Trump holds a news conference as the Iran war continues — NBC News

[6:28] of a U.S. crew shot down over Western Iran. [6:31] The president is speaking. Let's listen in. [6:35] It's been one of the best. [6:38] So, good afternoon. [6:40] We have quite a bit to discuss. [6:41] We'll go into pretty good detail. [6:44] And we have the people that are most involved. [6:47] We'll give you exactitude. [6:51] And we're here today to celebrate the success [6:53] of one of the largest, most complex, [6:55] most harrowing combat searches. [6:59] I guess you would call it a search-and-rescue mission [7:01] ever attempted by the military. [7:05] Generally, when planes are knocked down in war, [7:08] especially when you're fighting a strong group, [7:11] an evil group, you can't really do this [7:14] because you send in 200 men to pick up one. [7:19] And it's something that's usually not attempted [7:22] as much as you want to attempt. [7:24] And bad things happen to that one or two. [7:27] And in this case, we did two, [7:29] and it might not have been attempted before. [7:31] But we did, and we had great talent. [7:35] We got a little luck, too, I would say. [7:37] And we were helped by a lot of people, [7:41] a lot of great people. [7:43] And it was an honor to be involved with it. [7:45] It's very historic. [7:48] This is a rescue that's very historic. [7:52] It'll go down in the books late Thursday night. [7:55] An American F-15 fighter jet went down deep [7:58] inside enemy territory in Iran [8:01] while participating in Operation Epic Fury, [8:04] where we're doing unbelievably well, [8:07] well at a level that nobody's ever seen before. [8:09] Thank you. [8:12] Thank you. [8:12] Thank you. [8:12] Thank you. [8:12] Thank you. [8:12] Thank you. [8:12] This country can be taken out in one night, [8:15] and that night might be tomorrow night. [8:18] Both members of the crew ejected from the aircraft [8:21] and landed alive on Iranian soil. [8:24] I immediately was asked to make a decision. [8:29] I ordered the U.S. Armed Forces [8:31] to do whatever was necessary [8:33] to bring our brave warriors back home. [8:35] A risky decision, [8:36] because we could have ended up with 100 dead [8:40] as opposed to one or two. [8:42] It's a hard decision to make. [8:44] But in the United States military, [8:46] we leave no American behind. We don't do it. Within hours, our armed forces deployed 21 [8:53] military aircraft into hostile airspace, many flying at very low altitude, being shot by [8:59] bullets. You bring rifles into play when you're going that low, but there are also certain [9:07] advantages. And in broad daylight over Iran for seven hours at times facing very, very heavy [9:15] enemy fire. We have a helicopter that's got a lot of bullets in it. It's amazing. We just realized [9:21] how good those those weapons are. Those are machines are nobody has. Nobody has the equipment [9:28] that we have and nobody has the military that we have. Not even close. The most powerful military [9:33] anywhere in the world by far. The flight crews and warfighters aboard those aircraft took [9:39] extraordinary risks to rescue their fellow service members. This first wave of search and rescue [9:46] forces successfully. [9:47] Located the pilot of the F-15 and he was extracted from enemy territory by an HH 60 Jolly Green [9:56] two helicopter. Fabulous machine as our warriors faced gunfire at very close range. It's amazing [10:05] that when you look at the machinery, what happened that nobody was even injured. Meanwhile, the [10:13] second crew member, a weapons system officer, highly respected colonel had landed a significant [10:19] distance away from the pilot. [10:20] When you're going at those speeds, even if you go out two or three seconds later, it's miles. It's miles and miles [10:28] away because you're going fast. He was injured quite badly and stranded in an area teeming with terrorists from [10:36] the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Rough Group, as well as besieged militia militia and local authorities. Many on [10:47] top of everything else, they told the communities actually within. [10:53] Inside of Iran, the people of Iran, they were given a tremendous incentive to find this pilot despite [11:01] the peril. The officer followed his training and climbed into the treacherous mountain terrain and started climbing [11:08] toward a higher altitude, something they were trained to do in order to evade capture. Uh, they want [11:17] to always go as far away from the site of the shoot down. You want to go as far away because they all [11:24] head right to that site. You want to be as far away as you can. And he was injured. And he was [11:30] an amazing, amazing thing. He scaled cliff faces, bleeding rather profusely, treated his own wounds [11:39] and contacted American forces to transmit his location. They have a very sophisticated [11:46] beeper type apparatus that is on them at all times. And when they when they go out on these [11:56] missions, they make sure they have lots of battery space and they're in good shape. And this one [12:02] worked really well. Amazingly saved his life. We immediately mobilized a massive operation to [12:08] retrieve him from the mountain holdout. And he kept going higher and higher. The mountain kept [12:15] getting rougher and rougher and really very, very hard to find. The second rescue mission involved [12:21] 155 aircraft, including four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling [12:28] tankers, 13 rescue aircraft and more. We were bringing them all over. And a lot of it was [12:35] subterfuge. We wanted to have them think he was in a different location because they had a vast [12:42] military force out there. Thousands, thousands of people were looking. So we wanted them to look in [12:48] different areas. So we were scattered all over like we were right on top of them. We had seven [12:54] different locations where they thought and they were very confused. They said, well, wait a minute. [12:59] They've got [13:00] groups here. They've got groups there. It's an amazing thing. I was listening to these great [13:06] people, these great generals. General Raisin Cane was amazing. And Pete Hegseth was amazing. But I [13:14] listened to the whole thing. It was pretty amazing. So they had all these different sites where [13:18] everybody thought he was located. We think we have him over there because they have nine planes [13:23] circling a little area that's 25 miles down the coast. So in a breathtaking show of skill and [13:33] precision, lethality. [13:34] And force. America's military descended on the area, the real area, engaged the enemy, rescued the stranded officer, destroyed all threats and exited Iranian territory while taking no casualties of any kind. The heroic F-15 weapons system officer had evaded capture on the ground in Iran for almost 48 hours. That's a long time when you're in tough shape and when you're bleeding. It's a long time. [14:07] When we left, as you probably know, we had two large planes, old, pretty old planes that carried a lot. We needed a lot more equipment going in than coming out, obviously, because going in, we needed to be able to scale mountains. And we had a lot of equipment. But the sand was it was sandy, wet sand. So we thought there may be a problem taking off because of the weight of the plane. And then we also had all the men jumping back onto the planes. [14:39] We got pretty well bogged down. And we had a contingency plan, which was unbelievable, where lighter, faster aircraft came in and they took them out. We blew up the old planes. We blew them up to smithereens because we had equipment on the planes that, frankly, we'd like to take. But I don't think it was worthwhile spending another four hours there taking it off. So we didn't want anybody to have the best, best equipment anywhere in the world. We didn't want anybody examining our anti aircraft and other aircraft. [15:10] We needed the bigger equipment. So these were large planes that were old and pretty old. And we blew them up and we had faster, lighter planes come in and they were able to land on the sand. We needed the bigger planes because we had so much equipment that we knew we took three helicopters over there, which were very strongly used and couldn't have lived without them. They did. And they performed unbelievably well. And if you'd see it, you wouldn't believe it. They came off the plane and these guys had them. The rotors were off. [15:42] They rebuilt these helicopters in less than 10 minutes. And that was one of the more amazing things. These are helicopters, small, unbelievably powerful, but small, very small. So I can get into certain areas. And they got them off the plane and they rebuilt all three of them in a matter of less than I would say less than 10 minutes. It's pretty amazing what the genius of these people who would think that you think it would take five [16:14] days to build them. And in some companies who would take five days and they wouldn't do it well, but they served us well. As commander in chief, I never forget the extraordinary risk taken by the warriors that we send into battle and the genius. I mean, think of it having a contingency of three planes waiting because we think the sand is so bad that we probably won't be able to take off. And the planes really got bogged. The sand was this was not much of a runway. This was a farm, not a runway. So [16:45] the farm, but it did the trick. But to have a contingency as opposed to having to wait two days, can you imagine right in the middle? This was central. This was right. You would call it central casting if you were doing a movie for location and probably the toughest area of Iran where we'd be sitting there. So these planes came in. Those pilots came in so fast and so quick and got out of there. Everybody got aboard and just got 15 minute intervals. One load out. One load out. [17:17] One load out. One load out. It happened. And we were watching and we said, that's amazing. It's in many ways. I was I was almost more impressed by the contingency that we had than the fact that, you know, if we would have had a runway or decent soil, but it was an amazing thing. But we thank God for every single one of them. And the talent, the genius is not even talent. It's genius. It's the whole ballgame. Every one of them. If you look at what we did with [17:49] Maduro, we went into a military compound, a massive with thousands and thousands of soldiers within a matter of minutes. And he lived behind iron doors. There were steel doors, broke them down so quickly. And within almost minutes, he was in the back of these planes. It was a similar group. Incredible. We have incredibly talented people. And if the time comes, we move heaven and earth to bring them home safely. We're going to bring our people home safely. I want to thank every member of the U.S. [18:20] Armed Forces involved in these historic operations. They really were historic. It's just not something that's done. And you'd understand it. Not that they don't want to do it. But when you're going into areas, when you look at these helicopters, when you look at the amount of bullets and everything else that they took, when you go into these areas, you don't come out like we came out. God was watching us. Well, it was the Easter. We were in the Easter territory, I guess. But God was watching us. Amazing. Because when you look at [18:52] the machinery, they took they took damage. Tells you. First thing I said is these are unbelievable machines, how they flew back and not even much of a problem. But these two extraordinary rescues, because it was two. And as you probably know, we didn't talk about the first one for an hour. Then somebody leaked something which will hopefully find that leaker. We're looking very hard to find that leaker and talked about there's somebody missing. They basically said that we have one and there's somebody missing. Well, they didn't [19:25] know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information. So whoever it was, we think we'll be able to find it out because we're going to go to the media company that released it. And we're going to say national security, give it up or go to jail. And we know who and you know who we're talking about, because some things you can't do, because when they did that, all of a sudden, the entire country of Iran knew that there was a pilot that was somewhere on their land that was fighting for his life. [19:59] And it also made it much more difficult for the pilots and for the people going in to search for him. All of a sudden, they know that there's somebody out there. They see all these planes coming in. It became a much more difficult operation because a leaker leaked that we have one. We've rescued one. But there's another one out there that we're trying to get. So actually, the country, Iran, put out a major notice. You all saw it. [20:32] We had millions of people trying to get an award. So when you add that to it, but we have to find that leaker because that's a sick person. Probably didn't realize the extent of how bad it was. I can't imagine that the person did. But we're going to find out. It's national security. And the person that did the story, [21:07] we'll go to jail if he doesn't say. And that doesn't last long. And I think everybody would understand that they put this mission at great risk. They put that man at great risk. And they put the hundreds of people that went in looking for him because everyone now knows that we're going in. Over the past 37 days, America's armed forces have carried out more than 10,000 combat flights over Iran unheard of, striking more than 13,000 targets. The F-15 we lost last week. [21:37] In this entire operation with thousands and thousands of flights, they got lucky. It was a lucky hit. You know, eventually you get lucky. But we got lucky, too, because we got both of them back. But it's a record that is unparalleled in the history of military air operations. Nobody's ever seen anything like it. It's such an honor to be involved with it. We were up late at night and then we were waiting for those contingent planes to come in. And we [22:11] We say, come on, let's go get in, [22:13] because they're waiting out on this farm without a runway [22:19] with wet, crummy soil, sand, mostly sand, wet sand, [22:26] and it eats planes alive. [22:28] And we're waiting, and we're saying, [22:30] I hope that one can land and take off. [22:32] And they came in like magic, boom, boom, boom, [22:35] one after another. [22:36] It was like genius. [22:38] I'm so impressed by that, [22:40] because we were a little concerned. [22:41] We said, boy, if they don't get in and get up fast, [22:45] we're sitting in the middle. [22:46] And that's called Iran Prime, right, General? [22:50] That's where the whole bet is. [22:53] And here we are sitting there waiting for a plane. [22:56] But they came in so fast and so hard, [22:58] and these guys knew exactly what to do. [23:00] Let's go, come on, get in, let's go, poah. [23:03] They came one right after another, not at the same time. [23:07] They don't want to come at the same time. [23:08] They had to come right after each other. [23:10] They didn't have any room. [23:10] There was barely any room to land. [23:13] Tiny little patch of very wet earth and sand. [23:19] So I just, I'm so proud of the people that I have [23:21] standing up here with me and many others that worked. [23:24] I mean, so many. [23:26] Steve Witkoff's over here. [23:27] He's doing fantastically. [23:28] Jared Kushner. [23:30] But the people that are here, the job they did is amazing. [23:34] And I think I'm going to introduce the head of the CIA, [23:37] and he is a man who, he's central casting, okay? [23:42] If we cast a movie, he's going to play the head of the CIA. [23:45] He's one of the few. [23:47] John Ratcliffe, he did a phenomenal job that night. [23:51] He did something that, I don't know if you want to talk about it. [23:53] If you want, you can. [23:54] I'm not sure he's supposed to. [23:55] I'm not going to talk about it. [23:56] But he really, the CIA was very responsible for finding this little speck. [24:01] It's like they used an expression on one of the shows. [24:04] A general was talking about, [24:06] it's like finding a needle in a haystack, finding this pilot. [24:10] And the CIA was unbelievable. [24:12] And you may, if you can, you'll talk. [24:14] It might be classified, in which case I'd have to put him in jail if he talks about it. [24:18] And I don't want to put him in jail. [24:20] He doesn't deserve. [24:22] So, John, do you want to say a few words? [24:23] Thank you. [24:26] Thank you, Mr. President. [24:28] It's a privilege to be here with you today [24:30] to share what we can about this exceptional mission [24:34] and to recognize the ingenuity and bravery of those who executed it, [24:39] as well as the leadership and resolve of the president who ordered it. [24:44] One thing that has been clear to me in this role [24:47] is that the flawless military operations that the Department of War is known for [24:52] are hostage to flawless intelligence. [24:56] We saw that. [24:57] In the skies over Iran in Operation Midnight Hammer last summer, [25:01] we witnessed it in Venezuela during Operation Absolute Resolve. [25:05] We've seen it against the cartels in the Western Hemisphere, [25:09] and we're seeing it every day in Operation Epic Fury, [25:13] including this mission to rescue an aviator buried deep behind enemy lines. [25:20] Because it is the unique tradition of the U.S. Armed Forces [25:23] that we leave no man or woman behind, [25:28] this was a no-fail mission. [25:30] That was the spirit. [25:31] It was the spirit in which the president put us to work, [25:34] and we were determined not to let him down or our airmen down. [25:39] As an agency, the CIA possesses unique capabilities [25:43] that only the president can deploy. [25:45] Some of these capabilities fall under covert action authorities, [25:50] and because covert means exactly that, [25:54] I'm not going to be able to tell you everything that you want to know. [25:59] At the president's direction, [26:01] we deployed both human assets and exquisite technologies [26:05] that no other intelligence service in the world, [26:07] possesses to a daunting challenge comparable to hunting [26:12] for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert. [26:17] This was also a race against the clock, [26:20] as it was critical that we locate the downed aviator as quickly as possible, [26:25] while at the same time keeping our enemies misdirected. [26:30] For that reason, in addition to the human and technical assets [26:35] deployed by the president to find our airmen, [26:38] CIA executed a deception campaign [26:42] to defuse the Iranians, who were desperately hunting for our airmen. [26:46] On Saturday morning, we achieved our primary objective [26:50] by finding and providing confirmation [26:53] that one of America's best and bravest was alive [26:56] and concealed in a mountain crevice, [27:00] still invisible to the enemy, but not to the CIA. [27:04] That confirmation was relayed by Secretary Hegseth to the president, [27:09] and the operation quickly moved to the execution phase. [27:13] Following the successful exfiltration [27:16] on Saturday night, [27:17] our intelligence reflects that the Iranians were embarrassed [27:22] and ultimately humiliated by the success of this audacious rescue mission. [27:27] When the president asked me to lead the CIA, [27:32] he made it clear, get back to basics, [27:34] no politics, no agendas, [27:36] tackle the hardest problems, [27:38] and execute the toughest missions. [27:40] This president is about results, [27:45] and now, that's what his CIA is about too. [27:48] The professionals at the agency and at the Department of War [27:52] deserve immense credit for their flawless execution [27:56] during this daring mission. [27:58] Their skill, creativity, and courage are unmatched [28:01] on the battlefield wherever they step, [28:03] but none of that matters, [28:08] and all of that is wasted without a president [28:12] with the political courage to put them into action. [28:16] Mr. President, I've had the privilege [28:18] of seeing you act with political courage [28:20] in the best interest of the United States up close on a daily basis, [28:23] and I'm grateful that this successful mission [28:26] has given the American people a window into that as well. [28:30] The Secretary and Chairman will tell you [28:33] that our service members' confidence is boosted [28:36] by a Commander-in-Chief who has their back [28:39] the same way they have yours. [28:41] And I know that the confidence of CIA's officers [28:45] is boosted by the knowledge that their work [28:48] is in forming a president who's not afraid [28:51] to make the hardest decisions when the stakes are highest. [28:55] And to the American people, [28:59] your confidence should be boosted. [29:01] By knowing that the security of the nation [29:04] is in the hands of a president [29:06] who's willing to take on problems [29:08] that have confounded both sides of the political aisle [29:11] for nearly half a century, [29:13] it is an honor to serve under a leader [29:16] who just proved that you can believe him [29:20] when he says, [29:21] no matter what, [29:22] we will leave no one behind. [29:25] We will come for you. [29:28] Thank you. [29:29] Well, John, thank you for the collaboration [29:39] the CIA as well. [29:40] Incredible and ongoing partnership. [29:42] Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Americans, [29:44] and especially the brave warriors in our armed forces, [29:48] over this Easter weekend, [29:50] the United States military has once again proved [29:52] why we possess the greatest fighting force [29:54] the world has ever known. [29:56] In two extraordinary combat search and rescue operations [30:01] deep inside enemy territory in Iran, [30:04] our warriors executed missions of breathtaking skill, [30:09] courage, and precision. [30:11] When our warriors are unleashed [30:14] as this president has allowed them to be, [30:16] they are unstoppable. [30:20] When American airmen were down behind enemy lines, [30:22] our forces and our president did not hesitate. [30:25] Special operators supported by elite air crews [30:27] and intelligence professionals moved swiftly and decisively [30:30] into treacherous mountain terrain [30:32] under the constant threat of Iranian forces closing in. [30:36] Ultimately, it was an impotent Iranian threat. [30:40] And today, as the CIA director mentioned, [30:43] Iran's military, and we know this, [30:45] is embarrassed and humiliated. [30:48] And they should be. [30:50] Now, these are not routine operations. [30:52] They were high-risk, high-stakes missions [30:54] conducted in the heart of enemy territory. [30:56] This was not just barely into Iran. [30:58] This was deep into Iran, [31:01] involving coordinated strikes to suppress threats, [31:03] deception tactics to protect our teams, [31:06] and full synchronization across air, ground, [31:08] and special operations. [31:10] The Iranians are still asking themselves right now, [31:13] how did the Americans do this? [31:16] One downed airman evaded capture [31:19] for more than a day, [31:21] scaling rugged ridges while hunted by the enemy. [31:24] When he was finally able to activate [31:26] his emergency transponder, [31:28] his first message was simple, [31:31] and it was powerful. [31:34] He sent a message, God is good. [31:38] In that moment of isolation and danger, [31:40] his faith and fighting spirit shone through. [31:43] You see, shot down on a Friday, [31:45] Good Friday, [31:48] hidden in a cave, a crevice, [31:51] all of Saturday, [31:54] rescued on Sunday. [31:57] Flown out of Iran as the sun was rising [31:59] on Easter Sunday. [32:01] A pilot reborn, all home and accounted for, [32:06] a nation rejoicing. [32:08] God is good. [32:11] Despite incoming fire and unforgiving conditions, [32:15] our troops brought every American home. [32:18] No American lives were lost. [32:20] We leave no man behind, [32:22] and that is not luck. [32:23] It's the result of unmatched training, [32:26] superior technology, [32:27] an unbreakable warrior ethos, [32:29] and sheer American grit. [32:31] Our special operators, pilots, [32:33] and support crews performed [32:35] with near perfection under fire. [32:38] And they were lethal. [32:40] Just ask any Iranian soldier [32:43] who dared attempt to get anywhere near that pilot [32:47] before or during that mission. [32:50] Death from above. [32:52] Our troops turned a potential tragedy [32:55] into a resounding demonstration [32:57] of American resolve and capability. [32:59] That's what excellence in uniform means. [33:01] But make no mistake about it, [33:04] none of this would have been possible [33:07] without the courageous leadership [33:09] and ironclad determination [33:11] of President Donald J. Trump. [33:13] From the moment our airmen went down, [33:16] President Trump made it clear [33:18] we will leave no one behind. [33:21] The first mission, the first of two, [33:23] was an audacious daylight thunder run [33:27] right up the middle. [33:30] It was authorized in less than two hours [33:32] from that pilot going down [33:34] to where he was. [33:37] And it was authorized in the middle of the night. [33:39] Because anybody that's worked for this man [33:40] knows he's up in the middle of the night. [33:43] Authorized immediately, [33:44] without hesitation, audaciously. [33:46] The second mission, [33:47] as soon as we knew where that pilot was, [33:49] and John was certainly helpful in that, [33:51] also executed immediately. [33:55] You know, I looked up at my screen [33:56] when the final mission was complete [33:58] inside our SCIF, our secure facility. [34:00] And we have a running VTC, [34:02] a running coordination cell. [34:05] And the top of it read 45 minutes [34:07] and 45 hours [34:09] and 56 minutes. [34:11] For 45 hours and 56 minutes, [34:14] we held that call open for coordination. [34:17] From the moment our pilots went down, [34:19] our mission was unblinking. [34:21] The call never dropped. [34:22] The meeting never stopped. [34:24] The planning never ceased. [34:26] The president demanded rapid, decisive action. [34:30] He backed our military [34:31] with the full weight of his resolve, [34:33] refusing to let enemy propaganda [34:35] or tactical setbacks deter us. [34:37] His leadership ensured that every lethal [34:41] and nonlethal resource was brought to bear, [34:43] that our forces had the authorities [34:45] and the support they needed to succeed. [34:48] When the president says he has the backs [34:50] of our warfighters, he means it. [34:52] And it means a great deal, [34:54] and it's a big difference on the battlefield. [34:56] President Trump understands that peace [34:59] through strength is not a slogan. [35:01] It is a doctrine that saves American lives. [35:05] His unwavering commitment to rebuilding [35:07] our military and restoring the warrior spirit [35:10] has paid dividends in missions [35:12] just like this one. [35:14] Under his command, [35:15] America projects power with confidence [35:17] and brings our people home with victory. [35:21] And that continues today, by the way. [35:23] Per the president's direction, [35:25] today will be the largest volume of strikes [35:27] since day one of this operation. [35:29] Tomorrow, even more than today. [35:32] And then Iran has a choice. [35:34] Choose wisely, [35:36] because this president does not play around. [35:39] You can ask Soleimani. [35:40] You can ask Maduro. [35:43] You can ask Khomeini. [35:46] Those heroes who planned and executed these rescues, [35:48] your nation stands in awe. [35:51] I stand in awe. [35:52] The chairman stands in awe. [35:53] We all stand in awe of your professionalism and bravery. [35:56] We serve for you. [35:57] You embody the very best of America. [36:00] To the rescued airmen and their families, [36:02] welcome home. [36:04] Your courage and endurance, [36:06] the quiet declaration of faith amid the storm [36:09] inspires us all. [36:11] God is good every day. [36:14] And to our adversaries watching from Tehran, [36:18] let this be a clear message. [36:20] The United States military will go anywhere at any time [36:25] to protect our own and complete the mission. [36:29] We execute with precision. [36:31] We control the skies. [36:33] You see, we flew for seven hours in daylight [36:36] over Iran to get the first pilot. [36:39] And we flew seven hours in the middle of the night [36:41] to get the second. [36:44] And Iran did nothing about it. [36:48] We fight with honor. [36:49] And under President Trump's leadership, we win. [36:52] So God bless our troops. [36:53] God bless President Trump. [36:55] And God bless the United States of America. [36:57] Thank you. [37:01] Well, good afternoon, everyone. [37:03] Thank you, Mr. President. [37:04] Thank you, Mr. Secretary. [37:05] I know before I start, [37:07] I know many of you want specific details [37:10] in these briefings. [37:11] We will share what we can, [37:13] but I will retain what I must [37:15] in the event that we have to go do this again sometime. [37:19] And I cannot stress the importance, [37:21] as the President said, around operational security. [37:24] The Secretary and I will do a more detailed [37:26] briefing tomorrow morning, [37:28] and we look forward to sharing the details that we can. [37:30] On Thursday, 2 April, at 10.10 p.m. Eastern Time, [37:35] 4.40 in the morning, local Iran time, [37:38] the Joint Personnel Recovery Center, [37:40] which handles the Central Command Area of Responsibility, [37:43] declared an isolated personnel recovery event [37:46] for a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, [37:49] callsign Dude 4-4, [37:51] which was down in hostile Iranian territory. [37:54] The Pilot and Weapons System Officer [37:56] had both safely ejected [37:58] and were isolated behind enemy lines. [38:01] Following confirmation of active rescue beacons [38:04] and on the direction of the Secretary [38:06] and by order of the President, [38:08] a rescue operation was launched [38:10] with the stated purpose of bringing both Americans home safely. [38:14] As the Secretary said several hours later on the morning, [38:17] after positively locating the front-seater, [38:20] callsign Dude 4-4 Alpha, [38:23] and aware of an aggressive ongoing search [38:26] by the enemy, [38:27] a U.S. Central Command plan [38:29] was approved by the Secretary and the President. [38:33] Shortly thereafter, [38:34] a U.S. Air Force Combat Search and Rescue Task Force, [38:38] comprised of A-10 Warthogs in their Sandy role, [38:42] and I'll describe what that is in a minute, [38:44] HC-130 Combat King IIs, [38:47] HH-60 Jolly Green II helicopters, [38:50] and Air Force Special Warfare Airmen, [38:53] a package comprised of Combat Rescue Officers [38:56] and Para-Rescue Operators, [38:58] audaciously penetrated enemy territory [39:01] in broad daylight [39:03] to find, fix, and recover [39:06] Dude 4-4 Alpha from behind enemy lines. [39:09] This was an incredibly dangerous mission, [39:13] an incredibly dangerous undertaking, [39:17] but a filled promise made to every American warfighter [39:21] that you will not be left behind. [39:24] We will always [39:25] come find you, [39:26] and we will always bring you home. [39:28] Over the next hours, [39:30] the Search and Rescue Task Force [39:32] crossed the beach, [39:33] entered into Iranian airspace, [39:36] protected by a fighter strike package, [39:38] and moved into the objective area, [39:41] all under fire. [39:42] En route, [39:43] as some of you have seen on social media, [39:45] the helicopters took gas off the C-130s [39:48] and pressed onward and forward [39:50] up into the objective area. [39:52] While this was ongoing [39:55] and out in front of them, [39:56] the Sandy flight of A-10s [39:58] and other remotely piloted aircraft, [40:00] drones, [40:01] and other tactical aircraft [40:03] were violently suppressing [40:05] and engaging the enemy [40:06] in a close-in gunfight [40:08] to keep them away from the front-seater [40:10] and allow the pickup force [40:12] to get into the objective area. [40:15] During this engagement, [40:16] one of the Sandy aircraft, [40:18] the one primarily responsible [40:20] for communicating with the downed pilot, [40:22] was hit by enemy fire. [40:25] This pilot continued to fight, [40:27] continued the mission, [40:29] and then upon exit, [40:31] flew his aircraft into another country [40:33] and determined that the airplane [40:35] was not landable. [40:36] This was one of our A-10 Sandy aircraft. [40:39] The pilot then made the decision [40:41] to eject over friendly territory [40:43] and was quickly and safely recovered [40:46] and is doing fine. [40:47] After picking up Dude 4-4 Alpha, [40:52] the HH-60 Jolly Greenfight [40:54] was engaged by A-10s, [40:55] which was engaged by every single person [40:58] in Iran who had a small arms weapon. [41:01] And one of the aircraft, [41:02] the trailing aircraft, [41:03] took several hits. [41:05] The crew sustained minor injury [41:07] and they are going to be fine. [41:10] A note for those of you [41:11] that do not know what a Sandy does. [41:14] Named after the flight call sign [41:16] that did this very mission [41:18] in Vietnam flying A-1 Sky Raiders [41:21] and A-7 Corsairs, [41:23] a Sandy has one mission. [41:25] Get to the survivor, [41:27] bring the rescue force forward, [41:29] and put themselves [41:31] between that survivor on the ground [41:33] and the enemy. [41:34] They are committed to this. [41:37] This is what they live for [41:39] and this is what they've trained for [41:41] over many, many years. [41:44] The A-10 force and the rescue force [41:47] did fantastic, [41:48] did a fantastic job [41:50] rescuing Dude 4-4 Alpha. [41:52] He was recovered Friday afternoon. [41:55] As I said, [41:56] and the nation needs to know this, [41:59] this was an incredibly brave [42:01] and courageous mission [42:03] and a testament to the courage, [42:05] skill, and tenacity [42:07] of the joint force [42:09] and our leaders. [42:11] And especially a daylight option, [42:13] having the guts to try [42:15] means so much to so many. [42:18] Meanwhile, the backseater, [42:20] as the president and the secretary have said, [42:22] had continued to work and survive. [42:25] Through the hours of daylight, [42:26] Dude 4-4 Bravo, [42:28] the backseater, [42:29] evaded. [42:30] Using every means available, [42:33] the efforts of the United States military, [42:35] the Central Intelligence Agency, [42:37] and others [42:38] were attempting to find [42:40] and locate with precision [42:42] Dude 4-4 Bravo, [42:43] the backseater. [42:45] A note on the backseater [42:47] and the frontseater. [42:49] The single most important contributor [42:52] to a successful rescue operation [42:55] is the spirit [42:56] of attack inside the heart [42:58] of that downed aviator. [43:00] Their will to survive, [43:03] their will to evade, [43:05] their will to recover is everything. [43:07] In this case, [43:08] the backseater's absolute commitment [43:10] to surviving [43:12] made much of our efforts possible. [43:14] On Saturday, 4 April, [43:16] after establishing positive communications [43:19] with the backseater, [43:20] we learned, as the president said, [43:22] that he was injured [43:24] and actively evading enemy forces. [43:26] And thanks to our interagency partners, [43:29] we were able to get eyes on his location [43:32] and positively ID him. [43:35] Throughout this entire time, [43:36] the enemy force continued to search [43:38] for 4-4 Bravo, [43:40] and the joint force continued to strike them [43:42] over and over and over again. [43:45] Fighting off marginal weather in Iran [43:47] and the enemy's search [43:49] for a second time on Saturday, [43:51] at the recommendation of the CENTCOM commander [43:54] and at the approval of the secretary and the president, [43:56] we launched a rescue task force [43:58] to recover dude 4-4 Bravo. [44:01] Again, this came to the president [44:03] and the secretary for approval, [44:05] this time with a much larger force package [44:08] based on the time that the enemy had [44:10] to prepare to find 4-4 Bravo. [44:13] Again, this force was protected [44:15] by A-10 warthogs [44:17] using the Sandy Call sign. [44:19] And this force had one single mission, [44:22] do everything they can [44:24] to bring an American home. [44:27] This meant having a plan, [44:29] being prepared to execute that plan, [44:31] and, more importantly, [44:34] being prepared for multiple, [44:36] simultaneous contingencies. [44:39] And because of this force's professionalism, [44:42] grit, and determination, [44:44] fight off two enemies at the same time, [44:47] the enemy searching for 4-4 Bravo [44:50] and contingencies, [44:52] which anyone who has done these types of missions knows [44:55] we run into [44:56] every single time. [44:58] The force fought off both of those enemies [45:00] incredibly well. [45:02] During the period of darkness on Saturday, [45:04] and as the secretary said, [45:06] into Easter Sunday, [45:08] and into the daylight, [45:10] the force fought its way in [45:12] and rescued dude 4-4 Bravo. [45:14] They were protected overhead [45:17] by an air armada, [45:19] including tactical drones, [45:21] strike aircraft, and others. [45:23] The force fought through multiple [45:25] simultaneous contingencies [45:27] something no other nation, [45:29] no other military can do, [45:31] and safely returned dude 4-4 Bravo, [45:35] the backseater home, [45:37] and all other Americans home as well. [45:41] At midnight 12 local, [45:44] Eastern time, [45:45] Easter Sunday, [45:46] more than 50 hours [45:48] after the start of this operation, [45:50] the Joint Personnel Recovery Center [45:54] declared dude 4-4 Bravo, [45:56] both the front and backseater, [45:59] returned to friendly territory. [46:01] The courage demonstrated [46:04] by both the pilot [46:05] and the weapons system officer [46:07] while isolated, [46:08] and them invading the enemy [46:10] cannot be overstated. [46:12] Their grit and warfighting tenacity [46:14] is a direct result [46:16] of the absolute trust they have [46:18] in our rescue forces, [46:19] their training, [46:20] and their will to survive and return. [46:23] They always knew [46:24] that we would be ordered [46:26] to go get them, [46:27] and they always knew [46:28] that we would be coming. [46:29] These two operations [46:31] reflect our nation's [46:32] most sacred obligation [46:33] to our military service members. [46:35] We leave no one behind, [46:37] bless you. [46:38] It also perfectly captures [46:40] the first truth [46:42] of our special operations forces, [46:45] that people are more important [46:47] than hardware. [46:48] That is the standard we live by, [46:50] and the rescue forces [46:51] that execute these missions [46:53] operate under a clear motto, [46:56] these are the best [46:58] things we do [47:01] that others may live. [47:03] Their actions were [47:04] a direct embodiment [47:06] of that commitment to others, [47:08] and I could not be more proud [47:11] of each and every one of them today. [47:14] As the Secretary said [47:16] to our enemies, [47:17] this operation serves [47:19] as a clear reminder [47:20] of the capability and will [47:22] of America's joint force. [47:24] The United States of America [47:26] will recover our warfighters [47:28] anywhere in the world [47:29] under any conditions [47:31] when we want to. [47:33] We will always bring [47:34] overwhelming skill and firepower. [47:36] To every member of the joint force, [47:38] our interagency partners, [47:40] the leadership at CENTCOM, [47:42] and our leaders at the department [47:43] and above, thank you. [47:45] I'm proud of each and every one of you, [47:47] and thankful to our deployed forces [47:50] and their families. [47:52] And lastly, and most importantly, [47:55] to Dude 4-4, welcome home. [47:58] Job well done. [47:59] Thank you. [48:05] Pretty amazing. [48:06] Pretty amazing. [48:07] And these two gentlemen [48:09] have been, from day one, [48:12] they've been perfecto. [48:14] I got to know General Kane [48:16] in my first term [48:18] because he was able to take out ISIS [48:20] in four weeks [48:21] instead of the four-year projection [48:23] that was given to me [48:24] by other much lesser generals. [48:26] I said, you know, [48:27] if I ever do this again, [48:28] that's going to be the head [48:29] of my Joint Chiefs of Staff. [48:31] And we worked it that way, didn't we? [48:34] It's amazing. [48:35] He took out ISIS. [48:36] We defeated ISIS in four weeks. [48:39] I was told it would take four years. [48:41] I flew to Iraq to find out, [48:43] with the greatest equipment in the world, [48:45] why would it take four years? [48:47] And he told me, sir, it won't. [48:50] It'll take four weeks, [48:51] and you'll have time left over. [48:53] And that's exactly what happened. [48:54] So he's great. [48:56] And Pete, all I can say [48:58] is that he was treated very unfairly. [49:01] And now those same people [49:02] that treated him unfairly, [49:03] that fought against him, [49:04] they're calling me up saying, [49:05] what a great choice he was. [49:06] They said, well, [49:09] what happened during this nomination? [49:11] What happened to you? [49:12] I'm telling you, [49:13] people that were not forum senators, [49:15] friends of mine, [49:16] sir, I don't think [49:17] you're doing the right thing, [49:19] now they're calling me up. [49:20] What a choice. [49:21] These two guys are fantastic. [49:23] And John Ratcliffe was incredible. [49:25] It was actually their genius [49:27] that called us from, [49:30] he was 40 miles away, [49:32] and he said, you know, [49:33] we're seeing something moving [49:34] up in the mountain. [49:35] This is at night. [49:37] And they kept the camera [49:39] on the ground [49:40] for 45 minutes. [49:41] It wasn't moving. [49:42] And they said, you know, [49:43] probably wrong, [49:44] but we're seeing something moving. [49:46] This is a vast mountain, [49:48] vast, thick, [49:50] with bushes, trees. [49:53] He said, we see something moving, [49:55] 40 miles away. [49:56] It was ahead of a human being, [49:59] I'm telling you. [50:00] It's moving. [50:01] And then all of a sudden, [50:03] 45 minutes later, [50:04] he moved a lot, [50:05] stood up, [50:07] and they stood way half of him. [50:08] And that was really [50:11] the beginning of something incredible. [50:12] We had an idea where he was, [50:14] but not specifically. [50:16] And it's a big mountain. [50:17] So I want to thank the CIA, too. [50:22] I don't think they get enough credit [50:23] for the great job they've done. [50:25] Yes, please. [50:26] Thank you very much, [50:28] Mr. President, [50:29] for this great opportunity. [50:31] Country has super army. [50:34] You make a difference, [50:36] Mr. President. [50:37] Thank you for your [50:38] greatest leadership. [50:39] Thank you. [50:40] I have two quick questions, [50:41] Mr. President. [50:42] What was your reaction [50:45] when you learned [50:46] that Kurdistan region [50:47] had resumed exporting oil [50:49] to the international market [50:50] with your support [50:51] as United States of America? [50:52] Well, I expected that. [50:53] We've gotten along [50:54] with the Kurds [50:55] for a long time, [50:56] so I expected that. [50:57] Another question. [50:58] What would be your reaction [50:59] if the Iranian people [51:00] rise up against their regime [51:01] during a case fire, [51:02] Mr. President? [51:03] Well, they should do it. [51:04] But, again, [51:05] I don't think [51:06] they're going to do it. [51:07] I don't think [51:08] they're going to do it. [51:09] I don't think [51:10] they're going to do it. [51:11] I don't think [51:12] they're going to do it. [51:13] I don't think [51:14] they're going to do it. [51:15] I think [51:16] they're going to do it. [51:17] But, again, [51:18] the consequences are great. [51:19] I mean, [51:20] they were told, [51:21] if you protest, [51:22] you will be shot immediately. [51:23] You saw what happened [51:24] to the young wrestler. [51:25] He was a great champion, [51:26] by the way. [51:27] He was a great wrestler. [51:28] One of the top [51:29] in the world. [51:30] And he and his two friends [51:31] were hung. [51:33] And all they did [51:34] was say a little bit [51:35] about liberty. [51:36] They wanted liberty. [51:37] And they were violently executed. [51:40] But the number is up to [51:42] probably 45,000 people were killed. [51:44] So, you know, [51:45] when somebody stays in a house, [51:46] when they know [51:47] if they walk out of the house [51:48] and protest, [51:49] they'll be immediately shot [51:50] and killed. [51:52] And they issued that. [51:53] You know, [51:54] that was publicly issued. [51:55] It's not a secret. [51:56] That's why so many people say, [51:57] oh, well, [51:58] why are you doing this way? [51:59] We can't let Iran [52:01] have a nuclear weapon. [52:02] You know, [52:03] we got regime change. [52:04] We do. [52:05] We're dealing with [52:06] a much different regime [52:07] than before. [52:08] We're dealing [52:09] with different people. [52:10] They're smarter. [52:12] I think they're sharper [52:13] and far less radical. [52:16] We have regime change. [52:17] But we didn't do this [52:19] for regime change. [52:20] We did it for the fact. [52:21] And my view [52:22] was very simple. [52:23] I saw somebody said, [52:24] oh, [52:25] he doesn't have a plan. [52:26] I have the best plan of all. [52:27] But I'm not going to tell you [52:28] what my plan is. [52:29] You know, [52:30] they want me to say, [52:31] here's my plan. [52:32] We're going to attack [52:33] at 947 in the morning [52:34] and then we're going to do this. [52:35] And then we're going to. [52:36] And if you don't do that, [52:37] they say, [52:38] I have a plan. [52:40] These people know [52:41] what the plan is. [52:42] Everybody here [52:43] knows what the plan is. [52:44] But it's very unfair to say, [52:46] you know, [52:47] because I don't mind [52:48] being insulted. [52:49] I've been insulted [52:50] for many years [52:51] in the news. [52:52] But you can't. [52:53] It's so bad [52:54] for the people [52:55] that are so pro. [52:56] You just saw two great [52:58] and John Ratcliffe, [52:59] three unbelievable people. [53:00] They have a plan. [53:01] Every every single thing [53:02] has been thought out [53:03] by all of us. [53:04] But I can't reveal [53:05] the plan to the media. [53:06] So, [53:07] you know, [53:08] but we're just thrilled [53:09] by the success [53:10] of this operation. [53:11] Yes, please. [53:12] Thank you, [53:13] Mr. President. [53:14] You've said Iranians [53:15] would be mad [53:16] if you stopped [53:17] these attacks. [53:18] But why would they want you [53:19] to blow up [53:20] their infrastructure [53:21] to cut off their power? [53:22] Would that be punishing [53:23] Iranians for the actions [53:24] of the regime? [53:25] They would be willing [53:26] just they would be [53:27] and it's suffering. [53:28] They would be willing [53:29] to suffer that [53:30] in order to have freedom. [53:31] The Iranians have [53:33] and we've had [53:34] numerous intercepts. [53:37] Please keep bombing [53:38] bombs that are dropping [53:39] near their homes. [53:41] Please keep bombing. [53:43] Do it. [53:44] And these are people [53:45] that are living [53:46] where the bombs are exploding. [53:47] And when we leave [53:48] and we're not hitting [53:49] those areas, [53:50] they're saying, [53:51] please come back, [53:52] come back, [53:53] come back. [53:54] These are the people. [53:56] I don't know [53:57] what they do. [53:58] All I can tell you [54:00] is they want freedom. [54:01] They have lived [54:02] in a world [54:03] that you know [54:04] nothing about. [54:05] It's a violent, [54:06] horrible world [54:07] where if you protest, [54:08] you are shot. [54:09] Remember the great [54:10] woman protest [54:11] where they had 400,000, [54:12] 500,000 women [54:13] and they were all enthused [54:14] and they were going [54:15] to protest [54:16] and everybody said, [54:17] oh, the regime [54:18] is going to come [54:19] to an end. [54:20] And then [54:21] all of a sudden, [54:22] boom, [54:24] boom, [54:26] boom, [54:27] six different areas. [54:28] A woman would go down [54:29] right between the eyes. [54:30] They had snipers, [54:31] they had five snipers. [54:32] That's all it took. [54:34] And those [54:35] 400,000 or 500,000 women [54:36] said, [54:37] oh my God, [54:38] what's that? [54:39] Oh, [54:40] look over there. [54:41] What's that? [54:42] A woman shot [54:43] right between the eyes. [54:45] And after five [54:46] or six of them [54:47] go down, [54:48] then you start [54:49] hearing the per [54:50] through the [54:51] vast number [54:52] of people. [54:54] And then they said, [54:55] oh my God, [54:56] who would do that? [54:58] And they're [54:59] incredible people. [55:00] but they've lived so horribly they've lived so horribly you know iran was a great country if [55:05] you go back 25 years ago or so uh the persian people that they're incredible smart brilliant [55:12] actually and i know so many i know coming from new york originally i i know so many people from [55:18] iran they're incredible people incredible energy and and uh very very brilliant people and but [55:25] when you're standing in a group and protesting and you have a woman in the case of the woman [55:29] remember the great woman march everybody was like oh this is the end of the country [55:34] and then snipers selectively picked every single one was shot right between the eyes from a long [55:41] distance they were on top of buildings nobody even knew where they were where they're coming from [55:46] this wasn't like a machine gun which is also very bad they've done that too they did that [55:50] recently this was snipers sitting on the top of buildings aiming and hitting women [55:58] and when they see people go down and all of a sudden there's a [56:01] riot in the reverse direction and they never came out again and a lot of the the news doesn't talk [56:08] about that they talk about oh women's rights you want to see women's rights you're not going to see [56:12] it there it's amazing when i see some of the stupid people like you know aoc plus three all [56:18] that group they talk about oh freedom for iran they don't tell you the real facts women men [56:27] gays how about gays for iran they kill the gays they throw them off buildings [56:34] so i wonder what what's going on i can only say this they want us to keep bombing even if it [56:41] jeopardized because their life is in much greater danger they want freedom for iran but it's very [56:47] hard for them to protest i actually tell them i said don't go out i fully understand nobody in [56:51] this room would go out i don't think there's any because frankly it's not a question of bravery [56:55] we're all brave right you're brave i'm brave we're all brave but we're also intelligent if you have [57:05] shots with the best what rifles you can get and hitting you right between the eyes every single [57:11] time and you're looking here and you're seeing and you're looking here you're out of there i don't [57:15] care who are you mark meredith fox news uh i know that oh thanks go ahead america's watching uh no [57:24] um can we go back to the weekend first off was everyone on board with the [57:29] operation or were there people that were trying to talk you out of going through [57:32] with the operation this weekend not everybody was on board somebody else within no there was [57:36] military people, very professional, [57:38] that preferred not doing it. [57:40] These two were totally important, [57:43] which was very important. [57:45] If they weren't, I would have had a little difficulty. [57:47] But, no, there were military people [57:49] that said, you just don't do this. [57:51] You don't go into the heart of a very powerful military. [57:55] You know, this is, hey, you have countries in countries. [57:57] You have some countries where military is not there. [58:01] This whole thing is militarized like nobody's ever seen before. [58:05] Half the people are wearing uniforms. [58:08] And we had people within the military. [58:11] Usually, it's not done. [58:13] That's one of the reasons. You know, I was surprised. [58:15] Somebody said, it's the only time it's ever been done. [58:17] I said, that's not possible. But it is possible. [58:20] Because you're going into hundreds of thousands [58:23] of soldiers along the path. [58:26] I mean, look at some of the helicopters, how they got hit. [58:30] So, yeah, there were people within the military [58:32] that said it's a wise. [58:33] And don't forget, how many men did you send all together? [58:36] Approximately, for the operation. [58:38] I'd love to keep that a secret. [58:40] Okay, well, we are. [58:43] But I will tell you, the number, I'll keep it a secret. [58:46] But it was hundreds and hundreds of these people. [58:50] That's pretty good. [58:51] Is he central? Is he central? [58:54] Hundreds of people went into this journey. [58:58] Hundreds of people could have been killed. [58:59] Forget about the equipment. A lot of equipment. [59:01] Nobody cares. [59:02] Hundreds of people could have been killed. [59:05] So we had people that were within the military that said, [59:08] this is not a wise. [59:09] And I understood that. [59:10] But I decided to do it. [59:13] Was there a point that they were going to, [59:15] that you were thinking, there's too much on the line, [59:17] and somebody was saying, maybe we abort this now and wait? [59:20] I mean, given the resource, like the general said, [59:22] it seemed like there was so much on the line here. [59:24] You must have been thinking, [59:25] this could have completely changed the next three weeks. [59:27] So the first one, which was in many ways [59:31] as dangerous as the second, I guess it gets, [59:34] because we're flying over daylight. [59:36] You know, we're the best at the world at night. [59:38] We have goggles that nobody, we have goggles. [59:40] I've tried them, and they're unbelievable. [59:42] I see better with the goggles at night [59:45] than I see without them during daylight. [59:47] I mean, daylight today, we have a beautiful day. [59:50] You see just as well with goggles. [59:52] In many ways, it's enhanced. [59:55] So we have the best in the world. [59:56] So it's much safer for us to do it at night, [1:00:00] whereas other people, no other country has that capability. [1:00:03] They don't have that particular piece of equipment like we do. [1:00:07] But when I was told, [1:00:10] we're flying in daylight, [1:00:12] I think we flew seven hours over Iran, [1:00:14] and that's a long time, [1:00:15] over unbelievably hostile territory [1:00:19] where they have nothing but weapons. [1:00:21] We took out their anti-aircraft, which is great. [1:00:24] We took out their radar, which is great. [1:00:26] We took out a lot, but they still have, [1:00:27] you know, what hit this one was a shoulder, [1:00:30] handheld shoulder missile, heat-seeking missile. [1:00:33] So it's not like, you know, they're totally whatever. [1:00:37] But, and they have probably a little luck, [1:00:40] because you got to get luck. [1:00:41] But they shot it, and it got sucked in right by the engine. [1:00:45] But these guys were out of there. [1:00:47] They were great. [1:00:48] Their timing was great. [1:00:49] But, no, I was told that this is a very dangerous mission. [1:00:53] I understand. [1:00:54] They didn't say it's a foolish mission. [1:00:56] They said, you know, we're going to be sacrificing. [1:00:58] Hundreds of people do this. [1:01:00] This is, I mean, you have tankers [1:01:02] that are flying over this area so that they, [1:01:03] because the flight was so long, they had to refuel. [1:01:07] It's a very dangerous mission. [1:01:09] I just felt it was worth it. [1:01:11] If you would have told me [1:01:12] that we would have been successful, gotten both, [1:01:14] and nobody was even essentially injured, [1:01:17] I would have said that would be impossible. [1:01:19] Yeah. [1:01:20] The Press Sir, Mr. President, thank you very much. [1:01:22] The President Thank you, sir. [1:01:22] The Press We'll come back to you. [1:01:23] The Press Okay, thanks. [1:01:24] The Press Given that you are now dealing, [1:01:26] you say, with a more reasonable, [1:01:28] less extreme leadership in Iran, [1:01:31] what does that mean for the protesters, [1:01:33] for the human rights movement in that country after this conflict? [1:01:37] What's your expectation? [1:01:37] The President Yeah, if they assume control, [1:01:40] if we do something, and they assume control, [1:01:42] I think it's very positive, a big step. [1:01:45] I don't think you'd see the radicalization [1:01:46] that you have seen in the last. [1:01:49] Look what happened. [1:01:50] I mean, women are being executed [1:01:52] because they're not properly clothed, they say. [1:01:55] They're not properly clothed, and they execute the women. [1:01:58] They absolutely, they shoot them right on the street. [1:02:02] No, you have a much different group of people. [1:02:04] Now, I'm not saying we are dealing with them. [1:02:08] Essentially, they have till 8 o'clock tomorrow night, [1:02:12] Eastern Time. [1:02:13] But we are dealing with them. [1:02:14] I think it's going well. [1:02:15] Mr. Witkoff is here, and J.D.'s involved in the dealing. [1:02:20] Mr. Witkoff is sitting right here, [1:02:22] and I think it's going fine, but we'll have to see. [1:02:24] You have to understand, we've been dealing [1:02:26] with these people for 47 years. [1:02:30] I'm standing here with a much more powerful Iran [1:02:35] as of a month ago, not anymore. [1:02:37] Right now, they are decapitated. [1:02:39] But I'm standing here a month ago [1:02:41] with a much more powerful Iran than it was at any point [1:02:44] during 47 years. [1:02:46] This should have been handled by seven presidents, [1:02:50] a lot of presidents. [1:02:52] And those presidents are saying now, every one of them, [1:02:54] to their friends, we should have done this a long time ago. [1:02:58] So it's not something I like doing. [1:03:00] It's very dangerous, and we're getting them [1:03:02] at the height of their strength. [1:03:05] If I didn't terminate the Barack Hussein Obama-Iran nuclear [1:03:09] deal, they would have had a, don't forget, [1:03:12] that was a path to a nuclear weapon. [1:03:13] Remember this. [1:03:15] He chose Iran over Israel, pure and simple. [1:03:19] How Israel can vote for a Democrat is, [1:03:23] if you're Jewish in New York City or anyplace else [1:03:27] in this country, and how you can vote for a Democrat [1:03:31] is unbelievable, because he chose Iran, [1:03:34] a very hostile Iran. [1:03:36] Remember when he filled up a 757 with cash, [1:03:39] billions of dollars of cash? [1:03:41] And he sent it over to them. [1:03:43] Then they gave them tens of billions of dollars. [1:03:45] He chose Iran over Israel, and really the Arab world, [1:03:50] if you look, because the other, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE. [1:03:56] I mean, you take a look. [1:03:57] I mean, I can add Kuwait, and I can add Bahrain, [1:04:00] and you can add others. [1:04:01] He chose such an unlikely candidate. [1:04:06] Nobody could believe it. [1:04:07] Frankly, if you're going to choose between Iraq and Iran, [1:04:10] he should have chosen, he should have befriended Iraq. [1:04:14] He went in the exact opposite direction [1:04:17] of all thinking, and he made a terrible mistake. [1:04:20] But that was a road to a nuclear weapon. [1:04:24] And when I terminated that, everyone said, [1:04:26] oh, he terminated it. [1:04:28] It was one of the best things we ever did, [1:04:29] because he had a road to a nuclear weapon. [1:04:31] And it was a very short-term deal. [1:04:35] You know, countries don't do 10-year deals. [1:04:37] Countries do hundreds of years. [1:04:39] You don't do a 10-year deal. [1:04:40] For a country, you need, this isn't, [1:04:42] you're a landlord and you're renting a store [1:04:44] on a certain street, and you give somebody a five-year [1:04:47] or 10-year lease. [1:04:48] This is a country. [1:04:49] It was a short-term deal. [1:04:51] It was ready to expire. [1:04:53] I terminated it before it expired. [1:04:55] It took a lot of heat, and it was one of the best things [1:04:57] they ever did, because he would have had a nuclear weapon. [1:04:59] Then he would have had another nuclear weapon, [1:05:01] had those beautiful B-2 bombers not gone in eight months ago, [1:05:05] and obliterated that site. [1:05:07] And by the way, the word is obliteration. [1:05:09] CNN said, well, maybe it wasn't complete. [1:05:12] It was so complete that they still [1:05:14] haven't been able to get it. [1:05:15] It was obliteration. [1:05:16] But. [1:05:17] If we didn't hit them, that was a courageous decision, too, [1:05:21] because we had all those planes flying in at night [1:05:24] with very little cover, unbelievable stealth planes. [1:05:28] And they were able to do their job. [1:05:30] If we didn't do that, Iran would have had a nuclear weapon [1:05:35] at a high level, either one of those two instances. [1:05:38] And if they did, in my opinion, I told this to Bibi Netanyahu [1:05:42] yesterday, Israel would have been extinguished. [1:05:47] Large portions of the Middle East [1:05:49] would have been extinguished, whether it's Saudi Arabia, [1:05:52] Qatar, UAE, or others. [1:05:55] And you saw that with thousands of missiles raining down [1:05:58] upon them. [1:05:58] They didn't think they were going to be hit. [1:06:00] They thought they'd be watching us fight. [1:06:02] And all of a sudden, UAE got hit by 1,500 missiles. [1:06:07] He would have taken them out also. [1:06:09] And they were powerful. [1:06:11] If I didn't come along and terminate the Obama [1:06:14] deal, which was terrible, the Iran nuclear deal [1:06:17] was a road to a nuclear weapon, a big one. [1:06:20] Unlimited. [1:06:21] Legally, I terminated it without even much thought. [1:06:25] It was so easy. [1:06:27] I terminated that. [1:06:28] And then the B-2 bombers. [1:06:30] And I did one other thing. [1:06:32] I had killed Qassam Soleimani, who was an evil genius. [1:06:39] And the reason I did it, I heard he was going to knock out [1:06:42] five of our military bases. [1:06:45] And had he lived, I believe we would be fighting, perhaps, [1:06:51] a different Iran right now, because he's never [1:06:55] been replaced. [1:06:57] You know? [1:06:58] And I also, I did one other, but this one was not [1:07:00] picked up. [1:07:01] Osama bin Laden. [1:07:02] If you read my book, I said you got to take him out [1:07:05] one year before the World Trade Center came down. [1:07:08] So I wish you'd read the book. [1:07:10] But you, as a president, to be a good president, I [1:07:16] believe you have to have good instincts. [1:07:18] And a lot of this is instinct. [1:07:20] Yeah, please. [1:07:21] The Press Thank you so much for taking my [1:07:23] question today, Mr. President. [1:07:24] Mr. President, last week you suggested that your [1:07:28] leadership should take the lead on reopening the [1:07:30] Strait of Hormuz. [1:07:31] Has circumstances changed now that you're issuing a [1:07:34] direct 48-hour, I mean, 48-hour ultimatum? [1:07:38] And secondly, would a new cease-fire include Israel, [1:07:41] or would it just be between Iran and the U.S.? [1:07:43] The President I can't talk about cease-fire. [1:07:45] But I can tell you that we have an active, willing [1:07:49] participant on the other side. [1:07:51] They would like to be able to make a deal. [1:07:53] I can't say any more than that if I do the right [1:07:55] thing. [1:07:57] Mr. President, you've listed the goals. [1:07:59] The Press Thank you, Mr. President. [1:08:01] The Press Who are you with? [1:08:02] Who are you with? [1:08:03] The Press My name is Diyar Kurdam with the largest [1:08:05] Kurdish media outlet, Ruda Media Network. [1:08:07] It's based in Iran. [1:08:08] The President Go ahead. [1:08:09] The Press Mr. President, you said before that you [1:08:11] don't want the Kurdish forces to attack Iran and [1:08:13] be harmed. [1:08:14] Do you still want them to stay away? [1:08:16] Or what role do you expect them to play now? [1:08:18] The President I'd rather have them stay away. [1:08:20] The Press And then? [1:08:21] The President I'd rather have them stay away [1:08:23] because I think they bring with them some problems [1:08:25] and some difficulties. [1:08:26] And I don't think they bring death. [1:08:28] I mean. [1:08:29] You know, to themselves. [1:08:30] But I'd rather have them stay away. [1:08:32] Go ahead. [1:08:36] The Press Thank you, Mr. President, for the [1:08:37] question. [1:08:38] Deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure [1:08:40] violate the Geneva Conventions and [1:08:42] international law. [1:08:43] The President Who are you with? [1:08:44] Who are you with? [1:08:45] The Press I'm with The New York Times. [1:08:46] Zolan from The New York Times. [1:08:47] The Press The failing. [1:08:48] The failing. [1:08:49] The circulation way down at The New York Times. [1:08:51] What's going on? [1:08:52] The Press Are you concerned that your threat to [1:08:54] bomb power plants and bridges amount to one crime [1:08:55] situation? [1:08:56] The President No, no, no. [1:08:57] No, I'm not. [1:08:58] I hope I don't have to do it. [1:09:00] But, again, I just said, 47 years they've been [1:09:02] negotiating. [1:09:03] I'm not negotiating with these people. [1:09:04] They're great negotiators. [1:09:05] The Press But why would that act not by an [1:09:06] intervention? [1:09:07] The President Because they're not going to [1:09:08] have a nuclear weapon. [1:09:09] And if somebody that takes my place someday is weak [1:09:13] and ineffective, which possibly that will happen [1:09:15] because we had numerous presidents that were weak, [1:09:18] ineffective, and afraid of Iran, we're never going to [1:09:22] let Iran have a nuclear weapon. [1:09:24] And if you think it's okay for people that are sick [1:09:28] of mind, that are tough, smart, and sick, really [1:09:33] sensitive. [1:09:34] From a policy standpoint, from a standpoint, any [1:09:40] which way you want to say, mentally, these are [1:09:43] disturbed people. [1:09:44] If you think I'm going to allow them, and powerful [1:09:46] and rich, to have a nuclear weapon, you can tell [1:09:51] your friends at the New York Times, not going to [1:09:53] happen. [1:09:54] The Press It's violating international law. [1:09:58] The President Quiet, quiet, quiet. [1:10:00] You no longer have credibility at the New York [1:10:02] Times. [1:10:03] Because the New York Times said, oh, Trump won't win [1:10:05] the election, and I won in a landslide. [1:10:07] I won every swing state. [1:10:08] The New York Times said, oh, Trump won't win the [1:10:10] election. [1:10:11] The New York Times has no credibility. [1:10:13] The credibility they have is it used to be all the [1:10:16] news that's fit to print. [1:10:17] A great, the old gray lady, it was great. [1:10:19] But they're running on past fumes, and you can't [1:10:22] keep doing that. [1:10:23] You have to be able to give the correct news. [1:10:25] And people like you, who I know, are fake. [1:10:29] You're fake. [1:10:30] Go ahead, please. [1:10:31] The Press Your messaging on the war has moved [1:10:34] from the war is coming to an end to we're going to [1:10:36] be bombing Iran to the stone ages. [1:10:38] And we've heard a range of those kind of messages. [1:10:41] So are you, so which is it? [1:10:44] Are you winding this down? [1:10:45] The President Can't tell you. [1:10:46] The Press Are you escalating it? [1:10:47] The President I can't tell you. [1:10:48] I don't know. [1:10:49] I can't tell you. [1:10:50] It depends what they do. [1:10:51] This is a critical period. [1:10:52] They have a period of, well, until tomorrow at 8 [1:10:55] o'clock, I gave them an extension. [1:10:57] They asked for an extension of seven days, right? [1:10:59] I said, Steve, give them ten days. [1:11:03] Ten days is up, actually, today. [1:11:06] So I gave them 11. [1:11:07] I guess that's it. [1:11:08] That's indirectly. [1:11:09] I thought it was inappropriate the day after [1:11:11] Easter. [1:11:12] I want to be a nice person. [1:11:14] They have till tomorrow. [1:11:17] Now, we'll see what happens. [1:11:19] I can tell you they're negotiating. [1:11:21] We think in good faith. [1:11:22] We're going to find out. [1:11:23] We're getting the help of some incredible countries [1:11:26] that want this to be ended because it affects them [1:11:29] also. [1:11:30] A lot of people are affected by this. [1:11:32] But we're giving them, we're giving them till [1:11:35] tomorrow, 8 o'clock Eastern Time. [1:11:38] And after that, they're going to have no bridges. [1:11:42] They're going to have no power plants. [1:11:44] Stone ages. [1:11:46] Yeah. [1:11:47] Stone ages. [1:11:48] CNN fake news. [1:11:52] Are you willing to make a deal that does not include [1:11:56] reopening the Strait of Hormuz or is that now a top [1:11:59] priority? [1:12:00] I would say it's a very big priority because, see, [1:12:03] that's one thing that's a little different than other [1:12:07] things. [1:12:08] We can bomb the hell out of them. [1:12:09] We can knock them out for a loop. [1:12:11] But to close the Strait, all you need is one million [1:12:13] terrorists that somehow has a truck loaded with, [1:12:17] because you can carry them in trucks, large trucks, [1:12:20] a water mine, drop them in the water, and now you tell [1:12:25] people that own ships that cost a billion dollars to [1:12:28] don't worry about the mine. [1:12:29] You can do that even just by saying we put mines in the [1:12:32] water. [1:12:33] So it's not like the rest. [1:12:35] We can knock out their military. [1:12:36] We already have. [1:12:37] We've knocked out their Navy. [1:12:39] We've knocked out their Air Force completely. [1:12:41] We've knocked out 158 ships in three days. [1:12:43] We've knocked out even their mine droppers. [1:12:46] They don't have any mine droppers anymore, but they [1:12:48] put them on other boats and they could drop them. [1:12:50] I'm not even sure they have any mines here, by the way. [1:12:52] I'm not sure. [1:12:53] Personally, they say there might be eight. [1:12:56] I don't know. [1:12:57] I don't know. [1:12:58] I think there might be none because they're very good [1:13:01] bullshit artists. [1:13:02] That's why for 47 years they've been bullshitting [1:13:04] other presidents and they haven't done the job. [1:13:07] And people are living in that country. [1:13:11] They're living in hell. [1:13:13] No. [1:13:14] 47 years of this stuff is long enough. [1:13:18] They're at the weakest point they've ever been. [1:13:22] They have no Navy. [1:13:23] They have no Air Force. [1:13:24] They have no anti-aircraft weaponry. [1:13:27] They have no radar. [1:13:28] They have no communication. [1:13:29] In fact, the biggest problem we have in our negotiation is [1:13:32] that they can't communicate. [1:13:34] I said to Steve, what are they saying? [1:13:36] Sir, they can't communicate. [1:13:38] They have no method of communication. [1:13:40] So we're doing we're communicating like they used [1:13:43] to communicate 2000 years ago with children, bringing in [1:13:45] a note back and forth. [1:13:47] They have no communication. [1:13:49] But all I want to see is I want to have a safe world. [1:13:53] And you're not going to have a safe world. [1:13:55] Israel will be gone. [1:13:56] The Middle East will be gone. [1:13:59] And then they're coming for Europe. [1:14:01] And I have to tell you, I'm very disappointed in NATO. [1:14:04] Very. [1:14:05] I think that NATO, I think it's a mark on NATO that will [1:14:08] never disappear, never disappear in my mind. [1:14:10] You know, they're coming to see me on Wednesday. [1:14:12] They're going to say, oh, we'll do this. [1:14:14] We'll do that. [1:14:15] Now they all of a sudden want to send things, you know. [1:14:19] But they said it loud and clear at the beginning. [1:14:21] When I spoke to UK of all, I would have said they would [1:14:23] have been the first because they've been the oldest. [1:14:26] And I say, yeah, I'd love to have a little help. [1:14:30] Said, no, sir, we'd rather wait till you win. [1:14:32] I said, I don't need help after we win. [1:14:35] They have two old broken aircraft carriers, barely work. [1:14:38] I said, I guess we can use them. [1:14:39] Who the hell knows? [1:14:40] I called the general. [1:14:41] He didn't even want to. [1:14:42] He said, we don't really need them. [1:14:44] We got we got the SS Abraham Lincoln, sir. [1:14:47] We don't need them. [1:14:48] You know, we have in terms of technology, we had one day a hundred and one missiles [1:14:53] going at two thousand seven hundred miles an hour aimed at the Abraham Lincoln. [1:14:58] Hundred and one missiles out of a hundred and one missiles. [1:15:03] One hundred and one missiles were shot down. [1:15:06] Unbelievable technology. [1:15:09] Ten years ago, five years ago. [1:15:11] I don't know if that would have been possible. [1:15:13] But ten years ago, that would have been that wouldn't have been possible. [1:15:18] A hundred and one missiles heading. [1:15:20] To a ship that's not that far off the coast. [1:15:24] And out of the hundred and one missiles, we shot down all one hundred and one. [1:15:29] We have weaponry. [1:15:31] The Patriots are unbelievable. [1:15:32] We have weaponry. [1:15:34] That's unbelievable. [1:15:35] Yeah. [1:15:36] Please. [1:15:41] Thank you, Mr. President. [1:15:42] You said earlier today during the annual that you would like to take Iran's oil. [1:15:47] But Americans want U.S. forces home. [1:15:49] Correct. [1:15:50] What's that trade off? [1:15:51] I had my choice. [1:15:52] If I had my choice. [1:15:53] Yeah. [1:15:54] Because I'm a businessman first. [1:15:56] With Venezuela, as you know, the war was over in about 45 minutes. [1:16:02] And we have great people running Venezuela. [1:16:06] Very good people. [1:16:07] I mean, the relationship is good. [1:16:09] And we are a partner with Venezuela. [1:16:12] And we've taken hundreds of millions of barrels. [1:16:15] Hundreds of millions. [1:16:17] Over a hundred million barrels already is in Houston, refined and out. [1:16:24] And paid for that war many, many times over. [1:16:27] You know the old days. [1:16:28] To the victim. [1:16:29] Okay? [1:16:30] You know that. [1:16:31] To the winner belong the spoils. [1:16:32] Go the spoils. [1:16:34] And I've said, why don't we use it? [1:16:35] To the victor. [1:16:36] Go the spoils. [1:16:37] And we don't have that. [1:16:38] We haven't had that in this country probably in a hundred years. [1:16:39] Because even the Second World War. [1:16:40] You look at the Second World War. [1:16:41] We didn't have it with the Second World War. [1:16:42] We helped rebuild all those countries. [1:16:43] We rebuilt Germany. [1:16:44] How about Germany telling us? [1:16:45] Germany telling us that, well, it's not their war. [1:16:46] It's their war. [1:16:47] It's their war. [1:16:48] It's their war. [1:16:49] It's their war. [1:16:50] It's their war. [1:16:51] It's their war. [1:16:52] It's their war. [1:16:53] It's their war. [1:16:54] We had nothing to do with it. [1:17:01] They wanted me to go and tell them everything I was doing. [1:17:05] We didn't know anything about it. [1:17:06] Well, if I would have told them, they would have leaked it. [1:17:09] And we wouldn't have been nearly as successful, possibly. [1:17:12] Right? [1:17:13] But to the victor belong the spoils. [1:17:14] So we haven't heard that in, I think, maybe hundreds of years. [1:17:21] Now with Venezuela, just so you understand, the people of Venezuela, they say if I ran [1:17:26] for president of Venezuela, I'm pulling higher than anybody has ever pulled in Venezuela. [1:17:32] So after I'm finished with this, I can go to Venezuela. [1:17:35] I will quickly learn Spanish. [1:17:36] It won't take too long. [1:17:37] I'm good at language and I will go to Venezuela. [1:17:40] I'm going to run for president. [1:17:42] But we're very happy with the president elect that we have right now. [1:17:45] The the the people that are running it. [1:17:49] If you remember Bush with Iraq, they fired the generals, they fired the police. [1:17:54] They fired the people that worked in there. [1:17:56] Equivalent of the White House. [1:17:57] they fired everybody. And you know what they had? They had a mess. And you know what happened? [1:18:02] ISIS formed. Those generals and those soldiers got together. The police got together. They all [1:18:07] got together. They formed ISIS. Not going to happen with us. So Venezuela has been an incredible [1:18:13] it's been an incredible situation. We went in. We were very successful. Military power like [1:18:20] nobody's ever seen. The general, Venezuelan general, said I was on that site. I said I've [1:18:25] never seen ferocity like that. I've been doing this for 40 years. He said I've never seen it. [1:18:31] They they hit us from 17 different. It was they were all set. They saw that big, beautiful [1:18:37] aircraft carrier, the Ford in that case. And planes were pouring off at one o'clock in the [1:18:42] morning. So typically when you see that late at night, you know, you could be in trouble. Right. [1:18:49] And we're already they had their equipment. It was Russian and they had Chinese equipment. It [1:18:56] was all set. They were going to. [1:18:57] Give us a fight. He said. And then they came and they came at speeds like we've never seen. [1:19:04] And they came at 17 different angles. The general and his people, that was a lot of angles. [1:19:09] They hit him from every angle. He said we knew it was over in three minutes. We were waiting for [1:19:17] him. Their equipment didn't work. And there's a reason it didn't work. Someday we'll explain that [1:19:22] to people. They pressed the button. Nothing happened. They pressed it again and again. [1:19:27] Nothing happened. And he said. [1:19:29] We knew this whole thing was over in three minutes. We've never seen any. He used the word [1:19:34] ferocity, the ferocity of these planes from 17 different angles. And it was over. They went [1:19:40] inside. And remember, that was on a military base with thousands of soldiers. And those soldiers [1:19:45] looked and they said, get the hell out of here. Thousands. We didn't have thousands. We had like [1:19:51] 200 people. So we have a great military. And I'll tell you what. Somehow this rescue captured [1:19:59] the world. And I'll tell you what. Somehow this rescue captured the world. And I'll tell you what. [1:20:00] Somehow this rescue and I was among these Sabbat 1940 people. Because of the [1:20:22] You're were talking about two people. More so than normal. You're talking [1:20:27] about two people. But this rescue captured the world's attention. But we did it in Venezuela. That [1:20:31] our country because we had a stupid president who probably didn't know and [1:20:36] we had a border czar who never went to the border and never once called our [1:20:40] great Border Patrol agents right not once Kamala she never called the Border [1:20:44] Patrol she never said how we do I used to call the Border Patrol guys every day [1:20:48] you can ask him Paul ask any one of them Brandon ask him all the time how are we [1:20:54] doing how are we doing and we now I'm proud to say have a totally sealed [1:20:57] border nine months nobody is coming through our border and nobody even tries [1:21:00] because I know they're not going to get through so we don't have caravans [1:21:03] anymore maybe one or two more we've been listening to President Trump as well as [1:21:09] some of his top military and CIA officials earlier lay out new details [1:21:12] about the rescues of two missing airmen over the weekend describing what the [1:21:16] president called the extraordinary risks taken by the military to rescue them [1:21:20] including one who went missing inside Iran from nearly 48 hours that injured [1:21:25] airmen a weapons systems officer apparently had to scale the face of a [1:21:29] cliff in order to evade capture the president said the military used [1:21:32] more than 150 different aircraft during that operation including fighter jets [1:21:37] bombers and helicopters and we also heard several complications during the [1:21:41] mission instances of enemy fire coming from the ground as well as multiple u.s. [1:21:45] planes getting stuck in wet sand on an Iranian farm that had turned into an [1:21:49] airstrip requiring several backup planes to be flown in the stuck planes were [1:21:53] later blown up by US forces to protect sensitivity on board of some certain [1:21:57] technology we have I want to bring in Courtney QB who covers the Pentagon for [1:22:01] us and has been with us for a long time thank you very much thank you very much [1:22:02] we've been covering this day-to-day since we got news of this Courtney a lot [1:22:06] of news was made there we learned a lot about this very successful and [1:22:09] intricate operation to rescue those two airmen but the president also said [1:22:13] something at the beginning of his remarks was probably the newsiest part [1:22:15] of his remarks where he said the entire country talking about Iran could be [1:22:19] taken out in one night and that could be tomorrow night talking about his [1:22:23] deadline which is tomorrow at 8 p.m. get our viewers up to speed tomorrow 8 p.m. [1:22:27] the Strait of Hormuz is not open it sounds like the president and our [1:22:31] military are going to take more action against the president and the military [1:22:32] against Iran the threat that the president has made to Iran is that if by [1:22:37] 8 p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow night the Strait of Hormuz is not open that the US [1:22:40] will unload on Iran's critical infrastructure namely their electrical [1:22:44] electricity grid and potentially bridges and potentially other critical [1:22:49] infrastructure and the president was asked about that towards the end of that [1:22:53] briefing if he was concerned about that being a war crime Tom we all know that a [1:22:57] war cry hitting civilian infrastructure can be a [1:23:02] violation of international law in most cases but the president saying he was [1:23:06] not concerned about that repeating what he has said before that it is more [1:23:10] important that Iran not get a nuclear weapon but without explaining how the two [1:23:16] are directly related how does hitting Iran's electrical grid or their bridges [1:23:20] directly impact their ability to have a nuclear weapon but another thing I was [1:23:25] really struck by here during this briefing President Trump saying that the [1:23:29] f-15 on late Thursday night Eastern Time [1:23:32] was shot down by a shoulder-fired heat-seeking missile probably something [1:23:37] like a man pad although we don't really know yet why that's so striking to us is [1:23:42] because that just shows the complexity of this fighting environment there [1:23:46] though it is virtually impossible for the U.S to take out every single one of [1:23:52] these portable shoulder-fired heat-seeking missiles I mean these are [1:23:57] things that have been around for decades they are exactly what they sound like [1:24:00] they are small you can carry them [1:24:02] around and they have shown that they can now take out something like a U.S [1:24:06] fighter jet and cause all of this I was also really struck by some of the details [1:24:10] that we got about the mission you mentioned 155 aircraft but also the the a [1:24:15] little more detail about the deception campaign that was undertaken here the [1:24:19] chairman of the Joint Chiefs saying that there were seven different seven [1:24:22] different locations that were identified where they were trying to draw Iranians [1:24:27] away from where the downed weapons officer was so they were putting a [1:24:32] aircraft in one location so the Iranians would think oh he must be over there [1:24:35] let's go and search over there that kind of detail is not something that we [1:24:39] usually get and then finally I was also very struck by the number of aircraft [1:24:44] that were taken out and and damaged or destroyed as part of this rescue [1:24:48] operation we knew on Friday about of course about the f-15 about the a-10 that [1:24:52] we shot down about the helicopters that were hit during the rescue of the first [1:24:56] Airman the first the pilot himself but we now know from the president himself [1:25:02] that they've destroyed those two mc-130js on the ground there because as you [1:25:06] mentioned of the wet sand Tom all of this really underscores not only the [1:25:11] difficult environment when Iranians can take out a U.S aircraft or multiple [1:25:15] aircraft that all started with one shoulder-fired missile but also how [1:25:20] difficult it is when you when they get on the ground there that something like [1:25:24] wet sand can cause the the wrench that they caused in this very difficult [1:25:29] dangerous rescue operation the contingency planning here was all about the [1:25:32] fact that they were able to so quickly uh pick up from that mistake I was also [1:25:38] struck by the grit and the courage of that Air Force Colonel uh two of them [1:25:42] obviously Airmen were shot down that f-15 like we like we said late Thursday [1:25:47] night into Friday morning the pilot was rescued and then that weapons systems [1:25:51] officer we don't know his name call sign dude four four Bravo was there basically [1:25:56] for 48 hours behind enemy lines climbing to the top of a cliff putting out a [1:26:00] message quote God is good [1:26:02] our American military wasn't even sure if this was real they realized it was and [1:26:07] that they launched that mission to to recover them and pick them up as well [1:26:10] pretty incredible air Courtney absolutely and and what it proves is [1:26:14] that the training that they go through when they become Airmen like this really [1:26:17] works the seer training it's search evasion survival in and you can tell [1:26:22] based on what he did here climbing up that Ridge being really careful in his [1:26:27] communications he learned from that training Tom and it saved him we thank [1:26:31] you for that also happening this afternoon [1:26:33] two astronauts are setting a new record in space travel as we speak as the [1:26:38] president was speaking the crew surpassing the record for the greatest distance traveled by [1:26:42] humans a record previously held by the crew of Apollo 13. this is ahead of their upcoming lunar [1:26:48] flyby later today let's listen to the crew as they mark that historic moment just a few minutes ago [1:26:52] thousand soldiers in Japan to protect them from North Korea we have 45 000 soldiers in South [1:27:12] Korea to protect us from Kim jong-un who I get along with [1:27:17] very well as you know do you notice he said very nice things about me he used [1:27:20] to call Joe Biden a mentally retarded person okay so don't tell me about your [1:27:27] stuff Joe Biden he said he's a mentally retarded person he was so nasty to Joe [1:27:32] Biden it was terrible but to me he likes Trump and do you notice how nice things [1:27:37] are with North Korea it's very nice but we have 45 000 people soldiers in harm's [1:27:43] way and right next to Kim Jong-un with a lot of nuclear weapons [1:27:48] which should have never happened if a certain president I'm not going to mention this president [1:27:53] because I happen to like him believe it or not but if a certain president did his job Kim Jong-un [1:27:58] would not have nuclear weapons right now but they're all afraid to do their job properly [1:28:03] but just to conclude and just to finish Japan didn't help us Australia didn't help us South [1:28:10] Korea didn't help us and then you get to NATO NATO didn't help us there were some countries [1:28:15] that did now countries that have been good now you could also say they're [1:28:19] got to be a little bit more involved because they're in the territory but Saudi Arabia's been [1:28:23] excellent Qatar has been excellent UAE has been excellent Bahrain Kuwait I mean Kuwait did shoot [1:28:30] down three of our planes the only planes really that we lost with friendly fire they call it I [1:28:36] call it unfriendly fire they unfortunately didn't know how to use our our great Patriots the pilots [1:28:45] said what kind of a missiles coming at us Patriot boom they got out because they know a Patriot never [1:28:51] Mrs. So they had beautiful patriots. [1:28:54] There were planes heading in their direction. [1:28:57] Unfortunately, they decided to shoot those planes. [1:29:00] They were our planes. [1:29:01] So, you know, NATO is a paper tiger. [1:29:06] Now, he's coming to see me on Wednesday, as you know. [1:29:08] He's a wonderful guy. [1:29:10] Secretary General is great. [1:29:12] And Mark Rutte, he's a great person. [1:29:15] But he's got — and, you know, it all began with, [1:29:19] if you want to know the truth, Greenland. [1:29:21] We want Greenland. [1:29:23] They don't want to give it to us. [1:29:24] And I said, bye-bye. [1:29:26] Okay, thank you very much, everybody. [1:29:28] Thank you.