Following an executive order signed by President Trump, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin holds a press conference to deliver the details [Video and Transcript]:
[Transcript] SECRETARY MNUCHIN: So I think, as you know, I just left the Oval Office, where President Trump signed a new executive order authorizing even more expanded sanctions against Iran. So now — along with our existing sanctions authority, we have additional sanctions to go after the Supreme Leader’s Office and lock up literally billions of dollars more of assets. Along with that action today, we are also announcing specific actions targeting those responsible for recent activities.
I think, as you know, previously, we have sanctioned Soleimani for his behavior. Along with that, today I am going to announce three of his other senior leaders: Tangsiri, who is responsible for the Iranian regime’s forces threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz; Hajizadeh, who is the Commander of the Air Force and responsible for downing the U.S. unmanned aircraft in international air space; as well as Pakpour, who is responsible for IRGC’s ground forces.
Along with those, we are also designating five Naval District’s leaders: Gholamshahi, Zirahi, Yadollah Badin, Mansur Ravankar, and Ozma’i. These sanctions are all very important for recent activities.
The President has also designated — instructed me that we will be designating Zarif later this week.
So, with that, I am happy to take a few questions.
Q Mr. Secretary, the President indicated last week that he believed that the shoot-down of the drone may have been a mistake that was made by local commanders on the ground. Taken together what you’ve announced today, it would seem to indicate that maybe this wasn’t a mistake, that it was an intentional act that was known all the way up the chain of command.
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: No, I wouldn’t read anything into that. Again, many of these — the executive order that the President signed was in the works previously. These actions are people who have either made threats, or specific things. And, again, I don’t think you should interpret this anywhere otherwise, other than we are designating people who we believe were responsible for the chain of command, whether they knew it or not.
Q Secretary Mnuchin, thank you so much for doing this briefing. What is your response to your critics who say these sanctions are more symbolic than substantive, and they won’t bring Iran to the negotiating table because Iran has said they’re not coming back to the negotiating table after the President ripped up the nuclear deal?
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Well, I think the President was very clear. If they want to come back to the negotiating table, he’s ready. If not, they won’t. For the people who say these are just symbolic, that’s not the case at all. We’ve literally locked up tens and tens of billions of dollars. These sanctions will come along with additional entities where people are hiding money. So, no, these sanctions are highly effective.
Q Mr. Secretary, we’ve seen the attack on the oil tankers. We’ve seen the attack on the drone. What makes you think that these sanctions have been effective? What signs are there that they have been —
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Oh, there’s no question these sanctions have been very effective in cutting off funds going to the IRGC and other people. And I can only presume — I’m not going to presume why they’re doing things, but these are highly, highly effective on locking up the Iranian economy. And as the President said, we look forward to a time in releasing sanctions if they’re willing to negotiate.
Q Thank you. When you talk about sanctions on the Supreme Leader, that is as high as you can go inside of Iran. Can you give us the thinking as to why the administration wanted to bring it up to that level?
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: I think the President had been clear: maximum pressure on the sanctions. So that is — that is our strategy. And it’s not just him; it’s the Leader’s office, which encompasses a whole range of activities.
Q Mr. Secretary, thank you. Have you done the intelligence research to figure out what assets any of these individuals that you just named actually have in the United States or in the global financial system? That is, do any of these people have money or assets outside of Iran?
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: So the answer is: Whenever we do sanctions, we do do intelligence. I can’t comment on any of the specific intelligence. But again, I would say we follow the money and it’s highly effective.
Q Do any of these people have assets outside of Iran?
Q Mr. Secretary, thank you. Is a military option or military reprisal still on the table?
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: I obviously can’t comment on that. I’m going to leave that to the President.
Q Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Have you consulted with America’s allies, regarding these sanctions? And is there buy-in from America’s allies? Will they also be imposing sanctions similar to what the U.S. —
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: No, I have not consulted on these specific sanctions. The answer is: In general, I’ve had many, many conversations with all our allies. I was in Japan 10 days ago, meeting with the finance ministers and discussed our sanctions program. I’ll be going to the G20 with the President. Again, this will continue to be a topic of discussion.
Q Yeah, Mr. Secretary, if that’s to me —
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: I’ll give it to you. It wasn’t, but then we’ll go to you.
Q All right, thank you. You said this was in response to events of — and the recent events. Is that about the shooting down of the drone or the attack on the six tankers or both?
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Again, what I said is: Some of these were in the works. Some of these are an addition. All of the above.
Yes. Go ahead.
Q I mean, you know, this is — the President came close to military action. Now you’re coming back with sanctions. What was the direct response to the shoot-down of the drone?
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Again, I said “some of them.” I’m not going to identify which ones are which. I’ve said that some of this was in the works, some of this is a result of recent activities.
Q Mr. Secretary, how do these sanctions deal — how do these sanctions relate to President Trump’s “deal of the century” — what’s happening coming up in Bahrain?
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: I look forward — I’m leaving for Bahrain in about an hour. So I look forward to our discussion in Bahrain. We’ll be rolling out the economic plan, which will be great opportunities for the people of Palestine. We have a terrific group there of finance ministers, business leaders all around the world. I think we have about 350 people going. So I look forward to it.
Q Mr. Secretary, thank you, sir. Yeah, just following up on an earlier question. You talked about the sanctions are effective, in terms of inflicting pain on the economy. Is there evidence yet — or will there be evidence, do you think — that this is having an effect on Iran’s behavior?
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Well, let me first comment that our issue is not with the people of Iran. So I just want to be very clear: We are not looking at creating issues for the people of Iran.
Having said that, we are — have sanctions against bad behavior. And there’s no question that locking this money up worked last time. And there’s no question locking the money up works now.
Earlier today President Donald Trump issued an executive order outlining new sanctions on Iranian interests and entities that will be determined by the U.S. Treasury Dept. The sanctions target the Supreme Leader of Iran and the Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran.
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“We call on the regime to abandon its nuclear ambitions, change its destructive behavior, respect the rights of its people, and return in good faith to the negotiating table.” – President Donald J. Trump
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,
I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, in order to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12957 of March 15, 1995, in light of the actions of the Government of Iran and Iranian-backed proxies, particularly those taken to destabilize the Middle East, promote international terrorism, and advance Iran’s ballistic missile program, and Iran’s irresponsible and provocative actions in and over international waters, including the targeting of United States military assets and civilian vessels, hereby order:
Section 1. (a) All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in:
(i) the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian Supreme Leader’s Office (SLO); or
(ii) any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:
(A) to be a person appointed by the Supreme Leader of Iran or the SLO to a position as a state official of Iran, or as the head of any entity located in Iran or any entity located outside of Iran that is owned or controlled by one or more entities in Iran;
(B) to be a person appointed to a position as a state official of Iran, or as the head of any entity located in Iran or any entity located outside of Iran that is owned or controlled by one or more entities in Iran, by any person appointed by the Supreme Leader of Iran or the SLO;
(C) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this section;
(D) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this section; or
(E) to be a member of the board of directors or a senior executive officer of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this section.
(b) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted before the date of this order.
Sec. 2. (a) The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to impose on a foreign financial institution the sanctions described in subsection (b) of this section upon determining that the foreign financial institution has knowingly conducted or facilitated any significant financial transaction for or on behalf of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to section 1 of this order.
(b) With respect to any foreign financial institution determined by the Secretary of the Treasury in accordance with this section to meet the criteria set forth in subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary of the Treasury may prohibit the opening, and prohibit or impose strict conditions on the maintaining, in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by such foreign financial institution.
(c) The prohibitions in subsection (b) of this section apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted before the date of this order.
Sec. 3. I hereby determine that the making of donations of the types of articles specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1701(b)(2)) by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to section 1 of this order would seriously impair the President’s ability to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12957, and I hereby prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of this order.
Sec. 4. The prohibitions in section 1 of this order include:
(a) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; and
(b) the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.
Sec. 5. The unrestricted immigrant and nonimmigrant entry into the United States of aliens determined to meet one or more of the criteria in subsection 1(a) of this order would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and the entry of such persons into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, is hereby suspended. Such persons shall be treated as persons covered by section 1 of Proclamation 8693 of July 24, 2011 (Suspension of Entry of Aliens Subject to United Nations Security Council Travel Bans and International Emergency Economic Powers Act Sanctions).
Sec. 6. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including adopting rules and regulations, to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order, other than the purposes described in section 5 of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may, consistent with applicable law, redelegate any of these functions within the Department of the Treasury. All departments and agencies of the United States shall take all appropriate measures within their authority to implement this order.
Sec. 7. (a) Any transaction that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.
(b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.
Sec. 8. For the purposes of this order:
(a) the term “person” means an individual or entity;
(b) the term “entity” means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization;
(c) the term “foreign financial institution” means any foreign entity that is engaged in the business of accepting deposits, making, granting, transferring, holding, or brokering loans or credits, or purchasing or selling foreign exchange, securities, commodity futures or options, or procuring purchasers and sellers thereof, as principal or agent. The term includes, but is not limited to, depository institutions, banks, savings banks, money service businesses, trust companies, securities brokers and dealers, commodity futures and options brokers and dealers, forward contract and foreign exchange merchants, securities and commodities exchanges, clearing corporations, investment companies, employee benefit plans, dealers in precious metals, stones, or jewels, and holding companies, affiliates, or subsidiaries of any of the foregoing. The term does not include the international financial institutions identified in 22 U.S.C. 262r(c)(2), the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the North American Development Bank, or any other international financial institution so notified by the Secretary of the Treasury;
(d) the term “knowingly,” with respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, means that a person has actual knowledge, or should have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the result; and
(e) the term “United States person” means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.
Sec. 9. For those persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States, I find that because of the ability to transfer funds or other assets instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures to be taken pursuant to this order would render those measures ineffectual. I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12957, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to section 1 of this order.
Sec. 10. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
Sec. 11. The measures taken pursuant to this order are in response to actions of the Government of Iran occurring after the conclusion of the 1981 Algiers Accords, and are intended solely as a response to those later actions.
Oh dear, China is unhappy. According to the Global Times President Trump is not “showing enough good faith” to demonstrate he “wishes to ease the trade tensions” with magnanimous panda. Sincerity is not being observed.
The G20 is coming up next week. Magnanimous panda has exhibited great gesture with North Korea. Expectations of reciprocal acquiescence abound, and yet President Trump is maintaining wrong thinking toward trade conflicts with China.
Beijing is not pleased; not pleased at all:
Global Times – Ahead of President Xi Jinping’s trip to attend the G20 summit, which takes place from Thursday to Saturday, the US is not showing enough good faith to demonstrate that it wishes to ease the trade tensions, Chinese observers said.
G20 members should unite to oppose protectionism and unilateralism at the summit, and be realistic about the prospects that the two largest global economies will reach a deal in the near future, they said.
Xi will attend the 14th G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan from June 27 to 29, at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said in Beijing on Sunday.
At the request of the US, Xi had a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump on June 18, and the two sides agreed to meet during the G20, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University’s Institute of International Relations, told the Global Times on Sunday that “a meeting between the two leaders could ease the tension to some extent, but the international community should not be too optimistic, since the complicated disputes between the two sides can’t be solved by only one meeting.”
The US put five more Chinese tech entities on a trade blacklist on Friday, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
Observers said the move shows the US is not showing enough good faith ahead of the G20, and it may even add to the difficulty of easing the tension. (read more)
Unless President Trump adopts a conciliatory tone, the glory of great panda will be diminished… Currently President Trump is not displaying the approach required to facilitate global panda unity.
The pre-G20 signals tomorrow and Tuesday should be quite fun.
Ahead of the #G20 summit, which takes place from Thursday to Saturday, the #US is not showing enough good faith to demonstrate that it wishes to ease the #trade tensions with China: observers. http://bit.ly/2N8yYbx
Shifty appears with for an interview with Furrowed Brow to push the impeachment narrative etc. Within the interview Shifty talks about lengthy coordination and careful planning with Robert Mueller for a scripted July appearance.
[Prompted to 05:38 just hit play]
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Shifty, Pelosi and Nadler have to be very careful with Mueller to avoid exposing the coordinated enterprise behind the two-year Rosenstein, Weissmann and Mueller scheme. It will be interesting to see how they plan it out. [If Ever]
Likely they will only bring Mueller under VERY carefully control; and they’d probably prefer a panel approach where scripted Mueller confidants can bookend him during any questioning. It’s highly unlikely Schiff would attempt to use Robert Mueller as a stand alone witness in a public hearing.
Considering the recent back-and-forth hostage negotiations between Chairman Xi and President Trump with rocket-man Chairman Kim stuck in the middle… tonight, we lighten up the DPRK:
According to a Wall Street Journal report, President Donald Trump is considering a requirement that all next-generation 5G cellular equipment used in the United States will have to be designed and manufactured outside China.
As part of the 150-day executive order review, initiated after cybersecurity concerns in the United States, administration officials are asking tech companies and telecom equipment makers if they can develop U.S. hardware including cellular-tower electronics as well as routers and switches, and software from sourcing completely outside China.
(WSJ) […] The conversations are in early and informal stages, they said. The executive order calls for a list of proposed rules and regulations by the 150-day deadline, in October; so, any proposals may take months or years to adopt.
The proposals could force the biggest companies that sell equipment to U.S. wireless carriers, Finland’s Nokia Corp. NOK and Sweden’s Ericsson, to move major operations out of China to service the U.S., which is the biggest market in the $250 billion-a-year global industry for telecom equipment and related services and infrastructure. There is no major U.S. manufacturer of cellular equipment.
U.S. officials have long worried that Beijing could order Chinese engineers to insert security holes into technology made in China. They worry those security holes could be exploited for spying, or to remotely control or disable devices.
Washington has already essentially banned telecom equipment from Chinese companies, especially industry leader Huawei Technologies Co., from the U.S. over these cybersecurity worries, which Huawei says are baseless. Now, the White House is taking those concerns to the next step by asking Western telecom-equipment makers whether they can rejigger their China-dependent supply chains.
“While the primary national-security concerns center on Chinese-owned firms, the equipment produced by any firm operating in China is at greater risk for vulnerabilities because of access to personnel and facilities,” said Michael Wessel, a member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which reports to Congress on security issues. (Read More)
Thankfully, we have U.S. President Trump in place during this critical moment in history on a multitude of fronts. Even Trump’s most virulent detractors will admit there is no-one in government more patriotically committed to an America First agenda.
With one branch of government, DC legislative branch, full of purchased agents by foreign governments and corporations, President Trump stands uniquely alone without any attachment to special interests…. Pretty incredible actually; perhaps even divinely so.
The dynamic of these trade decisions having a multi-generational impact on life within our borders; and considering the ramifications if we allow foreign interests to purchase our domestic policy…. The 2020 election is even more critical.
President Trump sat down last Friday for a lengthy one-on-one interview with Chuck Todd on Meet The Press. In credit to NBC they provide the full unedited interview. WATCH:
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, you had a situation that was very bad because the night before, they shot down an unmanned drone. And the unmanned is a very big factor. The fact that there was not a person on it, a U.S. person on it, or anybody. And that had an impact on me. I said, “Well, you know, we got a little problem.” And I think they did that on purpose because they understand that they will be hit very hard if that were a plane with a person in it. And I think they knew that there was nobody there. So we had a very, you know, modest but pretty, pretty heavy attack schedule.
CHUCK TODD: And this is a pre-plan that you had, something that if they did something, you had something —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah, we had it —
CHUCK TODD: — these were sort of ready-made plans —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Sure, we have many of them —
CHUCK TODD: — to use if necessary, right?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Oh, I have so many targets you wouldn’t believe.
CHUCK TODD: Right.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We have targets all over.
CHUCK TODD: So did you green light something? Or had you said —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Nothing’s —
CHUCK TODD: “If we do it, I’ll do this.” What was, what was the order you gave?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Nothing is green lighted until the very end because —
CHUCK TODD: Ok.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — things change, right?
CHUCK TODD: So you never gave a final order?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, no, no, no. But we had something ready to go, subject to my approval. And they came in. And they came in about a half an hour before, they said, “So we’re about ready to go.” I said, “I want a better definition –”
CHUCK TODD: Planes in the air? Were planes in the air?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, no. “We’re about ready to go.” No, but they would have been pretty soon. And things would have happened to a point where you wouldn’t turn back or couldn’t turn back. So they came and they said, “Sir, we’re ready to go. We’d like a decision.” I said, “I want to know something before you go. How many people will be killed, in this case Iranians?” I said, “How many people are going to be killed?” “Sir, I’d like get back to you on that,” great people these generals. They said, came back, said, “Sir, approximately 150.” And I thought about it for a second and I said, “You know what? They shot down an unmanned drone, plane, whatever you want to call it. And here we are sitting with 150 dead people that would have taken place probably within a half an hour after I said go ahead.” And I didn’t like it. I didn’t think it was, I didn’t think it was proportionate. Now that doesn’t mean —
CHUCK TODD: You think they were trying to provoke you?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, I don’t think so. And I think it was very important that they, to them, don’t forget, their economy —
CHUCK TODD: They don’t — they, they –you don’t think they intended to get you to respond militarily?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, their economy is shattered. Shattered.
CHUCK TODD: So what’s the message you think they’re sending?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Their inflation is through the roof. They’ve never had, the highest in the world right now. Worse than any place. They’re, they’re living not well.
CHUCK TODD: Do you want to do a separate deal with Iran? Or do you want to get everybody involved in the same deal? Get the Russians, get the Chinese?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I don’t care which, what kind of a deal. It can be separate or it could be total.
CHUCK TODD: But it’s one-on-one talks, you and the Ayatollah?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: All it is — all it is —
CHUCK TODD: Is it one-on-one talks, you and the Ayatollah, or you and the President?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It doesn’t matter to me. Here’s what I want, anything that gets you to the result. They cannot have a nuclear weapon. It’s not about the straits. You know, a lot of people covered it incorrectly. They’re never mentioned. They cannot have a nuclear weapon. They’d use it. And they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon.
CHUCK TODD: Did you send a message —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And it’s not about the oil.
CHUCK TODD: — last night? You know, Reuters is reporting that you sent a message to the Iranians saying, “I don’t want war. I want to talk.”
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Wrong. It’s wrong. I did not send that message. I did not send that message. I don’t know who —
CHUCK TODD: Ok.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I don’t know who would have said that.
CHUCK TODD: Send a message right now to the Ayatollah.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I mean it’s fake news.
CHUCK TODD: Then send a message right now to the Ayatollah.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Wouldn’t be much different than that message.
CHUCK TODD: Which is?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I’m not looking for war and if there is, it’ll be obliteration like you’ve never seen before. But I’m not looking to do that. But you can’t have a nuclear weapon. You want to talk? Good. Otherwise you can have a bad economy for the next —
CHUCK TODD: No pre-conditions?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — three years. Not as far as I’m concerned. No pre-conditions.
CHUCK TODD: And you’ll talk anywhere?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Here it is. Look, you can’t have nuclear weapons. And if you want to talk about it, good. Otherwise you can live in a shattered economy for a long time to come.
CHUCK TODD: If you, are you, do you feel like you were being pushed into military action against Iran by any of your advisors?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I have two groups of people. I have doves and I have hawks.
CHUCK TODD: Yeah, you have some serious hawks.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I have some hawks. Yeah, John Bolton is absolutely a hawk. If it was up to him he’d take on the whole world at one time, okay? But that doesn’t matter because I want both sides. You know, some people said, “Why did you put –” You know, I was against going into Iraq for years and years. And before it ever happened I was against going into Iraq. And some people said, “Oh I don’t know.” I was totally against and I was a private citizen. It never made sense to me. I was against going into the Middle East. Chuck, we’ve spent $7 trillion in the Middle East right now.
CHUCK TODD: What would a candidate Trump have said about a president who, on his watch, had Iran shooting down a drone, a Venezuelan dictator thumbing his nose at you, Obamacare still on the books and no results yet on the border? The border getting tough —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, let’s, let’s take a look. Let’s take a look —
CHUCK TODD: I just say — what would candidate Trump have said about that?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Okay, let’s take a look. The border’s doing great. Mexico’s been fantastic. They’ve been trying to get a deal with Mexico for 45 years, right? So for 45 years, they couldn’t get a deal. I got one in one day. I said, “We’re going to put tariffs on and we’re going to either have a deal or not. We agreed in one day.” Mexico just moved 6,000 people to their southern border. 6,000 troops to their southern border. The border’s working out well. And the wall is being built. I mean, a lot of people don’t like to talk about it. We’re building the wall. We will have 400 miles of wall built by the end of next year and that’s hard because the Democrats don’t want to approve it. We just beat them in a big lawsuit, as you know, in Washington, in D.C. We just beat them in a very big lawsuit.
CHUCK TODD: But does it frustrate you that your border numbers are worse than Obama’s?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, because the people are coming up because our economy is so good. They’re pouring up because the economy is so good. Obama had a lousy economy. It was a dead economy.
CHUCK TODD: Can I ask you about that?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Our, our economy is good.
CHUCK TODD: Let me show you this chart. Do you see that chart?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah.
CHUCK TODD: It’s the unemployment rate from the peak of the recession.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Right.
CHUCK TODD: Your economy is great. I’m not saying it’s not great. But this recovery started and in the 28 months that you’ve been president and the last 28 months of Obama’s presidency, he averaged more new jobs than your first 28 —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: That’s because he started off with a, with such a bad base. I mean, he hit —
CHUCK TODD: Ok. But it is — is it not a continuation?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah, but Chuck, you have to understand, nobody was working. The whole place was a disaster. And I don’t– I’d never take that away.
CHUCK TODD: Ok.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: But it’s very easy —
CHUCK TODD: Alright.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — because when that turned around they pumped a tremendous amount of money into the economy. He also had a Federal Reserve person who kept the interest rates low. I don’t. I don’t have that privilege.
CHUCK TODD: Sounds like you do now. Do you feel like you have —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, no, no.
CHUCK TODD: — do you feel you have sent —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He raised them far too fast.
CHUCK TODD: — the threat —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He raised them far too fast.
CHUCK TODD: — your threat to demote him, do you think that’s had an impact?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I didn’t ever threaten to demote him.
CHUCK TODD: There’s been some talk that you might demote him to the number two slot.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, I, I, I’d be able to do that if I wanted but I haven’t suggested that. I mean —
CHUCK TODD: That’s not a threat —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, it’s not —
CHUCK TODD: — that’s just a reminder that you can?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, no, I have the right to do that. But I haven’t said that. What he’s done is $50 billion a month in quantitative tightening. That’s ridiculous. What he’s done is he raised interest rates too fast.
CHUCK TODD: Do you worry it’s going to hurt —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I’ve been proven right.
CHUCK TODD: — your reelection?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I think the economy’s so strong we’re going to bull through it. But I’m not happy with his actions. No, I don’t think he’s done a good job. I think this, if he didn’t raise rates Obama had very low rates. So Obama was playing with funny money. I wasn’t. I’m playing with the real stuff.
CHUCK TODD: Let me ask you this.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Wait, wait. Obama had somebody that kept the rates very low. I had somebody that raised the rates very rapidly. Too much. He made a mistake. That’s been proven. And yet my economy is phenomenal. We have now the best economy, maybe in the history of our country. One — just to finish off, when I took over, this country, the economy was ready to collapse. You take a look at the numbers. It was ready to collapse. And if I didn’t win —
CHUCK TODD: I just showed you the numbers. It was not ready to collapse.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No no, no, that’s — You showed me unemployment numbers.
CHUCK TODD: That was unemployment. It was not ready —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Excuse me.
CHUCK TODD: — to collapse.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Excuse me. Take a look at your GDP, take a look at your jobs, take a look at your optimism.
CHUCK TODD: Ok.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Take a look at all of the charts. When I took over from election day on, I mean, you show me one chart which, where I did —
CHUCK TODD: It was the unemployment rate.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — well in that too, but I’m not —
CHUCK TODD: Ok.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — talking about that. Take a look at some of the optimism charts and everything else. It went from 57 to 92. Nobody’s ever seen anything that —
CHUCK TODD: You’re right. You’re right.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — right after I won.
CHUCK TODD: The optimism, you’re right.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, optimism is a big part of success in business. Okay.
CHUCK TODD: You were always hard on Obama. You thought he wasn’t enough of a cheerleader.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He was not a cheerleader.
CHUCK TODD: If you could have one do over as president, what would it be?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, it would be personnel.
CHUCK TODD: Who is it?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I would say if I had one do over, it would be, I would not have appointed Jeff Sessions to be attorney general. That would be my one —
CHUCK TODD: That’s your, in your mind, that’s your worst mistake?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah, that was the biggest mistake.
CHUCK TODD: Is Bill Barr your Roy Cohn?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He should’ve never — I think he’s a very talented, very–
CHUCK TODD: But do you know what I mean by that? You’ve always said —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, no, look —
CHUCK TODD: “Where’s my Roy Cohn?” Is he your Roy Cohn?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You have to understand, Roy Cohn, but I had many, many lawyers. I mean, a lot of lawyers. Roy was one of them. He was a tough guy. Bill Barr is a — first of all, Bill Barr —
CHUCK TODD: Is he cut from the same cloth, do you think?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Bill Barr is a very, he’s equally tough. He’s a fine man. He’s a fine man. The job he’s done is incredible. He’s brought sanity back. I think he’s real — I don’t think, I know, he’s respected. You know, he loves the Department of Justice. He saw what was happening. He has done a spectacular job. Now he’s in the process of doing something and I stay away from it. I really, I stay away from it. But I think he feels that what’s happened in this country was a very bad thing and very bad for our country.
CHUCK TODD: They’re in terrible shape down there, Mr. President. Down in Homestead, Florida, that’s where I grew up, it’s, the conditions are terrible.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I agree. And it’s been —
CHUCK TODD: Do something.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — that way for a long time.
CHUCK TODD: Do something.
CHUCK TODD: I want to ask what’s going down with the, these, the children in these migrant camps. The stories are horrible, Mr. President. You have children without their parents. You have kids taking care of kids.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah.
CHUCK TODD: You’ve, you’ve read these reports. I know people are coming to you. I know you think this is the Democrats’ problem.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, it —
CHUCK TODD: Forget it.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It was —
CHUCK TODD: Why aren’t you doing something?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Are you ready?
CHUCK TODD: They’re in terrible shape down there, Mr. President. Down in Homestead, Florida, that’s where I grew up, it’s, the conditions are terrible.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I agree. And it’s been —
CHUCK TODD: Do something.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — that way for a long time.
CHUCK TODD: Do something.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And President Obama built the cages. Remember when they said that I built them? And then it was 1914 —
CHUCK TODD: Do two wrongs —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Excuse me.
CHUCK TODD: — make a right?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It was 2014. Chuck, just listen for one second.
CHUCK TODD: Ok. Alright.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Separation, President Obama, I took over separation. I’m the one that put it together. What’s happened though are the cartels and all of these bad people, they’re using the kids. They’re, they’re, it’s almost like slavery.
CHUCK TODD: But let’s not punish the kids more.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No this has been happening —
CHUCK TODD: Aren’t you — the kids are getting punished more.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You’re right. And this has been happening long before I got there. What we’ve done is we’ve created, we’ve, we’ve ended separation. You know, under President Obama you had separation. I was the one that ended it. Now I said one thing, when I ended it I said, “Here’s what’s going to happen. More families are going to come up.” And that’s what’s happened. But they’re really coming up for the economics. But once you ended the separation. But I ended separation. I inherited separation from President Obama. President Obama built, they call them jail cells. They were built —
CHUCK TODD: Let’s talk about what’s happening now.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — by the Obama —
CHUCK TODD: Your administration, and–
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I’m just telling you —
CHUCK TODD: –you’re not doing the recreation. You’re not even schooling these kids anymore. You’ve gotten rid of all that stuff.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We’re doing a fantastic job under the circumstances. The Democrats aren’t even approving giving us money. Where is the money? You know what? The Democrats are holding up the humanitarian aid.
CHUCK TODD: It looks like these kids are being used as, as some sort of — is it hostages? They’re being held —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, they are being used.
CHUCK TODD: — hostage.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: They are being used by very bad people on the other side where they actually get —
CHUCK TODD: But now they’re politically being used.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: –paid, where money is being made using them because our laws are so bad. Because if you have a child, you have an advantage. You know that better than anybody. And what should happen, Chuck —
CHUCK TODD: But why let the political debate hurt these children?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Chuck, we could —
CHUCK TODD: They could be impacted for years.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: If the Democrats would change the asylum laws and the loopholes, which they refuse to do because they think it’s good politics, everything would be solved immediately. But they refuse to do it. They refuse to do it.
CHUCK TODD: Let me ask you this.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You know what? If they change those, I say, I used to say 45 minutes. It’s 15 minutes. If they changed asylum and if they changed loopholes everything on the border would be perfect.
CHUCK TODD: Let me ask you this, why do you think Nancy Pelosi has held off her impeachment caucus?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Because I think she feels that I will win much easier. I mean, I’ve been told that by many people.
CHUCK TODD: Do you think impeachment’s good politics for you?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I think I win the election easier. But, you know, I’m not sure that I like having it. Look, I did nothing wrong. I was spied on. What they did to me was illegal. It was illegal on the other side. I did nothing wrong. So impeachment’s a very unfair thing because nothing that I did was wrong. And if you look at the Mueller report, there was no collusion. This was all about collusion.
CHUCK TODD: Nowhere in the Mueller report —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: This was about conspiracy.
CHUCK TODD: By the way, Mr. President, you say no collusion. There is not a single, I’ve read this Mueller report, both, both parts of it —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Use the word collusion, or use —
CHUCK TODD: — there’s not one place it says nothing happened.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Use the word collusion. Use the word conspiracy.
CHUCK TODD: It never says no collusion.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I’ll be honest with you, nobody even mentions Russia anymore since the Mueller report. They don’t mention it, in all fairness.
CHUCK TODD: I —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Nobody mentions Russia anymore. And it was about Russia. It was a hoax.
CHUCK TODD: Let me ask you this —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Wait a minute.
CHUCK TODD: — during the campaign —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Wait, wait. We’ll give you the time that you need.
CHUCK TODD: What hoax it was?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It was a hoax. The Russian hoax with me.
CHUCK TODD: You don’t believe it happened?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I had nothing to do —
CHUCK TODD: You don’t believe the Russians interfered —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: What they did with —
CHUCK TODD: — in our election?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — respect to the election is different. We’re not talking about that. We’re talking about —
CHUCK TODD: The idea that you were conspiring.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — my campaign working is a hoax.
CHUCK TODD: Fair enough.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Okay. Good.
CHUCK TODD: But going back, on WikiLeaks, knowing now that that was stolen foreign material, do you regret using it?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, I, I wouldn’t have. But this was well-known. I think it was in papers. And, again, I’m going back now a long ways. But —
CHUCK TODD: It was all rumored to be Russian stolen property.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Wait a minute. But —
CHUCK TODD: So why’d you use it?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: –but how would I even know that? I made a speech. It was in there about WikiLeaks. I’m not a —
CHUCK TODD: Right, but I’m saying knowing now —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — WikiLeaks person.
CHUCK TODD: Knowing that they are a Russian intelligence —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Hey, Chuck.
CHUCK TODD: — asset —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Ok.
CHUCK TODD: — do you regret it?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Let me tell you– WikiLeaks, et cetera, that’s not my deal in life. You know, in other words, I don’t know about WikiLeaks. It was a strange name. But there were stories about something WikiLeaks that they had information. And I say it in a joking manner at a speech. Joking. Everybody laughing. Everybody having a — And they made it like it was serious. No, I don’t want anything bad to happen to our country. Anything bad happens to this country, I will end it and I’ll end it fast. I don’t want any of that to happen.
CHUCK TODD: You’re going to see Vladimir Putin in a week.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yes. I’m going to see many people.
CHUCK TODD: Are you going to address him directly about interference in 2020?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I may.
CHUCK TODD: Are you going to tell him —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I may.
CHUCK TODD: — not to do it?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I may if you’d like me to do it, I’ll do that.
CHUCK TODD: Because some — Well, some people think that your answer —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You know what? Here’s what you do —
CHUCK TODD: — that your answer last week invited him to do it again.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Oh, that’s not true. That’s not true.
CHUCK TODD: Are you going to tell him not to and what are the consequences?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: My answer last week was both. I said both. I’d do both. Except they didn’t put it on. And when they did put it on people understood. But they didn’t put it on because they put a different segment on. So they ask me a question. But when I said, “Yeah, I’d do both,” people saw that in the last version of it because the thing played like all weekend and on Friday. So it’s just more fake news. Chuck, there’s so much fake news. It would be so good if —
CHUCK TODD: The Republican Party has changed in your image. Do you think you caused that change or do you think the party was changing and you were the leader they selected?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I think common sense caused it. You know, I’m about common sense. People say, “Are you conservative?” I guess I’m conservative, but I’m about common sense. I’m about we need borders. We’re going to have borders. And we have strong borders. And by the way, Mexico has done a great job. It’s slowed down so much. But we have an amazing economy and people want to come up. But it’s slowed down so much. But I’m about borders. I’m about great health care. Obamacare is a disaster. I got rid of the individual mandate.
CHUCK TODD: By the way, why is the economy doing so well if Obamacare is still law of the land? You had said in 2011 —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We are managing —
CHUCK TODD: — “Obamacare’s going to destroy the economy.” Obamacare’s still here and —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Because I’ve managed it great.
CHUCK TODD: — the economy’s great.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I had a choice. I could have let it implode and killed it or I could have managed it —
CHUCK TODD: You’re still trying to kill it.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, no.
CHUCK TODD: Why are you still trying to kill it with the getting rid of preexisting — If you — This lawsuit that the Department of Justice joined, it could get rid of —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I am in favor —
CHUCK TODD: — coverage of preexisting conditions.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I am in favor of preexisting conditions. I am fighting —
CHUCK TODD: So get rid — so drop the lawsuit.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We will —
CHUCK TODD: So drop your aspect of the lawsuit.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It has nothing to do with it. The lawsuit is one thing. We are going to put in a bill, total preexisting conditions. And the Republicans are in favor of preexisting conditions.
CHUCK TODD: Mr. President, you had full Republican control and they couldn’t pass anything.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Chuck, are you ready?
CHUCK TODD: What makes you think you’re going to get it done this time?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We had a negative vote from John McCain. It was a surprising vote. But I got rid of the worst part of Obamacare which was the individual mandate.
CHUCK TODD: Ok.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We will always protect pre-existing conditions. And the reason Obamacare continues is my decision. Wait, I made a big decision.
CHUCK TODD: Ok.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We have a man named Azar, our secretary, he’s fantastic man, Alex. A total pro. I could have managed Obamacare so it would have failed or I could have managed it the way we did so it’s as good as it can be. Not great, but it’s as good — It’s too expensive and the premiums are too high. I had a decision to make. I could have politically killed Obamacare. I decided not to do it. But still it’s not good. We’re going to come up with great health care if we win the House, the Senate and the presidency.
CHUCK TODD: Are you prepared to lose?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No. Probably not. Probably not.
CHUCK TODD: Very hon — I mean, you joke —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It would be much better, it would be much better if I said, “Yeah.”
CHUCK TODD: You’re, you’re —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It would be much easier for me to say, “Oh yes.” No I’m probably not too prepared to lose. I don’t like losing. I haven’t lost very much in my life.
CHUCK TODD: You didn’t like the fact that you lost the popular vote. That bothered you, didn’t it?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, I think it was a — I mean, I’ll say something that, again, is controversial. There were a lot of votes cast that I don’t believe. I look at California.
CHUCK TODD: Mr. President.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Excuse me.
CHUCK TODD: But that’s a —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Take a look at Judicial Watch, take a look at their settlement where California admitted to a million votes. They admitted to a million votes.
CHUCK TODD: A million votes of what?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Take a look at judicial —
CHUCK TODD: What are you talking about?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Judicial Watch made a settlement. There was, there was much —
CHUCK TODD: About what?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — there was much illegal voting. But let me tell you about popular vote. Do you have a second?
CHUCK TODD: Yes, because you were, you were a big fan of it —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: There are two —
CHUCK TODD: — until you weren’t
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, I like popular vote.
CHUCK TODD: Yeah.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I think I do better with a popular vote. But I didn’t campaign for the popular vote.
CHUCK TODD: You’re right. I —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You didn’t see me campaigning in California or New York. If I — if it was up to the popular vote, I would have been I think even better. I won 306 to 223, which was a lot in the Electoral College. But it’s like you’re training for the 100-yard dash versus the mile.
CHUCK TODD: Yep. You’re, you’re totally right.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It’s totally different.
CHUCK TODD: If it’s the popular vote, you campaign differently.–
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I went to Wisconsin. —
CHUCK TODD: — I don’t disagree.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — She forgot. I went to Michigan. She didn’t go to Michigan enough. I won Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania. I won places that she didn’t do a good job. What can I tell you? No, maybe I did a great job. You know, I never get credit for that. They always say she was a lousy candidate. I actually think that Hillary Clinton was a great candidate. She was very smart. She was very tough. She was ruthless and vicious.
CHUCK TODD: You’d rather run against her again, wouldn’t you?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No.
CHUCK TODD: You only talked about her in your announcement speech.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No.
CHUCK TODD: You spent a lot of time talking about her.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No. I would actually rather run against Biden.
CHUCK TODD: Than Hillary.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I think that would be my preference.
CHUCK TODD: Why?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Sleepy Joe. He’s sleepy. She was not sleepy. Let me just tell you something, the Electoral College is tougher for a Republican to win than the popular vote. At least me. I feel that I go to three places. I went to 19 or 21 states. I went to Maine four times because I wanted to get one. And I did get it. And that’s the beauty of the Electoral College.
CHUCK TODD: Right.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You know, I’ve been a proponent of the other sometimes and I change. But I will tell you, the Electoral College brings you to many of the states in this country.
CHUCK TODD: You, you have joked about a third term. You’ve joked about these things.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I only joke.
CHUCK TODD: Okay.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I joke. And I say “Watch, I will drive Chuck Todd crazy.”
CHUCK TODD: You will, you will accept the re — Ok. You will —
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yes, there won’t be a third term.
CHUCK TODD: You will accept the results?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: 100%. Sure.
CHUCK TODD: And you will accept whatever happens in 2020.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Sure.
CHUCK TODD: You lose, you’ll be like — you’re not going to like it but you walk out.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: In fact, I said at a speech recently, I said, “Watch. We’ll drive the media crazy. Let’s go for a third time and then a fourth.” And some of the media said, “He’s going to do it.”
CHUCK TODD: Speaking of driving people crazy, when you were asked about Mike Pence in 2024 and you, and you, and you paused a minute about endorsing him as your successor, that got a lot of people going, “Is Mike Pence 100% on your ticket in 2020?”
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, look, look — 100%, yes.
CHUCK TODD: 100%?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Oh yeah.
CHUCK TODD: There is no wiggle room?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He’s been, he’s been a terrific vice president. He’s my friend and —
CHUCK TODD: Ok.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: — a lot of things. No. Zero. Zero.
CHUCK TODD: So why’d you hesitate in endorsing him in being, succeeding you?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Because it was a surprise question.
CHUCK TODD: You hadn’t thought about it?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I mean, you know, I’m not even thinking of it. It’s so far out. I mean, It’s so far out. That would be the only reason. Now what happens in 2024? I don’t know that Mike is going to run. I don’t know who’s running or anything else.
CHUCK TODD: If you could have one do over as president, what would it be?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, it would be personnel.
CHUCK TODD: Who is it?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I would say if I had one do over, it would be, I would not have appointed Jeff Sessions to be attorney general. That would be my one —
CHUCK TODD: That’s your, in your mind, that’s your worst mistake?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah, that was the biggest mistake.
Former Gov. Susana Martinez, R-N.M., on how President Trump’s has dealt with the immigration issue and the fallout from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s comments about border facilities. FOX Business Network (FBN) is a financial news channel delivering real-time information across all platforms that impact both Main Street and Wall Street. Headquartered in New York — the business capital of the world — FBN launched in October 2007 and is the leading business network on television, topping CNBC in Business Day viewers for the second consecutive year. The network is available in more than 80 million homes in all markets across the United States. Owned by FOX, FBN has bureaus in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and London.
North Korea state-run news agency is reporting on a letter from U.S. President Trump to North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-Un. In an interesting aspect to the media report, KCNA releases a picture of Chairman Kim reading the letter.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reads a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump, in Pyongyang, North Korea in this picture released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on June 22, 2019.
On the hostage dynamic…. last week the hostage taker (Chairman Xi), finally positioned the public optics of Chairman Kim as the hostage; and indicated a likelihood Beijing would negotiate terms for release (better trade deal) with President Trump. Therefore the rescuer (Trump) now communicates with the hostage (Kim) against an entirely different geopolitical background.
Additionally, both President Trump and Chairman Kim know the picture will be analyzed by high-tech software (Beijing, China and Russia) and the content is easily discoverable. The message itself, as well as the answer to the message (from Kim), is likely in the picture. [Note: the White Shirt, business office, is part of the reply].
(Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received a personal letter from U.S. President Donald Trump and will put serious thought into its content, North Korea’s state-run news agency KCNA said.
In a report published early on Sunday in Asia, KCNA did not give details on the letter, but said Kim described it as “of excellent content.”
“Kim Jong Un said that he would seriously contemplate the interesting content,” the report said.
White House officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
[…] Trump is due to visit South Korea next week for meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in after taking part in the G20 meetings in Japan. (read more)
President Trump no longer has to worry about missiles from the military within North Korea that is controlled by Beijing. Kim no longer needs to worry about missiles being fired from his regime. Chairman Xi has taken ownership of all hostile military action from inside the DPRK.
Remember, generally speaking President trump held two connected objectives: (1) removing the threat posed by North Korea by severing the ability of Beijing to use the proxy province as a weapon (Kim hostage); and (2) deconstructing the growing economic influence of China.
President Trump now moves to phase two of the plan.
Chairman Xi Jinping (China) and President Moon Jae-in are scheduled for a G20 meeting. This is the magnanimous panda meeting that was set up first by Beijing. Xi will play the role of magnanimous panda in denuclearizing the DPRK and using Moon Jae-in as the panda optic of peace with Chairman Kim Jong-un.
Chairman Xi will then meet with President Trump for ‘expanded’ talks at the G20. This meeting was set up after the magnanimous panda play was scheduled. Here, Chairman Xi will offer President Trump peace and a denuclearized DPRK (essentially Beijing taking their missile technology back) in exchange for trade concessions.
President Trump is scheduled to travel to South Korea for a meeting with Moon Jae-in after the G20 (that’s new today).
From Xi’s position, Moon Jae-in will fill in the details of the denuclearized DPRK to President Trump. However, what Chairman Xi is about to discover is that Trump doesn’t care about cunning magnanimous panda, and there will be no concessions (except possibly a return to the original commitment by Vice-Chairman Liu He).
The Trump letter to Kim is likely saying congratulations on the threat removal; and now we both know you are less captive… with some new possibilities outlined therein.
I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
This is a library of News Events not reported by the Main Stream Media documenting & connecting the dots on How the Obama Marxist Liberal agenda is destroying America
Centinel2012 