President Trump hosts Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Cabinet Room, and takes reporters' questions.
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00:00I was going to say you might say on the other side.
00:30Okay, thank you very much, and we're going to be seeing you in a few minutes, right after
00:34lunch, for a press conference in the Oval Office.
00:39And I assume you'll all be there.
00:40It's the same group.
00:41If you had a question or so for the Prime Minister, please, you could ask.
00:48Anybody have a question?
00:49Okay, good.
00:50Then we'll just end it right now.
00:52Prime Minister, you have said that the President's terrorists are wrong.
00:57Do you still believe that the United States is a reliable trade partner?
01:01They always try to help.
01:03It can only be her.
01:05Should your communions still believe that the United States is a reliable trade partner?
01:10Well, I'm here exactly for making the West stronger.
01:15I believe in the West unity, and I think, simply, we have to talk and find ourselves.
01:21She believes in the President.
01:23Also, and find ourselves in the best middle way to grow together.
01:30That's why I'm here.
01:32If I wouldn't think it's a reliable partner, I wouldn't be here.
01:37We have a very good relationship together, and as countries, we have a very good relationship.
01:43Just to follow up, Mr. President, what if there is not a trade deal with the EU by the time of the end of your 90-day pause on recipient affairs?
01:50Oh, there'll be a trade deal, 100%.
01:52Oh.
01:53Mr. President?
01:54Well, you think there won't be a trade deal?
01:55Of course there'll be a trade deal.
01:56Very much.
01:57They want to make one very, very much, and we're going to make a trade deal.
02:01I fully expect it, but it'll be a fair deal.
02:03Are they on your priority list?
02:05Everybody's on my priority list.
02:08Mr. President, do you plan to meet with the President of the U?
02:11I'm saying?
02:12Do you plan to meet with the President of the U?
02:13Wait, wait, wait, one at a time, please?
02:14Do you plan to meet with the President of the U or so on the line?
02:18Do you plan to meet with the President of the U or so on the line?
02:20Do you plan to have other meetings with U as well?
02:22Many.
02:23We had a meeting yesterday with Japan.
02:25Japan. As you know, we've had numerous talks, very, very at the highest level, frankly, with
02:31other countries. Yeah, we're doing very well, and we're moving along on trade very well. The
02:36United States was ripped off and taken advantage of by every country in the world, practically. I
02:42mean, I have to say practically, but just about every one. That's not going to happen anymore,
02:46but we're going to make fair deals.
02:48Ms. President Trump, given talks with Japan and Italy this week, do you expect to announce
02:55an initial trade deal with any of these countries by next week?
02:58At a certain point, yeah. We're in no rush. We're in no rush. You have to understand,
03:02we're getting right now 25 percent on cars, 25 percent on steel, 25 percent on aluminum.
03:10We're getting a 10 percent baseline. We took that down just because it was, you know, the
03:14appropriate thing to do until we decide what the number will be. And we're, you know,
03:19taking in a lot of money, which we've never done before, frankly. With Biden, we were losing
03:24a fortune on trade. But we're, you know, we're moving along very nicely, and we're going to
03:31end up with a baseline of a substantial number, which we never got anything. You know, the United
03:36States never got anything until I came along, and then I put very substantial tariffs on China,
03:41if you remember. And we took in hundreds of billions of dollars. But then we had a rigged
03:48election, and it was just one of those little things. And it got away from us because Biden
03:53allowed every country in the world to rip off the United States. And I'm here to save our country.
03:59Mr. President, on China, on China, Mr. President, you said you have China. You have said in the past that you aren't
04:06worried about allies growing closer to China as a result of their tariffs. And this week we saw
04:11Chinese President Xi Jinping visit with three of our allies. Should you be worried that they're
04:16growing closer? No. Nobody, nobody can compete with us. Nobody.
04:23You said there was a relationship with President Xi. Why not pick up the phone and call him and make a deal?
04:27Oh, we're going to make a deal. We'll have a deal. I think we have a, I think we're going to make a very good deal with China.
04:33I think, I think that you will see we'll make a very good deal with China.
04:38Mr. President Trump, Mr. President, you told me about Marine One a couple of months ago. I like her very much regarding Prime Minister Georgia Milani. Will she be the one to mediate your relationship with Europe, do you think?
04:51Well, I do like her very much. I think she's a great Prime Minister. I think she's doing a fantastic job in Italy. We were very proud of her. I knew her right from the beginning. I knew her as a very early Prime Minister, and I knew she had great talent. She's one of the real leaders of the world.
05:08And I'm very proud to be with her.
05:10I can't do better than that, right?
05:13Oh, yeah. That's what I said. Thank you.
05:16Okay, we can close the press conference.
05:19We should end the press conference.
05:22Yeah, please. Go ahead.
05:25How quickly can you raise your defense spending?
05:28Oh, well, Italy is the sum of the nation now that it raised 2%, which was requested.
05:38It'll go up.
05:39Yes, it'll go up.
05:40And then Europe.
05:42Is it enough?
05:43It's never enough.
05:45Europe, as you know, is committed to do more. It's working on tools to help the member states in increasing the funds spending.
05:56And we are convinced that everyone has to do more.
06:00Prime Minister, are you ready? Are the retaliatory tariffs that were passed before and then suspended still on the table?
06:06No, sorry. Please repeat it.
06:08The retaliatory tariffs that the European Commission passed and then suspended, are they still on the table if you cannot make a deal with the President Trump?
06:16I'm sure we can make a deal. And I'm here to help with that. I cannot deal in the name of the European Union.
06:23My goal would be to invite President Trump to pay an official visit to Italy and understand if there's a possibility when it comes to organize also such a meeting with Europe.
06:36I think the best way is that we simply speak frankly about the needs that everyone of us has and find ourselves in the middle.
06:45That's useful for all. Somebody calls me such a Western nationalism. I don't know if it is the right word.
06:53But I'm sure that to be stronger. And I have to find a way. I'm here to find the best way to make us both stronger on the two shores of the Atlantic.
07:05We're going to have very little problem making a deal with Europe or anybody else because we have something that everybody wants.
07:15You know what that means, right? We have something that everybody wants.
07:18We're going to have very little problem. So we'll see you in a couple of minutes.
07:21We'll be right there in the Oval Office. Thank you very much.
07:24Thank you, press. Thank you, press. Thank you.
07:28Thank you. Thank you.
07:30Keep going.