REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON OF THE UNITED KINGDOM BEFORE BILATERAL MEETING United Nations Headquarters New York, New York

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 24, 2019 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON OF THE UNITED KINGDOM BEFORE BILATERAL MEETING United Nations Headquarters New York, New York   11:35 A.M. EDT      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, thank you very much everyone.  It’s great to be with my friend, Boris Johnson.  He just got a position that he’s having a very easy time with.  It’s much easier than he thought.  (Laughter.)  They’re saying, “Is it tougher or easier?”  He said, “Well, it’s…" -- I guess, what he expected.  I think it’s pretty much what you expected.      PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON:  It is.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  And he’s doing a fantastic job.  Not easy.  But doing a really good job.  And I think you're going to make great progress come October, come November.  But great progress for the country, long term.      PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON:  October.  October.  October the 31st.  (Inaudible.)      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  The results are going to be -- the results are going to start to show in November.  But it looks to me like he has made some great progress.  So it’s an honor to have him here.      We’re going to be discussing trade.  We can quadruple our trade with UK.  And we can, I think, really do a big job.  Bob Lighthizer is here -- our trade representative.  Your trade representative is here.  And they’re already scheduled today to continue negotiations.      But we can have substantially more trade with UK, and we look forward to doing that.  So we’ll talk about other things also.  It’s great to have you, Boris.      PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON:  Well, thank you very much.  It’s great to be here.  And I certainly hope that we can make a lot of progress quite fast on trade.  We've got our Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, is here.  We hope to get going on that, always remembering that the NHS is not for sale.      But everything else -- there's a huge amount we can -- we can do. And I guess we’ll also talk a bit about Iran -- PRESIDENT TRUMP:  We'll be talking about that. PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON:  -- and some of those difficult issues where I think we share a common perspective, and we want to dial things down but also make sure that people in the Gulf don’t get the wrong idea about what they can get away with.  That's a complicated issue.  We have to make progress there as well.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  We'll be talking about many things, and we look forward to it.  And we'll start in just a minute.      So thank you very much, everybody.  Thank you.      Q    Prime Minister Johnson, some of your critics are saying that you should resign because you misled the Queen with regard to shutting Parliament down.  How do you respond to that?      PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON:  Well, as I said earlier on -- thank you very much.  As I said earlier on, let's be absolutely clear: We respect the judiciary in our country, we respect the court. I disagree profoundly with what they had to say.  I think it was entirely right to go ahead with a plan for a Queen's speech.  This is a -- with the longest period.  We haven’t had a Queen's speech for 400 years.  We've got a dynamic domestic agenda we need to be getting on with: more police on the streets, investment in our National Health Service, improving our education.  We need to get on with that. And, frankly, I think we need to get on with Brexit.  That's the overwhelming view of the British people.  Whether they voted to leave or remain, they want to get this thing done by October the 31st.  And that's what we're going to do.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  That was a very nasty question from a great American reporter.  I'm shocked.      PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON:  Was that -- no, was that an American reporter?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  That's an American reporter.      PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON:  Was it?  I thought --      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  And he's a good one.      PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON:  But I think he was asking a question, to be fair, that a lot of British reporters would have asked me.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, now that we have that out of the way -- he's not -- I'll tell you, I know him well: He's not going anywhere.  Don’t worry about him.      Okay, go ahead.  Any other questions?      Q    Any advice for the Prime Minister as to how he should deal with the judges?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  No, I think he's dealing very well.  Everything I see here is what -- look, I've watched it very closely.  He's a friend of mine.  I tend to watch friends closer than enemies, but the enemies you have to watch in a different way.      I think he's doing very well.  It's a complicated subject, but they took a vote, and the vote was -- I was there.  I happened to be there the day of that vote.      PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON:  Were you down at the vote?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I made a prediction, even.  I even made a prediction.  And it was a correct prediction.  And, you know, that was a long time ago.  And it takes a man like this to get it done.  And they have to get it done; otherwise, it would be a terrible thing to do it any other way.      I don't see another vote.  I don't see anything happening.  I think he's going to get it done.      Q    Mr. President, what was your reaction when you heard these UK supreme court decision?  What was your reaction to it?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I had no reaction.  I just asked Boris.  And, you know, to him, it's another day in the office.  He's a professional.  It's just another day in the office.      PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON:  Yeah, well, it's -- tomorrow is another day in Parliament.  That's what he means.  (Laughter.)      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  You know, we had -- we had, Boris, the first couple of months, we had been -- I think we were 0 for 7 with the Supreme Court.  And since then, we won the wall, we won asylum, we won some of the biggest ones.  We've had a great streak going. But we -- we started off, we were 0 for 7.  And then as you will report -- in fact, the first time we won, you were, like, shocked that we won.  And since then, we've almost run the table.  We've won a lot of decisions.  So I'm sure that's going to happen to you.      PRIME MINISTER JOHNSON:  Well, we're not counting our chickens.  And we're full of respect, as I say, to the justices of our -- (laughter) -- supreme court.  But we're going to -- we're going to push on.  We're going to respect what the court had to say, but we're going to get on and deliver Brexit.  That's the -- I think that's what the British people want to see.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  In other words, he's been very nice to the court, please.  Okay?  He has --      Q    Mr. President --      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  He has total respect for the court. Yeah, Jeff.      Q    Mr. President, on a separate subject, can you explain why aid to Ukraine was stopped?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Because I think that other countries should be paying also.  Why is the United States the only one paying to Ukraine?  And I've been talking about this for a long time -- not only with respect to Ukraine, but a lot of other countries.      But, frankly, why isn't Germany -- I just met with the Chancellor -- why isn't Germany, why isn't France, why aren't these other countries paying payment?  Why are we paying all the time?  And nobody has given, I believe, more to Ukraine.  You know, President Obama used to send pillows and sheets.  I sent anti-tank weapons and a lot of things to Ukraine.  We think that it's very important and -- by the way, I don’t know if you know it or not, that payment was made. But I wanted to get other countries.  Other countries should also pay because, frankly, it affects them more.  I mean, that’s a barrier.  That’s a wall between Russia and the UK.  And they don’t pay.  And why are they not paying?  Why is it always the United States that's paying?  And I made that loud and clear.  I told that to Mick Mulvaney.  I told it to a lot of people.  Where's Mick?  Wherever he is.  But I told it to a lot of different people.  I told it to Mike.  I told it to two Mikes.  I told it to Steve. I keep asking the same -- I said it to Wilbur Ross.  I keep asking the same question: Why is it that the United States is always paying these foreign countries and other foreign countries that, frankly, are much great -- much more affected, and they're not? So I said, "Hold it up.  Let's get other people to pay."  And then everybody called me: "Oh, please can we pay?"  And I said -- and there was never any quid pro quo.  The letter was beautiful.  It was a perfect letter. It was -- unlike Biden, who -- by the way, what he said was a horror.  And ask how his son made millions of dollars from Ukraine, made millions of dollars from China, even though he had no expertise whatsoever.  Okay?  So what he did was a real problem.  With us, there was no pressure applied, no nothing. Okay, folks.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.                                    END                11:42 A.M. EDT

President Donald J. Trump Approves South Dakota Disaster Declaration

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 24, 2019 President Donald J. Trump Approves South Dakota Disaster Declaration   Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of South Dakota and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding from May 26 to June 7, 2019. Federal funding is available to State, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding in the counties of Aurora, Bennett, Brule, Butte, Campbell, Custer, Deuel, Fall River, Gregory, Haakon, Hamlin, Hanson, Jackson, Jones, Lyman, Meade, Mellette, Pennington, Sanborn, Todd, Tripp, Turner, Union, Walworth, and Ziebach and the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation and the Rosebud Reservation. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Pete Gaynor, Acting Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named James R. Stephenson as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

W-GDP PLENARY SESSION AND ROUNDTABLE WITH IVANKA TRUMP

From Judd Deere:

W-GDP PLENARY SESSION AND ROUNDTABLE WITH IVANKA TRUMP

2019 Concordia Annual Summit

New York, NY

September 23, 2019

9:00AM – 10:40AM

On Background from a White House Official:

In February 2019, President Donald Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) to establish the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative. W-GDP is the United States Government’s first ever whole of government approach to women’s economic empowerment, aiming to impact 50 million women in the developing world by 2025. On Monday, September 23, Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump joined Concordia CEO Matt Swift to discuss her work on this topic for a plenary session that was standing room only at the Concordia Annual Summit.

Additionally, there was a separate roundtable event to highlight the inaugural class of W-GDP International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) participants. Over the last two weeks, 18 inaugural participants of the W-GDP IVLP have been touring the country to meet with federal, state, and local governments, private companies, multilateral and non-governmental organizations, business incubators, and financial institutions to learn and create action plans on how to address barriers to women’s economic participation in their home countries. These 18 IVLP participants represent leaders in both the public and private sectors from around the world, including Burma, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Republic of Kosovo, Lesotho, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Paraguay, Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, and Uganda. The national tour consisted of stops in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Kansas City; Des Moines; and now, New York City.  During their stop to the Washington, D.C., the inaugural participants met with Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce and Ambassador Stuart Holliday, President and CEO of the Meridian International Center. They also participated in meetings on Capitol Hill with bipartisan members of Congress. This roundtable aimed to cap off their tour to discuss all they had learned during their travel and tasked each participant with individual action plans to bring back to their home countries.

IVANKA TRUMP QUOTE:

“W-GDP is wonderfully represented through this impressive inaugural class. This diverse group of women and men are committed to tearing down cultural and legal barriers to women’s economic empowerment around the world. I look forward to seeing the positive changes that will be advanced in their home countries, a long term investment in impact that should inspire us all!”

Plenary Session Participants:

• Ivanka Trump, Advisor to President
• Matthew Swift, President & CEO, Concordia

Roundtable Participants:

• Ivanka Trump, Advisor to President
• Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State
• Dina Powell, Partner, Investment Banking Division, Goldman Sachs
• 18 Inaugural IVLP Participants

Names of IVLP Participants:

• BURMA (MYANMAR): Ms. Sandar Myo
• CHILE: Ms. Maria Cristina Guell Escobar
• COSTA RICA: Ms. Paola Lucia Bulgarelli Brenes
• ECUADOR: Ms. Connie Maily Jimenez Romero
• EGYPT: Ms. Salwa Anwar Mohamed Hamed
• ETHIOPIA: Ms. Eyerusalem Jima Haile
• GHANA: Ms. Dinah Adiko
• INDONESIA: Mr. Mochamad Nur Arifin Mugiyanto
• REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO: Ms. Leonora Kusari
• LESOTHO: Hon. Tsepang Mosena
• MALAYSIA: Ms. Anja Juliah Abu Bakar
• MOROCCO: Ms. Ikrame El Houdali
• NIGERIA: Ms. Feyisayo Folashade Ajayi
• PARAGUAY: Ms. Amelia Maria Teresa Moro Cabanas
• PHILIPPINES: Ms. Crisanta Marlene Paje Rodriguez
• RWANDA: Ms. Agnes Samputu
• SRI LANKA: Ms. Sachintha Sarasi Fernando
• UGANDA: Ms. Fiona Nambaziira Luswata

Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Meeting with President Moon Jae-In of the Republic of Korea

From Hogan Gidley 

Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Meeting with President Moon Jae-In of the Republic of Korea

Today, President Donald J. Trump met with President Moon Jae-in at the UN General Assembly in New York. The two leaders reaffirmed that the United States – Republic of Korea alliance remains the linchpin of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, and they discussed ways to further strengthen the alliance, including through the quick conclusion of a new military burden sharing agreement before the end of 2019. They also discussed matters related to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. President Trump spoke about his relationship with Chairman Kim Jong Unand and is confident that Chairman Kim will fulfil commitments made during the historic Singapore and Hanoi Summits. President Trump and President Moon reaffirmed their commitment to continue close communication in the coming months. 

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 24, 2019 PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP IS CHARTING A FUTURE OF NATIONS THAT EMPOWERS OUR CITIZENS, RESPECTS OUR SOVEREIGNTY, AND PROTECTS OUR FREEDOMS   “If you want freedom, take pride in your country. If you want democracy, hold on to your sovereignty. If you want peace, love your Nation.” – President Donald J. Trump   LIFTING UP OUR NATIONS: President Donald J. Trump has shown that the path to prosperity and strength lies in lifting up our people and respecting our sovereignty.   In his remarks to the United Nations General Assembly, President Trump lays out his vision for a more prosperous and free future for all our countries. President Trump understands that building a better future starts at home – by lifting up our citizens, honoring our histories, and standing up for our sovereignty. The President has shown the revival that can come from promoting economic growth, fighting unfair trade, protecting individual freedoms, and standing up for sovereign borders. LAUNCHING AN ECONOMIC REVIVAL: President Trump’s pro-growth policies have unleashed an American economic revival.  President Trump has implemented a pro-growth agenda centered on historic tax cuts, deregulation, and trade reform. Workers are seeing more and more employment opportunities and have more money in their pockets thanks to President Trump’s efforts to jump start the American economy. More than 6.3 million jobs have been created since President Trump’s election and job openings far outnumber job seekers. The unemployment rates for African Americans and Hispanic Americans have hit record lows. Workers are seeing bigger paychecks, as year-over-year wage gains exceed 3 percent. Our economic resurgence is lifting up those who have been left behind. Inequality is falling and nearly 2.5 million American have been lifted out of poverty. CONFRONTING UNFAIR TRADE: President Trump is standing up for the American people and putting an end to decades of bad deals.  For decades, politicians looked the other way while bad trade deals sent our wealth overseas and took away jobs from hardworking Americans.  The President is getting rid of the disastrous North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and replacing it with a better deal, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Our country has lost 4 million manufacturing jobs since NAFTA went into effect. USMCA will create quality jobs for American workers and provide our businesses, manufacturers, and farmers with fairer markets to export their goods. President Trump has stood up to China’s unfair trade policies and is working to restore balance to our trade relationship with China by reaching a fair deal. The President has imposed tariffs to confront China’s intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers that have hurt too many American businesses.   President Trump has called on the World Trade Organization to implement much needed reforms to stop China’s gaming of the system. HOLDING IRAN ACCOUNTABLE: President Trump has imposed a maximum pressure campaign in response to the regime’s global campaign of terror and regional aggression.  Last week, President Trump imposed hard hitting sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank and National Development Fund in response to the regime’s attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities. Since withdrawing from the horrible Iran deal, President Trump has imposed the strongest sanctions ever placed on Iran. President Trump has imposed sanctions on Iran’s top three exports. President Trump imposed sanctions on the Supreme Leader of Iran and designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. President Trump will continue to impose maximum pressure until the regime changes its reckless behavior.    PROMOTING A FREE WESTERN HEMISPHERE: President Trump is supporting the people of Venezuela who live under the brutal Maduro regime. President Trump has recognized Juan Guaido as the Interim President of Venezuela and has helped lead dozens of other nations to join in recognizing him. The Administration has imposed devastating sanctions cutting off the Maduro regime’s financial support. The Administration has sanctioned key sectors of the Venezuelan economy exploited by the regime at the expense of the people, including the oil and gold sectors. President Trump has also stood against the oppressive regimes in Cuba and Nicaragua, who deprive their people of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. President Trump reversed the previous administration’s disastrous Cuba policy and has targeted the Ortega regime for its corruption and human rights abuses. STOPPING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: Uncontrolled, illegal immigration is a devastating burden on many of our countries and people.  The President is working with a number of countries, including Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama to protect our borders and our people. Mexico has deployed thousands of troops to their borders to help stop the flood of illegal immigration. We recently signed agreements with Guatemala and El Salvador which will help limit the overwhelming flood of migrants arriving at the United States border.  President Trump is committed to working with partners throughout the region to stop the horrible human smuggling industry that is driving this crisis and victimizing migrants.  PROTECTING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: President Trump is committed to defending the religious freedom of all people, in the United States and around the world.   President Trump is the first President of the United States to host a meeting at the United Nations on religious freedom. President Trump has made protecting religious freedom of all Americans a key priority of his Administration. President Trump has taken action to ensure Americans are not forced to violate their religious beliefs and signed an executive order to enhance religious freedom.  The Trump Administration has stood up for religious freedom at a time when it has come under threat around the world. The Administration launched the Religious Freedom Ministerial, bringing together foreign officials, organizations, and advocates to fight religious persecution.

1600 Daily The White House • September 23, 2019 See the Best Moments: ‘How Great is America?’ says Australian Leader

The White House • September 23, 2019 See the best moments: ‘How great is America?’ says Australian leader Under the stars, President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted a celebratory State Dinner at the White House Friday night for two special guests of honor: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and First Lady Jenny Morrison. “Melania and I are immensely honored to host you and the entire Australian delegation for a State Dinner in the historic Rose Garden,” President Trump said. “Tonight, we celebrate more than a century of loyal and devoted friendship between the United States and Australia.” Australia’s State Visit—the second official ceremonial State Visit of the Trump Presidency—was both a celebration of the unbreakable bond these two countries share and a reaffirmation of our common vision for peace and prosperity around the world. The busy weekend began with a full military arrival ceremony on the South Lawn Friday morning. Under clear skies, hundreds of guests gathered to watch Marine Band performances of both countries’ beautiful national anthems. During the ceremony, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that no two nations make better friends than America and Australia—and explained how American ideals have inspired countries the world over. “How great is America? The world is a better place because of this country living out its moral purpose—a world not just more secure, but more prosperous as well,” he said. “The new economies of the world lifting hundreds of millions from poverty do so because they first saw the United States define a century and do that first, and then invited and supported them to follow.” Prime Minister Morrison also joined President Trump at Pratt Industries in Ohio yesterday for an event that underscores the powerful economic ties between our countries. President Trump announced that American manufacturing is in store for yet another boost thanks to billions being invested by Australian factory owner Anthony Pratt. All told, that faith in U.S. workers will create 5,000 new jobs on its own over the next decade. “Here in Ohio, we see the shining example of the wonderful future we can build together—a future where proud, independent nations uplift each other and the world by uplifting their own citizens.” President Trump wins big Ohio manufacturing investment from Australian firm  Watch: White House arrival ceremony for the Prime Minister of Australia At UN, President Trump calls for global action to end religious persecution  President Trump kicked off this week at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York with a simple but powerful statement. “Today, with one clear voice, the United States of America calls upon all the nations of the world to end religious persecution. To stop the crimes against people of faith, release prisoners of conscience, repeal laws restricting freedom of religion and belief, protect the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the oppressed.”  President Trump: Our founders understood the right to religious freedom “America stands with believers in every country who ask only for the freedom to live according to the faith that is within their own hearts.” Religious freedom is in a state of global crisis. Right now, a stunning 83 percent of the world’s population lives in nations where religious freedom is threatened or banned. The resulting violence has been on the rise for the past decade, affecting many faiths. That’s why President Trump is putting the issue center stage this week at the United Nations, an organization with the power to do more to hold bad actors accountable. The right to follow religious convictions is built into the very fabric of America, but that right shouldn’t be exclusive to us. Citizens of every nation should be allowed to worship freely. Learn more about how President Trump is standing up for religious freedom in America and around the world. Photo of the Day Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks First Lady Melania Trump talks with guests at the State Dinner in honor of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his wife Mrs. Jenny Morrison | September 20, 2019

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRESIDENT MOON OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA BEFORE BILATERAL MEETING InterContinental New York Barclay New York, New York

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 23, 2019 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRESIDENT MOON OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA BEFORE BILATERAL MEETING InterContinental New York Barclay New York, New York   5:29 P.M. EDT      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, thank you very much.  We're pleased to be with President Moon of South Korea.  We have a long-term friendship, and we are making a lot of progress.  We are working on tremendous trade deals.  We -- as you know, we've completed a trade deal, and that's working out very well for both countries.  That deal is completed now, and it's been in existence for -- solidly in existence for six months.  And it's been very good.      And we intend to do some additional things on trade.  Of course, we'll be talking about North Korea.  We'll be talking the purchase of equipment.  South Korea is one of our largest purchasers of military equipment.  And we're working together very well.      PRESIDENT MOON:  (As interpreted.)  Mr. President, it's a great pleasure to meet you again three months after our last meeting.  Your visit to Panmunjom will go down as a historic moment that embodied peace through action.  And I have to say that I always marvel at your imagination and bold decision-making.      Thanks to your leadership, we have been able to achieve great progress in terms of inter-Korean relations.  And this has also led to a dialogue between the United States and North Korea.  And soon, I will be expecting the working-level negotiations between the United States and North Korea to prepare for the third -- your third summit with Chairman Kim to resume -- to be resumed soon.      And when you have your third summit with Chairman Kim, maybe I hope that this will go down as a truly historic moment in world history.  This will be a great achievement that equals a great transformation in terms of a complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.      During the time I have been working together with you, the ROK-U.S. alliance has been evolving in a great way, especially in the economic field.  We have been able to revise a bilateral free trade agreement, and that has been a great success, while many Korean companies are increasing their investment in America.      And during the course of my visit to New York, we'll be signing the deal to increase the import of LNG from America, while we'll also be signing a deal regarding a joint venture between a Korean motor company and an automotive vehicle company in America.  So I believe that all of this will come to reinforce our already strong alliance.      And furthermore, I do look forward to engaging in candid discussions with you today on how we could truly make great progress in our alliance in other aspects as well.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you very much.      Q    What's it going to take to have a third summit with Chairman Kim, sir?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, we'll see.  Right now, people would like to see that happen.  I want to know what's going to be coming out of it.  We can know a lot before the summit takes place.      We had, really, two very successful summits.  There's been -- as you know, there's been no lessening of the sanctions.  There's only been an increasing of the sanctions.  But very importantly, we have our hostages back.  And that was a very big deal.  And we got our hostages back.  We have the remains of our great heroes from the past back -- a lot of them.  And they're coming in, and they actually have a lot of them ready to start coming in again.      So, a lot of things have happened.  Plus, there's been no nuclear testing at all for the last quite a long period of time, at least that we can detect.  And the relationships have been very good.      So, we'll see what happens.  But we'd like to see if we can do something.  And if we can, that would be great.  And if we can't, that's fine.  We'll see what happens.  But there's been no nuclear testing for a long time.  A long time.      Q    Mr. President, for guns, do you plan on announcing a gun plan in the coming days?  And if so, is it going to include background checks?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, we're working very much with the Republicans, and we're working also with the Democrats.  But a lot of the Democrats are wasting their time on nonsense, on pure nonsense.  So they don't have much time to work on guns, unfortunately.  If they did, it would be probably pretty easy to do.  But we always have to protect our Second Amendment.  It's very important.      I saw where this character from Texas -- I can't imagine he'll get one vote in Texas.  He wants to start confiscating guns.  That's not a good thing.  That's no good.  It makes it actually much harder to make a deal when this Beto O'Rourke comes out and starts talking about confiscating guns.  When you do that, it makes it much tougher.      But the Democrats are really just wasting so much time on -- on nonsense, on junk.  And if they focused on this, they could get it done.  But we have to protect our Second Amendment.  We have to protect people that want and need guns.  And we have to keep guns out of the hands of crazy people and sick people.  Very simple.  It's not very complicated.      Q    Are you considering sanctions -- considering actions first before denuclearization as part of your new method for the -- in the denuclearization talks?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Sanctions where?      Q    Sanctions first before denuclearization, as part of your new method in denuclearization talks.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I can't -- you're going to have to speak up.  Say it again.  Sanctions.  Go ahead.  What was --      Q    Sanctions -- considering action first before denuclearization?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Where?      Q    For North Korea and the denuclearization talks.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I'm not considering actions.  We're getting along very well with North Korea.  I have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un.  And we're not considering actions at all.  There's no reason for actions.      I will say this: If I weren’t President, you’d be at war with North Korea, in my opinion.  If the same group was in that preceded me, you’d be in a war with North Korea.      So we’re not looking at any actions.  We have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un.  We’ll see what happens.  Maybe we’ll be able to make a deal.  Maybe not.      Q    Mr. President, I meant the sanctions first.  I beg your pardon. PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Go ahead.      Q    Mr. President, there is breaking news just now -- PRESIDENT TRUMP:  More breaking news?      Q    More breaking news, yes.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  There’s always breaking news.  It’s usually -- it’s usually breaking fake news.  Go ahead.      Q    Two rockets just landed in the Green Zone in Baghdad.  Do you see this as an escalation in the Middle East?  And could --      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I don’t know anything about it.  You just told me it’s breaking news, so I’ll have to see it.  You know, right now, I’m here.  I haven’t heard it.      Q    But this is not the first time.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  When did this happen?      Q    Just now, but this is not the first time.  Many rockets landed before.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  No, that is not the first time.  Nope. We’ll look into it.  We’re going to look into it.      Q    But are you worried about the U.S. embassy in Baghdad -- the security there?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  We’re going to look into it.  I know nothing about it.  You just told me it’s breaking, so therefore I assume it’s relatively new, like within the last four days.      Q    Mr. President, do you plan on discussing the North Korean short-range missile tests with your counterpart?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.  We’re going to discuss that.      Q    And, Mr. President, yourself: Do you have any comment --      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I will be discussing that.      Q    -- on the North Korean missile tests?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.  I will be discussing.  We didn’t have an agreement on short-range missiles.  And a lot of people and a lot of countries test short-range missiles; there’s nothing spectacular about that.  But we will be discussing that also.  Okay?      Q    Can we hear from President Moon if he is troubled by the short-range missiles and if he’d like to see you maybe try to stop it from happening -- talk to Chairman Kim?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, we’ll take a look at it.  We’re going to talk about it.  But I didn’t really discuss that with Kim Jong Un.  That was never a part of our discussion.  We did discuss nuclear testing and other things.  And, frankly, he’s lived up to his word on those things that we discussed.  And we actually signed an agreement in Singapore.  We actually had two very good meetings.      You would have been at war right now with North Korea if I weren’t President.      Thank you very much.  Thank you.                              END       5:39 P.M. EDT

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRIME MINISTER LEE OF SINGAPORE BEFORE BILATERAL MEETING InterContinental New York Barclay New York, New York

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 23, 2019

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRIME MINISTER LEE OF SINGAPORE BEFORE BILATERAL MEETING InterContinental New York Barclay New York, New York   3:54 P.M. EDT      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, thank you very much.  As we just said, we signed a very important agreement having to do with defense and mutual defense, and I guess you could say mutual offense, also.      But we -- we're now going to talk about trade.  We do tremendous amounts of trade with Singapore.  And the Prime Minister -- highly respected.  One of the truly most respected men anywhere in the world.  And he’s been my friend for a long time.  And we’re doing very well.  But we do tremendous trade with Singapore, and we appreciate it very much, Mr. Prime Minister.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  Well, thank you, Mr. President.  As you said, we’ve just signed an agreement to extend our memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Right.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  It’s the second time we are extending this.  It reflects the very good defense relationship we have between the two countries, but also reflects our broader cooperation and friendship.      And, in economics, we have an FTA between the U.S. and Singapore.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Right.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  The volume of trade is substantial, and the volume of investments, too.  In Singapore, you are one -- you are our most important foreign investor.  And, in America, as small as we are, we have 55 billion dollars’ worth of investments --      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  That’s not too bad.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  -- in many different states.  And (inaudible) they tell me a quarter million U.S. jobs.  So it’s not bad for a small country.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Not bad.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  We’d like to do more, and we hope that you will do more in Singapore and also in the Asia Pacific region.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, we had a very successful meeting with Kim Jong Un of North Korea, and it was in Singapore.  And people don’t give that meeting as much credit as it deserves.  The relationship was established, and it was a tremendous success.      And we saw each other there.  Really got to know each other there very well.  And you've done a fantastic job.  It’s a great country.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  Well, we were very honored to host that first summit between you and --      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Right.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  -- Mr. Kim.  We are happy that it has helped to turn the situation in Korea around and point it in the right direction.  And we wish you every success in continuing to make progress on this very difficult task.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, thank you.  It’s moving along pretty well, actually.  So, thank you very much.  That was a great couple of days we spent, and we enjoyed it.  Thank you.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  Thank you.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you very much everybody.      Q    Mr. President, why did you go to the climate change meeting today?  What prompted you to pop in there?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Because I believe in clean air and clean water.  It’s very simple.  We have the cleanest air.  We have the cleanest water.  Cleaner than it’s ever been before in our country.  And I like clean air and I like clean water.      Q    Are you going to -- could you give us a little flavor of your speech tomorrow?  Are you going to bring up Iran, North Korea?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  We’re going to bring up a lot, Steve.  We have a lot of different things to talk about.  And if I talk about everything that we’re working on, it would go on for two days.      But there are a lot of things to talk about.  We have a lot of really great relationships, and we have some relationships that are -- let’s call it “in formation.”  We’re being nice.      But we’ll be talking about Iran.  We’ll be talking about various things that we’re doing.  And we’re having tremendous success.  We’re also going to be talking about the economy.  As you know, Mr. Prime Minister, our economy is doing fantastically well.  We have the best unemployment numbers we’ve ever had in most categories, and getting better.  We just had some phenomenal results today, Steve, as I understand it.  We just had -- Wilbur, we just had a great couple of numbers.      Larry Kudlow, could you discuss that, please?      MR. KUDLOW:  PMI --      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Some great numbers just came out.      MR. KUDLOW:  PMI -- manufacturing, up.  Up.  Unfortunately, Europe's was down, and Germany's was down a lot.  It looks like we're in a turning zone back up on manufacturing.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Others were down, and we're up.  And we continue to go in the right direction.  We're getting numbers that we never anticipated having.  And we're doing very well.  Other parts of the world are not doing nearly as well.      But -- and I think we have tremendous potential upward.      Q    Just on Iran, are you going to make the case to keep the pressure on them in your speech tomorrow?      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, I don’t want to say now, Steve.  But, look, we have a lot of pressure on them right now.  More pressure than they've ever had.  And Iran knows that they're in a position that they're -- a lot of things are going to happen.  Let me just put it this way: A lot of things are happening with respect to Iran.  A lot more than you would know.  A lot more than the media knows.  But a lot of things are happening.  Okay?  I'll be discussing it a little bit tomorrow.          Anybody else?      Q    Mr. President, are you content with the way Rudy Giuliani has been handling the Ukraine situation over the last  --      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I think he was excellent.  I watched him the other night.  I haven't watched that show in a long time.  I don't watch CNN because it's fake news.  But I watched Rudy take apart Fredo.  Fredo's performance was incompetent.  Rudy took him apart.      The press doesn't give him credit because they take little tiny snippets, where wherever Rudy was a little bit -- if he mispronounces a word, they'll show that.  They won't show the whole.  Rudy Giuliani took Fredo to the cleaners.  It's the first time I've watched CNN in a long time, too.  I hate to watch it because it's so fake.      Okay?  Thank you very much, everybody.  Thank you.                            END          3:59 P.M. EDT

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRIME MINISTER LEE OF SINGAPORE AT A SIGNING CEREMONY InterContinental New York Barclay New York, New York

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 23, 2019 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRIME MINISTER LEE OF SINGAPORE AT A SIGNING CEREMONY InterContinental New York Barclay New York, New York   3:51 P.M. EDT      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, thank you very much.  We are close friends with Singapore and with Prime Minister Lee, and we've gotten to know each other very well.      And we're signing a memorandum of defense -- really, an understanding.  And it's a very strong understanding.  We know where we are.  We have an extraordinary relationship with Singapore and with the Prime Minister.      And we're going to be -- there'll be a lot of -- a lot of trade involved in our agreement today.  We're going to be doing a lot of trade, a lot of military equipment, et cetera, et cetera.  So I just want to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.  And great honor to be with you.  It's a great honor.       PRIME MINISTER LEE:  Thank you.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  I would like to thank the President for signing this memorandum with me, updating our memorandum on defense cooperation between Singapore and the United States.  We've had this since 1990.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Right.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  We've updated it once before in 2005, and we're very happy to update it once more to extend for the next 15 years at least.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  That’s right.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  It reflects our very good cooperation in defense matters between the United States and Singapore, and also the broader cooperation we have in so many other fields -- in security, in economics, in counterterrorism, and in culture and education, as well.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  That’s right.        PRIME MINISTER LEE:  So we are very happy with our relationship.  We hope to grow it.  And we hope that it will also be a means for the U.S. to deepen its engagement in Southeast Asia and in the Asia Pacific region.      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Very good.  Well, it's an honor.  Thank you very much.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  Thank you.  Now we sign.      (The memorandum of understanding is signed.)      PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Okay, thank you very much, everybody.  (Applause.)  We're going to see you -- we're going to see you in the other room.  We'll see you in the other room.  Thank you very much.      PRIME MINISTER LEE:  Thank you.                                      END              3:53 P.M. EDT