FULL EVENT: President Trump Speaks to Press En Route to Joint Base Andrews - 04/17/26

[0:01] Mr. President. [0:02] The President. [0:03] Hello, everybody. [0:04] Nice to be with you. [0:05] We're landing pretty soon. [0:07] We had some pretty good news 20 minutes ago. [0:10] But it seems to be going very well in the Middle East with Iran. [0:13] We'll know over a little period of time. [0:17] We're negotiating over the weekend. [0:20] And as you know, we have the blockade. [0:22] The blockade's been very successful. [0:24] And of equal success has been the five weeks before the blockade. [0:29] The combination was pretty lethal, I would say. [0:32] So we're going to be knowing very shortly. [0:34] But we're talking over it. [0:37] I expect things to go well. [0:38] Many of these things have been negotiated and agreed to. [0:41] Sir, what was the good news that you had 20 minutes ago? [0:43] Having to do with Iran. [0:45] Can you tell us anything about what you heard? [0:47] No, but you'll hear about it. [0:48] What are you going to be talking about? [0:49] I just think it's something that should happen. [0:50] It's something that only makes sense to happen. [0:52] And I think it will. [0:55] We'll see what happens, but I think it will. [0:57] Have you agreed to... [0:58] Mr. President, you told me on the phone earlier that everything has been agreed to. [1:01] No. [1:02] You told me earlier that everything has been agreed to. [1:04] Iran was saying something different. [1:06] So what has been worked out in that time? [1:08] I want to say something different because, you know, they have people that they have to cater to also. [1:13] I really don't. [1:14] I'm just doing the thing that's right. [1:15] I'm just saying it like it is. [1:17] And we have a situation, I think, that is going to be very beneficial. [1:22] And the main thing is that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. [1:25] You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. [1:27] And that supersedes everything else. [1:29] Are you personally the one that's making these negotiations? [1:32] Are you personally the one that's making these negotiations move forward? [1:36] I have people representing me, but I'm the one that makes the decision. [1:41] Sir, in the strait, there have been reports that the Pentagon's preparing for military action in Cuba. [1:47] Are those reports true? [1:48] Is Cuba next? [1:49] Well, it depends on what your definition of military action is. [1:55] Would it look like Venezuela or Iran? [1:59] It really does. [2:00] It depends on what your definition of military action is, as Bill Clinton would say. [2:06] You understand that? [2:07] No. [2:08] A lot of people don't understand that. [2:09] Sir, your 9 a.m. event tomorrow, what are you planning to announce as Iran? [2:14] Well, we have something tomorrow. [2:15] It's a little bit of a surprise. [2:16] I think it's a very positive thing. [2:18] Something I feel strongly about. [2:20] Somebody's coming to the White House is very good, very smart, very caring. [2:26] A person that cares a lot about the country and beyond. [2:30] And so we're going to have a news conference tomorrow. [2:32] A little unusual, Saturday morning. [2:34] Is it about Iran? [2:35] Yeah, exactly. [2:36] Well, it will be. [2:37] Ultimately, everything is about Iran, I guess. [2:38] It all morphs into Iran. [2:39] You're going to be asking questions. [2:41] But the Iran thing is just going well. [2:44] Tomorrow is unrelated, but you'll be probably, it'll be a form of a news conference. [2:49] And I think it's going to be something very good for our country. [2:52] Do you want to do something at the White House when this all does end? [2:56] When you are able? [2:57] We'll have a party. [3:00] It would be great. [3:01] Hey, we've been pushed around by Iran for 47 years, but not anymore. [3:06] Chief President, when you say that Iran has agreed to turn over their nuclear dust, what does that mean? [3:11] Are they destroying their nuclear material? [3:13] They're turning it over. [3:15] Can you walk us through what that process looks like, sir? [3:17] We're taking it. [3:18] Very simple. [3:19] Going in? [3:20] Yeah. [3:21] With Iran. [3:22] We're going in with Iran. [3:23] Does that mean the U.S. is on the ground to get that? [3:24] We will have it. [3:26] I don't cooperate. [3:27] We'll take it after the agreement is signed. [3:29] After. [3:30] There's a big difference. [3:31] Before and after. [3:32] B.C. [3:34] It's before and after. [3:35] Sir, in the strait, are there going to be restrictions? [3:37] After the agreement is signed, it's a lot different than before. [3:39] We would have taken it. [3:40] If we didn't have an agreement, we would take it. [3:42] But I don't think we'll have to. [3:44] Sir, in the strait, are there going to be restrictions and tolls managed by Iran for ships and vessels passing through? [3:50] Nope. [3:51] No way. [3:53] None at all? [3:54] Nope. [3:55] No restrictions? [3:56] No. [3:57] Can you talk to me on FISA, Mr. President? [3:58] Restrictions? [3:59] Yeah, there'll be restrictions. [4:00] You can't do the tolls. [4:01] No. [4:02] They're not going to be tolls. [4:03] On FISA, Mr. President, Anna Paul Luna is pushing to have the Save America Act linked [4:08] to FISA and the FISA renewal. [4:10] Are you in favor? [4:11] Right. [4:12] And I'd love to see that. [4:14] The Save America Act is so important. [4:16] It's so good. [4:17] It's voter ID. [4:18] It's, you know, basic. [4:20] It's your basics about a democracy. [4:24] Voter ID, birthplace. [4:25] You have to be born in the United States to vote. [4:29] We have no transgender transgender. [4:31] We added no transgender immunization of our children. [4:36] Very important. [4:37] No men in women's sports now. [4:40] We added that. [4:41] Also, we talk about the top three. [4:43] And we put as the three, you know, the three having to do with the vote. [4:46] We also have no mail-in ballots other than for the military, et cetera. [4:50] If you're sick, the military, if you're away, if you're disabled, any of those things. [4:56] It's pretty generous, actually. [4:58] But mail-in ballots, the tremendous cheating that goes on with mail-in ballots. [5:02] So we would have no mail-in ballots except for those various exceptions. [5:06] So does a ceasefire in Lebanon need to happen for you to get to a deal with Iran? [5:12] It's not really tied, but you could say maybe psychologically tied. [5:16] But we're going to help Lebanon become a country again. [5:18] You know, it's been a long time for them. [5:20] They've gone through a lot. [5:21] And we're going to help them be a country again. [5:23] Are you frustrated with Netanyahu? [5:25] While you were negotiating the ceasefire in the last round, was his action bombing Lebanon? [5:30] Did that impact peace talks? [5:33] We disagree on some things, but he's been a very good partner. [5:36] We did a good job. [5:38] He's probably never been anything like it. [5:40] He says we were the senior, and we are the senior. [5:42] We're the senior. [5:43] We're the greatest military in the world. [5:45] I built it in the first term. [5:47] Didn't think I'd be using it this much, but we have the greatest military in the world. [5:52] Greatest equipment. [5:53] Greatest, when you look at it, we had 101 to 111, depending on your definition, because some were two. [6:01] They came out in twos. [6:04] Missiles shot at a certain very valuable asset of ours that happened to be sitting on the water. [6:09] Every single one of those missiles were shot down. [6:11] Think of it. [6:12] 111 missiles. [6:14] Every single one of them was shot down. [6:17] Never even got close. [6:19] Nobody has a military like this. [6:23] Nobody has equipment like this. [6:24] Nobody has the power that we have. [6:26] Sir, you said that the U.S. was going to take the nuclear dust from Iran. [6:30] Yeah, we didn't make a deal. [6:32] What's the timeline on that? [6:33] How long will that take? [6:34] You want me to give you the time and date and everything else? [6:36] Is it like you've negotiated how long that process will go on? [6:38] Obviously, I'm not going to give you the time, other than if we sign the agreement, then I can give you time somewhere after the signing of the agreement. [6:45] And will it involve the U.S. military? [6:47] We'll go in with Iran, and we will take it together, and we will bring it back, 100 percent of it, back to the United States. [6:54] If we don't do that, we will get it in a different form, in a much more unfriendly form. [7:01] But in any event, we'll get it. [7:03] Excuse me, excuse me. [7:05] But in any event, we'll get it. [7:06] Go ahead. [7:07] If you don't have a deal by Wednesday when the ceasefire ends, will you extend the ceasefire, or will you start attacks again? [7:13] I don't know. [7:14] Maybe I won't extend it. [7:15] Okay. [7:16] The blockade is going to remain. [7:17] But maybe I won't extend it. [7:19] So you have a blockade, and unfortunately, we'll have to start dropping bombs again. [7:24] Thank you very much, everybody. [7:25] Thank you. [7:26] I think it's going to happen. [7:27] What about the UFOs, Mr. President?