Stewards of the Visual Exposition
Remarks by President Trump in Press Conference | Hanoi, Vietnam
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes, sir. And a declaration. So, all of those things, we couldn't quite get there today.
THE PRESIDENT: That's right. Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
Q I just wanted to clarify, when you talk about what you would willing to give up all of the sanctions for, are you still thinking that you want North Korea to give up everything to do complete, verifiable denuclearization -
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I don't want to say that to you -
Q - before you lift sanctions?
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Yeah. It's a good question. I don't want to say that to you because I don't want to put myself in that position, from the standpoint of negotiation. But, you know, we want a lot to be given up. And we're giving up.
And we'll have to - you know, we'll be helping them along economically, us and other - many other countries are going to be helping. They're going to be in there. They're prepared to help. I can tell you: Japan, South Korea, I think China. So many.
And speaking of China, we're very well on our way to doing something special, but we'll see. I mean, I am always prepared to walk. I'm never afraid to walk from a deal. And I would do that with China, too, if it didn't work out.
Q Are you concerned, if you're not able to reach an agreement, that the testing will start again? Or that while all of this time is happening by -
THE PRESIDENT: Well, he said the testing - yeah.
Q - they are continuing to develop their program?
THE PRESIDENT: He said the testing will not start. He said that he's not going to do testing of rockets or missiles or anything having to do with nuclear. And all I can tell you is that's what he said. And we'll see.
Yes, go ahead. Please. Go ahead, please. In the back. Red. In the red.
Q Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, thank you.
Q Jessica Stone from CGTN. I have a question about China, as you were talking about. You talk about China being willing, potentially, to help economically. And the fact that you've talked - or will talk to Presidents Moon and Prime Minister Abe, how would you describe China's role in facilitating the engagement that's happened, so far, between Pyongyang and Washington?
THE PRESIDENT: I think China has been a big help. Bigger than most people know. On the border, as you know, 93 percent of the goods coming into North Korea come through China. So there's a great power there. At the same time, I believe - I happen to believe that North Korea is calling its own shots. They're not taking orders from anybody. He's a very strong guy. And they're able to do things that are pretty amazing. But 93 percent still come in from China. China has an influence, and China has been a big help.
And Russia has been a big help too. As you know, there's a pretty small part of the border, but nevertheless significant - about 28 miles. And things can happen there too. And they've been a help.
Yes, go ahead, please.
Q Thanks, President. Jen Chen with Shenzhen Media Group of China. In your meeting with Chairman Kim this morning and yesterday, did the topic of China come up? If so, what can you share with us today? And you probably will have the (inaudible) of Mar-a-Lago summit in March with Chinese President Xi Jinping. What would you like accomplished with your agenda regarding China at that time? Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: We did talk about China today a lot. And he's getting along with China and so are we. And we are - you know, we're - we're, right now, you look at what's happened to our country; we've picked up trillions and trillions of dollars of net worth. Our stock market is almost at its all-time high. Our economy is incredible. Our unemployment numbers are among the best we've ever had in our history.
Individual groups like African American, women - you just take a look at any group; Hispanic, you saw that just came out - the best in history; African American, best in history. So many different numbers are coming out so good. So we have the strongest economy, probably, possibly that we've ever had.
Fiat Chrysler just announced that they're going to spend $4.5 billion right next to Detroit, in Michigan. They're building a tremendous plant. It's actually an expansion of another plant. It's going to be - it's going to double up their jobs, and even more than that. A lot of great things are happening.
And with China, they're having some difficulty, as you know. But I think that a lot of the difficulty is because of the tariffs that they're having. And in addition to that, we're putting a tremendous amount of money; you saw trade deficits went down last month. Everybody was trying to find out why. Well, we're taking in a lot of tariff money, and it's going right to the bottom line and it has reduced the trade deficits.
So we'll see what happens with China. I think we have a very good chance. Their numbers are down. But I don't want that. I want their numbers - I want them to do great. But we've been losing anywhere from $300- to $500 billion a year with China for many, many years.
And again, like other things, many Presidents should have done this before me, and nobody did. So we're doing it.
Go ahead. Go ahead, please. Right here. This gentleman.
Q Chad O'Carroll from NK News, (inaudible) with North Korea News. What's your message for President Moon, who has effectively reached the glass ceiling, as far inter-Korean cooperation is concerned, due to sanctions? And what's next for U.S.-ROK military drills?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I like President Moon very much. We have a great relationship. Believe it or not, I have a great relationship with almost every leader. A lot of people find that hard to understand, but I do. But some take advantage of our country like you wouldn't believe. And when they know I know it - which I know in every case - maybe it sort of freezes them up a little bit. But we do; we have a lot of good relationships.
We'll be calling President Moon very soon, as soon as I get by the phone, on the plane. And he'll be one of the first calls. I'll be calling Prime Minister Abe of Japan, telling him about where we are and what we're doing. But I'll be making those calls.
No, he's working very hard. President Moon is working very hard. He'd love to see a deal and he's been very helpful.
Okay? Thank you. Go ahead, please.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. I'm (inaudible), reporter from Global Times China. I would like to ask you, what are you expecting China to do in the next step to mediate your relationship with North Korea? Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: To use China?
Q Yeah, from China.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we do. I mean, China has been very helpful. President Xi is a great leader. He's a highly respected leader all over the world and especially in Asia. And he's helped us - Mike, I would say he's helped us a lot, right?
SECRETARY POMPEO: He has.
THE PRESIDENT: We've - I actually called him just recently to say, "Hey, you know, whatever you can do on this." But he has been very helpful at the border, and he's been very, very helpful with, I think, North Korea generally. Could he be a little more helpful? Probably. But he's been excellent.
Go ahead, please. No - yeah, please.
Q (Laughs.) (Inaudible) next.
THE PRESIDENT: That's okay. You're friends.
Q Thanks, Mr. President. Could you - did you commit with Chairman Kim to a next summit during your term?
THE PRESIDENT: No, we haven't - no.
Q Okay.
THE PRESIDENT: We'll see. If it happens, it happens. I have not committed.
Q They are, at this point, some would say, a nuclear power. Do you accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, at least for the time being? And are you thinking about re-imposing the military exercises with South Korea, or will you keep it a freeze-for-freeze?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know, the military exercises, I gave that up quite a while ago because it costs us $100 million every time we do it. We fly these massive bombers in from Guam. And when I first started, a certain general said, "Oh, yes, sir, we fly them in from Guam. It's right next door." Well, right next door is seven hours away. And then they come and they drop millions of dollars of bombs, and then they go back and -
But we would spend - I mean, we spent hundreds of millions of dollars on those exercises, and I hated to see it. I thought it was unfair.
And, frankly, I was, sort of, of the opinion that South Korea should help us with that. You know, we're protecting South Korea. I think they should help us with that.
So those exercises are very expensive. And I was telling the generals - I said: Look, you know, exercising is fun and it's nice and they play the war games. And I'm not saying it's not necessary, because at some levels it is, but at other levels it's not. But it's a very, very expensive thing. And you know, we do have to think about that too.
But when they spend hundreds of millions of dollars on those exercises and we don't get reimbursed - we're spending a tremendous amount of money on many countries, protecting countries that are very rich that can certainly afford to pay us and then some.
And those countries - by the way, and those countries know that it's not right, but nobody has ever asked them before. But I've asked them and we're doing - we're gaining a lot of money. We've picked up over a $100 billion just in NATO over the last two years. A hundred billion dollars more has come in. And we're doing that with a lot of countries. You'll be seeing that a lot.
Yes, sir. Please.
Q Mr. President, sir -
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, one second, please.
Q Yes, thank you, Mr. President. You have a personal relationship - and I believe Vice President Pence does - with the family of Otto Warmbier.
THE PRESIDENT: I do.
Q I'm wondering - you've talked about, this week, about Kim Jong Un being "my friend" - you called him on Twitter. You said you have a great relationship. Have you, in Singapore or here, confronted Kim Jong Un about Otto Warmbier's death -
THE PRESIDENT: I have. I have.
Q - and asked him to take responsibility? And what did he say to you? And why do you call him your friend?
Go Back
THE PRESIDENT: That's right. Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
Q I just wanted to clarify, when you talk about what you would willing to give up all of the sanctions for, are you still thinking that you want North Korea to give up everything to do complete, verifiable denuclearization -
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I don't want to say that to you -
Q - before you lift sanctions?
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Yeah. It's a good question. I don't want to say that to you because I don't want to put myself in that position, from the standpoint of negotiation. But, you know, we want a lot to be given up. And we're giving up.
And we'll have to - you know, we'll be helping them along economically, us and other - many other countries are going to be helping. They're going to be in there. They're prepared to help. I can tell you: Japan, South Korea, I think China. So many.
And speaking of China, we're very well on our way to doing something special, but we'll see. I mean, I am always prepared to walk. I'm never afraid to walk from a deal. And I would do that with China, too, if it didn't work out.
Q Are you concerned, if you're not able to reach an agreement, that the testing will start again? Or that while all of this time is happening by -
THE PRESIDENT: Well, he said the testing - yeah.
Q - they are continuing to develop their program?
THE PRESIDENT: He said the testing will not start. He said that he's not going to do testing of rockets or missiles or anything having to do with nuclear. And all I can tell you is that's what he said. And we'll see.
Yes, go ahead. Please. Go ahead, please. In the back. Red. In the red.
Q Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, thank you.
Q Jessica Stone from CGTN. I have a question about China, as you were talking about. You talk about China being willing, potentially, to help economically. And the fact that you've talked - or will talk to Presidents Moon and Prime Minister Abe, how would you describe China's role in facilitating the engagement that's happened, so far, between Pyongyang and Washington?
THE PRESIDENT: I think China has been a big help. Bigger than most people know. On the border, as you know, 93 percent of the goods coming into North Korea come through China. So there's a great power there. At the same time, I believe - I happen to believe that North Korea is calling its own shots. They're not taking orders from anybody. He's a very strong guy. And they're able to do things that are pretty amazing. But 93 percent still come in from China. China has an influence, and China has been a big help.
And Russia has been a big help too. As you know, there's a pretty small part of the border, but nevertheless significant - about 28 miles. And things can happen there too. And they've been a help.
Yes, go ahead, please.
Q Thanks, President. Jen Chen with Shenzhen Media Group of China. In your meeting with Chairman Kim this morning and yesterday, did the topic of China come up? If so, what can you share with us today? And you probably will have the (inaudible) of Mar-a-Lago summit in March with Chinese President Xi Jinping. What would you like accomplished with your agenda regarding China at that time? Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: We did talk about China today a lot. And he's getting along with China and so are we. And we are - you know, we're - we're, right now, you look at what's happened to our country; we've picked up trillions and trillions of dollars of net worth. Our stock market is almost at its all-time high. Our economy is incredible. Our unemployment numbers are among the best we've ever had in our history.
Individual groups like African American, women - you just take a look at any group; Hispanic, you saw that just came out - the best in history; African American, best in history. So many different numbers are coming out so good. So we have the strongest economy, probably, possibly that we've ever had.
Fiat Chrysler just announced that they're going to spend $4.5 billion right next to Detroit, in Michigan. They're building a tremendous plant. It's actually an expansion of another plant. It's going to be - it's going to double up their jobs, and even more than that. A lot of great things are happening.
And with China, they're having some difficulty, as you know. But I think that a lot of the difficulty is because of the tariffs that they're having. And in addition to that, we're putting a tremendous amount of money; you saw trade deficits went down last month. Everybody was trying to find out why. Well, we're taking in a lot of tariff money, and it's going right to the bottom line and it has reduced the trade deficits.
So we'll see what happens with China. I think we have a very good chance. Their numbers are down. But I don't want that. I want their numbers - I want them to do great. But we've been losing anywhere from $300- to $500 billion a year with China for many, many years.
And again, like other things, many Presidents should have done this before me, and nobody did. So we're doing it.
Go ahead. Go ahead, please. Right here. This gentleman.
Q Chad O'Carroll from NK News, (inaudible) with North Korea News. What's your message for President Moon, who has effectively reached the glass ceiling, as far inter-Korean cooperation is concerned, due to sanctions? And what's next for U.S.-ROK military drills?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I like President Moon very much. We have a great relationship. Believe it or not, I have a great relationship with almost every leader. A lot of people find that hard to understand, but I do. But some take advantage of our country like you wouldn't believe. And when they know I know it - which I know in every case - maybe it sort of freezes them up a little bit. But we do; we have a lot of good relationships.
We'll be calling President Moon very soon, as soon as I get by the phone, on the plane. And he'll be one of the first calls. I'll be calling Prime Minister Abe of Japan, telling him about where we are and what we're doing. But I'll be making those calls.
No, he's working very hard. President Moon is working very hard. He'd love to see a deal and he's been very helpful.
Okay? Thank you. Go ahead, please.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. I'm (inaudible), reporter from Global Times China. I would like to ask you, what are you expecting China to do in the next step to mediate your relationship with North Korea? Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: To use China?
Q Yeah, from China.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we do. I mean, China has been very helpful. President Xi is a great leader. He's a highly respected leader all over the world and especially in Asia. And he's helped us - Mike, I would say he's helped us a lot, right?
SECRETARY POMPEO: He has.
THE PRESIDENT: We've - I actually called him just recently to say, "Hey, you know, whatever you can do on this." But he has been very helpful at the border, and he's been very, very helpful with, I think, North Korea generally. Could he be a little more helpful? Probably. But he's been excellent.
Go ahead, please. No - yeah, please.
Q (Laughs.) (Inaudible) next.
THE PRESIDENT: That's okay. You're friends.
Q Thanks, Mr. President. Could you - did you commit with Chairman Kim to a next summit during your term?
THE PRESIDENT: No, we haven't - no.
Q Okay.
THE PRESIDENT: We'll see. If it happens, it happens. I have not committed.
Q They are, at this point, some would say, a nuclear power. Do you accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, at least for the time being? And are you thinking about re-imposing the military exercises with South Korea, or will you keep it a freeze-for-freeze?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know, the military exercises, I gave that up quite a while ago because it costs us $100 million every time we do it. We fly these massive bombers in from Guam. And when I first started, a certain general said, "Oh, yes, sir, we fly them in from Guam. It's right next door." Well, right next door is seven hours away. And then they come and they drop millions of dollars of bombs, and then they go back and -
But we would spend - I mean, we spent hundreds of millions of dollars on those exercises, and I hated to see it. I thought it was unfair.
And, frankly, I was, sort of, of the opinion that South Korea should help us with that. You know, we're protecting South Korea. I think they should help us with that.
So those exercises are very expensive. And I was telling the generals - I said: Look, you know, exercising is fun and it's nice and they play the war games. And I'm not saying it's not necessary, because at some levels it is, but at other levels it's not. But it's a very, very expensive thing. And you know, we do have to think about that too.
But when they spend hundreds of millions of dollars on those exercises and we don't get reimbursed - we're spending a tremendous amount of money on many countries, protecting countries that are very rich that can certainly afford to pay us and then some.
And those countries - by the way, and those countries know that it's not right, but nobody has ever asked them before. But I've asked them and we're doing - we're gaining a lot of money. We've picked up over a $100 billion just in NATO over the last two years. A hundred billion dollars more has come in. And we're doing that with a lot of countries. You'll be seeing that a lot.
Yes, sir. Please.
Q Mr. President, sir -
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, one second, please.
Q Yes, thank you, Mr. President. You have a personal relationship - and I believe Vice President Pence does - with the family of Otto Warmbier.
THE PRESIDENT: I do.
Q I'm wondering - you've talked about, this week, about Kim Jong Un being "my friend" - you called him on Twitter. You said you have a great relationship. Have you, in Singapore or here, confronted Kim Jong Un about Otto Warmbier's death -
THE PRESIDENT: I have. I have.
Q - and asked him to take responsibility? And what did he say to you? And why do you call him your friend?
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