Trump takes MAJOR action on Hormuz after peace talks fail: 'COMPLETE BLOCKADE'

[0:00] And we begin this Sunday morning with breaking news on the war in Iran. [0:03] President Trump announcing moments ago a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is beginning. [0:10] Coming up in moments, President Trump will join me in an exclusive interview [0:13] to give us the very latest on the war on Iran, [0:16] as high-level talks between the United States and Iran have concluded with no deal. [0:22] It was the first direct talks between the two countries in a decade, [0:25] and the highest-level talks between the two since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. [0:32] The talks beginning on Saturday and lasting 21 hours in Islamabad, Pakistan. [0:38] Vice President J.D. Vance was in Pakistan, leading the U.S. delegation, [0:42] along with Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, [0:45] as a fragile ceasefire has been underway between the two sides since Tuesday, [0:50] after President Trump agreed to give Iran two more weeks to open up the Strait of Hormuz [0:55] or face further destruction. [0:58] Now the president will implement a naval blockade on the Strait. [1:02] Here's Vice President J.D. Vance after the talks in Islamabad this morning. [1:06] We've been at it now for 21 hours, [1:11] and we've had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians. [1:16] That's the good news. [1:17] The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, [1:20] and I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America. [1:24] Joining me now live on the telephone with the very latest [1:28] is the nation's 45th and 47th President of the United States, [1:33] President Donald J. Trump. [1:36] Mr. President, thank you so much for being with me this morning. [1:38] I know that your time is limited, [1:40] and we appreciate you making the time to explain all of this to our audience. [1:45] Thank you, sir. [1:46] Well, thank you very much. Thank you, Maria. [1:48] Mr. President, can you explain to us what is going on right now [1:51] with the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz? [1:54] Well, we're going to be blockading. [1:56] It'll take a little while, but it'll be effective pretty soon. [2:01] And we had meetings yesterday. [2:03] They, as you said, lasted 21 hours. [2:06] That was a long meeting. [2:07] We had some very, very good representatives, as you know, [2:10] J.D. and Steve and Jared. [2:12] So we were well represented, [2:14] but we didn't get there on the important issue. [2:16] They want to have nuclear weapons. [2:17] They're not going to have nuclear weapons. [2:19] I've been saying that for 30 years. [2:20] I would never allow that to happen before I was in politics, [2:24] and that country will not have nuclear weapons. [2:27] Most countries shouldn't be allowed to have, [2:28] but that country will not have nuclear weapons. [2:32] So, Mr. President, was that the red line there? [2:34] Can you explain to us what went on in these talks? [2:37] What did the United States ask of Iran, and how did they react? [2:42] Well, they reacted, you know, it was very interesting. [2:45] It started off weak. [2:46] They came in like they had the cards, [2:49] but they don't have the cards. [2:50] Their army, their whole military is obliterated. [2:54] Their whole place is obliterated. [2:56] And, you know, as you know, levels of leaders are gone. [2:59] They're literally gone. [3:01] Comedie's gone. [3:02] The whole thing is gone. [3:03] The whole place is gone. [3:04] They have one thing that they can do. [3:06] They can say, well, gee, we're going to put a mine someplace in the, [3:09] just a mine. [3:10] We'll drop one mine, two mines, ten mines. [3:12] And that will, if you have a ship that costs a billion dollars, [3:16] you'll say, well, you know, I'd prefer not getting whacked by a mine, [3:18] losing my ship, or damaging it badly, at least. [3:22] And so that's a little bit of a thing that they can do, [3:25] and that it's military might and military power don't do it. [3:29] But, you know, it's extortion, and they're extorting the world. [3:32] You know, we don't get our oil from there. [3:33] We have so much oil. [3:34] And one thing you said, and I don't know if anybody heard it well, [3:39] but we have boats pouring up to the United States. [3:43] They'll be filling them up, and they'll be leaving, [3:45] and they're going to be packed with the best oil you can get, [3:48] light, sweet, crude. [3:50] They're going to have the best oil that you can get. [3:53] But so that's interesting, and it's great, [3:56] because we have a lot of oil. [3:58] We don't get any. [3:58] I mean, literally last year it was 1%. [4:00] We did that as a favor. [4:02] We don't need this straight. [4:04] But other countries do. [4:05] And I will tell you, while we're on the subject, [4:07] we're very disappointed with NATO, [4:09] very, very disappointed that they didn't come. [4:11] Now they want to come, and they want to help with the straight, [4:13] and it won't take long to clean it out. [4:16] So we're going to clean out the straight, [4:18] and they'll be able to use the straight [4:20] in not too long a distance. [4:22] But we had a very intensive negotiation, [4:26] and toward the end it got very friendly, [4:29] and we got just about every point we needed, [4:33] except for the fact that they refused [4:34] to give up their nuclear ambition. [4:36] And that's the only point, frankly, to me. [4:38] That was the most important point by far. [4:40] And I want to ask you about that, [4:42] and I will get to NATO as well. [4:44] But, Mr. President, you wrote on Truth Social this morning [4:47] saying that we will begin the process [4:49] of blockading any and all ships trying to enter [4:52] or leave the Strait of Hormuz, [4:54] and at some point we will reach [4:56] an all-being-allowed-to-go-in [4:58] and all-being-allowed-to-go-out basis. [5:02] So tell us what you're trying to accomplish [5:03] with this blockade, sir. [5:04] All-out, yep. [5:05] It's called All-in and All-out. [5:07] There'll be a time when we'll have them [5:08] all come in and all come out, [5:10] but it won't be a percentage. [5:12] It won't be a friend of yours, [5:13] like a country that's your ally [5:15] or a country that's your friend. [5:16] It's all or nothing, [5:18] and that won't be in too long a distance. [5:21] No, we're just bringing the ships up. [5:23] We've got a lot of ships, [5:24] so we're bringing them up. [5:25] We think that numerous countries [5:27] are going to be helping us with this also, [5:29] but we're putting on a complete blockade. [5:31] We're not going to let Iran make money [5:34] on selling oil to people that they like [5:36] and not people that they don't like [5:38] or whatever it is. [5:39] It's going to be all or none, [5:40] and that's the way it is. [5:42] And it'll be, you saw what we did with Venezuela. [5:45] It'll be something very similar to that, [5:47] but at a higher level. [5:49] And, Mr. President, [5:50] you say that there may be a mine out there somewhere [5:53] that nobody knows about but them, [5:55] and this is world extortion. [5:57] How will the United States ensure [5:59] that the mines are removed in the Strait of Hormuz? [6:02] So we have minesweepers there now. [6:04] We have highly sophisticated underwater minesweepers, [6:07] which are the latest and the greatest, [6:10] but we're also bringing in [6:11] more traditional minesweepers. [6:13] And so I understand is the UK [6:15] and a couple of other countries [6:16] are sending minesweepers. [6:18] A lot of countries don't have minesweepers. [6:20] Think of it. [6:21] They had 28 mine droppers. [6:24] What country has 28 mine droppers? [6:26] 28 boats to drop mines. [6:28] What country? [6:29] They've been completely obliterated. [6:31] They no longer... [6:32] So we knocked out their entire Navy. [6:35] They have 158 ships. [6:36] They have 28 mine droppers. [6:38] Every single one of them [6:39] is at the bottom of the sea. [6:41] Can you believe it? [6:41] We did that in four days. [6:44] Their Air Force is gone. [6:46] They're anti... [6:47] If you look, anti-aircraft, [6:50] all of their radars out. [6:53] Anti-aircraft, their defensive program [6:56] is all knocked out. [6:57] They don't have anything. [6:59] And you know the sad part is, [7:00] and I can't say this is for you, [7:02] we knocked out everything, [7:04] including their leaders. [7:06] Their military's gone. [7:07] Everything's gone. [7:08] Their missiles are down to a trickle. [7:09] By comparison, [7:10] you know, we knocked out thousands of missiles. [7:12] We knocked out hundreds of places [7:15] where the missiles are built, [7:16] different parts. [7:17] They're pretty much gone. [7:19] Probably, they say 85%, 82%, 85%. [7:22] Who knows what it is? [7:23] But we knocked them out. [7:25] We knocked out where they make the drones, [7:27] and the drones are less effective now. [7:28] And also, we have new machinery [7:29] to kill the drones. [7:30] You saw that. [7:32] The computerized bullets, they call it. [7:33] And also, lasers. [7:36] The laser melts the drone. [7:38] It's a beautiful thing to see. [7:39] So we have a lot of stuff. [7:40] But think of it. [7:41] We win this thing conclusively. [7:43] Even yesterday, they were saying [7:45] no is a complete obliteration. [7:46] And when you read the New York Times, [7:48] you think they're doing well. [7:50] Oh, they're fighting very hard. [7:51] It's a very... [7:52] It wasn't a hard battle. [7:53] This was a very easy battle, militarily. [7:56] But when somebody says, [7:57] you know, we're going to drop a mine [7:58] in the middle of the Strait of Hormoz, [8:02] not much you can do to persuade a shipowner [8:06] that has a billion-dollar ship [8:07] that we're going to take a trip up the Strait. [8:09] Now, yesterday, you probably saw, [8:12] we sent two highly sophisticated, [8:14] beautiful, brand-new destroyers [8:16] right through the middle of the Strait. [8:18] And nobody did anything to us [8:19] because what we do is we follow the weapon back. [8:23] So it follows back [8:25] and it knocks out the people on the other side. [8:28] Literally within three minutes, [8:30] they're knocked out. [8:31] The technology is unbelievable. [8:32] But we don't know whether or not they do, [8:36] whether or not they put... [8:37] I didn't talk about it yesterday. [8:39] My inclination is to have a few. [8:41] And I will tell you, [8:44] it was a good meeting yesterday, [8:45] really a good meeting, [8:46] except for one problem. [8:48] And it's 95 percent. [8:50] They want to have nuclear weapons. [8:51] It's not going to happen. [8:52] And this is a key point, Mr. President. [8:55] For those people out there [8:56] who have not been following it as closely, [8:59] can you explain to those people [9:01] why it was critical [9:04] for the United States to go into Iran? [9:06] Can you articulate what was behind that move [9:10] that was so important for the U.S. to go into Iran? [9:12] Yeah, so easy. [9:13] The easiest question you've asked me so far, [9:16] they can't have nuclear weapons. [9:18] They have nuclear. [9:19] They want to enrich what they have. [9:22] They want to enrich more. [9:23] As you know, we knocked out with the B-2 bombers. [9:26] Had we not knocked that out, [9:28] they would have had a nuclear weapon [9:29] within one month after we knocked out. [9:32] In other words, [9:33] had the B-2s, those beautiful B-2 bombers, [9:35] totally obliterated their three sites. [9:38] They have three sites. [9:39] And they are now deep in the Earth [9:42] with tons of rock. [9:44] Now, that material should be gotten, [9:47] but we have cameras on it. [9:48] We have satellites with Space Force. [9:50] That was one of my beauties, Space Force. [9:52] It's so important. [9:54] But we're watching those. [9:55] We're watching every single aspect of that area. [9:57] They can't move without us knowing exactly what's going on. [10:00] But it's deep down, [10:02] and it takes a long time to get it out. [10:03] It's an amazing attack. [10:06] Had we not done that, [10:08] they would have had within one month from that date, [10:10] they would have had a nuclear weapon. [10:12] Right. [10:12] If they had a nuclear weapon, [10:13] they would have used it on Israel and the Middle East. [10:16] Look, they went after five countries [10:19] that were sort of neutral, I guess. [10:22] I don't know how friendly they were, [10:24] but they weren't in the line of attack. [10:26] They dropped on UAE, [10:28] probably 1,800 missiles. [10:30] They dropped on Saudi Arabia a lot, [10:33] and they dropped on Qatar a lot. [10:35] They dropped on Bahrain. [10:37] I mean, they went crazy. [10:41] And everyone was surprised. [10:43] Actually, it was good for us [10:44] because they all joined us immediately, [10:46] you know, at some point. [10:47] I mean, they're either going to be petrified [10:49] or they're going to join. [10:50] They all joined, and they've been very helpful. [10:52] All of these countries have been great, and Kuwait. [10:54] And this is the key point that I was getting to, [10:57] and the reason that you feel [10:59] they cannot have a nuclear weapon, [11:01] because they will use it. [11:02] And that's what I wanted you to explain to the audience. [11:05] Yeah, I think they would use it. [11:07] And they'd start with Israel, [11:09] and one weapon would, you know, [11:12] do damage like nobody's ever seen. [11:14] Wipe it out, conceivably, a big one. [11:16] No. [11:16] Wipe it out. [11:17] They don't need more than one. [11:19] And then they go after the Middle East, [11:20] and then they'd eventually come here, okay? [11:23] And we're not letting them come here, [11:25] and we're not going to let them... [11:27] We have great allies over there. [11:28] I'll tell you, those five countries, [11:30] the... [11:31] Look at the Israeli relationship. [11:33] Look at the incredible partnership we have on this. [11:37] And, you know, as Bibi Netanyahu said, [11:39] we're the big brother, and they're the small brother. [11:42] And, you know, it's been a very effective, [11:45] very effective team. [11:46] What we've done in a... [11:47] Literally in a matter of days, [11:49] within three, four days, [11:51] Iran essentially was wiped out. [11:54] And it's so sad, though, [11:56] when the press says they're fighting bravely. [11:58] They're not fighting bravely. [11:59] They have no anti-aircraft. [12:02] We can... [12:03] We fly over there at will, [12:05] can take out anything we want. [12:07] As you know, last week, I said, [12:09] we're going to strongly consider [12:10] knocking out their power plants [12:11] and the rest of their bridges. [12:13] We took down their big bridge, [12:14] but we just did that [12:15] because we were having good discussions, [12:18] and they go to the press. [12:19] They're very good with public relations, [12:21] much better with public relations [12:22] than they are at fighting. [12:24] They go to the press, [12:26] and they say, [12:27] President Trump said it's okay [12:28] for us to have a nuclear weapon, [12:30] when I never even spoke to him. [12:31] And, by the way, [12:32] that would be the only thing [12:33] I would never say to them. [12:35] And they know that. [12:36] Right. [12:37] And then the New York Times, [12:38] which is a fake paper. [12:41] It's just a fake. [12:41] You just believe the opposite. [12:43] It's so sad when you look at CNN, [12:46] the New York Times, [12:47] ABC fake news, [12:49] NBC fake news. [12:50] When you look at their stuff, [12:52] it's so sad to see it. [12:53] I mean, they report things [12:54] that they know are false. [12:56] It's almost treasonous, actually, [12:58] if you want to really know the truth. [13:00] It's almost treasonous. [13:01] But if you're reading [13:03] the New York Times exclusively, [13:05] and their circulation, by the way, [13:07] is way down. [13:08] It's way down. [13:09] I'm proud to report that. [13:11] But if you're reading [13:12] the New York Times exclusively, [13:14] you would say that they are [13:15] doing great in the war. [13:17] Mr. President, [13:18] I want to ask you about that. [13:20] The only thing they have [13:20] is the ability to say, [13:22] well, we may have some minds. [13:23] And, you know, [13:24] if you have a ship, [13:25] who wants to take a chance? [13:26] You're not going to take a chance. [13:28] Mr. President, [13:28] I want to ask you about that [13:29] because you put out a tweet [13:30] and it really gripped the nation [13:32] a week ago [13:34] when we were all waiting [13:36] and watching [13:36] for the United States' next move [13:39] should the Iranians not open [13:41] the Strait of Hormuz. [13:43] And you wrote this [13:44] on Truth Social, [13:45] a whole civilization [13:47] will die tonight, [13:49] never to be brought back again. [13:50] I don't want that to happen [13:52] but it probably will. [13:53] However, now that we have [13:54] a complete and total regime change [13:56] where different, smarter [13:56] and less radicalized minds prevail, [13:59] maybe something wonderful can happen. [14:02] Mr. President, [14:02] you were criticized for this tweet [14:04] because you said [14:04] a whole civilization will die tonight. [14:06] What do you want to say about that? [14:08] And what can you tell us [14:09] about next steps here? [14:11] Are you planning further destruction? [14:13] Yeah, I'm fine with it. [14:15] That statement brought them [14:16] to the table [14:17] with the exception of the one thing [14:18] which I believe [14:19] that they're going to give up on. [14:20] I believe they're going to give up [14:22] on that pretty soon [14:22] to be honest [14:23] because it's not going to work. [14:25] We were, [14:26] we actually thought we had them [14:28] and then all of a sudden [14:29] they said, [14:29] no, we won't. [14:31] So, you know, [14:31] but I believe, [14:32] no, no. [14:32] And when I say that, [14:33] but remember, [14:34] what have they said us? [14:35] For years, [14:36] I've had to listen to them say [14:37] death to America, right? [14:40] They say death to America, [14:41] death to Israel, [14:42] America, the Satan, [14:44] we will destroy America, [14:46] death to America. [14:46] Now, [14:47] does anybody ever complain [14:48] to you when they say that? [14:50] I think that's a big step worse. [14:52] Death to America. [14:54] So they're allowed to say [14:55] death to America. [14:56] And what I'm referring to is, [14:58] and when I talk about civilization, [15:00] it'll be much different [15:01] because their military [15:02] will be totally gone. [15:03] It's pretty much gone now. [15:05] But their military, [15:06] look at their leadership. [15:07] We have had regime change [15:09] because the people [15:10] we dealt with yesterday [15:11] were frankly very smart, [15:16] very sharp, [15:17] very good, [15:18] very good. [15:19] I think they were smarter [15:20] than the people from before, [15:22] Khomeini and that group. [15:23] Look what it got them. [15:25] Look what all of their antics [15:27] were spending, [15:28] trillions of, [15:29] they spent all their money [15:30] on weapons. [15:30] We've destroyed [15:31] most of those weapons. [15:32] But, you know, [15:34] when I say about a civilization, [15:35] it really has changed. [15:36] It really has. [15:37] But think of it. [15:38] They're allowed to say [15:39] death to America, [15:41] death to this, [15:42] death to... [15:43] And I make one statement, [15:45] they say, [15:45] oh, such a big deal. [15:46] Let me tell you, [15:47] that statement got them [15:48] to the bargaining table [15:49] and they haven't left. [15:51] They haven't left [15:51] the bargaining table. [15:52] I predict they come back [15:54] and they give us [15:55] everything we want. [15:56] And I told my people, [15:58] I want everything. [15:58] I don't want 90%. [16:00] I don't want 95%. [16:01] I told them, [16:03] I want everything. [16:04] Well, and what they want... [16:05] They have no cards. [16:06] Maria, Maria. [16:07] Yep. [16:07] They have no cards. [16:09] Their Navy is gone. [16:10] Their Air Force is gone. [16:12] Totally gone. [16:13] They have nothing. [16:13] They have no ships. [16:15] 158 ships [16:16] are at the bottom of the sea. [16:18] Good ones. [16:19] Good ones. [16:20] New. [16:21] The Soleimani, [16:22] they had one called [16:23] the Soleimani. [16:23] It was taken out [16:24] by one of our Tiger Sharks, [16:25] by one of our [16:26] rapidly moving submarines. [16:30] It's amazing. [16:32] Our military is so good. [16:33] Do you know our military [16:34] has a 94% approval rating now? [16:37] Congress has a 14%. [16:39] The media has a 12%. [16:41] When I started, [16:42] the media had a 92% approval rating. [16:45] Now they're down to 14%. [16:46] Wow. [16:47] And I'm very proud of it [16:47] because they're very dishonest. [16:49] Mr. President, [16:49] I see what just took place [16:51] in terms of our NATO allies [16:53] pushing back [16:54] and not supporting you [16:56] and the United States. [16:57] And I see what has happened [16:58] with our Gulf allies [17:00] in the Middle East [17:01] who do not want [17:02] a bully in the Middle East [17:03] any longer. [17:05] Are you expecting [17:06] those Gulf allies [17:07] to help you [17:08] in this blockade [17:08] in the Strait of Hormuz? [17:09] Oh, yeah. [17:10] What other countries [17:11] are going to join that? [17:11] They've already started. [17:13] So the Gulf states, [17:13] now you could say [17:14] they're much closer, [17:15] so maybe they have to do it. [17:16] But, you know, [17:17] they also could stay out. [17:18] But they made a mistake [17:20] when they started [17:21] lobbing missiles at them. [17:22] And here's the good thing. [17:23] The Gulf states, [17:24] they are rich [17:25] and they have a lot of patriots. [17:26] Our Patriot missile, [17:28] which is an anti-missile missile. [17:29] And it's unbelievable. [17:31] They fired at us one day [17:33] at a certain asset [17:34] that we have, [17:35] namely the aircraft carrier [17:38] Abraham Lincoln, [17:39] one of the beauties [17:39] of the world, [17:40] one of the great beauties [17:41] of the world. [17:42] They fired 101 missiles. [17:45] Out of 100, [17:46] these things are going [17:47] 2,000, [17:48] more than 2,000 miles an hour. [17:51] And out of 101 missiles, [17:53] 101 were shot down [17:55] like nothing [17:55] and are now [17:57] at the bottom of the sea, [17:58] the remnants of them. [18:00] Think of it. [18:00] 101 missiles shot. [18:02] In a short period of time, [18:04] all 101 were knocked out. [18:06] So we have [18:07] the greatest military equipment. [18:09] We have the greatest people. [18:10] We have the strongest military [18:11] in the world by far. [18:12] And everybody sees it, [18:13] whether it's Venezuela [18:14] or what we've done with Iran. [18:18] And when I read, [18:19] you know, [18:19] the fake news, [18:21] talking about how well [18:22] Iran's are, [18:22] they're not doing well at all. [18:23] They're getting killed. [18:25] I could take out Iran [18:26] and one day, [18:27] I could take down, [18:28] in one hour, [18:31] I could have their entire energy, [18:33] everything, [18:34] every one of their plants, [18:35] their electric generating plants, [18:37] which is a big deal. [18:38] And I hate to do it [18:39] because if I do it, [18:41] it takes you 10 years to rebuild. [18:42] They'll never be able to rebuild it. [18:44] And the other thing [18:45] you take out are the bridges. [18:46] I took out one just to show them [18:48] because they went public [18:50] with a statement that wasn't true. [18:52] They admitted it. [18:54] I say, [18:54] I'm going to take out a bridge. [18:55] And I took out a bridge. [18:57] And that was the end of that. [18:59] Now they've been really behaving quite well. [19:01] But in one half of a day, [19:04] they wouldn't have one bridge standing. [19:06] They wouldn't have one [19:07] electric generating plant standing. [19:10] And they're back in the Stone Ages. [19:12] I'd rather not do that. [19:14] But I do believe [19:15] they're going to come to the table on this [19:17] because nobody can be so stupid [19:20] as to say [19:20] that we want to have nuclear weapons [19:23] and they have no cards. [19:24] They have no cards whatsoever. [19:26] So if they do not give up that effort, [19:29] is that the plan? [19:30] Will you further destruct Iran? [19:33] Yeah, I will. [19:33] If they don't give that plan up, yeah. [19:35] I'm not in view, Jerry. [19:37] What we want to do [19:37] is we'll open up the strait. [19:39] But the ships are coming up [19:40] to the United States. [19:42] Let's talk about that. [19:42] I've been inviting everybody. [19:44] It's pretty good. [19:45] Let's talk about that, [19:45] Mr. President, [19:46] because you referred to a post [19:48] that hundreds of supertankers [19:50] are headed to the Gulf of America [19:52] to buy oil and gas from the U.S. [19:54] What can you tell us about that, sir? [19:56] Well, I can tell you [19:57] that it used to be called [19:58] the Gulf of Mexico. [19:59] That's what I can tell you. [20:00] Now it's called the Gulf of America [20:01] because of me. [20:02] One of my little things that I did, [20:04] you know, [20:04] one of my little sidelines. [20:06] And it's a great honor. [20:07] People are so happy. [20:08] You go to Louisiana, [20:09] you go to Florida, [20:10] you go to these states, Texas. [20:12] They're so honored by it. [20:13] I used to say, [20:14] why is that the Gulf of Mexico [20:17] when we have 93% of the frontage [20:19] and, you know, [20:21] it fronts 93% in the United States, [20:23] I said, [20:23] I think I'm going to change it [20:24] to the Gulf of America. [20:26] What a beautiful name. [20:27] And I did. [20:28] And I give a lot of credit to Google [20:31] because once I filed the papers, [20:33] I did it. [20:33] And Google Map, [20:35] once Google Map did it, [20:37] it was a done deal. [20:39] But we had lawsuits. [20:41] We won everything. [20:43] And it's now the Gulf of America, [20:45] which I'm very honored by. [20:49] But do you expect super tankers? [20:51] I must tell you, [20:51] I was thinking about calling it [20:53] the Gulf of Trump. [20:54] Right. [20:54] And I decided not to do it. [20:57] I think maybe it was a wise. [20:58] I think that one maybe [21:00] wouldn't have worked out. [21:01] I'm not so sure. [21:01] You'll have to tell me. [21:02] But I was thinking about, [21:03] it's going to be called [21:04] the Gulf of Trump. [21:06] And then I said, [21:06] you know, [21:07] that's not going to play too well. [21:08] I think you're, [21:09] you're, [21:10] you know, [21:10] I'm kidding. [21:11] You're being facetious. [21:13] I know that, [21:13] Mr. President. [21:14] But what about, [21:15] what about oil exporters? [21:18] Tell me about this. [21:18] Because do you expect [21:20] super tankers, [21:22] empty super tankers [21:23] to go to the Gulf of America, [21:24] to go to Louisiana, [21:25] go to Texas? [21:26] Well, they're already coming. [21:27] Well, Texas, [21:28] they're going to go to Texas. [21:29] They're going to go [21:29] all along our shoreline. [21:31] I mean, [21:31] we have, [21:31] we have the biggest ports [21:33] and they're going to go. [21:34] Remember this, [21:35] and this is pretty, [21:35] and this is my time [21:37] that we were, [21:38] when I came into office, [21:38] we were third and fourth [21:40] in energy [21:41] and doing exactly this, [21:43] the oil and gas [21:44] and other things. [21:45] Now, [21:46] we're bigger than Saudi Arabia. [21:48] Think of this. [21:49] And we're bigger than Saudi Arabia. [21:52] Add Saudi Arabia with Russia [21:53] and add another country in there, [21:56] whichever one you want. [21:57] We're bigger than all of them combined. [21:58] Think of that. [21:59] That's all because of Trump. [22:01] And when Biden inherited that system, [22:04] he changed it. [22:05] Then he tried going back to it [22:07] because the oil was going up, [22:09] you know, [22:09] the, [22:09] you remember, [22:10] was going up seven, [22:11] and eight dollars, [22:11] et cetera. [22:12] But look at, [22:13] even now, [22:14] with, [22:14] we have to get rid of this nuclear threat [22:16] and people in our country have oil. [22:19] People in other countries [22:20] are getting hurt. [22:21] One of the things [22:22] that most amazes me, though, [22:24] the strait is for Japan [22:26] where they get 93% of their oil. [22:29] You know that, Japan. [22:31] South Korea gets 45% of its oil. [22:33] These people haven't helped us. [22:35] I say, [22:35] are you guys going to help? [22:37] And you know, [22:38] we have 45,000 soldiers [22:40] and 50,000, [22:41] respectively, [22:42] at those two places. [22:43] 45,000 and 50,000 soldiers. [22:45] We guard them [22:46] and protect them. [22:48] And when we want a little help, [22:50] they don't help us. [22:51] And when we wanted help from NATO, [22:52] they don't help us. [22:53] And we paid, [22:54] I don't know if you saw, [22:55] 900, [22:56] almost a trillion dollars [22:58] toward NATO [22:59] in a very short period of time [23:01] to protect them [23:02] against Russia, [23:04] mostly. [23:04] Yeah. [23:05] And then when we're there, [23:06] and you know, [23:07] Biden, [23:07] I wouldn't have done this. [23:08] You wouldn't have had [23:08] the Ukraine problem. [23:09] Russia would have never [23:10] attacked Ukraine. [23:11] But under Biden, [23:12] who was an incompetent president, [23:14] he was grossly incompetent, [23:15] should have, [23:15] look, [23:16] the election was rigged, [23:17] you know that. [23:17] I know that. [23:18] Everybody knows that now. [23:20] And it's all come out, [23:21] and it's coming out. [23:22] But under Biden, [23:23] if you take a look [23:24] at what happened, [23:25] when he was president, [23:27] that's a war [23:27] that would have never happened, [23:29] Russia attacking Ukraine. [23:30] And I ended eight wars, [23:33] including Pakistan. [23:35] You know, [23:35] Pakistan was great yesterday. [23:36] They were the ones [23:37] that really facilitated [23:38] the meeting. [23:39] Right. [23:39] But they thanked him. [23:40] Every time I see him, [23:41] they thanked me. [23:42] They said, [23:42] we're going to have a war [23:42] with India. [23:43] And as the prime minister [23:44] said very openly [23:46] to everybody, [23:46] between 50, [23:47] 30 to 50 million people [23:49] would have been killed. [23:50] And I got it ended. [23:51] I said, [23:51] if you guys are going [23:52] to have a war, [23:53] we're not going [23:53] to do any trading with you. [23:54] And believe it or not, [23:56] I got it ended [23:57] because of tariffs, [23:59] which the Supreme Court [24:00] was not nice to me about. [24:01] Is this all going [24:03] to be enough, [24:04] the blockade in the strait, [24:05] the opening up capacity [24:07] in the United States? [24:08] Is this going to be enough [24:10] to lower the price [24:11] of oil and gas, sir? [24:12] Well, it's going to be, [24:13] eventually it's going [24:14] to be lowered. [24:15] No, it might not happen [24:16] initially, [24:17] but it's going to go down. [24:19] When this is all over, [24:20] look, the stock market, [24:22] the Dow hit 50,000. [24:24] It was supposed to be [24:25] in four or five years. [24:26] They said it won't happen [24:27] during his term, [24:28] but it'll be maybe [24:30] four or five years. [24:31] It hit 50,000 in my first year. [24:33] You know it better [24:34] than anybody. [24:35] You cover it [24:35] better than anybody. [24:37] The S&P hit 7,000 [24:39] in my first year, [24:40] before my first year. [24:41] You know that. [24:42] And I said to myself, [24:44] oh, here we go. [24:45] I got to stop this country [24:47] from having a nuclear weapon. [24:48] You want to see [24:49] a stock market go down? [24:51] Let a couple of nuclear bombs [24:52] be dropped on us, [24:54] or frankly, any place else. [24:55] And then you'll see [24:57] a stock market that goes down. [24:59] So the stock market [25:00] has not gone down [25:01] very much at all. [25:03] It's gone down a little bit. [25:04] Much less than I thought. [25:06] And frankly, [25:07] the gas hasn't gone up [25:08] as much as I thought. [25:09] But regardless, [25:10] even if it did, [25:12] we have to stop [25:13] this group of people [25:15] from having... [25:16] And again, [25:17] it was worse [25:17] because Khomeini [25:18] was a total radical, [25:21] I'll be nice, maniac. [25:23] He was a maniac. [25:24] And you can't let them [25:25] have a nuclear weapon. [25:27] So I just have [25:28] the greatest economy ever. [25:30] Everything's going along. [25:31] And I say, [25:32] I'm sorry. [25:33] I tell my economic advisors. [25:35] They say, [25:36] I'm sorry, fellas. [25:37] We're in great shape. [25:39] We have to go [25:39] and take a little journey [25:41] down to Iran, [25:42] and we have to stop them [25:43] from having a nuclear weapon. [25:45] And they all said, [25:46] we agree. [25:46] So do you believe [25:48] the price of oil and gas [25:49] will be lower [25:50] before the midterm elections? [25:52] I hope so. [25:53] I mean, I think so. [25:54] It could be. [25:55] It could be the same [25:55] or maybe a little bit higher. [25:57] But it should be around the same. [25:59] I think this won't be [26:00] that much longer. [26:02] They're wiped out. [26:03] They're wiped out. [26:04] And you don't get the... [26:05] You don't get a fair shake. [26:06] You don't get... [26:07] You know, we need... [26:07] We need a free and fair press [26:09] in this country. [26:10] And I don't even know [26:11] why people would do that. [26:13] Why would they say [26:13] how wonderful [26:15] they're doing militarily? [26:17] They're doing so well. [26:18] They're totally... [26:18] The country's wiped out. [26:20] We lost one airplane [26:21] and we captured the two pilots. [26:23] How about we saved [26:24] those two pilots... [26:25] Unbelievable. [26:26] Which no other country [26:27] has the capability of doing. [26:29] Usually when that happens, [26:31] countries wave goodbye. [26:32] They say, [26:33] lots of luck [26:34] because you're going deep [26:35] into... [26:35] You know, we went seven hours [26:37] into... [26:38] It was a seven-hour flight [26:40] to go in and get them. [26:41] We had one of the roughest areas, [26:44] one of the most dangerous areas [26:45] in the world, [26:46] and we got both of them. [26:47] It was... [26:47] It was incredible. [26:48] It was extraordinary. [26:48] But we got both of them. [26:49] And thank God that... [26:51] Thank you. [26:52] For our military, [26:53] and I know that you rebuilt [26:54] the military. [26:55] Now, Mr. President, [26:55] before you go, [26:56] it was you who did [26:58] the maximum campaign [26:59] against Iran [27:00] in your first term. [27:02] Is it going to be back [27:04] to the maximum campaign? [27:05] You deemed them [27:06] the leading sponsor [27:08] of terrorism. [27:09] And I have to ask you [27:10] about all of these efforts [27:12] and the impact on China. [27:13] What you've done [27:14] in Venezuela, [27:15] Iran, [27:16] even your comments [27:16] about Cuba, [27:17] where does that put China [27:19] as you approach this meeting [27:21] with Xi Jinping next month? [27:23] Sure. [27:24] Well, in the maximum campaign, [27:25] you can't do any more maximum. [27:27] We've wiped out [27:27] their whole country, [27:28] essentially. [27:29] The only thing left, [27:30] really, [27:31] is their water, [27:32] which would be [27:33] very devastating to hit. [27:34] I would hate to do it. [27:36] But it's their water, [27:37] their desalinization plants, [27:39] their electric generating plants, [27:41] which are very easy to hit. [27:42] We could hit them. [27:43] We could have them all down. [27:46] And I mean, [27:46] down like you couldn't have [27:48] electricity for 10 years [27:50] because it takes you 10 years [27:52] to build those plants [27:53] from scratch. [27:54] You'd never probably [27:55] be able to build them again. [27:57] And the bridges. [27:58] So that's really the only thing. [28:00] We still have some more [28:01] missile manufacturing plants. [28:03] We know every one of them. [28:04] We will do that. [28:06] We still have other things. [28:07] But when you talk about maximum, [28:08] I think, you know, [28:09] outside of those few things [28:10] that are remaining, [28:11] I think I pretty much maxed out. [28:13] You are very, very violent [28:14] and vicious. [28:15] I don't want to have you [28:16] against me. [28:16] I'll tell you what you said. [28:18] I think we pretty much maxed out [28:20] other than those few items. [28:22] We still have some plants left. [28:23] You know, [28:24] we had another week left [28:26] to knock out the rest of the plants, [28:27] but we were knocking them out fast. [28:29] As far as China is concerned, [28:31] China can send their ships to us. [28:33] China can send their ships to Venezuela. [28:35] We told them, [28:36] buy from Venezuela. [28:37] We have a lot of overcapacity. [28:39] We would sell them, [28:40] and we'll probably sell it [28:42] for even less money. [28:43] I have a very good relationship [28:44] with President Xi of China. [28:46] We work together very well. [28:48] They're paying us substantial money, [28:51] as you know. [28:51] We've never got money before. [28:53] You know, [28:54] I listened to this Gordon Chang. [28:55] He has no idea [28:56] what he's talking about. [28:57] We have been very tough on China. [28:59] Tough but fair. [29:00] And, you know, [29:02] it's an amazing place. [29:03] But I have a very good relationship [29:05] with China, [29:06] and they've been doing my thing. [29:07] You know, [29:08] I put tremendous tariffs. [29:09] I put 100% tariff [29:11] on all Chinese cars coming in, [29:14] and that's destroying Europe. [29:15] They're destroying Europe [29:16] because they're taking away [29:17] so much business [29:18] from Mercedes and BMW, etc. [29:20] And we don't have any Chinese cars [29:23] in our country [29:23] because they would have destroyed [29:25] General Motors, Ford. [29:26] They would have destroyed [29:28] these companies if they did it. [29:29] So I put 100% tariff on, [29:32] and in all fairness to Biden, [29:33] he allowed it to stay on, [29:34] which is shocking to me. [29:35] It's one of the things. [29:36] It's about the only thing [29:37] he did good, [29:38] but he allowed it to stay. [29:39] So we don't have the problem [29:40] that they have. [29:41] You know, [29:42] they're having tremendous [29:43] economic problems in Europe [29:44] because they're being just swamped [29:47] with these Chinese cars. [29:48] We don't have any. [29:49] But, Mr. President, [29:50] just to be clear, [29:51] you said the other day [29:52] that any country [29:53] that supports Iran [29:55] and sends military equipment [29:57] to Iran [29:57] will face a 50% tariff [30:00] if they try to bring products. [30:01] Did you refer to China? [30:03] Did you mean China? [30:05] Yes, and other people. [30:06] But yes, China too. [30:08] If we find that China, [30:09] because I hear news reports, [30:11] so a news report [30:12] doesn't mean much to me [30:13] because they're so fake, [30:15] but I hear news reports [30:16] about China [30:17] giving the shoulder missiles [30:19] what's called a shoulder missile, [30:20] anti-aircraft missile. [30:22] I doubt they would do that [30:23] because I have a relationship [30:25] and I think they wouldn't do that, [30:27] but maybe they did a little bit [30:28] at the beginning, [30:29] but I don't think they would anymore. [30:30] No. [30:31] But if we catch them doing that, [30:32] they get a 50% tariff, [30:34] which is a staggering, [30:35] that's a staggering amount. [30:38] And did you want to say anything [30:39] about our NATO allies [30:40] in terms of what comes next for them, [30:43] given that, [30:44] I mean, is it time for them [30:45] to call Iran [30:48] the leading state sponsor of terrorism? [30:50] And what are you going to do [30:52] because they did not help [30:53] in this effort? [30:54] Well, NATO is shameful. [30:56] I mean, I didn't go wild. [30:59] We didn't need any help. [31:00] I would actually say, [31:01] you know, if you want to help, [31:02] great. [31:02] If you don't want to help, [31:03] that's okay. [31:04] And they said, oh, well, [31:06] you know, we'd rather not, [31:07] sir, we'd rather not. [31:08] They weren't there for us, [31:09] you know? [31:09] If I would have done it with force, [31:12] maybe I could have gotten them [31:13] to come in, [31:13] but they would have come in [31:14] very begrudgingly [31:15] and they would have stayed way behind. [31:19] Now I'm very disappointed. [31:21] I mean, look at the United Kingdom. [31:23] I love the United Kingdom. [31:24] My mother was, as you know, [31:26] born in Scotland [31:27] and I love it. [31:29] But Mr. Starmer, [31:32] PM Starmer said, [31:33] we'll send the equipment [31:34] after the war is over. [31:36] I said, you don't need equipment [31:37] when the war is over. [31:38] You need the equipment [31:38] before the war starts [31:40] or during the war. [31:40] He said, no, we'll send it. [31:42] He made a public statement [31:43] that we will send equipment [31:44] after the war is over. [31:46] It was, that will, you know, [31:48] that's a Neville Cable [31:50] type statement. [31:52] And Germany, the same thing. [31:54] He said, we didn't start this. [31:56] Well, well, we helped them [31:57] with Ukraine. [31:58] It would have never happened [31:59] if I was president, by the way. [32:01] We would have had the problem [32:02] with Russia and Ukraine, [32:03] but, you know, [32:04] we had an incompetent president. [32:06] But Germany said, [32:07] talked all about, [32:08] that we demand and strong, [32:12] we demand that this war stop. [32:14] But most importantly, [32:15] he said, we didn't start the war. [32:17] Well, we didn't start the war [32:18] with Ukraine, but we helped them. [32:20] I mean, Biden gave them [32:21] $350 billion. [32:23] I'm not giving it, [32:24] I sell things to NATO [32:26] and they do what they want with it. [32:27] I guess they give it to Ukraine, [32:29] but I sell things at full price. [32:31] Yeah. [32:31] And we sell it to NATO [32:32] and they do what they want with it. [32:34] But think of it, [32:35] to make that statement [32:36] after we've spent $350 billion, [32:40] they made a statement, [32:41] the German statement was made, [32:42] but all the statements were made. [32:43] No, we have to re-examine NATO [32:45] because they weren't there for us. [32:47] And let me tell you, [32:48] and I've said this for 25 years, [32:49] they weren't there for us [32:51] and they won't be there for us. [32:52] Yeah. [32:53] They weren't there for us. [32:54] This is just a military operation. [32:56] This is not a hard thing for us. [32:57] We are so much more powerful. [32:59] I rebuilt our military in the first term. [33:02] I'm using it in my second term. [33:03] Yeah. [33:04] And we have the greatest military [33:05] anywhere in the world. [33:06] And now I was right [33:07] with spending all that money [33:09] on the military. [33:09] We have the greatest military [33:11] of the world. [33:11] We have the greatest equipment [33:13] in the world. [33:14] And it's amazing [33:15] what we've been able to do. [33:16] You look at Venezuela. [33:18] We're doing so well with Venezuela. [33:20] Great time to have Venezuela. [33:22] And by the way, [33:23] Venezuela now is making more money [33:25] than they've ever made before. [33:27] And we're participating [33:29] in those profits. [33:30] Right. [33:31] Well, Mr. President, [33:32] we want to respect your time. [33:33] I know how busy you are this morning. [33:35] And I know that we will have part two [33:37] of this interview this week [33:38] at the White House. [33:40] So I want to thank you so much [33:41] for calling in and breaking all [33:42] of this news this morning, sir. [33:43] I will see you this upcoming week [33:45] in the Oval Office, sir, [33:46] for part two of our interview [33:48] when we discuss the broader [33:49] issues and the impact on the economy, sir. [33:51] Thank you, Mr. President. [33:53] Thank you very much, Maria. [33:54] Thank you. [33:55] Bye.