Remarks by President Trump in Press Conference After Midterm Elections
If they would cover me fairly - which they don't. Which they don't. I'm not saying that in a hostile way. I get extremely inaccurate coverage. I can do something that's fantastic, and they'll make it look like not good. And I don't mind being - having bad stories. If I make a mistake, cover it. I would like you to cover it fairly, but cover it.
But when you do something terrific - look how little the economy is talked about. A poll came out this morning talking about how little the three networks - I don't think they included CNN - but how little the three networks talk about how good the economy is. How little. Almost not at all.
If President Obama had this economy - and, by the way, if that administration, through somebody else, kept going, you would have had negative 4.2 instead of positive 4.2 percent growth. You would have had negative. It was heading down.
But here - the point is this -
Q (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me. I would love to see unity, including with the media. Because I think the media - I'll be honest: I think it's a very divisive thing for our country. And you would be amazed at how smart people are that are reading your stories and seeing your stories and watching. You would be amazed how perceptive and how smart they are. They get it. And it really does bring disunity.
Q (Off-mic.) (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me. You are not - you are not called on.
Q Mr. President -
THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead, please.
Q Thank you, President Trump. Shortly after your victory speech on the historic night of - back in November 2016, I asked you to what single factor you most attributed this victory to.
THE PRESIDENT: Say it? You have to speak up.
Q Sure. On the night of your victory, I asked you, right after your speech, to what you would attribute your victory. You pointed up to the ceiling, and you said that it was God. Based off of that, how would you say, over the last two years, God plays - what kind of a factor He plays in the day-to-day execution of the Office of the Presidency?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, God plays a big factor in my life, and God plays a factor in the lives of many people that I know very well in this room, like your Vice President. God plays a very big role in my life.
Q And one more - one more back to - a quick one. Quick follow-up. Which loss last night surprised you the most? And which of these unsuccessful candidates are you most likely to consider for a future administration?
THE PRESIDENT: Nothing surprises me in politics.
Q Would you consider any -
THE PRESIDENT: But there were some losses last night. And there were some victories last night that have been incredible. I mean, there were victories last night that nobody would believe, especially based on the suppression polls. They had a lot of suppression polls.
Q Would you consider any -
THE PRESIDENT: And there were some victories last night that were very surprising, but I'm not going to pick out special - you know, special people.
Q Would you consider any for a post?
THE PRESIDENT: It's tough enough for those people to have a loss.
Q Would you consider any for an administration post, moving forward? As one of the very few of the 3.7 percent unemployed -
THE PRESIDENT: Would I what? What?
Q Would you consider any of the people who lost last night for a post in the administration in the near future?
THE PRESIDENT: I know a couple of very good ones. Yeah, I would, actually.
Go ahead, please.
Q Mr. President - Mr. President, I asked you on Monday if there was anything that you regret in your first two years. And you said that, at times, you could have and should have used a, quote, "softer tone." Your critics, as you can imagine - your skeptics - they say they're not holding their breath on that happening. Will you indeed have to change your tone if you're to get things passed through Congress after losing the House?
And you also said you might extend an olive branch. What would that look like?
THE PRESIDENT: I would love to have - I would love to have - I'd be very good at a low tone. But when things are done not correctly about you - written about you, said about you on television, on wherever it is - you have to defend yourself.
I would love to do a very - a very even tone. It's much easier than what I have to do. I have to go around. And going around is much easier than facing somebody and being treated fairly. But when you're not treated fairly, you really have no choice.
I would love to have a very even, modest, boring tone. I would be very honored by that. But you know what? When you have to fight - all the time fight - because you're being misrepresented by the media, you really can't do that.
Q But not about the media, sir. But, sir, real quickly - not about the media, but what about with Congress?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, please. Go ahead.
Q Mr. President, can you tell us how you focus on the economic -
THE PRESIDENT: Where are you from, please?
Q Japan. Prime Minister Abe.
THE PRESIDENT: Okay. Say hello. Say hello to Shinzo.
Q Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: I'm sure he's happy about tariffs on his cars. Go ahead.
Q That's my question, actually. So how you focus on the trade and economic issues with Japan? Will you ask Japan to do more? Will you change your tone?
THE PRESIDENT: I don't - I really don't understand you.
Q How would you focus on trade and economic -
THE PRESIDENT: Trade with Japan?
Q Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we're dealing with Japan right now on trade. Japan has - it's a great country. You have a great Prime Minister who just had a very successful election. He's a very good friend of mine. He's one of the people I'm closest with.
And - but I tell him all the time that Japan does not treat the United States fairly on trade. They send in millions of cars at a very low tax. They don't take our cars. And if they do, they have a massive tax on their cars.
Japan - and I'm not blaming Japan; I'm blaming the people that were in charge of the United States for allowing that to happen.
But as you know, we have close to $100 billion trade deficit with Japan. And Japan has treated us very unfairly. But don't feel lonely because you weren't the only one.
Q How about North Korea? How about North Korea?
Q Thank you, Mr. President. Two international questions. The first one: Secretary Pompeo's talks with North Korea have been postponed. What is happening there?
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, nothing -
Q And will your meeting still happen with -
THE PRESIDENT: No, we're going to change it because of trips that are being made. We're going to make it at another date. But we're very happy how it's going with North Korea. We think it's going fine. We're in no rush. We're in no hurry. The sanctions are on.
Q You still expect to meet Kim Jong Un?
THE PRESIDENT: No, no. Listen. Excuse me. Wait.
Q Sorry, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: The sanctions are on. The missiles have stopped. The rockets have stopped. The hostages are home. The great heroes have been coming home.
Mike Pence was in Hawaii, where the - one of the most beautiful ceremonies that anyone has ever seen for the fallen. These are great heroes. Very important. When I was running, a lot of people - as many years ago as it was - in many cases, grandchildren - but they were asking about that. They're coming home and they're being provided to us as we speak.
But I'm in no rush. I'm in no rush. The sanctions are on. I read a couple of times, and I've seen a few times where they said, "He's done so much." What have I done? I met.
Now, I'd love to take the sanctions off. But they have to be responsive, too. It's a two-way street.
But we're not in any rush at all. There's no rush whatsoever. You know, before I got here, they were dealing with this for over 70 years. And I guess, on a nuclear front, for 25 years. That's a long time.
I've been there; I probably left Singapore four or five months ago. And we made more progress in that four or five months than they've made in 70 years. And nobody else could have done what I've done.
But I'll say this - I'll say this very simply: We're in no rush. The sanctions are on. And whenever it is - but that meeting is going to be rescheduled.
Q That meeting - but about your meeting with Kim Jong Un, sir, will it happen in the next months?
THE PRESIDENT: Sometime next year, I would say.
Q Sometime next year?
THE PRESIDENT: Sometime - sometime early next year. Yeah.
Q And a quick question on the USMCA. Now that it's been concluded, have you repaired your relationship with Prime Minister Trudeau?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I have. We have a very good relationship.
Q Thank you very much, Mr. President. We've been talking a lot about division and the division that exists in this country right now.
Go Back
