President Trump held a news conference on Monday to discuss the rescue of a shot down airman

[0:05] Thank you very much. It's a great honor to be with you. And happy Easter. We had a great Easter. [0:26] This is one of our better Easters, I think, in a lot of different ways. I can say militarily [0:31] it's been one of the best. So good afternoon. We have quite a bit to discuss. We'll go into [0:38] pretty good detail. And we have the people that are most involved. We'll give you [0:44] exactitude. And we're here today to celebrate the success of one of the largest, most complex, [0:52] most harrowing combat searches. I guess you would call it a search and rescue mission [0:58] ever attempted by the military. Generally, when planes are knocked down in war, especially when [1:05] you're fighting a strong group, an evil group, you can't really do this because you send in 200 [1:14] men to pick up one. And it's something that's usually not attempted as much as you want to [1:19] attempt. And bad things happen to that one or two. And in this case, we did two and might not [1:26] have been attempted. [1:27] We did. And we got we had great talent. We got a little luck, too, I would say. And we were helped [1:37] by a lot of people, a lot of great people. And it was an honor to be involved with it. It's very [1:44] historic. This is a rescue that's very historic. It'll go down in the books late Thursday night. [1:51] An American F-15 fighter jet went down deep inside enemy territory in Iran while participating in [1:59] Operation Epic Fury. [2:01] We're doing unbelievably well, well at a level that nobody's ever seen before. The entire country [2:09] can be taken out in one night. And that night might be tomorrow night. Both members of the [2:16] crew ejected from the aircraft and landed alive on Iranian soil. I immediately was asked to make [2:25] a decision. I ordered the U.S. Armed Forces to do whatever was necessary to bring our brave [2:30] warriors back home, a risky decision, because we could have ended up with 100 [2:36] dead. [2:37] opposed to one or two. [2:39] It's a hard decision to make. [2:41] But in the United States military, [2:44] we leave no American behind. [2:46] We don't do it. [2:47] Within hours, our armed forces deploy 21 military aircraft [2:51] into hostile airspace, many flying at very low altitude, [2:55] being shot by bullets. [2:58] You bring rifles into play when you're going that low, [3:01] but there are also certain advantages. [3:05] And in broad daylight over Iran for seven hours, [3:08] at times facing very, very heavy enemy fire, [3:13] we have a helicopter that's got a lot of bullets in it. [3:15] It's amazing. [3:16] We just realized how good those weapons are, [3:20] those machines are. [3:22] Nobody has the equipment that we have, [3:25] and nobody has the military that we have, not even close. [3:29] The most powerful military anywhere in the world by far. [3:32] The flight crews and war fighters aboard those aircraft [3:35] took extraordinary risks [3:37] to rescue their fellow service members. [3:40] This first wave of search and rescue forces [3:42] successfully located the pilot of the F-15, [3:46] and he was extracted from enemy territory [3:50] by an HH-60 Jolly Green II helicopter. [3:54] Fabulous machine, as our warriors faced gunfire [3:58] at very close range. [3:59] It's amazing that when you look at the machinery, [4:05] what happened, that nobody was even injured. [4:07] Meanwhile, the second crew member, a weapons system officer, [4:11] a highly respected colonel, [4:13] had a gun. [4:14] He had a gun. He had a gun. [4:14] He had a gun. He had a gun. [4:14] Had landed a significant distance away from the pilot [4:17] when you're going at those speeds. [4:19] Even if you go out two or three seconds later, [4:22] it's miles. [4:23] It's miles and miles away, because you're going fast. [4:28] He was injured quite badly and stranded in an area, [4:32] teeming with terrorists from the Islamic Revolutionary [4:34] Guard Corps, a rough group, [4:36] as well as besieged militia and local authorities. [4:42] Many, on top of everything else, they told, [4:46] the communities, actually, withinside of Iran, [4:51] the people of Iran, they were given a tremendous incentive [4:55] to find this pilot. [4:57] Despite the peril, the officer followed his training [5:00] and climbed into the treacherous mountain terrain [5:03] and started climbing toward a higher altitude, [5:07] something they were trained to do in order to evade capture. [5:13] They want to always go as far away from the site of the, [5:18] shoot down. [5:19] They want to go as far away, [5:20] because they all head right to that site. [5:22] You want to be as far away as you can. [5:25] And he was injured, and he was an amazing, amazing thing. [5:29] He scaled cliff faces, bleeding rather profusely, [5:34] treated his own wounds, and contacted American forces [5:38] to transmit his location. [5:41] They have a very sophisticated beeper-type apparatus [5:48] that is on them at all times. [5:50] And when they, [5:51] when they go out on these missions, [5:52] they make sure they have lots of battery space [5:55] and they're in good shape. [5:58] And this one worked really well, amazingly, saved his life. [6:02] We immediately mobilized a massive operation [6:04] to retrieve him from the mountain holdout, [6:09] and he kept going higher and higher. [6:11] The mountain kept getting rougher and rougher [6:13] and really very, very hard to find. [6:16] The second rescue mission involved 155 aircraft, [6:20] including four bombers, 64 fighters, [6:24] 48 refueling tankers, 13 rescue aircraft, and more. [6:28] We were bringing them all over, [6:31] and a lot of it was subterfuge. [6:33] We wanted to have them think he was in a different location, [6:37] because they had a vast military force out there. [6:40] Thousands, thousands of people were looking. [6:43] So we wanted them to look in different areas. [6:45] So we were scattered all over, [6:48] like we were right on top of them. [6:50] We had different locations where they thought. [6:53] And they were very confused. They said, well, [6:55] wait a minute. They've got groups here. [6:57] They've got groups there. It's an amazing thing. [7:00] I was listening to these great people, [7:04] these great generals. [7:06] General Raising Cane was amazing, [7:08] and Pete Hegseth was amazing. [7:10] But I listened to the whole thing. [7:11] It was pretty amazing. [7:13] So they had all these different sites [7:15] where everybody thought he was located. [7:17] We think we have him over there, [7:18] because they have nine planes circling a little area [7:22] that's 25 miles down the coast. [7:26] So in a breathtaking show of skill, [7:29] and precision, lethality, and force, [7:31] America's military descended on the area, the real area, [7:37] engaged the enemy, rescued the stranded officer, [7:40] destroyed all threats, and exited Iranian territory [7:45] while taking no casualties of any kind. [7:48] The heroic F-15 weapons system officer [7:51] had evaded capture on the ground in Iran for almost 48 hours. [7:58] That's a long time when you're in tough shape [8:01] and when you're bleeding. [8:02] It's a long time. [8:04] When we left, as you probably know, [8:08] we had two large planes, old, pretty old planes. [8:11] It carried a lot. [8:12] We needed a lot more equipment going in [8:14] than coming out, obviously, [8:16] because going in, we needed to be able to scale mountains. [8:21] And we had a lot of equipment. [8:23] But the sand was, it was sandy, wet sand. [8:26] So we thought there may be a problem taking off [8:29] because of the weight of the plane. [8:31] And then we also had all the men jumping back on [8:34] to the planes. [8:35] And they got pretty well bogged down. [8:37] And we had a contingency plan, which was unbelievable, [8:41] where lighter, faster aircraft came in. [8:45] And they took them out. [8:45] We blew up the old planes. [8:47] We blew them up to smithereens [8:50] because we had equipment on the planes [8:51] that, frankly, we'd like to take, [8:53] but I don't think it was worthwhile [8:55] spending another four hours there taking it off. [8:57] So we didn't want anybody to have it. [8:59] The best equipment anywhere in the world. [9:02] We didn't want anybody examining [9:04] anti-aircraft and other equipment. [9:08] So these were large planes that were old and pretty old. [9:12] And we blew them up. [9:14] And we had faster, lighter planes come in. [9:17] And they were able to land on the sand. [9:19] We needed the bigger planes [9:20] because we had so much equipment that we needed. [9:22] We took three helicopters over there, [9:24] which were very strongly used [9:26] and couldn't have lived without them. [9:27] They did. They performed unbelievably well. [9:31] And if you'd see it, you wouldn't believe it. [9:32] They came off the plane, and these guys had them. [9:36] The rotors were off. [9:39] They rebuilt these helicopters in less than 10 minutes. [9:44] And that was one of the more amazing things. [9:47] These are helicopters. [9:49] Small, unbelievably powerful. [9:53] But small, very small, so it can get into certain areas. [9:57] And they got them off the plane, [9:59] and they rebuilt all three of them in a matter of less than, [10:04] I would say, less than 10 minutes. [10:05] It's pretty amazing what the genius of these people, [10:09] who would think that? [10:10] You'd think it would take five days to build them. [10:12] And in some companies, it would take five days, [10:15] and they wouldn't do it well. [10:16] But they served us well. [10:18] As Commander-in-Chief, I never forget [10:21] the extraordinary risk taken by the warriors [10:24] that we send into battle. [10:26] And the genius, I mean, think of it. [10:27] Having a contingency of three planes waiting [10:30] because we think the sand is so bad [10:32] that we probably won't be able to take off. [10:35] And the planes really got bogged. [10:38] The sand was... [10:39] It was not much of a runway. [10:40] This was a farm, not a runway. [10:42] It was a farm, but it did the trick. [10:45] But to have a contingency, [10:47] as opposed to having to wait two days, [10:49] can you imagine right in the middle? [10:50] This was central. [10:52] This was right... [10:54] You would call it central casting [10:55] if you were doing a movie for location. [10:58] And probably the toughest area of Iran [11:01] where we'd be sitting there. [11:02] So these planes came in. [11:03] Those pilots came in so fast and so quick [11:06] and got out of there. [11:07] Everybody got aboard and just got 15-minute [11:11] intervals, one load out, one load out, [11:15] one load out, the three. [11:16] It happened. [11:18] And we were watching. [11:19] And we said, that's amazing. [11:21] In many ways, I was almost more impressed [11:24] by the contingency that we had than the fact that, [11:29] you know, if we would have had a runway or decent soil. [11:32] But it was an amazing thing. [11:34] But we thank God for every single one of them. [11:37] And the talent. [11:38] The genius is not even talent. [11:40] It's genius. [11:40] It's the whole ballgame. [11:42] Every one of them. [11:44] If you look at what we did with Maduro, [11:46] we went into a military compound, [11:49] a massive with thousands and thousands of soldiers [11:52] within a matter of minutes. [11:54] And he lived behind iron doors. [11:56] There were steel doors, broke them down so quickly. [11:59] And within almost minutes, [12:00] he was in the back of these planes. [12:03] It was a similar group, incredible. [12:05] We have incredibly talented people. [12:08] And if the time comes, we move heaven and earth [12:11] to bring them home safely. [12:12] We're going to bring our people home safely. [12:14] I want to thank every member of the U.S. [12:17] Armed Forces involved in these historic operations. [12:20] They really were historic. [12:21] It's just not something that's done. [12:23] And you'd understand it. [12:24] Not that they don't want to do it. [12:27] But when you're going into areas, [12:28] when you look at these helicopters, [12:30] when you look at the amount of bullets [12:31] and everything else that they took, [12:32] when you go into these areas, [12:35] you don't come out like we came out. [12:37] God was watching us. [12:39] Well, it was the Easter. [12:42] We were in the Easter territory, I guess. [12:45] But God was watching us. [12:47] It was amazing. [12:48] Because when you look at the machinery, [12:49] they took damage. [12:51] Tells you, first thing I said is, [12:53] these are unbelievable machines. [12:55] How they flew back and not even much of a problem. [12:59] But these two extraordinary rescues, [13:01] because it was two. [13:02] And as you probably know, [13:04] we didn't talk about the first one for an hour. [13:07] Then somebody leaked something, [13:09] which we'll hopefully find that leaker. [13:11] We're looking very hard to find that leaker. [13:13] And talked about there's somebody missing. [13:18] They basically said that, [13:20] have one, and there's somebody missing. [13:21] Well, they didn't know there was somebody missing [13:23] until this leaker gave the information. [13:25] So whoever it was, we think we'll be able to find it out, [13:28] because we're going to go to the media company [13:31] that released it, [13:33] and we're going to say, [13:35] national security, give it up or go to jail. [13:39] And we know who, and you know who we're talking about, [13:43] because some things you can't do. [13:44] Because when they did that, all of a sudden, [13:47] the entire country of Iran knew that there was a pilot [13:52] that was somewhere [13:53] in the land that was fighting for his life. [13:57] And it also made it much more difficult for the pilots [14:02] and for the people going in to search for him. [14:04] All of a sudden, they know that there's somebody out there. [14:08] They see all these planes coming in. [14:09] It became a much more difficult operation, [14:13] because a leaker leaked that we have one, [14:17] we've rescued one, [14:19] but there's another one out there that we're trying to get. [14:23] So actually, the country, Iran, [14:27] put out a major notice, you all saw it, [14:30] offering a very big award for anybody that captures the pilot. [14:35] So in addition to a hostile, very talented, [14:38] very good, very evil military, [14:41] we had millions of people trying to get an award. [14:46] So when you add that to it, but we have to find that leaker, [14:49] because that's a sick person. [14:52] Probably didn't realize the extent of how bad it was. [14:55] I can't imagine that the person did. [14:57] But we're going to find out. [14:58] It's national security. [14:59] And the... [15:01] The person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn't say. [15:05] And that doesn't last long. [15:07] And I think everybody would understand it. [15:08] They put this mission at great risk. [15:10] They put that man at great risk, [15:12] and they put the hundreds of people that went in looking for him, [15:16] because everyone now knows that we're going in. [15:20] Over the past 37 days, [15:22] America's armed forces have carried out [15:24] more than 10,000 combat flights over Iran, unheard of, [15:29] striking more than 13,000 targets. [15:31] The F-15 we lost last week was the first manned aircraft [15:36] downed by the enemy in this entire operation, [15:39] with thousands and thousands of flights. [15:41] They got lucky. It was a lucky hit. [15:43] You know, eventually you get lucky. [15:46] But we got lucky, too, because we got both of them back. [15:50] But it's a record that is unparalleled [15:51] in the history of military air operations. [15:55] Nobody's ever seen anything like it. [15:56] It's such an honor to be involved with it. [16:01] We were up late at night, and then we were waiting [16:05] for those contingent planes to come in. [16:08] And we said, come on, let's go get in, [16:10] because they're waiting out on this farm without a runway, [16:16] with wet, crummy soil, sand, mostly sand, wet sand. [16:23] And it eats planes alive. [16:24] And we're waiting, and we're saying, [16:26] I hope that one can land and take off. [16:29] And they came in like magic, boom, boom, boom, [16:32] one after another. It was like genius. [16:34] I'm so impressed by that, because we were a little concerned. [16:38] We said, boy, if they don't get in [16:40] and get up fast, we're sitting in the middle. [16:43] And that's called Iran Prime, right, General? [16:46] That's where the whole bet is. [16:49] And here we are, sitting there, waiting for a plane. [16:53] But they came in so fast and so hard. [16:55] And these guys knew exactly what they did. [16:56] Let's go. Come on. Get in. Let's go. [16:59] Pwah. They came one right after another. [17:01] Not at the same time. [17:03] They don't want to come at the same time. [17:05] They had to come right after each other. [17:06] They didn't have any room. [17:07] There was barely any room to land, tiny little patch of very wet. [17:11] Earth and sand. [17:15] So I just, I'm so proud of the people that I have standing up here with me [17:19] and many others that worked. [17:20] I mean, so many. [17:22] Steve Witkoff's over here. He's doing fantastically. [17:25] Jared Kushner. [17:27] But the people that are here, the job they did is amazing. [17:30] And I think I'm going to introduce the head of the CIA. [17:34] And he is a man who, he's central casting, okay? [17:39] If we cast a movie, he's going to play the head of the CIA. [17:41] He's one of the few. [17:43] John Ratcliffe. He, um, he did a great job. [17:45] He did a phenomenal job that night. [17:47] He did something that I don't know if you want to talk about it. [17:50] If you want, you can. I'm not sure you're supposed to. [17:52] I'm not going to talk about it. [17:53] But he really, the CIA was very responsible for finding this little speck. [17:58] It's like they used an expression on one of the shows the general was talking about. [18:02] It's like finding a needle in a haystack, finding this pilot. [18:06] And the CIA was unbelievable. [18:09] And you may, if you can, you'll talk. [18:10] It might be classified, in which case I'd have to put him in jail if he talks about it. [18:15] And I don't want to put him in jail. [18:16] He doesn't deserve that. [18:18] So, John, do you want to say a few words? [18:20] Thank you. [18:23] Thank you, Mr. President. [18:24] It's a privilege to be here with you today to share what we can about this exceptional mission [18:31] and to recognize the ingenuity and bravery of those who executed it, [18:36] as well as the leadership and resolve of the president who ordered it. [18:42] One thing that has been clear to me in this role is that the flawless military operations [18:46] that the Department of War is known for are hostage to flawless intelligence. [18:51] We saw that in the skies over Iran in Operation Midnight Hammer last summer. [18:58] We witnessed it in Venezuela during Operation Absolute Resolve. [19:03] We've seen it against the cartels in the Western Hemisphere, and we're seeing it every day [19:08] in Operation Epic Fury, including this mission to rescue an aviator buried deep behind enemy [19:15] lines. [19:17] Because it is the unique tradition of the U.S. Armed Forces that we leave no man or [19:22] woman behind. [19:23] Thank you. [19:25] That was the spirit in which the president put us to work, and we were determined not [19:31] to let him down or our airmen down. [19:36] As an agency, the CIA possesses unique capabilities that only the president can deploy. [19:43] Some of these capabilities fall under covert action authorities, and because covert means [19:49] exactly that, I'm not going to be able to tell you everything that you want to know. [19:56] At the president's direction, we deployed both human assets and exquisite technologies [20:02] that no other intelligence service in the world possesses, to a daunting challenge comparable [20:08] to hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert. [20:14] This was also a race against the clock, as it was critical that we locate the downed [20:18] aviator as quickly as possible, while at the same time keeping our enemies misdirected. [20:27] For that reason, in addition to the human and technical assets deployed by the president [20:33] to find our airmen, the CIA executed a de-escalation. [20:33] That's what we're doing. [20:35] That's what we're doing. [20:35] That's what we're doing. [20:36] That's what we're doing. [20:36] That's what we're doing. [20:36] That's what we're doing. [20:37] That's what we're doing. [20:37] That's what we're doing. [20:37] To confuse the Iranians, who were desperately hunting for our airmen. [20:43] On Saturday morning, we achieved our primary objective by finding and providing confirmation [20:50] that one of America's best and bravest was alive and concealed in a mountain crevice, [20:57] still invisible to the enemy, but not to the CIA. [21:01] That confirmation was relayed by Secretary Hegseth to the president, and the operation [21:07] quickly moved to the execution phase. [21:10] Following the successful [21:12] exfiltration on Saturday night, our intelligence reflects that the Iranians were embarrassed and [21:18] ultimately humiliated by the success of this audacious rescue mission. When the president [21:26] asked me to lead the CIA, he made it clear, get back to basics, no politics, no agendas, [21:33] tackle the hardest problems, and execute the toughest missions. This president is about [21:40] results, and now that's what his CIA is about too. The professionals at the agency and at the [21:48] Department of War deserve immense credit for their flawless execution during this daring mission. [21:54] Their skill, creativity, and courage are unmatched on the battlefield wherever they step, but none of [22:03] that matters, and all of that is wasted without a president with the political courage to put them [22:10] into action. Mr. President, I've had the privilege of seeing you act with political courage in the [22:18] best interest of the United States up close on a daily basis, and I'm grateful that this successful [22:22] mission has given the United States the courage to do so. Thank you. [22:23] American people a window into that as well. The secretary and chairman will tell you that our [22:30] service members' confidence is boosted by a commander-in-chief who has their back the same [22:36] way they have yours. And I know that the confidence of CIA's officers is boosted by the knowledge that [22:44] their work is informing a president who's not afraid to make the hardest decisions when the [22:51] stakes are highest. And to the American people, your confidence should be boosted by no one else. [22:59] It is an honor to serve with you here today, knowing that the security of the nation is in the hands of a [23:03] president who's willing to take on the problems that have confounded both sides of the political [23:10] aisle for nearly half a century. It is an honor to serve under a leader who just proved that you can [23:17] believe him when he says no matter what, we will leave no one behind. We will come for you. Thank [23:35] Thank you. John, thank you for the collaboration of the CIA. Incredible and ongoing partnership. [23:42] Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Americans, and especially the brave warriors who stood here today to help the U.S. [23:42] United States and the world. Thank you. [23:43] in our armed forces. Over this Easter weekend, the United States military has once again proved [23:49] why we possess the greatest fighting force the world has ever known. In two extraordinary combat [23:56] search and rescue operations deep inside enemy territory in Iran, our warriors executed missions [24:03] of breathtaking skill, courage, and precision. When our warriors are unleashed as this president [24:11] has allowed them to be, they are unstoppable. When American airmen were down behind enemy lines, [24:18] our forces and our president did not hesitate. Special operators supported by elite air crews [24:24] and intelligence professionals moved swiftly and decisively into treacherous mountain terrain [24:29] under the constant threat of Iranian forces closing in. Ultimately, it was an impotent [24:35] Iranian threat. And today, as the CIA director mentioned, Iran's military, and we know this, [24:42] is embarrassed. [24:43] And humiliated. And they should be. Now, these are not routine operations. They were high-risk, [24:49] high-stakes missions conducted in the heart of enemy territory. This was not just barely into [24:55] Iran. This was deep into Iran, involving coordinated strikes to suppress threats, [25:00] deception tactics to protect our teams, and full synchronization across air, ground, [25:05] and special operations. The Iranians are still asking themselves right now, [25:09] how did the Americans do this? One downed airman. [25:15] They waited capture for more than a day, scaling rugged ridges while hunted by the enemy. When he [25:21] was finally able to activate his emergency transponder, his first message was simple, [25:28] and it was powerful. He sent a message, God is good. In that moment of isolation and danger, [25:37] his faith and fighting spirit shone through. You see, shot down on a Friday, good Friday, [25:44] hidden in a cave, a crevice, all of Saturday, and rescued, [25:51] on Sunday. Flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday. A pilot reborn, [26:01] all home, and accounted for, a nation rejoicing. God is good. Despite incoming fire and unforgiving [26:11] conditions, our troops brought every American home. No American lives were lost. We leave no [26:17] man behind, and that is not luck. It's the result of unmatched training, superior technology, [26:23] and unbreakable warrior ethos. [26:27] Our special operators, pilots, and support crews performed with near perfection under [26:35] fire, and they were lethal. Just ask any Iranian soldier who dared attempt to get anywhere [26:43] near that pilot before or during that mission. Death from above. Our troops turned a potential [26:51] tragedy into a resounding demonstration of American resolve and capability. That's what [26:56] excellence in uniform looks like. [27:00] Let's think about it. None of this would have been possible without the courageous [27:05] leadership and ironclad determination of President Donald J. Trump. From the moment our airmen [27:13] went down, President Trump made it clear we will leave no one behind. The first mission, [27:19] the first of two, was an audacious daylight thunder run right up the middle. It was authorized [27:27] in less than two hours from that pilot going down when we knew where he was. And it was [27:34] authorized in the middle of the night, because anybody that's worked for this man knows he's [27:37] up in the middle of the night. Authorized immediately, without hesitation, audaciously. [27:43] The second mission, as soon as we knew where that pilot was, and John was certainly helpful [27:47] in that, also executed immediately. [27:52] You know, I looked up at my screen when the final mission was complete inside our SCIF, [27:55] our secure facility, and we have a running VTC, a running coordination cell, and the [28:02] top of it read 45 minutes and 45 hours and 56 minutes. [28:08] For 45 hours and 56 minutes, we held that call open for coordination. From the moment [28:14] our pilots went down, our mission was unblinking. The call never dropped. The meeting never [28:20] stopped. The planning never ceased. [28:24] The president demanded rapid, decisive action. He backed our military with the full weight [28:29] of his resolve, refusing to let enemy propaganda or tactical setbacks deter us. His leadership [28:35] ensured that every lethal and nonlethal resource was brought to bear, that our forces had the [28:40] authorities and the support they needed to succeed. [28:44] When the president says he has the backs of our warfighters, he means it, and it means [28:50] a great deal, and it's a big difference on the battlefield. [28:54] President Trump understands that peace through strength is not a slogan. It is a doctrine [28:59] that saves American lives. His unwavering commitment to rebuilding our military and [29:04] restoring the warrior spirit has paid dividends in missions just like this one. Under his [29:11] command, America projects power with force. [29:13] Thank you. [29:13] To those who planned and executed these rescues, your nation stands in awe. I stand in awe. [29:48] The chairman stands in awe. We all stand in awe of your professionalism and bravery. [29:52] We serve for you. You embody the very best of America. To the rescued airmen and their [29:58] families, welcome home. Your courage and endurance, the quiet declaration of faith [30:04] amid the storm inspires us all. God is good every day. And to our adversaries watching from Tehran, [30:15] let this be a clear message. The United States military will go anywhere at any time to protect [30:22] our own and complete the mission. We execute with precision. We control the sky. You see, [30:29] we flew for seven hours in daylight over Iran to get the first pilot. And we flew seven hours [30:37] in the middle of the night to get the second. And Iran did nothing about it. We fight with honor. [30:45] And under President Trump's leadership, we win. So God bless our troops. God bless President Trump. [30:51] And God bless the United States of America. Thank you. [30:57] Well, good afternoon, everyone. [30:59] Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I know before I start, I know many of you want [31:04] specific details in these briefings. We will share what we can, but I will retain what I must [31:12] in the event that we have to go do this again sometime. And I cannot stress the importance, [31:18] as the president said, around operational security. The secretary and I will do a more [31:23] detailed briefing tomorrow morning, and we look forward to sharing the details that we can. [31:28] On Thursday, 2 April, [31:29] at 10.10 p.m. Eastern time, 4.40 in the morning, local Iran time, the Joint Personnel Recovery [31:36] Center, which handles the Central Command Area of Responsibility, declared an isolated personnel [31:42] recovery event for a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, call sign Dude 4-4, which was down in [31:49] hostile Iranian territory. The pilot and weapons system officer had both safely ejected and were [31:55] isolated behind enemy lines. Following confirmation of active, [31:59] rescue beacons, and on the direction of the secretary and by order of the president, [32:04] a rescue operation was launched with the stated purpose of bringing both Americans home safely. [32:11] As the secretary said, several hours later on the morning, after positively locating the front [32:16] seat or call sign Dude 4-4 Alpha, and aware of an aggressive, ongoing search by the enemy, [32:24] a U.S. Central Command plan was approved by the secretary and the president. [32:29] Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Central Command plan was approved by the secretary and the president. [32:30] After a U.S. Air Force Combat Search and Rescue Task Force, comprised of A-10 Warthogs in their [32:37] Sandy role, and I'll describe what that is in a minute, HC-130 Combat King IIs, HH-60 Jolly Green [32:45] II helicopters, and Air Force Special Warfare Airmen, a package comprised of combat rescue [32:51] officers and pararescue operators, audaciously penetrated enemy territory in broad daylight [32:59] to find, fix, and recover Dude 4-4 Alpha from behind enemy lines. [33:06] This was an incredibly dangerous mission, an incredibly dangerous undertaking, but a filled [33:15] promise made to every American warfighter that you will not be left behind. We will always come [33:22] find you, and we will always bring you home. Over the next hours, the Search and Rescue Task Force [33:29] crossed the beach. [33:30] They entered into Iranian airspace, protected by a fighter strike package, and moved into [33:37] the objective area, all under fire. In route, as some of you have seen on social media, [33:43] the helicopters took gas off the C-130s and pressed onward and forward up into the objective [33:49] area. [33:49] While this was ongoing and out in front of them, the Sandy flight of A-10s and other [33:55] remotely piloted aircraft, drones, and other tactical aircraft were violently suppressed, [34:01] suppressing and engaging the enemy in a close-in gun fight to keep them away from the front [34:06] seat, and allow the pickup force to get into the objective area. During this engagement, [34:13] one of the Sandy aircraft, the one primarily responsible for communicating with a downed [34:18] pilot, was hit by enemy fire. This pilot continued the fight, continued the mission, and then, [34:27] upon exit, flew his aircraft into another country, and determined that the airplane [34:28] would be able to người. [34:29] It was a steering-truck-type aircraft and was a move-in-tra Brent, and a flight-truck-type [34:30] aircraft. They flew chicken-truck-type aircraft into veranda, and flew down into the air. They [34:31] took out all their technology, all their equipment, all their equipment, all of the equipment, and started [34:32] was not landable. This was one of our A-10 Sandy aircraft. The pilot then made the decision [34:38] to eject over friendly territory and was quickly and safely recovered and is doing fine. [34:46] After picking up Dude 4-4 Alpha, the HH-60 Jolly Greenfight was engaged by every single person in [34:54] Iran who had a small arms weapon. And one of the aircraft, the trailing aircraft, took several [35:01] hits. The crew sustained minor injury and they are going to be fine. A note for those of you that [35:07] do not know what a Sandy does. Named after the flight call sign that did this very mission [35:14] in Vietnam flying A-1 Sky Raiders and A-7 Corsairs, a Sandy has one mission. Get to the survivor, [35:24] bring the rescue force forward, and put themselves between that survivor on the ground and the enemy. [35:31] Thank you. [35:32] They are committed to this. This is what they live for and this is what they've trained for [35:37] over many, many years. The A-10 force and the rescue force did fantastic, did a fantastic job [35:46] rescuing Dude 4-4 Alpha. He was recovered Friday afternoon. As I said, and the nation needs to know [35:55] this, this was an incredibly brave and courageous mission and a testament to the courage, skill, [36:03] and tenacity of the A-10. And I'm so grateful to the A-10 crew for their hard work. And I'm so [36:04] grateful to the A-10 crew for their hard work. And I'm so grateful to the A-10 crew for their [36:04] tenacity of the joint force and our leaders. And especially a daylight option, having the guts to [36:11] try means so much to so many. Meanwhile, the backseater, as the president and the secretary [36:18] have said, had continued to work and survive. Through the hours of daylight, Dude 4-4 Bravo, [36:25] the backseater, evaded. Using every means available, the efforts of the United States [36:31] military, the Central Intelligence Agency, and others, [36:34] were attempting to find and locate with precision Dude 4-4 Bravo, the backseater. [36:42] A note on the backseater and the frontseater. The single most important contributor to a [36:50] successful rescue operation is the spirit of attack inside the heart of that downed aviator. [36:57] Their will to survive, their will to evade, their will to recover is everything. In this case, the backseaters, [37:05] absolute commitment to surviving, made much of our efforts possible. On Saturday, 4 April, after [37:14] establishing positive communications with the backseater, we learned, as the president said, [37:20] that he was injured and actively evading enemy forces. And thanks to our interagency partners, [37:26] we were able to get eyes on his location and positively ID him. [37:31] Throughout this entire time, the enemy force continued to search for 4-4 Bravo, [37:36] and the joint force continued to strike them over and over and over again. [37:41] Fighting off marginal weather in Iran and the enemy's search, for a second time on Saturday, [37:48] at the recommendation of the CENTCOM commander and at the approval of the secretary and the [37:52] president, we launched a rescue task force to recover Dude 4-4 Bravo. Again, this came to the [37:59] president and the secretary for approval, this time with a much larger force package, [38:04] based on the time that the enemy had, [38:07] to prepare to find 4-4 Bravo. [38:10] Again, this force was protected by A-10 warthogs [38:14] using the Sandy Call sign. [38:16] And this force had one single mission, [38:19] do everything they can to bring an American home. [38:23] This meant having a plan, being prepared to execute that plan, [38:28] and more importantly, being prepared [38:31] for multiple simultaneous contingencies. [38:35] And because of this force's professionalism, grit, [38:39] and determination, fight off two enemies at the same time, [38:43] the enemy searching for 4-4 Bravo and contingencies, [38:48] which anyone who has done these types of missions knows [38:51] we run into every single time. [38:55] The force fought off both of those enemies incredibly well. [38:59] During the period of darkness on Saturday, [39:02] and as the Secretary said, into Easter Sunday [39:05] and into the day later, [39:06] the force fought its way in and rescued Dude 4-4 Bravo. [39:12] They were protected overhead by an air armada, [39:15] including tactical drones, strike aircraft, and others. [39:20] The force fought through multiple simultaneous contingencies, [39:25] something no other nation, no other military can do, [39:30] and safely returned Dude 4-4 Bravo, the backseater, home, [39:35] and all other Americans home as well. [39:38] At midnight 12 local eastern time, Easter Sunday, [39:43] more than 50 hours after the start of this operation, [39:48] the Joint Personnel Recovery Center declared Dude 4-4 Bravo, [39:53] both the front and backseater, [39:56] returned to friendly territory. [39:58] The courage demonstrated by both the pilot [40:01] and the weapons system officer while isolated [40:05] and them invading the enemy cannot be overstated. [40:08] Their grit and war-fighting tenacity, power, and determination, [40:10] tenacity is a direct result of the absolute trust they have in our rescue forces, [40:16] their training, and their will to survive and return. They always knew that we would be ordered [40:22] to go get them, and they always knew that we would be coming to get them. These two operations [40:29] reflect our nation's most sacred obligation to our military service members. We leave no one [40:36] behind. Bless you. It also perfectly captures the first truth of our special operations forces, [40:43] that people are more important than hardware. That is the standard we live by, and the rescue [40:50] forces that execute these missions operate under a clear motto, these things we do that others may [40:59] live. Their actions were a direct embodiment of that commitment to others, and I could not [41:06] not do that. [41:07] As the Secretary said to our enemies, this operation serves as a clear reminder of the [41:18] capability and will of America's joint force. The United States of America will recover our [41:24] warfighters anywhere in the world, under any conditions, when we want to. We will always [41:30] bring overwhelming skill and firepower. To every member of the joint force, our interagency [41:36] partners, the leadership of the United States of America, and the United States of America, [41:38] thank you. I'm proud of each and every one of you, and thankful to our deployed forces and their [41:47] families. And lastly, and most importantly, to Dude 4-4, welcome home. Job well done. Thank you. [41:56] Pretty amazing. Pretty amazing. And these two gentlemen have been, from day one, they've been [42:09] perfecto. I got to know General Kane in my first term. I got to know him, and I got to know him, [42:15] because he was able to take out ISIS in four weeks instead of the four-year projection that was given [42:20] to me by other much lesser generals. I said, you know, if I ever do this again, that's going to be [42:26] the head of my Joint Chiefs of Staff. And we worked it that way, didn't we? It's amazing. He took out [42:31] ISIS. We defeated ISIS in four weeks. I was told it would take four years. I flew to Iraq to find [42:39] out with the greatest equipment in the world, why would it take four years? And he told me, sir, [42:46] it won't. It'll take four weeks, and you'll have time left over. And that's exactly what happened. [42:51] So he's great. And Pete, all I can say is that he was treated very unfairly. And now those same [42:59] people that treated him unfairly, that fought against him, they called me up saying, what a [43:03] great choice he was. I said, well, what happened during his nomination? What happened to you? [43:09] I'm telling you, people that were not forum senators, friends of mine, sir, I don't think [43:14] you're doing the right thing, now they're calling me up. What a [43:17] choice. These two guys are fantastic. And John Ratcliffe was incredible. It was actually their [43:23] genius that called us from, he was 40 miles away. And he said, you know, we're seeing something [43:31] moving up in a mountain. This is at night. And they kept the camera on him for 45 minutes. He [43:38] wasn't moving. And they said, you know, probably wrong, but we're seeing something moving. This is [43:43] a vast mountain, vast, thick, with bushes, trees. He said, we see something. [43:50] 40 miles away. It was the head of a human being, I'm telling you. It's moving. And then all of a [43:59] sudden, 45 minutes later, he moved a lot, stood up, and they said, we have him. And that was [44:07] really the beginning of something incredible. We had an idea where he was, but not specifically. [44:13] And it's a big mountain. So I want to thank the CIA, too. I don't think they get enough credit [44:20] for the great job they've done. Yes, please. [44:22] Thank you very much, Mr. President, for this great opportunity. [44:27] A country, it has a super army. You make a difference, Mr. President. Thank you for your [44:35] greatest leadership. Thank you. I have two quick questions, Mr. President. What was your reaction [44:41] when you learned that Kurdistan region had resumed exporting oil to the international market [44:49] with your support as United States of America? Well, I expected that. We've gotten along with [44:55] the Kurds for a long time. So I expect that. [44:58] Another question. What would be your reaction if the Iranian people rise up against their [45:08] regime during a case fire, Mr. President? Well, they should do it. But again, the consequences [45:14] are great. I mean, they were told, if you protest, you will be shot immediately. You [45:19] saw what happened to the young wrestler. He was a great champion, by the way. He was a [45:23] great wrestler, one of the top in the world. And he and his two friends were hung. And [45:29] all they did was say a little bit about liberty. They wanted liberty. And they were violently [45:35] executed. But the number is up to probably 45,000 people were killed. So, you know, when [45:42] somebody stays in a house, when they know if they walk out of the house to protest, [45:45] they'll be immediately shot and killed. And they issued that. You know, that was publicly [45:50] issued. It's not a secret. That's why so many people say, oh, well, why are you doing this [45:55] way? We can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon. You know, we got regime change. We can't let [46:01] Iran have a nuclear weapon. You know, we got regime change. We do. We deal with a much [46:02] different regime than before. We're dealing with different people. They're smarter. I [46:08] think they're sharper and far less radical. We have regime change. But we didn't do this [46:16] for regime change. We did it for the fact. And my view is very simple. I saw somebody [46:21] who said, oh, he doesn't have a plan. I have the best plan of all. But I'm not going to [46:25] tell you what my plan is. You know, they want me to say, here's my plan. We're going to [46:29] attack at 947 in the morning. And then we're going to do this. And then we're going to [46:32] do what we're going to do. And if you don't do that, they say, I have a plan. These people [46:36] know what the plan is. Everybody here knows what the plan is. But it's very unfair to [46:42] say, you know, because I don't mind being insulted. I've been insulted for many years [46:46] by the fake news. But you can't. It's so bad for the people that are so pro. You just saw [46:53] two great and John Ratcliffe, three unbelievable people. They have a plan. Every single thing [47:00] has been thought out by all of us. But I can't reveal the plan. [47:04] And to the media. So, you know, but we're just thrilled by the success of this operation. [47:09] Yes, please. Thank you, Mr. President. You've said Iranians would be mad if you stopped [47:13] these attacks. But why would they want you to blow up their infrastructure to cut off [47:18] their power? Wouldn't that be punishing Iranians for the actions of the regime? [47:22] They would be willing just they would be. And it's suffering. They would be willing [47:26] to suffer that in order to have freedom. The Iranians have and we've had numerous intercepts. [47:33] Please keep bombing bombs that are dropping near their homes. Please keep bombing. Do [47:40] it. And these are people that are living where the bombs are exploding. And when we leave [47:45] and we're not hitting those areas, they're saying, please come back, come back, come [47:49] back. These are the people. I don't know what they do. All I can tell you is they want freedom. [47:56] They have lived in a world that you know nothing about. It's a violent, horrible world where [48:04] if you protest, you are shot. [48:06] Remember the great woman protests where they had 400,000, 500,000 women and they were all [48:11] enthused and they were going to protest. And everybody said, oh, the regime is going to come [48:16] to an end. And then all of a sudden, boom, boom, five, six different areas. A woman would go down [48:26] right between the eyes. They had snipers. They had five snipers. That's all it took. And those [48:31] four or 500,000 women said, oh, my God, what's that? Oh, look over there. What's that? A woman [48:39] between the eyes. And after five or six of them go down, then you start hearing the purr through the [48:47] vast number of people. And then they said, oh, my God, who would do that? And they're incredible [48:56] people. But they've lived so horribly. They've lived so horribly. You know, Iran was a great [49:01] country. If you go back 25 years ago or so, the Persian people, they're incredible, smart, [49:08] brilliant, actually. And I know so many. I know coming from New York, [49:13] originally, I know so many people from Iran. They're incredible people, incredible energy and [49:18] and very, very brilliant people. And but when you're standing in a group and protesting and [49:24] you have a woman in the case of the woman, remember the Great Woman March? Everybody was [49:28] like, oh, this is the end of the country. And then snipers selectively picked. Every single [49:35] one was shot right between the eyes from a long distance. They were on top of buildings. Nobody [49:40] even knew where they were, where they're coming from. This wasn't like a machine gun, which is [49:44] also very bad. They've done that, too. They did that recently. This was snipers sitting on the top [49:51] of buildings, aiming and hitting women. And when they see people go down and all of a sudden there's [49:57] a riot in the reverse direction and they never came out again. And a lot of the news doesn't [50:04] talk about that. They talk about, oh, women's rights. You want to see women's rights? You're [50:08] not going to see it there. It's amazing when I see some of the stupid people like AOC plus three, [50:14] all that group. [50:15] They talk about, oh, freedom for Iran. They don't tell you the real facts. Women, men, gays. How [50:24] about gays for Iran? They kill the gays. They throw them off buildings. So I wonder what's going [50:32] on. I can only say this. They want us to keep bombing, even if it jeopardized because their [50:39] life is in much greater danger. They want freedom for Iran. But it's very hard for them to protest. [50:44] I actually tell them, I said, don't go out. I fully understand. [50:48] Nobody in this room would go out. I don't think there's any, because frankly, it's not a question [50:51] of bravery. We're all brave, right? You're brave. I'm brave. We're all brave. But we're also [50:56] intelligent. If you have people shooting at you, expert shots with the best rifles you can get, [51:05] and hitting you right between the eyes every single time, and you're looking here and you're [51:09] seeing and you're looking here, you're out of there. I don't care who it is. [51:14] Mark Meredith, Fox News. [51:16] I know that. [51:19] America's watching. [51:20] No, can we go back to the weekend? First off, was everyone on board with the operation or were [51:26] there people that were trying to talk you out of going through with the operation this weekend? [51:29] Not everybody was on board. [51:31] Somebody else within? [51:32] No, there was military people, very professional, that preferred not doing it. These two were [51:37] totally on board, which was very important. If they weren't, I would have had a little difficulty. [51:43] But no, there were military people that said, you just don't do this. You don't go into the heart of [51:50] it. This is powerful military. You know, this is hey, you have countries and countries. You have [51:55] some countries where military is not their sarong suit. This whole thing is militarized like nobody's [52:01] ever seen before. Half the people are wearing uniforms. And we had we had people within the [52:07] military. Usually it's not done. That's one of the reasons I was surprised. Somebody said it's the [52:12] only time it's ever been done. I said that's not possible. But it is possible because you're going [52:17] into hundreds of thousands of soldiers. [52:21] I mean look at some of the helicopters how they got hit so yeah there were [52:27] people within the military that said it's a wise and don't forget how many [52:30] men did you send all together approximately for the operation but I [52:39] will tell you the number I'll keep it a secret but it was hundreds and hundreds [52:45] of these people that's pretty good is he central is he central casting but [52:50] hundreds of people went into this journey hundreds of people could have [52:55] been killed forget about the equipment a lot of equipment nobody kiss him [52:58] hundreds of people could have been killed so we had people that were within [53:03] the military that said this is not a wise and I understood that but I decided [53:08] to do it was there a point that they were gonna that you were thinking [53:12] there's too much on the line and somebody was saying maybe we abort this [53:15] now and wait I mean given the resource like the general said it seemed like [53:19] there was so much on the line [53:20] here you must have been thinking this could have completely changed so the [53:23] first one which was in many ways as dangerous as the second I guess it gets [53:30] because we're flying over daylight you know we're the best at the world at [53:34] night we have goggles that nobody we have goggles I've tried a minute [53:37] unbelievable I see better with the goggles at night with it then I see [53:42] without them during daylight I mean daylight today we have a beautiful day [53:45] you see just as well with goggles in many ways it's enhanced so we have [53:52] the best of the world so it's much safer us to for us to do it at night [53:56] whereas other people no other country has that capability they don't have the [54:00] they don't have that particular piece of equipment like we do but when I was told [54:06] flying and in daylight I think we flew seven hours over Iran and that's a long [54:11] time over unbelievably hostile territory where they have nothing but weapons we [54:18] took out their anti-aircraft which is great we took out their radar which is [54:22] great we took out a lot but they still have nothing but weapons we took out their anti aircraft which is great we took out their radar which is great we took a lot but they [54:23] still have you know what hit this one was a shoulder handheld shoulder missile heat seeking [54:29] missile so it's not like you know they're totally whatever but but and they have probably a little [54:36] luck because you got to get lucky but they shot it and it got sucked in right by the engine but [54:42] these guys were out of there they were great their timing was great but no i was told that this is a [54:47] very uh dangerous mission i understand they didn't say it's a foolish mission they said you know [54:53] we're going to be sacrificing hundreds of people do this this is i mean you have tankers that are [54:58] flying over this area so that they because the flight was so long they had to refuel it's a very [55:04] dangerous mission uh i just felt it was worth it if you would have told me that we would have been [55:09] successful gotten both and nobody was even essentially injured i would have said that [55:15] would be impossible yeah mr president thank you very much uh you thank you sir we'll come back [55:19] okay uh given that you are now dealing you say with a more [55:23] reasonable [55:23] less extreme leadership in iran what does that mean for the protesters for the human rights [55:31] movement in that country after this conflict what's your expectation yeah if they assume [55:36] control if we do something and they assume control i think it's very positive a big step [55:40] i don't think you'd see the radicalization that you have seen in the last look what happened i [55:46] mean women are being executed because they're not properly clothed they say they're not properly [55:52] clothed and they [55:53] execute the women they absolutely they shoot them right on the street uh no you have a much [55:59] different group of people now i'm not saying we are dealing with them uh essentially they have till [56:06] eight o'clock tomorrow night eastern time but we are dealing with them i think it's going well [56:12] mr whitcoff is here and jd's involved in the dealing mr whitcoff is sitting right here and i [56:19] think it's going fine but we'll have to see you have to understand we've been dealing with these [56:23] people for 47 years we've been dealing with these people for 47 years we've been dealing with these [56:25] people for 47 years i'm standing here with a much more powerful iran as of a month ago not anymore [56:33] right now they are decapitated but i'm standing here a month ago with a much more powerful iran [56:39] than it was at any point during 47 years this should have been handled by seven presidents [56:46] a lot of presidents and those presidents are saying now every one of them to their friends [56:52] we should have done this a long time ago so it's not something i like doing [56:57] It's very dangerous, and we're getting them [56:59] at the height of their strength. [57:01] If I didn't terminate the Barack Hussein Obama [57:05] Iran nuclear deal, they would have had a... [57:08] Don't forget, that was a path to a nuclear weapon. [57:10] Remember this. [57:11] He chose Iran over Israel, pure and simple. [57:16] How Israel can vote for a Democrat is... [57:20] If you're Jewish in New York City [57:23] or anyplace else in this country, [57:24] and how you can vote for a Democrat is unbelievable. [57:28] Because he chose Iran, a very hostile Iran. [57:33] Remember when he filled up a 757 with cash? [57:36] Billions of dollars of cash. [57:38] And he sent it over to them. [57:39] Then they gave them tens of billions of dollars. [57:43] He chose Iran over Israel. [57:45] And really, the Arab world, if you look. [57:47] Because, you know, the other... [57:49] Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE. [57:52] I mean, you take a look. [57:53] I mean, I can add Kuwait, [57:54] and I can add Bahrain. [57:55] And you can add others. [57:58] He chose such an unlikely candidate. [58:01] Nobody could believe it. [58:03] Frankly, if you're gonna choose between Iraq and Iran, [58:06] he should have chosen... [58:07] He should have befriended Iraq. [58:10] He went in the exact opposite direction of all thinking. [58:15] And he made a terrible mistake. [58:17] But that was a road to a nuclear weapon. [58:20] And when I terminated that, [58:22] everyone said, oh, he terminated it. [58:24] It was one of the best things we ever did. [58:26] Because he had a road to a nuclear weapon. [58:27] And I said, well, I'm not gonna do that. [58:27] And it was gonna... [58:29] It was a very short-term deal. [58:31] You know, countries don't do 10-year deals. [58:33] Countries do hundreds of years. [58:35] You don't do a 10-year deal. [58:36] For a country, you need... [58:37] This isn't you're a landlord, [58:39] and you're renting a store on a certain street, [58:42] and you give somebody a 5-year or a 10-year lease. [58:44] This is a country. [58:46] It was a short-term deal. [58:47] It was ready to expire. [58:49] I terminated it before it expired. [58:51] It took a lot of heat. [58:52] And it was one of the best things I ever did. [58:54] Because he would have had a nuclear weapon. [58:55] Then he would have had another nuclear weapon. [58:58] Had those beautiful B-2 bombers not gone in eight months ago [59:02] and obliterated that site. [59:03] And, by the way, the word is obliteration. [59:06] CNN said, well, maybe it wasn't complete. [59:09] It was so complete that they still [59:10] haven't been able to get it. [59:12] It was obliteration. [59:13] But if we didn't hit them, [59:15] that was a courageous decision, too, [59:17] because we had all those planes flying in at night [59:21] with very little cover, unbelievable stealth planes. [59:24] And they were able to do their job. [59:26] If we didn't do that, Iran would have had... [59:29] a nuclear weapon at a high level, [59:32] either one of those two instances. [59:34] And if they did, in my opinion, [59:37] I told this to Bibi Netanyahu yesterday, [59:39] Israel would have been extinguished. [59:42] Large portions of the Middle East [59:46] would have been extinguished, [59:47] whether it's Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, or others. [59:51] And you saw that with thousands of missiles raining down upon them. [59:55] They didn't think they were gonna be hit. [59:56] They thought they'd be watching us fight. [59:58] And all of a sudden, [59:59] UAE got hit by 1,500 missiles. [1:00:03] He would have taken them out also. [1:00:05] And they were powerful. [1:00:07] If I didn't come along and terminate the Obama deal, [1:00:11] which was terrible, the Iran nuclear deal, [1:00:13] was a road to a nuclear weapon, a big one, unlimited, legally. [1:00:19] I terminated it without even much thought. [1:00:22] It was so easy. [1:00:24] I terminated that and then the B-2 bombers. [1:00:27] And I did one other thing. [1:00:28] I had killed Qasem Soleimani, [1:00:33] who was an evil genius. [1:00:36] And the reason I did it, [1:00:37] I heard he was gonna knock out five of our military bases. [1:00:42] And had he lived, [1:00:44] I believe we would be fighting, perhaps, [1:00:47] a different Iran right now. [1:00:50] Because he's never been replaced, you know? [1:00:54] And I also, I did one other, but this one was not picked up. [1:00:58] Osama bin Laden. [1:01:00] If you read my book, I said you got to take him out [1:01:03] one year before the World Trade Center came down. [1:01:05] So I wish you'd read the book. [1:01:07] But you, as a president, to be a good president, [1:01:13] I believe you have to have good instincts. [1:01:15] And a lot of this is instinct. [1:01:16] Yeah, please. [1:01:18] The Press Thank you so much for taking my question today, [1:01:19] Mr. President. [1:01:21] Mr. President, last week, [1:01:23] last week you suggested that Europe should take the lead [1:01:25] on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. [1:01:27] Has circumstances changed now that you're issuing [1:01:29] a direct 48-hour, I mean, 48-hour ultimatum? [1:01:34] And secondly, would a new ceasefire include Israel, [1:01:37] or would it just be between Iran and the U.S.? [1:01:38] The President We can't talk about a ceasefire. [1:01:40] But I can tell you that we have an active, [1:01:44] willing participant on the other side. [1:01:47] They would like to be able to make a deal. [1:01:48] I can't say any more than that, if I do the right thing. [1:01:50] The Press You've listed the goals. [1:01:52] The President You've listed the goals. [1:01:53] The Press Thank you, Mr. President. [1:01:54] The Press Who are you with? [1:01:55] Who are you with? [1:01:56] The President My name is Diyar Kurdam. [1:01:58] I'm with the largest Kurdish media outlet, [1:01:59] Ruda Media Network. [1:02:00] It's based in Iran. [1:02:01] The President Go ahead. [1:02:02] The Press Mr. President, you said before that you [1:02:04] don't want the Kurdish forces to enter Iran and be harmed. [1:02:06] Do you still want them to stay away? [1:02:13] Or what role do you expect them to play now? [1:02:16] The President I'd rather have them stay away. [1:02:18] I'd rather have them stay away, because I think [1:02:20] they bring with them some problems and some [1:02:22] difficulties. [1:02:23] And I don't think they bring death, I mean, you [1:02:25] know, to themselves. [1:02:27] But I'd rather have them stay away. [1:02:28] The Press Thank you, Mr. President, for the [1:02:34] question. [1:02:35] Deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure [1:02:37] violate the Geneva Convention. [1:02:38] Who are you with? [1:02:39] Who are you with? [1:02:40] The Press I'm with The New York Times. [1:02:42] Zolan from The New York Times. [1:02:44] The Press The failing, the failing. [1:02:45] The circulation way down at The New York Times. [1:02:48] What's going on? [1:02:49] The Press Are you concerned that your threat [1:02:50] to bomb power plants and bridges amount to a crime [1:02:52] situation? [1:02:52] The President No, no, no, no, no, no. [1:02:54] I hope I don't have to do it. [1:02:56] But, again, I just said, 47 years they've been [1:02:59] negotiating with these people. [1:03:00] They're great negotiators, and because they're not [1:03:04] going to have a nuclear weapon. [1:03:06] And if somebody that takes my place someday, [1:03:09] is weak and ineffective, which possibly that will [1:03:12] happen because we had numerous Presidents that [1:03:15] were weak, ineffective, and afraid of Iran, we're [1:03:18] never going to let Iran have a nuclear weapon. [1:03:22] And if you think it's okay for people that are [1:03:24] sick of mind, that are tough, smart, and sick, [1:03:30] really sick, you know, from a policy standpoint, [1:03:35] from a standpoint, any which way you want to say, [1:03:38] mentally. [1:03:39] These are disturbing. [1:03:40] These are disturbed people. [1:03:41] If you think I'm going to allow them, and powerful [1:03:44] and rich, to have a nuclear weapon, you can tell [1:03:48] your friends at the New York Times, not going to happen. [1:03:50] The Press It means violating international law. [1:03:55] The President Quiet, quiet, quiet, quiet. [1:03:56] You no longer have credibility at the New York Times. [1:03:59] Because the New York Times said, oh, Trump won't win [1:04:01] the election, and I won in a landslide. [1:04:03] I won every swing state. [1:04:04] New York Times said, oh, Trump won't win the election. [1:04:07] New York Times has no credibility. [1:04:09] The credibility they have is it used to be all the [1:04:12] news that's fit to print. [1:04:13] A great, the old gray lady, it was great. [1:04:16] But they're running on past fumes, and you can't [1:04:19] keep doing that. [1:04:20] You have to be able to give the correct news. [1:04:22] And people like you, who I know, are fake. [1:04:26] You're fake. [1:04:26] Go ahead, please. [1:04:27] The Press Mr. President, your messaging on [1:04:29] the war has moved from the war is coming to an end [1:04:33] to war going to be bombing Iran to the Stone Ages. [1:04:35] And we've heard a range of those kind of messages. [1:04:39] So are you, so which is it? [1:04:40] Are you winding this down? [1:04:41] The President Can't tell you. [1:04:42] The Press Are you estimating it? [1:04:43] The President I can't tell you. [1:04:43] I don't know. [1:04:44] It depends what they do. [1:04:45] This is a critical period. [1:04:47] They have a period of, well, till tomorrow at 8 [1:04:51] o'clock. [1:04:52] I gave them an extension. [1:04:54] They asked for an extension of seven days, [1:04:55] right? [1:04:56] I said, Steve, give them 10 days. [1:05:01] Ten days is up actually today. [1:05:04] So I gave them 11, I guess, indirectly. [1:05:06] I thought it was inappropriate the day after [1:05:08] Easter. [1:05:08] I want to be a nice person. [1:05:12] They have till tomorrow. [1:05:13] Now, we'll see what happens. [1:05:15] I can tell you. [1:05:16] They're negotiating. [1:05:17] We think in good faith. [1:05:19] We're going to find out. [1:05:20] We're getting the help of some incredible countries [1:05:23] that want this to be ended because it affects them also. [1:05:27] A lot of people are affected by this. [1:05:29] But we're giving them, we're giving them till [1:05:32] tomorrow, 8 o'clock Eastern Time. [1:05:36] And after that, they're going to have no bridges. [1:05:39] They're going to have no power plants. [1:05:42] Stone Ages. [1:05:43] Yeah, Stone Ages. [1:05:45] CNN fake news. [1:05:49] The Press Are you willing? [1:05:50] Willing to make a deal that does not include [1:05:54] reopening the Strait of Hormuz, or is that now a [1:05:56] top priority? [1:05:57] The President I would say it's a very big priority [1:05:59] because, see, that's one thing that's a little [1:06:03] different than other things. [1:06:04] We can bomb the hell out of them. [1:06:06] We can knock them out for a loop. [1:06:08] But to close the Strait, all you need is one [1:06:11] terrorist that somehow has a truck loaded with [1:06:15] because you can carry them in trucks, large trucks, a [1:06:18] water mine, drop them in the water, and now you're [1:06:22] telling people that own ships that cost a billion [1:06:24] dollars to don't worry about the mine. [1:06:26] You can do that even just by saying we put mines in [1:06:29] the water. [1:06:30] So it's not like the rest. [1:06:31] We can knock out their military. [1:06:33] We already have. [1:06:34] We've knocked out their Navy. [1:06:35] We've knocked out their Air Force completely. [1:06:37] We've knocked out 158 ships in three days. [1:06:41] We've knocked out even their mine droppers. [1:06:43] They don't have any mine droppers anymore, but they [1:06:45] put them on other boats and they could drop them. [1:06:47] I'm not even sure they have any mines here, by the way. [1:06:49] I'm not sure. [1:06:50] I'm personally. [1:06:51] They say they're not going to be able to do that. [1:06:52] I think there might be eight. [1:06:53] I don't know. [1:06:54] I don't know. [1:06:54] I think there might be none because they're very [1:06:57] good bullshit artists. [1:06:58] That's why for 47 years they've been bullshitting [1:07:01] other presidents and they haven't done the job. [1:07:04] And people are living in hell. [1:07:06] You live in that country. [1:07:08] They're living in hell. [1:07:09] No, I think that 47 years of this stuff is long enough. [1:07:16] They're at the weakest point they've ever been. [1:07:19] They have no Navy. [1:07:20] They have no Air Force. [1:07:21] They have no anti-aircraft weaponry. [1:07:24] They have no radar. [1:07:25] They have no communication. [1:07:26] In fact, the biggest problem we have in our [1:07:28] negotiation is that they can't communicate. [1:07:31] I said to Steve, what are they saying? [1:07:33] Sir, they can't communicate. [1:07:34] They have no method of communication. [1:07:37] So we're doing we're communicating like they [1:07:39] used to communicate 2000 years ago with children, [1:07:42] bringing a note back and forth. [1:07:44] They have no communication. [1:07:47] But all I want to see is I want to have a safe world. [1:07:50] And you're not going to have a safe world. [1:07:52] Israel will be gone. [1:07:55] The Middle East will be gone. [1:07:56] And then they're coming for Europe. [1:07:58] And I have to tell you, I'm very disappointed in NATO. [1:08:01] Very. [1:08:02] I think that NATO, I think it's a mark on NATO that will [1:08:06] never disappear, never disappear in my mind. [1:08:08] You know, they're coming to see me on Wednesday. [1:08:10] They're going to say, oh, we'll do this. [1:08:11] We'll do that. [1:08:12] Now they all of a sudden want to send things, you know. [1:08:15] But they said it loud and clear at the beginning. [1:08:17] When I spoke to UK of all, I would have said they would [1:08:19] have been the first because they've been the oldest. [1:08:23] And I say, yeah, I'd love to have a little help. [1:08:26] Said, no, sir, we'd rather wait till you win. [1:08:28] I said, I don't need help after we win. [1:08:31] They have two old, broken aircraft carriers, barely work. [1:08:34] I said, I guess we can use them. [1:08:36] Who the hell knows? [1:08:36] I called the general. [1:08:37] He didn't even want to. [1:08:38] He said, we don't really need them. [1:08:40] We got the SS Abraham Lincoln, sir. [1:08:43] We don't need them. [1:08:45] You know, we have, in terms of technology, we had one [1:08:48] day 101 missiles going at 2,700 miles an hour aimed [1:08:54] at the Abraham Lincoln. [1:08:56] 101 missiles. [1:08:58] Out of 101 missiles. [1:09:00] 101 missiles were shot down. [1:09:03] Unbelievable technology. [1:09:06] Ten years ago, five years ago, I don't know if that [1:09:08] would have been possible. [1:09:10] But ten years ago, that wouldn't have been, that [1:09:13] wouldn't have been possible. [1:09:15] 101 missiles heading to a ship that's not that far [1:09:19] off the coast. [1:09:22] And out of the 101 missiles, we shot down all 101. [1:09:26] We have weaponry. [1:09:28] The Patriots are unbelievable. [1:09:29] We have weaponry that's unbelievable. [1:09:32] Yeah. [1:09:32] Go ahead. [1:09:36] Go ahead, please. [1:09:38] The Press Thank you, Mr. President. [1:09:39] You said earlier today during the egg roll that [1:09:42] you would like to take Iran's oil, but Americans [1:09:45] want U.S. forces home. [1:09:46] The President Correct. [1:09:47] The Press What's that tradeoff? [1:09:48] The President If I had my choice, if I had my [1:09:50] choice, yeah, because I'm a businessman first. [1:09:53] With Venezuela, as you know, the war was over in [1:09:57] about 45 minutes. [1:10:00] And we have great people running Venezuela, very [1:10:02] good people. [1:10:03] I mean, the relationship is good. [1:10:05] And we are a partner with Venezuela. [1:10:08] And we've taken hundreds of millions of barrels, [1:10:12] hundreds of millions. [1:10:13] Over 100 million barrels already is in Houston, [1:10:18] refined and out, and paid for that war many, many [1:10:22] times over, many times. [1:10:23] And, you know, the old days, to the victim, okay? [1:10:27] You know that. [1:10:29] To the winner belong the spoils. [1:10:33] Go the spoils. [1:10:34] And I've said, why don't we use it? [1:10:36] To the victor, go the spoils. [1:10:38] And we don't have that. [1:10:39] We haven't had that in this country. [1:10:40] Probably in 100 years, because even the Second [1:10:43] World War, you look at the Second World War, we [1:10:46] didn't have it with the Second World War. [1:10:47] We helped rebuild all those countries. [1:10:49] We rebuilt Germany. [1:10:50] How about Germany telling us? [1:10:52] Germany telling us that, well, it's not their war. [1:10:56] We had nothing to do with it. [1:10:58] They wanted me to go and tell them everything I was [1:11:00] doing. [1:11:01] We didn't know anything about it. [1:11:02] Well, if I would have told them, they would have [1:11:04] leaked it, and we wouldn't have been nearly as [1:11:06] successful, possibly, right? [1:11:09] But to the victor belong the spoils. [1:11:11] So we haven't heard. [1:11:13] We haven't heard that in, I think, maybe hundreds of [1:11:16] years. [1:11:17] Now, with Venezuela, and we, just so you understand, [1:11:20] the people of Venezuela, they say if I ran for [1:11:23] president of Venezuela, I'm polling higher than [1:11:26] anybody has ever polled in Venezuela. [1:11:28] So, after I'm finished with this, I can go to [1:11:30] Venezuela. [1:11:31] I will quickly learn Spanish. [1:11:33] It won't take too long. [1:11:34] I'm good at language. [1:11:35] And I will go to Venezuela. [1:11:36] I'm going to run for president. [1:11:38] But we're very happy with the president-elect that [1:11:40] we have right now, the people that are running [1:11:44] it. [1:11:45] If you remember Bush with Iraq, they fired the [1:11:49] generals, they fired the police, they fired the [1:11:51] people that worked in their equivalent of the [1:11:53] White House. [1:11:54] They fired everybody. [1:11:55] And you know what they had? [1:11:56] They had a mess. [1:11:57] And you know what happened? [1:11:58] ISIS formed. [1:12:00] Those generals and those soldiers got together. [1:12:02] The police got together. [1:12:03] They all got together. [1:12:04] They formed ISIS. [1:12:05] Not going to happen with us. [1:12:07] So, Venezuela has been an incredible, it's been an [1:12:11] incredible situation. [1:12:12] We went in. [1:12:13] We were very successful. [1:12:15] Military power like nobody's ever seen. [1:12:17] The general, Venezuelan general, said, I was on [1:12:21] that site. [1:12:21] I said, I've never seen ferocity like that. [1:12:24] I've been doing this for 40 years. [1:12:26] He said, I've never seen it. [1:12:27] They hit us from 17 different, it was, they were [1:12:30] all set. [1:12:32] They saw that big, beautiful aircraft carrier, [1:12:35] the Ford in that case, and planes were pouring off [1:12:38] it at 1 o'clock in the morning. [1:12:40] So, typically, when you see that late at night, [1:12:43] you know, you could be in trouble. [1:12:45] Right? [1:12:46] We were all set. [1:12:48] We were all ready. [1:12:49] They had their equipment. [1:12:50] It was Russian. [1:12:51] And they had Chinese equipment. [1:12:52] It was all set. [1:12:53] They were going to give us a fight. [1:12:56] He said, and then they came, and they came at [1:12:58] speeds like we've never seen. [1:13:00] And they came at 17 different angles, the [1:13:03] general and his people. [1:13:05] That was a lot of angles. [1:13:06] They hit them from every angle. [1:13:08] He said, we knew it was over in three minutes. [1:13:12] We were waiting for them. [1:13:14] Their equipment didn't work. [1:13:16] And there's a reason it didn't work. [1:13:17] Someday we'll explain that to people. [1:13:19] They pressed the button. [1:13:21] Nothing happened. [1:13:22] They pressed it again and again. [1:13:24] Nothing happened. [1:13:25] And he said, we knew this whole thing was over [1:13:27] in three minutes. [1:13:28] We've never seen any. [1:13:29] He used the word ferocity. [1:13:32] The ferocity of these planes from 17 different angles. [1:13:35] And it was over. [1:13:36] They went inside. [1:13:37] And remember, that was on a military base with [1:13:39] thousands of soldiers. [1:13:41] And those soldiers looked and they said, get the [1:13:44] hell out of here. [1:13:45] Thousands. [1:13:46] We didn't have thousands. [1:13:47] We had like 200 people. [1:13:48] So, we have a lot of people. [1:13:49] We have a lot of people. [1:13:50] We have a great military. [1:13:52] And I'll tell you what, somehow this rescue [1:13:55] captured the world's attention. [1:13:57] More so than normally. [1:13:59] You're talking about two people. [1:14:01] But this rescue captured the world's attention. [1:14:05] But we did it in Venezuela. [1:14:07] That was amazing. [1:14:08] And now we have a very bad man in prison and going [1:14:11] to trial. [1:14:12] I mean, he released, aside from the drugs, which he [1:14:16] was terrible, Maduro released hundreds of [1:14:19] thousands of people from jails into [1:14:22] our country. [1:14:23] Drug dealers, murderers, the worst people in the [1:14:26] world were released into our country because we [1:14:29] had a stupid president who probably didn't know. [1:14:32] And we had a border czar who never went to the [1:14:34] border and never once called our great border [1:14:37] patrol agents, right? [1:14:38] Not once, Kamala. [1:14:40] She never called the border patrol. [1:14:42] She never said, how are we doing? [1:14:43] I used to call the border patrol guys every day. [1:14:44] You can ask them, Paul. [1:14:46] Ask any one of them. [1:14:47] Brandon. [1:14:48] Ask them all the time. [1:14:50] How are we doing? [1:14:50] How are we doing? [1:14:51] And we now, I'm proud to say, have a hundred and a [1:14:53] hundred thousand people on a totally sealed border. [1:14:55] Nine months nobody has come in through our border, [1:14:57] and nobody even tries because they know they're [1:14:59] not going to get through, so we don't have [1:15:01] caravans anymore. [1:15:03] So maybe one or two more and we'll be done. [1:15:04] The Presson, are you allowed to, are you [1:15:09] willing to end this conflict with Iran [1:15:11] charging tolls for passengers through the [1:15:13] Strait? [1:15:14] The President Trump Us charging tolls? [1:15:16] The Press Iran? [1:15:17] The President Trump What about us charging tolls? [1:15:19] The President Trump Is that something you're [1:15:20] considering? [1:15:21] The President Trump I'd rather do that than let [1:15:22] them have them run. [1:15:23] Why shouldn't we? [1:15:24] We're the winner. [1:15:25] We won. [1:15:26] Okay? [1:15:27] They are militarily defeated. [1:15:29] The only thing they have is the psychology of, [1:15:31] oh, we're going to drop a couple of mines in the water, all right? [1:15:35] No, we — I mean, we have a concept where we'll charge Tulsa, okay? [1:15:39] I thought you meant us. [1:15:41] Your question — your question would have — [1:15:43] your question would have been more accurate [1:15:45] if you said us. Go ahead. [1:15:47] The Press Thank you very much. [1:15:48] Just to clarify, in order for Iran [1:15:50] to successfully meet your deadline tomorrow, [1:15:53] do they have to make a deal, open the strait, or both? [1:15:56] President Trump We have to have a deal [1:15:57] that's acceptable to me. [1:15:59] And part of that deal is going to be, [1:16:01] we want free traffic of oil and everything else. [1:16:04] The Press Mr. President, thank you very much. [1:16:10] You've said, glory be to God, in this conflict. [1:16:13] Do you believe that God supports the United States' actions [1:16:15] in this conflict? And have you sought his direction? [1:16:18] President Trump Because God is good. [1:16:20] And God wants to see people taken care of. [1:16:23] God doesn't like what's happening. [1:16:25] I don't like what's happening. Everyone says, I enjoy it. [1:16:27] I don't enjoy this. I don't enjoy it. [1:16:29] These two guys don't enjoy it. [1:16:30] You know, people say, oh, boy, they're so tough. [1:16:33] They don't want, they don't like, [1:16:34] I don't like seeing people killed. [1:16:36] I've ended eight wars. Nobody's ever done it. [1:16:40] The person who won the Nobel Prize came to me and said, [1:16:43] you deserve the Nobel Prize. [1:16:45] She announced that. When they announced, they said, [1:16:48] goes to Maria. She's a great person, really a good person. [1:16:51] She said, no, no, no. This is ridiculous. [1:16:55] They gave me the Nobel Prize. President Trump ended eight wars. [1:16:59] I could go over every one of them, [1:17:01] India and Pakistan, where the Prime Minister of Pakistan said, [1:17:04] President Trump saved from 30 to 50 million lives. [1:17:10] That makes me much happier than what we're doing right now. [1:17:14] That makes me much happier. [1:17:15] We have one more to end, by the way. [1:17:21] The Press President, you called the, [1:17:23] yesterday in your Truth Social, [1:17:24] you called the Iranians crazy bastards. [1:17:27] The President True. [1:17:29] The Press What is your response to critics who say that it is [1:17:31] The President I don't care about critics. [1:17:32] The Press What is your response to critics who say [1:17:33] that it is your mental health [1:17:34] that should perhaps be examined as this war continues? [1:17:36] The President Well, I have a question. [1:17:37] The President I haven't heard that. [1:17:38] But if that's the case, you're going to have to have [1:17:40] more people like me, because our country was being ripped off [1:17:44] on trade, on everything, for many years until I came along. [1:17:48] So if that's the case, you're going to have to have more people. [1:17:51] Dasha, go ahead. Dasha, go ahead. [1:17:53] The Press But you said that very little is off limits [1:17:55] in Iran as far as targeting, including power plants, bridges. [1:17:59] You've mentioned those. [1:17:59] The President Very little is off limits. [1:18:01] The Press Are there certain kinds of civilian targets, though? [1:18:03] I'm thinking schools or hospitals that you would say is off limits. [1:18:05] The President I don't want to tell you that. [1:18:06] I don't want to tell you that. [1:18:07] We have a plan, because of the power of our military, [1:18:12] where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock [1:18:19] tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran [1:18:23] will be out of business, burning, exploding, [1:18:26] and never to be used again. [1:18:28] I mean, complete demolition by 12 o'clock. [1:18:32] And it'll happen over a period of four hours if we want it to. [1:18:35] We don't want that to happen. [1:18:37] We may even get involved. [1:18:38] With helping them rebuild their nation. [1:18:41] And you know what? [1:18:42] If that's the case, the last thing we want to do [1:18:44] is start with power plants, which are among the most [1:18:46] expensive thing, and bridges. [1:18:48] You saw the bridge. [1:18:49] The bridge went. [1:18:51] We were very close to a deal. [1:18:53] And then I got a call from Mr. Witkoff, Mr. Kushner, [1:18:58] and J.D., saying, I think they're breaking the deal. [1:19:04] I said, tell them that's okay. [1:19:05] Don't worry about it. [1:19:07] But tell them to look out their window and watch. [1:19:09] And within 45 minutes, they're going to be out of business. [1:19:11] The Press I don't want that. [1:19:11] The Press Well, within 45 minutes, [1:19:13] I gave the order to knock out the biggest bridge. [1:19:15] I gave the order, knock out the biggest bridge in, [1:19:18] I believe, the Middle East, but the biggest bridge in Iran. [1:19:21] And within 10 minutes after I gave that order, [1:19:24] that bridge was over. [1:19:27] So, do I want to do that? [1:19:30] No. [1:19:30] Do I want to destroy their infrastructure? [1:19:33] No. [1:19:33] It will take them 100 years to rebuild. [1:19:36] Right now, if we left today, it would take them 20 years [1:19:41] to rebuild their country, and it would never [1:19:43] be as good as it was. [1:19:44] And the only way they're going to be able to rebuild [1:19:46] their country is to utilize the genius of the United [1:19:49] States of America. [1:19:50] The Press I had this pleasure with NATO in the past. [1:19:57] Is there a danger to the U.S. [1:19:59] not being the de facto leader of the alliance and [1:20:02] then other powers within the alliance then getting [1:20:05] the decision-making when it comes to wars and [1:20:07] nuclear weapons? [1:20:08] The President Yeah, no, it's not a danger. [1:20:09] NATO is — look, we went to NATO. [1:20:12] I didn't ask very strongly. [1:20:14] I just said, hey, if you want to help, great. [1:20:16] No, no, no, we will not help. [1:20:17] I said, that's all right. [1:20:18] You don't want to help? [1:20:20] Because I've always said NATO is a paper tiger. [1:20:23] See, NATO is a paper tiger. [1:20:25] Putin is not afraid of NATO. [1:20:26] Putin is afraid of us, very afraid of us. [1:20:29] And he's explained it to me a lot of times. [1:20:31] I got to know him very well. [1:20:33] I know him very well. [1:20:35] NATO is a paper tiger. [1:20:36] NATO is us. [1:20:38] And when we needed them — we didn't need them, by [1:20:40] the way. [1:20:41] We didn't need them, obviously, because they [1:20:43] haven't helped at all. [1:20:45] Just the opposite. [1:20:45] They've actually gone out of their way not to help. [1:20:48] They didn't even want to give us a hand. [1:20:49] They didn't even want to give us landing strips. [1:20:51] Think of it. [1:20:52] And it's not just NATO. [1:20:53] You know who else didn't help us? [1:20:55] South Korea didn't help us. [1:20:57] You know who else didn't help us? [1:20:58] Australia didn't help us. [1:21:00] You know who else didn't help us? [1:21:02] Japan. [1:21:04] We've got 50,000 soldiers in Japan to protect them [1:21:08] from North Korea. [1:21:09] We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us [1:21:15] from Kim Jong-un, who I get along with very well, [1:21:18] as you know. [1:21:18] Do you notice he said very nice things about me? [1:21:20] He used to call Joe Biden. [1:21:22] He's a mentally retarded person, okay? [1:21:24] So don't tell me about your stuff. [1:21:28] Joe Biden, he said he's a mentally retarded person. [1:21:30] He was so nasty to Joe Biden. [1:21:32] It was terrible. [1:21:33] But to me, he likes Trump. [1:21:35] And do you notice how nice things are with North Korea? [1:21:37] It's very nice. [1:21:39] But we have 45,000 people, soldiers, in harm's way, [1:21:43] and right next to Kim Jong-un with a lot of [1:21:46] nuclear weapons. [1:21:47] Forty-five — which should have never happened if a [1:21:51] certain president — I'm not going to mention this [1:21:52] president because it happened. [1:21:53] I'm not going to like him, believe it or not. [1:21:55] But if a certain president did his job, Kim Jong-un [1:21:58] would not have nuclear weapons right now. [1:22:00] But they're all afraid to do their job properly. [1:22:03] But just to conclude and just to finish, Japan [1:22:07] didn't help us. [1:22:08] Australia didn't help us. [1:22:10] South Korea didn't help us. [1:22:12] And then you get to NATO. [1:22:13] NATO didn't help us. [1:22:14] There were some countries that did. [1:22:16] Now, countries that have been good — now, you can [1:22:18] also say they've got to be a little bit more involved [1:22:21] because they're in the territory. [1:22:22] But Saudi Arabia has been excellent. [1:22:24] Qatar has been excellent. [1:22:26] UAE has been excellent. [1:22:28] Bahrain, Kuwait. [1:22:29] I mean, Kuwait did shoot down three of our planes. [1:22:32] The only planes, really, that we lost were friendly [1:22:35] fire, they call it. [1:22:36] I call it unfriendly fire. [1:22:38] They unfortunately didn't know how to use our great [1:22:43] patriots. [1:22:45] The pilots said, what kind of a missile is coming at [1:22:47] us? [1:22:47] Patriot. [1:22:48] Boom, they got out because they know a patriot [1:22:51] never misses. [1:22:52] So they had beautiful patriots. [1:22:55] There were planes heading in their direction. [1:22:57] Unfortunately, they decided to shoot those [1:23:00] planes. [1:23:00] They were our planes. [1:23:01] So, you know, NATO is a paper tiger. [1:23:06] Now, he's coming to see me on Wednesday, as you know. [1:23:08] He's a wonderful guy. [1:23:10] Secretary General is great. [1:23:13] And Mark Rutte, he's a great person. [1:23:15] But he's got — and, you know, it all began with, [1:23:19] if you want to know the truth, Greenland. [1:23:21] We want Greenland. [1:23:23] They don't want to give it to us. [1:23:24] And I said, bye-bye. [1:23:26] Okay, thank you very much, everybody.