In-town pool report #5b - additional quotes from press conference

Here are some additional quotes from this morning's press conference, which ended at 10:54am, and was live-streamed to the public. POTUS took about ten questions from reporters before he signed his executive order that aims to lower drug prices.

On tariffs: Trump said that tariffs on Chinese imports are not expected to go back to 145% even if the U.S. and China are at an impasse after the 90-day pause. “No, but they would go up substantially higher” than the 30% rate during the pause, he said. “At 145%, you’re really decoupling, because nobody’s going to buy; but [the duties] got very high because of additional tariffs that were applied because of fentanyl and other things,” he said when asked if the US tariffs would return to 145%. “But no. But they’d go substantially higher.”

On his Middle East trip: Trump said he would consider flying to Turkey for the potential meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. “I was thinking about actually flying over there,” he added. “There’s a possibility of it, I guess,” adding that he would go “if I thought it would be helpful.”

Trump also said he “may very well relieve” sanctions on Syria. “We’re going to have to make a decision on the sanctions, which we may very well relieve,” Trump said. “We may take them off of Syria because we want to give them a fresh start.”

On the Qatari aircraft: POTUS was asked about his plan to accept a luxury plane from the Qatari royal family, which he described as a “contribution” that the U.S. can’t turn down: “I think it’s a great gesture from Qatar. I appreciate it very much. I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’ But it was, I thought it was a great gesture.” Trump added that the plane will “go directly” to his presidential library after he leaves office: “I wouldn’t be using it."

On hostages: Trump said he’s hoping for more hostage releases from Hamas on his Middle East trip, after Hamas announced it would be releasing Edan Alexander. “We hope that we’re going to have other hostages released, too,” Trump said, adding that he believes about 20 living hostages are still being held by Hamas.

On South African refugees: Asked about granting an expedited path to refugee status for white South Africans while not allowing refugees from other countries, Trump replied in part: "Because they're being killed. And we don't want to see people be killed ... it's a genocide that's taking place. Farmers are being killed. They happen to be white."

Thanks all.

Nik Popli

Politics Reporter

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