Trump holds a news briefing | 9/18/2020
Thank you very much everyone. So a lot of work has been going on with respect, to. The vaccines. Very successful, work i might add. We have three, great, great companies, doing. Uh. Somewhat different variations. But they're all looking very good from the beginning of the china virus all. Nations, have understood, that our top priority. Must be to develop a vaccine, as quickly as possible, to end the. Pandemic, and get. Life back to normal. The successful. Vaccine, will, not only save. Millions of lives. It will put an end to the restrictions. And some of the, things that. Go on and have to go on, in the meantime. Today i want to discuss, the historic, progress, we're making to deliver. A safe and effective, vaccine. In record time. And, there's never been anything like this ever, in our history there's never been an in history, period, world history. Since january, america's, brilliant doctors, and scientists, have been working around the clock. These are the best medical minds in the world by far and the. Vaccines, are going through, the gold standard, of. Clinical, trials, and, very heavy emphasis, placed on safety. Three vaccines. Are already, in the final, stage. Joe biden's, anti-vaccine. Theories. Are putting. A lot of lives. At risk and they're only doing it for political, reasons, it's very, foolish. It's part of their. War, to try and discredit, the vaccine, now that they know. That we, essentially, have it we'll be announcing, it fairly soon. As part of operation. Warp speed my administration's. Manufacturing. All of the most promising, vaccines, in advance. And actually it'll be fairly long in advance. As soon as a vaccine, is approved. The administration. Will deliver it to the american, people immediately. Distribution. Will begin. Within, 24. Hours. After notice, and the general, i think. Those are the words specifically, you wanted us to use yes, within 24, hours you're all set to go and, massive amounts will be delivered. Through our great military, and the general, is. One of our best and he is ready to go. We'll have manufactured. At least. 100, million vaccine, doses. Before the end of the year. And likely much more than that. Hundreds of millions of doses, will be available, every month and we expect to have. Enough vaccines, for every american, by april. And, uh. Again i'll say that even at that later stage the delivery, will go. As fast as it comes they can deliver. They're very good, best, i think probably, the best in the world. The estimates, i'm, providing, today are based on, the manufacturing. That's in process. And that's, in process, immediately, right now. We've, already, exceeded, our. Ambitious, goals, under the defense production, act. Contracts, that we've secured, we may. Even get far above these numbers and numbers that i'm telling you today i think will, exceed them. Very very substantially. And i think that also includes, distribution. I think distribution, will go even quicker than most people think. I'm relying, on our military, everything i've done with our military, has worked out very well. In a short time we'll have a safe and effective, vaccine, and will. Defeat the virus. Interestingly. As i was saying that, go very well just like. What we did with our military, with respect to isis, went very well. Long ahead of schedule. They have been incredible. In working with. Me. Let's go to puerto rico. Because, puerto rico's. Been. Hit very very hard, by. A lot of different storms, and they're great people. It's a great place i know it well, great place. Today my administration. Is making the largest, emergency, relief award in history, to, rebuild, puerto rico's, electrical, grid and educational. System.
We're Awarding, 13, billion dollars, to permanently, repair and replace thousands, of miles of transmission. And distribution. Lines that, should have been done many years ago. This was beyond even the storms, it was just. Age, and. A lot of the salt, the salt from that, ocean, is a killer, for electrical, stations, and power. Generation. Systems, but on top of the salt you had these massive. Storms, or hurricanes, come in. And maria in particular, was a disaster. But for many years they've been trying to get this done and they haven't. Had the, political, willpower, in washington, to get it done so we're going to get it done for them. We're also going to be bringing back very very major. Amounts, of medical, work you know we used, to have pharmaceutic. Pharmaceutical. Manufacturing. At levels that. Few places had and a lot of it's left puerto rico and we're going to bring that back. Especially, now since our emphasis, is going to be, making. Our product. So we're going to bring, pharmaceutical. Manufacturing. Back to puerto rico a lot of it left over the years over a long period of time it's been leaving. And going to china and other places, so we're bringing all of that back. This was done in previous, administrations. I'd like to just point out, we've done. More for puerto rico than anybody, and this is just an example of it but we've done more for puerto rico, by far than anybody. We'll also be, launching a major effort to repair and renovate, the schools. Across the island following, hurricane, maria my administration. Immediately. Deployed, the full power of the federal government to bring the electric, grid. Back online, so they could at least. Temporarily. And. It certainly wasn't a permanent fix it was ripped to shreds. But a lot of that was ripped to shreds long before even the storm came, in. For many many years they've been trying to do it but we wanted to restore water supplies, and we did make emergency, repairs, to critical, infrastructure. Which we took care of. And saved countless, lives, which we did. Fema's, response in puerto rico included, the longest sustained, air mission. Supplying, food and water in american, history. We supplied, it for. Long after the hurricane, was gone the largest, disaster. Commodity, distribution. Mission, in u.s history and the largest, seabridge, operation, in federal disaster, aid, u.s history. My administration's. Also. Pre-positioned. Vast quantities, of relief supplies, for the future disasters, but unfortunately. Puerto rico's, in. In the way of a lot of different storms, a lot of hurricanes. And the island is now stocked with nearly eight times as much drinking water. And 13, times as much, food. As it had before i took office so they're ready to go if, something should happen. They got brushed by a storm recently, but. They're. In a good position, so we're going to bring back. Medical. Distribution. And manufacturing. To puerto rico. And at a level far greater than it was before. Uh, it's been emptied, out it's been. Largely, it largely, left the island for many years. Uh, one point it was uh, it was the talk. Of the world and now it's the talk of the world in a different way we're bringing it back so we're going to be bringing it back from various, other parts of the world that's going to puerto rico. And i think that's going to be very exciting for the people. And we're undertaking, the largest, federal, investment, in, puerto rico's, history. So you have a lot of uh, i have a lot of friends in puerto rico and i've told them about it, asked them about it.
Conceptually, What do you think and they're very excited. I just want to say by contrast. Biden's. Devastated. The island of puerto rico. He joe biden, what he's done to puerto rico. Meaning, the past administration. Is. Is devastating. In 1996. Biden voted to eliminate. A critical, tax provision, that had allowed puerto rico to become a dominant, player in global, pharmaceutical. Manufacturing. That's what happened. When biden voted to repeal this provision, the pharmaceutical. Industry, was ripped out of puerto rico. All incentive, to stay there was taken away. And all of the jobs went to china and other places, but mostly to china that's what happened. This was done with a vote of, biden this was even before. The obama administration. This was uh. This was, early on. But so, uh, so sad. That that was done and then obama, came in and it, got worse. So. For the people of puerto rico. They were a disaster. For you. And i have to say in a very nice way a very respectful. Way. I'm the best thing that ever happened to puerto rico. Nobody even close. But as a result the island's economy, under. The previously. Mentioned. Names. It just absolutely, cratered. Biden's, vote also left the united states at the mercy of foreign suppliers, for essential, medicines, putting our national, security. And our health at risk we had a tremendous. Industry, potentially, going to puerto rico and they just absolutely, cut it short with bad votes and took all the incentive, away and it went to other places, far away. Lance. So. They really in a sense were voting to destroy. Puerto rico, and we're bringing puerto rico back. And we'll have it done fairly quickly. And the 13, billion, dollars, is. That's a tremendous. That's a tremendous, amount of money but it's a very important amount and i think you're going to see something. Terrific. And it's very exciting, to me what the most exciting, is bringing the. Whole pharmaceutical. Industry, back we've spoken to various, companies, and they're willing to go there. They want to have. A little bit of help but they're willing to go to puerto rico and puerto rico is going to be very exciting what's going to happen. They were on the verge of doing it and they took away all the incentives, i don't know how that, was allowed to happen but they allowed it to happen that was very very bad for puerto rico and the people of puerto rico. That was done by democrats. And. A republican. Is bringing it back. So with that we can take a few questions, and uh. We. Are, again very advanced, on the vaccine. We think that sometime, in the very near future we'll have it, where. I would say i think i can say. Years ahead of schedule, what it would be if it were. An administration.
Other Than this one it would have been, you would have been years, before you ever had anything approved by the fda, john please, mr president. This huge, aid package, to puerto rico. Why not a year ago why not two years ago what not three years ago why 46, days to the because what we're doing is we've been working on it for a long time to get it, passed. Very tough to get things past. Democrats. Where they don't want to see this happen, and they probably, certainly didn't want to see it happen at this point. But it's a big package, it's a great package, and i think the most exciting part of the package, isn't. Necessarily. The billions of dollars it's going to be what we do with the pharmaceutical. Industry, we're going to get them back into puerto rico they liked being there but, they changed the tax, situation, they ripped it out so they really. Ripped apart the island, and we're going to bring it back john, it may be. Simply coincidental. But it does coincide, with the big push for puerto rican voters. That the biden harris campaign yeah i think that that's, well they can't do anything look the biden harris campaign, what they did they heard. You know i've gone through it and, whether it was president, obama, or vice president, biden they were a disaster, for puerto rico. A disaster. And. What we're doing and what we've done but what we're doing is something that. Will be fantastic, for many years. In the future, bringing back the pharma, pharmaceutical. Industry, manufacturing. In puerto rico. Is what they've wanted for years and we're doing that in addition, to the, 13, billion dollars yes please. Mr president i think i heard you write saying that you said that, there should you expect, to have enough vaccines, for every american. By april so as we sit here in mid-september. And there have been questions, about. The timeline, can you walk us through. Now. And the beginning of april to which every american, can have a vaccination. I think we may exceed those numbers even scott do you want to discuss, that, quickly, sure, uh. As has been said many. Times. Okay. And we have all the people that are involved, in the actual vaccine, distribution, here but uh we were just, going through this. As of the end of the year, we will have. Over a hundred million, doses, manufactured. The people who are not prioritized. List of including, high risk including first responders. Will have. The ability, to take the vaccine no one's being mandated, to be vaccinated.
At At the latest, in january. And as we said uh yesterday, and or i think yesterday. The, there will be hundreds of millions, of doses. Delivered. For people to take it during the first quarter. And so that by april. Every, single, american, who wants to be vaccinated. Will have the, ability, to be vaccinated. It's not a forced vaccination. Of course. Dr fauci said today. Basically echoed, dr redfield's, comments that. Q2, q3. Some point the summer of next year, the entire country potentially or at least as many americans that need to be vaccinated, will be vaccinated. Is that, the timeline. Next summer. That's that's on the outer edge we think we can beat that number very substantially. If you don't if you don't mind, um. The commerce department essentially gave you a runway, today. To. Strike a deal after the election. Do you expect a tick tock deal before the election or after the election. I think it could go quickly, we have uh. Great companies, talking to us about it you know about oracle, you know microsoft. Has been involved, and let's see whether or not they're continuing. To be. Involved. Walmart, is truly a great company they are very much involved they want to do something. So we have some great options, and, maybe we can keep a lot of people happy but, have the security, that we need we have to have the total security, from, china. We're just, no, we're not going to do anything to jeopardize, security. At the same time it's it's. An amazing, company, very very popular. So, that we can do a combination, of both i'd be very happy doing that could go very quickly that could go. Very very fast. Yeah please, mr president. Go ahead chris. Thank you mr president, um, on kuwait. So the ambassador, to. The kuwaiti ambassador, to austria, this week told the iaea. That. The kuwaiti, government is very concerned, over iran's, constant. Breaching, of the jcpoa. In your discussions, with the kuwaitis, today have you discussed. Where they stand, this week as we go into the u.n, as the united states tries to. Extend sanctions on iran well they just left my office as you know the oval office, and. We had a very good meeting. With the emir. And. I think we understand each other very well they're. Very excited about a lot of things that are happening in the middle east they. They are so excited, that we signed the first two countries, and i think they'll end up. Fairly quickly being a part of it i have. I would say seven or eight countries that want to be a part of it without even working. Uh very easily, very quickly, nobody thought this would happen and not only is it happening it's happening. Rather easily we discussed that very briefly, because that's, that's an easy one believe it or not that whole thing is now, a beautiful puzzle that's coming together, very nicely. But we are. Talking, to them and others about various aspects, of the middle east the middle east is straightening, out with all that's happening you know we've. Brought a lot of our troops back, a lot of them are coming back in the very near future. We're out of syria, other than we kept the oil i kept the oil.
And, We have troops guarding the oil other than that we're out of syria. We took them off the border between syria and turkey, we had a lot of troops on, the border. Ultimately, we got it down to 50 and i thought they were in great danger when you have two armies sitting there looking to fight, and you have 50 people in the middle i don't care. Who you are even if the you're the u.s, those. 50 people are in great danger we took them out. But we had a lot of troops on the border and we took them out i said look they've been fighting on their border for. 200, years, and a lot longer than that under different names. And they can continue, to, do that that's not for us we're guarding our own borders we're doing very well on our southern border as an example. So we're out of syria except we kept the oil, and we'll make a determination. We'll probably, be dealing with the kurds on the oil and, see what, it all, ends up but we'll be out. And uh very importantly. Uh, we're down to. Very few soldiers, in iraq. And uh, we're down. We'll be down very shortly over the next couple of weeks to. 4 000 less than 4 000 in afghanistan. And, then we'll, make that final determination. A little bit later and we're dealing very well with the taliban. They're very tough they're very smart they're very sharp, but you know it's been 19 years and even they are tired of fighting, in all fairness. And we really served as a police force because if we. Wanted to do what we had to do we would have fought a lot differently than they have over the 19, years they didn't fight it, properly, they were they were. Police. Okay they're not police they're. They're. Soldiers. So there's a difference the police, nobody has more respect for police than i do but they have to do their own policing. So we're having some very good, discussions. With the taliban, as you probably, heard, it's been public. And, but we'll be down to very shortly we'll be down to less than 4 000 soldiers. And. So we'll be. Out of there. Knowing. That. Certain. Things have to happen. Certain things have to be fulfilled. But 19, years is a long time. 8 000 miles away 19 years is a long time. And. The middle east the whole middle east. Equation, if you look at what's happened if you've looked at the. Stupidity, of decisions, that were made including, the. Deal that was made i mean take a look at what happened with, iran, had that deal stayed i had not broken that deal you could have never done the deal that i'm doing now where all the countries are pouring, in. And i had two calls this morning with countries that want to know when can we go into the deal. They want to go it's not that we're giving. Anything, they want security, they want peace and they're really tired of fighting. It's incredible. They're tired of fighting they've been fighting for so many years they're tired of fighting thank you very much. Mr president, mr president a question on the vaccine but first, uh on puerto rico. I i heard you many times over the past couple of years saying that puerto rico got too much money i mean just, last year you said, uh puerto rico is one of the most corrupt, places, on earth, we'll talk about how congress, said they have money. You said never again you said congress gave too much money to puerto rico, why now. We're building that up as a great medical, pharmaceutical. Manufacturing. Area. Where, you know we're going to be taking back a lot of the, business that we let go for years, and we'll bring, we're going to bring it back they were very good at it they did a fantastic, job but they, destroyed, it with their tax policy, they made it impossible, for people to stay so people went to china. Mostly, into other countries. Puerto rico has been very corrupt, in terms of its politicians. You see that they're one after another. It's been unbelievably. Corrupt. And we're studying that and working on that and we think we have a good group of people who are working very well with the politicians. Right now. But i think more exciting, than the, than the dollars, and you have to do something with respect to their grid their grid is a disaster, their. Generators. Are. Wiped out, and they've been wiped out for years long before maria came they've been wiped out for years, so if we can build puerto rico back into a. Pharmaceutical. Manufacturing. Area. We're going to designate, it as such i think it'll be unbelievable. For puerto rico unbelievable.
For The people of puerto rico and we can make it very successful. In a larger question on the vaccine, and on. On other issues regarding the experts in your government. Uh last night you uh you criticized, what christopher, wray told congress your fbi, director, you obviously, said that, the cdc, director, was flat, wrong on a couple of things, this week. Uh. How is it that. Uh you don't trust your own experts do you do do you think you know better not only do no i think i think i have yeah in many cases i do. Uh i think we have a bigger. Problem with china than we have with russia. I think china is a far bigger problem and i said well that's okay if you want to think about russia but what about china. I think that's appropriate. I thought that the definition. Of. Antifa, was. An absolutely. Incorrect. Definition. So i speak up i like to speak up. I have, fantastic, people that's why we're able to make these great trade deals that's why we're able to do things like we're doing today, that's why. The country has done so well the country's, done. Numbers like nobody, had we not had the china plague come in if the if that. Virus didn't come in the plague i call it the plague from china it didn't come in, the numbers we had were. Were. Not only record-setting, they were beyond, anything, anyone's, ever seen in any country, frankly. Now. We closed it up. And now we're opening it up and by the way. The democrats, ought to open up their states and they go to open them up fast john, the faster the better because they're hurting their people, a lot of damage done with these extended, shutdowns. But we saved millions of lives by doing it the way we did it and now we're opening it up and you see the kind of numbers the manufacturing. Numbers see the retail, numbers. You look at the employment, numbers. They're setting records, it's an incredible, thing that's happening. Had the plague nut come in we would have been right now at a level that nobody's, ever seen before, nobody's, ever seen, but even before. It was at the highest stock market. Best unemployment, numbers, and employment, numbers were up to 160. Million people just short of 160. Million people employed. We were never close to a number like that. And now we're doing it again and next year we will have, a great economic, year i think one of our best. Yeah. The postal service had planned on sending, 650.
Million Face masks to americans, back in april that never happened, uh why not and was it because i don't know i don't run it to be honest it's run as you know that's run by a commission. And. They run it. I think frankly. If they would raise the price of packaging. You'd end up. Making a lot of money or, breaking, even or doing something the post office has been. A mess for many many. Generations. But for certainly decades, and, it loses a lot of money it's always lost a lot of money. And one of the reasons it loses a lot of money now is that it's delivering, all these packages. And every time they deliver a package, they lose three dollars a package or whatever the number may be. So i would suggest that they raise the price of packages. And. You might get something where it loses very little or, maybe, broke even or maybe even made some money would can you imagine a thing like that. And, whether it's amazon. Or, any of the other. Internet. Delivery. Services. If you did that you'd have a whole different post office so hopefully they'll be doing that, in the meantime. I know so many people in the postal, system, and i've known them over the years they're incredible, people. And, they're very secure, they're going to be very secure, you know the problem they have with the ballots not the post office the problem they have with the ballots is the people sending the ballots. And the people counting the ballots. And who are they sending them to where are they being sent are they being sent to the wrong areas are they not being sent at all. They'll be tremendous. Corruption. If they don't do something about it now. One big hope is that we're in front of. Numerous, federal judges, in nevada. We're in front in pennsylvania. As you know we're in front in. Uh michigan. We have numerous, court cases out there that are very well advanced, and you'll start seeing decisions, just like we won the case on, opening, up, pennsylvania. That was a great decision, by a judge. That came down two days ago. And that was a very important decision. So, but we have a lot of very important decisions, coming down on this, on the scam, of, unsolicited. Ballots where they're sending out, tens of millions, of ballots, to everybody, people that didn't expect, them, people. Are getting inundated, with they'll be showered with ballots. Everybody, in this room knows. It's a scam. Okay, everybody, in this room, even john. Don't say it john because. It's a scam, sending, ballots. Sending, ballots. At a level, they are never going to be able to count them let me ask you. People in the white, house and they go to the school that's different that's called solicited. When you solicit, when you go out it's called absentee, or solicit. When you go out and you request. A ballot, you want to say i want to vote because i can't be in florida or i can't be someplace. Your request so you're sending something in, it's handled professionally, they send it back. It's a whole thing that's much different than unsolicited. When you get. Millions, of ballots i heard numbers like 80 million ballots now. Just. This week they had another one another one of the.
Disasters. That took place. An election. But look at what happened in new jersey. And they had another one in new jersey, very, very bad, different than patterson. Look at what happened in new york with carolyn. Uh. Your congressman. Murphy. Maloney. Carolyn maloney. Look at that i mean look at that race, carolyn maloney, had a race. It was a disaster. Ballots are missing, ballots, are fraught. These are small races these are look at what happened in virginia. Look at what happened at various, other parts of the country even over the last short pretty well and these aren't 80 million or 50 million or 20 million votes these are small elections. These are congressional, elections, where in theory it's easy. So what's going to happen on november, 3rd when. Somebody's, leading. And they said well, we haven't counted the ballots. We have millions of ballots, to count. It's a disaster. Everyone, knows it everyone knows it's a disaster. And i don't expect people here to say although some people will. Some people would say it, everyone, knows you don't even have to know politics, to know. And this has nothing to do with post office by the way. Where are these ballots, going who's sending them who's signing them you have in nevada, you have a governor that signs something, where he doesn't even want verification. Of the signature. So what does that mean, so he doesn't even want verification. Of the signature, so. I think it's going to be. A terrible, time for this country. And we're counting on federal, judges, to do a. Great, constitutional. Job. When they are they're right now analyzing, it many many federal judges when they like i think five or six but many federal, judges. I can tell you in pennsylvania. Big. In. Nevada, very big. I believe it's in front of a judge in michigan, we have, a lot of judges. Have not yet ruled on this but, uh if it's ruled in a different manner or it's ruled.
Where. These, millions, and millions of unsolicited. People that aren't even asking. There's such a difference, you write in you ask, they send it to you you sign it you send it back that's perfect, that's absentee. There's nothing like going to the voter booth by the way nothing. Where they check you as you go in there's nothing like that, but that's absentee, that's okay. But the scam, of sending, millions, and millions of bills and you know who knows this better than i do, the democrats. They know it's going to be a mess. They know it's going to they're going to be millions of missing ballots or tremendous, numbers of missing ballots. You could be talking about large, percentages. Of these ballots, are going to be missing. There's going to be fraud. It's a disaster. And everybody, and it'll be a lot easier for me not to bring it up. But everybody, knows i'm right, and you don't have to know a lot about, elections, you don't have to know a lot about politics. This is going to be the scam, of all time. And hopefully the federal. Judges. All respected. All highly respected. Hopefully, they'll be able to see this clearly, and stop it okay, thank you very much everybody, so, i want to congratulate. Puerto rico, and i think you're going to have a great, period of time, i think you're going to see a rebuilding, of puerto rico thank you very much. Investigation, how do you get the vaccine to marginalize. Communities. You.
2020-09-25 11:48
