Trump and Its Gonna Be Great You Want to Know Why
Excerpts From The Times's Interview With Trump
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President Trump spoke on Wednesday with three New York Times reporters — Peter Baker, Michael S. Schmidt and Maggie Haberman — in an exclusive interview in the Oval Function. Also in attendance was Hope Hicks, a White Business firm spokeswoman. At one point, the president's daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump appeared at the door, and her daughter, Arabella, entered the room.
The following are excerpts from that conversation, transcribed by The Times. They have been lightly edited for content and clarity, and omit several off-the-record comments and asides.
Read more coverage and analysis of the interview »
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TRUMP: Hi fellas, how you doing?
BAKER: Skillful. Adept. How was your lunch [with Republican senators]?
TRUMP: Information technology was good. We are very close. It's a tough — yous know, health care. Look, Hillary Clinton worked eight years in the White Firm with her husband as president and having majorities and couldn't become it done. Smart people, tough people — couldn't go it washed. Obama worked then hard. They had 60 in the Senate. They had big majorities and had the White House. I mean, ended up giving away the state of Nebraska. They owned the state of Nebraska. Right. Gave information technology abroad. Their best senator did ane of the greatest deals in the history of politics. What happened to him?
But I think nosotros are going to practice O.K. I think nosotros are going to see. I mean, ane of my ideas was repeal. Simply I certainly rather would go repeal and replace, considering the adjacent last matter I want to do is start working tomorrow morning on replace. And it is time. It is tough. It's a very narrow path, winding this style. You remember you take information technology, and so y'all lose four on the other side because you lot gave. Information technology is a brutal process. And it was for Democrats, in all fairness.
I mean, you recollect of Hillary Clinton, and you await, she went 8 years — very capable — went eight years equally the first lady, and could not get health care. So this is not an piece of cake cleft. The one thing I'll say well-nigh myself, so, Obama was in in that location for eight years and got Obamacare. Hillary Clinton was in there eight years and they never got Hillarycare, whatever they chosen it at the fourth dimension. I am not in here 6 months, and they'll say, "Trump hasn't fulfilled his agenda." I say to myself, expect a minute, I'm but here a very short period of time compared to Obama. How long did it take to get Obamacare?
Baker: March, March 2010.
TRUMP: So he was there for more than than a year.
HABERMAN: Fourteen months.
TRUMP: And I'm here less than six months, then, ah, y'all know. Something to think about.
BAKER: We wrote the same stories, though, in August of 2009. "Obama can't get it."
SCHMIDT: It died several times.
HABERMAN: Several times.
TRUMP: Well, it was a tough one. That was a very tough one.
BAKER: He lost that election [the 2010 midterms].
TRUMP: Nothing changes. Nothing changes. Once you get something for pre-existing conditions, etc., etc. In one case you go something, it's awfully tough to accept it abroad.
HABERMAN: That'due south been the matter for four years. When y'all win an entitlement, you tin't take information technology back.
TRUMP: But what it does, Maggie, it means it gets tougher and tougher. Equally they go something, it gets tougher. Because politically, yous tin can't give it abroad. And then pre-existing conditions are a tough bargain. Because you are basically maxim from the moment the insurance, you're 21 years old, you outset working and you lot're paying $12 a year for insurance, and by the fourth dimension you're 70, you become a overnice plan. Here's something where you walk up and say, "I desire my insurance." It'south a very tough deal, but it is something that we're doing a adept job of.
HABERMAN: Am I incorrect in thinking — I've talked to you lot a bunch of times about this over the last couple years, only you are by and large of the view that people should take health care, right? I hateful, I think that you come at it from the view of …
TRUMP: Yes, yeah. [garbled]
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TRUMP: And so I told them today, I don't desire to practise that. I want to either get information technology done or not get it washed. If we don't get it done, we are going to watch Obamacare go down the tubes, and we'll blame the Democrats. And at some point, they are going to come and say, "You've got to help united states of america."
BAKER: Did the senators want to try over again?
TRUMP: I retrieve then. Nosotros had a great coming together. Was I tardily?
[crosstalk]
TRUMP: It was a great coming together. We had 51 show up, other than John.
Baker: Senator McCain.
TRUMP: That'southward a lot. Unremarkably when they call for a coming together, you accept like 20.
HABERMAN: How about the last one in June? Practise you lot guys recall how many came?
TRUMP: Ah, 49. It was actually 48, but John McCain was in that location. Only I guess we had 51 today, so that counts. That shows the spirit.
BAKER: Who is the key guy?
TRUMP: Well, they are all primal. The problem is we have 52 votes. Don't forget, you look at Obama, he had threescore. That'southward a large departure. So, we have 52 votes. Now, I estimate we lose Susan Collins. I guess we lose Rand Paul. Then nosotros can't lose any votes. That is a very tough standard. Statistically, you desire to bet on that all day long. With that existence said, I think we had a great meeting. I remember nosotros had a groovy meeting.
HABERMAN: Where does it get from here, do you lot think?
TRUMP: Well, I say, allow'due south not vote on repeal. Allow'south just vote on this. So first, they vote on the vote. And that happens sometime Friday?
HABERMAN: Next week.
TRUMP: Or Monday? Mon. And and then they'll vote on this, and we'll run across. We accept some meetings scheduled today. I call up nosotros take 6 people who are actually sort of O.K. They are all skillful people. We don't have bad people. I know the bad people. Believe me, do I know bad people.
And we have a very good group of people, and I think they want to get there. Then we'll see what happens. Only it's tough.
SCHMIDT: How's [Mitch] McConnell to work with?
TRUMP: I similar him. I mean, he's good. He'south good. Information technology'southward been a tough process for him.
HABERMAN: He'southward taken on some water.
TRUMP: Yeah. It'southward been a tough process for him. This wellness care is a tough bargain. I said information technology from the beginning. No. 1, y'all know, a lot of the papers were saying — actually, these guys couldn't believe it, how much I know about it. I know a lot near health care. [garbled] This is a very tough time for him, in a sense, considering of the importance. And I believe we get there.
This is a very tough time for them, in a sense, because of the importance. And I believe that it's [garbled], that makes it a lot easier. Information technology's a mess. One of the things y'all get out of this, you get major taxation cuts, and reform. And if y'all add what the people are going to save in the middle income brackets, if you add that to what they're saving with wellness care, this is like a windfall for the country, for the people. And so, I don't know, I thought it was a keen meeting. I bet the number'south — I bet the real number'south four. But permit's say six or eight. And everyone's [garbled], so statistically, that's a picayune dangerous, right?
Bakery: Pretty tight.
TRUMP: I hope we don't have whatever grandstanders. I don't think we do.
[garbled]
TRUMP: I think it will be pretty bad for them if they did. I don't think we accept any — I think it would be very bad for — I remember this is something the people want. They've been promised it.
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HABERMAN: [In Paris], I don't remember I've seen you look like you lot were enjoying yourself that much since the convention, actually.
TRUMP: I take had the all-time reviews on foreign land. And so I go to Poland and make a speech. Enemies of mine in the media, enemies of mine are saying it was the greatest speech ever made on foreign soil by a president. I'k saying, human being, they cover [garbled]. You saw the reviews I got on that speech. Poland was cute and wonderful, and the reception was incredible.
And and so, went to France the following week, because it was the 100th year. [inaudible] The Paris Accord — I wasn't going to get along with France for a piffling while, because people forget, because it is a very unfair understanding to us. Mainland china doesn't get [garbled] until 2030. Russia goes back to 1994 as a standard — a much, much lower standard. India has things that are [garbled]. I want to do the same thing as anybody else. Nosotros can't practise that? We can't do that? That'due south O.K. Let me become out. Frankly, the people that similar me, love that I got out.
After that, information technology was fairly surprising. He [President Emmanuel Macron of French republic] called me and said, "I'd love to have you in that location and honor you lot in France," having to practice with Bastille Day. Plus, it'southward the 100th yr of the First World War. That's big. And I said aye. I hateful, I have a swell relationship with him. He's a swell guy.
HABERMAN: He was very deferential to yous. Very.
TRUMP: He'southward a great guy. Smart. Potent. Loves holding my mitt.
HABERMAN: I've noticed.
TRUMP: People don't realize he loves holding my mitt. And that's practiced, as far as that goes.
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TRUMP: I mean, actually. He'south a very good person. And a tough guy, but await, he has to be. I think he is going to be a terrific president of France. But he does love belongings my hand.
[crosstalk]
TRUMP: At that note, the cameras are gone. I was continuing there with him, with probably hundreds of thousands of people.
HABERMAN: Information technology was a very crowded [garbled].
TRUMP: And it was one of the most beautiful parades I have e'er seen. And in fact, we should do one one day down Pennsylvania Ave.
HABERMAN: I wondered if you were going to say that.
TRUMP: I've always thought of that.
HABERMAN: Really?
TRUMP: I've ever thought of that. I've thought of it long before.
TRUMP: Merely the Bastille Mean solar day parade was — now that was a super-duper — O.M. I mean, that was very much more than than normal. They must have had 200 planes over our heads. Normally you take the planes and that's it, similar the Super Bowl parade. And everyone goes crazy, and that's it. That happened for — and you know what else that was dainty? Information technology was limited. You know, information technology was two hours, and the parade ended. Information technology didn't go a whole 24-hour interval. They didn't go crazy. You don't want to leave, but y'all take to. Or you want to exit, actually.
These things are going on all mean solar day. It was a two-hour parade. They had and then many dissimilar zones. Maybe 100,000 different uniforms, different divisions, different bands. And so we had the retired, the older, the ones who were badly injured. The whole matter, information technology was an incredible affair.
HABERMAN: It was cute.
TRUMP: And you are looking at the Arc [de Triomphe]. So nosotros are standing in the most beautiful buildings, and we are looking down the road, and similar three miles in, and so you had the Arc. And then you have these soldiers. Everyone was so proud. Honestly, it was a cute thing. I was glad I did it.
People were surprised because I'd only come dorsum from Hamburg. So I was back for 3 days, and and so I had to become out again. Just when he [Mr. Macron] invited me, he and I have a very skilful relationship. I take a very good human relationship with Merkel [Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany]. Do you know what happened with Merkel? Then I am sitting in the chair. We'd been sitting there for two hours. So it's not like, "Nice to see ya." So the printing comes in. So I guess someone screamed out, "Shake her mitt, shake her hand!" I didn't fifty-fifty hear. So I didn't shake her hand, because I'd been with her for and then long. I'd been with her for a long menstruation of time. So I didn't shake her — the side by side solar day, "Trump refused to shake…" [garbled]
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TRUMP: She really called me, and she said, um, "You know, I remember we get along very well." I said we do, we really practise. I said, "You gotta put more coin into NATO," No. 1. And No. 2 is like, our merchandise imbalance is ridiculous. You know, it's a money automobile.
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TRUMP: It's been a long time. Aught changes. Look till you meet what we're going to do on trade.
HABERMAN: Sounds similar it's going to be very interesting.
TRUMP: Much more interesting than everyone would empathise.
HABERMAN: O.K.
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Bakery: Will you lot go to Britain? Are y'all going to make a state visit to Uk? Are you going to be able to do that?
TRUMP: Every bit to Great britain?
BAKER: Yeah.
HABERMAN: Will you lot go there?
[crosstalk]
TRUMP: Ah, they've asked me. What was interesting — so, when Macron asked, I said: "Practise you lot think it's a good thing for me to get to Paris? I just ended the Paris Accord terminal week. Is this a adept affair?" He said, "They love you in France." I said, "O.Yard., I but don't want to hurt you."
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TRUMP: We had dinner at the Eiffel Tower, and the bottom of the Eiffel Belfry looked like they could accept never had a bigger commemoration always in the history of the Eiffel Tower. I mean, in that location were thousands and thousands of people, 'cause they heard we were having dinner.
[crosstalk/garbled]
HABERMAN: You must have been so tired at, by that point.
TRUMP: Yeah. It was beautiful. We toured the museum, we went to Napoleon's tomb …
[crosstalk]
TRUMP: Well, Napoleon finished a little bit bad. Only I asked that. So I asked the president, so what well-nigh Napoleon? He said: "No, no, no. What he did was incredible. He designed Paris." [garbled] The street grid, the way they work, you know, the spokes. He did and then many things even across. And his one problem is he didn't go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to decease. How many times has Russia been saved by the weather? [garbled]
[crosstalk/unintelligible]
TRUMP: Aforementioned thing happened to Hitler. Non for that reason, though. Hitler wanted to consolidate. He was all set up to walk in. But he wanted to consolidate, and it went and dropped to 35 degrees beneath zero, and that was the end of that army.
[crosstalk]
But the Russians take slap-up fighters in the cold. They use the cold to their advantage. I mean, they've won 5 wars where the armies that went against them froze to death. [crosstalk] It's pretty astonishing.
So, nosotros're having a good time. The economy is doing great.
SCHMIDT: The markets are doing great.
TRUMP: They're going to really get up if we do what we're doing. I mean, cut regulations tremendously. Sometimes — you know, i matter they hadn't thought near at The Times, where they said I didn't really cut regulations as much. I heard that because I said — it could have been a little slip-up in terms of what I said — I meant, for the fourth dimension in office, five months and couple of weeks, I call back I've done more anyone else. They may have taken information technology every bit more than anyone else, period.
[crosstalk]
But I'yard talking virtually for my time. I heard that Harry Truman was start, and then we beat him. These are canonical by Congress. These are non just executive orders. On the executive orders, we cut regulations tremendously. By the way, I want regulations, but, you know, some of the — y'all have to become ix dissimilar regulations, and you could never do anything. I've given the farmers back their farms. I've given the builders back their land to build houses and to build other things.
The free energy stuff is going really well. We're going to exist an exporter — we already are an exporter of energy. We're doing well. I mean, the banks, you expect at rules and regulations, y'all look at Dodd-Frank, Dodd-Frank is going to exist, y'all know, modified, and again, I want rules and regulations. Only y'all don't want to choke, correct? People tin't go loans to buy a pizza parlor, to buy a — you know, I saw out on the trail — people say, Mr. Trump, we've dealt with banks, my own bank, and they can't loan me anymore. I've never had a bad day with a bank. You know? And so nosotros'll put — yeah, because of statutory [garbled], they can't loan to that kind of a business. And they're skilful businesses to loan to. So I retrieve we've — I recollect we're set to really go [garbled].
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BAKER: As long as we're on the record, a lot of people are curious nigh your conversation with President [Vladimir 5.] Putin at dinner. Non surprising. Just what did y'all all talk about, and——
TRUMP: So, that dinner was a very long time planned dinner. And what it was was an evening at the opera. It was a final dark goodbye from Germany and from Chancellor Merkel. It was her dinner. It was, y'all know, everybody knew almost it. It was well-known.
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TRUMP: And so when we got there, it was with spouses, and when we got there, there were a thousand media. You guys know, were you guys at that place?
BAKER: No, it was Julie [Hirschfeld Davis] and Glenn Thrush.
TRUMP: And so, information technology was tremendous media. And we took a moving picture of everybody, the wives and the leaders, and so the leaders, and, y'all know, numerous pictures outside on the river. Then everybody walked in to encounter the opera. And so the opera ended. Then we walked into a big room where they had dinner for not only the leaders — Lagarde [Christine Lagarde, manager of the International monetary fund] was there, who I think is terrific, and various others. You lot had the Eastward.U. people there, people other than merely the leaders, merely quite a few people. I would say you take 20 times two, so y'all had 40, and so y'all probably had another 10 or 15 people, yous had Christine Lagarde, you had some others also.
So, I was seated adjacent to the wife of Prime Minister Abe [Shinzo Abe of Nippon], who I think is a terrific guy, and she's a terrific woman, but doesn't speak English.
HABERMAN: Like, nothing, right? Like goose egg?
TRUMP: Similar, not "howdy."
HABERMAN: That must make for an awkward seating.
TRUMP: Well, it's hard, because you know, you lot're sitting there for——
HABERMAN: Hours.
TRUMP: So the dinner was probably an hr and 45 minutes.
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TRUMP: You had an opera, then you had a cocktail party for the people at the opera, and so yous had the leaders with the spouses, and other leaders in Europe and maybe other places, go in. We sat at this really long table, which held, has to be at least threescore, 65 people with room. O.K., information technology'due south a very large table, big room. But there was nix secretive well-nigh it.
It was like, that'due south where we're going. And I think it fifty-fifty said on the list, at the request of the German chancellor and Germany, information technology's going to be the opera, it's going to be cocktails, information technology'south going to be dinner. I recollect the crowd thinned out for the dinner — you lot know, it was the leaders, primarily. Merely the leaders and Lagarde. And [inaudible].
O.K., so we're sitting at this massive table. And the wives are separated from their husbands, which sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. Only they did. It's always easier when they don't exercise it, because you always accept somebody to talk to, correct? And I was sitting adjacent to the president of Argentina — his wife — [Mauricio] Macri — nice woman, who speaks English. And the prime government minister of Nippon's married woman, Prime Minister Abe. Swell relationships. And then I'g sitting there. At that place was ane interpreter for Japanese, 'cause otherwise it would have been even tougher. But I enjoyed the evening with her, and she'due south really a lovely woman, and I enjoyed — the whole thing was good.
And now Melania was sitting on the other side of the table, way down on the other finish, very far away. She was sitting adjacent to Putin and somebody else, I don't know. She was sitting next to Putin.
HABERMAN: She had been the whole fourth dimension?
TRUMP: Yes. She was sitting next to Putin.
BAKER: Does she speak Russian at all?
TRUMP: No. She speaks other languages.
TRUMP: She was sitting next to Putin and somebody else, and that's the way it is. So the meal was going, and toward dessert I went down just to say hi to Melania, and while I was at that place I said how-do-you-do to Putin. Really, pleasantries more than annihilation else. It was not a long chat, but information technology was, you know, could exist 15 minutes. Just talked about — things. Actually, information technology was very interesting, we talked about adoption.
HABERMAN: You did?
TRUMP: Nosotros talked near Russian adoption. Aye. I always constitute that interesting. Considering, you know, he ended that years ago. And I actually talked about Russian adoption with him, which is interesting because it was a part of the conversation that Don [Jr., Mr. Trump's son] had in that coming together. As I've said — nigh other people, you know, when they telephone call up and say, "Past the mode, we accept information on your opponent," I think almost politicians — I was merely with a lot of people, they said [inaudible], "Who wouldn't have taken a coming together like that?" They just said——
HABERMAN: The senators downstairs?
TRUMP: A lot of them. They said, "Who wouldn't have taken a coming together like that?"
Bakery: You asked them near it at lunch?
TRUMP: Nah, a couple of them. They — now, that was before Russian federation was hot, don't forget. Yous know, Russia wasn't hot and then. That was nearly a year and a half ago. It wasn't like it is, like it is radioactive, then. Russia was Russia.
HABERMAN: Then can I ask you——
Bakery: Sorry to interrupt. The electronic mail, though, said something I thought was actually interesting, and I wonder what you lot thought of it. It said this "is part of Russia and its government's support of Mr. Trump." So whatever really happened at the meeting——
TRUMP: Well, I never saw the e-mail. I never saw the electronic mail until, you know——
Baker: Right, merely at present you take. Then, what exercise y'all interpret that to mean, now that you have seen it?
_________
TRUMP: Well, Hillary did the reset. Somebody was saying today, and and then I read, where Hillary Clinton was dying to get dorsum with Russian federation. Her hubby made a speech, got half a million bucks while she was secretary of state. She did the uranium deal, which is a horrible thing, while she was secretarial assistant of state, and got a lot of money.
_________
TRUMP: She was opposing sanctions. She was totally opposed to any sanctions for Russia.
Baker: When was that?
HABERMAN: Do you think when that was? I don't call back that.
_________
TRUMP: I just saw it. I just saw it. She was opposed to sanctions, strongly opposed to sanctions on Russia.
HABERMAN: This is postal service-Crimea, I'm assuming? Is that what we would be talking about?
TRUMP: I don't really know. … But in that time. And don't forget, Crimea was given away during Obama. Not during Trump. In fact, I was on ane of the shows, I said they're exactly right, they didn't have it as it exactly. Just he was — this — Crimea was gone during the Obama administration, and he gave, he allowed information technology to become away. You know, he can talk tough all he wants, in the meantime he talked tough to North korea. And he didn't actually. He didn't talk tough to North Korea. You lot know, we have a big trouble with North korea. Large. Large, big. You look at all of the things, you look at the line in the sand. The red line in the sand in Syria. He didn't do the shot. I did the shot. Had he done that shot, he wouldn't have had — had he done something dramatic, because if you retrieve, they had a tremendous gas attack after he made that statement. Much bigger than the one they had with me.
HABERMAN: It was sarin as well?
TRUMP: Sarin. And, and tremendous numbers of people were killed, young people, children. And he didn't do anything. That was a famous weekend where they were all asking him to do it, practice it, do information technology. They thought they had it, and then he — not easy to do, I will say this, 'crusade when I had to brand that decision, I was with the president of China, and General Mattis [Defense Secretary Jim Mattis] said, "We're locked and loaded, sir," and I'one thousand saying [mumbles], you lot know. [mumbles] Await, y'all're killing people.
HABERMAN: Yes.
TRUMP: You detest it, it's tough. Obama — you know, I tin can empathize it in a way, just some things you accept to practise. Simply it's, it's a tough, information technology'due south a tough conclusion to make.
BAKER: I practice want to come out, on the e-mail, now that you have seen that electronic mail that said Russia's government — I mean, how did you — did you translate it that way?
TRUMP: Well, I thought originally it might accept had to exercise something with the payment by Russian federation of the D.N.C. Somewhere I heard that. Like, it was an illegal deed done by the D.Northward.C., or the Democrats. That'due south what I had heard. At present, I don't know where I heard it, but I had heard that it had to practise something with illegal acts with respect to the D.North.C. Now, you know, when you look at the kind of stuff that came out, that was, that was some pretty horrific things came out of that. Merely that's what I had heard. Merely I don't know what it means. All I know is this: When somebody calls up and they say, "We have infor—" Look what they did to me with Russia, and it was totally phony stuff.
HABERMAN: Which, which one?
SCHMIDT: The dossier.
TRUMP: The dossier.
HABERMAN: The dossier. Oh, aye.
_________
TRUMP: Now, that was totally fabricated-upwards stuff, and in fact, that guy's beingness sued by somebody. … And he's dying with the lawsuit. I know a lot about those guys, they're phony guys. They make upwards whatever they want. Just not my thing — plus, I have witnesses, because I went at that place with a group of people. You know, I went there with Phil Ruffin——
HABERMAN: Oh, I didn't know that.
_________
TRUMP: I had a group of bodyguards, including Keith [Schiller] —
HABERMAN: Keith was there, correct?
TRUMP: Keith was there. He said, "What kind of crap is this?" I went there for ane 24-hour interval for the Miss Universe contest, I turned around, I went back. Information technology was so disgraceful. It was and so disgraceful.
_________
TRUMP: When he [James B. Comey] brought it [the dossier] to me, I said this is really fabricated-upwardly junk. I didn't think about anything. I simply thought about, homo, this is such a phony deal.
HABERMAN: You said that to him?
TRUMP: Yes, don't forget——
_________
TRUMP: I said, this is — honestly, information technology was so wrong, and they didn't know I was just there for a very short period of fourth dimension. It was so wrong, and I was with groups of people. Information technology was so wrong that I really didn't, I didn't remember about motive. I didn't know what to recollect other than, this is actually phony stuff.
SCHMIDT: Why exercise you think — why do you call back he shared it?
TRUMP: I call back he shared it and then that I would — because the other three people left, and he showed it to me.
_________
TRUMP: Then anyhow, in my opinion, he shared it and then that I would call back he had it out there.
SCHMIDT: Equally leverage?
TRUMP: Yeah, I recall so. In hindsight. In retrospect. You know, when he wrote me the alphabetic character, he said, "You have every right to fire me," blah apathetic blah. Right? He said, "Yous have every right to burn down me." I said, that's a very strange — yous know, over the years, I've hired a lot of people, I've fired a lot of people. Nobody has ever written me a letter dorsum that you have every correct to fire me.
[crosstalk]
Bakery: Do you think in hindsight, considering of what's happened since then——
TRUMP: Comey wrote a alphabetic character.
HABERMAN: Which letter?
SCHMIDT: To y'all? To the F.B.I. staff or to you lot?
TRUMP: I thought information technology was to me, right?
BAKER: I call back he wrote it to the staff, saying——
TRUMP: It might take been——
Bakery: That "the president has every right to fire me."
TRUMP: Information technology might have been. It was just a very strange letter to say that.
Baker: But do you think in hindsight, given that——
TRUMP: What was the purpose in repeating that?
BAKER: Do you retrieve what's given that——
TRUMP: Do y'all sympathise what I mean? Why would somebody say, "He has every right to fire me," bah bah bah. Why wouldn't yous but say, "Hey, I've retired …"
[crosstalk]
TRUMP: Information technology was very — a lot of people take commented that.
Bakery: Given what'due south happened since then, though, was it a political mistake to accept fired him, given what's happened?
TRUMP: I think I did a great thing for the American people.
_________
SCHMIDT: But expect at the headache it'due south acquired, you know?
TRUMP: It's okay. I accept headaches, that'southward what I take, I take headaches. … Only you know what, I retrieve I did a groovy affair for the American people.
HABERMAN: Do yous wish you lot had done it on Day i? When you got in? Considering I honestly had assumed that y'all, if y'all were going to do it, that's when you would practise it.
TRUMP: Well, it could've been. It could've been. I feel similar it was very quack when he wouldn't say what he knew he said to the public. I idea that was very honest. And I thought that he did that for the reason I just said.
_________
SCHMIDT: What do you lot sympathize to be the four corners of what Mueller [Robert S. Mueller 3, the special counsel in the Russia investigation] can wait at, if he steps—— [crosstalk]
TRUMP: I don't know. Nobody has contacted me about anything.
_________
TRUMP: Because I accept washed goose egg incorrect. A special counsel should never have been appointed in this case.
BAKER: Can we put that on the record?
TRUMP: Because so far, the only — yeah, yous can put it downwards.
SCHMIDT: Was that [Attorney General Jeff] Sessions's mistake or [Deputy Attorney General Rod J.] Rosenstein's mistake?
________
TRUMP: Look, Sessions gets the job. Right after he gets the chore, he recuses himself.
BAKER: Was that a error?
TRUMP: Well, Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should take told me earlier he took the job, and I would have picked somebody else.
HABERMAN: He gave you no heads upward at all, in whatever sense?
TRUMP: Nil. So Jeff Sessions takes the job, gets into the job, recuses himself. I then accept — which, frankly, I retrieve is very unfair to the president. How exercise you take a job so recuse yourself? If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, "Thanks, Jeff, but I can't, you know, I'k not going to take you." It's extremely unfair, and that's a balmy word, to the president. So he recuses himself. I so end up with a second man, who'due south a deputy.
HABERMAN: Rosenstein.
TRUMP: Who is he? And Jeff inappreciably knew. He's from Baltimore.
________
TRUMP: Yes, what Jeff Sessions did was he recused himself right after, correct subsequently he became attorney general. And I said, "Why didn't y'all tell me this earlier?" I would have — then I said, "Who's your deputy?" So his deputy he hardly knew, and that's Rosenstein, Rod Rosenstein, who is from Baltimore. At that place are very few Republicans in Baltimore, if any. So, he's from Baltimore. Now, he, we went through a lot of things. We were interviewing replacements at the F.B.I. Did yous know Mueller was ane of the people that was existence interviewed?
HABERMAN: I did, actually.
TRUMP: He was sitting in that chair. We had a wonderful coming together.
HABERMAN: Day before, right?
SCHMIDT: Did he want the job?
TRUMP: The day earlier! Of class, he was upwardly here, and he wanted the job.
HABERMAN: And he fabricated that articulate to y'all? He would take——
________
TRUMP: So, now what happens is, he leaves the office. Rosenstein leaves the office. The adjacent twenty-four hour period, he is appointed special counsel. I said, what the hell is this all about? Talk nearly conflicts? But he was interviewing for the job. There were many other conflicts that I haven't said, just I will at some bespeak. So Jeff Sessions, Jeff Sessions gave some bad answers.
HABERMAN: Yous mean at the hearing?
TRUMP: Yep, he gave some answers that were uncomplicated questions and should have been simple answers, but they weren't. He and then becomes attorney general, and he then announces he'south going to recuse himself. Why wouldn't he have told me that before?
HABERMAN: Why do you retrieve it was? What do you lot think it was?
TRUMP: I don't know.
BAKER: What would cause yous — what would be the line across which if Mueller went, you would say, "That's besides far, we would need to dismiss him"?
TRUMP: Wait, there are then many conflicts that everybody has. Then Rosenstein becomes extremely angry because of Comey'southward Wednesday press conference, where he said that he would do the same matter he did a yr ago with Hillary Clinton, and Rosenstein became extremely aroused at that because, as a prosecutor, he knows that Comey did the wrong thing. Totally incorrect affair. And he gives me a letter, O.Chiliad., he gives me a alphabetic character about Comey. And by the way, that was a tough letter, O.K. Now, perhaps I would have fired Comey anyway, and it certainly didn't injure to accept the letter, O.M. But he gives me a very potent letter, and now he's involved in the case. Well, that'due south a disharmonize of involvement. Practise you know how many conflicts of interests at that place are? Merely then, so Comey also says that he did something in order to become the special prose— special counsel. He leaked. The reason he leaked. And then, he illegally leaked.
________
TRUMP: And so think of this. Mike. He illegally leaks, and everyone thinks it is illegal, and past the fashion, it looks like information technology'south classified and all that stuff. And then he got — not a smart guy — he got tricked into that, because they didn't even inquire him that question. They asked him another question, O.M.?
________
TRUMP: He said I said "hope" — "I hope you can treat Flynn adept" or something like that. I didn't say anything.
Only even if he did — like I said at the news conference on the, you lot know, Rose Garden — fifty-fifty if I did, that'due south not — other people go a step further. I could take concluded that whole matter only by proverb — they say it can't be obstacle because y'all can say: "It'due south ended. It'southward over. Period."
________
TRUMP: And nothing was inverse other than Richard Nixon came along. And when Nixon came forth [inaudible] was pretty brutal, and out of courtesy, the F.B.I. started reporting to the Department of Justice. But there was nil official, there was aught from Congress. There was nothing — anything. But the F.B.I. person really reports directly to the president of the United states of america, which is interesting. You know, which is interesting. And I recall we're going to accept a great new F.B.I. director.
HABERMAN: Chris Wray.
TRUMP: He'southward highly thought of by everybody. I think I did the country a great service with respect to Comey.
BAKER: Did you shoo other people out of the room when yous talked to Comey?
TRUMP: No, no.
BAKER: That time [inaudible] [Michael T.] Flynn —
TRUMP: No. That was the other thing. I told people to become out of the room. Why would I practice that?
SCHMIDT: Did y'all actually have a 1-on-i with Comey so?
TRUMP: Non much. Not even that I remember. He was sitting, and I don't remember fifty-fifty talking to him most any of this stuff. He said I asked people to become. Await, you look at his testimony. His testimony is loaded up with lies, O.K.? Just people didn't — we had a couple people that said — Hi baby, how are y'all?
ARABELLA KUSHNER: [enters room] Hi, Grandpa.
TRUMP: My granddaughter Arabella, who speaks — say hello to them in Chinese.
KUSHNER: Ni hao.
[laughter]
TRUMP: This is Ivanka. You know Ivanka.
IVANKA TRUMP: [from doorway] Hi, how are you? See you later, just wanted to come say hi.
TRUMP: She's great. She speaks fluent Chinese. She's amazing.
BAKER: That's very impressive.
TRUMP: She spoke with President Xi [Jinping of China]. Dearest? Can y'all say a few words in Chinese? Say, similar, "I love yous, Granddad" —
KUSHNER: Wo ai ni, Grandpa.
BAKER: That'due south great.
TRUMP: She'south unbelievable, huh?
[crosstalk]
TRUMP: Good, smart genes.
[laughter]
TRUMP: So the bottom line is this. The country's doing well. We are, we are moving forward with a lot of great things. The unemployment is the everyman it's been in 16 years. The stock market is the highest it's always been. It's up almost 20 percent since I took office. And we're working difficult on wellness intendance. Um, the Russian investigation — information technology's non an investigation, information technology's non on me — yous know, they're looking at a lot of things.
HABERMAN: It's a broad —
TRUMP: They're looking at a big picture.
BAKER: This is why I want to come back to that electronic mail, because, like — does it concern you? Let's say that the election didn't change because of anything Russia did, which has been your point, right? You lot point —
TRUMP: By the way, it's everybody.
Bakery: Right, your point is that Democrats are trying to use this as an excuse, fine. Only did that email business organization yous, that the Russian government was trying something to compromise——
TRUMP: Yous know, Peter, I didn't expect into it very closely, to exist honest with you.
BAKER: O.K.
TRUMP: I only heard in that location was an email requesting a coming together or something — yeah, requesting a meeting. That they have information on Hillary Clinton, and I said — I mean, this was standard political stuff.
SCHMIDT: Did y'all know at the time that they had the meeting?
TRUMP: No, I didn't know annihilation about the meeting.
SCHMIDT: But y'all didn't——
TRUMP: It must have been a very important — must have been a very unimportant coming together, because I never fifty-fifty heard virtually it.
HABERMAN: No one told you a give-and-take, nothing? I know we talked about this on the plane a little fleck.
TRUMP: No, nobody told me. I didn't know noth—— It's a very unimportant — sounded like a very unimportant meeting.
Bakery: Only on the date you clinched the nominations with New Jersey and California and the primaries, when you give the speech that night, saying y'all're going to give a speech about Hillary Clinton's corrupt dealings with Russia and other countries, and that comes merely three hours afterward Don Jr. —
TRUMP: Number one, recollect, I fabricated many of those speeches.
BAKER: People wondered near the timing.
TRUMP: Many of those speeches. I'd go later her all the time.
Bakery: Yeah, I know, but——
TRUMP: But there was something about the volume, "Clinton Cash," came out.
Bakery: Yeah, a year earlier, though. Just you were talking about——
TRUMP: Merely we were developing a whole matter. There was something nigh "Clinton Greenbacks."
________
TRUMP: Peter, that's all I did, was brand those speeches most her. … I don't think I added anything much different than I had been doing. … I've made some very strong speeches about the corrupt emails. The 33,000 emails existence deleted and bleached, and all of the things she was doing. I would make those speeches routinely. … There wasn't much I could say well-nigh Hillary Clinton that was worse than what I was already proverb.
HABERMAN: [laughs] I'one thousand lamentable.
TRUMP: I mean, I was talking about, she deleted and bleached, which nobody does because of the price. How she got away with that ane, I have no idea. 33,000 emails. I talked almost the dorsum of the plane, I talked about the uranium bargain, I talked about the spoken language that Russia gave Clinton — $500,000 while she was secretary of state — the husband. I talked about the back of the aeroplane — honestly, Peter, I mean, unless somebody said that she shot somebody in the back, there wasn't much I could add together to my repertoire.
HABERMAN: On Fifth Avenue——
TRUMP: I hateful, look at what we have at present. Nosotros have a manager of the F.B.I., interim, who received $700,000, whose wife received $700,000 from, essentially, Hillary Clinton. 'Cause it was through Terry. Which is Hillary Clinton.
HABERMAN: This is [Andrew] McCabe'southward wife, yous mean?
TRUMP: McCabe's wife. She got $700,000, and he's at the F.B.I. I mean, how do you think that? Just when y'all say that — and recollect about this for a second. I don't think — you could give me a whole string of new information. I don't remember I could really accept — there's only so much. You know, you can only say many things. Afterwards that it gets wearisome, O.K.? How tin it be better than deleting emails subsequently you lot go a subpoena from the The states Congress? Guys go to jail for that, when they delete an email from a civil case. Here, she gets an email from the The states Congress —
________
Baker: Should she exist prosecuted now?
TRUMP: What?
BAKER: Should she be prosecuted now? Why, then, should she not be prosecuted now——
TRUMP: I don't desire to say that. I mean, I don't want to say.
SCHMIDT: Final thing.
TRUMP: You empathize what I mean, Peter.
BAKER: I know.
TRUMP: I mean, supposing they were able to give me boosted — it wouldn't accept helped me. I had so much stuff——
SCHMIDT: Concluding thing, if Mueller——
TRUMP: And I couldn't have been improve than the stuff I had. Evidently, because I won.
SCHMIDT: Last thing, if Mueller was looking at your finances and your family finances, unrelated to Russia — is that a red line?
HABERMAN: Would that be a alienation of what his actual accuse is?
TRUMP: I would say aye. I would say yes. By the style, I would say, I don't — I don't — I mean, it's possible there'south a condo or something, so, you know, I sell a lot of condo units, and somebody from Russia buys a condo, who knows? I don't brand money from Russia. In fact, I put out a alphabetic character saying that I don't brand — from one of the most highly respected law firms, accounting firms. I don't take buildings in Russia. They said I own buildings in Russian federation. I don't. They said I made coin from Russian federation. I don't. Information technology's not my thing. I don't, I don't practise that. Over the years, I've looked at maybe doing a deal in Russia, but I never did one. Other than I held the Miss Universe pageant at that place 8, 9 years [crosstalk].
SCHMIDT: But if he was outside that lane, would that mean he'd have to go?
[crosstalk]
HABERMAN: Would y'all consider——
TRUMP: No, I think that's a violation. Wait, this is about Russia. So I call up if he wants to go, my finances are extremely skilful, my company is an unbelievably successful visitor. And actually, when I exercise my filings, peoples say, "Homo." People have no idea how successful this is. Information technology'southward a smashing visitor. Just I don't even recollect about the company anymore. I think nigh this. 'Cause one affair, when y'all exercise this, companies seem very trivial. O.K.? I actually mean that. They seem very trivial. But I have no income from Russia. I don't do business with Russia. The admirer that yous mentioned, with his son, 2 dainty people. Only basically, they brought the Miss Universe pageant to Russia to open up upwardly, you know, one of their jobs. Peradventure the convention centre where it was held. It was a nice evening, and I left. I left, you know, I left Moscow. Information technology wasn't Moscow, information technology was exterior of Moscow.
HABERMAN: Would yous fire Mueller if he went outside of certain parameters of what his accuse is? [crosstalk]
SCHMIDT: What would you do?
[crosstalk]
TRUMP: I can't, I tin can't answer that question because I don't think it's going to happen.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/us/politics/trump-interview-transcript.html
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