TRANSCRIPT: President Trump Speaks to Reporters Before Marine One Departure, 3.20.26
[Video]
Question: Mr. President.
Trump: Hello, everybody. Hello, everybody. I thought I'd bring our great Secretary of State out.
Question: Yeah.
Trump: And he is doing a fantastic job. So we have Marco. Go ahead, please.
Question: Mr. President, I wanted to ask you, Iran executed three people this week. You have --
Trump: Terrible.
Question: You have vowed strong action in the past. What message would you send?
Trump: Well, we've been hitting them awfully hard. I mean, uh, I don't know if you can possibly get hit harder, but these are thugs and animals and horrible people. But you can't hit anybody harder than we've hit them.
Note: [Crosstalk]
Trump: But I'm not surprised. They executed three young people for protesting.
Question: And do you plan to --
Note: [Crosstalk]
Question: -- escort those ships through the Strait of Hormuz with or without allies?
Trump: Well, we're doing very well there. We're doing very well overall. Uh, you know, we don't use the Strait. We don't, The United States. We don't need it. Uh, Europe needs it. Uh, Korea, Japan, China, a lot of other people. So they'll have to get involved a little bit on that one.
Question: Mr. President, to use, to use [Inaudible] South Korea for the United States?
Trump: Yeah, what about it?
Question: Do you still want the South Korea support --
Trump: Well, I, I love South Korea. We have a great relationship with South Korea. We're, we're helping South Korea a lot.
Note: [Crosstalk]
Question: Mr. President, do you think Israel will be ready to end the war when you're ready to end the war?
Trump: I think so.
Question: Mr. President. Mr. President. Mr. President.
Trump: The relationship's a very good one. I think so.
Question: Mr. President.
Trump: You know, it's, we want more or less similar things. You know what we want? We want victory, both of us. And that's what we've got.
Question: What's your plan for -- Mr. President --
Trump: Well, you know, I may have a plan or I may not, but how would I ever say that to a reporter? If I said that to a reporter, Marco would say, "Please, sir. Let's bring you over to the helicopter immediately." Right?
Question: [Inaudible]
Trump: No. I, I can't, I can't tell you that.
Question: Mr. President. Mr. President. Economic [Inaudible]
Trump: It's certainly a, uh, place that's, people are talking about, but I can't say. Yeah.
Question: Are you ruling out ground troops there though?
Question: Mr. President. How will the Operation Epic Furry effect talks with Russia on Ukraine?
Trump: What about it?
Question: I have to talks on back burner right now because of the [Inaudible]
Trump: No, no. We're talking. We're talking about it. I think it'll get done.
Question: When, when do you spend the next round of talks to take place?
Trump: Uh, they take place, uh, almost every day. We're making a lot of progress.
Question: Mr. President, you said that the war was militarily won in Iran. What did you mean by that? You said the war was militarily won in Iran. What did you mean by that?
Trump: Oh, I think we won. We've knocked out their Navy, their Air Force. We've knocked out their anti-aircraft. We've knocked out everything. We're roaming free. From a military standpoint, all they're doing is clogging up the Strait. But from a military, military standpoint, they're finished.
Note: [Crosstalk]
Question: Can we ask Secretary Rubio a question?
Question: You, you said, you said and the, opening the, the Strait of Hormuz is a simple military maneuver.
Trump: Very simple.
Question: Yeah, but what did you mean by that?
Trump: It's a simple military maneuver. It's relatively safe, but you need a lot of, uh, help in the sense of you need ships, you need volume. And, uh, NATO could help us, but they so far haven't had the courage to do so. And others could help us. But, you know, we don't use it. You know, at a certain point, it'll open itself at a certain point.
But we've defeated the enemy, and they are an enemy. They're a sick group of people. The leadership is gone. The Navy is gone. The Air Force is gone. The anti-aircraft equipment that they have, the radar they have is all gone. Everything's gone. Uh, the Strait itself, the actual Strait -- how are you?
Question: Hi.
Trump: The Strait itself is, uh, we're doing a good job, but it would be nice if the countries, including China, if the countries that use it, China uses it 90% of their energy, uh, Japan is 95% of the energy, it would be nice if those countries would get involved.
Note: [Crosstalk]
Question: Is Tulsi Gabbard's [Inaudible] job still safe --
Trump: What?
Note: [Crosstalk]
Question: And have you spoken to [Inaudible]
Trump: I thought she did a good job yesterday.
Note: [Crosstalk]
Question: -- the American bases in Europe, Lindsey Graham has asked for you to reconsider the American bases in Spain, in Germany after what they have done in the Strait of Hormuz. What's your take on that?
Trump: Well, it deserves, he's right about asking that, and I think NATO's gone down a long way because, uh, they haven't, I mean, they should be helping with the Strait. They get much of their energy from the Strait of Hormuz. And, uh, if Lindsey Graham said that, and don't forget, he was the big NATO guy for a while, and now he's not. And a lot of senators and congressmen, they were big, they're very upset with the fact that NATO has done nothing.
Question: Sir, Pope Leo is calling for a ceasefire in the Middle, Pope Leo is calling for ceasefire in the Middle East and to reopen dialogue. What do you say to the Pope, sir?
Trump: Well, look, we can have dialogue, but we don't, I don't want to do a ceasefire. You know, you don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side. They don't have a Navy, they don't have an Air Force, they don't have any equipment to, they don't have any spotters, they don't have anti-aircraft. They don't have radar, and their leaders have all been killed at every level. Uh, we're not looking to do that.
Question: [Inaudible] sir.
Trump: Thank you, thank you.
Question: Chuck Norris, so, Chuck Norris had passed away recently.
Trump: Oh, he did?
Question: Yeah, yesterday.
Trump: I thought he was a great guy. Wow.
Question: He died in the hospital I think in Hawaii. He was a supporter, sir, big actor.
Trump: Yeah, he was a supporter. Chuck Norris died. I didn't know that. He was a great guy. He was a really good, tough cookie. You didn't want to fight him. I can tell you, he was a tough, great guy with, and he was a great supporter. Wow. That's too bad. Tell, uh, his family highest respect. Great man.
Question: Mr. President, how much is this war costing taxpayers?
Question: Did you know him?
Trump: Well, I know him. I get along with him great and, uh, I probably would.
Question: Do you want to make deal with him? Do you want to make a deal with [Inaudible]
Trump: Well, I get along with him very well.
Question: Mr. President, are you deploying the additional troops this weekend for this current tour to optimize your operational capability?
Trump: Well, I would say this. That if I told you the answer to that question, my military people wouldn't be very happy. So we have a lot of troops. We have unlimited ammunition. We have the greatest equipment in the world and, uh, we are decimating Iran and it's about time. And frankly, it should have been done long before me. It should have been done before other presidents.
Question: Polls have shown that NAGA is essentially unified behind you as a Republican [Inaudible] there's been reports that, uh, you know, the United States might be sending 2,500 Marines, um, to the Middle East. Are you concerned that a move like that, uh, could potentially change, um, the unity?
Trump: Well, I don't know. I seem to have great support, uh, because CNN came out with a poll today that I'm at 100%. And they said they'd never seen a poll like that. The CNN poll said that I'm at 100%, and they've never seen that before, uh, which is an honor. I was, I was impressed that CNN would do that. But, uh, as far as troops are concerned, I can't tell you what we're doing.
Note: [Crosstalk]
Question: Mr. President, you took issue with Australia, Japan, and South Korea this week.
Trump: Yeah, I was very surprised.
Question: Very surprised about Australia and what? What would you like them to do?
Trump: Well, they should get involved and, uh, I was a little bit surprised that they said no because we always say yes to them.
Question: What did Australia say no to?
Question: What did Australia say no to, Mr. President?
Question: They'll allow the US to use air bases to defend the Strait of Hormuz. What's your response to that?
Trump: Well, it's been a very late response, the UK. Uh, surprise because the relationship is so good. But this has never happened before. Uh, they were really pretty much our first ally, all over the world, first ally and they didn't want us to use the island, the so-called island, which for some reason they gave up rights to it. And, uh, I was a little surprised at the UK, to be honest with you. They should have, they should have acted a lot faster.
Question: Have you spoken with the prime minister?
Trump: Yes, I have. I have. They should have acted a lot faster.
Note: [Crosstalk]
Question: Did you see that your former press secretary, Sarah Sanders, was asked to leave a restaurant by staff who felt threatened by her politics?
Trump: Well, her politics are right down the center. She's a good person and that shouldn't have happened. Where did that take place? Here or in Arkansas?
Question: In Arkansas.
Trump: Wow. In Arkansas? That's very surprising. I love Arkansas. I won that state by so much. I think that Sarah's gonna be just fine. But it's too bad. She's a good woman, Sarah.
Question: Mister, Mr. President, Mr. President, the price of oil is way up. The stock market is dying.
Trump: Did it go, did it go –
Question: Did you miscalculate the cost of going into Iran?
Trump: No, no, no. No. We're not giving a nuclear weapon to terrorist thugs and we're, we're knocking the hell out of them. Their navy's gone, their air force is gone, their leaders are gone, their anti-aircraft is gone. Everything's gone.
Question: But did you expect the economic effect?
Trump: And, no, I expected worse, actually.
Question: Mr. President, you still support --
Trump: I really thought, I thought that oil prices would go much higher when I did that.
Question: You still support --
Trump: We just set every record, every record in the book, with Dow, with the S&P. Dow had 50,000. S&P had 8,000, 7,000 at, at levels, at, at speed like nobody's ever seen before. But I said, "I have to go off in that path and I have to take a little journey. We have to get the --" And he would agree, but he's not gonna say it. I, and this is not St. Patrick's Day, by the way.
What are you doing with that tie? But we had to go off on a circuitous path and take care of business and we have, we are in the process of doing it. And I'll tell you, I think we're weeks ahead of schedule. My Secretary of State is very happy. Do you have a question for Marco?
Question: Yes. How soon, President Trump said this week that he can take Cuba. How soon can that happen?
Marco Rubio: Well, I mean, Cuba's a disaster, and it's because of their communist government. It doesn't work. So I don't have any news for you on that today, other than that's been going on for 67 years. They're a disaster. It's the worst that's ever been.
Question: And what are you guys hearing from your Senate colleagues about the chances of the Save America Act passing?
Trump: Well, it seems to be, uh, doing okay. It's voter ID, it's, you have to have citizenship to vote. And I'm hearing very good things. I mean, I was hearing negative things because the Democrats are all against voter ID, they're all against citizenship to vote, they're against transgender. You know, they have the, they like the transgender thing with mutilization of your children. All of the things that we talk about. You know, we added two, you know, we added two little elements. No men in women's sports.
Question: Yep.
Trump: Right? You know that. We added that. And, uh, when you add them all up, whether you take four or five, I think they're all 95 to 99% issues. I hear it's going, look, it should be an easy pass, but we need Democrat votes. They don't want to approve voter ID because they cheat. They don't want to approve citizenship.
In other words, we want to have citizenship in order to vote. You have to prove your citizenship. The Democrats don't want to do that. You know why, Peter? You know why? 'Cause they want to cheat, Peter. Now, speaking of something that's more pleasant, see that? It's gonna be the greatest ballroom anywhere in the world. Nothing like it. And they just started today, one of the biggest pours of concrete that's ever been seen in Washington DC.
Question: When they're doing the construction, does it ever wake you up?
Trump: It makes me happy. When I hear those pile drivers, my wife doesn't love it, but I love the sound.
Question: Mr. President.
Trump: I love the sound of concrete. I love the sound of pile drivers. Bye, everyone.
Question: Mr. President, how, how are you -- Mr. President --
Trump: Next week.