WH print pool report #7 Trump comments on ballroom, Cuba, Iran and more

Question: What accommodations are you making in a potential deal with Iran?

Trump: “Right now, we’re negotiating, and we’ll see. We’re either going to make sure they have a nuclear weapon or we’re going to have to do something very drastic.”

Question: How would you like things to end up regarding the Strait of Hormuz?

Trump: “We want it free. We don’t want tolls. It’s international. It’s an international waterway … Right now, they are losing $500 million a day, is what it’s projected. Sounds like a lot of money, but whether it’s 500 or 200 or 300, it’s a lot of money.”

Question: Can they (Iran) keep their highly enriched uranium?

“No, no. We will get it. We don’t need it. We don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it.”

Question: Can you explain what’s at stake with the upcoming SCOTUS birthright citizenship decision?

Trump: “It’s a big decision that we’re waiting for from the Supreme Court … We’re the only country in the world that has it. You step into our country and you all of a sudden are a citizen … This was not meant for Chinese billionaires to have their children become citizens of our country …. This was meant for the babies of slaves. This was signed right after the Civil War. You look at the dates – the dates alone, immediately after.”

Question: Why was the AI executive order signing postponed?

Trump: “I didn't like certain aspects of it, I postponed it. I think it gets in the way of, you know, we're leading China, we're leading everybody, and I don't want to do anything that's going to get in the way of that lead. We have a very substantial standard on AI, it's causing — it's causing tremendous good, and it's also bringing in a lot of jobs, tremendous numbers of jobs. Again, we have more people working right now than we've ever had. I really thought that could have been a blocker.”

Question: Do you think you need Congress to sign off on your triumphal arch?

Trump: “No, we don’t. We’re doing it. The land is owned by the Interior Department. We don’t need anything from Congress.

Question: Are you going to attend your son’s weeding this weekend?

“He'd like me to go, but it's going to be just a small little private affair, and I'm going to try and make it … I said: 'You know, this is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things. That's one I can't win on. If I do attend I get killed. If I don't attend I get killed by the fake news, of course I’m talking about … But he’s got a person I’ve known for a long time, and hopefully they’re going to have a great marriage.”

Joey Garrison

White House correspondent

USA Today

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