll see. We want to get it done.
Sir, this is an order creating and implementing the Department of Governmental Efficiency, known as DOGE.
OK, that's a big one.
Is Elon Musk going to get a West Wing office?
No. He's getting an office for about 20 people that we're hiring to make sure that these get implemented. We have a problem in this country. You sign an executive order, it doesn't get done for six months. As an example, when we allowed the J6 hostages to go out, it might not be approved under the old days by -- for two weeks, three weeks, six months.
You know, they had a good ruling from the Supreme Court, and it's like nothing happened. That ruling was six months ago. You know that. And it was like they didn't have a ruling. They've been treated very unfair. The judges have been absolutely brutal. The prosecutors have been brutal. Nobody has ever treated people in this country like that.
Mr. President, are you commuting the sentences of anyone who assaulted a police officer on January 6th?
Well, we're looking at two police officers, actually, that Washington police officer who went after an illegal. And things happened, and they ended up putting them in jail. They got five-year jail sentences. You know the case. And we're looking at that in order to give them a -- we got to give them a break.
But is the clemency in your actions today for [Inaudible] assault of a police officer?
Well, it would be a pardon. That would be a pardon. The one I'm talking about would be a pardon.
Here you go, sir.
Should there be punishment for the people who assaulted law enforcement officers that day?
Well, I will say this. They've been in jail for a long time already. I see murderers in this country get two years, one year, and maybe no time. So, they've already been in jail for a long time. These people have been destroyed. What they've done to these people is outrageous. There's rarely been anything like it in history in the history of our country.
And even people that were aggressive and, in many cases, I believe, they happen to be outside agitators. But, you know, what do I know, right? But I think they were. I think they were outside agitate -- there were outside agitators involved. And obviously, the FBI was involved because Wray admitted the FBI was involved.
Didn't he say 23 people indirectly or directly were involved, and it was then 26? That's a lot of people. No. We have -- we've got to take care of -- these people have been treated so badly. It's never happened before. What happened in Seattle where they took over a big portion of the city? What happened in Portland where they burn down the city every day and people die?
Nothing happened to anybody, but they go after these people violently. I mean, they're still going after brand-new people. They found somebody else with a picture. There's never been anything like this. And, you know, it's almost 100 percent. Think of this, almost 100 percent of the people are convicted, 100 percent.
It's Washington, D.C. People go into a trial and they say, "Oh, I have a wonderful lawyer, and I didn't do anything wrong." And they end up in shackles almost immediately and jail. No, we're not going to let it happen.
How about Greenland? Do you have some interest in buying it. But is there any other option that would satisfy you?
About what?
Greenland. Instead of buying it --
Finland?
Greenland. Greenland. Greenland.
Oh, Greenland. Greenland is a wonderful place. We need it for international security. And I'm sure that Denmark will come along. I think -- it's costing them a lot of money to maintain it, to keep it. The people of Greenland are not happy with Denmark if you know. I think they're happy with us. We had representatives -- my son and representatives went up there two weeks ago, and they like us. So, we'll see what happens.
But Greenland is necessary -- not for us. It's necessary for international security. You have Russian boats all over the place. You have China boats all over the place, warships, and they can't maintain it.
[Inaudible] President Putin, sir? Vladimir Putin.
Who?
Would you plan to meet President Putin, sir?
I'll be meeting with President Putin.
When do you think?
I don't know. I can't -- it's being set up.
Do you know what your first trip, foreign trip might be, sir?
So, first foreign trip typically has been with UK, but we did it -- I did it with Saudi Arabia last time because they agreed to buy $450 billion worth of our product. I said, "I'll do it, but you have to buy American product." And they agreed to do that. They bought 450 billion. It was the least reported story I've ever been involved in.
And now, where are you planning to go now?
Well, I don't know. If Saudi Arabia wanted to buy another 450 or 500, we'll up it for all the inflation.
Mr. President, you say you were going to end the wars first day.
I think I'll probably go --
How do you plan to end the Ukraine war?
Well, we're going to try and get it done as quickly as possible.
Do you want to push Israel and Saudi Arabia --
It should have never started. You know, the war with Ukraine and Russia should have never started. It would have never started if I were president.
Will you push Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalize relations?
I don't think you have to push them. I think it's going to happen, but maybe not quite yet, But they'll end up being in the -- in the accords, the Abraham Accords.
President Trump --
I think Saudi Arabia will end up being in the Abraham Accords.
This year?
Could be, but, you know, soon. Not in a very long way. Ooh, look at that. It says TikTok. My, my, my, what is that all about?
First, we have Alaska, sir. This is an executive order relating to unleashing Alaska's potential as an energy reservoir for the entire nation.
And what about ANWR?
I believe that would be included in aspects of the order.
So, we're opening up ANWR.
On the TikTok piece, President Trump, you and your -- members of your team now used to warn about the dangers of TikTok spying on Americans. What changed that you're not worried about that anymore?
Well, it depends on the deal. I mean, I may not do the deal, or I may do the deal. TikTok is worthless, worthless if I don't approve it. It has to close. I learned that from the people that own it. If it -- if I don't do the deal, it's worthless, worth nothing. If I do the deal, it's worth maybe $1 trillion, a trillion.
So, if I do the deal for -- I'm talking about doing it for the United States. If I do the deal for the United States, then I think we should get half.
The TikTok --
In other words -- wait. I think the US should be entitled to get half of TikTok. And congratulations. TikTok has a good partner. And that would be worth -- you know, it could be $500 billion or something. It's crazy. The numbers are crazy, but it's worthless if I don't -- if the president doesn't sign, then it's worthless.
If the president does sign, it's worth maybe $1 trillion. So, I think like a joint venture. I think we would have a joint venture with the people from TikTok. We'll see what happens. I mean, that's one of many ideas I've had.
So, [Inaudible] did he say that he's open to that idea?
Who?
The CEO of TikTok is around.
Oh, I think he'd probably like it because he's got nothing. They really have nothing. It's passed in Congress. It gives the president the right to make -- make a deal or to close it. And we have 90 days to make that decision. But I could see making a deal where the US gets 50 percent of TikTok, polices it a little bit or a lot, depends on them.
But remember, they make telephones in China. They make all sorts of things in China. Nobody ever complains about that here. They're complaining about this.
[Crosstalk]
There's so many different products made in China. Nobody ever complained about it. The only one they complain about is TikTok. And TikTok is largely young people.
I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn't have originally. But, you know, I went on TikTok, and I won young people by 36 percent, Peter. And Republicans typically don't do too well with young people. But it's a different Republican Party.
Here's the TikTok executive order, sir.
Would the US government by a portion of TikTok then? Or how would it get that 50 percent?
No, you -- you'd take 50 percent of TikTok for the approval that TikTok can continue in business. And they'd have a great partner. The US would be their partner, but the US essentially would be paid for doing that, half of the value of TikTok.
Would there be a private sector owner as well?
Could be. Yeah, it could be a lot. I'll tell you what, every rich person has called me about TikTok.
You wanted to block TikTok. Why did you change your mind?
Because I got to use it. And remember, TikTok is largely about kids, young kids. If China is going to get information about young kids, I don't know.
[Crosstalk]
I think -- I think -- to be honest with you, I think we have bigger problems than that. But -- but, you know, when you take a look at telephones that are made in China and all the other things that are made in China, military equipment made in China, TikTok -- I think TikTok is not their biggest problem.
But there's big value in TikTok if it gets approved. If it doesn't get approved, there's no value. So, if we create that value, why aren't we entitled to like half?
Sir, [Inaudible] will you shut them down?
Does Biden ever do news conferences like this? How many news conferences, Peter, has he done like this?
Like this?
None.
Zero.
And it would be zero for the next infinity. For infinity, it would be zero.
Mr. President [Inaudible] is Elon Musk going to help implement the executive orders? I think you mentioned the implementation in your previous answer.
No. No, no, no. Elon, no. He's -- Elon is very busy sending rocket ships up to various places with lots of satellites on them.
What is your reaction to the confirmation of Marco Rubio? And what does it mean for Latin America?
Which one?
Marco Rubio as secretary of State.
Marco Rubio. You said Maco, Maco. Marco.
Marco -- Marco Rubio.
Yeah. He's -- I think he's great. I think Marco is doing a fantastic job. I think he's going to get a lot of votes. I think he's going to be at 90 percent or something. I mean, I'm hearing very good -- people know him. They know him in the Senate. They know he's good. He's doing a good job. I don't know.
I can't tell you. I don't know what's going to happen with that. He's got -- he's got some very strong ideas, you know, Marco.
You signed it. Which one did you sign, Mr. President? Did you sign the TikToK order?
Yeah.
Yes, that was just signed.
Where has Marco Rubio [Inaudible]
Just signed it.
Still changing Venezuela, change in power. Are you still committed with Maduro leading power in Venezuela?
Well, we're going to find out about that, too, because we're going to probably stop buying oil from Venezuela. We don't need their oil.
Another embargo like the first term?
Well, it could be, but we don't want to buy. We don't have to buy their oil. We have plenty of oil for ourselves so --
President Trump --
That will change Venezuela quite a bit.
President Trump, there's a lot of concern about this during the campaign. The question that only works today: Are you a dictator on day one?
No. No. I can't imagine even being called that. No. I believe in the sanctity of the vote. The Democrats didn't because they cheated like dogs, but I believe in the sanctity, and this was too big to rig. This last election was just too big to rig. Really the opposite.
Mr. President, when do you plan to speak to President Putin?
It could be very soon.
And you talked a bit about Ukraine and Russia, but how long do you think it would take to end that conflict? And --
I have to speak to President Putin. We're going to have to find out. He's not -- he can't be thrilled. He's not doing so well. I mean, he's grinding it out, but most people thought that war would have been over in about one week. And now, you're into three years, right? So, he can't be -- he can't be thrilled.
It's not making him look very good. Now, eventually, you know, I mean, it's a big machine, so things will happen. But I think it'd be very well off to end that war. We have numbers that -- almost a million Russian soldiers have been killed. About 700,000 Ukrainian soldiers are killed. Russia is bigger. They have more soldiers to lose, but that's no way to run a country.
What [Inaudible] TikTok worried you, Mr. President?
Just gave me the right to sell it or close it. Essentially with TikTok, I have the right to either sell it or close it. And we'll make that determination. And we may have to get an approval from China, too. I'm not sure, but I'm sure they'll approve it. And if they don't approve it, it would be somewhat of a hostile act, I think.
But it's good for China if it gets approved.
Would you -- so, you're not guaranteeing that TikTok will be around after 90 days [Inaudible]
No, but it could very well be. It makes sense for it to be because it's got tremendous value. But if we create the value by approving, you know -- in other words, that approval gives it tremendous value. If that's the case, then we should be entitled to 50 percent as a country. You haven't heard that one before, right?
That's called a joint venture, and nobody ever thought that way before.
Who will be your partner?
Well, I don't know. I think it's -- I think you have a lot of people that would be interested in TikTok with the United States as a partner.
Mr. President, what was it like walking into the Oval Office this evening as president?
Oh, what a great feeling, one of the better feelings I've ever had.
Do you like this town better now than in 2017?
Well, we're very experienced now. You would say nobody's ever had experience like I have. I've dealt with some very good people. I've dealt with some very bad people. And I know who the bad ones are and the good ones are. You know, don't forget, I was very successful in, primarily, the real estate business.
And people used to say, "Who's worse, a politician or a vicious real estate developer?" And I'd always say -- you know, the real estate developer is far worse. But after about three months and getting to know scum like Adam Schiff and other people like that, I said, "No. Actually, real estate people are quite nice by comparison."
You said you plan to speak with President Putin soon. What about President Zelenskyy, and what's your message?
Yeah, I would. But he's told me he wants to make a deal. I mean, he wants to make --
Zelenskyy --
Zelenskyy wants to make a deal.
What kind of --
I don't know if Putin does. He might not. I don't know. He should make a deal. I think he's destroying Russia by not making a deal. I think Russia's going to be in big trouble. You take a look at their economy, you take a look at the inflation in Russia, so I would -- I would hope -- I got along with him great.
And, you know, I would hope he wants to make a deal.
Mr. President, are you keeping US sanctions on Russia until he makes a deal?
Well, sanctions or tariffs -- I think the word tariff is much better because it keeps your dollar stronger. I think tariffs are more effective. I used sanctions on Iran. Iran was broke. When I left office, Iran was broke. They had no money for Hamas or Hezbollah, none. They were flat broke, and October 7th would have never happened.
And I think you all know that. It would have never happened. They had no money. Now, they're rich, but, you know, they're weakened in a different way. I would say that the one attack by Israel really set them back. It really set them back, the pages, the pages, and others. You know the attack on air defense was a -- that was a bad attack for Iran.
What are you -- what are you signing now, sir?
It's an executive order relating to reforms to the federal workforce, including to the senior executive service.
We're getting rid of all of the cancer. I call it cancer -- the cancer caused by the Biden administration.
Sir.
How confident are you, Mr. President, that you can keep the ceasefire in Gaza and conclude [Inaudible] the end the year [Inaudible]
I'm not confident. That's not our war. It's their war.
I apologize, sir.
But I'm not confident. But I think they're very weakened on the other side.
Do you support a two-state solution?
Gaza -- I looked at a picture of Gaza. Gaza is like a massive demolition site. That place is -- it's really got to be rebuilt in a different way.
Do you plan to help rebuilding Gaza?
I might. You know, Gaza is interesting. It's a phenomenal location. On the sea, the best weather, you know, everything's good. It's like some beautiful things could be done with it, but it's very interesting. But some fantastic things could be done with Gaza.
How do you see the future in governance for Gaza?
Well, it depends. I can't imagine you could have -- well, you certainly can't have the people that were there. Most of them are dead, by the way. Most of them are dead, but they didn't exactly run it well. Run viciously and badly. You can't have that.
Mr. President, on TikTok, sir, do you pause any decision on Chinese tariffs until you know what the resolution on TikTok will be? Are those fixed --
No. No. If China didn't approve it, we could put tariffs on China. Don't forget, China charges us tariffs, and we charge them very little, except for what I did. I put a lot of -- we took in hundreds of billions of dollars. But until I came along, China never paid $0.10 to this country. They ripped us off and they never paid anything.
But like if we wanted to make a deal with TikTok and it was a good deal and China wouldn't approve it, then I think, ultimately, they'd approve it because we'd put tariffs on China. Maybe. I'm not saying I would, but you certainly could do that. And if we said, "Well, if you're not going to approve it, then that's a certain hostility and we'll put tariffs of 25, 30, 40, 50 percent, even 100 percent." And if we did that, I think they'd approve it.
President Trump, you've seen the other living been presidents a couple of times in the last few months. If you ever had to call on one of them for advice about anything that's going on here, which one would you call?
That's an interesting -- well, I thought Bill Clinton was a very good politician. I don't think he was used properly. I think they disrespected him. When Hillary was running, he came back and he said, "You know, you better get up to Michigan and Wisconsin." You remember that, Peter. Every house has a Trump sign on it, and they all laughed at him because the Republicans had won Michigan and Wisconsin for decades, a long time.
And they all laughed at Bill Clinton like, "The hell does he know?" And he turned out to be right because I won both of them, and there was -- just won both in this election, too. We won Wisconsin and Michigan and every other swing state. We won all the swing states, all seven. They talked about seven swing states.
We won them all. So -- but I -- Bill Clinton was -- he had a great political sense, I think.
You looked like you were having a good conversation with President Obama at President Carter's funeral.
I was. And you'd like to know what I it -- ooh.
Yeah. What you talked about. Everybody wants to know.
Everybody wants to know. And I -- I wouldn't want to. But we were having some crazy conversation.
About?
Why do you -- asking a question like that? You know, I don't think you want to know. You might not --
Can you tell us [Inaudible]
You might be insulted.
It's an executive order relating to holding former government account -- government officials accountable for unlawful disclosure of sensitive information. This next one, sir, is a declaration of a national energy emergency.
Sir, you also have --
That's a big one. You know what that allows you to do. That means you can do whatever you have to do to get out of that problem, and we do have that kind of an emergency.
President Trump, at some point will you use your powers of the presidency to tell Americans who are concerned about drones?
Yeah. Oh, good. I will.
[Inaudible] what exactly is happening? Can you tell us now?
In fact, I'd like -- no. Because I just got here.
What do you think --
I got -- I just came here. I've been here for, what, 15 minutes. No.
To the people listening, because this is going out live --
And I got to read this letter, too. Because of you, I found this letter.
I can read it for you.
It's interesting. Yeah, I know you would. Your father would, too.
But is it anything -- these drones, is there anything that people need to be worried about?
No, I think it's -- I think it's terrible. I would like to find out what it is and tell the people.
And can you commit to some kind of [Inaudible]
In fact, I'd like to do that. Could we find out what that was, Susie? OK? Yeah, why don't we find out immediately? I mean, I can't imagine it's an enemy or there would have been -- you know, people would have gotten blown up all over. Maybe they were testing things. I don't know why they wouldn't have said what it was.
They had a lot of them flying over Bedminster, which is interesting.
And with the events today and yesterday, was everything moved inside just for cold weather, or was there some kind of a security concern?
No, no, no. No security because they had everything shut down to drones. You know, you can shut that down pretty easily if you're sophisticated. They're very sophisticated, these people. No, it was just cold weather. And we made a good move because, first of all, I thought it was incredible in the Capitol today.
You know I liked it because I got great reviews on that speech. I got great reviews. Can you believe it? They actually were fair. Maybe the fake news is changing.
This is unleashing energy production, sir.
Yeah, unleashing energy production. But I thought it was -- I think having it in the Capitol is great. Obviously, you can take care of the people you have to take care of. The city was booming. And if we would have done it outside, people would have been hurt because it was really cold. You know, it was like -- looked sunny, but when you stood outside for 10 minutes, people were running back in. It was really cold and really windy.
The wind brings it down a lot. So, we made the right decision. You couldn't have stayed. I don't think you could have had it out. You know how cold it was today. It was -- people went out for a little while just to test it. They couldn't stay out more than 10 minutes. They all came back in. So, we would have had a disaster if we did that, and people would have been hurt.
Mr. President, the unlawful disclosure, was that related to the Hunter Biden situation?
Which one?
The one on unlawful disclosures by federal officials? Is that related to [Inaudible]
No. I think it's just more general than that. It's not Hunter Biden. I was -- I was surprised that President Biden would go and pardon his whole family because that makes him look very guilty. You know, I could have pardoned my family. I could have pardoned myself, my family. And I said, "If I do that, it's going to make me look very guilty." I don't think I'd be sitting here, frankly.
If I did that, I don't think I'd be sitting here right now because I would have -- would have shown that you're guilty. But by pardoning his brother or brothers, by pardoning all of those people that he pardoned, by pardoning -- pardoning J6 -- the unselect committee, they destroyed all of the documents.
They deleted all of the information. There's no information. And a lot of the information pertains to Nancy Pelosi because she was given 100 -- I mean, you know this. It's on tape with her daughter. Nancy Pelosi was responsible for not taking advantage of 10,000 soldiers or 1,000 you wouldn't have needed -- you could have used 400. It was a relatively small crowd.
It wasn't the crowd that was at the mall. It was a small crowd. So -- I was -- I was a little bit surprised that he did it because it makes him look guilty. I mean, he's going to have to live with that. Now, with that being said, it's an unbelievable precedent it creates for a president. But the precedent is unbelievable.
Now, maybe every president that leaves office, they're going to pardon every person they ever met, so they don't have some lunatic like Deranged Jack Smith, who's a total lunatic, by the way -- not a smart guy. He's a dummy. But we beat the hell out of him, and I helped my reputation.
Do you think you'd have to do the same thing at the end of this term?
Well, I guess now, I have precedent to do it. I don't -- I wouldn't want to do that. No, I think it makes you look very guilty. I think it makes Biden look very bad, very weak, and very guilty. And I mean, he -- he pardoned everybody. How about this J6 committee? How do you -- why is he pardoning them? The reason is because if you delete and destroy documentation, everything -- they have nothing because they were guilty as hell.
They rigged it. It was a rigged deal. And when you do that, they look very bad. But I was a little surprised he did it. Liz Cheney, I mean, she's a lunatic. And she lost by the greatest margin in the history of a politician running for Congress, like 40 points. The reason it was the greatest is because anybody losing that badly is going to drop out.
But she's a nut job. She doesn't drop out. You know, she just keeps chugging forward, and she lost by almost 40 points. That's the biggest number anybody has ever lost by. But why would Biden do that? He pardoned her and pardoned everybody. The reason is that they destroyed documents. And if you're even in a civil case, which this wouldn't be -- I mean, people go to jail for a long time for doing that.
What's this one?
That's unleashing American energy, sir. Relates to easing permitting processes and other regulatory systems to ensure that we can produce energy efficiently to drive the American economy forward.
Good.
President Trump, looking around the office, we noticed some changes in the way that Biden had it set up. Can you confirm that you have added back the Diet Coke button?
I think this -- we -- first of all, I just got here. So, my people came in. They have extraordinary decorator sense, right? Let me just see some of the pictures. That's a good one. I could live with him. I could live with George Washington, I can tell you. I can live with Thomas Jefferson. I can live with most of them.
They took a very safe route. They didn't have -- they don't have any bad ones up there.
This is withdrawing from the --
What is this one?
Withdrawing from the World Health Organization, sir.
Ooh, that's a big one. So, we paid $500 million to World Health when I was here, and I terminated it. China, with 1.4 billion people, we have 350 -- we have -- nobody knows what we have because so many people came in illegally. But let's say we have 325. They had 1.4 billion. They were paying 39 million.
We were paying 500 million. It seemed a little unfair to me. So, that wasn't the reason, but I dropped out. They offered me to come back for 39 million. In theory, it should be less than that, but you know -- And when Biden came back, they came back for 500 million. He knew that you could have come back for 39 million.
They wanted us back so badly. So, we'll see what happens.
Mr. President, you spoke --
Pretty sad, though. Think of it. China pays 39 million, and we pay 500 million. And China's a bigger country.
Mr. President, you spoke about inflation today in your remarks. What actions are you taking today that will have a direct impact for Americans on their everyday costs to bring the cost down?
Well, the biggest thing and factor for inflation is energy. They screwed up my energy policy, and then they went back to it. You know, they -- they hurt it really badly, and then they went back to it, and they started drilling more. But by that time, it was too late. Many of these things that we're signing and that Doug Burgum is going to be signing and Chris Wright, who's phenomenal, you know, energy -- Department of Energy.
We're going to be taking a lot. We're going to make a lot of money from energy. We have a -- we have more than anybody else. We're going to make a lot of money from energy. We're going to make a lot of money from tariffs. You know, European Union charges us. They have a VAT tax of 20 percent, but it's really much higher than that.
And that's the equivalent -- almost the equivalent of a tariff. And they're tough. They're very tough. They don't take our cars. They don't take our farm product. They don't take almost anything, and yet, we take their cars and we take their farm product. We take a lot from them. So, you know, we have like a $300 billion deficit with the European Union.
So, we'll straighten that out with either tariffs or they have to buy our oil. The one thing they can do -- oil and gas. The one thing they can do to catch up quickly, buy our oil and gas.
Will you travel --
And they should do that.
Will you travel to China this year?
Yeah, it could be. I've had the invite.
President Xi invited you to come this year?
I would do. Yeah.
Talking about the European Union and the tariffs, like what do you mean when you say that the European Union [Inaudible] is part of BRICS?
That it what?
BRICS?
Oh, BRICS. No. I was talking about BRICS. BRICS is six nations. I think it's seven nations. And they were looking to do a number in the United States. And if they do that, they won't be happy about what's going to happen to them.
Are you still considering a universal tariff, Mr. President, of all countries?
I might? Yeah, but we're not ready for that yet. We may -- we may put it -- wrap it because, essentially, all countries take advantage of the US. We don't -- we don't make any good deals in the US. It's amazing in a way that we exist. We don't make good deals. We don't have any good deals. We have a -- we have a deficit with almost, not all.
There are a couple. I won't tell you their names because I don't want them to find out about it because they'll feel stupid. But there are a couple of countries that -- there are a couple of countries that actually don't make money with us, but I don't want to let you know because they'll immediately change that.
We're going to -- we're going to do -- I tell you what. We have -- our country has an amazing economic future. I really believe that.
What kind of universal tariff if you did do one [Inaudible]
Well, you'd put a universal tariff on anybody doing business in the United States because they're coming in and they're stealing our wealth, they're stealing our jobs, they're stealing our companies, they're hurting our companies.
Is there a number --
So, you put a -- you put a tariff on to keep them from doing that.
Mr. President, you surround yourself with a whole bunch of billionaires today. President Biden, as he -- in his farewell address warned about oligarchy. I was wondering about your response to that.
Well, he was -- he had a lot of guys. And then they found out that he didn't know what the hell he was talking about, and I think they deserted him.
Here, sir.
They deserted him, those same guys. Look, I don't make pretenses, smart guys, but there are a lot of smart people around, but they did desert him. They were all with him, every one of one of them. Now, they're all with me. I don't know. Not going to get anything from me. I don't need money, but I do want the nation to do well.
And they're smart people, and they have -- you know, they create a lot of jobs. And if they don't do it, China's going to do it. You know, what they've done is they've taken industries, and they've taken it away. They outsmarted China. And, you know, we sort of like that. It's OK. They've done a great job.
A lot of them, not all of them.
Protecting women from radical gender ideology.
Ooh.
Mr. President, going back to the World Health Organization, you were the president during COVID. Don't you see the importance of organization like that to coordinate a global response?
Sure, I do, but not when you're being ripped off like we are by the World Health. World Health ripped us off. Everybody rips off the United States, and that's it. It's not going to happen anymore. Thank you very much, everybody.
All right, guys. Let's go.