Travel pool report #12- Gaggle at JBA

The pool touched down at JBA around 6:00 p.m., and was able to see the president descend the steps of AF1. He gaggled for about 10-15 minutes upon arrival. Quotes are rough as my phone was dead for this, and I relied on voice recorder.

After landing, the president told pool that a deal to secure a ceasefire and the return of remaining hostages in Gaza was coming soon.

"I think we're going to have a deal in Gaza very soon."

"They have hostages. It could be a little bit less than 20...they tend to die. [Even young people]. Young people don't die."

"We have about 38 bodies. Bodies."

On Ukraine/Russia, he also expressed confidence in reaching a deal but stated that it was giving his administration trouble, once again claiming that it was the war he expected to end 'the easiest'.

He said he did not know about the case of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian immigrant killed in Charlotte, but pledged to look into it.

'Not happy. I'm not happy about the whole [war]'

'No one has been tougher on President Putin....I am not thrilled with Putin"

"I believe we are going to get it done."

When asked what the greatest obstacle to Ukraine peace is: "well, we're going to see."

"They're losing five to seven thousand soldiers a week, for no reason."

He also spoke about crime in DC, and repeatedly claimed that the city had become totally crime-free.

"It's a crime-free zone," he said, sparring with a reporter who challenged him: "Very little. Very little."

On the issue of Biden's pardons, he reiterated the claims that the issue was a scandal and that the former president's actions may have been invalid. He quipped 'I like this guy', when a reporter asked him what the media would say if he used autopen in a similar manner to Biden.

He was wheels up in Marine One at 6:18 p.m.

That's all from the travel pool tonight.