TRANSCRIPT: Press Gaggle: Donald Trump Speaks to Reporters Before Air Force One Departure - July 6, 2025
[Video]
Donald Trump: Thank you very much. We've been in touch with Governor Abbott and very close to Governor Abbott, and everybody in Texas. Kristi Noem has, as you know, been there and will continue to be there. And we're working very close with representatives from Texas, and it's a horrible thing that took place. Absolutely horrible. So, we say God bless all of the people that have gone through so much, and God bless, God bless the state of Texas. It's an incredible place. Any questions for us?
Reporter: Mr. President, are you still planning to phase out FEMA?
Trump: Well, FEMA is something we can talk about later, but right now they're busy working, so we'll leave it at that. Go ahead.
Reporter: For the trade letters that you're sending out on Monday, Secretary Bessent said that it would be a three-week extension, and that rates could go back up to the April 2nd level on August 1st. Is that what we should –
Trump: Well, we're going to be sending letters out on Monday having to do with the trade deals. It could be 12, maybe 15. You know, Secretary of Commerce right here. And I guess, Howard, I would say it could be maybe as many as 15 or so. And they'll be going out on Monday, and some will go out on Tuesday and Wednesday. And it'll, and we've, we've made deals also, so we're going to have a combination of letters. And some deals have been made.
Reporter: Mr. President, your reaction to Elon Musk starting a third party?
Trump: I think it's ridiculous to start a third party. We have had tremendous success with the Republican party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it's always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion. It really seems to have been developed for two parties. Third parties have never worked, so he can have fun with it, but I think it's ridiculous.
Reporter: Mr. President, what's your feedback? [inaudible] all this feedback from Elon?
Howard Lutnick: [laughter]
Trump: Go ahead.
Reporter: What's your message going to be to Netanyahu tomorrow?
Trump: Well, we're working on a lot of things with Israel, and one of the things is probably a permanent deal with Iran. Otherwise they have to give up all of the things that you know so well. The attack turned out according to every, every single Atomic Energy Commission, that was a complete and total obliteration. And we had the pilots, as you know, at the White House on Friday. They were incredible. And they confirmed that – they know better than anybody, by the way – but they confirmed that every bomb hit its mark perfectly, and they would have to start all over again at a different location. This one is as see – You know, the word I used was the correct word, obliteration.
Reporter: What would your message be on Gaza to Netanyahu?
Trump: I think we're close to a deal on Gaza. We could have it this week.
Reporter: Mr. President, Democrats are blaming your federal cuts for the deaths over in Texas –
Trump: I can't hear you.
Question: Mr. President, [inaudible] hostages?
Trump: I think there's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the week, during the coming week pertaining to quite a few of the hostages. Yeah. You know, we've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out. We think we'll have that done this week.
Reporter: Mr. President, do the tariff rates change at all on July 9th, or do they change on August 1st?
Trump: What are you talking about?
Reporter: Tariff rates, do they change on July 9th or August 1st?
Trump: They're going to be – Tariffs are tariffs are going to be the tariffs. I think we'll have most countries done by July 9th. Yeah. Either a letter or a deal.
Lutnick: But they did – But they go into effect on August 1st. Tariffs go into effect August 1st, but the President is setting the rates and the deals right now. Okay.
Reporter: Are you investigating whether some of the cuts to the federal government left key vacancies at the National Weather Service or in the emergency coordination?
Trump: No, no.
Lutnick: They did not.
Trump: They didn’t. I'll tell you if you look at that, that water situation, that all is — That was really the Biden setup. That was not our setup, but I wouldn't blame Biden for it either. I would just say this is a 100-year catastrophe, and it's just so horrible to watch.
Reporter: Are you trying to visit Texas, Mr. President?
Trump: Yeah, probably on Friday. We wanted to leave a little time. I would've done it today, but we'd just be in their way. Probably Friday.
Reporter: Mr. President, have you been briefed on the ship that was hit in the Red Sea? Do you know if the Houthis attacked that ship today?
Trump: We'll give you a report sometime tonight or tomorrow.
Reporter: Mr. President, the DC City Council has not approved the new stadium for the Commanders. If they don't approve it, will you step in?
Trump: Well, we see what happens. I've been looking at the deal and, you know, I don't blame them, they have to. It's a very important piece of property. It's a great piece of property, so we'll see. But if I can help them out, I will. You know, ultimately we control that. The federal government ultimately controls it, so we'll see what happens. I saw the plans, I saw the stadium. The owner is very, very successful and a very good man. I know him a little bit, and it'll be a great place for the NFL to be there, I can tell you that. So if they want to negotiate a little tough, that's okay with me.
Reporter: Might we see the Commanders change the name back to Redskins?
Trump: Well, you want me to make a controversial statement? I would. I wouldn't have changed the name. But that's there, it just doesn't have the same – It doesn't have the same ring to me, but you know, winning can make everything sound good. So if they win, all of a sudden the Commanders sounds good, but I wouldn't have changed the name.
Reporter: Why not help Ukraine the way you help Israel?
Trump: Say it?
Reporter: Why not help Ukraine the same way you help Israel?
Trump: I am helping Ukraine. I'm helping it a lot. And it's a war that should have never happened. It's a war that should have never started. If I were president, if the election weren't rigged, and it was rigged, rigged it so badly, and that's come out, read Miranda Divine and the New York Post, today, the election was totally rigged. And if it weren't rigged, you wouldn't have a war with Russia right now, and you wouldn't have had inflation, and you wouldn't have had the horrible Afghanistan the way they left. Not that they left, we would've been out before them, but the way they left the war. I think the most embarrassing day in the history of our country. You wouldn't have had the October horror show with Israel and Hamas. You wouldn't have had any of it. You wouldn't have had the recent showdown with Iran. You wouldn't have had any of it, and you wouldn't have had inflation.
Reporter: How about that -- So you said you had a strategic call with Zelenskyy the other day. What strategy did you just --
Trump: I thought it was a good call. He's being hit very hard, as I said he would, he's being hit very hard, and I was very disappointed with my call with President Putin. I was very disappointed.
Reporter: Mr. President, in light of the floods, do you think that the federal government needs to hire back any of the meteorologists who were fired in the last few months?
Trump: I, I wouldn't know that. I really wouldn't. I would think not. This was the thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it. Nobody saw it. Very talented people are there, and they didn't see it. It's, I guess, they said once in a hundred years they've never seen anything like that, so I wouldn't – I mean, people are trying to blame the school. They're trying to blame the camp. They're trying to blame – It, it's just a horrible thing, but, no, I wouldn't say that. No.
Reporter: Secretary Lutnick, are you expecting any deals to be signed this week and what countries are closest to that?
Lutnick: Well, the President is right in the midst of discussing all sorts of deals with all sorts of countries, and the gentleman to my right's going to decide, and I'm going to be with him when he makes that decision.
Trump: Thank you very much. Thank you, everybody. Thank you.