Remarks by President Trump Before Marine One Departure | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Q  What are you doing to (inaudible) foreign adversaries from interfering in 2020?

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think I've been much tougher on elections than President Obama. President Obama was told, in 2016, just before the election in September, that Russia may try and interfere with the election. He did nothing. And the reason he did nothing is he thought Hillary was going to win.

    We are doing a lot, and we're trying to do paper ballots, as a back-up system, as much as possible. Because going to good, old-fashioned paper, in this modern age, is the best way to do it.

    Q  (Inaudible) talks with President Putin? What does the U.S. gain from that?

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think we want to have a relationship with Russia and China and everybody. And I've said that for a long time. Getting along with Russia, getting along with China is a good thing if we can do it on fair terms or our terms.

    Q  (Inaudible) with Venezuela?

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, Venezuela - we're just on watch. We'll see what happens. I'd love to see them work out their problems. I understand there are a lot of talks going on. But I'm all for the people of Venezuela. You know that probably better than anyone.

    Steve, go ahead.

    Q  In Israel, Netanyahu has been failing to form a coalition. Are you worried about that?

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, it's too bad what happened in Israel. It looked like a total win for Netanyahu, who's a great guy. He's a great guy. And now they're back in the debate stage and they're back in the election stage. That is too bad, because they don't need this. I mean, they've got enough turmoil over there. It's a tough place. I feel very badly about that.

    It looks like they're talking, but more likely they'll have to go back into election mode. That's too bad.


    Q  The Mueller report said Russia was trying to help you and hurt Hillary Clinton. Was Mueller wrong about that?

    THE PRESIDENT: I believe that Russia would rather have Hillary Clinton as President of the United States than Donald Trump. The reason is: Nobody has been tougher on Russia than me. Whether it's our energy policy, which was not hers; whether it's the pipelines, as you know, in Europe, going all over the place that I've been bitterly complaining about; whether it's Ukraine; whether it's a whole host of things - there has nobody ever been more tough or difficult for Russia than Donald Trump.

    Now, I have to tell you this: I put sanctions on Russia at a level that nobody has seen before. Nobody even wants to write about it.

    With all of that, I want to get along with Russia, and I want to get along with China, and I want to get along with Europe. I want to get along with everybody, if it's possible. I even want to get along with Iran, and Iran wants to talk. And if they want to talk, I'm available. Thank you.

    Q  (Inaudible) what you hope to do?

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, we're going to be staying at Doonbeg, in Ireland because it's convenient and it's a great place. But it's convenient. We'll be meeting with a lot of the Irish officials, and it'll be an overnight stay. And I look forward to that.

    Q  What will you be discussing with the Taoiseach?

    THE PRESIDENT: A lot of the things that you (inaudible).

    Q  Mr. President, do you think the White House should apologize for (inaudible) John McCain?

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, I can't because I didn't know anything about it. I don't know who did it. We'll probably be able to find out who did it. They thought they were doing me a favor because they know I am not a fan of John McCain. John McCain killed healthcare for the Republican Party and he killed healthcare for the nation. I disagree with John McCain on the way he handled the vets, because I said you got get to Choice. He was never able to get Choice. I got Choice. I disagreed with John McCain on the Middle East. He helped force Bush to make a very bad decision and go into the Middle East.

    So, I wasn't a fan of John McCain and I never will be. But certainly, I couldn't care less whether or not there's a boat named after his father.


    Q  Robert Mueller did not say "no obstruction." He said he did not feel he could charge with you a crime because (inaudible).

    THE PRESIDENT: There were no charges. None. If you look at - if you look at Bill Clinton, that very nice gentleman who's been so much on my side, as you know, his special prosecutor - it was guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty. So many guiltys. With me, there was no guilty. Number one, there was no crime. And number two, I fought back. And I'll tell you -

    Q  (Inaudible) said he couldn't say "no crime."

    THE PRESIDENT: Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Well, here was no collusion. There was no collusion. Read volume one. There was no collusion.

    Q  (Inaudible.) He said he could not say there was no crime. He could not clear you.

    THE PRESIDENT: That means you're innocent. That means you're innocent.

    Q  He said he couldn't say you were innocent.

    THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me - then he should've said "you're guilty."

    Q  But he said he couldn't do that because that would be unfair. (Inaudible.)

    THE PRESIDENT: That's wrong. That's wrong. No. Because he said it - he said it differently the first time. So he said, essentially, "You're innocent." I'm innocent of all charges. And, you know, the thing that nobody brings up: There was no crime. They're saying "he's obstructing something" and there was no crime. And nobody brings it up.

    Also, someday, you ought to read a thing called Article 2. Read Article 2, which gives the President powers that you wouldn't believe. But I don't even have to rely on Article 2. There was no crime. There was no obstruction. There was no collusion. There was no nothing. And this is from a group of people that hate me. If they only found anything, they would've had it. And he knows that better than anybody.

    Q  He did not say that you were innocent. He said he did not -

    THE PRESIDENT: There was no crime, there was no charge because he had no information.


    Q  Do you agree with Louisiana's ban on abortion at six weeks? Is that a good law?

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, we're going to have a statement about it. And I'm also going to have, probably today, a major statement on the border. This is a big league statement. But we are going to do something very dramatic on the border, because people are coming into our country - the Democrats will not give us laws. They will not change laws. They will not meet. They will not do anything. They want to have open borders. They want to have crime. They want to have drugs pouring into our country. They want to have human trafficking. I'm going to be making a statement probably tomorrow but maybe today.

    Q  Are you closing the border?

    THE PRESIDENT: No, I'm not closing the border. I'm doing something else.

    We're going to be having a major statement on the border sometime later today or tomorrow.

    Q  What's the (inaudible) of it?

    THE PRESIDENT: It will be a statement having to do with the border and having to do with people illegally coming over the border. And it will be my biggest statement, so far, on the border. We have brought something to the light of the people. They see now it's a national emergency, and most people agree. The Democrats agree too, but they won't give us the legislation you need to fix it.

    Right now, when you catch somebody, you have to release them. They won't give us the legislation. Whether it's chain migration or whether it's lottery, they won't give us any. And the asylum procedures are ridiculous. No place in the world has what we have in terms of ridiculous immigration laws.

    So I will be making a major statement - I would say my biggest statement - on the border, probably today or tomorrow.

    Thanks.

END  •  8:27 A.M. EDT
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