Remarks by President Trump Regarding Secretary Acosta and Jeffrey Epstein | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Q   How many?

    THE PRESIDENT: But we are really specifically looking for bad players, but we're also looking for people that came into our country not through a process - they just walked over a line. They have to leave.

    Q   The mayors don't want ICE raid. The mayors don't want the ICE raids, Mr. President.

    THE PRESIDENT: Some do. No. No. No. The mayors in sanctuary cities, like - a mayor like de Blasio, who is probably the worst mayor in the country - from New York. I don't even know what his attitude is. Nobody does because he doesn't work very hard. Nobody knows what the hell he does. But a guy like de Blasio probably wouldn't want the raid. But many mayors do - most mayors do. You know why? They don't want to have crimes in their cities or states.

    Q   What do you think about Christine Lagarde? What do you think about Christine Lagarde running?

    Q   On military families - what about military families? Will you're- - is your administration going to reconsider ending the parole in - policy - place on military families and provide assurance -

    THE PRESIDENT: So nobody has treated the military better than President Trump. Nobody. Nobody has even come close. And you see that with budgets, you see that with the pay increases, and you see that with medical. But you know where you see it more than any place is with the vets. Because the vets now have Choice. They never had Choice before. For forty- -

    Q   But can you guarantee that their loved ones won't be deported?

    THE PRESIDENT: Wait. Wait. Wait. For 44 years -

    Q   Can you guarantee that their loved ones won't be deported?

    THE PRESIDENT: Wait. Wait. For 44 years - we are looking at that. For 44 years, they've tried to get Veterans Choice. I got it. Nobody else could've gotten it.

    Q   What did you mean - what did you mean, Mr. President, when you said -

    Q   Turkey - Turkey is planning to take delivery of -

    THE PRESIDENT: Okay. Go ahead.


    Q   What you would like Robert Mueller to tell Congress next week?

    THE PRESIDENT: Say it.

    Q   What would you like Robert Mueller to tell Congress next week?

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think, how many bites at the apple do you get?

    Q   (Inaudible.)

    THE PRESIDENT: We've gone through 500 witnesses, 2,500 subpoenas. I've let them interview my lawyers. I've let them inter- - because I had nothing to do with Russia. Now that's come out. There was no collusion.

    Q   You didn't do an interview, sir.

    THE PRESIDENT: But how many - how many people and how many times - and this has been going on for two and a half years. Rush Limbaugh said there's nobody else in the world that he knows that could've taken it. And on top of taking it, I've been a great President. I've done more -

    Q   But, sir, you did not sit down with the Special Counsel.

    THE PRESIDENT: Listen. Listen. I've done more in two and a half years than any other President - nobody's even close - including, we just said, Veterans Choice and all of the other things I've gotten.

    But for two and a half years - so now they have Mueller go make a speech. That goes. Now they wanted to have him again. They want to go it again and again and again because they want to hurt the President for the election. Because I see what I'm running against. You got Sleepy Joe Biden. He doesn't have the energy to be President. And the people that nipping on his heels - they don't have what it takes.

    And I can tell you that China and Russia - and I've been rougher on Russia than any President in the last 50 years. China and Russia and try North Korea - where I have a relationship. You don't have a man testing nuclear anymore. You have a man -

    Q   Is there something you want Mueller to say in this hearing?

    THE PRESIDENT: Wait. Wait. You have a man that was so happy to see me. That's a good thing, not a bad thing. You have a man that doesn't smile a lot. But when he saw me, he smiled. He was happy. You have a man that, when I came into to office, all he was doing before under Obama was testing nuclear weapons and blowing up mountains. And now he's not doing it.


    Q   But on Robert Mueller, is there anything you'd like Robert Mueller to say about you?

    THE PRESIDENT: There's nothing he can say. He's written a report. The report said, "No collusion." And it said, effectively, "No obstruction," because there's no obstruction. And the other thing, it's very interesting -

    Q   But he couldn't clear you on obstruction, sir.

    Q   Do you think he should (inaudible)?

    THE PRESIDENT: So they find out there's no collusion. The whole thing is about collusion. So they find out it's no collusion. Now, actually, it was different; it was bad crimes committed by the other side. We'll find out about that. I'm sure that's being looked at right now.

    Q   Do you regret not talking to Mueller?

    Q   Do you think he should show up? Should he show up show, sir?

    THE PRESIDENT: So - so there's no collusion and there's no obstruction.

    Now, we have a great Attorney General now - he's strong and he's smart - and he read it and he studied it - along with Rod Rosenstein, who worked it from the beginning. And Rod Rosenstein and Bill Barr said, "There's no obstruction."

    It's also interesting - number one, there's no crime. And how do you obstruct when there's no crime?

    Also, take a look at one other thing. It's a thing called Article II. Nobody ever mentions Article II. It gives me all of these rights at a level that nobody has ever seen before. We don't even talk about Article II.

    So they ruled: no collusion, no objection. Very simple.

    Q   [Crosstalk.]

    THE PRESIDENT: And you can only - by the way, you can only get so many bites at the apple. We got to get on to running a country. You got immigration, infrastructure, drug prices. The Democrats aren't working. All they're doing is trying to hurt people like Alex Acosta, a man who has done -


    Q   Do you think Democrats hurt Mr. Acosta?

    THE PRESIDENT: - a man who has done - I have no idea. Are you a Democrat?

    SECRETARY ACOSTA: I am not, no.

    THE PRESIDENT: I have no idea. You know what I know? You know what I know about Alex? He was a great student at Harvard. He's Hispanic, which I - which I so admire, because maybe it was a little tougher for him, and maybe not. But he did an unbelievable job as the Secretary of Labor. That's what I know about him. I know one thing: He did a great job.

    SECRETARY ACOSTA: And - and -

    THE PRESIDENT: And until this came up, there was never an ounce of problem with this very good man.

    Go ahead.

    SECRETARY ACOSTA: And let me - let me just add - let me - let me just add, you know, I hear a lot about how individuals got jobs and whatnot. Before our interview, we had never met, we had never talked. The President selected me as it should be done. It wasn't that we knew each other. It's not that we had a longstanding relationship. And I think that's a testament to his selection process.

    Q   Mr. President, what do you make of the infighting going on among Democrats in Congress between Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her squad?

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think Cortez - who kept Amazon out of New York, and they don't like her for that; thousands and thousands of jobs - I think Cortez is being very disrespectful to somebody that's been there a long time.

    I deal with Nancy Pelosi a lot, and we go back and forth and it's fine. But I think that a group of people is being very disrespectful for her - to her. And you know what? I don't think that Nancy can let that go on.

    A group of people that came from - I don't know where they came from. I'm looking at this Omar from Minnesota, and if one half of the things they're saying about her are true, she shouldn't even be in office.

    But Cortez should treat Nancy Pelosi with respect. She should not be doing what she's doing.

    And I'll tell you something about Nancy Pelosi that you know better than I do: She is not a racist. Okay? She is not a racist. For them to call her a racist is a disgrace.