{ "error": "", "type": "text", "title": "Remarks by President Trump Before Air Force Once Departure - Trade Negotiations with China and Protests in Hong Kong", "slug": "remarks-by-president-trump-before-air-force-once-departure-trade-negotiations-with-china-and-protests-in-hong-kong", "text": "
\"Q What actions are you prepared to take to avoid a recession if this yield curve thing is really predictive?<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think we\u2019re going to have a very long period of wealth and success. Other countries are doing very poorly. As you know, China is doing very, very poorly. The tariffs have really bitten into China. They haven\u2019t bitten into us at all \u2014 except for the reporters that want to make it look that way, but they don\u2019t understand what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n
The tariffs, we\u2019ve taken in close to $60 billion in tariff money. And the consumer has not paid for them. Now, at some point, they may have to pay something. But they understand that. And who really understands that is our great farmer. The farmers of this country really understand it. They know we had to do something about China, and we\u2019re doing something about China.<\/p>\n
With that being said, I think we\u2019re having very good discussions with China. They very much want to make a deal. We\u2019ll see what happens. We had a deal and they decided not to make it. Now, I think they would like to have had that opportunity again, because I think they really would \u2014 [...]<\/p>
Q Are you worried that a prolonged trade war with China will pitch the economy into a recession?<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: No, I think the longer the trade war goes on, the weaker China gets and the stronger we get. We\u2019re taking in massive amounts of money. Billions and billions of dollars, Steve, as you know. And I think the longer it goes, the stronger we get. I have a feeling it\u2019s going to go fairly short. I think it\u2019s going to be \u2013<\/p>\n
China has lost millions of jobs; you saw that reported today. Thousands of companies are closing in China. And I don\u2019t know, you know, maybe they want to do this for a year. They\u2019d love to have somebody like Biden, who doesn\u2019t know what he\u2019s doing. I mean, I just put a clip where he said, \u201cOh, we want to build up China. We want to build up China.\u201d Well, they gave us a very strong China. China has taken out over $500 billion a year for many years from our country. And that\u2019s not going to happen anymore.<\/p>\n
Q Sir, just \u2014<\/p>\n
Q How concerned are you \u2014 let me just follow up, sorry.<\/p>\n
Q Sure. It\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n
Q How concerned are you about a violent crackdown by the Chinese in Hong Kong?<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I am concerned. I wouldn\u2019t want to see a violent crackdown. I put a little bit of a memo out last night. He\u2019s a man I like a lot. I get along with him very well \u2014 President Xi.<\/p>\n
And I said that I would be willing to bet that if he sat down with the protesters \u2014 a group of representative protesters \u2014 I bet he\u2019d work it out in 15 minutes. I bet he\u2019d work it out very quickly. I know it\u2019s not the kind of thing he does, but I think it wouldn\u2019t be a bad idea. I really believe if he sat down \u2014 they have a certain little leadership pool. If he sat down with that leadership pool, I\u2019ll bet he\u2019d work something out very quickly.<\/p>\n
It really seems like things \u2014 it could be worked out pretty easily. [...]<\/p>
Q Sir, China has said that they want to retaliate, that they\u2019re going to retaliate because of the tariffs increase that you announced. What\u2019s your response to that?<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: Well, if they did retaliate \u2014 which I don\u2019t think they will do because we\u2019re talking to them and they\u2019re offering things that are very good. I don\u2019t think they\u2019ll retaliate. But if they did, we have the ultimate form of retaliation. I think that they\u2019d have very few jobs left in China, because we\u2019d be able to step it up.<\/p>\n
Just so you understand, I\u2019ve been very mild about it. Very, very mild. There\u2019s a long way I can go. And somebody had to take on what was happening with China. We can\u2019t allow China to take, out of our country, $507 billion every year, not including intellectual property theft and so many other things.<\/p>\n
So, we\u2019re having very good talks with China. I think things will happen, but we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n
Q If they do retaliate, will you want your team to meet with them in September as planned, or no?<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: Well, that\u2019s too \u2014 I \u2014 look, September, the meeting is still on, as I understand it. But I think, more importantly than September, we\u2019re talking by phone and we\u2019re having very productive talks. They would like to do something, I will tell you that.<\/p>\n
And the talk we had a few days ago with my two representatives, nobody knew what was on that talk except for myself, China, and those two people. That was a very good conversation. [...]<\/p>
Q Mr. President, do you have any idea on when China\u2019s going to follow through on their (inaudible) and crack down on fentanyl?<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: They want to follow through very quickly. This was part of the conversation that we had. They had a special representative actually come over and talk to us \u2014 a different group \u2014 and a message to me, a very strong message to me. They want to start doing that very quickly. I\u2019ll be honest, I\u2019m not there yet.<\/p>\n
Q Did you \u2014 did you tell Israel to \u2014<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: It\u2019s not China; I\u2019m not there yet. We\u2019ll see what happens.<\/p>\n
I do want to \u2014 I really would like to see China, in a humane way, solve the problem in Hong Kong \u2014 humanely solve the problem in Hong Kong. And I think they could do it very quickly. You know, I said yesterday: I really have a lot of confidence in President Xi. I know that if he sat down with their representatives, I have no doubt he would solve that problem quickly. [...]<\/p>
Q Did you talk to Xi directly? Was that who you talked to in China?<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: I will speak to him. We have a call scheduled soon \u2014 President Xi. We\u2019ll be speaking to him very soon. I really believe he can work it out. I know him well. If he wants to, he can work that out in a very humane fashion. He can work something that everybody is happy. Thank you.\"<\/p>", "quote": null, "citation": "