Remarks by President Trump on the National Security and Humanitarian Crisis on our Southern Border | Eastern North Carolina Now

    THE PRESIDENT: I would talk about it. Look, Sean Hannity has been a terrific, terrific supporter of what I do. Not of me. If I changed my views, he wouldn't be with me.

    Rush Limbaugh - I think he's a great guy. Here's a guy who can speak for three hours without a phone call. Try doing that sometime. For three hours, he speaks. He's got one of the biggest audiences in the history of the world. I mean, this guy is unbelievable. Try speaking for three hours without taking calls. Taking calls is easy. "Okay, I'll answer this one. I'll answer that one." He goes for three hours, and he's got an audience that's fantastic.

    Q Should they be -

    THE PRESIDENT: Wait -

    Q Should they be deciding policy, sir?

    THE PRESIDENT: They don't decide policy. In fact, if I went opposite - I mean, they have somebody - Ann Coulter. I don't know her. I hardly know her. I haven't spoken to her in way over a year. But the press loves saying "Ann Coulter." Probably, if I did speak to her, she'd be very nice. I just don't have the time to speak to her. I would speak to her; I have nothing against her.

    In fact, I like her for one reason: When they asked her, like right at the beginning, who was going to win the election, she said, "Donald Trump." And the two people that asked her that question smiled. They said, "You're kidding, aren't you?" "Nope. Donald Trump."

    So I like her, but she's off the reservation. But anybody that knows her understands that. But I haven't spoken to her. I don't follow her. I don't talk to her. But the press loves to bring up the name "Ann Coulter." And you know what? I think she's fine. I think she's good. But I just don't speak to her.

    Laura has been great. Laura Ingraham. Tucker Carlson has been great. I actually have a couple people on CNN that have been very good. I have some on MSNBC. The other day, they did a great report of me. I said, "Where the hell did that come from?" I think it was the only one in over a year.

    So the crazy thing is, I just had, as you know, Rasmussen - 52 percent in the polls. It's my highest poll number. And people get what we're doing. They get it. They really get it. And I'm honored by it.

    Yes. Jim Acosta.

    Q Thank you, Mr. President. I wonder if you could comment on this disconnect that we seem to have in this country, where you are presenting information about what's happening at the border - calling it an "invasion," talking about women with duct tape over their mouths, and so on - and yet there's a lot of reporting out there, there's a lot of crime data out there, there's a lot of Department of Homeland Security data out there that shows border crossings at a near-record low -

    THE PRESIDENT: That's because of us. But it's still -


    Q - that shows undocumented immigrants committing crime at lower levels -

    THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me. It's still massive numbers of crossings.

    Q - that shows undocumented criminals - or undocumented immigrants committing crime at lower levels than native-born Americans. What do you say -

    THE PRESIDENT: You don't really believe that stat, do you? Do you really believe that stat?

    Q What do you - well, let me ask you this -

    THE PRESIDENT: Take a look at our federal prisons.

    Q I believe in facts and statistics and data, but -

    THE PRESIDENT: Okay? Any more? Quick, let's go.

    Q Let me just ask you this: What do you say to your critics who say that you are creating a national emergency, that you're concocting a national emergency here in order to get your wall because you couldn't get it through other ways?

    THE PRESIDENT: I ask the Angel Moms: What do you think? Do you think I'm creating something?

    Ask these incredible women, who lost their daughters and their sons. Okay?

    PARTICIPANT: This is real.

    THE PRESIDENT: Because your question is a very political question because you have an agenda. You're CNN. You're fake news. You have an agenda. The numbers that you gave are wrong.

    Take a look at our federal prison population. See how many of them, percentage-wise, are illegal aliens. Just see. Go ahead and see. It's a fake question.

    Yes. Go ahead.


    Q Can I ask a follow-up?

    Q Thank you, Mr. President. Just to follow up on that, unifying crime reporting statistics - numbers from your own Border Patrol, numbers from this government - show that the amount of illegal immigrants are down, there is not violence on the border, and that most -

    THE PRESIDENT: There's not violence on the border?

    Q There's not as much violence as -

    THE PRESIDENT: Oh, really?

    Q Let me - wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait -

    THE PRESIDENT: You had 26 people killed -

    Q Let me finish the question, please. Let me finish the question, please.

    THE PRESIDENT: Two weeks ago, 26 people were killed in a gunfight on the border -

    Q I understand what you're - I understand what you're saying.

    THE PRESIDENT: - a mile away from where I went.

    Q I was there. I understand. That's not the question. The question is -

    THE PRESIDENT: Do we forget about that?

    Q No, I'm not forgetting about it. I'm asking you to clarify where you get your numbers, because most of the DEA crime reporting statistics that we see show that drugs are coming across at the ports of entry, that illegal immigration is down, and the violence is down.

    THE PRESIDENT: Okay.

    Q So what do you base your facts on?

    THE PRESIDENT: Okay, let me - come on, let's go. Sort of - sort of -

    Q And, secondly -

    THE PRESIDENT: No, no. You get one. You get one. Ready?

    Q Well, the second question is -

    THE PRESIDENT: Just sit down. Wait. Sit down. Sit down.

    Q Could you please answer it?

    THE PRESIDENT: Sit down. You get one question.

    I get my numbers from a lot of sources - like Homeland Security, primarily. And the numbers that I have from Homeland Security are a disaster. And you know what else is a disaster? The numbers that come out of Homeland Security, Kirstjen, for the cost that we spend and the money that we lose because of illegal immigration: Billions and billions of dollars a month. Billions and billions of dollars. And it's unnecessary.

    Q So your own government stats are wrong, are you saying?

    THE PRESIDENT: No, no. I use many stats. I use many stats.

    Q Could you share those stats with us?

    THE PRESIDENT: Let me tell you, you have stats that are far worse than the ones that I use. But I use many stats, but I also use Homeland Security.

    All right, next question.

    Q And do you - wait a minute. Just a quick follow-up.

    THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead. No. Go. Please.

    Q Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to bring you back to China for a second. The White House put out a statement today talking about the March 1st deadline. The other day, though, you gave the possibility that maybe this could slide. Are you eyeing a possible extension - 30 days, maybe 60 days? What is the status there? Or is March 1st the deadline?

    THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Very good question. So it's a very big deal. I guess you could say it's like - must be the biggest deal ever made, if you think. Trade with China, how big does that get? Although if you look, the USCMA is right up there. But it's very complicated. There are many, many points that we're bringing up that nobody ever brought up or thought to bring up, but they're very important, because we were on the wrong side of every one of them.

    There is a possibility that I will extend the date. And if I do that, if I see that we're close to a deal or the deal is going in the right direction, I would do that at the same tariffs that we're charging now. I would not increase the tariffs.

    Q Let me also ask you about the debt, sir, because it's gone from a shade under $20 trillion from when you took office. Now it's a shade over $22 trillion and heading in the wrong direction. What are your plans to reverse it?

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, it's all about growth. But before I -

    Q (Inaudible.)

    THE PRESIDENT: - really focus on that - and you have to remember, President Obama put on more debt on this country than every President in the history of our country combined. So when I took over, we had one man that put on more debt than every other President combined. Combine them all. So you can't be talking about that. But I talk about it because I consider it very important.

    But first, I have to straighten out the military. The military was depleted. And if we don't have a strong military - that hopefully we won't have to use because it's strong - if we don't have a strong military, you don't have to worry about debt; you have bigger problems. So I have to straighten out the military. That's why I did the $700- and $716 billion. But growth will straighten it out.

    You saw last month, the trade deficit went way down. Everybody said, "What happened?" Well, what's happening is growth. But before I can focus too much on that, a very big expense is military. And we have no choice but to straighten out our military.

    Q Is growth the only answer, sir, or is (inaudible)?

    THE PRESIDENT: Yes, ma'am, go ahead.


    Q Thank you, Mr. President. On North Korea - back on the last summit, you guys came out with a pretty general agreement.

    THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

    Q I was wondering what you thought has, you know, been accomplished since the last summit. And then -

    THE PRESIDENT: A lot.

    Q - are we going to be seeing anything concrete -