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President Trump argued on Wednesday that the nation’s issues are all solvable, highlighting the “very unified” Republican Party in Congress as a key factor. “These are all solvable problems … with time, effort, money — unfortunately — but they’re all solvable,” Trump stated in an interview on Fox News. “We can get our country back,” he emphasized, adding, “But if we didn’t win this race, I really believe our country would have been lost forever.” This interview with Sean Hannity, recorded at the White House on Wednesday morning, marked Trump’s first TV appearance since becoming the 47th president.
During his initial term, Trump participated in 29 interviews with Hannity, according to White House historian Martha Kumar. Later in the conversation, Trump praised House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), calling him a “terrific” leader of the House, noting that he has successfully brought together Republicans in Congress. Trump also lauded Johnson for uniting Republicans on Capitol Hill, remarking, “You know, these are not easy people.” “This is a tough group … but they’re very unified,” Trump added.
In contrast to his predecessor, Trump has been outspoken with the media during his first few days back in the White House. At 78, he addressed numerous questions from reporters in the Oval Office on Monday evening while signing a series of executive orders, such as pulling the U.S. out of the World Health Organization, labeling Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and delaying enforcement of the TikTok “divest-or-ban” law for 75 days. The following day, Trump fielded questions after unveiling a $500 billion AI infrastructure project at the White House, with representatives from OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle present. In contrast, former President Joe Biden had the fewest interviews and press conferences of any recent president. Biden, 82, waited until February 2021 to give his first TV interview as president, which aired on CBS before the Super Bowl. His first full press conference was not held until late March of that year.
When Hannity asked Trump whether he preferred separate bills or a single piece of legislation to fund wildfire relief in California, address border security, advance his energy policy, and reduce taxes, Trump said he had no strong preference. “I don’t care as long as we get to the final answer,” the president responded, expressing his favor for “one big beautiful” bill. Trump also took the opportunity to criticize the way FEMA operated under Biden. “FEMA has not done their job for the last four years,” he asserted. “FEMA is getting in the way of everything, and the Democrats actually use FEMA not to help North Carolina,” Trump added, referring to the federal response to the destructive Hurricane Helene last fall. He also noted that he plans to visit North Carolina later this week, marking his first trip of his second term. Trump suggested he might not meet with Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, whom he called an “idiot” due to his handling of the Los Angeles wildfires. The president mocked Newsom for diverting water from the north into the Pacific Ocean to protect the endangered delta smelt fish, a claim Newsom denies. Trump suggested withholding federal aid from California until the state changes its water management practices. “I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow down,” Trump remarked.
Regarding Biden’s border policies, Trump criticized the previous administration’s approach to allowing people to cross the border. “People pouring in,” he said about the border situation under Biden, adding, “some of whom, I won’t get into it, but you can look at them and you can say, ‘Could be trouble’ … “There are people coming in with tattoos all over their face. … typically, you know, he’s not going to be head of the local bank.” When asked about his plans to release secret government documents related to the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Trump said he would make the files available to the public soon, once his team obtains them. “I’m going to release them immediately upon getting — we’re going to see the information — we’re looking at it right now,” Trump assured.
{Matzav.com}
