President Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with the President of the Republic of Turkey

Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be with President Erdogan of Turkey. And we've been friends for a long time, actually, even for four years when I was in exile, unfairly, as it turns out, rigged election. You know, he knows about rigged elections better than anybody. But when I was in exile, we were still friends. That's always a good way to find out, test a friendship. But he's a highly respected man. He's respected very much in his country and all throughout Europe and throughout the world where they know him. He's built a tremendous military, powerful military, uses a lot of our equipment, and it's an honor to have him at the White House. We're going to have a lunch together. We're going to have a discussion, big discussion. We do a lot of trade with Turkey, and we're going to continue. We're going to do some additional trade. They want to buy F16s, F35s and some other things, and we're going to talk to them about that. And we're just going to have, I think, a very interesting couple of hours. We're going to get a lot done. But I have great respect for this man, and we've had a very good relationship for a long time. If you remember, he let Pastor Brunson. He freed Pastor Brunson. Pastor Brunson was put in jail for 35 years before I got there. This was a group that should have stopped it. And the president, after I called him, released him, which was a great thing for our Christian community, our evangelical community, the evangelicals really, really wanted that. It was very important to him. So I always remembered that. But he released him from 35 years in prison. And Pastor Brunson now is healthy, happy and well, and we're very happy about that. But it's a great honor to have the president of Turkey with us. And how are you? Fine. Say a few words. Thank you. Great.

Gu.

First, Mr. President, I am very pleased that this visit actually coincides with the 80th unga. So I am very pleased to be here with my colleagues and friends. And as we have said, during the first term of your presidency and during your second term, we are able to carry Turkey and US Relations to a much different level and process. And as you said, we have an opportunity here today to be able to discuss some of the issues regarding the F35, the F16, and also the hot pot case. And we will have an opportunity to thoroughly discuss them. And based on what you have mentioned regarding the Hayward at the school, we are ready to do whatever we can that falls on our part. And I will, when I get back, try to discuss this issue with the esteemed Mr. Bartholomew to discuss how we can move forward on that.

Okay, Very good. I would like to be able to do that. The Greek Orthodox church was here and they would really like to have some help. They need some help. And he said I'd mention it. We appreciate it. So this is a tough man. This is a guy who's highly opinionated. Usually I don't like opinionated people, but I always like this one. But he's a tough one. And he does an amazing job in his country. And we've had tremendous relationships, both having to do with war and having to do with trade. And I guess today we're talking about both. I'd like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues this rampage against Ukraine. And they've been fighting. They've lost millions of lives already. And for what, you know, for what. Disgraceful. And I said yesterday, let it keep going because their economy is absolutely terrible right now. And I think it's. I think it's a shame that they're doing that, killing a lot of people unnecessarily. 7818 people were killed last week, mostly military people, their people and Ukrainians. More Russians, actually, than Ukraine. A little bit more. But it's such a waste of human life. And so we ought to stop. Putin ought to stop. And with that, we'll get to a little bit of a discussion. We're going to make some great trade deals for both countries. We do a lot of business with Turkey. They build great products. They build beautiful, great products, really fantastic manufacturers. And we buy a lot from them and they buy a lot from us. Would you have any questions, please, Mr. President? Thank you very much.

You've repeatedly called out Obama and Biden administrations for their stupid decisions. One example you gave was the refusal to sell the Patriot missile defense systems to Turkey air, which resulted in the expulsion of the country from their 35 program. Now, you are known to be a great deal maker in Turkey. What can you do to undo the stupidity?

Yes, cnn, because you sounded like a nice guy. CNN is fake news. But you sound like the real deal to me. So I'll answer the question. And we're going to be discussing the Patriots system, which is the best system. We'll discuss that. We're going to discuss the F35. We'll be discussing all of the things that you know about and some of that you mentioned. And I think he'll be successful with buying the things he'd like to buy.

What concrete stats can you say?

Well, we haven't even started yet, but I know he wants. He wants the F35, and he's wanted that. And we're talking about that very seriously. And the F16, we're in great shape. Certain other things he needed, as you know, and I'm going to see to it that we get that to him. He needs certain things and we need certain things, and we're going to come to a conclusion. You'll know by the end of the day. Go ahead. What did he say?

The Gentleman was asking, Mr. President, you have referred to President Trump's peace efforts, and you have also contact with many leaders in the region. And what do you think that you can do about this? And Mr. President has said that, yes, I believe in the peace efforts that President Trump is leading, and together we will be able to overcome the challenges in the region.

I think it's true he's got tremendous influence in the region. Mr. President, when are you planning to lift capsat sanctions against. Against sanctions against Turkey? Could be very soon, if we have a good meeting almost immediately, reviewing tariffs on U.S. goods and what impact it would be in U.S. production. Where are you from? Turkey. We have a lot of people from Turkey here. Because I like the questions very much, actually. They're very nice questions. We'll see about tariffs. We're going to be talking about tariffs. You already removed them. Well, we're going to be talking about that.

Even if not all NATO countries stop.

Purchasing Russian oil, we're going to be seeing about that. The NATO countries were disappointing in that regard, but they've been very amazing in other ways. They did, as you know, they went from 2% to 5% GDP, and that's a big step. And it's paid. I mean, they have the money there. And we're selling a tremendous amount of military equipment to NATO. We're selling. We're not giving like Biden did. We're selling it to NATO. It's a lot. They're buying a lot. And I assume they're giving it to Ukraine. They could buy it for other reasons, too, but I assume they're giving most of it to Ukraine, but they're buying highly sophisticated weaponry and they're paying for it full price. And that's how we're involved. Biden gave $350 billion. Look, this war would have never started if I were president. If I were president, this war would never be happening. It would have never happened. Yeah. Mr. President, I would like to ask about Gaza. Are you on the same page, Mr. Erdogan, or Palestine? Israel. Well, I don't know his stance. I can't tell you about that. I just say that we want to get Gaza over with. I had a great meeting with the leaders of that area, of that region, generally speaking, the Middle East. We had a great meeting the other day at unga, as you know, and I think we're. I think we're close to getting some kind of a deal done. You know, we want to. We want to get the hostages back. I have to get the hostages back. We're the ones that got the hostages, all of them that we have now. But it looks like there are 20 living hostages and probably 38 or so dead hostages. Pretty sad. And the parents of those dead souls, those dead, mostly men, Boys, in many cases, like, literally boys. They want those bodies back so badly as much as though they were alive. And so we had a. We had a very good meeting with the representatives of the most powerful countries in the Middle east, and I think we're going to be close to a deal.

Mr. President, we've noticed that in the Ukrainian war and during the Israeli Iran war, the airspace of the NATO countries is very fragile, and it needs to be stronger. And in that sense, Turkey being the second largest army in NATO, it needs to support its air force and air defense. How do you look at this issue in general as a Nation?

We're in NATO and, you know, they're paying now 5% of GDP. Nobody thought that was possible, and they agreed to that six months ago when I was there. And the relationship is very good. The NATO countries are. I mean, with us is the strongest it's ever been. We used to complain that they're paying 2%, but they're not paying. The United States was paying almost everything, and now they're paying 5%, and they paid. And that's trillions of dollars. You know, we're talking about trillions of dollars, and they're spending that, giving that money to us, and we are giving them great defensive, you know, the Patriots and all of the different Javelins, all the different missile systems and everything else that they want, but it's, you know, it's trillions of dollars. So we appreciate that they did that. So they went from 2% to 5% of GDP, and that was something that nobody even would bring up. Biden should have brought it up a long time ago, because under Biden, we paid $350 billion, and all it did is make things worse. So we'll see how. Go ahead. For turkey. Yes, we. Are we going to see. Any step is going to be taken today about the issue, about the things that are going on in Gaza, Palestine. Are we going to see? It could be. Today we have a very strong dialogue going on with Saudi Arabia with. I would say you have four or five real leaders that are being good. As you know, I met with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, uae. We met with Jordan. The king of Jordan was there. We had a really great meeting. I think a lot was determined at that meeting. And I have to meet with Israel and I have to do that also. They know what I want. And we think. I think we can get that one done. I hope we can get it done. A lot of people are dying, but we want the hostages back. We don't want to back one this week. One in two months from now, three later. And, you know, like, the way it's been going, we got them all back. We got a lot of them back. We got our American, the American Alexander. We got the American hostages back, but we have now 20, plus 38 bodies, dead bodies, and we want them all back. We want them back at one time. I don't know if he'll help in that. I don't really think we have. I don't think it will be necessary in this case. I think we're going to be in a pretty good position. There are a lot of people that want that done. I met with great leaders. Look over. You saw the people that were there, and great leaders. Egypt was also represented. We met with the leaders of that part of the world, and they want to see if they can get something done. And I'm going to have to tell Israel, let's go. We want to get the hostages back. Everybody wants to see that war over with, by the way. Everybody. So we're going to see what happens. How do you see a joint initiative.

With President Erdogan to bring the presidency.

Of Russia, Putin and President Zelensky to this? Well, I can tell you that President Erdogan is very respected by both of them. Everybody respects Erdogan. They really respect Erdogan. I do. And I think he could have a big influence if he wants to. Right now, he's very neutral. He likes being neutral. So do I like being neutral. But he's somebody that if he got involved, the best thing he could do is not by oil and gas from Russia. If he did that, that would be probably the best thing. He knows Putin, like I know Putin. I thought Putin I settled, as, you know, seven wars. And it's probably more than that, if you really want to know the real facts. But seven wars. And I thought this would be among the easier ones to settle, but I'm very disappointed in Putin. And he's been fighting hard. He's been fighting long. And they lost millions. They lost, like, a million soldiers. And, you know, they've. With all of the heavy bombardment over the last two weeks, they've gained almost no land. Think of that. They've gained almost no land. And I'm not going to ever call anybody a paper tiger, but Russia spent millions and millions of dollars in bombs, missiles, ammunition, and lives, their lives. And they've gained virtually no land. I think it's time to stop. I really do.

A few months ago, you met with Aliyev and Pashinyan. Can you follow up? So where you met with Aliyev and Pashinyan? Azerbaijan. President Aliyev and Pashinya. Can you follow up on what you want to say about Karen's.

No, I can't. I just. I like this guy. I like him. He's from cnn. Fake news, the worst fake news, but I like him. So it's cnn Turkey. I'll get Brian.

Syria has been a major issue between the two countries for the past decades. And you said the future of Syria is in Erdogan's hands back in, I think, December and January. And the countries are in the process of integrating mental fractures into the main government. When do you want to see that happen?

Well, I think President Erdogan is the one responsible for Syria, for the successful fight in ridding Syria of its past leader. And I think this man is responsible. He doesn't take the responsibility, but it's actually a great achievement. They've been trying to do it for 2,000 years. I said, he does it. He did it. I mean, they're your surrogates. I think you should take the credit for it. I told him, take the credit. For 2,000 years, you've been trying to take over Syria. He took over Syria, and he doesn't want to take the credit. You know, all of those people are his surrogates. But the leader of Syria, the new leader, as you know, I took sanctions off in order to let them breathe because those sanctions were very strong. But I think we should have a major announcement today. He was responsible for that victory. That was a victory for Turkey because they've been fighting, as you know, for like, a thousand years. And it never went, you know, it was back and forth. But he's responsible for that so he would have a lot to say with respect to Syria. But at his request, I took. And the request also of the king of Saudi Arabia. Very interesting. And Qatar, they said if you could take the sanctions. We had very strong sanctions. I don't. They couldn't have lived with those sanctions. And I took them off to give them a chance to breathe. But the president was one of the people that was responsible for that. He asked me to do it.

Mr. President, furloughs are very typical when the government shuts down. Why is the administration directing federal layoffs of federal workers?

This change. Well, this is all caused by the Democrats. They asked us to do something that's totally unreasonable. They never change. They want to give money away to illegals illegally, people that entered our country illegally. They want to give a massive federal money. And we don't want to do that because it means everyone's going to just keep pouring back. Right now we have absolutely perfect borders like you haven't seen in many years. Even better than the. I had great borders during my four years, but these borders are stone cold clothes. You can only come into our country legally now. But the Democrats want to give it all away. They want to also. They want to open up the borders. Take a look at that big thing. They want to open borders again. After what we're going through now, getting rid of prisoners, getting rid of all of these people, dropped out from mental institutions, drug dealers, drug addicts, everything that they're putting everybody into our country, it's all ended now. But this is what Schumer wants. This is what the Democrats want. They want to have and they want to take our money. We're doing well because of tariffs. We're doing unbelievable. We're making more money than we ever have made. And by the way, we're going to take some of that tariff money that we made just to get off the subject for a second. We're going to take some of that tariff money that we made. We're going to give it to our farmers who are for a little while going to be hurt until it kicks in. The tariffs kick into their benefit. So we're going to make sure that our farmers are in great shape because we're taking in a lot of money. We're finding. The other day it was very interesting. They found $31 billion. They said, sir, we found 31. I said, you mean positively right? They said, yeah, 31 million more than we knew. And they said, we don't know where it came from. I said, check the tariff shelf. They came back the following morning, they said, you're right, sir, it came from the tariffs. We've never seen anything like this. So what we're going to be doing is we're going to be taking some money from all of the tariff money that we've taken and we're going to distributed to our farmers until the tariffs kick into their benefit, which ultimately the farmers are going to be making a fortune. But it's a process of it has to kick in. All right, maybe one more.

There was another shooting at an ICE facility in Texas yesterday. Detainees were killed. The FBI director posted on social media bullets that were engraved with the message anti ice. He just posted another thing on social media saying they recovered a handwritten note from the subject that read, hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror. To think, is there a sniper with AP rounds on that roof. Who do you hold responsible for the uptick in left wing violence?

Radical left rhetoric. The radical left is causing the problem. They're out of control. They're saying things and they're really dumb people. And I look at Crockett, I look at some of these people, they're very low IQ people, actually. But the radical left is causing this problem. Not the right, the radical left. And it's going to get worse. And ultimately it's going to go back on them. I mean, bad things happen when they play these games. And I'll give you a little clue. The right is a lot tougher than the left. But the right is not doing this. They're not doing it. And they better not get them energized because it won't be good for the left. And I don't want to see that happen either. I'm the president of all the people. But the radical left is causing this. The radical left Democrats are causing this problem. And it gets worse. It gets worse. And it will be a point where other people won't take it anymore. And that will not be good for the radical left. And we don't want that. Okay, thank you. It seems like an indictment of James Comey is intimate. Would this be the first step in accountability for pushing the hoax of Russia, Russia, Russia, along with Barack Obama involved as well? Well, I can't tell you what's going to happen because I don't know. You have very professional people headed up by the Attorney General, Todd, Todd Blanche and Lindsey Allegan, who's very smart, good lawyer, very good lawyer. They're going to make a determination. I'm not making that deter. I think I'd be allowed to get involved if I want, but I don't really choose to do so. I can only say that Comey is a bad person. He's a sick person. I think he's a sick guy, actually. He did terrible things at the FBI, and. But I don't know. I have no idea what's going to happen. Thank you very much, everybody.