Press Gaggle: Donald Trump Speaks to Reporters Before Marine One Departure - October 9, 2026

So, we're going up to a place called Syracuse, and we're gonna get some wonderful people elected. This is Iron Mike Tyson. I won't be fighting him today --

[Laughs]

-- uh, but I've been his fan for a long time. We've been friends for a long time. Iron Mike, there's nobody like him.

Thanks --

He was the champ. He was the real champ. People were afraid to fight him. They were afraid to fight him. He was something special. So, he's going with us to Syracuse. And, uh, we're fighting for a great gentleman, you know, Bruce Blakeman, and a couple of congressmen, and, uh, we think we have a chance at the Congress too, also, that too.

And we'll have a good time. We have a big audience. We've been sold out at every arena. And, uh, Mike, every single arena, we have a line waiting trying to get in. It's been, it's been great. And they'll be happy to see Mike. Go ahead.

[Crosstalk]

He wants to ask about Iran, watch.

No. Mr. President, what do you think about the attempt on King Khalid, Khalid King Airport in [Inaudible] Attack, Mr. President?

[Crosstalk]

And can you talk about your new press secretary?

She's a great person. So, that's right. Katie is, uh, gonna be your press secretary. She's a friend of most of you. I know she likes people. She likes all of you, actually. I don't know if that's good or bad, but we just hired a new press secretary, and she's gonna be, I think, terrific.

[Crosstalk]

Mr. President, do you, do you want the execution of the Fort Hood shooter to be livestreamed? And are you worried that the video would be used as propaganda to radicalize more terrorists?

Well, they're making a determination about that. But he will be, uh, killed. He will be, through firing squad. He killed 13, 14 people, badly wounded 20 some-odd people, and he's totally nuts. So, I really don't care how he goes, as long as he goes. And I think that the death penalty is a, uh, very worthy way of going for him.

Are you gonna watch it? Are you gonna watch it?

He was one of the worst killers. He walked into a room, he started killing everybody.

[Inaudible]

I just heard about it, too bad. I mean, I don't know. She's, she's an ambassador. Uh, I just heard a little bit about it. I don't know too much.

[Inaudible]

She was always very nice.

[Inaudible]

Yeah.

[Inaudible]

Yeah, by the way, I, I think you heard about the oil deal with Russia. That is a big deal. That is massive amounts of oil coming into our country. And I want to thank President Putin, to be honest with you. We have massive amounts of oil been coming into our country, and it's diesel, which is what we want.

So, thank you.

[Inaudible]

Who said that?

Mr. President, how do you, what is your position about the attack on King Khalid Airport in Riyadh?

[Crosstalk]

What about it?

[Inaudible]

What about it?

He's asking about the attack on the Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia.

It's not good. It's not a good thing.

[Crosstalk]

Mr. President, why is the military action is tied after the midterm election, why not acting now?

Well, we may. I think we'll see, but I think that, uh, they're failing badly. Their country is failing badly. The military is defeated. They have no navy, they have no air force. Uh, they have 300% inflation and, uh, Iran is in very bad shape.

[Crosstalk]

Mr. President, thank you. Pertaining President Zelenskyy, says the diesel deal is [Inaudible] --

By a strong what?

By a strong partner that will only --

We are a strong partner.

[Inaudible] --

Well, no, we need oil for the world and this is diesel, which is what we need. So we're very happy to get it.

[Inaudible] --

We're very happy to get it. Look, we need it. Oil prices are already dropping like a rock, so we're very happy to get it.

[Inaudible] authorize or approve the execute, the livestream execution of the Fort Hood --

Did I approve? Absolutely.

[Inaudible] you have a great relationship with Giorgia Meloni are you planning to meet her in the [Inaudible] --

I have a great relationship with her, we get along very well.

Are you gonna meet in --

Probably, yeah.

Mr. President, Mr. President, [Inaudible] earthquake in Panama? Mr. President?

[Crosstalk]

Oh, he did? Mike Ditka. He was a great guy. Uh, he was with me all the way. He was tough. Mike Ditka is, that's a sad one. You're just telling me that now for the first time. They heard about it. Wow. He was great. He was great. He was a, he was a big supporter of mine.

Won the Super Bowl in '86 --

Yeah, no, he was a winner, he was a tough cookie.

[Crosstalk]