Remarks by President Trump Announcing Normalization of Relations Between Sudan and Israel | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Q Is this full normalization? Is this full normalization? And do you and the Prime Minister want to say anything about the sale of F-35s to the UAE?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, but I think that is moving along. That process is moving along. It's a good process. We've had an incredible relationship long term. We've never had a dispute with UAE. They've always been on our side. And that process is moving along, I think, hopefully, rapidly.

    Q Mr. President, you're also trying to remove Sudan from the state-sponsored list of terrorism. And can you speak a little bit about how that move or those plans are playing into the dynamics of the normalization deal with Israel?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: Which plans?

    Q To remove Sudan from the state-sponsored of terrorism.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: The dam, you said? The dam (inaudible)?

    Q No. To re- - the state-sponsored list - the list of state-sponsored of terrorism.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: Oh, yeah. Why don't I have you answer that question?

    SECRETARY POMPEO: So we've been working with Sudan for as long as I've been part of this administration to address this issue of state sponsor of terrorism. They did all of the things that they needed to do.

    These two leaders of Sudan did all the right things. We now have a civilian-led government inside of Sudan, and so the rationale for them being designated a state sponsor no longer made sense.

    We also wanted to make sure that victims of that terror had compensation. So we've now accounted for that; $335 million will go to the victims from those terror attacks. But now Sudan has fully complied with that, and their leaders have done great work.

    We want to support that civilian-led government. We want them to be successful. So it's completely appropriate that we would lift this. This will also be something that will help the Sudanese people and the Sudanese government. And you'll see trade not only between Israel and Sudan, but between the United States and Sudan, as well.


    Q So, but can you explain -

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: Sudan has - Sudan has - Sudan has great potential on trade and other things. I mean, they really - they - it could be a very, very successful, wonderful country, and I think it will be. It's been hampered by what's going on in the world.

    Q Can you explain though how that connects to the normalization deal with Israel, as well as negotiations (inaudible)?

    SECRETARY POMPEO: Let me - sure. They're connected in the sense that the Sudanese leadership made sense that this - they both have one other thing in common. It made sense for the Sudanese people to build out their economy, to create democratic institutions - all the things that the Sudanese people have been demanding. They're - they're connected in the sense of the Sudanese leadership is now driving towards a really good outcome and improved life for the people of Sudan, and we think for the broader region in North Africa, as well.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: And with the leaders on the phone, they've been incredible leaders, I will say. They have been incredible leaders. You have great leadership now, which you haven't had in the past.

    Q Yeah. Obviously, you're going to be hitting the road the next couple of days. Are you envisioning any sort of meeting here in Washington between the Sudanese as well as the Israelis?

    And then, I'm just curious, what's it like to try to do something like this while also campaigning? I mean, you're trying to - I know you've got a big staff. (Laughter.) But trying to do something like this 12 hours after a debate. (Laughter.)

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: It's my life. (Laughter.) Do I have a choice? Do I have a choice? This is all things I've been working on and then the campaign.

    Q So, are they coming to D.C., sir?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: The campaign begins, and, you know, I think last night was very, very successful. We've gotten great reviews, great polls, great everything. And I had won 91 to - 91 percent to 9; that's good.

    But, no, it was an exciting night. Tremendous audience, I understand. They had bigger than they even thought. And it was certainly an exciting night.

    But I have to - you know, this is my day job. I have to do this. This is very important.

    Q So are they coming to D.C., sir?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: We will have them, along with some other countries that you will be hearing about, coming - probably simultaneously. And then, ultimately, we're going to have a big reunion at the end, where everybody is here and everybody is going to be signed. And we expect that Saudi Arabia will be one of those countries. And highly respected - the King and the Crown Prince - they're all just highly respected in the Middle East, and Mohammed from UAE, highly - very highly respected, a warrior. He's really a great warrior. So they'll all come together. We're going to have a big, beautiful party at the end. Okay? And you'll be there.

    Does anybody else have a question?

    Q Another question about the debate last night. Obviously - you know, I know, obviously, this is very important, but I think everybody was watching the debate last night. You seemed much more calm and measured at the podium. How much of that was you, kind of, trying to change your strategy? Or was that you wanting to play by the debate commission's rules? What were you kind of - was going through your mind? Because you didn't seem to jump out as you did in the first debate.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: I think the other is more effective, in terms of business and life - the first one. I thought I did great. There are certain groups of very aggressive people that loved the first debate. But I think this was better. This is obviously a more popular way of doing it.


    And, no, I think, you know, I wanted to play by the rules. They felt very strongly about it. It's two different styles. I'm able to do different styles, you know, if you had to. But this seemed to be much more popular.

    Q Would you do another debate?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yeah, but I don't think there's any reason. I think we're leading in a lot of states that you don't know about. Your pollsters may be the worst there are, frankly.

    Q Do you stand by your statement that you take responsibility for the pandemic that you said last night, sir?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: I always take responsibility, and I've done a great job, and the people around me have done a great job, just like these people have done a great job. The pandemic people, what they've done for ventilators and for equipment and for stocking governors that had absolutely nothing - they had nothing on their shelves, and we stocked them. And those governors, if they're honest, they'll tell you we've done the best job they've ever seen. I've had governors say it's one of the best jobs they've ever seen anybody do on anything.

    What we did, we made a lot of governors look good. And there are a lot of good governors, too, by the way. They did a good job. But they had nothing. They didn't have ventilators. They didn't have gowns. They didn't have masks or goggles or anything. And we got them.

    And think of it: Ventilators are very tough. Not one person with all of this going on - not one person who needed a ventilator didn't get it. And that's very untrue in other countries. In other countries, very few people were able to get it. We're now supplying ventilators to many other countries because they're very hard to make. You know, they're very complex and very hard to make - very expensive. So, no, I think we've done a great job.

    Q Can Secretary Mnuchin offer an update on stimulus talks with Speaker Pelosi?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: I think we can. Sure. I think we can.

    Go ahead, Steve.

    SECRETARY MNUCHIN: The President has been very clear in his instructions to me that if we can get the right deal, we're going to do that. We've been speaking to the Speaker. I would say we've offered compromises. The Speaker, on a number of issues, is still dug in. If she wants to compromise, there will be a deal. But we've made lots of progress in lots of areas, but there's still some significant differences that we're working on.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: I mean, one of the big differences that you - and I said it last night, loud and clear: She wants to bail out poorly run Democrat states. They're poorly run, both in terms of crime and in terms of economics. And we just don't want that. We want COVID-related.

    But she wants to bail out poorly run Democrat states, and that's a problem because you're talking about tremendous amounts of money. And we don't want to reward areas of our country who have not done a good job. And a lot of them - a lot of those areas have not done a good job on medical and COVID, frankly. If you look at New York, and if you look at some others, it's been - it's been a rough - it's been very rough. But we don't want to do that.

    Now, we're talking, and we'll see what happens. But at this moment, I would say that - I actually think Nancy would rather wait until after the election. She thinks it's a good point for the election, but I think it's against her because the American people know it's her that's stopping the money to going - going to her - going to them.

    So, you know, I really believe it. I think she views it as a good election point, perhaps. She's - you know, good for November 3rd. I'd like to see the people get the money. I don't think she wants the people to get the money before the election. I don't think that's a good point for her, but we want the people to get the money. It wasn't their fault. It was China's fault. It was China's fault. The plague came in from China. Okay? And that's about it.

    Q Mr. President, can you - can we go back to the Middle East?


    PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, no, no. That's enough. That's enough. Thank you.

    Q Can we talk about -