President Donald J. Trump (00:00):
… but it does have the record in soccer. That's John Elkann. I think you know John Elkann, is a man that has done a fantastic job in the automobile industry, comes from a lineage of winners. And you have Johnny and Fantino as you know, and he's going to have the World Cup here. We have a game tonight. The game is, where is it, over in DC at the stadium.
Soccer Team Member (00:24):
Here, yeah. Audi Field.
President Donald J. Trump (00:24):
And it's totally sold out, I hope.
Soccer Team Member (00:26):
Of course. Yeah.
President Donald J. Trump (00:26):
Okay, good. Well, and you have two great American players on this team. And would you just… Where are you, my American players? Fantastic. So good luck.
Soccer Team Member (00:37):
Thank you.
President Donald J. Trump (00:43):
I hope you're going to be the two best players on the field, okay?
(00:43)
So I just thought you might want to ask questions. Anything about the World Cup or the game tonight, but anything about the World Cup would be great. And Johnny's right here. So anybody have any questions? And I hope you like the, well, I'm a little, a friend of mine. It's hard to go against him to be honest with you, but they have a good team. Who are you playing tonight?
Soccer Team Official (01:03):
We're playing against the Emirates team.
President Donald J. Trump (01:06):
Oh, that's good.
Soccer Team Official (01:06):
Yeah. Strong.
President Donald J. Trump (01:09):
Well, they spend a lot of money, right? A lot of money. Yeah, that's the problem? Is it a strong team? Good team tonight?
Soccer Team Official (01:16):
All teams are good. It's the best teams in the world. were here in America.
President Donald J. Trump (01:18):
Right, Johnny? You think?
John Elkann (01:19):
Best teams in the world are here.
President Donald J. Trump (01:22):
Well, we raised the American flag for you guys today.
John Elkann (01:24):
Well, quite the story big.
President Donald J. Trump (01:26):
It looks nice out there, doesn't it? Even you agree, right? I think so. Do you agree? No? Most of you agree. So do you have any questions for us?
Reporter 1 (01:37):
Do you know the latest on the evacuations out of Israel, Mr. President?
President Donald J. Trump (01:40):
No.
Reporter 1 (01:40):
Have you been updated on that?
President Donald J. Trump (01:41):
No. We're having a meeting in an hour. Have a meeting downstairs in one hour. Yep.
Reporter 2 (01:45):
Mr. President, on Iran. If regime change does happen there, if the regime falls, do you have a plan for what you think would happen there?
President Donald J. Trump (01:54):
I have a plan for everything, but we'll see what happens. Got a ways to go. Look, they should have made the deal. I had a great deal for them. They should have made that deal. 60 days we talked about it and in the end they decided not to do it. And now they wish they did it. And they want to meet, but it's a little late to meet. But they want to meet and they want to come to the White House. They'll even come to the White House. So we'll see. I may do that, but it's a shame. It could have been done the easy way.
Reporter 2 (02:23):
Do you think the regime there could fall?
President Donald J. Trump (02:29):
Sure. Anything could happen right? Of that? Sure, that could happen.
(02:33)
Yeah, please.
Reporter 3 (02:33):
Mr. President, the Senate Judiciary Committee's holding a hearing on who exactly was running the White House under Joe Biden? Who do you think that was?
President Donald J. Trump (02:39):
I think the autopen ran the White House. We have an autopen president before me. I think it's one of the greatest scandals in the history of this country, one of the biggest scandals. He wasn't making a decision. He was never for open borders where people came in from all over the world, from prisons and drug dealers and all of that. Mentally, the mentally insane. He was never for that. He was never for open borders and he was never for, if you think, he was never for transgender for everybody or men playing in women's sports. He was never for that.
(03:17)
Have you ever had women? Could a woman make your team, fellas? Tell me. You think?
Soccer Team Member (03:22):
Yeah.
President Donald J. Trump (03:22):
You're being nice. What do you think? You think a woman could make the team? General managers, what do you think?
Soccer Team Official (03:28):
Difficult. We have a very good women's team, though.
President Donald J. Trump (03:34):
You do have, right?
Soccer Team Official (03:34):
[inaudible 00:03:35]
President Donald J. Trump (03:34):
But they should be playing with women. It's one of those things. One of those things. See? They're very diplomatic.
Reporter 4 (03:41):
As you're making your decision on Iran, obviously there's been a change from when you were pursuing a diplomatic negotiation. Now you seem very open to the idea of potentially taking US action. Obviously you're not going to tell us that. Can you walk us through what contributed to that change? How you got to where you are in making your decision now?
President Donald J. Trump (03:58):
Well, I think it started the first night. That first night was devastating and it really knocked the one side off, as you know. Devastating, devastating evening, day. And pretty much proceeded that way. I have a meeting in the. War Room in a little while, Situation Room as some people call it. So we're going to meet. We're going to see. We're in the midst of it. It's a terrible thing. I hate to see it. I hate to see all that death. So much death and destruction, but death primarily. That's what I hate to see.
Reporter 4 (04:33):
Does that mean you haven't made a decision yet on what to do?
President Donald J. Trump (04:37):
I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven't made a final. I like to make the final decision one second before it's due. Because things change. I mean, especially with war, things change with war. It can go from one extreme to the other. War's very bad. There was no reason for this to be a war. There was no reason for Russia, Ukraine. A lot of wars, there was no reason for you look right up there. I don't know. See, the Declaration of Independence that I say. I wonder if… The Civil War always seemed to me maybe that could have been solved without losing 600,000-plus people. It's very sad to see. It's very sad to see what's happening. But with that being said, I would say right now, Israel, from the standpoint of winning a war is doing pretty well.
(05:26)
Yeah, please.
Reporter 5 (05:28):
Mr. President, in your meeting today with the chief of staff of the Pakistani army, did you talk about Iran? Did that come up?
President Donald J. Trump (05:35):
Yeah.
Reporter 5 (05:35):
Is there anything you can share from that meeting?
President Donald J. Trump (05:37):
Well, they know Iran very well, better than most. And they're not happy about anything. It's not that they're bad with Israel. They know them both actually. But they probably, maybe they know Iran better, but they see what's going on. And he agreed with me. The reason I had him here, I wanted to thank him for not going into the war, entering the war.
(06:03)
And I want to thank… As you know, Prime Minister Modi just left, just a little while ago. Just left. And we're working a trade deal with India. We're working a trade deal with Pakistan. And they were both here. But I was with Modi a few weeks ago. He was here actually, but now we speak to him and I'm so happy. There was a deal that two smart people, plus they have people on their staff too, but two smart people, two very smart people decided not to keep going with that war. That could have been a nuclear war. Those are two nuclear powers, big ones. Big, big nuclear powers. And they decided. So I was honored to meet him today.
Reporter 6 (06:46):
And if I [inaudible 00:06:47] sir. And for anyone who may want to answer, how has the travel bans from certain countries affected fans maybe coming in for the games or, is that not considered?
President Donald J. Trump (06:59):
Johnny, go ahead.
John Elkann (07:00):
Yeah. No, it's not a concern for us, for the games now. In the Club World Cup, everything has been done in a very smooth way. We have an excellent, excellent collaboration, of course with the president, but with the task force in particular. For next year, the World Cup, we have one more year to work and the learnings that we have this year with the Club World Cup, which is historic. I said this to all the Americans because it's the first ever Club World Cup. And it's played in the United States of America. So the learnings will have for this, we'll apply them next year.
President Donald J. Trump (07:31):
And they're largely sold out. So I don't know. I don't think he's too worried about the travel ban. He doesn't know what the travel ban is, I don't think. Johnny, tell me what the travel ban is. He doesn't know what it is. He's largely sold out, like tonight is totally, I've had friends, they heard about this meeting. He said, "Can you give me tickets?" I don't know if I can get tickets. He won't give them to me.
John Elkann (07:51):
Well, we can speak about it.
President Donald J. Trump (07:51):
Maybe John will give them to me.
(07:53)
Yeah, please.
Reporter 7 (07:54):
Mr. President, two questions if I could. One about Iran and then one domestically. With Iran, what's your message to Americans both here and abroad who are not only concerned about the US potentially getting involved in another conflict in the Middle East, but worry about the potential for retaliation here at home?
President Donald J. Trump (08:09):
Yeah. Well, I don't want to get involved either. But I've been saying for 20 years, maybe longer, that Iran can not have a nuclear weapon. I've been saying it for a long time. And I think they were a few weeks away from having one. And they had to sign a document. I think they wish they'd signed it now. It was a fair deal and now it's a harder thing to sign. There's a lot of water over the dam. But I say it very simply. Iran can't have a nuclear weapon. Too much devastation. And they'd use it. I believe they'd use it. Others won't use it, but I believe they'd use it. So that's it. It's very simple as far as I'm concerned. They can't have a nuclear weapon.
Reporter 7 (08:50):
And then domestically, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley came out this week as the lead sponsor of a bill to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. It stands out because he's a Republican. There's still 20 states that have it at $7.25. Do you support the legislation or the idea?
President Donald J. Trump (09:05):
Well, I haven't seen it. I'd have to speak to Josh. He's a very good friend of mine. That's interesting that Josh did that. I going to have to think about that one. Some people agree with it, some people don't. Some people say it really turns away business, restaurant slows and a lot of things happen. Other people agree. I'd have to speak to Josh. He's a good guy.
Reporter 8 (09:30):
Mr. President, around the possibility in Iran deal. Is the destruction or the dismantling of the Fordow Nuclear Enrichment Center, is that a prerequisite for a deal? Is that a red line for you?
President Donald J. Trump (09:40):
No, it's just something that people talk about having. We're the only ones that have the capability to do it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do it at all. Yeah, we have the best military equipment in the world. You see that with this fight. We have planes that are undetectable flying around. Nobody's able to see him stealth.
(09:59)
You guys want to be stealthy tonight. You can be stealth, you'll never lose, right?
(10:04)
But these are incredible planes and weapons. We have the best weapons in the world by far. Nobody close. And I mean certain countries take advantage of that. Israel has incredible weaponry, so we'll see what happens. I have not, I've been asked about it by everybody, but I haven't made a decision.
Reporter 9 (10:27):
Mr. President. You talked earlier today about having daily conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
President Donald J. Trump (10:32):
Yeah.
Reporter 9 (10:34):
How have those conversations weighed on you in terms of getting more involved? You've been lobbying for the US to get more involved. Has that had an impact in kind of your evolution circle?
President Donald J. Trump (10:46):
Look, we talk. And I'd like to see everything done. I would've preferred having just an agreement, a strong agreement, verifiable agreement. But it was such a shame. They were so close. Iran was very close to signing what would've been a very good agreement for them. And maybe that could still happen, I guess. They do want to come and see us. They want to see me in the White House. That's a big statement, but it's very late.
Reporter 9 (11:14):
Is it enough of a statement to hold off getting involved?
President Donald J. Trump (11:17):
We're going to see what happens. Look, we're going to see what happens. Ending it as soon as you can would be good.
Reporter 1 (11:23):
Have you closed the door on meeting with them?
President Donald J. Trump (11:25):
No.
Reporter 1 (11:26):
Okay, so it's still open to them coming here in your opinion?
President Donald J. Trump (11:28):
Yeah. I mean, they asked if they could come and we'll see if that happens. It's not that easy for them to come. They can't get out. They're in Iran. And in one case they… Guy wanted to come so badly, but he can't get out because his bomb's dropping all over the place.
Reporter 1 (11:42):
Have you seen the Tucker Carlson, Senator Ted Cruz interview? It seems like this issue on whether or not the United States should strike is kind of dividing a lot of your supporters.
President Donald J. Trump (11:52):
No, my supporters are for me. My supporters are America First. They make America great again. My supporters don't want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon.
(12:02)
Tucker's a nice guy. He called and apologized the other day because he thought he said things that were a little bit too strong. And I appreciated that. And Ted Cruz is a nice guy. I mean, he's been with me for a long time. I'd say once the race was over, he's been with me ever since, right? But very simple. If they think that it's okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, then they should oppose me. But nobody thinks it's okay. People that don't want… I don't want to fight either. I'm not looking to fight. But if it's a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do. Maybe we won't have to fight. They'll forget.
(12:41)
We haven't been fighting. We add a certain amount of genius to everything, but we haven't been fighting at all. Israel's done a very good job of that, but we'll see what happens. The bottom line is they can't have nuclear. And if Ted, I can't imagine that Ted Cruz says it's okay for Iran to have nuclear, including Tucker. I don't think Tucker says it's okay. The problem is then they get themselves into a thing. They don't want them to have nuclear. But then they say, "Well, we don't want to fight."
(13:11)
Well, you're going to have to make a choice because it's possible that you're going to have to fight for them not to have nuclear. And it's interesting, I did ask Tucker, I said, "Well, are you okay with nuclear weapons being in the hands of Iran?" And he sort of didn't like that. He didn't want to really, but he sort of didn't like that. And I said, "Well, if it's okay with you then you and I do have a difference." But it's really not okay with him. Therefore you may have to fight. And maybe it'll end and maybe it'll end very quickly, but there's no way that you can allow, whether you have to fight or not, you can allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon because the entire world will blow up. I'm not going to let that happen.
Reporter 10 (13:54):
Mr. President, you had a bit of a row with President Emmanuel Macron in France the other day in the G7, it sounded like.
President Donald J. Trump (14:00):
No. He's a nice guy. Look, he said I was going back home to make a ceasefire. Not a ceasefire. We're long beyond ceasefire. And I said, "Why do you say that? Why would you say 'ceasefire?'" It's a bad term to use. Because a ceasefire means like everything's going swimmingly. We'll take a little time off. It's not, we're not looking for a ceasefire. We're looking for a total complete victory. Again, you know what the victory is? No nuclear weapon. I thought it was a very badly worded statement by him, and obviously I let him know that.
Reporter 11 (14:35):
On the southern border you've had record low numbers for the month of May, 95 apprehensions, zero releases compared to that of the previous administration exactly. a year ago. More than 60,000 releases. What do you attribute that success to?
President Donald J. Trump (14:49):
I like you. Who are you with?
Reporter 11 (14:50):
Turning Point USA, sir.
President Donald J. Trump (14:52):
They're very good. Turning Point… Charlie… Very good. See, that's what I call a good question, fellas. One out of 10, John, one out of 10. But that's a really good question.
(15:03)
No, we had record good numbers on the border and people are coming in, but they have to come in legally. Like some of these guys behind me, they have to come in legally. And if they come in legally, we want them. They have to say they love America, they love our country. And if they can't say that, we don't want them. Thank you very much. Very nice.
(15:20)
Thank you very much everybody.
Assistant (15:22):
Thank you, press. Thank you, guys. Thank you, guys. Thank you.
President Donald J. Trump (15:22):
Thanks. Thank you.
Assistant (15:22):
Thank you.
Reporter (15:22):
Thank you, Mr. President.
President Donald J. Trump (15:24):
Thank you very much. Thanks to [inaudible 00:15:30] and the press.
(15:25)
Hey, Doug. Take a good picture. Pulitzer Prize winner.
Assistant (15:34):
Thank you, guys.
President Donald J. Trump (15:34):
New York Times Pulitzer Prize winner.
Assistant (15:35):
You can keep moving. Thank you.
President Donald J. Trump (15:35):
The "Times" is the bad part.
Assistant (15:35):
Thank you everybody. Keep moving. Keep moving, guys…
