Remarks by President Trump in Press Conference After Midterm Elections
THE PRESIDENT: True. That's true.
Q And some of the statistics are disturbing, I think, to just about everyone. Anti-Semitic incidents have increased by 57 percent since 2016. Hate crimes are on the rise. Why do you think that is? And what will you do about it as President?
THE PRESIDENT: It's very sad to see it. I hate to see it. And, as you know, I've done more - in fact, if you were with us the last time we met, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that, "This President has done more for Israel than any other President." Those words. Those exact words.
Jerusalem, protection, working together - so many different things. But the big thing is Jerusalem. You know, many, many President have said they are going to build the embassy in Jerusalem. Never happened. Making it the capital of Israel - never happened. Never happened. But it happened with me, and quickly.
And not only did it happen, we built the embassy. That would have taken another 15 or 20 years and cost probably billions of dollars, and we did it for a tiny amount of money. It's already done. It's open.
Nobody has done more for Israel than Donald Trump. And the nice part is that's not me saying it; that's Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Q But what about the - Mr. President, what about the divides in this country? Mr. President, what about healing the divides in this country - addressing those issues, specifically?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we want to see - we want to see it healed. And one of the things I think that can help heal is the success of our country. We are really successful now. We've gone up $11.7 trillion in - in worth.
If you know, China has come down tremendously. Tremendously. China would have superseded us in two years as an economic power; now, they're not even close.
China got rid of their "China '25" because I found it very insulting. I said that to them. I said, "China '25" is very insulting, because "China '25" means, in 2025, they're going to take over, economically, the world. I said, "That's not happening."
And we've gone way up. They've gone down. And I don't want them to go down. We'll have a good meeting and we're going to see what we can do.
But I have to say this: Billions of dollars will soon be pouring into our Treasury from taxes that China is paying for us. And if you speak to Mr. Pillsbury, who probably is the leading authority on China - he was on the other day saying he has never seen anything like it. And you know who else hasn't? China hasn't.
Q And Mr. President -
THE PRESIDENT: But we're going to try and make a deal with China because I want to have great relationships with President Xi, as I do, and also with China.
Q - you're talking about the economic -
THE PRESIDENT: Okay.
Q How do you see your role -
THE PRESIDENT: All right.
Q - as a moral leader?
THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead, please.
Q Mr. President, just how do you see -
THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead, please. Please, please.
Q - your role as a moral leader?
THE PRESIDENT: Please, please. Go ahead. There's so many people, I'm sorry. Go ahead.
Q As a moral leader, though?
THE PRESIDENT: I think I am a great moral leader, and I love our country.
Go ahead, please.
Q Thank you, sir. You said earlier in this press conference that Democrats had a choice; that you would not work with them on legislation if they were investigating you. Do you not have a choice in the matter as well? Don't you have a responsibility -
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think it's inappropriate - no, no. I think it's very inappropriate.
We should get along and get deals done. Now, we can investigate. They look at us. We look at them. It goes on for two years. Then, at the end of two years, nothing is done.
Now, what's bad for them is, being in the majority, I'm just going to blame them. You understand. I'm going to blame them. They're the majority.
Honestly, it makes it much simpler for me. I - they will be blamed. But I think Nancy Pelosi - and, you know, I put that statement out on social media today about Nancy Pelosi that, if she's short of votes - because frankly, I think she deserves - and a lot of people thought I was being sarcastic or I was kidding. I wasn't.
I think she deserves it. She's been fighting long for it. She's been fighting - I really mean this. This was - there was nothing sarcastic about it or - it was really meant in - with very good intentions. I think she deserves it. She's fought long and hard. She's a very capable person. And, you know, you have other people shooting at her, trying to take over the Speakership.
And I said, if - if it's appropriate - I said, if we can and if we will, if she has a problem, I think I would be able to very easily supply her the necessary votes.
That's not said in any way other than I really believe she deserves that position. I also believe that Nancy Pelosi and I can work together and get a lot of things done, along with Mitch and everybody else that we have to work with. I think we'll get a lot done.
Q Mr. President, why can't you -
THE PRESIDENT: Okay, go ahead.
Q Mr. President, why can't you -
THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead.
Q Mr. President, why can't you do that while subpoenas are coming through?
THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me?
Q Why can't you work together while there are subpoenas or while there are investigations in process?
THE PRESIDENT: I think we will. Look, now that the election is over - the election is over. Now everybody is in love. But then I see the hostility of questions in the room. I come in here as a nice person wanting to answer questions and I have people jumping out of their - their seats, screaming questions at me.
No, the election is over. And I'm, you know, very - I am extraordinarily happy. I really am. And, by the way, I'd tell you if I wasn't.
Look at what happened in Florida. Look at what happened in Georgia. Look at what happened in so many locations with governorships. Nobody talks about the governorships. Look at the amount of work that was given to these other candidates against my candidate.
And, I mean, I'm extraordinarily happy. And if I wasn't, I'd let you know. There's nothing wrong. I mean, look, you look at midterms and you look at elections - elections generally, you see it's very rare that a party who has the presidency does well. We did unbelievably well. To win Florida, both the Senate and the governorship against two very talented people.
I'll tell you what: We did incredibly. To win Georgia, where you had some of the biggest stars campaigning endlessly, including President Obama. You know, I'll tell you what: This was a great victory for us. And again, from a dealmaking standpoint, we are all much better off the way it turned out. Because I really believe, if the Democrats want to, we can do a tremendous amount of great legislation.
Yes, please. Go ahead.
Should we keep this going for a little while?
Q Yes!
Q Yes, I think you should keep this going.
THE PRESIDENT: When you get bored, would you please tell me? Seriously, tell me. I don't want to -
Q We're never bored.
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, no. Hopefully not. I don't want to overstay. But, yes, please. Go ahead.
Q Hi, Mr. President. Yamiche Alcindor with PBS NewsHour. On the campaign trail, you called yourself a nationalist. Some people saw that as emboldening white nationalists. Now people are also saying -
THE PRESIDENT: I don't know why you'd say that. That's such a racist question.
Q There are some people that say that now the Republican Party is seen as supporting white nationalists because of your rhetoric. What do you make of that?
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, I don't believe that. I don't believe that.
I don't believe - well, I don't know. Why do I have my highest poll numbers ever with African Americans? Why do I have among the highest poll numbers with African Americans? I mean, why do I have my highest poll numbers? That's such a racist question.
Honestly, I mean, I know you have it written down, and you're going to tell me. Let me tell you: It's a racist question.
Q And Mr. President -
THE PRESIDENT: I love - and you know what the word is? I love our country. I do. You call - you have nationalists. You have globalists. I also love the world and I don't mind helping the world, but we have to straighten out our country first. We have a lot of problems.
Q And -
THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me. But to say that - what you said is so insulting to me. It's a very terrible thing that you said.
Q And Mr. President - Mr. President, people have -
THE PRESIDENT: Okay. Please, go ahead. Go ahead.
Q You've talked about -
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