Here’s the video. I watched it live.
Pertinent Snips
Russia: While touting the success of his “great” meeting earlier this month with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump stated “Russia sanctions will remain.”
Iran: “I would meet with anybody. I believe in meeting. I do believe that they will probably end up wanting to meet. I’m ready to meet whenever they want to. … No preconditions. They want to meet, I’ll meet. Any time they want. It’s good for us, it’s good for them, and it’s good for the world.”
China: Trump accused China of “unfair trade practices, subsidies, excess capacity, intellectual property theft, forced technology transfers, currency devaluation, and distortion caused by State Owned Enterprises.”
Government Shutdown: Trump again threatened a government shutdown. “As far as the border is concerned, and personally, if we don’t get border security, after many, many years of talk within the United States, I would have no problem doing a shutdown. It’s time we had proper border security. We’re the laughing stock of the we have the worst immigration laws anywhere in the world,” he said. Trump “I want to take my hat off to ICE and the brave people that have really been maligned by the Democrats.”
NATO: Trump bragged about increase in NATO budget. “NATO was essentially going out of business. I came along last year and in a fairly nice tome said you gotta pay. … This year the money is pouring in.”
In one embarrassing spot, Trump praised Italy’s fine products but then could not come up with any.
I regards to Iran, I certainly hope we meet. I thought we had a reasonable good deal already.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Well, it is true that China has been getting away with seriously unfair trade practices for years. And it is true that the US immigration system has been a mess since Teddie Kennedy screwed it up. Nice to hear a President lay it out straight. Of course, the truth gives the pearl-clutchers a bad case of the vapors.
Trump just blinked. The initial insults and threats have subsided, now calls for negotiation. He must have been told that sanctions aren’t going to work and that Arab NATO isn’t going anywhere.
Meeting with anyone the useful idiots are being told are “important,” gets him in the limelight. Ups his ratings. Just like throwing tweetrums do.
Trump has already used up his preconditions by canceling Obama’s agreement.