President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Jamestown Settlement for the 400th Anniversary of the First Representative Legislative Assembly in Williamsburg, Virginia. Anticipated start time 11:30am EST

VIDEO and Transcript ADDED

.

[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Please, make yourselves comfortable.

I want to thank you, Speaker Cox. It’s a true privilege to be back in the great Commonwealth of Virginia. (Applause.) And it’s a tremendous honor to stand on these historic grounds, as the first President to address a joint session of the oldest lawmaking body in all of the Western Hemisphere, the Virginia General Assembly. Congratulations. (Applause.)

On this day 400 years ago, here on the shores of the James River, the first representative legislative assembly in the New World convened. By the devotion of generations of patriots, it has flourished throughout the ages. And, now, that proud tradition continues with all of you.

To every Virginian and every legislator with us today, congratulations on four incredible centuries of history, heritage, and commitment to the righteous cause of American self-government. This is truly a momentous occasion. (Applause.)

I want to thank the Governor of Virginia for inviting me to speak at this very important event. And with us this morning are many distinguished guests and officials from across the Commonwealth, including Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Speaker Kirk Cox. Thank you, Kirk. (Applause.) Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment. Thank you. Tommy, thank you. (Applause.) And members of the host and other federal, state, local, and tribal leaders all with us today. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

We’re also very thankful as well to have with us Secretary Ben Carson. Ben, thank you very much, wherever you may be. (Applause.) Thank you, Ben. And Acting Director — a person that you know very well — Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli. (Applause.) Spent a lot of time with you folks and has a lot of respect for you. And the terrific people at the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. I want to thank you all for being here with us. It’s a great honor. (Applause.)

I also want to recognize everyone at American Evolution, and the Jamestown Settlement, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, the Jamestown Rediscovery Project, and Preservation Virginia. Thank you very much. What a great job you do. Thank you. (Applause.) The fact is that each of you has helped protect and preserve our national treasures here at Jamestown, and it’s a great debt. We owe you a great, great debt. Thank you. What a job.

On this day in 1619, just a mile south of where we are gathered now, 22 newly elected members of the House of Burgesses assembled in a small wooden church. They were adventurers and explorers, farmers and planters, soldiers, scholars, and clergymen. All had struggled, all had suffered, and all had sacrificed in pursuit of one wild and very improbable dream. They called that dream “Virginia.” (Applause.)

It had been only 13 years since three small ships — the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery — set sail across a vast ocean. They carried 104 settlers to carve out a home on the edge of this uncharted continent. They came [DEL: from :DEL] [for] God and country. They came in search of opportunity and fortune. And they journeyed into the unknown with only meager supplies, long odds, and the power of their Christian faith.

Upon reaching Cape Henry, at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in 1607, a long time ago, the first men of the Virginia Company erected a cross upon the shore. They gave thanks to God and they asked His blessing for their great undertaking. In the months and years ahead, they would dearly need it. The dangers were unparalleled.

The Jamestown settlers arrived in America amid one of the worst droughts in over seven centuries. Of 104 original colonists, 66 died by the year’s end. During the third winter, known as the “Starving Time,” a population of up to 500 settlers was reduced to 60.

By spring, those who remained were in search of whatever they could get to survive, and they were in dire trouble. They left Jamestown deserted. They just sailed away, never to come back. But they had not gone far down the James River when they encountered the answer to their prayers: ships bearing a year’s worth of supplies and more than 300 new settlers. As we can see today on this great anniversary, it would not be the last time that God looked out for Virginia.

Together, the settlers forged what would become the timeless traits of the American character. They worked hard. They had courage in abundance and a wealth of self-reliance. They strived mightily to turn a profit. They experimented with producing silk, corn, tobacco, and the very first Virginia wines.

At a prior settlement at Roanoke, there had been no survivors — none at all. But where others had typically perished, the Virginians were determined to succeed. They endured by the sweat of their labor, the aid of the Powhatan Indians, and the leadership of Captain John Smith.

As the years passed, ships bearing supplies and settlers from England also brought a culture and a way of life that would define the New World. It all began here. In time, dozens of brave, strong women made the journey and joined the colony.

And in 1618, the Great Charter and other reforms established a system based on English common law. For the first time, Virginia allowed private land ownership. It created a basic judicial system. Finally, it gave the colonists a say in their own future: the right to elect representatives by popular vote.

With us today, in tribute to that English legal inheritance, is the former Clerk of the British House of Commons, Sir David Natzler. Thank you, David. (Applause.) Sir David, we are thrilled to have you with us. Thank you very much for being here. Thank you very much, David.

At that first American assembly in 1619, the weather was so hot that one legislator actually died. Mercifully, the session was cut very short. But before adjourning, the assembly passed laws on taxation, agriculture, and trade with the Indians.

With true American optimism, the assembly even endorsed a plan to build a world-class university in the still rugged wilderness. It was a vision that would one day be fulfilled just miles from here at one of America’s earliest educational institutions, the esteemed College of William and Mary. Great place. (Applause.) Great place.

As we mark the first representative legislature at Jamestown, our nation also reflects upon an anniversary from that same summer four centuries ago. In August 1619, the first enslaved Africans in the English colonies arrived in Virginia. It was the beginning of a barbaric trade in human lives. Today, in honor, we remember every sacred soul who suffered the horrors of slavery and the anguish of bondage.

More than 150 years later, at America’s founding, our Declaration of Independence recognized the immortal truth that “all men are created equal.” (Applause.) Yet, it would ultimately take a Civil War, 85 years after that document was signed, to abolish the evil of slavery. It would take more than another century for our nation, in the words of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., to live out “the true meaning of its creed” and extend the blessings of freedom to all Americans. (Applause.)

In the face of grave oppression and grave injustice, African Americans have built, strengthened, inspired, uplifted, protected, defended, and sustained our nation from its very earliest days. Last year, I was privileged to sign the law establishing a commission to commemorate the arrival of the first Africans to the English colonies, and the 400 years of African American history that have followed. That was an incredible day. That was an incredible event.

Today, we are grateful to be joined by that commission’s chairman, Dr. Joseph Green. Thank you, Dr. Green. Please. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you very much, Dr. Green.

In the decades that followed that first legislative assembly, the democratic tradition established here laid deep roots all across Virginia. It spread up and down the Atlantic Coast. One fact was quickly established for all time: In America, we are not ruled from afar. Americans govern ourselves, and so help us God, we always will. (Applause.)

Right here in Virginia, your predecessors —

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Mr. President, you can’t send us back! Virginia is our home! Mr. President, you cannot send us back! Virginia is our home!

AUDIENCE: Booo —

Trump! Trump! Trump!

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you.

Right here in Virginia, your predecessors came to Williamsburg from places you all know very well. They were names such as George Washington from Fairfax County; Thomas Jefferson from Albemarle County; James Madison from Orange County; James Monroe from Spotsylvania County; Patrick Henry from Louisa County; George Mason from Fairfax County; George Wythe — it’s a great name — from Williamsburg; and Richard Henry Lee from Westmoreland County. Incredible names. Incredible names. (Applause.)

Self-government in Virginia did not just give us a state we love. In a very true sense, it gave us the country we love: the United States of America. So true. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

When Madison drafted the First Amendment to our Constitution, he drew inspiration from Virginia’s Statute for Religious Freedom.

As John Adams wrote in Philadelphia just before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, “We all look up to Virginia for examples.” Great. It’s great. (Applause.)

And when Patrick Henry rose to speak his famous words at St. John’s Church in Richmond, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” he spoke in defense of a tradition that began more than 150 years before at Jamestown. Right here. (Applause.) It was a heritage those patriots would fight a long war of independence to defend. And it is a heritage that countless Americans have fought and died for to secure in all of those centuries since.

In our time, we must vigorously defend those cherished democratic traditions that have made our beloved republic the envy of the entire world — and it still is, as much as ever before, and maybe more. Our hard-won culture of self-government must be nourished, protected, and constantly preserved. That is why we must speak out strongly against anyone who would take power away from citizens, individuals, and state governments such as yours. (Applause.)

In America, the people will forever rule, the people will forever reign, and the people will forever be sovereign. (Applause.)

From the first legislative assembly down to today, America has been the story of citizens who take ownership of their future and their control of their destiny. That is what self-rule is all about: everyday Americans coming together to take action, to build, to create, to seize opportunities, to pursue the common good, and to never stop striving for greatness. (Applause.)

Four centuries ago, one early voyager to Jamestown captured the spirit of confidence and daring that has always powered our great experiment in self-government. He wrote, “We hope to plant a nation where none before hath stood.” That was something.

In that hope, the men and women of Jamestown achieved success beyond anything they could possibly have imagined. They started the nation that settled the wilderness, won our independence, tamed the Wild West, ended slavery, secured civil rights, invented the airplane, vanquished the Nazis, brought communism to its knees, and placed our great American flag on the face of the moon. (Applause.)

And in a program that has just started, someday very soon, American astronauts will plant our beautiful Stars and Stripes on the surface of Mars. (Applause.)

But among all of America’s towering achievements, none exceeds the triumph that we are here to celebrate today: our nation’s priceless culture of freedom, independence, equality, justice, and self-determination under God. (Applause.) That culture is the source of who we are. It is our prized inheritance. It is our proudest legacy. It is among the greatest human accomplishments in the history of the world. What you have done is the greatest accomplishment in the history of the world, and I congratulate you. It started right here. (Applause.)

Now, we must go bravely into the future, just as those bold explorers first ventured into this majestic land. We must call upon the same scale of imagination, the same thirst for knowledge, the same love of adventure, the same unrelenting courage, and the same total determination to prevail.

Above all, we must be proud of our heritage, united in our purpose, and filled with confidence in our shared, great, great, great American destiny. (Applause.)

For, in America, no challenge is too great, no journey is too tough, no task is too large, no dream is beyond our reach. When we set our sights on the summit, nothing can stand in our way. America always gets the job done. America always wins. (Applause.)

That is why, after 400 years of glorious American democracy, we have returned here to this place to declare to all the world that the United States of America and the great Commonwealth of Virginia are just getting started. (Applause.) Our future is bigger, bolder, better, and brighter than ever before. (Applause.)

It’s been a great honor for me to be with you this morning. I’d like to thank you. God bless you, God bless Virginia, and God bless America. Thank you very much everybody. Thank you. (Applause.)

TRANSCRIPT END 12:01 P.M. EDT

WH Livestream Link – Fox10 Livestream Link – CNBC Livestream Link

.

Earlier this morning President Trump delivered remarks during a rose garden bill signing for H.R. 1327, the Sept. 11th Victim Compensation Fund. [Video and Transcript]

.

[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Well, thank you very much, everybody. Please, sit down. Very important day. And we’re gathered this morning at the White House to honor our solemn duty to America’s best, bravest, and finest, who I know so well. In a few moments, I will sign a bipartisan bill to fully reauthorize the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. So, the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund is something you’ve all worked on very hard, and the day has come.

Today, we come together as one nation to support our September 11th heroes, to care for their families, and to renew our eternal vow: Never, Ever Forget.

Before I go further, this morning we express our deepest sadness and sorrow for the families who lost a precious loved one in the horrific shooting last night in Gilroy, California. While families were spending time together at a local festival, a wicked murderer opened fire and killed three innocent citizens, including a young child. We grieve for their families and we ask that God will comfort them with his overflowing mercy and grace. We’re praying for those who are recovering right now in the hospital. Some very, very serious injuries.

We thank the brave members of law enforcement — they never let us down — who swiftly killed the shooter. We reaffirm our national will to answer violence with the courage, determination, and resolve of one American family. We will continue to work together as communities and as citizens to stop evil, prevent violence, and protect the safety of all Americans.

We’re joined for today’s ceremony by our wonderful Vice President, Mike Pence. Thank you, Mike, very much. Thank you. (Applause.) Along with many distinguished guests.

I want to begin by recognizing a leader many of you know very well. On September 11th, he declared, “The city of New York and the United States of America is much stronger than any group of barbaric terrorists…our strength and our willingness to defend ourselves will ultimately prevail.” And he was right. A great mayor of the city of New York — our greatest mayor, in my opinion. Now, what do I know? (Laughter.) Rudy Giuliani. Stand up, Rudy. (Applause.) Great job, Rudy. Great job. Rudy has got a lot of guts.

Thanks also to Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen for being here. Thank you, Jeff. Thank you very much. Along with Senator Deb Fischer and Representatives Michael Burgess, Chris Collins, Brian Fitzpatrick, Peter King, John Joyce, Mark Meadows, and Dan Meuser. Please stand up, fellas. Please. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Peter.

In the wake of the September 11th attacks, courageous Americans raced into smoke, fire, and debris in lower Manhattan, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The whole world witnessed the might and resilience of our nation in the extraordinary men and women of the New York Fire Department and the New York Police Department, selfless patriots of unmatched character and devotion. I grew up with them so I can tell you that’s absolutely true. It’s always nice to really know your subject. I know that subject. These are great people.

We also commemorate the heroes of the Port Authority Police. And I want to thank you all for being here. Tremendous people. The first responders from across the country rushed to New York and worked endless days and sleepless nights. They fought to rescue every person trapped in the rubble, and then searched for months to find the remains of the fallen.

The love and loyalty of our 9/11 responders knew no bounds. Today, we are deeply honored to be in the presence of more than 60 of these exceptional heroes. They answered terror with the emotional strength of true American warriors. Would every 9/11 responder please stand up? Please, all you first responders. (Applause.) Wow. Great. Thank you. Thank you, fellas. Great-looking group of people you are. Great-looking group of people. Thank you very much. You inspire all of humanity, and you know that.

We’re also greatly moved to have with us families of our fallen heroes. Our nation owes each of you a profound debt that no words or deeds will ever repay. But we can and we will keep our nation’s promise to you.

In a few moments, I will sign the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. This law makes permanent the financial support for families who lost precious loved ones as a result of September 11th attacks. It also provides pensions for those who are suffering from cancer and other illnesses stemming from the toxic debris they were exposed to in the aftermath of the attacks. Many of those affected were firefighters, police officers, and other first responders. And I was down there also, but I’m not considering myself a first responder. But I was down there. I spent a lot of time down there with you.

Since September 11th, we have lost more than 2,000 first responders and survivors to 9/11-related cancers and illnesses. Currently, thousands of men and women are battling cancer and other illnesses due to 9/11. We pledge to stand by the families of those affected, today and every day. We will stand with you.

I want to thank lawmakers in both parties for working with common purpose to pass this vital and critical legislation.

Here with us for this signing ceremony are the three families whose loved ones are memorialized in the title of this bill.

New York Police Department Detective James Zadroga spent more than 450 hours serving at Ground Zero. In 2006, James died from a lung disease. To his father Joseph, and his daughter Tyler Ann, who join us: Detective Zadroga’s heroism will uplift our nation forever. He won’t be forgotten. We will always remember what he did for us. Please stand up. Please. Please. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you very much.

Also present today is the family of East Meadow Volunteer Firefighter Ray Pfeifer. I know East Meadow very well. Great place. Great people. For eight months, Ray worked constantly at Ground Zero. In 2017, at the age of 59, he died from cancer.

Here with us today is Ray’s wife Caryn, his daughter Taylor, and his son Terence, now a New York City firefighter. Please, stand up. (Applause.) Good. Very good. Thank you. And I know Ray must be watching over you, looking down right now from heaven, on this beautiful Rose Garden. Very, very proud of you. Thank you. Thank you very much.

The third namesake of the bill is New York City Detective Luis Alvarez. Last month, his powerful testimony in Congress touched the heart of our nation. A few days later, he passed from this life into eternity. We are privileged to have with us Detective Alvarez’s brother Philip and his wife Alaine, and his sons Tyler and Ben. Please, stand. Please. Please. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

I want each of you to know that America is holding you in the arms of its wonderful, wonderful heart. And we’re all grieving by your side. Our whole nation prays and pays tribute to the incredible life and legacy of Detective Alvarez — how hard he worked and how much he suffered. And we really want to thank him. He was really something. People understood it very well. It’s really great. Thank you.

We have an obligation, and it’s a sacred obligation, to the families and first responders of 9/11.

Here with us today is Chief John Joyce, former fire chief of the Midtown Manhattan firehouse. On September 11th, 15 of his men raced into the ashes of hell and gave their lives. To this day, Chief Joyce still mentors many of their 28 children.

Chief Joyce spent seven months working at Ground Zero. In 2011, he was diagnosed with cancer. He has also endured other severe 9/11-related illnesses. But the Chief is a fighter. He is definitely a fighter. As he says, because of this bill, he does not have to fear for the families of his firehouse whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice. Chief Joyce, you have our everlasting gratitude. Please, Chief. Thank you. Good. (Applause.) Thank you, Chief. Thank you for being here. And say hello to everybody.

To every 9/11 hero, you poured out your heart, your sweat, your soul, and everything you had for your country. You ran toward the wreckage, into a ball of flames, like, frankly, nobody in this country had ever seen. You searched for survivors. You went back day after day and night after night to save lives and return the fallen to their families, to rebuild and recover, and to show the entire world that nothing will ever break America’s spirit.

Over the last two decades, you have endured hardship with amazing grace and incredible grit. Through it all, you care and you work, and you love, and you will always remember all of those great families. You lift up our communities and you remind us all what it means to stand united as “one nation under God.”

For your entire lives, you have gone far beyond your duty to us, and today we strive to fulfill our sacred duty to you.

We love you. We honor you. And we thank you. God bless you all. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you.

Now I’m going to sign this bill into law. And I don’t know if the stage will hold it, but if it doesn’t, we’re not falling very far. But I’d like to ask the families and I’d also like to ask the first responders to come up, and we’ll give — we’ll give this stage a shot. Let’s see how well built. Made in America. Let’s see how well built it is. Okay? Come on up.

(The bill is signed.)

(Applause.) Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much.

END 10:22 A.M. EDT

Newly elected conservative party head and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson attended his first meeting of Parliament and took direct aim at the insufferable Labor party leftist, Jeremy Corbyn.  There’s been a lot of shaking things up in the first week…

Boris Johnson’s move into Downing Street has led to a surge in support for the Conservatives, an exclusive Mail on Sunday poll has found.  (read more)

President Trump spoke yesterday with Prime Minister Johnson on the phone.  The president relayed the phone call to the media when questioned:

THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know why your timing is good? Because I spoke to him about — how long have you been here? Sixteen minutes. I spoke to him 17 minutes ago. I hung up the phone as you were coming in.

And he’s a good guy. He’s a friend of mine. I think we’re going to have a great relationship. And Boris is going to be a great Prime Minister. I predict he will be a great Prime Minister. He has what it takes. They needed him for a long time. UK needed him for a long time. And —

Q Would you — would you invite him here?

THE PRESIDENT: — let’s see what happens. Yeah, he’ll – he and I will spend a lot of — we just spent a lot of time when I was with the Queen in one of the great, most beautiful couple of days that I’ve ever experienced. She’s a tremendous woman. Incredible woman. We get along very well.

So, Boris and I just spoke. I congratulated him. And he’s all set to go. He’s going to be — I think he’ll do a great job.

We’re working already on a trade agreement. And I think it will be a very substantial trade agreement. You know, we can do with the UK — we can do three to four times. We were actually impeded by their relationship with the European Union. We were very much impeded on trade. And I think we can do three to four, five times what we’re doing.

We don’t do the kind of trade we could do with what some people say is Great Britain, and some people remember a word you don’t hear too much is the word, “England,” which is a piece of it.

But with the UK, we could do much, much more trade. And we expect to do that, okay?

[Transcript Link]

Former ICE Director Tom Homan says the Supreme Court ruling allowing DoD funds to be used for border security is a huge win for the American people as the Trump administration continues to make border security a priority.

.

Charity begins at home; so too does good governance.  President Trump confronts Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings with the reality of his own district in Baltimore, Maryland, and the blight that’s been neglected for decades.

It is worth remembering that Nancy Pelosi changed the House Rules last year, and specifically changed the role of Elijah Cummings.  Within the Pelosi rules [page #2], the House Oversight Committee was modified to drop all other areas of government oversight, and focus exclusively on the White House.

On page #2 of Pelosi’s rules we see the key Oversight change. Pelosi sets up a new, much narrower, oversight priority for Chairman Elijah Cummings; specifically to tailor oversight to the White House and President Donald Trump. Additionally we saw the outlined time-schedule for hearings.

In subsection “k” the “clarification” is the narrowing of Elijah Cummings focus.  “Oversight Over the Executive Office of the President“.  This sets up the system for Cummings to target President Trump, his family, and all members of the executive branch as they relate to specific White House functions.

The Pelosi rules told Chairman Cummings to deliver his schedule for his investigation(s) to the House by April 15th, 2019.  Thereafter the hearing sessions targeting the White House would commence.  The objective of those hearings is Elijah Cummings role in the House impeachment of the President.  This effort is obviously ongoing.

Remember, Cummings represents a district that is so manifestly leftist and corrupt, when the riots broke out in 2015 Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told the police to stand down and give the rioters “space to destroy“. Yeah, remember her.

How did that career work out?

Or perhaps a reminder of Baltimore’s special prosecutor Marilyn Mosby; who once ruled from upon high in the congressional district.  Yeah, remember her.  How did that career work out even with all of the media fawning and praise?

Remember the six police officers she charged and dragged through the mud with fictitious accusations; only to see the evidence collapse in court and them being acquitted or having remaining charges dropped…

Or perhaps a reminder of the more recent Baltimore Mayor who was forced to resign as the FBI investigated her corrupt abuse of office.  That would be Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who took bribes and graft through a pay-to-play bribery scandal for books she “authored” called “Healthy Holly”.

Want a city contract?…. buy some books, easy peasy.

.

Yes, there are rats in Baltimore.

Both kinds…

President Trump granted full declassification authority to AG Bill Barr in May of this year.  There has been some discussion about Bill Barr not releasing any information.  In an interview last week with Sean Hannity, President Trump outlined his thoughts on the declassification issue:

[Transcript] HANNITY: Mr. President, you have the power to literally release the FISA applications and the 302’s and the gang made information and you made a decision to hand it over to the Attorney General and let him decide. And I’m curious as to why?

TRUMP: Well, we have a very respected gentleman, very high quality person named William Barr and he is doing – I can tell you he’s working so hard and rather than just doing a total release, I gave him a total release, in other words he’s got everything anything he needs, he’s got it.

He is the Attorney General of the United States. He’s got a lot of very good people under him that I guess are involved and I gave them a total release. So all of it has been released and he has all of it.

I’ve also given him authorization to release it to whoever he wants. Whether it’s his people or, frankly, perhaps people like Devin Nunes who is a star, what he has done and the amount of suffering he has gone through, you know what they did with him where they tried to drive him right out of politics and probably worse than that. He has done an incredible job.

And, so many others I mean, the job – they are warriors. We have had, I’ll tell you the good side of all of this is the level of intelligence and strength and goodness that we have had on the Republican Party, a lot of them, not everybody, of course, but we have had tremendous, and I say, when I say we I’m talking about the country.

The country has had tremendous reports from Meadows and Jordan and Devin Nunes and so many of the names that you saw yesterday, perform so well. I mean, they perform so well and they worked so hard because they saw this was a scam. This was an illegal takeover, as you would say in the business world.

I mean, this was a coup attempts in my opinion. And this is the United States. And we wouldn’t stand for it and I wouldn’t stand for it. We have some very great people but we also have some very bad people. And I think we caught them.”

(continue reading transcript)

During a surprise event on Friday President Trump invited the press into the oval office where Guatemalan Interior Minister Enrique Degenhart and acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan were signing a joint asylum agreement.  The President then held a press conference filled with lots of news.

[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much for being here. We appreciate it.  I’m thrilled to be with a very important man in Guatemala, the Minister Enrique Degenhart. And we are doing a very important signing. It’s a historic asylum, or safe third, agreement between our two countries. A very important event.

We’ve long been working with Guatemala, and now we can do it the right way. It’s going to be terrific for them and terrific for the United States.

This landmark agreement will put the coyotes and the smugglers out of business. These are bad people. These are very, very bad, sick, deranged people who make a lot of money off other people’s miseries. It’s going to provide safety for legitimate asylum-seekers, and stop asylum fraud and abuses system.

This is also transformative in the step it will take, and the many, many steps it will take for security and safety. For Guatemala, it signifies the incredible bright future for their country. This agreement will usher in a new era of investment and growth for their nation, and sets the stage for cooperation between our countries and expanding access to the H-2A visa, which is your agricultural workers and farm workers.

We’re going to have them coming into our country in a easier fashion than even before. It’s very important for our business, for our farms, for our ranches. And we are going to make that a very, very much easier, less cumbersome program. And further bilateral investment will take place.

But the H-2A is really going to be streamlined. And all of those workers that come in, we want them to continue to come in. As you know, we have a very low rate of unemployment — record-setting. We’re at about 3.5, maybe 3.6. I hear it’s going down — probably will — because the country is doing tremendous business. Had another record stock market.

Today, we’re sending a clear message to human smugglers and traffickers that your day is over. And we’re investing in the future of Guatemala, the safety of migrants and their families. We’ll protect the rights of those with legitimate claims, and we’ll end the widespread abuse of the system and the crippling crisis on our border.

I want to thank Mexico. As you know, Enrique, the Mexican government, the President of Mexico, has now 21,000 troops on our double borders — on their border. By you, they have about 6,000. And then, on our southern border, they have — getting close to 20,000 by itself. It’s going to probably be about 26,000 people total — soldiers. And very good ones. It’s had a tremendous impact. Really an incredible impact.

So, Kevin, if you look at what’s happened over the last short period of time, it’s really been great. Now, if the Democrats would sign something, it would be a lot easier. But we have to do it around the Democrats because they refuse to want to close up the border. They want open borders. That means smugglers, it means hijackers, it means drugs, it means crime. It’s frankly, a disgrace.

But with Guatemala and with Mexico, and with other countries that will be signing safe third agreements very shortly, we’re doing really well.

I want to thank — if I might, Enrique — the President of Guatemala, President Morales. Please give him my regards.

MINISTER DEGENHART: Thank you, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. He’s a terrific guy. We like him very much. And we’ve worked together really, really well.

So if you two gentlemen would sit down, Kevin and Enrique, and you’ll sign. I’ll stand right behind you. This way, I’ll confirm it.

(The safe third country agreement is signed.)

THE PRESIDENT: That’s a very big thing. It’s a very important signature. Never been done before. Thank you very much, Enrique.

MINISTER DEGENHART: Mr. President, thank you very much. Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much.

Q What was the breakthrough that led to this?

THE PRESIDENT: Look, we’ve been dealing for many years, I would say, with Guatemala and with other countries. And we are now at a point where we are — we just get along. And they’re doing what we’ve asked them to do. And I think it’s going to be a great thing for Guatemala. They don’t want these problems either. So we were able to get this done, and we got it done fairly quickly. But this is after many, many years.

Mexico also is working along with us very nicely. I mean, tremendously, actually. You’ll see a chart where the numbers are really through the — through the floor, I should say, because they’re going down.

Kevin, maybe you want to speak to the numbers, how well we’re doing in terms of apprehensions.

ACTING SECRETARY MCALEENAN: Absolutely, Mr. President. Since the agreement was signed with Mexico that you energized and drove, we’ve had 28 percent reduction in June, and we’re headed toward another 22 percent reduction in July in crossings. So 43 percent overall thanks to the effort on the government of Mexico’s side and the implementation of our Migrant Protection Protocols border-wide.

THE PRESIDENT: And the fact that they do have, really, a big slowdown coming in from Guatemala at the border, because we have, again, 6,000 Mexican troops at the border of Guatemala. So that helps. But this will really help. This is something that’s going to be rather incredible. So the numbers are going down.

We — we could really do this in a much easier fashion if we had cooperation from the Democrats. We have absolutely no cooperation. Nobody can understand them. Most of these people, five years ago, they all wanted a wall.

And we’re building a lot of wall right now. A lot of it. We’ve ripped down old wall and we’ve ripped down wall that didn’t even exist which was — it had bad footings, bad foundations. It was — there used to be a wall there; there wasn’t. It was gobbled up by the people that crossed. And we’re building beautiful, new wall. A lot of it. And it’s getting built rapidly.

So a lot of things are happening. But this is a very — this is a very big day.

John?

Q Mr. President, the big focus of the Democrats today was to say that they are going to continue and expand your investigations. They’re looking through the grand jury testimony behind the Mueller report. They want to try to enforce the subpoena against Don McGahn. What do you say?

THE PRESIDENT: I think it’s a disgrace what the Democrats are doing. It’s so sad to see what their — how they’re impeding all of the good things that we’re doing. Like, as an example, today it’s the border. We’re strengthening up our border with a great country. And we have other great countries that are going to be signing on also.

And we’re doing this all because the Democrats won’t give us what we need. So simple: Get rid of the loopholes; work on asylum. It would take a very short period of time. They won’t do it. All they want to do is impede. They want to investigate. They want to go fishing.

And I watch Bob Mueller, and they have nothing. There’s no collusion, there’s no obstruction. They have nothing. It’s a disgrace.

We want to find out what happened with the last Democrat President. Let’s look into Obama the way they’ve looked at me. From day one, they’ve looked into everything that we’ve done. They could look into the book deal that President Obama made. Let’s subpoena all of his records. Let’s subpoena all of the records having to do with Hillary Clinton and all of the nonsense that went on with Clinton and her foundation and everything else. We could do that all day long.

Frankly, the Republicans were gentlemen and women. When we had the majority in the House, they didn’t do subpoenas all day long. They didn’t do what they — what these people have done.

What they’re doing is a disgrace. So destructive to our country. And I think that’s why we’re going to take back the House. That’s why we’re easily going to hold the presidency and we’re going to continue to hold the Senate.

And you know, people don’t say it, but we picked up two seats in the Senate. We went from 51 to 53 in the ’18 election. Nobody says it. They talk about the House. And I didn’t get to campaign very much for the House. I couldn’t because we were campaigning for the Senate. We almost picked up five seats. You know that very well.

So it’s a disgrace that they’re doing it. They’re doing it for political reasons. And most of them, many of them, are admitting that. It’s politics. And frankly, it’s a very sad thing for our country.

Yes.

Q What’s your thinking now about sanctions on Turkey? You had that meeting with the Republican senators the other night.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re looking at the whole Turkey situation. You know, they’ve ordered 125 F-35 fighter jets. Billions and billions of dollars. They’ve paid some of it. The planes are being made. They’re easily sold to other nations because they’re the greatest fighter jet in the world. And we have a backlog of orders.

But it’s a tough situation. They’re getting the S-400 and the — our statutes, and everything else. As you do that, you just can’t order this equipment. And generally speaking, you can’t order equipment, period.

I don’t blame Turkey because there are a lot of circumstances and a lot of — a lot of problems that occurred during the Obama administration. This dates back to the Obama administration, which was a disaster, okay?

Yes, John.

Q May I come back to Guatemala, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: Please.

Q Earlier this week, it looked like things were not going in the right direction. You were even threatening tariffs against Guatemala. What turned around in the last couple of days?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think I’d ask maybe Kevin and Enrique to answer. The relationship has been very good.

ACTING SECRETARY MCALEENAN: We stayed at the table. We’ve been working on it throughout. Enrique has demonstrated a tremendous commitment, the Minister of Government for Guatemala, helping lead the region to take responsibility for migration flows, to work together with the United States on how we can take the power away from the criminal organizations that are exploiting these vulnerable migrants. And we just stayed — we stayed with it and got over the line.

MINISTER DEGENHART: And I would say that Guatemala is definitely clear on the responsibility that it has. We are clear that we have to make changes. And the way to do it is working together with our best ally. That’s what we’re showing here today, and we are definitely committed to continue doing and improving what we have.

Q Your court said that this was not possible to do. How did you get around that?

MR. DEGENHART: No, they didn’t say that.

Q Well, I thought that — it looked like the courts were saying that you could not sign an asylum agreement with the United States.

MINISTER DEGENHART: So what the court said, which is a provisional injunction, was basically define the process that had to be followed. As Secretary McAleenan mentioned a little while ago, define how to do that procedure and we are going to implement it.

Q Can you explain how this will work? If someone leaves Guatemala and —

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q — walks through Mexico into the U.S., what happens? Are they turned around and (inaudible)?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. A lot of good things happen. Go ahead, Kevin.

ACTING SECRETARY MCALEENAN: So this is a return to the appropriate approach under international law to protecting asylum seekers at the earliest possible point in their journey.

If you have a Honduran family or an El Salvadorian national, instead of having them pay a smuggler, come all the way to our border to seek asylum — when they arrive in Guatemala, they’re in a country that has a fair proceeding for assessing asylum claims, and that’s where they should make that claim; not returns at understanding under international law.

Q Make a claim to stay in Guatemala or claim to the U.S.?

ACTING SECRETARY MCALEENAN: They can make a protection claim, if they would like, in Guatemala. So if they arrive in the U.S. not having availed themselves of that opportunity, they’ll be returned to Guatemala.

Q And that’s a claim to stay in Guatemala at that point?

ACTING SECRETARY MCALEENAN: It’s a claim for protection under international law for asylum.

THE PRESIDENT: Which we’ve never had before and which is something that’s so good — good for everybody, but it’s so good.

Q Are tariffs off the table now, sir?

Q Are you going to sign a border agreement soon? And who with?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we have a great agreement with Mexico, but we’re going to probably do some additional work on it because we can’t get anything from the Democrats. Dealing with Mexico is really — what Mexico is doing for us at the border is far greater than what the Democrats have done.

You know, the amazing thing about the Democrats: It was all fine, everything was great, four or five years ago, before I was President. And now they think we’re going to win, so they’re doing everything they can — with the impeachment nonsense, where you had no obstruction, you had no collusion.

You know, obstruction is sort of interesting. They’ve interviewed 500 people. They’ve interviewed lawyers. They’re interviewed everybody that they wanted to interview; people that have — I could have kept back by using presidential privilege. I could’ve kept back everybody. They didn’t have to interview anybody.

I gave them a total — and they say “obstruction.” These people are clowns. The Democrats are clowns. They’re being laughed at all over the world. And I watched this morning — I watched Nancy Pelosi trying to get through that, with the performance that Robert Mueller put on, where — I don’t think he ever read the agreement or the document. And the document said, “No collusion.” They don’t even talk about that. So there was no crime. They said, “Well, there was no crime but he obstructed.” How do you obstruct if there’s no crime? But, actually, it was worse than that because it was a phony crime that they put on. The crime was what they put on.

But I watched Mueller — for two and a half years, we’ve watched this. And that’s the best they have, and it’s a disgrace. And the world is laughing at them. And unfortunately, it’s so bad for our country. It’s bad in our relationships with other countries, including Russia. There’s no reason we shouldn’t get along with Russia. There’s no reason we shouldn’t get along with other countries.

And one of the things that’s nice about Guatemala is we’ve never had a better relationship. Right now, they’ve agreed to do something that’s very good for the United States. And we’re going to work with them also. We’re going to be — it’s going to be a partnership. And it’s happening with Mexico too. We never had any kind of cooperation with Mexico ever, until this President, frankly, and my presidency, where you have maybe 21,000 — could be 26,000 — soldiers.

And it’s still good for Mexico because they’re killing — they’re getting rid of the cartels, which everybody knows they’ve been running big portions of Mexico — and the coyotes and all of these terrible people. Mexico has done a great job for their people. The President has done a great job for his people. And President Morales has done a great job by doing this, because now he has a friend in the United States instead of an enemy of the United States.

Yes, John.

Q Mr. President, are you going to slap tariffs on French wine?

THE PRESIDENT: I might. I might. So, France put on a tax on our companies. You know that. And — wrong. Wrong thing to do. They should not have done it. So I may do that. I may — I’ve always liked American wines better than French wines, even though I don’t drink wine. (Laughter.) I just like the way they look, okay? But American wines are great. American wines are great. And they didn’t do the right thing, when they start taxing our companies. We tax our companies; they don’t tax our companies.

So France did that. I told him — I said, “Don’t do it, because if you do it, I’m going to tax your wine” — tariff, or tax — call it whatever you want. So, yeah, we’re working on that right now.

Q You were critical of Macron’s decision to do this. How is that relationship between you and Macron?

THE PRESIDENT: Good. I just spoke to him.

Q You used to be very close.

THE PRESIDENT: No, I just spoke to him. I have a good relationship with President Macron. But they shouldn’t have done this. They’re used to taking advantage of the United States, but not with me as President.

Look, I look at deals that were done with other Presidents and this country, and it’s a disgrace that our country has allowed this to happen — where China, for years and years and years was making from $300 billion to $507 billion a year, okay? Now we’re taking in billions of dollars from China, and it’s all turning around.

Whether a deal is made — you know, they’re going next week; they have more meetings. Meeting after meeting. I don’t think, personally, China would sign a deal if I had a 2 percent chance of losing the election. I think China would probably say, “Let’s wait. Let’s wait. Maybe Trump will lose and we can deal with another dope or another stiff,” like the people that allowed these deals to happen, this horrible thing to happen to our country. Because what’s happened to our country — the money that China has taken out of the United States has rebuilt China. And I don’t blame China. I blame the United States for allowing that to happen.

So if I’m President Xi, or if I’m, frankly, Iran — and Iran wants to make a deal; I can tell you that right now. But if I’m Iran, I’ll probably say, “Man, if I can hold out, I’m going to wait for Sleepy Joe Biden instead of Trump, because Sleepy Joe, we can make any deal we want with him. He doesn’t know what’s happening.”

So, what else?

Q Back to the tariffs on French wine. When?

THE PRESIDENT: We’ll be announcing it sometime fairly soon. We’ll see what happens. But they put a tax on. We said, “Don’t do it. We tax our companies. You don’t tax our companies.” And we’ll be announcing something. It might be on wine; it might be on something else. But we’ll be — it’s called “reciprocal.” It’s a reciprocal tax. And we’ll be announcing that fairly soon, John.

It makes sense, John. Do you agree with that? You’re a man — you’re a man that enjoys wine. You just won’t enjoy French wine anymore.

Go ahead, Steve.

Q I would agree that American wines are very, very good.

THE PRESIDENT: They are great.

Q I think Mnuchin and Lighthizer are going to Shanghai next week for those trade talks. Are —

THE PRESIDENT: They will be going.

Q You don’t sound optimistic that they’re going to come out with a deal.

THE PRESIDENT: No, I’m never — look, look, look: I think that China will probably say, “Let’s wait. It’s 14, 15 months until the election. Let’s see if one these people that give the United States away, let’s see if one of them could possibly get elected.” And I’ll tell you what: When I win, like almost immediately, they’re all going to sign deals, and they’re going to be phenomenal deals for the country.

But — so I don’t know that they’re going to — I don’t know if they’re going to make a deal. Maybe they will; maybe they don’t. I don’t care, because we’re taking in tens of billions of dollars’ worth of tariffs. And the farmers are happy because I gave them $16 billion out of the tariffs and had tremendous — you know, much more than that left over, as you know. Tremendous amount of money left over, like by three times. And we haven’t even taxed China yet, compared to what I could do. So we have tens of billions of dollars rolling in from China. We never had 10 cents coming in.

And again, I don’t blame President Xi. I blame our past leaders for allowing it to happen for so many years with the World Trade Organization. China was totally flat-lined. And when the World Trade Organization came about and China joined the World Trade, they became a rocket ship, because, you know, it’s a very unfair situation that took place at the World Trade Organization, as are many of them.

So they’re going to go and we’ll talk. We’ll see. I don’t personally care that much because we’re getting billions and billions. Remember this: The people aren’t paying for it. Everyone says people pay for it. China has devalued the currency, and they’re putting money in — they’re pumping money into their society, into their country, like you wouldn’t believe. You call it “quantitative easing.” With us, we have a Fed that does quantitative tightening and they raise interest rates.

So we have a normalized rate. President Obama had no rates and he had no tightening. And we still have a much better economy than in his wildest dreams.

So — and there is something okay about that, but we — look, the Fed acted too soon. I turned out to be right. They acted too soon and too violently. We’ve had nine increases, I believe — you’ll check that — but I believe it’s nine increases. A couple of under — a couple under her and a lot under Powell. I’m not a fan.

Okay, what else?

Q The U.S. dollar, sir. The U.S. dollar. It is too high? Too low? (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, the dollar is very strong. The country is very strong. The dollar is a — it’s a beautiful thing in one way, but it makes it harder to compete. And despite that — but we have a very powerful dollar. So that’s the good news.

Despite that, we’re doing really well. The country is doing well. It’s really become, more than ever before, the currency of choice. You know, you have the euro that tried to cut in. Well, the euro is now not doing so well. Europe is not doing so well. China is not doing very well. You look at other countries — we’re the hottest economic country in the world. There’s nobody close. Even Guatemala wants to do business with us now. So, we’re happy. Right?

MINISTER DEGENHART: Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.

Q On the dollar valuation, why did you not consider a proposal that was floated on Tuesday here in the Oval Office to devalue it?

THE PRESIDENT: I could do that in two seconds if I wanted.

Q But why did you not want to entertain it then?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I wouldn’t say I’m not going to do something, but I’m — you know, look, having a strong dollar — there’s a reason that it sounds so good. And having a strong dollar is having a strong dollar.

We have an amazing country. We have a very strong country. That’s why our country has a strong currency. Other countries have a currency that’s down the tubes. It’s a currency that’s weak. China’s currency is very low. You look at other countries — look at the euro; the euro is so low. I mean, Germany is paying almost no interest. We’re paying 2.1 percent. We’re paying a lot of interest. That’s because we have a strong currency.

It’s a very complicated formula for some people. It’s not complicated for me. The Federal Reserve raised the rates too fast and too soon, and they shouldn’t have done quantitative tightening, which they did. If they didn’t do that, we would be at 4.5 percent instead of 2.1. Everybody is so thrilled with 2.1. We could have had it much more, except for the Federal Reserve. And we could have been five- to ten thousand points higher in the Dow.

Now, I don’t want to sound too upset about it because we just broke the all-time record in the history of our country on the Dow. But we could have been higher, right? Could have been a contender. Could have been higher, as Marlon would say. Marlon Brando. The great Marlon Brando.

Yes, Steve.

Q Are you okay with North Korea firing off these short-range missiles?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, you said it: They’re short-range missiles. And my relationship is very good with Chairman Kim. And we’ll see what happens. But they are short-range missiles, and many people have those missiles.

Q You don’t sound too spun up about it.

THE PRESIDENT: Nope. Not at all.

Q They’re describing those short-range as a warning, and “short-range” is short-range for the United States but not short-range for our allies, right? South Korea, Japan.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, he didn’t say — he didn’t say a warning to the United States, I can tell you that. He didn’t say a warning to the United States. But they have their disputes. The two of them have their disputes. They’ve had them for a long time. But he didn’t say that. But they are short-range missiles and very standard missiles.

Q Mr. President, have you spoken with Boris Johnson yet?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Very good question.

Q And what did you have to say?

THE PRESIDENT: That’s the best question you’ve ever asked.

Q I asked it the other day, and you said, “no.”

THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know why your timing is good? Because I spoke to him about — how long have you been here? Sixteen minutes. I spoke to him 17 minutes ago. I hung up the phone as you were coming in.

And he’s a good guy. He’s a friend of mine. I think we’re going to have a great relationship. And Boris is going to be a great Prime Minister. I predict he will be a great Prime Minister. He has what it takes. They needed him for a long time. UK needed him for a long time. And —

Q Would you — would you invite him here?

THE PRESIDENT: — let’s see what happens. Yeah, he’ll – he and I will spend a lot of — we just spent a lot of time when I was with the Queen in one of the great, most beautiful couple of days that I’ve ever experienced. She’s a tremendous woman. Incredible woman. We get along very well.

So, Boris and I just spoke. I congratulated him. And he’s all set to go. He’s going to be — I think he’ll do a great job.

We’re working already on a trade agreement. And I think it will be a very substantial trade agreement. You know, we can do with the UK — we can do three to four times. We were actually impeded by their relationship with the European Union. We were very much impeded on trade. And I think we can do three to four, five times what we’re doing.

We don’t do the kind of trade we could do with what some people say is Great Britain, and some people remember a word you don’t hear too much is the word, “England,” which is a piece of it.

But with the UK, we could do much, much more trade. And we expect to do that, okay?

Q Apple. You just warned Apple about tariff. So —

THE PRESIDENT: Apple?

Q Yeah, Apple. And they’re saying they don’t have skilled labor in the U.S.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I want Apple to build their plants in the United States. I don’t want them to build them in China. So when I heard they were going to build in China, I said, “No, it’s okay. You can build in China, but when you send your product into the United States, we’re going to tariff you.” But we’ll work it out.

A man I have a lot of liking for and respect is Tim Cook. And we’ll work it out. I think they’re going to announce that they’re going to build a plant in Texas. And if they do that, I’m starting to get very happy. Okay?

Q Mr. President, do you expect to get some more agreements, like the one signed today, with Honduras and El Salvador? And are you working on doing that?

THE PRESIDENT: I do. I do. I do indeed.

Q Will you get them soon?

THE PRESIDENT: Pretty soon. I mean, we get quick agreements.

So I just want to end up by saying that Guatemala has been really a pleasure to deal with, and we’re going to have a great relationship for many years to come.

And I’d like you, please, extend my warmest regards to the people of Guatemala.

MINISTER DEGENHART: Thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, everybody.

Q When are you planning your working vacation in Bedminster?

THE PRESIDENT: What?

Q Are you planning a working vacation in Bedminster this year?

THE PRESIDENT: By the way, Bedminster is not a vacation. I don’t go to —

Q That’s why I said, “working.”

THE PRESIDENT: — Manhattan because when I go to Manhattan, I — you know, I stay at Trump Tower and I have to close up the whole city of Manhattan. So I go to Bedminster, which is a beautiful place, but it’s never a vacation. It’s working, mostly.

Q Are you planning a trip to Bedminster over an extended period of time in August?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I hope not because I like working. I’d rather be right here. You know, but probably over a short period of time.

A lot of times you go and they do a lot of work in the White House. For instance, the Obama administration worked out a brand-new air conditioning system for the West Wing and it was so good before they did the system. Now that they did the system, it’s freezing or hot in here.

Q Can I rephrase my question?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q Will you be spending an extended period of time working in Bedminster during the month of August?

THE PRESIDENT: Not extended, but for a short period of time. You know, meaning like less than a week.

But again, I don’t — I do that, just officially — just to put that on record — I do that because when I go into Trump Tower, they close up 10 blocks around the building. And it’s Manhattan, New York City. It’s a big — I don’t want to inconvenience people. I don’t get any credit for that, but that’s okay.

Whereas Bedminster, everybody — you know, it works out very easily. It’s a much easier — it’s a much easier thing. It’s a great place. But I would love to go to Manhattan. I just don’t like seeing the city closed up.

I’ve had to suffer — living in Manhattan, I’ve had to suffer gravely as Presidents would come in and come out. And the entire city would be shut down. So I guess I understand it better than most, right? Thank you.

Q You got the G7 summit coming up after that.

THE PRESIDENT: We have the G7 coming up. Yes. We look forward to it. It will be in France.

Q Any other stops planned?

THE PRESIDENT: I don’t know. This was a stop which — this is a stop that we didn’t have planned, right here in the Oval Office — (laughter) — with Guatemala.

And again, thank you very much, Enrique. Thank you everybody.

Q Would you put tariffs on wine before the G7, or would you wait to negotiate with Macron?

THE PRESIDENT: Maybe before.

Q Maybe before?

THE PRESIDENT: Maybe before.

END 4:17 P.M. EDT

Here’s The Video:

President Trump ‘unexpectedly‘ negotiated a major asylum deal with the government of Guatemala.  In a surprise announcement on Friday President Trump invited the press into the oval office where Guatemalan Interior Minister Enrique Degenhart and acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan were gathered in advance.

It’s important to remember that President Trump spoke about this on Wednesday during an impromptu presser.  In essence President Trump delivered an offer/threat at the end of several months of negotiations.  REMINDER:

Q What are you going to do about Guatemala? Guatemala. What are you going to do about Guatemala?

THE PRESIDENT: So, Guatemala gave us their word. We were going to sign a safe third agreement and then, all of a sudden, they backed up. They said it was their supreme court. I don’t believe that. But they use their supreme court as the reason they didn’t want to do it.

So we’ll either do tariffs or we’ll do something. We’re looking at something very severe with respect to Guatemala. I’ve already cut all payments; I did that a year ago. I cut all payments going to Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. We used to send them $500 million for nothing. For nothing. They didn’t do anything except set up caravans.

So, Guatemala we’re going to take care of and it won’t even be tough. We’re going to do — we’re looking at a couple of different things. ~ Wednesday July 24th, 2019.

Apparently against the backdrop of the tariff threat President Trump is holding over the Mexican economy; and considering the Mexican economy has stalled [literally a zero percent growth rate]; Guatemala decided it was better, safer and wiser to cut a deal with President Trump.

After President Trump invited the media into the oval office, he announced Guatemala was signing a “safe third country” asylum agreement with the United Stated. Effectively blocking Central American asylum seekers from reaching the United States and filing asylum applications.  [As an outcome of the agreement asylum seekers who travel through Guatemala can no longer seek U.S. asylum.]

In addition, following the signing ceremony, President Trump held a full press conference  on a variety of subjects from the oval office.  [Video below – Transcript to follow]

.