TRANSCRIPT: President Trump Speaks to Reporters on Board Air Force One, 10.31.25
[Video]
Question: Mr. President. Mr. President.
President Donald Trump: OK. Happy Halloween and all of that. So we had an amazing trip. We had incredible meetings with President Xi of China, as you know, with the brilliant new prime minister of Japan. we just had a great time and with the president of South Korea. We had an amazing journey. We also saw a lot of other countries. How are you? We brought back home with us trillions of dollars, trillions, many trillions of dollars and our country is doing well. The shutdown proceeds because the Democrats just don't know what they're doing. I don't know what's wrong with them. They've never done a thing like this. They've become crazed lunatics.
Question: Hi, how are you?
Trump: All they have to do is say, let's go, let's open up our country and everything snaps back into shape. So there's something wrong with them. So we're heading down to Florida. I have a lot of meetings there and lunches, meetings, a lot of things having to do with the economics of America. We took in approximately $3 trillion over the last few days from the trips that we made. They were unbelievable. And the deal with China is going to be wonderful.
Question: Mr. President, are you going to meet with Democratic leaders [Inaudible]
Trump: I think it's going to be long-lasting. I got really along with President Xi very well, as you saw. You were there. Many of you were there and I think it's great. I think it's great. I think it's really good. Are you -- are you set? Are you OK? I'm always going to meet. All they have to do is open up the country. Let them open up the country and we'll meet. We'll meet very quickly, but they have to open up the country. It's their fault. Everything is their fault. It's so easily solved. We have a number of Democrats that have already voted for this, but the Republicans, they're very unified.
Question: I'm sorry. I'm not getting any audio for it.
Trump: They're very strong and they want to do what's right for the country. They don't want to see trillions of dollars wasted on people that came into our country illegally, many from prisons and many from areas that you don't want to even know about. So we'd like to see this taken care of rapidly. You have a lot of -- we have tremendous support, but it's not even support, it's commonsense open up the country. OK. Well, let's get it right. Obamacare has turned out to be a disaster. as I've been saying for years. It can be fixed or redone. People don't get good health care and their premiums go up every single year. So we should change it. It's a disaster. Obamacare is bad health care at a very high price. So --
Question: All right. We have it now, sir.
Question: Would you like to see a deal to extend --
Trump: OK. So the trip was fantastic. We took in over $3 trillion, really, in profit if you want to define it that way. You see the farmers are very happy. I think it's 25 million tons, but it's numbers that they've never seen before in terms of the soybeans, in terms of other things. We have numbers coming to our farmers that the farmers have never seen before from China. -- tonight, we have a big celebration of Halloween and I'll see you later. Thank you very much. Our farmers are very happy. I suggest that they go out and buy larger tractors and more land. OK? We want larger tractors and more land because nobody's ever seen anything like it. I've given China great incentives to hold down the fentanyl, get rid of it, ideally. You know, a lot of people don't know it's used as an anesthesia.
It's used as a lot of things. A lot of good things happen. But unfortunately when it's developed a certain way, a lot of bad things happen because a lot of people would say, well, why is it made? It's made for a lot of good purposes. But it also has some very bad purposes when you design it a certain way and people can take it and design it. So China is working very hard on that. I really believe that, and they have an incentive. I'd love to get rid of the extra 10 percent. I put a 20 percent penalty on -- I had a great conversation about it with President Xi yesterday, and I'd love to get rid of the other. As soon as we see that, we'll get rid of the other 10 percent. Other than that, we haven't cut the tariffs at all with China.
But we're going to have a great relationship with them, I think, for a long period of time. If we have a smart president, we have a great relationship. If we don't have a smart president, which is also a very strong possibility, then we won't have a great relationship. But China is -- the meeting with China was incredible. The media with Japan, incredible. And the meeting with South Korea, likewise, incredible, all of them. And trillions of dollars are coming back to our country because of those meetings and we have others planned with other countries. But those are big ones. And the meeting with China was one that everybody wanted.
The meeting with the new prime minister was fantastic, of Japan, could not have gone better. We've worked out our deal. And South Korea, you saw the way we were treated. Our country is respected again. When they treat me with that kind of respect, they're treating our country with that kind of respect, which is much more important. And our country is respected again. Do you have any questions?
Question: Mr. President, there are reports that you are considering air strikes within Venezuela. Is that true?
Trump: No.
Question: Have you made a decision on that?
Trump: No, it's not true.
Question: Mr. President, the nuclear strikes, sorry, the nuclear tests were talking about, are you talking about literally resuming underground nuclear detonation tests?
Trump: You'll find out very soon, but we're going to do some testing. Yeah, if other countries do it, if they're going to do it, we're going to do it.
Question: OK. You can't clarify whether you'll be able to --
Trump: I'm not going to say yet. I mean, I know exactly what we're doing, where we're doing it, but other countries are doing it. And if other countries do it, we do it.
Question: Do you have any more details on the FBI thwarting that possible terrorist attack in Michigan that was set to happen over the weekend, Halloween weekend, the FBI reported that?
Trump: We're catching people before they ever start. Yeah, we're catching people.
Question: Mr. President, your response to Viktor Orban saying you asked for an exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil.
Trump: He has asked for an exemption. We haven't granted one, but he has asked, Victor. He's a friend of mine. He's asked for an exemption. What else?
Question: Mr. President, on Venezuela.
Trump: Yeah, please.
Question: What did you talk with -- what did you talk about with Prime Minister Carney? Are you in Canada going to resume negotiations?
Trump: No, but I have a very good relationship. I like him a lot. But, you know, what they did was wrong. He was very nice. He apologized for what they did with the commercial because it was a false commercial. You know, it was the exact opposite. Ronald Reagan loved tariffs and they tried to make it look the other way. And he did apologize and I appreciated it. We had a great dinner, you know, with other countries, as you know. And I think we have a very good relationship, personally. I think that what they did was wrong, but he apologized.
Question: On those SNAP benefits set to expire tomorrow, folks are talking about putting out canned goods and non-perishables for trick or treaters.
Trump: Yeah.
Question: Is there a possibility like you did with the military, moving around funds, is there a possibility to do that with [Inaudible]
Trump: Well, there always is, but all the Democrats have to do is say, let's go. I mean, you know they don't have to do anything. They don't have to agree. All they have to do is say the government is open, and we only need five Democrats. But they're -- you know, they become a radical left party. And they really have. They've become a very radical left party and they've lost their minds. They've lost their minds. All they have to do is say, the government is open and that's the end of it. And, you know, largely, when you talk about SNAP, you're talking about largely Democrats. But I'm president, I want to help everybody. I want to help Democrats and Republicans. But when you're talking about SNAP, if you look, it's largely Democrats. They're hurting their own people. Thank you very much, everybody.
Question: Thank you, Mr. President.