PRESIDENT TRUMP: Sounds very interesting.
MR. SCHWAB: - acknowledge that -
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I didn't know about this one.
MR. SCHWAB: I would like to acknowledge the strong presence of your Cabinet members
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yes.
MR. SCHWAB: - who tremendously contributed to the discussions the last (inaudible).
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Good, I would like to do that. That's very nice.
MR. SCHWAB: Yeah. Now -
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Steven, Wilbur, Gary, Robert, even my General and my various other generals, you know. We're making our military protection a little bit better for us too. So thank you very much. Does everybody understand that? I think so. Thank you all for being here.
MR. SCHWAB: Now my, maybe personal, question would be: What experience from your past have been most useful in preparing you for the Presidency?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, being a businessman has been a great experience for me. I've loved it. I've always loved business. I've always been good at building things, and I've always been successful at making money. I'd buy things that would fail -that would be failures - and I'd turn them around and try and get them for the right price, and then I'd turn them around and make them successful. And I've been good at it. And that takes a certain ability.
And, you know, historically, I guess, there's never really been a businessman or businessperson elected President. It's always been a general or a politician. Throughout history, it's always been a general - you had to be a general - but mostly it was politicians. You never have a businessman.
And then, in all fairness, I was saying to Klaus last night: Had the opposing party to me won - some of whom you backed, some of the people in the room - instead of being up almost 50 percent - the stock market is up since my election almost 50 percent - rather than that, I believe the stock market from that level, the initial level, would have been down close to 50 percent. That's where we were heading. I really believe that - because they were going to put on massive new regulations. You couldn't breathe. It was choking our country to death. And I was able to see that, Klaus, as a businessperson.
The other thing is, I've always seemed to get, for whatever reason, a disproportionate amount of press or media. (Laughter.) Throughout my whole life - somebody will explain someday why - but I've always gotten a lot. (Laughter.) And as businessman I was always treated really well by the press. The numbers speak and things happen, but I've always really had a very good press. And it wasn't until I became a politician that I realized how nasty, how mean, how vicious, and how fake the press can be. As the cameras start going off in the background. (Laughter.)
But overall - I mean, the bottom line - somebody said, well, they couldn't have been that bad because here we are - we're President. And I think we're doing a really great job with my team. I have a team of just tremendous people, and I think we're doing a very special job. And I really believe it was time, and it was time to do that job, because I don't think the United States would have done very well if it went through four or eight more years of regulation and, really, a very anti-business group of people.
We have a very pro-business group. We have regulations cut to a level - in the history of our country, Klaus - this was reported recently. In one year we've cut more regulations in my administration than any other administration in four, eight, or sixteen years, in the one case. We've cut more regulations in one year, and we have a ways to go. I mean, we're probably 50 percent done.
And we're going to have regulation. There's nothing wrong with rules and regulations; you need them. But we've cut more than any administration ever in the history of our country, and we still have a ways to go. So I think between that and the tremendous tax cuts, we've really done something.
And one other thing I said - and I saw it last night with some of the leaders and the businesspeople - I think I've been a cheerleader for our country, and everybody representing a company or a country has to be a cheerleader, or no matter what you do, it's just not going to work. And the reason I'm a cheerleader is because it's easy - because I love our country and I think we're just doing really well.
And we look forward to seeing you in America - special place - and where you are is a special place also.
Thank you all very much. I appreciate it. (Applause.)
MR. SCHWAB: Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. President, for being with us.
The World Economic Forum community, who is assembled here, will be certainly - and I quote you from the last piece of your remarks - will be certainly among "the hardworking men and women who do their duty each and every day making this world a better place for everyone."
Thank you very much for being with us.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you very much everybody. Thank you. (Applause.)
END
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