Out of town pool report #9 – second half of gaggle and guests

(Thanks to in-town pool for the Otter link.)

SECOND HALF OF GAGGLE:

Trump on operations against pirates near Somalia

“Were hitting them so hard”

Missile system called “Deadly accurate”

“Ships aren’t being taken anymore”

“Hey guess what there’s pirates, bing, that’s the end of them.”

“I’m not just doing it for American ships, I’m doing it worldwide”

We don’t want ships taken by Somalia, pirates”

On Somalians in MN:

Everyone of them of them should be told to leave this country, including Ilhan Omar, who is a total crook, and she’s who’s one of the leaders of them.”

Trump alleged the Somalians have stolen 19 billion dollars “at least.”

On DHS operations in LA over the summer:

“If we did it go in to Los Angeles…

They would have had to cancel the Olympics.”

Trump said he is considering using the insurrection act while discussing crime in U.S. cities. “48 percent of the presidents of this country have used it,” he added.

Trump said he needed “total access to the oil and other things,” including roads and bridges.

“We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic. Right now Greenland is covered with Russia and Chinese ships all over the place… and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

Trump joked Denmark improved Greenland’s security by adding “one more dog sled.”

“The EU needs us to have Greenland.”

Back on Venezuela:

“She would face a situation probably worse than Maduro,” Trump said of Delcy Rodriguez If she does not cooperate with the U.S.

He said Maduro raised his hand and gave up, noting it was “the right thing.”

He was briefed on Maduro’s first night in prison but declined to comment on what he learned.

He said there’s no “end game” with the trial, and that he trusts the judge overseeing the case.

“The case is infallible,” Trump said of the DOJs case against the ex-dictator. He added that Maduro killed “millions and millions of people.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Maduro “could be in Turkey today but he’s in New York.”

“He chose to defy Trump and the U.S. military and his ass is in jail where he deserves to be,” Graham added

Trump on Cuba:

“Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall.”

“They got no income.”

“I think it’s going to fall. I don’t think we need any action,” Trump responded to questions on U.S. action in Cuba.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick echoed Trump saying Cuba is in an economically perilous spot and seems ready to fall. He said Venezuela propped up Cuba.

On Elon Musk:

“He’s 80 percent super genius 20 percent he makes mistakes. And he’s a good guy. He’s a well meaning person.”

Trump on Putin’s claim that his house was hit with a Ukrainian drone attack:

“I don’t believe that strike happened,” Trump responded, noting how “nobody knew at that moment,” whether the report was true.

On deferring to Putin’s word previously Trump reiterated that the Russian President “said that his house was attacked.”

From the WH Press Office:

Af1 Guests –

Secretary Howard Lutnick

Senator Lindsey Graham

Beau Harrison

Hayley Harrison

Stephen Miller

Dan Scavino

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Sophie Hills, staff writer

The Christian Science Monitor

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