The White House • February 27, 2019 An inside look at President Trump’s Hanoi summit  Twelve hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in Hanoi, Vietnam, President Donald J. Trump is preparing now for his second day of talks with Chairman Kim Jong Un. The President’s first full day in Hanoi included both a one-on-one conversation and dinner with the North Korean leader. “I think that your country has tremendous economic potential,” President Trump told Chairman Kim. If North Korea continues to choose engagement with the United States and honors its commitments to denuclearize, the future for its people can be bright. “I look forward to watching it happen,” President Trump said. “And we will help it to happen.” Watch President Trump greet Chairman Kim in Hanoi   President Trump: “I think the biggest progress was our relationship”   Photos from the President’s dinner with Chairman Kim   Earlier in the day, President Trump met with President Nguyen Phu Trong of Vietnam—and delivered on another crucial promise to American voters. More than 83,000 American jobs will be supported by new commercial trade deals between Vietnamese airlines and American companies. President Trump, alongside President Trong, participated in the signing of a plan this morning that agrees to the purchase of new planes, engines, and services from U.S. manufacturers. The agreements are worth more than $21 billion in sum. “We appreciate very much that you’re reducing the trade deficit with the United States, which was very substantial before I got here,” President Trump told Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. “And now we’re bringing it down with great orders like the orders that you made today.” By the numbers: America’s new commercial trade deal with Vietnam   Watch highlights of the President meeting with Vietnam’s leaders   Follow President Trump’s trip to Vietnam in photos What Nicolas Maduro doesn’t want you to see Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, an American citizen, and five members of his team were detained and later released in Venezuela on Monday by Nicolas Maduro. The reason? Maduro “didn’t like the questions” he was being asked, Univision reports. What didn't Maduro want the world to see when he detained these journalists and seized Ramos’ equipment? The answer is that while Venezuelans starve and are forced to scavenge in garbage trucks for food, Maduro's thugs are setting fire to aid supplies. The walls are closing in on the dictatorship in Caracas. Read the full story. In photos: Vice President Mike Pence meets Venezuelans in Colombia on Monday. Photo of the Day Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead President Donald J. Trump is greeted by Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, for their second summit meeting | February 27, 2019

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Appoint Individuals to Key Administration Posts

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2019

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Appoint Individuals to Key Administration Posts   Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House: Leslie Greene Bowman of Virginia Wendy A. Cooper of Pennsylvania Tham Kannalikham of New York Richard C. Nylander of New Hampshire John Wilmerding of New Jersey

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2019 PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP HAILS VIETNAM’S COMMITMENT TO EXPANDING COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS WITH AMERICAN COMPANIES    “Moving forward as partners, we will achieve great prosperity and success for the American people and for the Vietnamese people.” – President Donald J. Trump   BIG-TICKET PURCHASES: President Donald J. Trump is pleased that Vietnamese airlines have agreed to purchase new planes, engines, and services from American companies.   President Donald J. Trump, alongside President Trong of Vietnam, participated in the signing of commercial trade deals between leading Vietnamese airlines and American companies. These agreements reflect the deep economic partnership enjoyed by the United States and Vietnam. These agreements are worth over $21 billion and include the following: VietJet will buy 100 American-made Boeing 737-MAX jets and 215 General Electric-developed LEAP engines. Bamboo Airways will purchase 10 Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Vietnam Airlines pledges to acquire a minimum of $50 million in reservation systems and other services from Sabre Corporation. These purchases will support more than 83,000 American jobs and improve safety and reliability for Vietnamese and international travelers. STRENGTHENING TIES: President Trump is committed to deepening economic ties and advancing the partnership between the United States and Vietnam. These deals are a reflection of the work President Trump has undertaken to strengthen the partnership between the United States and Vietnam. In May 2017, President Trump and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc pledged to enhance the comprehensive partnership between the United States and Vietnam. Among other commitments, both sides pledged to promote and grow mutually beneficial economic ties between their two countries. In November 2017, during President Trump’s first historic visit, Vietnamese companies announced agreements to purchase $12 billion in American goods and services. Vietnam also committed to eliminate trade barriers on United States agricultural exports, opening up new markets for American farmers. EXPANDING ACCESS: President Trump is expanding markets for American goods and services abroad. President Trump is taking bold actions to enforce free, fair, and reciprocal trade for the United States and to negotiate better deals for the American people. The President negotiated the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to improve market access for American firms and promote fair trade. Thanks to the improved United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement, South Korea is significantly increasing access to its markets for United States auto exports. President Trump is launching new trade negotiations with the European Union, United Kingdom, and Japan, working toward eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade. President Trump’s leadership has opened opportunities for American agricultural goods in Argentina, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, and other countries.

President Trump Praises ‘Special Relationship’ with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un at Start of Hanoi Summit “President Trump praised his ‘special relationship’ with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and said ‘a lot of things will be solved’ during the two leaders' second summit in Vietnam as they prepare for a full day of formal talks,” Fox News reports. “Trump and Kim kicked off their second summit on Wednesday by exchanging handshakes and laughs at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi. They briefly spoke to reporters, where Trump said the biggest progress since the historic Singapore summit was the two countries' relationship.” Click here to read more. Yesterday, Fiat Chrysler announced that Detroit, Michigan, “will get a Jeep factory, the Motor City’s first new auto assembly plant in a generation, as part of a $4.5 billion manufacturing expansion that will mean nearly 6,500 new jobs,” Amy Huschka reports for the Detroit Free Press. With jobs coming back to the upper Midwest thanks to the promise of the new U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement, President Trump praised the move: “Thank you Fiat Chrysler. They are all coming back to the USA, it’s where the action is!” “A previously deported illegal alien from Honduras, Juan Ramon-Vasquez, has been sentenced in Philadelphia after being convicted of repeatedly raping a child. Philadelphia is a sanctuary city and he will serve just 21 months in jail,” Katie Pavlich writes in Townhall. In March 2014, Ramon-Vasquez was found back in the U.S. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, but the City of Philadelphia ignored an ICE detainer and released him. Upon release, the criminal alien “proceeded to repeatedly rape a young child,” the Department of Justice said. “An abortion survivor is slamming Senate Democrats for blocking a bill that would have protected babies born alive in failed abortions. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act on Monday was voted down 53-44, with only Democrats voting against it,” Fox News Insider reports. “They're willing to sacrifice lives like mine,” Melissa Ohden said yesterday. Ms. Ohden, who survived a failed abortion in 1977, said that despite what Democrats say, legislation like the Born-Alive law is necessary—and she's living proof.

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND CHAIRMAN KIM JONG UN OF THE STATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA IN A 1:1 CONVERSATION

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2019 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND CHAIRMAN KIM JONG UN OF THE STATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA IN A 1:1 CONVERSATION Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hanoi, Vietnam February 27, 2019   6:33 P.M. ICT      CHAIRMAN KIM:  (As interpreted.)  So it's exactly 261 days since we met last time in Singapore, in June, last year.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yes.      CHAIRMAN KIM:  (As interpreted.)  And I truly believe that this successful and great meeting that we are having today is thanks to the courageous decision -- political decision that your team, Mr. President, reached.      So, during that 261 days since we last met, there have been some misunderstandings.  There have been all these eyes from the world who are misunderstanding the situation.  But -- and there was some hostility that still remains from the very, very past period that -- from the outside. PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Right. CHAIRMAN KIM:  (As interpreted.)  But, however, we have been able to overcome all the obstacles, and here we are today after 261 days, in Hanoi. I actually believe that those 261 days were the days which were -- and during which a lot of painstaking efforts were necessary and also a lot of patience were needed. But here we are today, sitting next to each other, and that gives us a hope that we will be successful with time.  And I will really try to make that happen. PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you very much.  That's really nice. Well, I want to just say it's an honor to be with Chairman Kim.  It's an honor to be together in, really, a country, Vietnam, where they've really rolled out the red carpet and they've -- they're very honored to have us.  And it's great to be with you. We had a very successful first summit.  I felt it was very successful, and some people would like to see it go quicker.  I'm satisfied; you're satisfied.  We want to be happy with what we're doing.  But I thought the first summit was a great success.  And I think this one, hopefully, will be equal or greater than the first.  And we made a lot progress, and I think the biggest progress was our relationship is really a good one. And as I've said many times -- and I say it to the press, I say it to anybody that wants to listen: I think that your country has tremendous economic potential.  Unbelievable.  Unlimited.  And I think that you will have a tremendous future with your country -- a great leader.  And I look forward to watching it happen and helping it to happen.  And we will help it to happen.      Thank you all very much.  We appreciate it.  And we're going to go have dinner, and then we have some big meetings scheduled for tomorrow.  And we'll see you, I guess, at a news conference at some point during the day.  Thank you very much.               Q    Mr. President, do you have any reaction to Michael Cohen and his testimony?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  (Shakes head.)                                  END                 6:37 P.M. ICT

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AT A SOCIAL DINNER WITH CHAIRMAN KIM JONG UN OF THE STATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2019 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AT A SOCIAL DINNER WITH CHAIRMAN KIM JONG UN OF THE STATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hanoi, Vietnam February 27, 2019   7:08 P.M. ICT      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Everybody having a good time? Q    Yes, sir. PRESIDENT TRUMP:  You are?  I hope so.       One of the great photographers of the world.  (Laughter.)  One of the great.  Make us look very good tonight, please. Q    We'll work on that. PRESIDENT TRUMP:  One of the great photographers, actually. CHAIRMAN KIM:  (As interpreted.)  We had exchanged a very interesting dialogue with each other -- PRESIDENT TRUMP:  We did. CHAIRMAN KIM:  (As interpreted.)  -- for about 30 minutes. PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Boy, if you could have heard that dialogue, what you would pay for that dialogue.  It was good. So we're going to have a very busy day tomorrow, and we'll probably have a pretty quick dinner and a lot of things are going to be solved, I hope.  And I think it'll lead to wonderful -- it will lead to, really, a wonderful situation long term.  And our relationship is a very special relationship. Thank you very much everybody.  Thank you.  See you tomorrow.                               END                 7:09 P.M. ICT

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AT A GREETING WITH CHAIRMAN KIM JONG UN OF THE STATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2019 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AT A GREETING WITH CHAIRMAN KIM JONG UN OF THE STATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hanoi, Vietnam February 27, 2019     6:28 P.M. ICT      Q    Mr. President, what do you hope to achieve in your talks with the Chairman? PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I think they'll be very successful.  Great relationship.  I think they're going to be very successful.  We look forward to it.  We both do. Q    Have you walked back at all on denuclearization in North Korea? PRESIDENT TRUMP:  No. Thank you all very much.  Thank you.  Thank you. Q    Mr. President, are you going to declare an end to the Korean War, sir? PRESIDENT TRUMP:  We'll see.  We'll be seeing. Thank you.  Thank you all very much.  You're coming back here in a while.                           END                 6:29 P.M. ICT

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRIME MINISTER NGUYỄN XUÂN PHÚC OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM BEFORE AN EXPANDED WORKING LUNCH

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2019 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRIME MINISTER NGUYỄN XUÂN PHÚC OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM BEFORE AN EXPANDED WORKING LUNCH Office of Government Hall Hanoi, Vietnam February 27, 2019 12:11 P.M. ICT      PRIME MINISTER PHÚC:  (As interpreted.)  Mr. President, on behalf of the government, we greatly appreciate the process of denuclearization and peace building in North Korea that Mr. President was so resolute in these efforts.  And thank you very much for choosing Vietnam as the venue for the second summit.      We've been working very closely with the United States and the DPKR to promote this meeting to be a successful one, from our own capacity.  And congratulations on the very strong leadership in terms of the economic performance, (inaudible).      And this is a great achievement in terms of the economy.  The United States is the superpower.  And as the U.S. economy grows, others will grow too, including Vietnam.  Congratulations on your economic performance, Mr. President. And I also welcome the results of the talks between our (inaudible) General and President Nguyễn Phú Trọng and Mr. President.  And the main message is that we will continue to promote bilateral cooperation, especially in trade.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister.  The trip has been beautiful.  We have a very big meeting planned tonight, as you know, with North Korea and Chairman Kim.  And I think it may very well turn out to be very successful.  It helps that it's in Vietnam because you've shown something that the world is really getting to see the incredible job that you've done in Vietnam in a very short period of time.      Coming in from the airport, seeing everything that's been happening and been built, even since last year when we were spending time together -- my second trip.  You've made tremendous progress and it's a great thing for the world to see.  And now the world is actually watching and they're looking at Vietnam. So I look forward to the meeting tonight with Chairman Kim, and hopefully it's going to be successful.  We'll see what happens.  But he wants to do something great also, and I think he wants to do something that would be on a par.  If you look at what you've done in a short time, he can do it in a very, very rapid time and make North Korea into a great economic power.      But I really appreciate the orders that you made today of Boeing and General Electric, and the various other companies that will be selling you aircraft. I also appreciate the fact that you're looking at much of our military equipment.  We make the best military equipment in the world, by far.  Whether it's jet fighters or missiles or rockets, or anything you want to name, we make -- we're acknowledged to have made -- we make the best.  So I appreciate you looking at that very strongly, and I know that's a decision you'll make. And we appreciate very much that you're reducing the trade deficit with the United States, which was very substantial before I got here.  And now we're bringing it down with great orders like the orders that you made today.  And we very much appreciate it. It's an honor to be with you a second time.  And we're now friends.  I love that you showed me the autograph.  That was very nice.  And that's the way I feel.  And congratulations on the tremendous work that you've done over a short period of time.  It's so obvious to anybody that looks.  Congratulations to all of Vietnam.  Thank you. PRIME MINISTER PHÚC:  (As interpreted.)  Thank you very much for your very kind words about Vietnam's success in the past years.                             END                 12:14 P.M. ICT

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRESIDENT NGUYỄN PHÚ TRỌNG OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM BEFORE EXPANDED BILATERAL MEETING

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2019

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRESIDENT NGUYỄN PHÚ TRỌNG OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM BEFORE EXPANDED BILATERAL MEETING Presidential Palace Hanoi, Vietnam February 27, 2019   11:09 A.M. ICT      PRESIDENT TRỌNG:  (As interpreted.)  Please, may I call our meeting to order, please.  Let me begin by warmly welcome President Donald Trump and the American delegation to Vietnam for the second DPRK-U.S. Summit.      I would like to thank the United States and DPRK for choosing Vietnam as a venue for the event of great significance.  Though the time was quite short, but we've made every efforts.  And our relevant agencies in Vietnam have been making all necessary preparations to ensure the best conditions for the success of this very special meeting.      I wonder whether, Mr. President, since you arrived in Vietnam, can you feel -- about the atmosphere in Vietnam, can you tell us about that?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, Mr. President, thank you very much.  This is great, great honor.  And I send our warmest regards from all Americans.  Our country, like your country, is doing very, very well.  Our economy is probably as good as it's ever been; maybe the best it's been.  And unemployment and all of the numbers that you would look at are at historically positive numbers.      And so I just see what you've done, and I've -- I'm very proud of what you've done.  And I'm very proud to have left here last year -- we had a great meeting.  We had a meeting with a lot of the representatives.  Some of them are right here that I recognize so well. And since that meeting, we've done a lot of trade.  And I know today, whether it's Boeing and a couple of others, we're going to be signing some very big trade deals where you're buying a lot of different products from the United States, which we greatly appreciate.  We're reducing the deficit very substantially, as are many countries. But I very much appreciate the hospitality.  It was really something special.  We got off Air Force One last night and I drove down the boulevards, and I saw all of the buildings under construction and how Vietnam is thriving. And very importantly, we have a very big dinner tonight, as you know, and meetings with North Korea and Chairman Kim.  And we both felt very good about having this very important summit in Vietnam because you really are an example as to what can happen with good thinking. And on behalf of the United States, I want to thank you very much for hosting, and hopefully great things will happen later on with our meeting.  But a lot of good things are happening before, and that's the signing of trade deals with the United States.  And we appreciate it very much. Thank you, Mr. President.  Thank you.                           END                 11:12 A.M. ICT

Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Meetings with President Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc of Vietnam February 27, 2019

Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Meetings with President Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc of Vietnam
February 27, 2019

President Donald J. Trump met today in Hanoi with President Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc of Vietnam.  President Trump thanked President Trong and Prime Minister Phuc for Vietnam’s generosity and partnership in hosting his meeting with Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Chairman Kim Jong Un. The leaders agreed on the need for continued progress toward the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK.  They discussed ways to strengthen the United States—Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership, including by deepening political, security, economic, and people-to-people ties, and through cooperation on humanitarian and legacy of war issues.  The leaders also committed to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific with shared principles of respect for sovereignty, peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, and freedom of navigation and overflight.  They discussed trade issues and reaffirmed the importance of trade that is free, fair, and reciprocal and welcomed the growing commercial relationship between these two countries, as demonstrated by today’s contract signings worth over $21 billion between United States companies Boeing, GE/CFM, and Sabre Corporation; and Vietnam companies VietJet, Bamboo Airways, and Vietnam Airlines.  Finally, they celebrated 30 years of cooperation on POW/MIA accounting missions, and they look forward to Vietnam’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the 25th anniversary of normalized diplomatic relations in 2020

.- Sarah Sanders, Press Secretary