Tag Archives: DACA

Dec 3 2019

President Trump Delivers Impromptu Remarks Departing White House – Video and Transcript…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on December 2, 2019 by 

Chopper pressers are the best pressers.  Earlier today President Trump paused to talk to the press pool prior to departing the White House for the NATO summit in the U.K. [Video and Rough Transcript Below]

.

[Rough Pool Transcript] – President Trump … we’re fighting for the American people. It has not been a fair situation for us because we pay far too much as you know. Secretary Stoltenberg said we were responsible — I was responsible — for getting over $130 billion extra from other countries that we protect, that weren’t paying. They were delinquent. So we’ll be talking about that. We’ll be talking about a lot of things.

We are leading the world now on the economy, and we have been almost since I became president. But we are substantially ahead of anybody else. Nobody’s even close. You know that very well. And I look forward to having a number of very, very productive days for our country. We’ll be working hard. Do you have a question?

[Inaudible question about Hong Kong and China deal]

Well it doesn’t make it better but we’ll see what happens.

[Inaudible question about Wednesday’s impeachment hearing]

So the Democrats, the radical-left Democrats, the do-nothing Democrats, decided when I’m going to NATO — this was set up a year ago — that when I’m going to NATO, that was the exact time. This is one of the most important journeys that we make as president. And for them to be doing this and saying this and putting an impeachment on the table, which is a hoax to start off with. If you notice, there was breaking news today.

The Ukrainian president came out and said very strongly that President Trump did absolutely nothing wrong. That should be case over. But he just came out a little while ago and said President Trump did absolutely nothing wrong and that should end everything. But it will never end it because they want to do what they want to do. They’re getting killed in their own districts. I think it’s going to be a tremendous boon for the Republicans.

Republicans have never, ever been so committed as they are right now and so United. So it’s really a great thing in some ways but in other ways it’s a disgrace. It’s a disgrace for our country.

[Inaudible question about Afghanistan trip]

I loved going to Afghanistan. It was great meeting with — as you know, we had some good meetings with a lot of people including Ghani, you know that, right? And he was terrific. It was great meeting with him. But my trip to Afghanistan was very successful. Now we’re going to London and it will be NATO, and we’re meeting with a lot of countries, and they’re going to have to do a little more burden-sharing.

QUESTION: Is a China trade deal still possible this year?

The Chinese are always negotiating … [unclear words] … we are, and frankly I could be other places that I could do all by myself and be even happier, and you understand what that means. But the Chinese want to make a deal. We’ll see what happens.

[Inaudible question about his Brazil tariff tweet]

Well, Brazil has really discounted — if you take a look at what’s happened with their currency, they’ve devalued their currency very substantially by 10 percent. Argentina also. And I gave them a big break on tariffs but now I’m taking that break off because it’s very unfair to our manufacturers and very unfair to our farmers. Our steel companies will be very happy, and our farmers will be very happy.

QUESTION: Why don’t you send one of your lawyers to represent your point of view before the House impeachment inquiry?

Because the whole thing is a hoax. Everybody knows it. All you have to do is look at the words of the Ukrainian president that he just issued, and you know it’s a hoax. It’s an absolute disgrace what they’re doing to our country. Thank you. Thank you very much.

[END]

Dec 3 2019

Updated MAGAnomics and Global Dynamics – A Discussion With Mohamed El-Erian….


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on December 2, 2019 by 

Whenever we discover a financial analyst who understands the new dimension in U.S. economics (rare) it is worth revisiting them from time-to-time. Allianz chief economic adviser Mohamed El-Erian was one of the first MSM pundits to: (a) accept the disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street via de-globalization; and (b) begin to explain why that matters in the era of Trump.

El-Erian appeared this morning on Fox Business News to discuss President Trump’s re-imposition of steel and aluminum tariffs on Brazil and Argentina. Additionally El-Erian discusses trade tensions, market outlooks, consumer strength, recession fears, and the drag the rest of the world is placing in the U.S. economy.

.

The U.S. economy is strong; all the fundamentals are solid. However, the multinationals on Wall Street -invested overseas- are more exposed. There is nothing that China and the EU can do to stop the de-globalization process; and efforts to stimulate their economy, more quantitative easing (pumping money) while the global supply chains are being shifted, are futile… they need “structural reform.”  The multinationals are holding cash, waiting to see how it plays out.

The more a nations’ economy is dependent on exports, the more exposure they have to the inherent downsides of de-globalization. U.S. companies that are invested in these nations will naturally see diminishing returns on investment over time; some rapidly. President Trump’s trade policy is controlling the speed of that investment contraction.

The exposure of the multinationals keeps the stock market twitchy, yet the Main Street USA economy is thriving.

China’s economy is dependent on selling products to the U.S. in order to receive dollars. China takes those dollars and then purchases industrial goods from Europe. If China gets less dollars they purchase less from Europe. In essence both China and the EU are dependent on receiving dollars from a maintained trade imbalance. President Trump has begun resetting that imbalance… that is the current status of the global economic flux.

So what is the “structural reform” El-Erian is discussing?  This is where the EU needs to accept their economic model will no longer work if the global economy is changed.

Specifically:

♦The EU has benefited from their one-way tariff system against U.S. industrial goods.  They have also used non-tariff barriers to keep their position.  Now they need to change their perspective and embrace reciprocity in new trade agreements; or else Trump will use the strength of the U.S. market to pummel them with tariffs.

♦The EU has used their one-sided tariff and trade system as a key part of their overly generous social and worker benefits.  If they don’t change the level of social payments and begin to ‘structurally’ change their social benefits, again they will suffer when the one-sided financial benefits are removed.  They won’t be able to afford their social system without the one-sided trade benefit.

♦The EU has over-regulated their industrial base and attached themselves to burdensome regulatory standards; specifically worsened by their Paris climate treaty and changes within their energy programs.  The compliance standards in combination with the increased costs and less global income is a perfect storm for contracting economic growth.

These are the types of EU reforms that are needed in an era where President Trump has purposefully stalled the process of globalization and is resetting global supply chains.  The Trump policies that bring massive amounts of wealth back into the United States has created the dynamic where the EU must adapt or contract.

In essence Titan Trump is engaged in a process of: (a) repatriating wealth (trade policy); (b) blocking exfiltration (main street policy); (c) creating new and modern economic alliances based on reciprocity (bilateral deals); and (d) dismantling the post WWII Marshal plan of global trade and one-way tariffs (de-globalization).

Remember a few paragraphs above when we noted: “President Trump’s trade policy is controlling the speed of that global investment contraction”…. well, here’s an example:

Dec 3 2019

Wilburine – December 15th a “Good Time” to Apply More U.S. Tariffs on China…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree house on December 2, 2019 by 

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross appears on Fox Business to discuss the status of the U.S-China trade “negotiations” :::nudge-nudge, wink-wink::: and highlights the ‘phase-1’ fulcrum is China committing to the $50b Ag purchase without condition.  Secretary Ross also notes the December 15th date just happens to be “good timing” if the U.S. team is “forced” to put more tariffs on China.  LOL.

Additionally, Mr. Ross notes the challenge of a strong dollar as it relates to allied nations who are stimulating their own economy by sending us even cheaper stuff, ie. Brazil.

Dec 2 2019

First Lady Melania Trump Introduces 2019 White House Christmas Decorations…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree house on December 1, 2019 by 

Oh my gosh.  First Lady Melania Trump introduces the 2019 Christmas Holiday decorations, and they are spectacular.

Visit the White House Advent Calendar HERE

Dec 1 2019

Trump The Power Lifter!


MAKE AMERICA STRONG AGAIN

Nearly three years have elapsed since Donald Trump was elected president. Even before his inauguration the Deep State and Democrat Party began conducting their coup attempt. Despite tremendous pressure–even from his own party–Trump accomplished a great deal. Perhaps not enough to warrant the ‘Keep America Great,’ slogan—not yet–but he has lifted our spirits and given us hope that more change can occur. More and heavier weights still need to be lifted. We remain in the ‘Make America Great Again’ stage.

President Trump’s biggest achievement has been avoiding new wars. The Deep State’s military industrial complex and the central bankers love war. They wanted us at war with Iran by now. Hillary even hinted at war with Russia. While Trump has avoided new wars, he still needs to extract us from old ones. The war in Afghanistan has been our longest-running war by far. It’s time to end the wars for empires that have cost countless lives and trillions of dollars.

 Bring the troops home!

Trump had the backbone to say ’NO!’ to the globalists’ climate change bunk. He got us out of the Paris Climate Change Accord. He knows a ‘Green New Deal’ would be a raw deal for our economy and working class. He got us out of bad trade deals and was the first president in modern history to also say ’NO!’ to China’s unfair trade advantage. Instead of enriching Chinese communist tyrants, he wants to bring jobs back home to America. Trump is cutting bureaucratic regulations, taxes, and red tape, which have hurt businesses while creating bigger and more corrupt government. For this I applaud him.

It’s also time to end the Fed and their system of debt money. End the IRS, too. Come on, Mr. President…you can do it. You have a painting of Andrew Jackson in the Oval Office. He was able to do break the grip of private international bankers. You can too!

President Trump has slowly made progress on our southern border wall, and he stands against the socialists and globalists who want completely open borders—and too many of the latter even want to reward illegals by giving them endless ‘free stuff’ as incentive. Socialism and open borders will be disastrous. A wide-open southern border will also bring in a totally different culture and language and many of those illegals do not want to assimilate. They want to turn parts of America into Mexico, which is rapidly devolving into a crime-ridden narco state ruled by drug mobs. Trump remains our best hope to turn the tide on illegal immigration.

As for the Democrats, not a single candidate is strong enough to defeat Trump. They are all a joke, including the aging billionaire Bloomberg, who apparently thinks he can spend his way into office. Even with the help of the Deep State, a censorious social media, and a sycophantic and lying mass media, the Democrats have little chance of retaking the White House and their constant attempts at impeaching a lawfully-elected president has only resulted in making them appear weaker.

The scandal-ridden Barack Obama did his best to destroy America. It’s time to re-elect Trump, the only candidate who can continue to make America “strong” again.

 

—Ben Garrison

Dec 1 2019

President Trump Challenges Nancy Pelosi NOT To Pass USMCA….


Re-Posted from on November 30, 2019 by 

Given the background activity last week between USTR Robert Lighthizer and Mexican Trade Minister Jesus Seade, and their agreement to set up a trilateral trade and labor dispute panel, President Trump now puts Speaker Pelosi in “check”….

(Tweet Link)

Having lost her labor defense shield (well played by Lighthizer/Seade), Pelosi is now either going to stand her party against the majority of Americans as President Trump pummels them over it… Or she puts the USMCA up for ratification (Trump wins) and it looks like she takes a knee….  Well played by President Trump.

.

Dec 1 2019

Third National Poll Outlining 33/34 Percent Black and Minority Voter Support for President Trump…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on November 30, 2019 by 

There was a considerable buzz when the Rasmussen poll showed 34 percent support for President Trump amid black ‘likely voters’…. but the political media dismissed it.  Then came a more recent Emerson University poll showing 34.5% support from black voters.  With two polls showing a very similar result it was less likely to be an outlier…. But again, the political media dismissed them both.

However, a third poll, this time from NPR/PBS and Marist, confirms the prior two almost identically.  The latest Marist Poll shows 33% non-white support for President Trump:

(Poll Link – pdf)

To be clear these are just polls; however, quite remarkably the Marist poll was 1,224 voters with a 26 percent minority (black and Hispanic) share of the poll – so that’s a significant poll of minority voters.  If President Trump holds anywhere near this level of minority approval going into next years November election there is functionally and statistically  no-way for any Democrat presidential candidate to win in 2020.

 

Dec 1 2019

MAGAnomics – U.S. Black Friday Online Consumer Spending $5.4 Billion (+22%)…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on November 30, 2019 by 

Jumpin’ ju-ju bones…. Keep in mind as you review these numbers – U.S. consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of total U.S. GDP.  The sales numbers from Thanksgiving and Black Friday are exceptionally strong, showing confidence by consumers this holiday season.  This is not the ‘recession’ we were promised by pundits.

Continued strong wage growth amid all sectors of the U.S. workforce, particularly in non-supervisory positions, combined with low inflation and low energy costs, means consumers are spending out of ‘household cash flow’ which is considerably higher.

(Via CNBC) […] Spending online on Black Friday, as of 9 pm ET, hit a new record of $5.4 billion, up 22.3% from a year ago, according to data pulled from Adobe Analytics, which measures transactions from 80 of the top 100 U.S. online retailers.

This comes as foot traffic appeared to be lighter at shopping malls across the country on Friday, a day that traditionally has been reserved for people to line up outside of big-box retailers and department stores to score doorbuster deals.

Total spending online on Black Friday is still forecast by Adobe to hit $7.6 billion, which would make the day the second-biggest online sales day ever, after Cyber Monday in 2018, where $7.9 billion was spent.

However, Adobe is still expecting spending on Cyber Monday this year to hit an even bigger record $9.4 billion, an 18.9% jump from a year ago.

Shoppers meantime already spent $4.2 billion online on Thanksgiving Day, a 14.5% increase from last year and a record high, Adobe had said earlier in the day on Friday. While this marks the first year Thanksgiving spending surpassed $4 billion. (read more)

.

Nov 30 2019

President Trump Considering Cartels as “Terrorists” – AMLO Worries About U.S. Invasion, and A.G. Bill Barr Heads to Mexico…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on November 29, 2019 by 

President Trump has said he is close to a decision that would designate Mexican drug cartels as officially recognized terrorist networks by the United States.

Remember, within the geopolitical dynamic that benefits all three North American countries, Mexico needs to start taking clear and decisive actions toward all levels of internal corruption if the ultimate economic objective of the USMCA is going to work.

Mexican President Lopez-Obrador is concerned this designation could lead to U.S. military engagement against the cartels.  The Democrats are concerned this designation would mean they could no longer accept campaign donations from the drug cartels; and into this mix of interests, U.S. Attorney Bill Barr is going to Mexico.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday that his government was committed to fighting organized crime, seeking to dispel fears that the United States could take matters in its own hands in the fight against drug cartels.

U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this week that he plans to designate the Mexican cartels as terrorist groups, a move aimed at disrupting their finances by imposing sanctions.

While this does not directly give the United States authority for military operations in Mexico, many Mexicans are nervous their northern neighbor could use it as a pretext for a unilateral invention.

Lopez Obrador reiterated he would not permit an armed foreign intervention a century after the country was last invaded, arguing that his government was already doing its part to battle criminal gangs.

“Armed foreigners cannot intervene in our territory,” he said, instead offering more cooperation with the United States after a series of recent clashes involving drug cartels, security forces and civilians highlighted the power of the gangs.

Lopez Obrador’s government says its priorities are disrupting the cartels’ cash flows and money-laundering opportunities, and halting illegal arms trafficking into Mexico from the United States.

The Mexican Finance Ministry’s financial intelligence unit has frozen the accounts of 771 people and 1,057 companies, with more than 5.3 billion pesos ($274 million) in total, a statement said.

Mexican officials have had several meetings with U.S. counterparts to discuss how to stop the arms flow, it said, adding that “satisfactory” progress has already been made.

Trump has repeatedly offered military assistance in the fight against drug gangs, which Lopez Obrador has always declined, even after the gangland massacre of a U.S.-Mexican family earlier this month.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr will visit Mexico next week to discuss security cooperation, Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said. The U.S. embassy in Mexico did not respond to a request for comment. (read more)

Nov 30 2019

White House Prepares for NATO Summit Next Week in London – Bilats With Merkel, Conte and Frederiksen Announced…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on November 29, 2019 by 

The leaders of the twenty-nine NATO member nations are scheduled to meet next week in London, England.  Amid consistent pressure on the member states for increased defense spending to live up to their prior 2014 promises (Wales summit); and with NATO economies in a stalled geopolitical stasis due to their attachment to China (5G telecom), Russia (Nordstream II), and Iran; this summit holds increased possible ramifications.

This NATO summit could very well expose the duplicity and hypocrisy of the EU depending on how far U.S. President Donald Trump is willing to call them out.

There are going to be a lot of nervous snake handlers around the table(s), and with the U.K. elections in the near future there is a great deal at stake. The summit is Tuesday and Wednesday.  Here’s the White House background briefing:

[Transcript] – SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I just want to thank everyone for being here today, Friday after Thanksgiving.

Just up front, this call is going to be on background, attribution to a senior administration official, and there will be an embargo on the contents of this call until it’s completed.

Here’s the run of show for today. Our first — our speaker will be [senior administration official], and he will provide an overview of the President’s trip. And I will follow with an overview of the President’s key events and bilats. And after that, we’ll take some questions.

So with that, over to you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, and thanks everyone for listening in. This is a celebratory Leaders Meeting, in many ways. The President is greatly looking forward to it. This is the most successful alliance in history. It remains instrumental in guaranteeing the security and prosperity and freedom of our allies.

The President, as you know, has been committed to making NATO stronger and ready to face today’s threats and tomorrow’s challenges. This is why he places such an emphasis on encouraging all allies to live up to their commitments and increase defense spending, in line with their Wales commitments.

I have to say, for a priority that United States has had for — since at least the 1960s — the President has been spectacularly successful. Since he has taken office, the Allies have added over $100 billion in new spending. In 2016, only four Allies spent 2 percent of GDP on defense. Now, there are nine, and following through their implementation plans to get the 2 percent, we expect there to be eighteen by 2024. This is tremendous progress, and I think it is due to the President’s diplomatic work.

However, there are continuing challenges that NATO needs to face: China, above all. China is actively seeking a great presence and more influence across the globe, including in NATO’s area of responsibility. It is offering cheap money, cheap investment, and critical infrastructure, including ports and electricity grids. It is seeking to trap nations in debt, and thus bring diplomatic concessions that way. And it is looking to undermine the rules-based international order and skirting, in some cases, (inaudible).

5G, as you know, is another area where NATO has to be vigilant. This is a priority of the President. Trading security of our telecommunications networks and privacy of our personal data for savings is not in any of the Allies’ interests. This is an issue we continue to socialize and raise with our NATO partners, and we will certainly be discussing it at the summit today.

Lastly, while we welcome our European Allies doing more and spending more on defense, we have to continue to socialize that EU defense initiatives not undermine or duplicate those of NATO, and that procurement and defense industrial issues are open to United States and U.S. companies.

We are stronger together. The transatlantic relationship is in a very, very healthy place. And I think that will be the message, loud and clear, at this 70th anniversary of NATO.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Okay, thank you. Before we go into Q&A, I just want to provide an overview of the President’s key events and bilateral meetings. So — and I will speak slowly so that folks can take notes.

On Tuesday, December the 3rd, the President will have a working breakfast with NATO (inaudible) — with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. We will be having a bilateral meeting with President Emmanuel Macron of France, and we’ll be going in that evening to the NATO Leaders Reception, hosted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

On the 4th, we are looking at the official welcome ceremony. The NATO Leaders Meeting Plenary Session, a bilat with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, and then a working lunch with representatives of the following nations: Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and the United Kingdom.

Additionally, we’re looking at meetings with Prime Minister Frederiksen of Denmark and Prime Minister Conte of Italy. And I just want to — I just want to also caveat that we are also working on additional bilats, and those will be announced once they are confirmed.

Okay, that’s all I have. And so at this time, Operator, I’ll go and hand off you for moderating Q&A.

Q Hi, thank you. Christina Anderson. Thank you for doing this call. Kristina Anderson, AWPS News. Last week, the NATO ministers voted to declare space another domain, along with the other standard domains: air, land, and sea, and cyber. Will there be discussion about space as a domain and the framework to promote cooperation between the NATO Allies going forward? Will this take place at the Leaders Meeting also? Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Hey, Christina, thanks for that. No, I think this is a really interesting and exciting point. As you know, the President has stressed space as a domain in his administration. NATO’s adaptation of it is one more example of NATO addressing new challenges. We have already been discussing with our Allies how this works, how this looks, some of the conceptual issues. I expect — yes, I expect that it will come up during the Leaders Summit.

Q Good morning. Thank you for doing the call. This is Dmitry Kirsanov with TASS. I wanted to ask if there will be a discussion at the NATO Summit about (inaudible) relations with Russia. And if that’s going to be the case, and if President Trump is going to raise this issue during his bilats what is he going — what is he planning to tell his counterparts? Thanks so much.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Hey, thanks, Dmitry. I suspect NATO’s relationship with Russia will certainly come up. You know, none of NATO’s measures are intended as a threat to Russia. For example, you know, the four NATO battle groups in the eastern part of the Alliance are relatively modest in size and can’t compare to the very large conventional ground forces that Russia has on the ground. Those are fully in line with our international commitments.

By contrast to NATO’s defensive and proportionate deployments, Russia has shown a consistent disregard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors. It is no wonder that so many countries are concerned about Russian threats to their security. Certainly that will be something that will be discussed at the Leaders Summit.

Q Hello, this is David Alandete, from ABC Spain. I wanted to ask about President Trump’s position towards those countries that are the ones that are paying less for defense. (Inaudible) nation — the case is specifically of Spain, Italy, and Belgium. And I wanted to know if Mr. Trump is expecting to meet with these leaders or is he going to push these less-investment countries towards spending more in the coming years? Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, the President, as you know, is going to be engaging a number of different leaders. For example, Germany is not paying 2 percent of its GDP in defense. And he will certainly be meeting with Chancellor Merkel.

I would point out though that even among most of the states that have not hit the 2 percent threshold, they are making progress. For example, Germany has added over $14 billion in new spending since 2016. For the first time — Ambassador Grenell told us this a few days ago — has announced a plan to reach 2 percent.

So we think those are marks of progress. But, of course, in that meeting, the President will be urging Germany and other countries to do more.

Q Thank you.

Q Hi, can you hear me?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yes.

Q Yeah, hi. Thanks for the call. This is Sebastian Smith with AFP. Just a bit more on the Russia question. Does the President — is he thinking more along the lines of what Emmanuel Macron seems to be saying, that Russia is no longer really the priority for NATO? Macron wants to look more to the south and to terrorism-type threats. Is Russia still a threat for NATO? Thanks.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I think Russia will be an issue of interest and concern at the NATO Leaders Summit. While we have, I think, successfully worked to adapt NATO to address new challenges — as you point out, like terrorism; and as I mentioned earlier, like China and 5G — the territorial threats to sovereignty, as well as hybrid threats posed by Russia, are an issue a deep, deep concern for many Alliance members, and indeed for us. And certainly — certainly that will be a high priority at this Leaders Summit.

Q Thanks so much.

Q Hello, it’s David Charter from the London Times. May I ask: There’s no bilateral you’ve announced with Boris Johnson of the host nation. What’s the reason for that, please? Is it something to do with the election? Was that a UK request? And is President Trump actually going to appear at a press conference?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Hey, David. As I mentioned, we’re continuing to develop our bilats and that we’ll update accordingly.

Q Press conference?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Stay tuned. We might have more for you on that as it goes forward.

Q Yes, this is Mario Parker with Bloomberg News. Wondering if there’ll be any bilat or other interactions between Trump and Erdogan, and what the President’s message to him will be at the summit, particularly given the S-400 activation.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, thanks for that. So we are not doing as you know, Erdoğan — President Erdoğan was just here a few weeks ago. The President spent several hours in direct diplomacy with him then. We do not have a separate bilat scheduled for the NATO Summit. I suspect President Erdoğan will hear from many Alliance members that — their concern over the activation of the S-400 radar.

We have been very, very blunt with him that that radar is inconsistent with Turkey’s duties as a NATO member, and particularly its participation in a bilateral sense in the F-35 program. That message will be reinforced across the Alliance.

Q Thank you.

Q Hey, it’s Tom Howell from the Washington Times. I just want to know if you’re going to spend a lot of time on 5G technology, pushing for nations to resist Huawei, things like that — if you can just give me a sense of whether that will feature.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. You know, the — this has been a major push of ours. We are absolutely going to insist that our NATO Allies use trusted and reliable partners — providers in their 5G networks.

This is not something they want, where they want to allow the Chinese Communist Party to be able to siphon off their citizens’ data or entry into their networks at all. So this is a very, very high priority for us. And the President’s going to reiterate that message.

Q Hi, this is Lucía Leal with EFE News. I was wondering if there — the President is planning to have any interactions at all with Prime Minister Sánchez of Spain. And secondly, President Macron said recently that the NATO was in a state of cerebral death. I was wondering if President Trump agrees with that.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Hey, there. You know, we are not currently scheduled, as my colleague noted earlier, to have a bilateral meeting with Spain, though we continue to engage them at a high level outside of this event.

With regard to the second part of your question, you know, there is a 70-year history here of the United States — at least a 60-year history — of the United States urging its Allies to pay more in the Alliance. There is concurrently a 60- or 70-year history, as Secretary Pompeo noticed, of contentious actors, (inaudible) France, with NATO. That is part of having Alliance of 29, soon to be 30, democratic nations. But I think, underneath all of the democratic politics hurly-burly, the Alliance members are fully in accord on the goals of their shared commitments in this institute, absolutely.
So, I think we take this as part of the hugger-mugger of democratic politics with the Alliance.

Q Hi, can you hear me?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I sure can.

Q Yes, I am (inaudible) from Sky News Arabia. I want to follow up on Turkey. You said that Erdoğan will hear from several members during this summit, their concern regarding the S-400. But also, there are several issues with Turkey: their invasion to northeast Syria, and we saw this exchange of statements between them and the French leader. To what extent do you think that issues of Turkey would be present during this summit?

And also, the second question, please. I want just to make sure that I have all the bilateral meetings that you mentioned. Can you repeat them, please? On the second day, especially. Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: [Senior administration official], do you want to repeat the bilateral meetings?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: No. Ma’am, if you could just send me an email, please. I will be happy to clarify that for you on the second question.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure. Okay. So, on the substance here. Diplomacy is a game of addition, not of subtraction. That is a facile way of saying that the Alliance is stronger with Turkey — fully in sync with Turkey, than out of sync with Turkey. That underpins the President’s diplomacy with the Turks, and it underpins all of our desire at the very top level, which you saw leading up to the October 17th ceasefire, when the President sent most of his senior national security officials out to Ankara to negotiate with Erdoğan and his Cabinet on a ceasefire in Turkey — in Syria, rather.

We believe that ceasefire is still holding. This is — this has been widely confirmed. We are working with the Turks to allow humanitarian access to the area, to that box; to maintain security at the ISIS detention facilities; and to impose order and accountability on those proxy forces — the TSO — that the Turkish armed forces support, engage with.

So all of that to say, I’m not going to speak to the bilateral Turkey-France back-and-forth. But our approach on Turkey — and I believe, which is shared by the vast majority of NATO members — is very clear: direct engagement, working out the tough issues, holding them to their commitments.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Operator, we have time for two more questions.

Q Hi, this is Jordan Foster, with ABC. Can you hear me?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yes, sure can, Jordan.

Q Hi, thanks for doing the call. I wanted to ask: President Trump is often viewed as a disruptive force within NATO. But this year, President Macron has sort of been competing for that title, many observe. So I was wondering if you could speak to the, kind of, special bond between the two men. And going into this NATO Leaders Meeting, how do the two men relate to one another? Do they see themselves as sort of a unified force working for change? If you could speak to that relationship a bit?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Oh, I think they have a great deal of respect for each other. You know, the — they have different — they have different priorities for the Alliance. The President wants to make it stronger and the burden sharing more equitable. I think President Macron is still, kind of, working out what he wants out of the group.

But — but I think they have a healthy level of respect for each other. That will come out in their bilateral conversation; indeed, it comes out in every conversation they have.

We were saddened by the loss of 13 French soldiers recently in Africa as part of the great work the French do on CT missions elsewh- — and other things outside of NATO down there.

But in terms of Macron’s participation in NATO, I would simply refer you back to the Secretary’s comment that the, kind of, one or two standard deviations removed of normal of Alliance discourse that sometimes we hear is really just well within the standard of democratic politics, and indeed of democratic politics at NATO over the last 60 or 70 years.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Last question, please.

Q Hi, there. It’s (inaudible) with the Sunday Times. I wanted to shore up on a question about Mr. Trump and Boris Johnson. There’s an election coming up in Britain. And I just wonder if the President has been briefed and warned not to speak about it. The Prime Minister today has said that he — even though the President has said nice things about him in the past, that he should not endorse or say anything about the Prime Minister. Is that something that the President has been aware of, that he should avoid talking about the general election while he’s in London? And is that a reason why there’s no bilat currently scheduled? Or is that something you’re still working on? Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Hey, that’s something we’re still working on, as my colleague noted earlier. I would point out, the President is very conscious — he doesn’t need briefings from us — of the fact that we do not interfere, wade into other (inaudible).

Q He has said things in the past, though. I mean, he gave quite a splashy interview with The Sun about Theresa May the last time he was there. Is that a concern? Is that something that, you know, has come up that he should stick to?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: No. He’s well aware of this. He also, as I suspect you know, likes Boris Johnson — Prime Minister Johnson, personally. But he is absolutely cognizant of not, again, wading into other country’s elections.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you. Thank you very much. We’re out of time, as we have to transition. Thank you, everyone for your time today. And this — the embargo is lifted. And we will follow up with any details on bilats.

Thank you so much.

[END TRANSCRIPT]