Travel pool 8 - airport arrival and quotes from gaggle

Motorcade left voting place at 4:36 pm and arrived at the airport at 4:39 pm.

Highlights from the gaggle.
As always please double check quotes.

On two Dan Sullivans running Alaska and recommending DoJ action: “It is a totally corrupt weaponization situation, and they shouldn't be allowed to do it. So I recommended it to the DOJ. They looked at it, they agreed with me, and they've gone to court. Let's see what happens. But that's pure corruption.”

When asked about voters being concerned about corruption, POTUS ask who the reporter worked for and was told the Wall Street Journal: “You know, the Wall Street Journal has lost its way, there's massive corruption that you don't cover on the Democrat side, and you should, because you ought to look at Minnesota, you ought to look at Maine, you ought to look at Los Angeles, because we are straight and we are solid. But you ought to look at the real corruption. It's Democrat corruption, and that includes Jeffrey Epstein, all Democrats involved.”

On report he may give staff presumptive pardons:

“Well, I haven't thought of it, but I will tell you, it would be very unfair to go through what we went through for four years with the corrupt weaponization that took place. So, in light of what Biden did, as you know, Biden shielded many people, including the Congress. If you look at what they did with Congress when they set up the special committee, which was a fraud, they all got shielded. So certainly, I haven't thought about it, but certainly I'd be allowed to.”

He then said to Margo Martin who was standing nearby: “If she becomes a target, you know she's a very honest person. But they're going to drag her into a grand jury. She's standing right there. Margot, you're not going to have to worry about it, okay?”

He confirm he talked to Elon Musk about Ukraine but declined to give details.

Asked about Russia wanting to invest in natural gas in Alaska: “We’d like to get back to life where Russia and Ukraine make a deal, and then we'd be able to do business with both. … Certainly we'll do business with Ukraine and with Russia after this war ends.”

Potus said he didn’t play golf at his course this am but just hit balls: “I didn't play. I just hit balls for an hour, and I didn't want to play. I wasn't in the mood to play.” Asked why not: “Because I'm too busy.”

He noted he’s losing his voice for a little bit because of all the campaign he’s doing.

Melania Trump on Ukraine localized ceasefire: “It is great to have Pope's support, and they are starting a ceasefire on October 27, and I hope everything goes as it's planned.”

Asked if she talked to President Putin or President Zelensky: “We talked. We signed the agreement.”

POTUS stepped into say she talked to both presidents: “
With both. She does better than our professionals.”

Asked if he’d put her into negotiations, POTUS: “I think she's doing better than the professionals right now. No, she got a ceasefire. This has to do with children and people, elderly people.”

Asked if she would go to Ukraine, FLOTUS: “We will see.”

POTUS added: “It could happen.”

—
Emily Goodin
White House Correspondent
New York Post