TRANSCRIPT: President Trump Speaks to Reporters On Air Force One, 10.24.25
[Video]
President Donald Trump: Hello, everybody. Have a good trip. It's gonna be a long one. It's gonna be a very long trip, right? Okay, what's up?
Question: Uh, what are you expecting from your meeting with President Xi? And what is your message to him?
Trump: We have a lot of things to discuss, including our farmers, right? I have a lot of things to discuss. Uh, the various trade deals that have been made in the past and some broken and some not broken, but we've got, uh, many, many things. I think it's gonna turn out to be a very good meeting.
Question: Do they need to make concessions to get a deal? Are you willing to pause tariffs? And with the --
Trump: Yeah, sure. They have to make concessions. I guess we would too. Yeah, we're at, uh, 157% tariff for them. And I don't think that's sustainable for them, and they wanna get that down. And, uh, we want certain things from them. It'll be, I think it'll be very good.
Question: Mr. President, do you think that -- What do you think the odds are you go ahead, sorry, just what do you think the odds are you go ahead with that 100% tariff on November 1st?
Trump: I don't know. I have no odds. I don't wanna predict odds. I just, I don't think they would want that. That would not be good for them.
Question: So g --
Trump: And I would, I would like to see it.
Question: Sir, what's that -- What's your view on what Canada needs to do to get things back on track?
Trump: Canada lied. I mean, what they did was terrible. They made up a fake statement by President Reagan. Reagan was a big supporter of tariffs when needed. And we need tariffs for national security. And they totally turned it around because they're getting hurt by tariffs and we're gaining by tariffs. They've used, used tariffs on us when we had different presidents very successfully. And, and they have taken a lot of money out of our country, and now we're taking it all back. And, uh, so they went out and they made a fake commercial. The Reagan Foundation went crazy when they saw it because it was, you know, the opposite. It was the opposite of what Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan liked tariffs.
And when necessary, he would use tariffs. And, uh, it's made us a very rich country. Uh, it's also made us, uh, when they were used against us, it was not good for us. But we've used it very successfully, we have the highest stock market we've ever had. We have great national security. I've settled wars because of tariffs. And a president has the right to use tariffs, especially when it comes to national security. And we need it for national security, even including our own wealth, and paying down debt, and all of the other things. So, uh, you know, we're in very good shape with that, but they took a commercial saying the exact opposite, Canada. And so, I'm very disappointed in Canada. They lied. I mean, it was a f- -- It, it was a fraud, what they did.
Question: What can they do to, to get it back on track though?
Trump: I don't know. I mean, I'm, I'm satisfied with the deal we have. We have a deal right now that's very good for us. And any deal that would've been made would've been better for them than the one they have right now. That's why I was surprised they did this. They did this to try and influence the Supreme Court. And many foreign countries aren't particularly happy, but they took advantage of us for years. For years and years, they took advantage. And Presidents shouldn't have allowed that to happen, but they did. So, uh, really, I don't think there's much they can do. I just assume leave it the way it is.
Question: Sir, why does -- Will you meet with, meet with Carney?
Trump: You know, if you leave it the way it is, it's very good for us.
Question: Will you meet with Prime Minister Carney during this trip?
Trump: I don't have any intention of it, no.
Question: Do you -- Do you expect to have your meeting with the new Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi?
Trump: I hear great things about her. I think she's gonna be great. She's, uh, she was a great friend of Mr. Abe, uh, who was a great man. Prime Minister Abe had a great friend of mine as you know. And he was just a fantastic person. And he liked her a lot, she liked him a lot, so that's a good sign.
Question: She's r --
Trump: I look forward to meeting her.
Question: Mr. President -- She's reportedly planning to bring, uh, plans to buy Ford F-150 pickup trucks.
Trump: Oh, good. Well, that's good. They're great trucks. Are you saying I have that plan, or she has that plan?
Question: She has that plan.
Trump: Well, that's great. She has good taste.
Question: Sir, are you sort of like, concerned --
Trump: That's a hot, that's a hot truck.
Question: -- that she might eventually try to renegotiate the more than f --
Trump: She might, I mean, she might. Look, I'm open to whatever they -- We have a great relationship with Japan, and we're gonna have a fantastic relationship with her. So, we'll see what happens.
Question: Do you believe that China played a role at all in establishing peace between Cambodia and Thailand in their recent conflict? Did China help in that process?
Trump: Well, they weren't involved. No, they weren't involved.
Question: Will you still sign over, preside over this?
Trump: Malaysia, Malaysia was involved, actually. So, Malaysia helped us. One of the reasons I'm going to Malaysia is they were very, very, uh, much involved in the, in the whole thing, with Thailand and all. And, um, I told the leader of Malaysia, who's a very good man, I said, uh, "I think I owe you a trip." And that's why we're stopping in Malaysia for that reason. Malaysia was very much involved.
Question: Sir, while in South Korea. Do you have any plans to meet with Kim Jong-un at the DMZ?
Trump: Well, I would if he, uh, would contact. I mean, I was -- the last time I met you, I put it out over the internet that I'm coming to South Korea. If he'd like to meet, I'm open to it, certainly.
Question: [Inaudible]
Trump: We had a very -- yeah, I'd do it. I mean, if you, if you want to put out the word, I'm open to it. You know, they don't have a lot of telephone service. They have a lot of nuclear weapons, but not a lot of telephone service. So I'm open to it. I had a great relationship with him and, uh, he probably knows I'm coming, right? But, uh, you want to put out the word, I'm open to it.
Question: Do you expect.
Question: [Inaudible] at all before this trip?
Trump: Really, there's not a lot of ways other than the internet. You know, they have very little telephonic service and, uh- but, uh, he knows I'm coming. And yeah, he would -- yeah, I'd, I'd be open to it 100%.
Question: Do you expect --
Trump: I got along very well with him, Kim Jong-un.
Question: Do you expect to finalize your trade deal with or your tariff deal with South Korea on this trip? It hasn't been signed yet.
Trump: Well, it's pretty close to being finalized, I think. And so it could be, if they have it ready, I'm ready.
Question: Okay. How about Malaysia and Cambodia, those trade deals, are you ready?
Trump: Yeah, sure. If they're, if the deals, if the papers are ready. We have deals with a lot of people and, uh, they're, they're very good deals. I, I hope they're very good for everybody.
Question: Do you know if they've received the signing ceremony?
Trump: Who do you with?
Question: I'm with Politico.
Trump: With Politico, wow. That's good.
Question: Do you know if the signing ceremony --
Trump: Stepping up the game. That's good.
Question: -- is still going forward? There's a report just --
Trump: About what? Which one?
Question: That the Thailand Prime Minister may not attend due to a death, uh, in Thailand or --
Trump: Well, there was a change.
Question: Yes.
Trump: Yeah, there was a death. So I don't know. I really don't know.
Question: You don't know [Inaudible]
Trump: No, I don't know that.
Question: Okay. Okay.
Question: How did you manage to find somebody to pay for our troops during the shutdown?
Trump: Uh, he's a great gentleman. He's a great patriot. He's obviously a very substantial man, and he contributed $130 million toward the military in order to make up any difference. So he wanted to see the military get paid. So did I. And he's a wonderful man. And he doesn't want publicity. He doesn't -- you know, he'd prefer I think that his name not be mentioned, which is pretty unusual in the world I come from. And in the world of politics, you want your name mentioned. He doesn't. He's a great patriot, he really is. He put up $130 million in order to make sure the -- that's a lot of money, in order to make sure that the military got paid. And he's -- and he's a big --
Question: [Inaudible]
Trump: And he's a big supporter of mine.
Question: Is it an American citizen?
Trump: It is, yeah. Great American citizen.
Question: Do you want Congress to pass a bill to, uh, allow 42 million Americans to continue to get food stamps during the shutdown?
Trump: I'm going to let some other people talk to you. I'll have a comment on that later. But the Democrats are stopping it. All they have to do is agree to let's go and we're ready. But --and we voted for it many times. All we need is five Democrats. The Republicans vote for it. But, uh, we'll see what happens. But, really, this is purely Democrat. They're doing some really bad things. I think they're- they're lost- they're lost souls. You know who that is? So, they are lost souls.
Question: After this trip, do you think you'll sit down with Hakeem Jeffries and, uh, Chuck Schumer?
Trump: I would. I'd be willing to. Uh, I would've now too. You know, I left. I said, "Come on over. Just put the government back." All they have to do is say yes and it's over. Then we start. And then we go into a negotiation." Look, Obamacare has been terrible. We can make it better. I'm all for that, but they're not. And they- they want to allow many, many illegal -- people that came into our country illegally from prisons, from mental institutions, from all over the world. They want them to get paid. And that's gonna hurt the citizens of our country. And I just can't do it.
Question: Mr. President? [Inaudible] What influence do you want China to exert on Russia to stop the --
Trump: We would love China to help us out with Russia. We put very big sanctions on Russia. I think those sanctions are gonna be, you know, they're very biting, they're very strong. But I'd like to see China help us out. I have a good relationship with, as you know, President Xi. Very good. We're gonna be meeting. We'll have a good meeting. I'm pretty sure we're gonna have a great meeting, maybe a great meeting. But, uh, I think we're going to do some good business. One of the things we'll talk about is the Russia-Ukraine. They're killing 7,000 people a week soldiers, mostly soldiers. And we'll certainly be talking about that. He- -- he'd like to see that end too.
Question: And do you, do you, do you worry that the sanctions are so binding that you might push Putin too far?
Trump: I don't think so. No, I don't think so. He's, he's saying, "Well, they won't have that much of an effect." So I don't know. That's what he says. I don't, I don't think he's right about that, but we'll see. We'll see what happens. I think he'd like to see it over with.
Question: Earlier this week, you said that you don't think that China would make any moves on Taiwan. What gives you that idea?
Trump: China would what?
Question: Would make any moves on Taiwan. Do you, what makes you think --
Trump: I don't know. I hope they won't. We'll have to see. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. I hope they won't. I think it would be very dangerous for them to do.
Question: Are you open to changing US policy on Taiwan?
Trump: Well, I don't want to talk about that now. I don't want to create any complexity. The trip is already complex enough, right?
Question: (Laughs). Is there any reason --
Trump: But, uh, you know, I think China wants to have 10 great years and they can, you know, they can, or they can have some bad years and they don't want that. And we're gonna have a very good meeting.
Question: If you don't get a deal, what will you do for US farmers who are being impacted by the --
Trump: Well, we're gonna subsidize them. We'll give them some money because it's not their fault. Uh, they've been doing very well. They did very well under me. Even if you look at the ranchers, the ranchers for the first time in years have made some money, but the beef prices are up a little bit. So, uh, we'll have to make a determination. But the ranchers are very happy 'cause, you know, for many years they suffered. Now they're making a little money. They're making some money, and that's a good thing. You know, I'm happy about that. So we'll see. But we'll see. Beyond that point, we'll see.
Question: Back on North Korea, they, they say that in order to have talks with the US, they have to be recognized as a nuclear power. Do, is that something you're open to?
Trump: Well, I think they are sort of a nuclear power. I mean, I know how many weapons they have. I know everything about 'em. And I've had a very good relationship with Kim Jong-Un. When you say they have to be recognized as a nuclear power, well, they got a lot of nuclear weapons. I'll say that. Okay, go ahead, please.
Question: What kind of land targets in Venezuela do you want to strike and how do you decide which one's to strike?
Trump: [Inaudible] with Venezuela, I can tell you one thing. We stopped all drugs virtually from coming in by sea and will stop all drugs from coming in by land very shortly. You'll see that starting. They're not gonna want to do that. They're not gonna want to do that. But you're gonna see, you're gonna see drugs stopping coming into our country, just like we stopped prisoners and, uh, drug dealers, drug addicts, drug, every -- We have stopped virtually everybody from coming in. Other than people that want to come in legally. You know, we have a lot of people coming in legally, passing tests, going through a process. But we don't have people coming in from prisons and from mental institutions and the drug dealers. We don't have 'em coming in. We have almost nobody. We really have nobody, if, you know it. For five months in a row, they had zero people come in. And we used to have a million and two million and three million people coming in.
Question: Uh, will you meet with Brazil's president on this trip? He's going to the --
Trump: I believe we're meeting. Yeah -- I believe --
Question: Do you believe you're meeting Lula?
Trump: We met, we met at the United Nations briefly just before I went on, and there was no teleprompter. They didn't allow my teleprompter to work. How about that one? But I gave a good speech anyway. Have a good trip, everybody.
Question: Are you open to reduce the tariffs on Brazil?
Trump: Yeah, under the right circumstances, sure.
Question: [Inaudible] gonna talk about AI with President Xi?
Trump: Well, we are leading AI. We're leading China in AI. We're leading everybody in AI. We're doing very well. We have plants being built all over the country. We're gonna have maybe 20, $21 trillion by the time our first year's up. Nobody's ever had number -- We've already hit $17 trillion. Nobody's ever, no country has ever hit numbers like that.nThat's investment into our country. We have auto factories open. You saw General Motors yesterday and Ford, they took a big leap forward because of tariffs. But they took a big leap. They went way up. We're respected again, as really respected as a country. And a lot of that has to do with the tariffs. The tariffs are giving us national security and strength. Thank you very much.
Question: Thank you, Mr. President.
Trump: Have a good time. Go to sleep, everybody, right?
Question: You gonna sleep?
Trump: I dunno. I'd love to. I don't know. I don't know that I'm capable, if you want to know the truth, but I'm gonna try. This is a long trip. The answer's, I would imagine so. Have fun. Have fun.
Question: Thank you. Mr. President.