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Trump's Remarks After Senate GOP Policy Lunch at the U.S. Capitol; May 19, 2020
Last edited Wed May 20, 2020, 09:22 AM - Edit history (1)
The official transcript of the remarks ends rather abruptly. I thought it might have been edited. It was later on in the day where Trump attacked the reporter who asked him about the lost 36 millions jobs, not here.
REMARKS
Remarks by President Trump After Senate GOP Policy Lunch | U.S. Capitol
Issued on: May 19, 2020
Hart Senate Office Building
U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.
2:03 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: We had a great meeting. All of the Republican senators were there. I think we made tremendous progress on a lot of different issues. Mitch and John, that was terrific. Discussed about everything. I think everything you can discuss. We have a lot of very positive things happening, both in terms of the country, in terms of the election thats coming up. Were doing very well in every way.
Do you have any questions?
Q Yes, President Trump, last night Nancy Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called you morbidly obese. I just wanted to know what you had to say in response to that.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I dont respond to her. I think shes a waste of time.
Q Mr. President, what are your priorities? What did you tell the senators are your priorities to (inaudible)?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we have a lot of priorities. A priority we have is a priority for the country and bringing it back. I use the expression transition to greatness. Were going to have a really good third quarter. Its already happening. You see it; you see whats going on. Were opening up. The states are opening up. Numbers are going down as they open. Look at Georgia. Look at Florida. Look at others. We have states that are opening up, and the numbers are going down.
But its a transition to greatness. Its the third quarter, and then its going into the fourth quarter. I think the fourth quarter is going to be really good. But I think that, above all, next year youre going to have a tremendous year.
Now, with all of that being said, to lose lives over this that couldve been stopped by China it shouldve been stopped by China its terrible that a thing like this couldve happened to the world. Long beyond us, youre going to lose millions of people. Were talking about the world. The whole world is being affected by this.
Its a terrible thing. A terrible thing.
Q Mr. President, whats your timeline?
Q The FDA has the FDA warned that hydroxychloroquine could cause serious side effects, especially with the heart, with your heart.
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Yeah.
Q Why is it okay for you to promote the use of this drug when youre not a doctor and health experts are warning against it?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, Ive worked with doctors. And if you look at the one survey, the only bad survey, they were giving it to people that were in very bad shape. They were very old, almost dead. It was a Trump enemy statement.
Now, if you look at some of the reports that came out from Italy, that came out from France, that came out from other a lot of our frontline workers take it because it possibly, and I think it does, but you know, people are going to have to make up their own mind. Plus, it doesnt hurt people. Its been out on the market for 60 or 65 years for malaria, lupus, and other things. I think it gives you an additional level of safety.
But you can ask many doctors are in favor of it. Many frontline workers wont go there unless they have the hydroxy. And so, again, this is an individual decision to make. But its had a great reputation, and if it was somebody else other than me, people would say, Gee, isnt that smart?
But we are working on a lot of other things. We have Ill tell you what: The great medical companies that we have, if you look at what theyre doing therapeutically, cure-wise, and the vaccine itself and the vaccine, I think, is less important than some of the things theyre working on. Theyre working on a cure. And we have more than one doing it and very advanced. Theyre working on therapeutics, and theyre working on vaccines.
Theres been tremendous theres been tremendous prog- really, tremendous progress.
Q Mr. President, have you talked to senators much about the reforms you would like to see to FISA so Americans arent surveilled?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, they have a lot of views on FISA. I didnt get involved. I purposely said to Mitch, You go do what you want. Well take a look. Were going to look at FISA. But nobody has been abused by FISA like the President of the United States, because what the Democrats did and the dirty cops theyre dirty cops. The FBI people are great. Ill bet you go in there they like Donald Trump. But the top of the FBI, they were dirty cops. They were crooked. Bad people. And nobody has been abused more than Trump.
But you look at General Flynn and you look at so many others not just that not just us; take a look at so many others. Look at what theyve done, how theyve abused FISA. So Im going to be studying it very much.
But the FISA process has gone awry. It was used by very dishonest people. It was used illegally. And, frankly, the judges on the FISA court should do something about it. And maybe they will.
Q Mr. President, are you satisfied with how Republican senators have responded on the Flynn case and on the origins of the Russia investigation?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think on the swing states you said?
Q No, the Flynn case.
THE PRESIDENT: On the Flynn case? General Flynn is a man of great respect. I was with General Milley, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the other day. I said, Do you know General Flynn? He said, Yes, I do. Hes a fine man. Ive known him for 20 years. Hes a fine man and a great soldier.
General Flynn was treated horribly. General Flynn was treated illegally. These people they broke the law. They broke the law. What theyve done to General Flynn should never happen. What theyve done to the presidency and what theyve done to this country can never be allowed to happen again to our country.
And despite all of that has been done, everything thats been done, weve had one of the greatest presidencies ever. We have never I dont think anybody Mitch, I think we can say it with surety: Nobody has accomplished what weve accomplished in a relatively short period of time, a three-year period of time. Nobody has been able to do that.
When you look at rebuilding our military; regulations at a level that nobody has come close to weve cut regulations; the biggest tax decrease in history. You look at all of the things that weve done, all of the things weve done on healthcare with the individual mandate, with preexisting conditions, nobody has done anywhere close to what weve done.
But despite that, if you look despite an illegal witch hunt and thats what it was: it was a hoax; it was a witch hunt. The Russian thing was a made-up, fabricated story. Just like they went to Congresswoman Kelsey [sic] Gabbard I dont know her at all and they said, Youre a Russian agent. I dont know her, but I know shes not a Russian agent. Then they went to Dr. Jill Stein, of the Green Party. They said shes a Russian agent. I dont know her at all. I know shes not a Russian agent.
These people are sick. Pelosi is a sick woman. Shes got a lot of problems, a lot of mental problems. Were dealing with people that have to get their act together for the good of the country.
Okay, thank you very much.
Q Thirty-six million Americans out of work. Half of those jobs arent coming back. Do you have a policy to help them get back to work?
THE PRESIDENT: We do.
END 2:10 P.M. EDT
Remarks by President Trump After Senate GOP Policy Lunch | U.S. Capitol
Issued on: May 19, 2020
Hart Senate Office Building
U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.
2:03 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: We had a great meeting. All of the Republican senators were there. I think we made tremendous progress on a lot of different issues. Mitch and John, that was terrific. Discussed about everything. I think everything you can discuss. We have a lot of very positive things happening, both in terms of the country, in terms of the election thats coming up. Were doing very well in every way.
Do you have any questions?
Q Yes, President Trump, last night Nancy Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called you morbidly obese. I just wanted to know what you had to say in response to that.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I dont respond to her. I think shes a waste of time.
Q Mr. President, what are your priorities? What did you tell the senators are your priorities to (inaudible)?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we have a lot of priorities. A priority we have is a priority for the country and bringing it back. I use the expression transition to greatness. Were going to have a really good third quarter. Its already happening. You see it; you see whats going on. Were opening up. The states are opening up. Numbers are going down as they open. Look at Georgia. Look at Florida. Look at others. We have states that are opening up, and the numbers are going down.
But its a transition to greatness. Its the third quarter, and then its going into the fourth quarter. I think the fourth quarter is going to be really good. But I think that, above all, next year youre going to have a tremendous year.
Now, with all of that being said, to lose lives over this that couldve been stopped by China it shouldve been stopped by China its terrible that a thing like this couldve happened to the world. Long beyond us, youre going to lose millions of people. Were talking about the world. The whole world is being affected by this.
Its a terrible thing. A terrible thing.
Q Mr. President, whats your timeline?
Q The FDA has the FDA warned that hydroxychloroquine could cause serious side effects, especially with the heart, with your heart.
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Yeah.
Q Why is it okay for you to promote the use of this drug when youre not a doctor and health experts are warning against it?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, Ive worked with doctors. And if you look at the one survey, the only bad survey, they were giving it to people that were in very bad shape. They were very old, almost dead. It was a Trump enemy statement.
Now, if you look at some of the reports that came out from Italy, that came out from France, that came out from other a lot of our frontline workers take it because it possibly, and I think it does, but you know, people are going to have to make up their own mind. Plus, it doesnt hurt people. Its been out on the market for 60 or 65 years for malaria, lupus, and other things. I think it gives you an additional level of safety.
But you can ask many doctors are in favor of it. Many frontline workers wont go there unless they have the hydroxy. And so, again, this is an individual decision to make. But its had a great reputation, and if it was somebody else other than me, people would say, Gee, isnt that smart?
But we are working on a lot of other things. We have Ill tell you what: The great medical companies that we have, if you look at what theyre doing therapeutically, cure-wise, and the vaccine itself and the vaccine, I think, is less important than some of the things theyre working on. Theyre working on a cure. And we have more than one doing it and very advanced. Theyre working on therapeutics, and theyre working on vaccines.
Theres been tremendous theres been tremendous prog- really, tremendous progress.
Q Mr. President, have you talked to senators much about the reforms you would like to see to FISA so Americans arent surveilled?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, they have a lot of views on FISA. I didnt get involved. I purposely said to Mitch, You go do what you want. Well take a look. Were going to look at FISA. But nobody has been abused by FISA like the President of the United States, because what the Democrats did and the dirty cops theyre dirty cops. The FBI people are great. Ill bet you go in there they like Donald Trump. But the top of the FBI, they were dirty cops. They were crooked. Bad people. And nobody has been abused more than Trump.
But you look at General Flynn and you look at so many others not just that not just us; take a look at so many others. Look at what theyve done, how theyve abused FISA. So Im going to be studying it very much.
But the FISA process has gone awry. It was used by very dishonest people. It was used illegally. And, frankly, the judges on the FISA court should do something about it. And maybe they will.
Q Mr. President, are you satisfied with how Republican senators have responded on the Flynn case and on the origins of the Russia investigation?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think on the swing states you said?
Q No, the Flynn case.
THE PRESIDENT: On the Flynn case? General Flynn is a man of great respect. I was with General Milley, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the other day. I said, Do you know General Flynn? He said, Yes, I do. Hes a fine man. Ive known him for 20 years. Hes a fine man and a great soldier.
General Flynn was treated horribly. General Flynn was treated illegally. These people they broke the law. They broke the law. What theyve done to General Flynn should never happen. What theyve done to the presidency and what theyve done to this country can never be allowed to happen again to our country.
And despite all of that has been done, everything thats been done, weve had one of the greatest presidencies ever. We have never I dont think anybody Mitch, I think we can say it with surety: Nobody has accomplished what weve accomplished in a relatively short period of time, a three-year period of time. Nobody has been able to do that.
When you look at rebuilding our military; regulations at a level that nobody has come close to weve cut regulations; the biggest tax decrease in history. You look at all of the things that weve done, all of the things weve done on healthcare with the individual mandate, with preexisting conditions, nobody has done anywhere close to what weve done.
But despite that, if you look despite an illegal witch hunt and thats what it was: it was a hoax; it was a witch hunt. The Russian thing was a made-up, fabricated story. Just like they went to Congresswoman Kelsey [sic] Gabbard I dont know her at all and they said, Youre a Russian agent. I dont know her, but I know shes not a Russian agent. Then they went to Dr. Jill Stein, of the Green Party. They said shes a Russian agent. I dont know her at all. I know shes not a Russian agent.
These people are sick. Pelosi is a sick woman. Shes got a lot of problems, a lot of mental problems. Were dealing with people that have to get their act together for the good of the country.
Okay, thank you very much.
Q Thirty-six million Americans out of work. Half of those jobs arent coming back. Do you have a policy to help them get back to work?
THE PRESIDENT: We do.
END 2:10 P.M. EDT
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Trump's Remarks After Senate GOP Policy Lunch at the U.S. Capitol; May 19, 2020 (Original Post)
mahatmakanejeeves
May 2020
OP
N_E_1 for Tennis
(9,722 posts)1. Out of thin air...
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think on the swing states you said?
He was complaining about his abuse....then when asked another question...boom...lost!
MyOwnPeace
(16,926 posts)2. My GAWD!!!!!!!
A seventh grade public speaking teacher would have given that student an "F" and sent him to the Guidance Office for help!
Try reading it - go ahead, I DARE you!