Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Text of a Letter from the President to Certain Congressional Committees

 

Office of the Press Secretary

 

October 16, 2020

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:  (Madam Chairwoman:)
 
In accordance with section 1264 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115‑91), as amended, I am transmitting the annual report on the Legal and Policy Frameworks Guiding the United States' Use of Military Force and Related National Security Operations.

 
                              Sincerely,
 
 
                              DONALD J. TRUMP

West Wing Reads Obamacare’s Illusion of Preexisting Condition Protections


 

West Wing Reads

Obamacare’s Illusion of Preexisting Condition Protections


“President Trump’s recent executive order laying out his ‘America-First Healthcare Plan’ makes clear his continued commitment to the long-standing, bipartisan consensus that we should protect people with preexisting conditions. Unfortunately, the previous administration’s attempt to make good on that consensus—Obamacare—has failed to deliver on its promises,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma writes in National Review.
 
“It’s time the national debate over Obamacare finally confronts this reality.”
 
Click here to read more.
“In ten days, we expect a report that says third quarter real GDP rebounded at a 33.4% annual rate,” economist Brian Wesbury writes. “The sharp rebound in Q3 is a testament to the underlying strength of the US economy before the shutdowns . . . Moreover, the US entered this government-mandated recession with the highest incomes and lowest poverty rate we have ever recorded.” Read more in RealClearPolitics.
“I have always said that HUD’s true measure of success is not how many individuals we can get onto our assistance programs, but how many we can lift out of government assistance and set on the path to self-sufficiency. Under Trump’s leadership, there is a rising tide lifting all boats,” Housing & Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson writes for the Washington Examiner.
“President Trump announced Monday that he will be removing Sudan from the State Department’s state sponsors of terrorism list after the Sudanese government agreed to pay $335 million in compensation for families of American victims of terrorism . . . Trump's announcement is part of a wider agreement that is expected to include moves from Sudan toward normalizing relations with Israel,” Barak Ravid writes for Axios.

Joint Statement by the United States, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Israel

 

Office of the Press Secretary

Joint Statement by the United States, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Israel

Yesterday, delegations from the Kingdom of Bahrain, the United States of America, and the State of Israel met in Manama.

Bahrain and Israel signed a historic Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic, Peaceful and Friendly Relations, marking the new and promising era in their relationship. Bahrain and Israel also signed Memorandums of Understanding regarding economic and trade cooperation, air services, agriculture, telecommunications and postal services, visas, financial services, cooperation between Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and cooperation between Chambers of Commerce. In addition, working groups met to discuss a wide range of additional areas for potential cooperation, including healthcare, port services, sports, and culture. 

The opening of direct relations between two of the Middle East’s most dynamic nations will contribute to a more secure and prosperous future for the peoples of both countries and the wider region.

This historic diplomatic breakthrough has been facilitated by the Abraham Accords initiative of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America. It follows the 11 September 2020 agreement between His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to open an era of cooperation between the two nations. This diplomatic step was followed by the signing of the Peace Declaration between Bahrain and Israel in Washington on 15 September 2020, to endorse the principles of the Abraham Accords and to open a new chapter of peace.

This chapter is a continuation of determined regional and international efforts to advance peace in the Middle East and is a testament to the bold vision and leadership exhibited by the three countries to innovate in diplomacy for sustainable peace and prosperity. The three countries face a range of interdependent challenges and will mutually benefit from today’s historic milestone.

Yesterday’s historic signing brings together two of America’s friends and partners in the Middle East.

The Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Israel will join with the United States to advance a Strategic Agenda for peace and prosperity in the Middle East, and expand avenues for cooperation that are anchored within shared values and interests. The three nations are aligned in their views on the challenges, threats and opportunities present in the region. Through closer security cooperation, public diplomacy and engagement on the economy, technology and other shared interests, including the promotion of co-existence, people-to-people engagement and a culture of peace, the region’s potential can be unlocked. Today’s agreements will lead to better lives for the peoples of Bahrain, Israel, and the region.

The parties will continue their efforts to achieve a just, comprehensive and enduring resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Israel trust that this development will contribute to a future in which all peoples and all faiths can live together in the spirit of cooperation and enjoy peace and prosperity where states are focused on shared interests and building a better future.

The Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Israel express their deep appreciation to the United States of America in securing a more stable, secure and prosperous Middle East.

###

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP BEFORE AIR FORCE ONE DEPARTURE Phoenix International Airport Phoenix, Arizona

 

Office of the Press Secretary
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
BEFORE AIR FORCE ONE DEPARTURE
 
Phoenix International Airport
Phoenix, Arizona
 
 
2:43 P.M. MST
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  So that was a great stop, and now we're going to Tucson, and -- quick trip, but we have a tremendous crowd there also. 
 
     This was an impressive crowd we just left.  Do you agree?
 
     Q    It was a very --
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  I mean, I think you would agree with that.  We're doing very well in Arizona. 
 
     Q    Is your fate tied with Senator McSally and her reelection?  Or (inaudible) voters --
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  No, I don’t think there's anything to do.   I think she's doing fine.  It's a separate -- I've always viewed that as being highly overrated, and I think we're very separated, but we support each other fully. 
 
     But I've never been a believer that somebody -- that you're tied together.  I don’t -- I don’t believe that.  I know I'm doing very well.  I don’t know what her numbers are.  I haven’t looked.  But I hope she does well.  She's a very good person.  I know my numbers, as you know, are very good in Arizona. 
 
     Q    How are you feeling about the Senate more generally?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  It's close -- the Senate.  The Senate is not -- you know, look, as we just discussed with Kelly, I think they're very untied.  It's not, you know, a lot of people think,
"Oh, are they tied with Trump?"  Meaning, “tied together.”  I think that's highly overrated.  Highly overrated. 
 
     But I think we have some really good races that are happening.  I'm hearing that John James is doing very well, as an example.  I think we have some very good ones.  We have some very close ones.  And I think I'm doing very well.
 
     I'm an individual.  I think I'm doing very well, as an individual.  And you probably -- I probably helped some.  I don't think I hurt anybody.  But I don't -- I don't view them as being tied together.  I never did.  I think that you can have very separate.
 
     I could do fantastically well in a state, and we could have a sendidate [sic] -- Senate candidate that does unbelievably badly.  I don't think it has anything to do.  It could -- it could -- it could be something nice, but I don't think it has anything to do, and I was never a big believer in that theory.
 
     Q    How's your stamina after campaigning for a week?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  I think really good.  I mean, you people can tell me better than I can.  I think really good.  I feel great.  I don't think anybody can do what I do.  You know, when you get up before that many people -- you saw that crowd.  You were there.  When you get up before that many people three or four times a day, there aren't too many people that can do that, and I really have no problem doing it.  I'm doing it because it's important to do.  I have to do it, and I think it's very important.
 
     And I think when I leave a crowd like that -- and that's got to be 20,000 people.  Did you see them coming in at the -- it was incredible.  When you leave a crowd like that -- and I've had only crowds like that.  We've had no small crowd, whether it's in Pennsylvania or anyplace else.  Every single place has been like this, and I think there's not a person out of all of those thousands and thousands of people that won't be voting and won't be voting for me.  And I think it spreads out to much bigger even than the crowd itself.
 
     Q    Mr. President, what is the emotion that you are campaigning with?  You seem more aggressive.  Are you running angry, running scared?  How would you describe it?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  No, I'm not running scared.  I'm running angry because -- I think I'm running angry, I'm running happy, and I'm running very content because I've done a great job.  And I think that's the reason you have such crowds like this.
 
     You could go back into politics 200 years and there's never been a politician that's drawn crowds like this.  I don't care who it is, and I don't care who you use and when you talk about it.  And when -- you know, we're talking about two weeks before, but I would -- I would have these crowds six months before, too.  It's the same thing.
 
     And, you know, you may have a crowd like that for somebody one night before -- the night before the election, as you know -- where they'll have one crowd like that.  But we have them, you know, very early on.  No, I think very content.  Very content.
 
     The reason those people are there is they love the job I’ve done.  In the end, that’s what it’s got to be about.  But there’s a certain anger because there’s a lot of very unfairness going on here. 
 
     Joe Biden is a corrupt politician, and you people aren’t covering that, and that’s not fair.
 
     Q    Should the FBI be investigating Hunter Biden?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, the FBI should be investigating.  I don’t know if they are or not, but they should be investigating him.  And you’ll have to call Wray and ask him.  But that is -- and why did they have those -- and did they have it?  Did they have that laptop for a long time and not do anything with it?
 
     And that’s a question the Washington Times is going to have to look into.  But certainly, the FBI should be investigating it because, on its face, he’s guilt as can be.  There is not even a question about it.  On its face, he shouldn’t be allowed to run.  So we’ll see how it goes.
 
     Q    Mr. President, what are you doing to try win over voters who aren’t the folks who are at the rallies, they’re not the folks watching Fox News?  What are you doing?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, I think that we’re winning over voters by having such a success.  Look, our stock market is almost at the all-time high in our history.  And that’s with a pandemic.  And I know you don’t like saying this, but -- and I believe we’re rounding the turn on the pandemic very substantially and the vaccines will come out. 
 
     But with all of this, we have the best 401(k)s we’ve ever had.  We’ve had the best stocks, the best stock market, which is -- you know, whether you like stock market or not, it’s a leading indicator -- the all-time leading indicator.  And many people have stocks.  But whether they have stocks or 401(k)s, so -- you know, I mean, we’re doing incredibly well. 
 
     And we wouldn’t be doing that well if I didn’t build a foundation, because we got hit with a pandemic; we got hit with the China virus.  And if we didn’t have the strong foundation, we could never have a stock market -- I mean, think of it.  We have a stock market that’s as high as it was, just about, before we got hit by the pandemic.  We have housing numbers that are better.  We have enthusiasm numbers, in terms of the country, that are better.  And when the Gallup poll comes out last week and says 56 percent of the country are happier now than they were when Obama-Biden had their wonderful administration, I mean, that’s a great compliment.
 
     So I’m really very happy.  I’m very happy with the way it’s going.  I don’t think it’s being covered fairly.  I don’t think you’re showing the kind of enthusiasm.  I don’t think you’re showing the crowds and the crowd size.  You did, in the Washington Times.  I appreciate that.  But, for the most part, they’re not. 
 
     But these are the largest crowds ever to meet for rallies, by far.  Not even by a little bit.  And I don’t think people are showing, in terms of the media, the enthusiasm.  But the main thing is the people know.  One thing I’ve found out: The public is very smart.  They get it.
 
     So I’ll see you at the next stop, okay?  Tucson.
 
     Q    So just for -- if we did not know the answer on November 3rd, would you do other rallies waiting until there was a result?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’ll have to see.  I think you’ll know.  I hope you’re going to know the answer on November 3rd.  That would be the best thing.  Knowing the answer is very important.  Thank you.
 
     Q    (Inaudible) five rallies a day, sir?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  I might.  The last two or three days, we may go to five.
 
     Q    Five?
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Five.
 
                             END                2:50 P.M. MST