{"id":61196,"date":"2018-06-12T05:28:28","date_gmt":"2018-06-12T12:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.46.6.243\/?p=61196"},"modified":"2018-06-12T07:40:09","modified_gmt":"2018-06-12T14:40:09","slug":"president-trump-participates-in-a-media-availability-after-singapore-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=61196","title":{"rendered":"President Trump Participates in a Media Availability After Singapore Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Capella Hotel, Singapore&#8230;Well, thank you very much, everybody.  We appreciate it.  We\u2019re getting ready to go back.  We had a tremendous 24 hours.  We\u2019ve had a tremendous three months, actually, because this has been going on for quite a while.  That was a tape that we gave to Chairman Kim and his people, his representatives.  And it captures a lot.  It captures what could be done.  And that\u2019s a great \u2014 a great place.  It has the potential to be an incredible place.  Between South Korea \u2014 if you think about it \u2014 and China, it\u2019s got tremendous potential.  And I think he understands that and he wants to do what\u2019s right.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l-Aw2f4SYOA\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s my honor today to address the people of the world, following this very historic summit with Chairman Kim Jong Un of North Korea.  We spent very intensive hours together, and I think most of you have gotten the signed document, or you will very shortly.  It\u2019s very comprehensive.  It\u2019s going to happen.<\/p>\n<p>I stand before you as an emissary of the American people to deliver a message of hope and vision, and a message of peace.<\/p>\n<p>Let me begin by thanking our incredible hosts in Singapore, especially Prime Minister Lee, a friend of mine.  This is a country of profound grace and beauty, and we send our warmest wishes to every citizen of Singapore, who really made this visit so important and so pleasant, despite all of the work and all of the long hours.<\/p>\n<p>I also want to thank President Moon of South Korea.  He\u2019s working hard.  In fact, I\u2019ll be speaking to him right after we\u2019re finished.  Prime Minister Abe of Japan \u2014 a friend of mine \u2014 just left our country, and he wants what\u2019s right for Japan and for the world.  He\u2019s a good man.  And a very special person, President Xi of China, who has really closed up that border \u2014 maybe a little bit less so over the last couple of months, but that\u2019s okay.  But he really has.  And he\u2019s a terrific person and a friend of mine, and really a great leader of his people.  I want to thank them for their efforts to help us get to this very historic day.<\/p>\n<p>Most importantly, I want to thank Chairman Kim for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people.  Our unprecedented meeting \u2014 the first between an American President and a leader of North Korea \u2014 proves that real change is indeed possible.<\/p>\n<p>My meeting with Chairman Kim was honest, direct, and productive.  We got to know each other well in a very confined period of time, under very strong, strong circumstance.  We\u2019re prepared to start a new history and we\u2019re ready to write a new chapter between our nations.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly 70 years ago \u2014 think of that; 70 years ago \u2014 an extremely bloody conflict ravaged the Korean Peninsula.  Countless people died in the conflict, including tens of thousands of brave Americans.  Yet, while the armistice was agreed to, the war never ended.  To this day, never ended.  But now we can all have hope that it will soon end.  And it will.  It will soon end.<\/p>\n<p>The past does not have to define the future.  Yesterday\u2019s conflict does not have to be tomorrow\u2019s war.  And as history has proven over and over again, adversaries can indeed become friends.  We can honor the sacrifice of our forefathers by replacing the horrors of battle with the blessings of peace.  And that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing and that\u2019s what we have done.<\/p>\n<p>There is no limit to what North Korea can achieve when it gives up its nuclear weapons and embraces commerce and engagement with the rest of the world \u2014 that really wants to engage.  Chairman Kim has before him an opportunity like no other: to be remembered as the leader who ushered in a glorious new era of security and prosperity for his people.<\/p>\n<p>Chairman Kim and I just signed a joint statement in which he reaffirmed his \u201cunwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.\u201d  We also agreed to vigorous negotiations to implement the agreement as soon as possible.  And he wants to do that.  This isn\u2019t the past.  This isn\u2019t another administration that never got it started and therefore never got it done.<\/p>\n<p>Chairman Kim has told me that North Korea is already destroying a major missile engine testing site.  That\u2019s not in your signed document; we agreed to that after the agreement was signed.  That\u2019s a big thing \u2014 for the missiles that they were testing, the site is going to be destroyed very soon.<\/p>\n<p>Today is the beginning of an arduous process.  Our eyes are wide open, but peace is always worth the effort, especially in this case.  This should have been done years ago.  This should have been resolved a long time ago, but we\u2019re resolving it now.<\/p>\n<p>Chairman Kim has the chance to seize an incredible future for his people.  Anyone can make war, but only the most courageous can make peace.<\/p>\n<p>The current state of affairs cannot endure forever.  The people of Korea \u2014 North and South \u2014 are profoundly talented, industrious, and gifted.  These are truly gifted people.  They share the same heritage, language, customs, culture, and destiny.  But to realize their amazing destiny, to reunite their national family, the menace of nuclear weapons will now be removed.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, the sanctions will remain in effect.  We dream of a future where all Koreans can live together in harmony, where families are reunited and hopes are reborn, and where the light of peace chases away the darkness of war.  This bright future is within \u2014 and this is what\u2019s happening.  It is right there.  It\u2019s within our reach.  It\u2019s going to be there.  It\u2019s going to happen.  People thought this could never take place.  It is now taking place.  It\u2019s a very great day.  It\u2019s a very great moment in the history of the world.<\/p>\n<p>And Chairman Kim is on his way back to North Korea.  And I know for a fact, as soon as he arrives, he\u2019s going to start a process that\u2019s going to make a lot of people very happy and very safe.<\/p>\n<p>So it\u2019s an honor to be with everybody today.  The media \u2014 this is a big gathering of media, I will say.  It makes me feel very uncomfortable.  (Laughter.)  But it is what it is.  People understand that this is something very important to all of us, including yourselves and your families.<\/p>\n<p>So thank you very much for being here.  We\u2019ll take some questions.  Wow.  That\u2019s a lot of questions.  Go ahead.  Sure, go ahead.  NBC.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Two questions for you, if you don\u2019t mind.  First, the man you met today, Kim Jong Un, as you know, has killed family members, has starved his own people, is responsible for the death of Otto Warmbier.  Why are you so comfortable calling him \u201cvery talented\u201d?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, he is very talented.  Anybody that takes over a situation like he did, at 26 years of age, and is able to run it, and run it tough \u2014 I don\u2019t say he was nice or I don\u2019t say anything about it \u2014 he ran it.  Very few people, at that age \u2014 you can take one out of ten thousand, probably, couldn\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n<p>Otto Warmbier is a very special person, and he will be for a long time, in my life.  His parents are good friends of mine.  I think, without Otto, this would not have happened.  Something happened, from that day.  It was a terrible thing.  It was brutal.  But a lot of people started to focus on what was going on, including North Korea.<\/p>\n<p>I really think that Otto is someone who did not die in vain.  I told this to his parents.  Special young man.  And I have to say, special parents, special people.  Otto did not die in vain.  He had a lot to do with us being here today.  Okay?  Thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, that second question for you, sir, was on the security \u2014 the second question, sir \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 on the security assurances you talked about in your statement.  Can you be specific about what assurances you are willing to give to Kim Jong Un?  Does that include reducing military capabilities?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  No.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And just to follow up on your answer \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  No, we\u2019re not reducing anything.  We\u2019re not reducing.  At some point, I have to be honest \u2014 and I used to say this during my campaign, as you know, probably, better than most \u2014 I want to get our soldiers out.  I want to bring our soldiers back home.  We have, right now, 32,000 soldiers in South Korea, and I\u2019d like to be able to bring them back home.  But that\u2019s not part of the equation right now.  At some point, I hope it will be, but not right now.<\/p>\n<p>We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should.  But we\u2019ll be saving a tremendous amount of money.  Plus, I think it\u2019s very provocative.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, John.  Yes, John, go ahead.  Oh, go ahead.  I\u2019m sorry, I thought you were John Roberts.  I looked at you, you just like \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    It\u2019s all right.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Much better, right?<\/p>\n<p>Q    Frequently \u2014 we\u2019re frequently confused, Mr. President.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, this joint statement does not talk about verifiable or irreversible denuclearization.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Was that a concession on the part of the United States?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  No, not at all.  Because if you look at it, I mean, it said we are going to \u2014 let\u2019s see here \u2014 it will be gone.  I don\u2019t think you can be anymore plain than what we\u2019re asking \u2014 \u201cissues related to the establishment of the new U.S. DPRK relations\u201d \u2014 the building.  We talk about the guarantees, and we talk about \u201cunwavering commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.\u201d  This is the document that we just signed.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Did you discuss with Chairman Kim methods to verify, either with the United States or international organizations, that very process?  And do you have a timetable \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, we did.  Yes, we did.  And we\u2019ll be verifying.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Can you give that to us?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, we\u2019ll be verifying.  It will be verified.<\/p>\n<p>Q    How is that going to be achieved, Mr. President?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, it\u2019s going to be achieved by having a lot of people there, and as we develop a certain trust.  And we think we have done that.  Secretary Pompeo has been really doing a fantastic job \u2014 his staff, everybody.  As we do that, we\u2019re going to have a lot of people there, and we\u2019re going to be working with them on a lot of other things.  But this is complete denuclearization of North Korea, and it will be verified.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Will those people be Americans or international \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Uh, combinations of both.  Combinations of both.  And we have talked about it, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Yeah, go ahead.  Be nice.  Be respectful.<\/p>\n<p>Q    I\u2019ll be very respectful, sir.  What did Kim Jong Un say to you to give you the confidence that, for once in the history of North Korea, they are not cheating the system, and gaming the world, and gaming the people who will have to go in and make sure that they\u2019re actually giving up their nuclear arsenal?  What did he say to you?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, I mean, very fair question.  He actually mentioned the fact that they proceeded down a path in the past, and, ultimately, as you know, nothing got done.  In one case, they took billions of dollars \u2014 during the Clinton regime \u2014 took billions of dollars and nothing happened.  That was a terrible thing, and he actually brought it up to me.<\/p>\n<p>And he said we have never gone this far.  I don\u2019t think they\u2019ve ever had the confidence, frankly, in a President that they have right now for getting things done and having the ability to get things done.  And he was very firm in the fact that he wants to do this.  I think he might want to do this as much or even more than me because they see a very bright future for North Korea.<\/p>\n<p>So you never know.  Right?  We never know.  But I\u2019ll tell you what, we signed a very comprehensive document today, and I think most of you have been given that document.  But we signed a very, very comprehensive document, and I believe he\u2019s going to live up to that document.  In fact, when he lands \u2014 which is going to be shortly \u2014 I think that he will start that process right away.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Do you trust him, Mr. President?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  I do.  I do.  I can only say that I know him for \u2014 really well, it\u2019s been very rhetorical, as you know.  I think, without the rhetoric, it wouldn\u2019t have happened.  I think without other things going along \u2014 I think the establishment of a new team was very important.  We have a great team.  But I do, I think he wants to get it done.  I really feel that very strongly.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, there\u2019s John.  I think \u2014 you know, you two guys look alike when the light is right on the \u2014 the hair is very similar.  Let me see, who has better hair?  He\u2019s got pretty good hair, John, I hate to \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    It\u2019s the angelic glow of the backlighting, Mr. President, that makes us look so similar.  Of course, the denuclearization \u2014 nuclear weapons and biological weapons and whatnot \u2014 is one problem in North Korea.  Another huge problem is the horrible record that they have on human rights.  Was that discussed at all?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Is that something that you will tackle in the future?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, it was discussed.  It will be discussed more in the future \u2014 human rights.  What was also discussed in great detail, John, was that fact that, you know, we have \u2014 and I must have had just countless calls and letters and tweets, anything you can do \u2014 they want the remains of their sons back.  They want the remains of their fathers, and mothers, and all of the people that got caught into that really brutal war, which took place, to a large extent, in North Korea.  And I asked for it today, and we got it.  That was a very last minute.  The remains will be coming back.  They\u2019re going to start that process immediately.<\/p>\n<p>But so many people, even during the campaign, they\u2019d say, \u201cIs there any way you can work with North Korea to get the remains of my son back or my father back?\u201d  So many people asked me this question.  And, you know, I said, \u201cLook, we don\u2019t get along too well with that particular group of people.\u201d  But now we do.  And he agreed to that so quickly and so nice \u2014 it was really a very nice thing, and he understands it.  He understands it.<\/p>\n<p>So for the thousands and thousands \u2014 I guess way over 6,000 that we know of, in terms of the remains, they\u2019ll be brought back.<\/p>\n<p>Q    The POW-MIA issue clearly is a very important one for thousands of Americans.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Especially to a lot of people that are \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    But what do you, President Trump, expect Kim Jong Un to do about the human rights record regarding the North Korean people?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Right.  It was discussed.  It was discussed relatively briefly compared to denuclearization.  Well, obviously, that\u2019s where we started and where we ended.  But they will be doing things, and I think he wants to do things.  I think he wants to \u2014 you\u2019d be very surprised.  Very smart.  Very good negotiator.  Wants to do the right thing.<\/p>\n<p>You know, he brought up the fact that, in the past, they took dialogue far \u2014 they never went \u2014 they never were like we are.  There\u2019s never been anything like what\u2019s taken place now.  But they went down the line.  Billions of dollars were given, and you know, the following day the nuclear program continued.  But this is a much different time, and this is a much different President, in all fairness.  This is very important to me.  This is one of the \u2014 perhaps, one of the reasons that I \u2014 one, I campaigned on this issue, as you know very well, John.<\/p>\n<p>Okay.  Whoever those people are.  I cannot see you with all the lights, but you don\u2019t look like either of the two.  Yeah, go ahead.  Sure.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  And first of all, congratulations.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  Appreciate it.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Can you touch on the issue of a peace treaty?  And also, will you travel to Pyongyang anytime soon?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, at a certain time, I will.  I said that will be a day that I look very much forward to, at the appropriate time.  And I also will be inviting Chairman Kim, at the appropriate time, to the White House.  I think it\u2019s really going to be something that will be very important.  And he has accepted.  I said, at the appropriate time.  We want to go a little bit further down the road.<\/p>\n<p>But what we signed today was a lot of things included.  And then you have things that weren\u2019t included that we got after the deal was signed.  I\u2019ve done that before in my life.  We didn\u2019t put it in the agreement because we didn\u2019t have time.  And I think most of you have been handed out the agreement or soon will.  But I \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    (Inaudible.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, you have not?  Okay.  Well, if you could have those agreements passed out.  We just finished them, just a little while ago.  But if you could have the agreements passed out, we\u2019ll \u2014 you\u2019ll see what we\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, sir.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    I will second the congratulations, President.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Q    What part did Japan play?  And did the abduction issue come up?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And also, the fate of the Christians?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And the follow-up question is when will you be doing an interview with Japanese TV?  Fifty-thousand American troops are in Japan.  Congratulations, again.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  That\u2019s true.  Fifty-thousand great troops.  That\u2019s true.  Yeah, it did \u2014 abduction.  Absolutely.  This is Prime Minister Abe\u2019s \u2014 one of his, certainly \u2014 other than the whole denuking subject \u2014 certainly his, I would say, his main point.  And I brought it up.  Absolutely.  And they\u2019re going to be working on that.  It will be \u2014 we didn\u2019t put it down in the document, but it will be worked on.<\/p>\n<p>Q    (Inaudible.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Christians, yes.  We are \u2014 brought it up very strongly.  You know, Franklin Graham spent \u2014 spent and spends a tremendous amount of time in North Korea.  He\u2019s got it very close to his heart.  It did come up, and things will be happening.  Okay?  Thank you.  Great question.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, Jon.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Mr. President.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Jon.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Returning to the question of human rights, you spoke very powerfully on the issue during your State of the Union Address.  You showed that \u2014 you had the defector in the First Lady\u2019s box with the crutches, who escaped.  And you, at that point, said that North Korea has more brutally oppressed its people than any other regime on Earth.  Do you still believe that is the case having sat down with Kim Jong Un?  And does he need to change that?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Right.  Jon, I believe it\u2019s a rough situation over there.  There\u2019s no question about it.  And we did discuss it today pretty strongly.  I mean, knowing what the main purpose of what we were doing is: denuking.  But discussed it at pretty good length.  We\u2019ll be doing something on it.  It\u2019s rough.  It\u2019s rough in a lot of places, by the way.  Not just there.  But it\u2019s rough, and we will continue that.  And I think, ultimately, we\u2019ll agree to something.  But it was discussed at length outside of the nuclear situation, one of the primary topics.<\/p>\n<p>Q    But do you think that needs to change to bring on this glorious new era you\u2019ve talked about?  Are they going to have to \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  I think it will change.  Yeah.  I think it probably has to, but I think it will.  Yeah.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p>Steve.  That\u2019s you, Steve?  Right there.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Yes, sir.  Thank you.  What timetable do you envision for their denuclearization?  And in the meantime, are you thinking about easing any sanctions?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, you know, scientifically, I\u2019ve been watching and reading a lot about this, and it does take a long time to pull off complete denuclearization.  It takes a long time.  Scientifically, you have to wait certain periods of time, and a lot of things happen.  But\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Q    Having sat down with Kim Jong Un.  And does he have to change that?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Jon, I believe it\u2019s a rough situation over there.  There\u2019s no question about it.  And we did discuss it today pretty strongly.  I mean, knowing what \u2014 the main purpose of what we were doing is: denuking.  But discussed at pretty good length.  We\u2019ll be doing something on it.  It\u2019s rough.  It\u2019s rough in a lot of places, by the way \u2014 not just there.  But it\u2019s rough.  And we will continue that, and I think, ultimately, we\u2019ll agree to something.  But it was discussed at length.  Outside of \u2014 outside of the nuclear situation, one of the primary topics.<\/p>\n<p>Q    But do you think that needs to change to bring on this glorious new era you\u2019ve talked about?  Are they going to have to \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  I think it will change, yeah.  I think it probably has to.  But I think it will.  Yeah.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you.  Thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p>Steve?  That\u2019s you, Steve?  Right there.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Yes, sir.  Thank you.  What timetable do you envision for their denuclearization?  And in the meantime, are you thinking about easing any sanctions?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, you know, scientifically, I\u2019ve been watching and reading a lot about this, and it does take a long time to pull off complete denuclearization.  It takes a long time.  Scientifically, you have to wait certain periods of time, and a lot of things happen.  But despite that, once you start the process, it means it\u2019s pretty much over; you can\u2019t use them.  That\u2019s the good news.  And that\u2019s going to start very \u2014 very soon.  I believe that\u2019s going to start very soon.  We will do it as fast as it can mechanically and physically be done, Steve.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And the sanctions?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  The sanctions will come off when we are sure that the nukes are no longer a factor.  Sanctions played a big role, but they\u2019ll come off at that point.  I hope it\u2019s going to be soon, but they\u2019ll come off.  As you know, and as I\u2019ve said, the sanctions right now remain.  But at a certain point, I actually look forward to taking them off.  And they\u2019ll come off when we know we\u2019re down the road \u2014 where it\u2019s not going to happen, nothing is going to happen.  Okay?<\/p>\n<p>Yes, go ahead.  Please.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Mr. President.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Congratulations on this historic summit.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  Congratulations to everybody, by the way.  Congratulations to everybody.<\/p>\n<p>Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    You signed a document with Kim Jong Un.  It\u2019s essentially a piece of paper.  Yesterday, we had a briefing from the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.  He said the following: \u201cMany Presidents previously have signed off on pieces of paper only to find that the North Koreans either didn\u2019t promise what we thought they had, or actually reneged on those promises.\u201d  What makes this time different, Mr. President?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, you have a different administration.  You have a different President.  You have a different Secretary of State.  You have people that are \u2014 you know, it\u2019s very important to them.  And we get it done.  The other groups, maybe it wasn\u2019t a priority.  I don\u2019t think they could have done it if it was a priority, frankly.  I don\u2019t think they honestly could have done it even if it was a priority.<\/p>\n<p>And it would have been easier back then.  It would have been \u2014 for me, it would have been much easier if this were 10 years ago or 5 years ago.  And I\u2019m not just blaming President Obama.  I mean, this goes back \u2014 for 25 years, this should have happened.  I was given a very tough hand.  I was given this, I was given the Iran deal, and plenty of other problems.<\/p>\n<p>But we are \u2014 we\u2019re doing really well.  And the Iran deal, I have to be honest, I did it because nuclear is always number one to me.  Nuclear is number one.<\/p>\n<p>But on the Iran deal, I think Iran is a different country now than it was three or four months ago.  I don\u2019t think they\u2019re looking so much to the Mediterranean.  I don\u2019t think they\u2019re looking so much at Syria, like they were, with total confidence.  I don\u2019t think they\u2019re so confident right now.<\/p>\n<p>But I hope \u2014 with that being said, I hope that, at the appropriate time, after these sanctions kick in \u2014 and they are brutal, what we\u2019ve put on Iran \u2014 I hope that they\u2019re going to come back and negotiate a real deal, because I\u2019d love to be able to do that.  But right now, it\u2019s too soon for that.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, please.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, you also didn\u2019t talk about establishing diplomatic relations, exchanging ambassadors.  How long before that happens?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Good question.  Hopefully soon.  But we\u2019ll have to get things moving first.  Very \u2014 a little bit early for that.  We have to get things moving.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, go ahead.  Hi.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Can you clarify, when you said you were stopping \u201cwar games,\u201d so you are stopping the military exercises with South Korea?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, we\u2019ve done exercises for a long period of time, working with South Korea.  And we call them \u201cwar games,\u201d and I call them \u201cwar games.\u201d  And they\u2019re tremendously expensive.  The amount of money that we spend on that is incredible.  And South Korea contributes, but not 100 percent, which is certainly a subject that we have to talk to them about also.  And that has to do with the military expense and also the trade.<\/p>\n<p>So we\u2019re doing that.  We actually have a new deal with South Korea, in terms of the trade deal, but we have to talk to them.  We have to talk to many countries about treating us fairly.<\/p>\n<p>But the war games are very expensive.  We pay for a big majority of them.  We fly in bombers from Guam.  I said \u2014 when I first started, I said, \u201cWhere do the bombers come from?\u201d  \u201cGuam.  Nearby.\u201d  I said, \u201cOh, great, nearby.  Where\u2019s nearby?\u201d  \u201cSix and a half hours.\u201d  Six and a half hours \u2014 that\u2019s a long time for these big massive planes to be flying to South Korea to practice and then drop bombs all over the place, and then go back to Guam.  I know a lot about airplanes; it\u2019s very expensive.  And I didn\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n<p>And what I did say is \u2014 and I think it\u2019s very provocative, I have to tell you, Jennifer, it\u2019s a very provocative situation when I see that, and you have a country right next door.  So under the circumstances that we are negotiating a very comprehensive, complete deal, I think it\u2019s inappropriate to be having war games.<\/p>\n<p>So, number one, we save money \u2014 a lot.  And number two, it really is something that I think they very much appreciate it.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Does North Korea give you something in return, though?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we\u2019ve gotten \u2014 you know, I\u2019ve heard that.  I mean, some of the people that \u2014 I don\u2019t know, maybe they really mean it.  I don\u2019t always want to go against the press because I just don\u2019t \u2014 especially not today, this is too important.  But I noticed that some of the people were saying that the President has agreed to meet, he has given up so much.  I gave up nothing.  I\u2019m here.  I haven\u2019t slept in 25 hours, but I thought it was appropriate to do \u2014 because we have been negotiating for literally around the clock with them, and with us, and with John, and with Mike, and a whole team of very talented people.<\/p>\n<p>But we haven\u2019t given up anything, other than \u2014 you\u2019re right, I agreed to meet.  And I think the meeting was every bit as good for the United States as it was for North Korea.  But I just wrote down some of the things we got.  And they \u2014 you know, they \u2014 sure, they got a meeting.  But only a person that dislikes Donald Trump would say that I\u2019ve agreed to make a big commitment.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, I\u2019ve agreed to take a period of time and come here and meet, and that\u2019s good.  But I think it\u2019s great for us, as a country, and I think it\u2019s good for them.<\/p>\n<p>But what did they do to justify this meeting?  Secured commitment for complete denuclearization; that\u2019s the big thing.  They secured the release of three American hostages.  They already gave them to us two months ago.  These people are now living happily back in their homes, with their families.  And it was pretty rough for them, to put it mildly.<\/p>\n<p>Secure the commitment to recover the remains, including \u2014 these are of fallen heroes.  And they\u2019re giving a commitment, they\u2019re starting it immediately, to recover their remains.  And I just went through how many people asked me about it.  I was amazed, actually.  So many people would ask me, \u201cIs it possible?  Is it possible?\u201d  At that time we had no relationship to Chairman Kim or to anybody else in North Korea.  You know, it was a very closed society.  So we\u2019re getting the remains back.<\/p>\n<p>Secured the halt of all missile and nuclear tests for \u2014 how long has it been?  Seven months?  You haven\u2019t had a missile go up.  For seven months, you haven\u2019t had a nuclear test; you haven\u2019t had a nuclear explosion.  I remember a nuclear event took place \u2014 8.8 in the Richter scale.  And they announced \u2014 I heard it on the radio \u2014 they announced that a massive \u2014 you know, an earthquake took place somewhere in Asia.  And then they said it was in North Korea.  And then they found out it was a nuclear test.  I said, \u201cI never heard of a Richter scale in the high 8s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And if you look, there has been no missile launches.  They\u2019ve blown up their missile area.  That\u2019s going to take place.  That has not been written into the contract.  We\u2019re going to give you the exact details on that.  But they secured a halt of all missiles and of all nuclear tests.  They secured the closure of their single primary nuclear test site.  All three of them \u2014 they\u2019re in an area that\u2019s common around each other \u2014 they secured the closure.<\/p>\n<p>They secured the commitment to destroy the missile engine testing site.  That was not in your agreement.  I got that after we signed the agreement. I said, \u201cDo me a favor.  You\u2019ve got this missile engine testing site.  We know where it is because of the heat.\u201d  It\u2019s incredible the equipment we have, to be honest with you.  I said, \u201cCan you close it up?\u201d  He\u2019s going to close it up.<\/p>\n<p>We maintained the ability to continue to apply sanctions.  So we\u2019re applying sanctions.  Now I had 300 sanctions that I was getting ready to put on last week.  And I said, you know, I can\u2019t really put on sanctions when I\u2019m meeting with \u2014 I thought it would be very disrespectful.  Three hundred very big ones, powerful ones.  And I said it would be disrespectful.<\/p>\n<p>So, Jennifer, when you look at all of those things that we got \u2014 and when we got our hostages back, I didn\u2019t pay $1.8 billion in cash like the hostages that came back from Iran, which was a disgraceful situation, what took place.<\/p>\n<p>So we\u2019ve gotten a lot.  So when I hear somebody in the media say that President Trump has agreed to meet \u2014 like, it\u2019s not a big deal to meet. I think we should meet on a lot of different topics, not just this one.  And I really believe a lot of great things can happen.<\/p>\n<p>Yes.  Go ahead, please.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Sir, you just listed off a lot of things that you say you got in this meeting.  It wasn\u2019t too long ago, though, that you said you defined the success of this meeting by North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, that\u2019s what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Well, can you talk about how \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Sure.  That\u2019s what they\u2019re doing.  I mean, I don\u2019t think the \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 how you pressed Kim Jong Un for complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, I did, honestly \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    And can you why you didn\u2019t secure those details in this agreement?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Because there was no time.  I\u2019m here one day.  We\u2019re together for many hours intensively, but the process is now going to take place.  And I would be surprised, Mike, if they haven\u2019t even started already.  They have started; they blew up their sites.  They blew up their testing site.<\/p>\n<p>But I will say, he knew, prior to coming \u2014 you know, this wasn\u2019t like a surprise.  It wasn\u2019t like we\u2019ve never discussed it.  We discussed it.  Mike discussed it very strongly with his counterpart in North Korea.  They knew that this was \u2014 let\u2019s say they didn\u2019t agree to that I couldn\u2019t sign any agreement.  There was no agreement that could have been signed.  So they understood that.<\/p>\n<p>And it wasn\u2019t a big point today because, really, this had been taken care of, more than any other thing.  Because it was all about this.  This has been taken care of before we got here.  So when we brought that up today, you see the language.  It\u2019s very strong.  It\u2019s in the document.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, ma\u2019am.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Could you talk about the military consequences for North Korea if they don\u2019t follow through on the commitments that you\u2019re talking about?  Could there be military action?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I don\u2019t want to talk.  Yeah, I know.  That\u2019s a tough thing to talk about because I don\u2019t want to be threatening.  I don\u2019t want to be threatening.  They understood that.  And you\u2019ve seen what was, perhaps, going to happen.<\/p>\n<p>And you know, Seoul has 28 million people.  We think we have big cities.  You look at New York, where it has 8 million people.  We think it\u2019s a big city.  Seoul has 28 million people.  Think of that.  And it\u2019s right next to the border.  It\u2019s right next to the DMZ.  It\u2019s right there.  I mean, if this would have happened, I think \u2014 you know, I\u2019ve heard, oh, a hundred-thousand people.  I think you could have lost 20 million people, 30 million people.  This is really an honor for me to be doing this because I think, you know, potentially, you could have lost, you know, 30-, 40-, 50 million people.  The city of Seoul, one of the biggest cities in the world, is right next to the border.<\/p>\n<p>Q    You once spoke about fire and fury.  Is that no longer the case?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, at that time we needed, perhaps, fire and fury.  Because we could not have allowed that kind of capability from the standpoint of the United States.  And certainly, Japan wasn\u2019t going to allow it either.  Japan is right next door.<\/p>\n<p>Q    One more thing.  Mr. President, could you tell us about the video that you showed before this?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.<\/p>\n<p>Q    When did you show that to Kim?  What was the goal there?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Today.  Yeah, we had it made up by some \u2014 I hope you liked it.  I thought it was good.  I thought it was interesting enough to show.  One in English and one in Korean.  And we had it made up.  I showed it to him today.  Actually, during the meeting \u2014 toward the end of the meeting.  And I think he loved it.  They were giving \u2014 we didn\u2019t have a big screen like you have the luxury of having.  We didn\u2019t need it because we had it on a cassette and \u2014 an iPad.  And they played it.  And about eight of their representatives were watching it, and I thought they were fascinated.<\/p>\n<p>But I thought it was well done.  I showed it to you because that\u2019s the future.  I mean, that could very well be the future.  And the other alternative is just not a very good alternative.  It\u2019s just not good.  But I showed it because I really want him to do something.  Now, I don\u2019t think I had to show it because I really believe he wants to \u2014 I think he wants to get it done.<\/p>\n<p>Yes.  Go ahead.  How\u2019s Staten Island Ferry doing?  Okay?  He wrote the best story about me with the Staten Island Ferry.  And after that, he\u2019s never written a good story.<\/p>\n<p>Q    That\u2019s a long time ago, sir.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  I don\u2019t know what happened.  It\u2019s a long time ago.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, it\u2019s been a busy week for you on the international stage.  You\u2019re leaving this summit here in Singapore having determined that Kim Jong Un is a talented man.  You left the G7 Summit a few days ago in Canada having determined that Prime Minister Trudeau is weak and dishonest.  What do you say to America\u2019s allies who worry that you might be jeopardizing our long-term alliances and who worry that you might be treating our historic friends as enemies and our historic enemies as friends?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, first of all, I think it\u2019s a very fair question.  I had a very good meeting with the G7.  And I left the meeting.  And, I\u2019ll be honest, we are being taken advantage of by virtually every one of those countries.  Very, very seriously.  Now, the United States, because of bad management at the top, because of Presidents that didn\u2019t care about trade or didn\u2019t understand it or whatever reason.  For many years, with China being, obviously, the most successful at it, but the European Union is second \u2014 $151 billion we lost.  They were represented at the meeting.  And we\u2019re being taken advantage of on trade.<\/p>\n<p>Canada does have very big advantages over us in terms of trade deficits.  We have a big trade deficit with Canada, I was reading, where, oh, it\u2019s actually a surplus.  Not a surplus.  It\u2019s either 17, but it could actually be 100.  You know, they put out a document.  I don\u2019t know if you saw it.  They didn\u2019t want me to see it, but we found it.  Perhaps they were trying to show the power they have.  It\u2019s close to $100 billion a year loss with Canada.<\/p>\n<p>They don\u2019t take our farm products \u2014 many of them.  They charge what was 270 percent, but somebody told me the other day that a few months ago they raised it to 295 percent for dairy products.  And it\u2019s very unfair to our farmers, and it\u2019s very unfair to the people of our country \u2014 the workers, the farmers, the companies.  And we are not able to trade.  They have tremendous barriers up.  They have tremendous tariffs.<\/p>\n<p>So when I put in a countervailing tariff just to get us up a little bit so the balance isn\u2019t so much \u2014 it\u2019s like this \u2014 they said, \u201cOh, that\u2019s so terrible.\u201d  I said, \u201cWhat\u2019s terrible?\u201d  We have to catch you a little bit.  We have to have a little balance.  Even if it\u2019s not complete, we have to have a little balance.  I say this with many countries.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, we came \u2014 we finished the meeting.  Really, everybody was happy.  And I agreed to sign something.  I asked for changes; I demanded changes.  And those changes were made.  In fact, the picture with Angela Merkel, who I get along with very well, where I\u2019m sitting there like this, that picture was we\u2019re waiting for the document because I wanted to see the final document as changed by the changes that I requested.<\/p>\n<p>That was a very friendly \u2014 I know it didn\u2019t look friendly, and I know it was reported like sort of nasty both ways.  I was angry at her or she \u2014 actually, we were just talking, the whole group, about something unrelated to everything, very friendly, waiting for the document to come back so I could read it before I leave.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, I left and it was very friendly.  When I got onto the plane, I think that Justin probably didn\u2019t know that Air Force One has about 20 televisions, and I see the television.  And he\u2019s giving a news conference about how he will not be pushed around by the United States.  And I say, push him around?  We just shook hands.  It was very friendly.<\/p>\n<p>Look, countries cannot continue to take advantage of us on trade.  The number are out.  Over the last couple of years, and over the last many years \u2014 but over the last couple of years, this country has lost $800 billion on trade with other countries, the biggest one being China.  Eight-hundred billion dollars.  A hundred fifty-one billion with the European Union.  They don\u2019t take our agricultural products, barely.  They don\u2019t take a lot of what we have, and yet they send Mercedes into us, they send BMWs into us by the millions.  It\u2019s very unfair, and it\u2019s very unfair to our workers.  And I\u2019m going to straighten it out.  And it won\u2019t even be tough.  Okay?  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Go ahead.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    (Inaudible.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  I would like to involve Congress, yes.  And no, I have a good relationship with Justin Trudeau.  I really did.  Other than he had a news conference that he had because he assumed I was in an airplane and I wasn\u2019t watching.  He learned.  That\u2019s going to cost a lot of money for the people of Canada.  He learned.  You can\u2019t do that.  You can\u2019t do that.<\/p>\n<p>We laughed.  We had a very good relationship.  I\u2019ve had a good relationship with Justin.  I have a good relationship with all.  I have a very good relationship with Angela Merkel.  But on NATO, we\u2019re paying 4.2 percent; she\u2019s paying 1 percent of a much smaller GDP than we have.  We\u2019re paying 4.2 percent on a much larger \u2014 we\u2019re paying for \u2014 I mean, anyone can say \u2014 from 60 to 90 percent of NATO.  And we\u2019re protecting countries of Europe.  And then on top of it, they kill us on trade.  So we just can\u2019t have it that way.  It\u2019s unfair to our taxpayers and to our people.<\/p>\n<p>But no, I have a good relationship with Justin.  And I have a, I think, a very good relationship with Chairman Kim right now.  I really do.  I think \u2014 I hope it\u2019s good because if it is, we\u2019re going to solve a very big problem.  I think we\u2019ve gone a long way to solving it today.<\/p>\n<p>Should we keep going for a little while?  Sarah?  I don\u2019t know.  It\u2019s up to the legendary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.  Should we keep going, Sarah?  Okay, we\u2019ll go.  Well, I don\u2019t care.  Hey, you know, it just means we get home a little later in the evening.  Right?<\/p>\n<p>Yeah.  Go ahead.  Sure.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Hi, Mr. President.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  How are you?<\/p>\n<p>Q    I\u2019m good.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Nice to see you.<\/p>\n<p>Q    From The Straits Times of Singapore.  Welcome to the country.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p>Q    I hope you enjoyed our food.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Beautiful country.  I did.<\/p>\n<p>Q    I just wanted to find out.  You described this as a process.  What is the immediate next step?  Is there some ongoing dialogue \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.  We\u2019re getting together next week to go into the details.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And that\u2019s (inaudible)?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Secretary Pompeo.  Yeah.  Next week, with John Bolton and our entire team, to go over the details and to get this stuff done.  We want to get it done; he wants to get it done.  We\u2019re also working very much with South Korea.  We\u2019re working with Japan.  We\u2019re working with China, to a lesser extent, but we\u2019re working with China.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And you are coming back to Singapore?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  I would come back gladly.  Your Prime Minister was fantastic.  We were with him yesterday.  He\u2019s done a great job.  It was very welcoming.  It really, probably had \u2014 it probably made a difference, actually.  It\u2019s a great place.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Mr. President.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, ma\u2019am.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  What was it about that first interaction with Chairman Kim this morning that that made you decide not to walk away after you said that you would know within the first minute if he was sincere or not?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.  I\u2019ve said that about relationships.  I\u2019ve said that about people.  You know in the first second.  Now, I was generous.  I said five seconds.  But you know in the first second, in some cases.  Sometimes that doesn\u2019t work out.  But sometimes it does.<\/p>\n<p>From the beginning, we got along.  But there\u2019s been a lot of groundwork.  This wasn\u2019t like we went and we started talking about \u2014 as you know, right?  We didn\u2019t just come in and start talking about these very complex subjects that have been going on for 70 years.  We\u2019ve been discussing this for months.  And, you know, once the rhetoric stopped, once they did a great thing \u2013you know, North Korea did a great thing by going to the Olympics.  Because the Olympics \u2014 and President Moon will tell you this \u2014 the Olympics was not exactly doing great.  People didn\u2019t feel like being bombed out of the Opening Ceremonies.  You know, they weren\u2019t exactly selling tickets.  And as soon as the Chairman \u2014 Chairman Kim \u2014 said, \u201cLet\u2019s participate in the Olympics,\u201d it sold like wildfire and was a great success as an Olympics.  It was a great success.  He did a great thing.<\/p>\n<p>But since that time, pretty much since that time \u2014 because, as you know, a delegation came from South Korea who had just met with North Korea.  They came to the White House.  They told me lots of things, including the fact that they\u2019d be willing to denuke.  We have one of their great people here today.  That they were willing to denuke.  And once that started, we have been really talking about that from the end of the Olympics when the whole delegation came to say various things, including denuking.<\/p>\n<p>Q    If I may, a second question.  In the document that you signed earlier today, North Korea agreed to commit to denuclearization.  To borrow a phrase that you have used to criticize your predecessors and political opponents, how do you ensure that North Korea is not all talk, no action going forward?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think can you ensure anything?  Can I ensure that you\u2019re going to be able to sit down properly when you sit down?  I mean, you can\u2019t ensure anything.  All I can say is they want to make a deal.  That\u2019s what I do.  My whole life has been deals.  I\u2019ve done great at it, and that\u2019s what I do.  And I know when somebody wants to deal, and I know when somebody doesn\u2019t.  A lot of politicians don\u2019t.  That\u2019s not their thing, but it is my thing.<\/p>\n<p>I mean, again, this really could have been done, I think, easier a long time ago.  But I know for a \u2014 I just feel very strongly \u2014 my instinct, my ability, or talent \u2014 they want to make a deal.  And making a deal is a great thing for the world.  It\u2019s also a great thing for China because I can\u2019t imagine that China has, you know, is happy with somebody having nuclear weapons so close.  So, you know, that\u2019s \u2014 China was very helpful.<\/p>\n<p>So I think he wants to make a deal.  Can anybody be certain?  But we\u2019re going to be certain soon because the negotiations continue.  Okay?  Thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p>Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    You mentioned that you have raised extensively the issue of human rights with Chairman Kim.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q    I wonder what you would say to the group of people who have no ability whatsoever to hear or to see this press conference \u2014 the 100,000 North Koreans kept in a network of gulags.  Have you betrayed them by legitimizing the regime in Pyongyang?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  No, I think I\u2019ve helped them because I think things will change.  I think I\u2019ve helped them.  There\u2019s nothing I can say.  All I can do is do what I can do.  We have to stop the nuclearization.  We have to do other things, and that\u2019s a very important thing.  So at a certain point, hopefully, you\u2019ll be able to ask me a much more positive question or make a statement.<\/p>\n<p>But not much I can do right now.  At a certain point, I really believe he\u2019s going to do things about it.  I think they are one of the great winners today, that large group of people that you\u2019re talking about.  I think, ultimately, they\u2019re going to be one of the great winners as a group.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, sir.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.  Yeah.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Would you ever consider removing the sanctions without significant improvement in the human rights situation?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  No.  I want significant improvement.  I want to know that it won\u2019t be happening.  And again, once you start that process, there will be a point at which, even though you won\u2019t be finished for a while because it can\u2019t happen scientifically or mechanically, but you\u2019re not going to be able to go back.  You know, once we reach that point, I\u2019ll start to give that very serious thought.<\/p>\n<p>Yes.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.  You first.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, did you also discuss the cost of denuclearization and how North Korea is about to foot the bill while the crippling sanctions remain in place?  I\u2019m from (inaudible) News Agency Singapore.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think that South Korea and I think that Japan will help them very greatly.  I think they\u2019re prepared to help them.  They know they\u2019re going to have to help them.  I think they\u2019re going to help them very greatly.  We won\u2019t have to help them.  The United States has been paying a big price in a lot of different places.  But South Korea, which obviously is right next door, and Japan, which essentially is next door, they\u2019re going to be helping them.  And I think they\u2019re going to be doing a very generous job and a terrific job.  So they will be helping them.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, ma\u2019am.  Go ahead.  Behind.  Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Mr. President.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Q    I\u2019d like to follow up on Steve\u2019s question.  He asked you how long it would take to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.  You said a long time.  What does that mean?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I don\u2019t know, when you say a long time.  I think we will do it as fast as it can be done scientifically, as fast as it can be done mechanically.  I don\u2019t think \u2014 I mean, I\u2019ve read horror stories.  It\u2019s a 15-year process.  Okay?  Assuming you wanted to do it quickly, I don\u2019t believe that.  I think whoever wrote that is wrong.  But there will be a point at which, when you\u2019re 20 percent through, you can\u2019t go back.<\/p>\n<p>I had an uncle who was a great professor for, I believe, 40 years at MIT.  And I used to discuss nuclear with him all the time.  He was a great expert.  He was a great, brilliant genius.  Dr. John Trump at MIT.  I think he was there 40 years, I was told.  In fact, the head of MIT sent me a book on my uncle.  But we used to talk about nuclear.  You\u2019re talking about a very complex subject.  It\u2019s not just like, \u201cOh, gee.  Let\u2019s get rid of the nukes.\u201d  It takes a period of time.<\/p>\n<p>But the main period of time that I\u2019m talking is that first period, when you hit a certain point you can\u2019t go back.  It\u2019s very hard to go back.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And how long will that take?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  We don\u2019t know, but it will go pretty quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Go ahead.  Sure.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thanks, Mr. President.  I wanted to ask again on the sanctions campaign.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.<\/p>\n<p>Q    You alluded at the very beginning that the Chinese are not doing as great a job securing the border as they were before.  You expressed some doubts when Kim went to see President Xi.  The Russian foreign minister was in Pyongyang and said there shouldn\u2019t be any sanctions while these negotiations are under way.  And the South Koreans are now talking about restoring some form of trade.  So with all of those players appearing to be moving toward eroding sanctions, how can you keep the sanctions regime in place?  What leverage do you have on these countries?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think we have a lot of leverage.  I think we have tremendous leverage.  I do believe that China, despite my relationship with President Xi \u2014 a man who I told you I have great respect for and like, also, a lot.  You know, we\u2019re having very tough talks on trade.  And I think that probably affects China somewhat.  But I have to do what I have to do.  And I think, over the last two months, the border is more open than it was when we first started.  But that is what it is.  We have to do it.  We have a tremendous deficit in trade, commonly known as a trade deficit.  We have a tremendous deficit in trade with China, and we have to do something about it.  We can\u2019t continue to let that happen.<\/p>\n<p>And I think that has had an impact on my relationship, in terms of the border.  I don\u2019t think it has the relationship \u2014 you know, I don\u2019t think it affects my feeling or my relationship to President Xi.  But when we first started, we weren\u2019t ready to go that route.  And as we started preparing and getting ready to do that, I think that\u2019s had an impact on, frankly, the border.  Which is a shame.  But I have to do it.  I have no choice.  For our country, I have to do it.<\/p>\n<p>South Korea will do whatever is necessary to get a deal done.  And if that means we can\u2019t trade, then I\u2019m not going to trade.  They\u2019re definitely not going to trade.  If they think \u2014 and they would do this with our concurrence \u2014 if they think that they can do some work because we\u2019re very far down the line \u2014 we\u2019re actually very far.  You know, that document, when you read it today, that\u2019s far down the line.  That\u2019s not something that just happened to be put together.  This was done over months.  And again, the rhetoric was important, and the sanctions were important.  I don\u2019t even know which one was more important.  They were both important.<\/p>\n<p>Yeah.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, David Sanger for The New York Times.  I was wondering if you could give us some sense of whether the Chairman Kim told you how many nuclear weapons he believes he\u2019s made, whether he\u2019s willing to turn those over first, and then whether, in your mind, you need to do more than was done in the Iran deal for actually dismantling the \u2014 both the uranium and the plutonium processes.  And whether or not you had a sense that Chairman Kim really understood what that involves and had a timetable in his own mind of shutting that.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, David, I can tell you he understands.  He understands it so well.  He understands it better than the people that are doing the work for him.  That is an easy one.  As far as what he has, it\u2019s substantial.  Very substantial.  The timing will go quickly.  I believe you\u2019ll see some good action.  I mean, as an example, one of the things with the missile site, I think you\u2019re probably surprised to hear that \u2014 that was a throw-in at the end, the missile site.<\/p>\n<p>But I really believe, David, that it\u2019s going to go very quickly.  I really believe that it\u2019s going to go fast.  And it is a very substantial arsenal.  There\u2019s no question about it.  You know, I used to say maybe it\u2019s all talk and no action.  But we have pretty good intelligence into that.  Although, probably less there than any other country.  You understand that maybe better than anybody in the room.  Probably less there than any other country.  But we have enough intelligence to know that what they have is very substantial.<\/p>\n<p>This is why, David, I always say that this shouldn\u2019t have taken place so late into the process.  Wouldn\u2019t this have been better if it was 5 years ago or 20 years ago or 15 years ago and we didn\u2019t have to worry about not having a successful meeting like today?  So \u2014 and I still love my first interview with you, David.  I still have that interview, actually.<\/p>\n<p>Yeah.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Mr. President.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Q    (Inaudible) the second summit \u2014 if there is a second summit with Chairman Kim Jong Un, would it be in Pyongyang or Washington?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  We haven\u2019t set that up.  We\u2019ll probably need another summit.  We\u2019ll probably need \u2014 or meeting.  We can use a different term.  But we\u2019ll probably need another one.  We\u2019ll probably \u2014 I will say this, we\u2019re much further along than I would have thought.  I did not think we\u2019d be here.  I thought \u2014 and I\u2019ve told people \u2014 I didn\u2019t want to build up people\u2019s hopes too much.  I told people I thought that this would be a successful meeting if we got along, we developed a relationship, and we could have maybe gotten to this point in three or four months from now.  But it really happened very quickly.  A lot of that was because of the foundation that was, you know, put down before we met.  A lot of things happened very fast.<\/p>\n<p>We didn\u2019t have \u2014 as an example, bringing back the remains.  That was not one of the things that was on our agenda today.  I brought that up at the very end because so many people have talked to me about it.  And I brought it up at the very end.  And he was really very gracious.  Instead of saying, \u201cWell, let\u2019s talk about it the next time.\u201d  He said, \u201cIt makes sense.  We will do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And he knew \u2014 you know, they know where many of those incredible people are.  Where they\u2019re buried along roads, along highways, along paths, usually, because our soldiers were moving back and forth and they had to move rapidly.  It\u2019s very sad.  But he knew.  And that was brought up at the very end.  And you know, it was really great that he was able to do it.  A lot of people are going to be very happy about that.<\/p>\n<p>Yes.  Go ahead, please.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Mr. President.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Emerald Robinson, One America News.  Congratulations.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you for the nice way you treat us.  We appreciate it.  Really, it\u2019s very good.  It\u2019s really beautiful what you do.  Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    So you \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  And now I\u2019ll probably get this killer question.<\/p>\n<p>Q    (Laughs.)  Well, I do want to talk about the future of North Korea.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.  It\u2019s all right.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Specifically the people are \u2014 Kim Jong Un is saying he\u2019s wanting a brighter future with prosperity for his people, yet we know they\u2019ve lived under oppression.  You showed him this video of what the future can be like.  But do you have an idea specifically of the model that you would like to go towards?  Economically, is he open to more economic freedom?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, it\u2019s a good question.  So you saw a tape today, and that, I think, was done really well.  But that was done at the highest level of future development.  I told him, you may not want this.  You may want to do a much smaller version of this.  I mean, you\u2019re going to do something.  But you may want to do a smaller version.  You may not want that with the trains and the everything.  You know, it\u2019s super \u2014 everything the top.  And maybe you won\u2019t want that.  It\u2019s going to be up to them.  It\u2019s going to be up to them.  It\u2019s going to be up to the people what they want.  They may not want that.  I can understand that too.<\/p>\n<p>But that was a version of what could happen, what could take place.  As an example, they have great beaches.  You see that whenever they\u2019re exploding their cannons into the ocean, right?  I said, \u201cBoy, look at the view.  Wouldn\u2019t that make a great condo behind?\u201d  And I explained, I said, \u201cYou know, instead of doing that, you could have the best hotels in the world right there.\u201d  Think of it from a real estate perspective.  You have South Korea, you have China, and they own the land in the middle.  How bad is that, right?  It\u2019s great.  But I told him, I said, you may not want to do what\u2019s there.  You may want to do a smaller version of it or \u2014 you know.  And that could be.<\/p>\n<p>Although, I tell you what \u2014 he looked at that tape, he looked at that iPad, and I\u2019m telling you they really enjoyed it, I believe.  Okay?<\/p>\n<p>Yeah.  Go ahead.  A couple more.  Okay.  We\u2019ll do three more.  Yeah.  Go ahead.  Go.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Brian Bennett from Time Magazine.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.  Hi, Brian.  Am I on the cover again this week?  Boy, have I \u2014 so many covers.<\/p>\n<p>Q    It\u2019s entirely possible.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Huh?  I know.  That\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Do you now see Kim Jong Un as an equal?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  In what way?<\/p>\n<p>Q    You just showed a video that showed you and Kim Jong Un on equal footing in discussing the future of \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  No.  I think that \u2014 I don\u2019t view it that way.  See, I don\u2019t view it that way.  I\u2019ll do whatever it takes to make the world a safer place.  If I have to say I\u2019m sitting on a stage \u2014 I mean, I understand what you\u2019re getting at.  If I have to say I\u2019m sitting on a stage with Chairman Kim and that\u2019s going to get us to save 30 million lives \u2014 could be more than that \u2014 I\u2019m willing to sit on the stage.  I\u2019m willing to travel to Singapore very proudly, very gladly.<\/p>\n<p>Again, I \u2014 you know, other than the fact that it is taking my time, they have given up a tremendous amount.  They\u2019ve given it up even before.  And even add the Olympics to it.  You know, you could add the Olympics to the question.  They went to the Olympics.  They took an Olympics that was going to be a massive failure that maybe wouldn\u2019t have even opened, and they made it a tremendous success by agreeing to participate.  Add that to the list of things that they\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n<p>So, Brian, if I can save millions of lives by coming here, sitting down, and establishing a relationship with someone who\u2019s a very powerful man, who\u2019s got firm control of a country, and that country has very powerful nuclear weapons, it\u2019s my honor to do it.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Are you concerned that the video you just showed could be used by Kim as propaganda to show him as an equal \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  No, I\u2019m not concerned at all.  We can use that video for other countries.<\/p>\n<p>Go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, in the year 2000, President Clinton got a request by Kim Jong Il.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Got impressed?<\/p>\n<p>Q    Got a request \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Oh.<\/p>\n<p>Q    From Kim Jong Il to travel to Pyongyang and meet him.  And Clinton refused.  He sent Secretary of State Albright.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.  He did a great deal.  And he spent $3 billion and got nothing.  And he started making nuclear weapons a day later.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, you, on the other hand, got the request and right away went here to meet him.  And do you understand those people who say that you gave him the ultimate present \u2014 the legitimacy to a regime who oppress its people without an ongoing process before you, as the U.S. President, as the leader of the free world, meet and shake hands with this leader of North Korea who is perceived to be oppressing brutally his own people?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Okay.  Good.  I think we just answered the question.<\/p>\n<p>Q    But do you understand those people?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, I understand them much better than you do.<\/p>\n<p>Okay.  Yeah.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.  Thank you very much.  Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, Eliana Johnson with Politico.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Sure.  Hi.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Hi.  You mentioned a couple specific concessions that you got from Kim: the return of remains and the destruction of the nuclear site.  And I know you said that was an add-on \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  And much more.  And much more than that.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Yeah.  I know you said the last thing was an add-on and it wasn\u2019t in the agreement, but that he gave you his word.  If he doesn\u2019t follow through on these things, what are you prepared to do in response?  And will you lose faith in this process?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  No.  I think he\u2019ll do it.  I really believe that.  Otherwise, I wouldn\u2019t be doing this.  I really believe it.  And it was really the engine testing site, in addition to all of the other things that they\u2019ve agreed to do.  It was the \u2014 they have a very powerful engine testing site that, again, we\u2019re able to see because of the heat that it emits.  And, yeah, I\u2019m able to \u2014 I\u2019m very happy.  I\u2019ll tell you what \u2014 I\u2019m very happy with those two points \u2014 the two points you mentioned.<\/p>\n<p>But I think you might be referring to the thing that\u2019s not in, which is the engine testing site.  I think he\u2019s \u2014 I think \u2014 honestly, I think he\u2019s going to do these things.  I may be wrong.  I mean, I may stand before you in six months and say, \u201cHey, I was wrong.\u201d  I don\u2019t know that I\u2019ll ever admit that, but I\u2019ll find some kind of an excuse.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>Okay, one or two.  One more.  Come on.  Yeah, go ahead.  Sure.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Mr. President.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Q    (Inaudible) with Xinhua Media Group China.  I just would like to know, will you call Chinese President Xi when you come back to D.C. to discuss about achievements you made today with Chairman Kim?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.  I will.<\/p>\n<p>Q    And what\u2019s your expectation about China\u2019s role to accelerate the process to establish a long-term peace mechanism?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, my expectation about China is that China is a great country with a great leader, and a friend of mine.  And I really believe that he\u2019s happy that we\u2019ve made this kind of progress.  And I\u2019ve heard from him.  But I will be calling him very shortly.  Maybe even before I land.  Okay?<\/p>\n<p>And I have to say, you know \u2014 and the United States is a great country.  And we have set records economically \u2014 over $7 trillion in net worth addition to what we have.  And we are almost twice the size, the economy of the United States.  Nobody talks about this, because you do hear a lot about China, rightfully so.  But the United States, now, is almost twice the size of the economy of China.  We have a great country and we\u2019re on a correct path.<\/p>\n<p>Okay.  One more.  That will be it.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, from South Korea.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, South Korea?  Where\u2019s South Korea?  I think you deserve \u2014 go ahead.  Go.  You deserve one.  Yes.  You deserve one.<\/p>\n<p>Q    I\u2019ve got two questions for you, Mr. President.  First, you mentioned earlier that you\u2019re going to talk with South Korean President Moon Jae-in over the phone.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q    What do you plan to discuss with him?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  I just want to tell him about the meeting.  Very successful.  And he\u2019ll be very much involved in the final negotiation.  He\u2019s a very, very fine gentleman.  Also a friend of mine.  And I look forward to speaking.  He\u2019ll be very happy when he hears about \u2014 I\u2019ve already sent word to him about what happened.  I sent the document to him, actually, and all of the details behind the document.  So I\u2019ll be talking to him very shortly.<\/p>\n<p>Q    If I may ask another question.  In signing the peace treaty, do you hope to \u2014 do you plan to work this out with North Korea\u2019s Chairman Kim only, or what do you think about the involvement of South Korea and China as the signatories?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  I\u2019d like to have them involved also.  There\u2019s a question as to whether or not we\u2019re supposed to or whether or not we legally have to.  I don\u2019t care.  I think it would be great to have China involved and also, of course, South Korea.  Okay?<\/p>\n<p>Q    Is there a transcript of (inaudible)?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  What?<\/p>\n<p>Q    Is there a transcript of (inaudible)?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Mike, do they have a transcript?  They probably have a rough transcript, which you can give us, if you have one.<\/p>\n<p>Q    So that was recorded?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  No, they didn\u2019t record it.  I don\u2019t think they recorded it.  Are there any recordings of it?  I wish there were.  Because it is interesting stuff.<\/p>\n<p>Q    (Inaudible.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Say it?<\/p>\n<p>Q    (Inaudible.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  I don\u2019t.  We probably have some notes or something.  But they have, actually, detailed notes, I would imagine.  But we had a great conversation.  It was a very heart-felt conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Q    How do you believe (inaudible) verify \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I don\u2019t have to verify because I have one of the great memories of all time.  So I don\u2019t have to.  Okay?  Okay?<\/p>\n<p>Q    What about the previous phone calls you had with Kim Jong Un?  You had phone calls (inaudible).<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, but I don\u2019t want to discuss it.  But we did is we\u2019ve had numerous discussions.  We\u2019ve had very important relationships established at Mike\u2019s level and other levels.  In fact, a couple of people are here from, as you know, from North Korea.  They\u2019re in the room.  We have a few people in the back also, in the room.<\/p>\n<p>So when we went into this final agreement, very importantly, we really didn\u2019t go in cold.  We went in with tremendous relationship and tremendous knowledge.  And I think that\u2019s why we got it done.<\/p>\n<p>So I\u2019m going to head back.  I don\u2019t know about you folks, but it\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve taken it easy.  So now we can take it a little bit easy, and then the work begins again.  And I appreciate everybody being here.  I hope we\u2019ve answered your questions.  And thank you very much.  And sort of congratulations to everybody, because this is, really \u2014 to me it\u2019s a very important event in world history.  And to be really true to myself, I have to add, I want to get it completed.  \u201d<\/p>\n<p>So Mike, our whole team has to get to work and get it completed.  Because otherwise, we\u2019ve done a good job.  But if you don\u2019t the ball over the goal line, it doesn\u2019t mean enough.  Okay?<\/p>\n<p>So thank you, and sort of congratulations to everybody in the room.  Thank you very much.  Appreciate it.  Thank you.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>END<\/p>\n<p>5:20 P.M. SGT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Capella Hotel, Singapore&#8230;Well, thank you very much, everybody. We appreciate it. We\u2019re getting ready to go back. We had a tremendous 24 hours. We\u2019ve had a tremendous three months, actually, because this has been going on for quite a while. That was a tape that we gave to Chairman Kim and his people, his representatives. 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