{"id":77605,"date":"2019-04-04T23:38:52","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T06:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.46.6.243\/?p=77605"},"modified":"2019-04-04T23:38:52","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T06:38:52","slug":"president-trump-and-others-at-the-white-house-opportunity-and-revitalization-council-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=77605","title":{"rendered":"President Trump and Others at The White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council Meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Well, thank you very much.  I\u2019m thrilled to welcome everyone to the very first meeting of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.  The Opportunity and Revitalization Council is a very important event in the White House.  We\u2019ve been working long and hard \u2014 right, Scott? <\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/f9n2odGBNjY\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>MR. TURNER:  Yes, sir.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  \u2014 on getting this up and running.  And it\u2019s something we\u2019re very proud of.<\/p>\n<p>The new council will coordinate efforts across the entire federal government to deliver jobs, investment, and growth to America\u2019s most underserved.  And they really are underserved communities.<\/p>\n<p>And all over the country, we have areas that are, I guess you could say, in some cases, not treated properly.  And they are indeed underserved.<\/p>\n<p>We are pleased to be joined by many members of my Cabinet, including Secretary Ben Carson, who leads this very important initiative.  Thank you very much, Ben.  I appreciate it.  Good job.  It\u2019s been a hard one, right?<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY CARSON:  Absolutely.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Not been easy to do.<\/p>\n<p>Also joining us is the Council\u2019s new executive director, Scott Turner.  Scott is a former NFL player \u2014 and a very good one \u2014 and a state legislator, and a businessman, a leader in his church and his community.  Scott, I want to thank you for doing such a good job.  But your results, hopefully in a year and two and three, will be very well seen.  That\u2019s when I\u2019m really going to thank you, right?<\/p>\n<p>MR. TURNER:  Yes, sir.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  All right?  Thank you, Scott.  I appreciate it.<\/p>\n<p>The Council will focus its efforts on economically distressed communities across the country, including Opportunity Zones \u2014 which are, as you know, up and running and doing incredibly well, beyond expectation \u2014 which we are designated by our nation\u2019s governors under a crucial provision of our new tax cuts.  That was a part of what we got approved with the tax cut.  And I don\u2019t know that people talk about it, but it was very important.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re providing massive tax incentives for private investment in these areas to create jobs and opportunities where they are needed the most.  This is all throughout the country.<\/p>\n<p>This Council will further leverage federal resources and authorities to support these communities however possible.<\/p>\n<p>We will work to streamline regulations, improve education, promote affordable housing, reduce crime, and expand jobs and skilled training for Americans all throughout our country.<\/p>\n<p>Our actions will directly improve the lives of countless low-income Americans.  It\u2019s pretty much aimed at that.<\/p>\n<p>Together we can lift up every forgotten community.  And we talked about the forgotten men and women.  And a lot of people were forgotten in this country.  No longer.  And unleash the boundless potential of our people.<\/p>\n<p>I look forward to hearing about all of the incredible progress being made.  And I\u2019d like to start, perhaps, with Ben Carson, who is doing a terrific job at HUD.  And, Ben, we appreciate it.  The whole country appreciates it.  You really have.  And please say a few words.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY CARSON:  Well, Mr. President, we\u2019re, first of all, thankful for your leadership on this initiative.  You know, this whole thing came out of the 2017 tax cuts and jobs bill.  That\u2019s how Opportunity Zones were invented.<\/p>\n<p>And they provide an opportunity for people to take unrealized capital gains and invest them into the neglected communities of our country.<\/p>\n<p>And some people have criticized this, and they\u2019ve said, \u201cIt\u2019s just a mechanism for rich people to get richer.\u201d  The fact of the matter is, rich people are going to take their money and they\u2019re going to invest it in something anyway.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  And they will become richer.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY CARSON:  Exactly.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  But they\u2019re investing in these great areas.  So, that\u2019s a good thing, not a bad thing.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY CARSON:  And that\u2019s the key: having them invest in areas that have traditionally been neglected.  This is what\u2019s going to make the big difference.<\/p>\n<p>Because we have this Council here, 13 different agencies \u2014 a bunch of federal entities involved and using all of their influence, amalgamating that \u2014 we have synergy.  And we can really focus, we can target, and coordinate in such a way that federal programs will have their maximum impact here.<\/p>\n<p>So, what the proof in the pudding is going to be: We will see these areas revitalized.  I\u2019ve already visited a number of them, and we haven\u2019t even come out with all the rules and regulations yet, where money has been invested.<\/p>\n<p>I was at a foundry in St. Louis last week; it\u2019s acting as the nidus for the development in Mississippi.  There was a sawmill that was abandoned, had been bought because of the Opportunity Zones.  Not only have they revitalized that, but they\u2019re hiring a lot of people now.  The building industry is coming in and building houses for those people.<\/p>\n<p>These are the kinds of things that make the difference.  It\u2019s not the rhetoric.  It\u2019s not talking about \u2014 you know, as some political factions over the years have done \u2014 \u201chow much you need us.\u201d  We\u2019re not talking about that.  We\u2019re just going to show people what can happen when we direct the federal resources at taking care of their problems.<\/p>\n<p>And everybody on this Council, all these agencies, are strongly dedicated to making sure that the forgotten men and women of this country, as you said in your Inaugural Address, will no longer be forgotten.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Good.  That\u2019s true.  That\u2019s so true.<\/p>\n<p>Scott, could you say a few words?<\/p>\n<p>MR. TURNER:  Yes, sir.  Thank you, Mr. President.  We appreciate your vision and your leadership in creating the White House Council.  And I\u2019m very humbled, as I was sharing with the Council before, to be here with several members of my family through the years of coming out of what we call now \u201cOpportunity Zones\u201d and distressed communities.  This is very close to my heart.<\/p>\n<p>And the team that we\u2019ve assembled here, not just at this table, but those that have been assisting along the way, is a tremendous team.  And I\u2019ve been blessed to play on a lot of teams throughout my career, but as I was telling the Council before, this is possibly the greatest team that I\u2019ve been involved with because we have an opportunity to make a generational impact.  And for that, I\u2019m grateful.  So, thank you.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much, Scott.  And we have tremendous faith in you and your leadership.  We chose you for a very good reason.  You\u2019re an outstanding young man.  You\u2019re still a young man.  (Laughter.)  I\u2019m a little older than you.  Just a little bit.  But we have tremendous confidence in you, Scott.<\/p>\n<p>MR. TURNER:  Thank you, sir.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  So go out there and do it.<\/p>\n<p>MR. TURNER:  Will do.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Wilbur, would you like to say a few words?<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY ROSS:  Yes, sir.  Thank you, Mr. President, for hosting us today.  We look forward to leading the Economic Development workstream of this council.  We\u2019re taking some innovative steps at Commerce to encourage private investment in the Zones, and our Economic Development Administration and Minority Business Development Agency are working to direct the funds where they\u2019re supposed to go.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, EDA has already issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity for public works and economic adjustment assistance programs to make all entities within the qualified Opportunity Zones generally available for EDA funds.  Those will supplement the funding of the Opportunity Zone program itself.<\/p>\n<p>And as we look to the future, we anticipate that state and local communities will take advantage of this opportunity.  Part of the process will include finding new and innovative ways to communicate the Opportunity Zone programs to state and local leaders and to potential investors.  Since fiscal year \u201918, EDA has already invested in 16 small Opportunity Zone projects, and these will help make the Zones more attractive to investors in the tax-oriented program.<\/p>\n<p>I look forward to discussing how to leverage private investment and future meetings.  Our Minority Business Development Agency is planning Opportunity Zone summits in a number of cities throughout the country to reach that community.  The first one was held last month in Philadelphia; it had 189 attendees.  So there\u2019s tremendous interest and enthusiasm, including in some of the very storm-ravaged areas, such as North Florida.  And Florida has 427 Opportunity Zones, and the state economic development team has now agreed to plan the rollout of the Opportunity Zones as a master tool to encourage investment in those communities.  Mississippi and other states are doing very similar things.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Right.  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY ROSS:  So it\u2019s got a lot of momentum.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Wilbur.  That\u2019s great.  Appreciate it.<\/p>\n<p>How about the great Larry Kudlow?<\/p>\n<p>MR. KUDLOW:  Yes, sir.  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  The market is way up today, Larry.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KUDLOW:  Yep.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  So today, you\u2019re great.  (Laughter.)  When the market goes down \u2014 when it\u2019s down, he\u2019s not so great.  But it\u2019s been mostly up, I have to say.<\/p>\n<p>MR. KUDLOW:  I\u2019m only as good as my last trade, sir.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>Just briefly, to summarize what Ben is doing and Scott: This will help.  Through the use of tax incentives and deregulation, we\u2019ll use private investment capital to help spread the prosperity we\u2019re enjoying to every nook and cranny of the economy.  I think that\u2019s the key part.  Every single area of the economy will benefit from this as you rebuild the overall economy.  And I think this is a terrific thing, and I think we\u2019ve got to promote it and message it and do whatever Secretary Carson says.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s my honor to be part of the group.  And, Scott, you\u2019re terrific.  You\u2019re a (inaudible) great American.  Did you play for the New York Giants?  Did we ever get you \u2014 the New York Giants?<\/p>\n<p>MR. TURNER:  No, sir.  Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, and San Diego Chargers.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Good.  That\u2019s great.  Thank you.  Thank you, Larry, very much.<\/p>\n<p>Sonny Perdue.  So the top representatives of China are here right now.  We\u2019re going to meet with them later.  They\u2019re going to be buying a lot of product from us.  You know that.<\/p>\n<p>MR. TURNER:  That\u2019s good news.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  More than anybody would believe for your farmers.  Do you have anything to say, Sonny?<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY PERDUE:  Well, certainly.  Forty percent of these economic zones are in rural areas, Mr. President.  And USDA has a prime objective in helping to raise them as well.<\/p>\n<p>I would submit to you that this may be the sleeper provision of your tax cuts.  We\u2019ve already seen the growth of GDP and jobs and employment and economic prosperity.  But I believe this may be, as Scott said, the generational provision of that that many people have ignored.<\/p>\n<p>So I look forward to working here with this group to make sure that happens \u2014 not just for today, not just for your administration, but in the future, raising these communities.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Very good.  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Rick?<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY PERRY:  Mr. President, in the energy sector \u2014 and I want to \u2014 I got a little cross-purpose going on here.  Earlier in the week, you had a great event here at the White House on FIRST STEP \u2014 a concept that you championed, that you pushed through Congress, that you signed into law \u2014 and to these prison reform reentry programs that are going to be able to bring people who \u2014 because of the program that you championed and that you passed on FIRST STEP \u2014 to give these people coming out of prison the opportunity to go into an Opportunity Zone.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, at the Department of Energy, because of what we\u2019re seeing and the growth in the energy industry, a truck driver that \u2014 we need a great deal of truck drivers in the Bakken or in Louisiana or over in the Permian Basin \u2014 those truck drivers being able to shift over from a year ago being in prison, to \u2014 through one of these reentry programs, into an Opportunity Zone, a job driving a truck, making $100,000 a year, Sonny.  I mean, that\u2019s \u2014 you talk about transformational for a family.  That\u2019s what we\u2019re looking at here.<\/p>\n<p>And you couldn\u2019t have had any better.  I\u2019ve worked with this man, Mr. President.  Scott Turner is a stud.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Very good.  That\u2019s great.  I wish we got more media coverage on the whole thing that we\u2019re doing with criminal justice reform.  For whatever reason, the media chose not to cover that very strongly.  They don\u2019t like that image for me with helping people getting out of prison.  They don\u2019t like that image of Trump, and so they wanted to keep that nice and low key.  They didn\u2019t cover it very much, which is unfair, because they cover other things.  Look at the media.  Look at all of them.  But that one they chose not to cover too much.<\/p>\n<p>But you know what?  I feel very happy about it \u2014 criminal justice reform.  And because of the great economy, people getting out of prison are really, for the first time \u2014 really, for the first time in the history of our country, they\u2019re getting jobs and they\u2019re doing a fantastic job, for the most part.  Some problems.  And you have problems with everybody.  But they\u2019re doing a phenomenal job, and employers are really happy.<\/p>\n<p>So perhaps you people can cover that because I think it\u2019s a very important subject.  I mean, the important thing is that the employers are so happy with what\u2019s taking place.  It\u2019s an incredible thing that\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n<p>Elaine Chao, please.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY CHAO:  Well, at the Department of Transportation, we have 10 grants that are a total of $2.3 billion, and we are incorporating the principles of the Opportunity Zones into these grants so that recipients will think more about these grants and how to incorporate the Opportunity Zones into what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  That\u2019s good.  We\u2019re proud of you.  You\u2019re doing a great job.<\/p>\n<p>Alex?<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY ACOSTA:  Mr. President, there are about 35 million Americans living in these Opportunity Zones.  The unemployment rate within them is, on average, about one and a half times the national level.  And so this is an opportunity for all of them to find jobs, but it\u2019s also an opportunity for us to grow our economy because we have 1 million more open jobs right now than individuals looking for jobs.<\/p>\n<p>And so, as with other agencies, the Department of Labor \u2014 we\u2019re adding preference points to all our grants where we\u2019re legally able to do so to focus those work development opportunities on Opportunity Zones.<\/p>\n<p>And I want to highlight two examples.  You mentioned criminal justice reform.  One example: our efforts on the reentry, providing workforce development dollars to individuals that are reentering.  And we\u2019ve added preference points on those.<\/p>\n<p>This is a wonderful opportunity for individuals that are leaving prison to learn skills, to hold a job.  And those investors that are going to look to these Opportunity Zones are going to want to know that there are individuals that have the skills to actually work at these factories that are going to be built.<\/p>\n<p>And so, across the board, we\u2019re doing it for reentry programs.  Homeless veterans \u2014 we have veterans that are homeless, and for whatever reasons, whether it\u2019s addiction issues, whether it\u2019s not having the right skill, we have workforce development programs for them.  And so we\u2019re adding these preference points to our programs and we\u2019re focusing them on these Zones.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  And you just think of it: From the founding of our country until a year ago \u2014 because this really started happening a year ago \u2014 people getting out of prison couldn\u2019t get jobs.  Couldn\u2019t get them.  The stigma, the problem, whatever.  And now they\u2019re being sought, actually.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY ACOSTA:  That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  They\u2019re being \u2014 they\u2019re having a choice.  Like we got Choice for our vets; that\u2019s a different kind of a choice.  We get choice \u2014 they have choice now in terms of jobs.  Never happened before.  Never happened in our country\u2019s history.  And again, the employers \u2014 the feedback has been extraordinary, not just good.  It\u2019s been extraordinary.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve spoken to a couple that said, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t I do this years ago?\u201d  But they couldn\u2019t get jobs and so they\u2019d end up back in prison.  They\u2019d have to \u2014 they were forced to do other things that weren\u2019t so good in some cases, and they\u2019d end up back in prison.  And this is the first that that\u2019s happened since the founding of our country.  A lot of it has to do with the great economy.  And I think a lot of it has to do with the mindset that we\u2019re helping to create.<\/p>\n<p>So, you\u2019re doing a fantastic job.  All of you.  Such a \u2014 such an important thing.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew, please.<\/p>\n<p>ADMINISTRATOR WHEELER:  Thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership on the Opportunity Zones, and Secretary Carson\u2019s and Mr. Turner\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>This summer, EPA will announce more than $15 million in grants to revitalizing strong \u2014 struggling communities. We\u2019ve included the Opportunity Zone designation as a tie-breaking criteria in the application process.  This means you\u2019re helping them take advantage of our many infrastructure loans and grant programs.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, we distributed more than $2 billion in loans to six cities with Opportunity Zones.  And last week, we announced availability of $6 billion in water infrastructure loans.  Last month, we gave a loan to the city of Baltimore.  And tomorrow, I\u2019ll be in Miami to announce another loan \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Great.<\/p>\n<p>ADMINISTRATOR WHEELER:  \u2014 to help them with their water infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>And then, finally, we\u2019re helping struggling areas of the country meet their Nonattainment Air Quality Standards.  When a city in urban areas are \u201cnonattainment\u201d for the air quality, it detracts with the amount of business that they can attract to their city.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Right.<\/p>\n<p>ADMINISTRATOR WHEELER:  This week, we are announcing that Cleveland is now meeting their standards for a particular matter, which should allow Cleveland to attract new business and expand existing businesses.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  That\u2019s terrific.  I love hearing that about Cleveland.  I like Cleveland.  You know why, right?  (Laughter.) We had a very good day in Cleveland.  A couple of days.<\/p>\n<p>David, please.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY BERNHARDT:  So, Mr. President, with the leadership of this group, we\u2019ve worked very hard to focus on some of our Native American communities.  There\u2019s lots of opportunity that can attract investment there with this as a supporting effort.<\/p>\n<p>Also, small rural communities that are surrounded by federal lands, this can be attractive for critical mineral development and some other opportunities.  So we have some grant programs designed to attract.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Right.  You\u2019re doing great.  Thank you.  Appreciate it.<\/p>\n<p>Betsy?<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY DEVOS:  Thanks, Mr. President, and thanks for hosting this day.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY DEVOS:  Opportunity Zones hold great promise for education and workforce development.  In Opportunity Zones, one fifth of the residents do not have a high school diploma.  And many of those that do are ill prepared for the careers available.<\/p>\n<p>Two specific areas that we can be most helpful in is the development of charter schools.  Currently, 70 percent of the Opportunity Zones do not have a charter school.  We can help private investors help with facilities, and we will incentivize grant competitions to help encourage that.  Also, career and technical education development for facilities, equipment, technology.<\/p>\n<p>And then this partners very well \u2014 Opportunity Zones partner very well with our Education Freedom Scholarships initiative \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Right.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY DEVOS:  \u2014 to really provide families more options and opportunities right in their backyard.  So I\u2019m very thankful for this opportunity to work on this with the group here and for your leadership on this.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, Betsy.  I appreciate it.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY DEVOS:  Thank you, sir.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  So this is a very important day and I wish everybody good luck.  And in particular, Scott, I have no doubt you\u2019re going to do a fantastic job.<\/p>\n<p>MR. TURNER:  Thank you, sir.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Just, good luck.<\/p>\n<p>MR. TURNER:  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Okay, thank you very much, everybody.  Thank you very much, everybody.<\/p>\n<p>Q    How is China (inaudible)?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Trade is coming along well.  We\u2019re having a big meeting this afternoon.  I think you folks are going to be at it for a little while, at least.  The Vice Premier is here and lots of top people from China.  They very much want to make a deal.  We\u2019ll see what happens.  It\u2019s got to be a good deal.  Got to be a good \u2014 it\u2019s got to be a great deal.  It\u2019s got to be great.<\/p>\n<p>Look, we\u2019ve been losing, over many years, four, five, six hundred billion dollars year.  We\u2019re losing, a few years ago, two hundred, routinely, to China.  We can\u2019t do that.  We\u2019re going to turn it around.  It\u2019s got to be a great deal.  If it\u2019s not a great deal, we\u2019re not doing it.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s going very well.  Top officials are here.  And, you know, we\u2019re very well along on the deal.  It\u2019s a very complex deal.  It\u2019s a very big deal.  It\u2019s one of the biggest deals ever made.  Maybe the biggest deal ever made.  It will be a great deal for our farmers.  Technology, intellectual property theft \u2014 everything is covered.  There\u2019s not a thing that\u2019s not covered.<\/p>\n<p>We could have made a quickie, but we\u2019re in a very good position.  Our economy is way up.  China is not way up.  And we\u2019re \u2014 could either make a very good deal or we\u2019re not going to make a deal at all.  But I think it looks like the deal is moving along very nicely.<\/p>\n<p>So I think you\u2019re going to meet me in \u2014 we\u2019re going to say hello to the media for a little while, sometime after 2 o\u2019clock.  Okay?<\/p>\n<p>Thank you, everybody.<\/p>\n<p>Q    (Inaudible) Mexico?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, a lot of good things are happening with Mexico.  Mexico understands that we\u2019re going to close the border or I\u2019m going to tariff the cars.  I\u2019ll do one or the other.  And probably start off with the tariffs.  That will be a very powerful incentive, because Mexico has the strongest immigration laws anywhere in the world.  They don\u2019t have courts like we do.  We have a stupid system of courts.  It\u2019s the craziest thing in the world.  We could be the only country that has it.  If you put a foot on the property, you put a foot into the United States: \u201cCongratulations.  Go get Perry Mason to represent you.\u201d  You end up with a court case.<\/p>\n<p>And then they release you, and you come back four, five years later but nobody comes back.  Two percent come back.  The not-so-smart ones come back.  It\u2019s the most ridiculous system anyone has ever seen.<\/p>\n<p>And we have catch and release and we have chain migration, where somebody comes in and brings the whole family.  \u201cBring them all: your grandparents, your brothers, your sisters, your cousins.\u201d  The craziest thing I\u2019ve ever seen.  Put in by Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>And the Democrats are going to straighten it out.  And if they don\u2019t straighten it out \u2014 and I predicted this.  I mean, I hate to see it, but at least I can say I was right.  I told everybody.  This is \u2014 you have a national emergency at our border and nobody even talks about drugs \u2014 the drugs that are flowing in.<\/p>\n<p>So for the last four days \u2014 and you actually have covered it to a very minor extent \u2014 Mexico has been capturing people and bringing them back to their countries at their southern border.  They\u2019ve been taking people under their very powerful laws \u2014 they have the right to do it \u2014 and they\u2019re bringing them back to where they came from.  That\u2019s about three days now, I guess, since \u2014 frankly, since they heard I was going to close the border.<\/p>\n<p>But before I close the border, if Mexico \u2014 and we love Mexico.  We love the country of Mexico.  We have two problems: We have the fact that they allow people to pour into our country.  We have to stop them.  Border Patrol has been incredible.  ICE has been incredible.  Law enforcement has been incredible.<\/p>\n<p>And the other problem is drugs.  Massive amounts of \u2014 a large \u2014 most of the drugs \u2014 much of the drugs coming into our country come through the southern border in all different ways.  Much of it where we don\u2019t have walls.<\/p>\n<p>The wall is under construction, by the way \u2014 large sections.  We\u2019re going to be meeting, I think, on Friday at a piece of the wall that we\u2019ve completed, a big piece.  A lot of it is being built right now.  A lot of it is being signed up right now by different contractors.  It\u2019s moving along very nicely.  But we need the wall, but we need lots of other things.<\/p>\n<p>So we need help from Mexico.  If Mexico doesn\u2019t give the help, that\u2019s okay, we\u2019re going to tariff their cars coming into the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The other thing is \u2014 because Mexico is such a big source of drugs, unfortunately \u2014 unfortunately \u2014 now we have China sending fentanyl to Mexico so it can be delivered into the United States.  It\u2019s not acceptable.<\/p>\n<p>So the second aspect of it is, which you haven\u2019t heard before, is that if the drugs don\u2019t stop \u2014 Mexico can stop them if they want \u2014 we\u2019re going to tariff the cars.  The cars are very big.  And if that doesn\u2019t work, we\u2019re going to close the border.  But I think that\u2019ll work.  So it\u2019s massive numbers of dollars.<\/p>\n<p>So if we don\u2019t see people apprehended and brought back to their countries, if we see these massive caravans coming up to our country, right through Mexico \u2014 coming right through Mexico, like nothing.  Busses are even given to them.  For the last three days, it hasn\u2019t happened, since I said we\u2019re closing the border.  The only thing, frankly, better but less drastic than closing the border is to tariff the cars coming in.  And I will do it, just like \u2014 you know I will do it.  I don\u2019t play games.  I\u2019ll do it.<\/p>\n<p>So we\u2019re doing it to stop people.  We\u2019re going to give them a one-year warning.  And if the drugs don\u2019t stop, or largely stop, we\u2019re going to put tariffs on Mexico and products, in particular cars.  The whole ballgame is cars.  It\u2019s the big ballgame.  With many countries, it\u2019s cars.  And if that doesn\u2019t stop the drugs, we close the border.  Because Mexico, last year, and over \u2014 for many years \u2014 just like China, except China numbers are even bigger.<\/p>\n<p>And I don\u2019t blame China and I don\u2019t blame Mexico, if they can get away with it.  I blame the people that used to sit in this seat, because they should have done something about it.  And I\u2019m not just talking about President Obama; I\u2019m talking about many Presidents.  They should\u2019ve done something about it.<\/p>\n<p>So if Mexico doesn\u2019t do what they can do very easily \u2014 apprehend these people coming in \u2014 and they can do it in a much more humane fashion.  Why should they walk up 2,000 miles and then be brought back?  They can stop them right at their southern border, right where they come into Mexico.  And they have unbelievable immigration laws where they have the right to do it.  The most powerful in the world.  As good as you can have.  And they\u2019re going to do it.  And if they don\u2019t do it, we\u2019re going to tax the cars.  And if that doesn\u2019t work, we\u2019re going to close the border.<\/p>\n<p>But we\u2019re also going to do something having to do with tariffs on drugs.  Because not only are hundreds of thousands of lives a year being ruined in our country, but numbers of people are dying that you wouldn\u2019t believe.  I mean, we\u2019ll lose one military personnel and it\u2019s a front-page story.  And yet, we have 100,000 people.  People don\u2019t even know the number.  They say 77,000; they say 72,000.  Any number they give, you can guarantee to raise it.  And if the drugs don\u2019t stop, we\u2019re going to put tariffs on.  It also costs our country at least $500 billion through our southern border \u2014 $500 billion.<\/p>\n<p>So we will put tariffs on if they don\u2019t apprehend, and ultimately we\u2019re going to give a period of time.  But if, in a year from now, drugs continues to pour in, we\u2019re going to put tariffs on.<\/p>\n<p>Now, we have a deal: USMCA.  It\u2019s all done.  They\u2019re going to have to live with it, okay?  They\u2019re going to have to live with it.  I\u2019m not trying to be unfair.  They\u2019re going to have to live with it.  The USMCA is a great deal for everybody.  But this is more important to me than the USMCA, so they\u2019re going to have to live with it.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, can you get the USMCA passed by Congress?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you.  I\u2019ll tell you one thing: It\u2019s a great deal.  If they don\u2019t pass it, it\u2019s purely political, that\u2019s all.  The USMCA, everybody wants to see it passed.  But we\u2019ll see.  Whatever they want to do is okay with me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Well, thank you very much. I\u2019m thrilled to welcome everyone to the very first meeting of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. The Opportunity and Revitalization Council is a very important event in the White House. We\u2019ve been working long and hard \u2014 right, Scott? MR. TURNER: Yes, sir. THE PRESIDENT: \u2014 on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":77603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,20,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-featured","category-government","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/2019-04-04-22-03-46_thumb2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=77605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/77603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=77605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=77605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=77605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}