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Remarks by President Trump and Prime Minister May of the United Kingdom in Joint Press Conference
Q Jonathan Swan from Axios. Mr. President, two questions, if I may. The first one: Now your British trip is coming to a close, could you tell us the three or four things you hope to achieve in your meeting with Vladimir Putin? And the second question: What's the benefit to America of having tens of thousands of American troops stationed in Europe? Thank you.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: So I'll be meeting with President Putin on Monday. We go into the meeting with a tremendous meeting that we had with NATO. Most of you have reported it correctly. It was - certainly it was testy at the beginning, but at the end, everybody came together and they agreed to do what they should do - and actually, what they've committed to do, which you fully adhered to. You didn't have a problem, but some people did. And we left that meeting, I think, probably more unified and wealthier as a group than ever before. So we go in strong.
We'll be talking to President Putin about a number of things: Ukraine. We'll be talking about Syria. We'll be talking about other parts of the Middle East. I will be talking about nuclear proliferation, because we are massively - you know - you know what we've been doing. We've been modernizing and fixing and buying. And it's just a devastating technology. And they, likewise, are doing a lot. And it's a very, very bad policy. We have no choice. But we are massively big and they are very big. And I'll be talking about nuclear proliferation. That would be a great thing if we can do.
Now, it's not only us. It's not only Russia and the United States. It's other countries also. But we're the two leaders. We would be the leader; they would be second. I guess China would be third. I think we'll all be talking about that. To me, Jonathan, I think that would be a tremendous - that would be a tremendous achievement if we could do something on nuclear proliferation.
And we'll be talking about other things. I know you'll ask will we be talking about meddling. And I will absolutely bring that up. I don't think you'll have any "Gee, I did it. I did it. You got me." There won't be a Perry Mason here, I don't think. But you never know what happens, right? But I will absolutely firmly ask the question.
And hopefully we'll have a very good relationship with Russia. You know, I think having - and the Prime Minister would agree. We have a good relationship with Russia and with China and with other countries. That's a good thing, not a bad thing. So hopefully that will happen, Jonathan. Okay?
Q Here's the second one, which was about the troops. What's the benefit to America? The benefit to America -
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yeah. The troops where, though? Where?
Q Europe.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, look, there is a benefit. There's a psychological benefit and there's a military benefit. There's also a benefit not to do it. I mean, I was prepared to do things that would have been somewhat harsh yesterday. A lot of people were surprised that NATO all came together at the end.
But - and it wasn't a threat. I mean, it was just an unfair situation. The United States was paying, you know, anywhere from 70 to 90. And I choose 90, depending on the way you want to calculate. We were paying 90 percent of the cost of NATO. And NATO is really there for Europe, much more so than us. It helps Europe whether - no matter what our military people or your military people say, it helps Europe more than it helps us.
That being said, it is a great unifier. You know, we have 29 countries. And there was a lot of love in that room. So I think - and we have a lot more than - you know, Jonathan, when you say 10,000 troops, we have a lot more than 10,000 troops.
Q Tens of thousands.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: How much?
Q Tens of thousands.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Oh, tens of. I thought you said 10,000. Because in Germany, we have 52,000 troops. And we have - we have a lot of troops in Europe.
That being said, we're helping Europe. They're helping us. We're all together. And I'm fine with it.
PRIME MINISTER MAY: Thank you.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: And - and, by the way, very importantly, they're now paying their way in a much more rapid fashion.
Yes.
PRIME MINISTER MAY: Thank you. Francis.
Q Francis Elliott, The Times. Prime Minister, I wonder whether you agree with the President of the United States that immigration has damaged the cultural fabric of Europe. And, President, perhaps you could elaborate on that remark. What do you mean by that?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I think it's been very bad for Europe. I think Europe is a place I know very well, and I think that what has happened is very tough. It's a very tough situation. I mean, you see the same terror attacks that I do. We see them a lot. We just left some incredible young men - men and women - at Sandhurst. And they were showing us cells and they were showing us things that, frankly, 20 years ago nobody even thought about. Probably at a lot more recently than that - nobody even thought about.
I just think it's changing the culture. I think it's a very negative thing for Europe. I think it's very negative. I think having Germany - and I have a great relationship with Angela Merkel. Great relationship with Germany. But I think that's very much hurt Germany. I think it's very much hurt other parts of Europe.
And I know it's politically not necessarily correct to say that. But I'll say it and I'll say it loud. And I think they better watch themselves because you are changing culture. You are changing a lot of things. You're changing security. You're changing - look at what's happening. I mean, you take a look. I mean, look at what's happening to different countries that never had difficulty, never had problems.
It's a very sad situation. It's very unfortunate. But I do not think it's good for Europe and I don't think it's good for our country. We're, as you know, far superior to anything that's happened before, but we have very bad immigration laws and we're - I mean, we're doing incredibly well considering the fact that we virtually don't have immigration laws. We have laws that are so bad, I don't even call them "laws." I call them - it's just like, you just walk across the border. You walk across the border, you put one foot on the land and now you're tied up in a lawsuit for five years. It's the craziest thing anyone has ever seen.
So I would just make that recommendation to Europe. I've made it very loud and clear. I made it yesterday - 29 countries total. And that's the way I feel.
PRIME MINISTER MAY: The UK has a proud history of welcoming people who are fleeing persecution to our country. We have a proud history of welcoming people who want to come to our country to contribute to our economy and contribute to our society. And over the years, overall immigration has been good for the UK. It's brought people with different backgrounds, different outlooks here to the UK, and has - and we've seen them contributing to our society and to our economy.
Of course, what is important is that we have control of our borders. What is important is that we have a set of rules that enables us to determine who comes into our country. And of course, that is what, as a government, we have been doing for a number of years and will be able to continue to do in the future.
Mr. President.
Q Thank you very much. Mr. President, you have spent the week taking on NATO Allies, criticizing Prime Minister May on her own soil -
PRESIDENT TRUMP: (Inaudible.)
Q - and I wonder if - are you giving Russian President Vladimir Putin the upper hand heading into your talks, given that you are challenging these alliances that he seeks to break up and destroy?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: See, that's such dishonest reporting because - of course, it happens to be NBC, which is possibly worse than CNN. Possibly. Possibly.
Q (Inaudible.)
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Possibly. Let me explain something. We have left NATO with more money, with more unity, with more spirit than NATO probably has ever had. We have a strong and powerful NATO. When I became President, we didn't. We had people that weren't paying their bills; we had people that were way down. We had people that weren't following their commitments.
In addition to that, we've become an oil exporter, which would not have happened under the past regime or a new regime, if it weren't us. We have built up our military - $700 billion. And then, next year, as you know, $716 billion.
When you look at what we've done in terms of Russia, I guarantee whoever it is in Russia, they're saying, "Oh, gee, do we wish that Trump was not the victor in that election." We have been far tougher on Russia than anybody - anybody - and probably even - look, I'm not going to go down 100 years, but certainly we have been extremely tough on Russia, including the fact that, when the Prime Minister called, when they had a horrible thing happen right here - very close by - she asked would I do something. And maybe I'd let you tell the number, and it was far greater than anybody else, including the Prime Minister. We expelled how many people?
PRIME MINISTER MAY: Sixty.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yeah, 60. And Germany did three, as an example. So Germany - big country, powerful country - they did three. The fake news doesn't want to talk about it. So it really is - we have been very strong on Russia.
Now, with all that being said, if I had a relationship with Putin - I don't know him. I met him twice, maybe three times - two and a half times. Most of you were there when we did. We met him at the G20. And if we could develop a relationship, which is good for Russia, good for us, good for everybody - that would be great. If I had a relationship with China - you know, we're in a big trade situation with China, as an example, where we're behind every year, for many years - $500 billion. It's just not going to happen anymore.
So if we got along with countries, that's a good thing. If we get along with China, Russia - that's a good thing, not a bad thing.
Q And I take your point, (inaudible) these headlines about the fighting. I take your point about what happened at the end of NATO -
PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, no. No, the headline he sees isn't the headline - yes, there was fighting because I said, "You got to put up - you got to put up more money. We have to be stronger. We have to be unified." The headline he sees isn't what's happened during the morning. The headline he sees is what happened in the afternoon, where we came together as one, where they're putting up billions of dollars more.
I'll give you an example - and you know this is a confirmed number - $34 billion more was raised since I became President, in NATO. That means that the other 28 countries have put in $34 billion more into NATO. Do you think Putin is happy about that? I don't think so. But we have a lot of false reporting in this country. I don't think you have that in your country. Do you, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER MAY: (Laughs.)
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Okay, go ahead. Ask the Prime Minister.
Q I'd like to ask you a question as well. President Trump told The Sun, "I think the deal she is striking on Brexit is not what the people voted for." Is he wrong? Are you offering up a Brexit-light? And I wonder if we could get your reaction to him saying that Boris Johnson would be a great Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER MAY: Well, first of all, on the deal that we have put on the table, the agreement that we have put on the table - as I said earlier in response to Laura's first question, this does deliver on the vote of the British people. The British people voted to leave the European Union. And I heard the turn of phrase that the President used earlier, but let me be very clear about this: We will be leaving the European Union, and we are leaving on the 29th of March, 2019.
As we leave the European Union, we will be delivering on what people voted for: an end to free movement; an end to sending vast amounts of money to the European Union every year; an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice here in the United Kingdom; coming out of the Common Fisheries Policy; coming out of the Common Agricultural Policy; and ensuring, by coming out of the Customs Union, that we can have an independent trade policy that enables us to negotiate trade deals with the United States and with other countries around the rest of the world. That's what the British people voted for and that's what we will be delivering.
We will deliver it in a way that protects jobs and livelihoods, and meets our commitment to the border in between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
And, Robert -
Q (Inaudible) on Boris Johnson? Comments about Boris Johnson?
PRIME MINISTER MAY: Well, Boris - the President -
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I'll respond. They said - unrelated - not related - we have the tape. You can ask Sarah; get it from Sarah. We taped the entire interview. They asked about Boris Johnson. I said, yeah - how would he be as a Prime Minister? I said, he'll be a great Prime Minister. He's been very nice to me. He's been saying very good things about me as President. I think he thinks I'm doing a great job. I am doing a great job, that I can tell you - just in case you haven't noticed. But Boris Johnson, I think would be a great Prime Minister.
I also said that this incredible woman, right here, is doing a fantastic job, a great job. And I mean that. And I must say that I have gotten to know Theresa May much better over the last two days than I've known her over the last year and half. I mean, we spent more time in the last two days. Yesterday, I had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with her. Then I said, "What are we doing tomorrow?" Which is today. "Oh, you're having breakfast and lunch with Theresa May." And I'm going to see you later on again.
But I've actually gotten to know her better than ever, and I think she's a terrific woman. I think she's doing a terrific job. And that Brexit is a very tough situation. That's a tough deal, between the borders and the entries into the countries, and all of the things. So she's going to do the best.
Go Back
PRESIDENT TRUMP: So I'll be meeting with President Putin on Monday. We go into the meeting with a tremendous meeting that we had with NATO. Most of you have reported it correctly. It was - certainly it was testy at the beginning, but at the end, everybody came together and they agreed to do what they should do - and actually, what they've committed to do, which you fully adhered to. You didn't have a problem, but some people did. And we left that meeting, I think, probably more unified and wealthier as a group than ever before. So we go in strong.
We'll be talking to President Putin about a number of things: Ukraine. We'll be talking about Syria. We'll be talking about other parts of the Middle East. I will be talking about nuclear proliferation, because we are massively - you know - you know what we've been doing. We've been modernizing and fixing and buying. And it's just a devastating technology. And they, likewise, are doing a lot. And it's a very, very bad policy. We have no choice. But we are massively big and they are very big. And I'll be talking about nuclear proliferation. That would be a great thing if we can do.
Now, it's not only us. It's not only Russia and the United States. It's other countries also. But we're the two leaders. We would be the leader; they would be second. I guess China would be third. I think we'll all be talking about that. To me, Jonathan, I think that would be a tremendous - that would be a tremendous achievement if we could do something on nuclear proliferation.
And we'll be talking about other things. I know you'll ask will we be talking about meddling. And I will absolutely bring that up. I don't think you'll have any "Gee, I did it. I did it. You got me." There won't be a Perry Mason here, I don't think. But you never know what happens, right? But I will absolutely firmly ask the question.
And hopefully we'll have a very good relationship with Russia. You know, I think having - and the Prime Minister would agree. We have a good relationship with Russia and with China and with other countries. That's a good thing, not a bad thing. So hopefully that will happen, Jonathan. Okay?
Q Here's the second one, which was about the troops. What's the benefit to America? The benefit to America -
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yeah. The troops where, though? Where?
Q Europe.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, look, there is a benefit. There's a psychological benefit and there's a military benefit. There's also a benefit not to do it. I mean, I was prepared to do things that would have been somewhat harsh yesterday. A lot of people were surprised that NATO all came together at the end.
But - and it wasn't a threat. I mean, it was just an unfair situation. The United States was paying, you know, anywhere from 70 to 90. And I choose 90, depending on the way you want to calculate. We were paying 90 percent of the cost of NATO. And NATO is really there for Europe, much more so than us. It helps Europe whether - no matter what our military people or your military people say, it helps Europe more than it helps us.
That being said, it is a great unifier. You know, we have 29 countries. And there was a lot of love in that room. So I think - and we have a lot more than - you know, Jonathan, when you say 10,000 troops, we have a lot more than 10,000 troops.
Q Tens of thousands.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: How much?
Q Tens of thousands.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Oh, tens of. I thought you said 10,000. Because in Germany, we have 52,000 troops. And we have - we have a lot of troops in Europe.
That being said, we're helping Europe. They're helping us. We're all together. And I'm fine with it.
PRIME MINISTER MAY: Thank you.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: And - and, by the way, very importantly, they're now paying their way in a much more rapid fashion.
Yes.
PRIME MINISTER MAY: Thank you. Francis.
Q Francis Elliott, The Times. Prime Minister, I wonder whether you agree with the President of the United States that immigration has damaged the cultural fabric of Europe. And, President, perhaps you could elaborate on that remark. What do you mean by that?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I think it's been very bad for Europe. I think Europe is a place I know very well, and I think that what has happened is very tough. It's a very tough situation. I mean, you see the same terror attacks that I do. We see them a lot. We just left some incredible young men - men and women - at Sandhurst. And they were showing us cells and they were showing us things that, frankly, 20 years ago nobody even thought about. Probably at a lot more recently than that - nobody even thought about.
I just think it's changing the culture. I think it's a very negative thing for Europe. I think it's very negative. I think having Germany - and I have a great relationship with Angela Merkel. Great relationship with Germany. But I think that's very much hurt Germany. I think it's very much hurt other parts of Europe.
And I know it's politically not necessarily correct to say that. But I'll say it and I'll say it loud. And I think they better watch themselves because you are changing culture. You are changing a lot of things. You're changing security. You're changing - look at what's happening. I mean, you take a look. I mean, look at what's happening to different countries that never had difficulty, never had problems.
It's a very sad situation. It's very unfortunate. But I do not think it's good for Europe and I don't think it's good for our country. We're, as you know, far superior to anything that's happened before, but we have very bad immigration laws and we're - I mean, we're doing incredibly well considering the fact that we virtually don't have immigration laws. We have laws that are so bad, I don't even call them "laws." I call them - it's just like, you just walk across the border. You walk across the border, you put one foot on the land and now you're tied up in a lawsuit for five years. It's the craziest thing anyone has ever seen.
So I would just make that recommendation to Europe. I've made it very loud and clear. I made it yesterday - 29 countries total. And that's the way I feel.
PRIME MINISTER MAY: The UK has a proud history of welcoming people who are fleeing persecution to our country. We have a proud history of welcoming people who want to come to our country to contribute to our economy and contribute to our society. And over the years, overall immigration has been good for the UK. It's brought people with different backgrounds, different outlooks here to the UK, and has - and we've seen them contributing to our society and to our economy.
Of course, what is important is that we have control of our borders. What is important is that we have a set of rules that enables us to determine who comes into our country. And of course, that is what, as a government, we have been doing for a number of years and will be able to continue to do in the future.
Mr. President.
Q Thank you very much. Mr. President, you have spent the week taking on NATO Allies, criticizing Prime Minister May on her own soil -
PRESIDENT TRUMP: (Inaudible.)
Q - and I wonder if - are you giving Russian President Vladimir Putin the upper hand heading into your talks, given that you are challenging these alliances that he seeks to break up and destroy?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: See, that's such dishonest reporting because - of course, it happens to be NBC, which is possibly worse than CNN. Possibly. Possibly.
Q (Inaudible.)
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Possibly. Let me explain something. We have left NATO with more money, with more unity, with more spirit than NATO probably has ever had. We have a strong and powerful NATO. When I became President, we didn't. We had people that weren't paying their bills; we had people that were way down. We had people that weren't following their commitments.
In addition to that, we've become an oil exporter, which would not have happened under the past regime or a new regime, if it weren't us. We have built up our military - $700 billion. And then, next year, as you know, $716 billion.
When you look at what we've done in terms of Russia, I guarantee whoever it is in Russia, they're saying, "Oh, gee, do we wish that Trump was not the victor in that election." We have been far tougher on Russia than anybody - anybody - and probably even - look, I'm not going to go down 100 years, but certainly we have been extremely tough on Russia, including the fact that, when the Prime Minister called, when they had a horrible thing happen right here - very close by - she asked would I do something. And maybe I'd let you tell the number, and it was far greater than anybody else, including the Prime Minister. We expelled how many people?
PRIME MINISTER MAY: Sixty.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yeah, 60. And Germany did three, as an example. So Germany - big country, powerful country - they did three. The fake news doesn't want to talk about it. So it really is - we have been very strong on Russia.
Now, with all that being said, if I had a relationship with Putin - I don't know him. I met him twice, maybe three times - two and a half times. Most of you were there when we did. We met him at the G20. And if we could develop a relationship, which is good for Russia, good for us, good for everybody - that would be great. If I had a relationship with China - you know, we're in a big trade situation with China, as an example, where we're behind every year, for many years - $500 billion. It's just not going to happen anymore.
So if we got along with countries, that's a good thing. If we get along with China, Russia - that's a good thing, not a bad thing.
Q And I take your point, (inaudible) these headlines about the fighting. I take your point about what happened at the end of NATO -
PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, no. No, the headline he sees isn't the headline - yes, there was fighting because I said, "You got to put up - you got to put up more money. We have to be stronger. We have to be unified." The headline he sees isn't what's happened during the morning. The headline he sees is what happened in the afternoon, where we came together as one, where they're putting up billions of dollars more.
I'll give you an example - and you know this is a confirmed number - $34 billion more was raised since I became President, in NATO. That means that the other 28 countries have put in $34 billion more into NATO. Do you think Putin is happy about that? I don't think so. But we have a lot of false reporting in this country. I don't think you have that in your country. Do you, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER MAY: (Laughs.)
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Okay, go ahead. Ask the Prime Minister.
Q I'd like to ask you a question as well. President Trump told The Sun, "I think the deal she is striking on Brexit is not what the people voted for." Is he wrong? Are you offering up a Brexit-light? And I wonder if we could get your reaction to him saying that Boris Johnson would be a great Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER MAY: Well, first of all, on the deal that we have put on the table, the agreement that we have put on the table - as I said earlier in response to Laura's first question, this does deliver on the vote of the British people. The British people voted to leave the European Union. And I heard the turn of phrase that the President used earlier, but let me be very clear about this: We will be leaving the European Union, and we are leaving on the 29th of March, 2019.
As we leave the European Union, we will be delivering on what people voted for: an end to free movement; an end to sending vast amounts of money to the European Union every year; an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice here in the United Kingdom; coming out of the Common Fisheries Policy; coming out of the Common Agricultural Policy; and ensuring, by coming out of the Customs Union, that we can have an independent trade policy that enables us to negotiate trade deals with the United States and with other countries around the rest of the world. That's what the British people voted for and that's what we will be delivering.
We will deliver it in a way that protects jobs and livelihoods, and meets our commitment to the border in between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
And, Robert -
Q (Inaudible) on Boris Johnson? Comments about Boris Johnson?
PRIME MINISTER MAY: Well, Boris - the President -
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I'll respond. They said - unrelated - not related - we have the tape. You can ask Sarah; get it from Sarah. We taped the entire interview. They asked about Boris Johnson. I said, yeah - how would he be as a Prime Minister? I said, he'll be a great Prime Minister. He's been very nice to me. He's been saying very good things about me as President. I think he thinks I'm doing a great job. I am doing a great job, that I can tell you - just in case you haven't noticed. But Boris Johnson, I think would be a great Prime Minister.
I also said that this incredible woman, right here, is doing a fantastic job, a great job. And I mean that. And I must say that I have gotten to know Theresa May much better over the last two days than I've known her over the last year and half. I mean, we spent more time in the last two days. Yesterday, I had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with her. Then I said, "What are we doing tomorrow?" Which is today. "Oh, you're having breakfast and lunch with Theresa May." And I'm going to see you later on again.
But I've actually gotten to know her better than ever, and I think she's a terrific woman. I think she's doing a terrific job. And that Brexit is a very tough situation. That's a tough deal, between the borders and the entries into the countries, and all of the things. So she's going to do the best.
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