President Trump Gaggles with Press Upon Departure in Palm Beach, FL, Mar. 23, 2026

[0:05] Let me just move over. [0:07] Can we move over? [0:08] Let's get out of the sun. [0:13] Isn't that more comfortable? [0:22] Mr. President, Iran's foreign ministry says [0:24] you're not telling the truth when it comes to [0:26] productive conversations. [0:27] The President President Trump Well, they're going to [0:28] have to get themselves better public relations. [0:30] We have had very, very strong talks. [0:35] We'll see where they lead. [0:37] We have major points of agreement. [0:39] I would say almost all points of agreement. [0:43] Perhaps that hasn't been conveyed. [0:44] Communication, as you know, has been blown to [0:47] pieces. [0:48] They're unable to talk to each other. [0:50] But we've had very strong talks. [0:52] Mr. Wyckoff and Mr. Kushner had them. [0:56] They went, I would say, perfectly. [0:59] I would say that if they carry through with that, [1:03] it'll end that problem, that conflict. [1:06] And I think it'll end it very, very substantially. [1:09] We have very much in mind our partners in the [1:12] Middle East. [1:13] We've had great relationships with a lot [1:15] of them, as you know. [1:16] A lot of them were supportive. [1:16] They were surprisingly hit, and I was surprised [1:19] to see it, and so was everyone else. [1:21] But we have very much in mind in the discussions. [1:26] So the discussions took place yesterday. [1:29] They went into yesterday evening. [1:33] They want very much to make a deal. [1:35] We'd like to make a deal, too. [1:37] We're going to get together today by probably [1:41] phone, because it's very hard to find a country. [1:45] It's very hard for them to get out, I guess. [1:48] But we'll, at some point, very, very soon, we'll [1:50] meet. [1:51] We're doing a five-day period. [1:53] We'll see how that goes. [1:55] And if it goes well, we're going to end up with [1:56] settling this. [1:58] Otherwise, we'll just keep bombing our little [2:00] hard stuff. [2:01] The Press A top person. [2:05] Don't forget, we've wiped out the leadership phase [2:08] one, phase two, and largely phase three. [2:12] But we're dealing with a man who I believe is the [2:16] most respected and the leader. [2:18] And, you know, it's a little tough. [2:19] They've wiped out. [2:20] They've wiped out. [2:21] They've wiped out everybody. [2:22] The Press Is that the Supreme Leader? [2:24] The President No, not the Supreme Leader. [2:25] The Press He's not the Trump leader. [2:26] The President Well, nobody has ever. [2:27] Nobody heard of the second Supreme Leader, the [2:30] son. [2:30] The Press Are these the right people? [2:31] The President Nobody. [2:32] We have not heard from the son. [2:34] Every once in a while, you'll see a statement [2:35] made, but we have not. [2:36] We don't know if he's living. [2:38] But the people that seem to be running it, and [2:41] they seem that based on, really, fact, because [2:44] things they've said have taken place. [2:47] The Press Can you say that again? [2:48] The President Again. [2:49] The Press Why? [2:49] The President I know you can focus. [2:51] I don't want them to be killed. [2:53] The Press Okay? [2:54] I don't want them to be killed. [2:55] The Press Mr. President, you've deployed [2:56] the President Nobody wants to be that. [2:58] Nobody wants that job right now, you know? [3:00] Nobody is exactly looking forward to being the head [3:03] of that particular country. [3:04] But perhaps we'll be able to solve that problem. [3:07] The Press Mr. President, you've deployed [3:07] ICE agents to American airports. [3:09] The President Who are you with? [3:10] The Press Newsmax, sir. [3:11] The President You've deployed ICE agents. [3:12] The President You're not doing a very good job. [3:13] The Press You've deployed ICE agents. [3:15] The President You're not doing a good job. [3:16] Did you hear me? [3:16] Okay, go ahead. [3:17] The Press What exactly do you want from these [3:18] folks? [3:19] The President You believe that I'm taking CNN [3:20] over Newsmax? [3:21] The Press What exactly are you looking for in these [3:22] calls, Mr. President? [3:23] The President We're looking for all of the [3:25] things that we've been talking about. [3:26] We want to see no nuclear bomb, no nuclear weapon, [3:31] not even close to it, low-key on the missiles. [3:33] We want to see peace in the Middle East. [3:36] We want the nuclear dust. [3:39] We're going to want that, and I think we're going [3:41] to get that. [3:42] The Press Do you want the enriched uranium? [3:43] The President We've agreed to that, yeah. [3:44] We've agreed to that. [3:45] The Press Do you want the enriched uranium before [3:46] you can end the crisis? [3:47] The President Yeah, and we want no enrichment. [3:48] But we also want the enriched uranium. [3:51] We're — if this happens — [3:54] it's a great start for Iran to build itself back, [3:59] and it's everything that we want. [4:01] And it's also great for Israel, and it's great for [4:04] the other Middle Eastern countries — Saudi Arabia, [4:07] UAE, Qatar, all of them, Kuwait, and Bahrain in [4:12] particular. [4:12] So it's great for all of them. [4:14] The Press If the war is ending, do you still need [4:16] $200 billion? [4:18] The President It's always nice to have it. [4:22] It's always nice to have it. [4:23] It's a very inflamed world. [4:25] And the Democrats inflame it. [4:27] You know, largely, the Democrats inflame it. [4:30] And let me just talk about the others. [4:31] So, ISIS has done very well. [4:33] I've requested — now, you know, I'm a big believer [4:36] that they should be able to wear a mask when they go [4:38] and hunt down, you know, murderous criminals and others. [4:41] But for purposes of the airport, I've requested [4:44] that they take off the mask. [4:45] I don't like it for the airport. [4:48] And I believe they are willing to do that. [4:50] The Press Why is it that you wear a mask not at the airport, [4:53] but they need to do it when they're out in the — [4:55] The President Because the people coming into the airport, [4:57] typically speaking, aren't murderers, killers, [5:00] drug dealers, et cetera. [5:02] There may be a few of them, but there aren't many. [5:04] They're people that want to come into the country [5:06] or that people want to leave the country, [5:07] going to maybe their home country. [5:09] So, I didn't think it was an appropriate look for an airport. [5:13] I think it's a very appropriate look [5:15] when they're out on the street, [5:16] trying to find one of the 11,888 murderers [5:20] that sleepy Joe Biden let into our country. [5:23] The Press You are a monster. [5:24] You are a monster. [5:25] You gave a $10,000 bonus — sorry. [5:27] Last year, you gave a $10,000 bonus to Tuesday workers [5:30] who kept showing up for work during the shutdown. [5:32] Will you do that again? [5:33] The President Well, it could happen. [5:34] It's amazing. [5:35] There's such — there are people that are really, [5:37] really loyal and great, and it's not easy for them. [5:41] And this is all caused by the Democrats. [5:43] And so they're — just so you know, [5:45] all this money was approved. [5:46] Everything was approved. [5:47] This is done. [5:49] The Democrats went in, and they want to have [5:51] radical left lunatics come into our country. [5:53] They want to have drug dealers. [5:55] They want to have murderers come into our country. [5:57] They want to have open borders. [5:59] And we're not letting it happen. [6:00] That's what this is all about. [6:02] They don't want voter ID. [6:04] They don't want proof of citizenship. [6:06] They don't want mail-in ballots. [6:09] They're so corrupt. [6:10] What they want — the only thing they want [6:12] is mail-in ballots. [6:14] So we also added, as you know, into the Save America Act. [6:19] And it's called Save America. [6:21] It's not the Save Act. [6:22] But we added no transgender utilization [6:25] of children and no men in women's sports. [6:29] The Press I don't think he's going to be a newsman. [6:34] It's wrong to do that. [6:35] The Press [6:38] The Press [6:43] The President I think Israel will be very happy [6:45] with what we have. [6:47] We just spoke to Israel a little while ago. [6:50] I think they'll be very happy. [6:51] This will be peace for Israel — long-term peace. [6:54] Guaranteed peace. [6:55] If this happens — and, you know, I can't guarantee it, [6:58] but I think it's going to — my life is a deal. [7:02] That's all I do is deals my whole life. [7:04] I think this is something that's going to happen. [7:06] And why wouldn't it happen? [7:08] So tomorrow morning sometime — their time — [7:13] we were expected to blow up their largest electric [7:17] generating plants that cost over $10 billion to build. [7:21] It's a very good one. [7:23] There was no dearth of money. [7:25] And one shot — it's gone. [7:29] It collapsed. [7:31] Why would they want that? [7:32] So they called. [7:34] I didn't call. [7:35] They called. [7:36] They want to make a deal. [7:37] And we are very willing to make a deal. [7:39] It's got to be a good deal. [7:41] And there's got to be no more wars, [7:42] no more nuclear weapons. [7:44] They're not going to have nuclear weapons anymore. [7:46] They're agreeing to that. [7:48] Any of that stuff, there's no deal. [7:50] The Press [7:51] The Press [7:52] The Press [7:53] The Press [7:54] The Press [7:55] The Press [7:56] The Press [7:57] The Press [7:58] The Press [7:59] The Press [8:00] The Press [8:01] The Press [8:02] The Press [8:03] The Press [8:04] The Press [8:05] The Press [8:06] The Press [8:07] The Press [8:08] The Press [8:09] The Press [8:10] The Press [8:11] The Press [8:12] The Press [8:13] The Press [8:14] The Press [8:15] The Press [8:16] The Press [8:17] The Press [8:18] The Press [8:19] The Press [8:20] The Press [8:21] The Press [8:22] The Press [8:23] The Press [8:24] The Press [8:25] The Press [8:26] The Press [8:27] The Press [8:28] The Press [8:29] any difference in this war. [8:31] But I want to have the system be lubricated. [8:35] The Presser- Mr. President, I don't think [8:40] they're getting the money. [8:41] The President- I don't think they're getting the money. [8:43] I could tell you — when this is all over, I will [8:47] tell you who's getting the money. [8:49] The Presser- Mr. President, you've got [8:50] the Marines from California. [8:52] Given that it'll take them weeks to arrive, if the [8:54] intention to police this raid will take long — [8:56] The President- What are you doing? [8:58] The Presser- Well, it's been reported that [9:00] their Marines have left California, left San Diego, [9:02] The Press Well, let me ask you this. [9:07] If you were in my position and I asked you that [9:09] question, do you really believe I can give you [9:12] that same crazy point? [9:13] The Press We don't talk about strategy, yeah. [9:17] The Press Yeah, let in, let in by Biden. [9:22] The Press It's devastating. [9:26] These people were let in by Biden. [9:27] We're getting them out, and we're getting them out [9:29] of there. [9:30] That's why ICE is so important. [9:31] They're doing such a good job. [9:33] This animal, I saw the whole thing last night. [9:38] They gave me a briefing. [9:39] Came in through Joe Biden with his open-door policy [9:43] and his border czar, Kamala, who never saw the border. [9:46] Never made one phone call. [9:48] All the ICE people, you see, they all know me. [9:50] Everyone knows me. [9:51] They like me. [9:52] I speak to them all the time. [9:54] Didn't make one phone call during four years. [9:57] She was the border czar to anybody on the border. [10:00] Never went there. [10:02] This person came in through the open-door policy [10:05] of Joe Biden. [10:06] And we have a — we're taking them out by the [10:08] tens of thousands. [10:10] We're doing a great job, but it's a shame. [10:13] They've hurt our country. [10:15] Just remember this. [10:17] Joe Biden and that gang of radical-left lunatics — [10:20] some very smart, but radical-left and bad [10:23] ideology — sick people — these people have hurt [10:27] our country very badly. [10:28] The Press Are we directly talking to the model? [10:30] The Press So, are we directly talking to the model? [10:31] The Press Yes. [10:32] The Press Yes. [10:33] The Press Is it a lot different from what Russia [10:35] is continuing to bring? [10:36] I mean, it's continuing that way. [10:38] The President Well, I think it's a lot different. [10:40] And if you look at the nuclear weapons that they [10:42] wanted to have, that they wanted to possess, a lot [10:45] of things are different. [10:47] I'm not a fan of what Russia is doing either, [10:49] just so you understand, all right? [10:51] But it's a lot different. [10:53] You're talking about a country that has been evil [10:56] for 47 years. [10:58] They've been horrible. [10:59] Death all over the world. [11:01] Not just us. [11:02] Look at the way they attacked, unexpectedly, [11:05] all of those countries surrounding them. [11:08] It was not supposed to be. [11:09] Nobody was even thinking about it. [11:11] But they wanted to take over the Middle East, and [11:13] they wanted to knock out Israel permanently. [11:15] If they had a nuclear weapon, they would have [11:18] been able to do it. [11:18] The Press Are we directly talking to Iran? [11:24] The President Look, I'm not a fan of the guy. [11:26] If you look at — and you never covered this — if [11:28] you look at his troops or whatever he went on, [11:30] his ex-troop, if you look at his troops or his [11:34] statement, he was all for everything. [11:36] All of a sudden, he wasn't. [11:39] He was a man that I met at Dover. [11:44] He came and his wife was killed. [11:46] We married fairly quickly. [11:49] His wife was killed, and I felt badly for her. [11:53] He ran for Congress. [11:54] He lost. [11:55] He ran for Congress again, and he lost. [11:57] I said, you know, he's a guy — nice guy. [12:00] He seemed like a very nice guy. [12:02] I met him. [12:03] He was pretty heartbroken. [12:05] Pretty. [12:06] But I said, you know, it's a shame. [12:09] He ran for Congress twice. [12:11] Call him up. [12:12] He gave him a job in the White House. [12:14] Smart. [12:15] He gave him a job in the White House. [12:16] And this is what he does to me, you know? [12:20] Being a nice guy doesn't pay off too much. [12:22] Think of it. [12:24] He loses twice in Congress. [12:26] Ran not very good campaigns. [12:29] Should have won. [12:30] But he loses twice. [12:32] How do I get him? [12:33] I have my people call him, because I didn't deal [12:35] with him for the most part. [12:36] I saw him a couple of times. [12:38] But I never dealt with him at all. [12:40] I had no idea his ideology was left or right, [12:43] whatever it is. [12:44] I can say this. [12:46] He said very strongly that Iran is not a threat. [12:50] Iran has been a threat for 47 years. [12:53] And there's not a country in the world that doesn't [12:55] agree with him. [12:57] So I take this guy, Joe Kent, who lost twice in [13:00] Congress — pretty badly and tough, and he was [13:04] devastated — and I know that he lost his wife. [13:08] So instead of letting him live out his life, I [13:11] brilliantly have my people call him and offer [13:14] him a job in security. [13:16] Security, essentially, in the White House. [13:19] Now, what does he do? [13:20] He goes out and he says that Iran is not a threat [13:24] to get publicity. [13:25] Now, he probably signed up with CNN or maybe he [13:28] signed up with your division of Newsmax. [13:30] I don't know. [13:31] But probably signed up with CNN or somebody. [13:34] But if you look at his tweets, Xs, or Truths, [13:40] whatever he uses — I don't know, because I [13:41] don't follow him — what he said is 100 percent he [13:45] agrees with it. [13:46] All of a sudden, he leaves. [13:48] He knew he had a problem. [13:50] Now, I hear they're looking at him for leaking. [13:52] That's possible. [13:54] But just so you understand, just to put it to [13:55] rest, he lost twice badly. [13:59] He also lost his wife. [14:00] He's remarried since. [14:02] He lost his wife. [14:04] I felt badly for him. [14:05] So I told my people, reach out to him, give him a [14:08] job at the White House. [14:09] This is the thanks I get. [14:11] Any other questions? [14:12] The Press Well, before Iran, you said Iran [14:14] was not a human threat to the intelligence. [14:17] The President I think it was an imminent threat. [14:18] I think that Iran — if they — if we didn't have [14:20] bombed them with the B-2 bombers — now, that set [14:23] them back — but if we didn't hit them with the [14:25] B-2 bombers, they would have had a nuclear weapon [14:28] within two weeks to a month. [14:31] And if they had a nuclear weapon, they would have [14:33] used it as soon as they got it. [14:35] The Press If you're going to obliterate [14:36] the nuclear side's last number with your strength, [14:39] then how can you argue that you're an imminent [14:41] threat now? [14:42] The President Oh, we hit them so hard, we obliterated [14:44] them — obliterated them. [14:46] But that doesn't mean, with the right equipment, [14:48] you can't dig down and go get it. [14:50] We don't want that. [14:52] We don't — we won't have that. [14:53] But we obliterated that site. [14:55] They still haven't been able to get it. [14:57] That was a complete success. [14:59] But if it wasn't, they would have had — if we [15:03] didn't hit them, if we didn't use the B-2 [15:05] bombers, which are unbelievable — we just [15:08] ordered 22 more of them — modern version, by the [15:11] way, super modern version — if we didn't hit them [15:13] with the B-2 bombers, they would have had, within [15:16] two weeks of that attack — that's why we hit them, [15:19] because we knew. [15:20] They would have had a nuclear weapon. [15:22] They would have used it on Israel and the entire [15:25] Middle East. [15:26] The Press Are you saying that the [15:27] global high cloud in Memphis is down 43 percent [15:30] since you began this task force? [15:31] Is this a template you think is working? [15:33] The President Well, what I'm doing — what I'm [15:34] doing today, really, this was supposed to be — this [15:36] was a little bit before — set up a couple of weeks [15:38] ago. [15:39] This was before we had this situation with Iran [15:44] take place last night. [15:46] And, by the way, they're just not committed. [15:47] When they say — I'm sure they don't mean that. [15:50] When somebody says, oh, I didn't know you — we were [15:52] talking last night — and I'm sure they have a lack [15:54] of communication, which is appropriate, considering [15:57] we blew up, in addition to their Navy, Air Force, [16:01] every division, their radar. [16:03] We also blew up all of their anti-aircraft and [16:07] communications. [16:08] So they have no telecommunications. [16:10] So there is a lack of — I would imagine a lack of [16:13] coordination. [16:13] The Press So how do you know if they're [16:15] long-term reliable? [16:15] And if they're — if you're worried about the [16:16] miscommunication — [16:17] The President Well, we think — we think — all [16:18] we can do is think. [16:19] Look. [16:20] They're leader groups. [16:21] They've all been killed. [16:23] Very dangerous position. [16:25] Khomeini was killed. [16:27] Khomeini's son is unavailable. [16:29] Nobody knows what happened to him. [16:31] I can say they haven't seen him there either. [16:33] Something is going on with him. [16:34] But regardless, I don't consider him really the [16:38] leader. [16:39] But they do have some leaders left, because we [16:42] blew up group number one, group number two, a lot of [16:46] group number three. [16:48] But we think we have people that are very [16:49] representative of the country and will — you [16:51] know, will do a good job at — [16:53] The Press Are you on Musk's — [16:54] The Press Are you on Musk's offer? [16:56] The Press Are you on Musk's offer to pay TSA [16:59] workers during this DHS shutdown? [17:00] Is this something that you've been speaking to [17:02] him about? [17:02] The President Yeah, I'd love it. [17:03] I think it's great. [17:04] Let him do that. [17:05] And I want to thank ICE, because they stepped in so [17:08] strongly. [17:09] They'll do great. [17:11] And if that's not enough, I'll bring in the [17:13] National Guard. [17:14] We're not going to have the Democrats destroy our [17:16] country. [17:17] These people are the most destructive, sick people, [17:20] the Democrats. [17:21] They want — and they're fighting for this. [17:23] They're fighting for men and women's sports. [17:26] They're fighting for transgender for everybody. [17:29] Everybody go out, get your kid a nice operation, [17:32] and change the sex of your kid. [17:35] They're fighting for — no, think of it. [17:38] They don't want you to do voter ID. [17:40] You walk into a booth — in California, if a person [17:43] who's doing voting, an official, asks you for [17:46] identification, they're subject to being arrested. [17:50] What's wrong with this country? [17:52] So we're fighting it hard. [17:53] And I think they should, because the Democrats are [17:57] being blamed for the shutdown. [17:59] And it's their fault. [18:00] And they're getting killed. [18:01] That's why, when I — when I announced yesterday [18:05] about ICE, the Democrats called. [18:08] We want to settle. [18:09] We want to settle. [18:10] And I told the people, don't settle. [18:12] Don't settle, because we have something bigger. [18:15] Only settle if you get the Save America Act, voter [18:18] ID, and — so important — proof of citizenship, [18:22] et cetera. [18:23] Thank you very much. [18:23] The Press Who's idea was that? [18:24] The Press We're dealing with really — [18:27] The Press Who's idea was that? [18:29] The President That was mine. [18:30] The Press If you take paperclips — [18:31] The President That was like the paperclip. [18:32] You know the story of the paperclip? [18:34] 182 years ago, a man discovered the paperclip. [18:38] It was so simple. [18:40] And everybody that looked at it said, [18:41] why didn't I think of that? [18:43] Now, ICE was my idea. [18:45] I called — first person I called was Tom Holman. [18:47] I said, what do you think? [18:49] He said, I think it's great. [18:51] Then I saw today there was some masks on. [18:53] I didn't think the masks were appropriate. [18:54] I put out a statement, and I asked him, would it be [18:57] possible to take off the mask? [18:59] Because they should wear a mask when they're dealing [19:02] with the murderers and the thugs that led it to them. [19:05] The Press You said there's many points of [19:07] agreement with Iran right now. [19:08] The President Many. [19:09] The Press Can you give us a couple of those? [19:10] The President Many. [19:10] Like, 15 points. [19:12] Fifteen points. [19:13] The Press That Iran has said yes to it? [19:14] The President Well, they're not going to have a [19:15] nuclear weapon. [19:16] That's number one. [19:17] That's number one, two, and three. [19:18] They will never have a nuclear weapon. [19:20] The Press Have you said yes to that? [19:21] The President They've agreed to this. [19:22] The Press Are you saying yes to that, sir? [19:23] The Press Are you saying yes to that, sir? [19:24] The President You've been at airports, sir. [19:26] The Press Arrests them. [19:27] The Press Well, we see ICE arresting illegal [19:27] migrants at airports. [19:28] The President Yeah, yeah, that's... [19:29] The Press Are we talking about that? [19:30] The President That's why the Democrats are going [19:31] crazy, because they've allowed, by what they did [19:34] and hold up, we put ICE, who are a very high level [19:39] — I mean, they really are a high-level group of [19:42] people, and they love it because they're able to [19:44] now arrest illegals as they come into the country. [19:48] The Press That's very fertile territory. [19:51] But that's not why they're there. [19:52] They're really there to help. [19:54] The Press Are you talking about... [19:55] The Press [20:05] will be in control of Iran? [20:08] The President [20:14] Maybe me? [20:17] Me and the Ayatollah. [20:19] Whoever the Ayatollah is. [20:20] Whoever the next Ayatollah is. [20:21] And there will also be a form of a — a very [20:25] serious form of a regime change. [20:28] Now, in all fairness, everybody has been killed [20:31] from the regime. [20:33] They're really starting off. [20:33] There's automatically a regime change. [20:36] But we're dealing with some people that I find to [20:39] be very reasonable, very solid. [20:43] The people within know who they are. [20:45] They're very respected. [20:47] And maybe one of them will be exactly what we're [20:50] looking for. [20:51] Look at Venezuela, how well that's working out. [20:53] We are doing so well in Venezuela with oil and [20:56] with the relationship between the President-elect [21:00] and us. [21:02] And maybe we'll find somebody like that. [21:04] The Press The Press The Press The price of oil will [21:11] drop like a rock as soon as the deal is done. [21:13] I guess it already is today. [21:15] No, we have a very serious chance of making a deal. [21:18] That doesn't guarantee anything. [21:19] I'm not guaranteeing anything. [21:21] I'm not going to come out here in a week or two [21:22] weeks and have you all say, [21:24] Oh, you said, I didn't say anything. [21:26] All I'm saying is, we are in the throes of a real [21:31] possibility of making a deal. [21:32] And I think if I were a betting man, I'd bet for it. [21:36] But again, I'm not guaranteeing anything. [21:39] They want to make a deal very badly. [21:40] The Press What changes would you like to see in [21:42] the DHS at the mark-point moment? [21:44] The President Well, he's going to be fantastic. [21:45] He'll make his own change. [21:46] He's already given me a list of people he wants to bring. [21:49] He's a fantastic guy. [21:50] I think he's just the right guy. [21:52] You all know him. [21:53] He's a very open, smart guy. [21:55] Very successful. [21:56] He's obviously in business, which people don't know. [21:58] And he's a friend of mine. [21:59] I think Mark Wayne is going to be fantastic. [22:01] The Press Thank you. [22:02] The Press Are these direct calls? [22:03] The President They made a mistake. [22:08] The President Thank you.