it's very hard to get anything done if you don't believe in the way to get it done or the reasons to do something. this is quite different. but again, i have utmost respect for the office of the president nd presidency. i hope they respect article i, the congress of the united states, it was much different to work with the other presidents than this president. >> you can watch our entire interview with the house speaker tomorrow night at 8:00 eastern on c-span. coming up in a few minutes, we'll bring you live coverage of the president's remarks to house republicans who are having a multiday retreat in baltimore. as he left the white house he stopped to talk to reporters.

president trump: thank you, everybody. the stock market is up again. we're very close to a new high. it would be over 100 times, i believe, you'll check it, but many, many times we set the record. so we're very honored by that. we're having a tremendous couple of weeks. a lot of good things happening. i got a call from heads of china the call was directed to my people actually they asked whether or not it would be possible to delay the hit on the tariffs up 30% from 25%, would it be possible to take it off the october 1 date. we gave them two weeks in honor of president xi, we gave them a two-week reprieve. so we'll be doing tariffs on october 15 instead of october 5, or october 1. they were going to be set on october 1. we're moving it to october 15.

because they're having their 70th anniversary. and i will do that, again, in hon nor of president xi. that's it. any questions? [inaudible] president trump: i wouldn't. i think he's fantastic. i spoke to mike pompeo about that. he decided, he and i -- i get along with him so well, we have a lot of the same views. a couple of little different views, but he likes the idea of having somebody in there with them. i do too. i think they'll have an answer for you. we are 15 candidates, everybody wants it badly, as you can imagine. we'll probably next week sometime make that decision. e look forward to that >> [inaudible] >> we have at least 10 more.

a lot of people want the job. it's a great job. it's a lot of fun to work with donald trump. it's very easy to work with me. you know why it's easy? i make all the decision you on't have to work. reporter: you called baltimore at one point, what's your message to the people of baltimore as you head to baltimore? president trump: i look forward to -- we're going to baltimore right now, i look forward to it. we'll be with the republican congressmen. i think it's going to be a very successful evening where we had a tremendous election on tuesday. and you saw the results on tuesday night. one gentleman was dan bishop, he was not doing so well, three or four weeks ago. we got the message out, he won the election. he was losing substantially and he ended up winning fairly easily. dan bishop. and greg murphy within by lots more than was expect. he won by many points. a lot of people thought that

would be a close race. so we won two seats in congress on thursday. and i guess the press didn't talk about it too much, they would have if they lost. but they won. the republicans had a great night on tuesday. >> are you considering any kind of interim deal with the chinese where they make a commitment on intellectual property? president trump: something that people talk about, i'd rather get the whole deal done. we've taken in many, many billions of $s of tariffs. i'd rather get the entire chinese -- look if we're going to do the deal, let's get it done. a lot of people are talking about it. i see a lot of analysts say an interim deal, meaning we'll do piece of it, the easy ones first. but there's no easy or hard. there's a deal or not a deal. but it's something we would consider, i guess. but we're very -- we're doing very well. we're doing very well. i did a little bit of a delay in hon nor of president xi because it's their 70th anniversary.

in china. >> mr. president, what do you expect out of the debate tonight? president trump: it's too bad i'm going to miss it. i'll have to have it somehow taped, i didn't tell them about that, maybe it is not that important. it is important. it's going to be very interesting. i look forward to going home, i'll have to watch it as a rerun. many of you are coming to baltimore with me. i don't expect too much difference. i mean, three people that are leading, i sort of think that those three people will take it to the end. it's going to be one of those three, i think. but you never know in politics, do we? you know better than i. never know in politics. >> who do you think your strongest opponent is? president trump: i think they all have their weaknesses and their strengths. i think that they're very different. certainly have a lot of different voices up there. but it would look to me like it would be elizabeth warren and

looks like joe maybe will be able to get there maybe not. i don't know. and certainly bernie is there. he's number three. but i think that's the -- they're so far in the lead, the three of them. if you remember, i'm sure you forget my republican primaries, i went to the lead at the very beginning and stayed there. if you don't make a really major mistake, he should be able to make it. i would imagine biden would be able to make it. if he doesn't make any major mistakes. we'll see. >> the man you called my african-american at your rally in 2016 he said he's leaving the 2016 because you're pursuing a prowhite reaction. what do you say to him? he's a supporter of yours. now he's not anymore. president trump: i don't know what you're talking about. reporter: the man you pointed

out that you called, my african-american. president trump: we have tremendous african-american support. i'm at an all-time high. i don't think i've ever had the support i have now. i think i'll do very well with african-americans. african-american support has been the best we've had and i think a lot of it has to do with the fact that from an employment and unemployment both, employment and unemployment -- reporter: do you think he's wrong wrong? president trump: i think this. very simple. we have the best numbers we've ever had for african-americans in terms of employment and unemployment. so i think we're going to do very well. reporter: have you made any decisions on guns or ethanol today? president trump: we had a big meeting on guns and we had a big meeting on ethanol. had a great meeting with chuck grassley, johnierness, mike brown. we had -- kim was there. we had some terrific people. john thune. we had a meeting on ethanol. we had a meeting on guns.

separately and different people. i think we made some good progress on background checks and guns. i think we had a great meeting on ethanol for the farmers. i think we had our ethanol meeting was great meet, let's see what happens. but there's been nobody better to farmers than donlt trump, that i can tell you. i think we made a lot of progress on ethanol. i think we made a lot of progress on guns, yes. >> [inaudible] president trump: at some point, certainly they wanti think it it will happen. we will see. kim jong-un, i think something can happen, yes. reporter: on the military. are puttingys you national security at risk. democrats are calling for a vote to overturn your national decision. what is your response? pres. trump: the border is being built.

we need the wall for purposes of national security. the military is behind it all the way. any project that may delay, it is only a delay, they will get built. . the wall is something we need we will be building hundreds of miles of wall. we had a supreme court decision which was outstanding. we also had a supreme court decision yesterday on asylum. that was a very big decision. it was a 7-2 decision. the asylum decision was very big. we had a very good decision on the wall and wall funding. the wall is going up as we speak. approximately,ve maybe something short of 500 miles of wall. that would be almost everything that we need. about 500 miles is what we need. we will be close to that by the end of next year. resolution to find [inaudible]

pres. trump: no, i'm not. we have done the best job of any president in 2.5 years in office. our economy is incredible. rules, regulation, everything we have rolled back, have led to a resurgence in the economy. if you look at all of the things we have done for the military, if you look at what we have done for the vets, if you look at everything we have done from an economic standpoint to a national security standpoint, i think our country is in one of the best conditions it has ever been in. i think the economy may be the strongest it has ever been in the history of our country. people know we are doing a great job. they do play politics and they continue to play politics, and a lot of people think that's the only way. you know what? most people think that helps things. it really is an embarrassment to our country. we have done a great job. reporter: [inaudible]

pres. trump: we are going to see. i think north korea would like to meet. i think you have probably heard that. i can tell you iran wants to meet. and china wants to make a deal. we have a lot of interesting things going on. reporter: [inaudible] pres. trump: i haven't seen the andrew mccabe situation. i really don't know about it yet. i heard it was big news before. i have not been able to find out exactly what happened with andrew mccabe. something happened, it was very big, it was breaking as i walked out. i have not seen it yet. reporter: what exactly have you when the first layer -- first lady said about keeping? pres. trump: we haven't said anything except down to vaped. i don't like vaping. reporter: [inaudible] pres. trump: i don't think she's scared of anything. i think she's a smart woman. i think she knows exactly what

she's doing. we have the strongest economy in the history of our country. we are ready to break the record again. our stock market, we broke the record on jobs, african-american, we broke the record again, you know that. if you look at hispanic american, asian american, the best employment and unemployment numbers in the history of our country. with women, 71% -- 71 years, think of this, 71 years, the best numbers in 71 years. now, i think we've done a great job. there are those that say the best job in the history of our country for the first 2.5 years. pretty much that's the story. reporter: [inaudible] pres. trump: we had a big meeting today on guns. we had a big meeting today on ethanol. both meetings went very well. a lot of progress was made. i believe on the background checks and various things having to do with guns, we are dealing

with the democrats. and we are dealing very well. it seems like they would like to do something. i can speak for republicans, they would like to do something. we will see what can happen. but we are always protecting our second amendment. i want to make it clear. our second amendment will be protected fully. [inaudible] pres. trump: we are dealing on venezuela right now. it's going to be a very interesting period of time. we are also trying to help a lot of venezuelans who are dying. they have no food, no water. we are trying to help a lot of them who have escaped, so to speak, in columbia and different places. we are trying to help those people that have been able to get out. we are dealing with a lot of things having to do with venezuela. my attitude on venezuela is a very tough one. frankly, my attitude on cuba is a very tough one.

and in a way, they go hand-in-hand because cuba has always made it possible for venezuela to do what they are doing and frankly, that is ending now. likewise, venezuela, through the oil, took care of cuba. a lot of that is ending right now. reporter: [inaudible] pres. trump: i don't believe that. i don't think the israelis -- i really would find that hard to believe. my relationship with israel has been great. you look at golan heights, you look at jerusalem, moving the embassy to jerusalem, becoming the capital, you look at even the iran deal, what has happened with iran, iran is a much different country now than it was 2.5 years ago. it is in a much different position. now, i don't believe that. i wouldn't believe that story. anything's possible but i don't believe that. reporter: are there any democrats debating tonight that you have respect for? pres. trump: i respect all of them. reporter: all of them?

pres. trump: i respect everyone. it takes a lot of courage to run for office. i respect all of them. i'm getting to be much better as a politician. you never thought you would hear that answer. reporter: [inaudible] i think so. it depends on the democrats. it depends on whether or not the democrats want to take your guns away because it is a possibility that this is just a ploy -- a ploy to take your guns away or whether or not it is meaningful. if it is meaningful, we will make a deal. if this is a movement by the democrats to take your guns away, it will never happen. we will never let that happen. we will always be there for our second amendment. we are going to see. if the democrats want to make a deal, we can make a deal. thank you, everybody.

announcer: taking off from baltimore, maryland tonight where the president is going to be delivering remarks shortly to house republicans who have been gathered here for their yearly retreat. the first republican retreat since the gop lost its majority in the 2018 midterm elections.

we will bring you live coverage tonight from baltimore. earlier today, house minority leader kevin mccarthy held a news conference from the house republican retreat. in baltimore, maryland. >> good afternoon. i mark strand. i'm the president of the congressional institute. i'm very pleased to welcome you to the 2019 house republican member retreat. the congressional institute has sponsored this planning conference since 1987. we believe it is critically important for members of congress to be able to get together and discuss important issues of -- that americans are concerned about. health care, strong and vibrant economy, and innovative technology ideas. the congressional institute is involved in congressional reform. we have looked at reform ideas to make the budget process effective another solutions strengthened in congress or you can find our research and information about congress on our website, congressionalinstitute.org.

it is a brand-new website. if you want to give us input, i would love to hear it. youus know how we can help report on congressional operations and reform measures. it's my great and distinct honor to introduce the house republican leader, kevin mccarthy. mr. mccarthy: thank you again. this is our weekly press conference. i brought a couple guests. our republican leader, jim jordan who serves on judiciary as well. and soon to be one of our newest members and additions to the republican caucus who won in north carolina, dan bishop. press does not apply for you, dan. i want to thank baltimore for having us back. we have had our conference here many times before and we thank the city for having that. today in the next couple days we will be discussing different policies, looking at from the

21st century going all the way from our economics, from the strength within rebuilding our military, but also our domestic issues, when it comes to privacy, when it comes to the environment. we will be doing breakout sessions with a number of members getting together to work on the policies moving forward. this week was an interesting week when it came to washington. i think it is a clear sign -- actually, foretelling of what will happen for the next 18 months. let me walk you through this week. this week we watched two special elections in north carolina. both of them won by a republican. some of you i know right something different but you ought to analyze this race. in 2018, this race was won by less than 100 votes on the question -- there were questions whether votes were harvested so they had another election. democrats were able to hold the same candidates, able to kennett -- to campaign for 17 months.

that candidate had all the odds in advantages towards them. we had to come from behind. we had dan bishop who has been representing the area and the statehouse, come from behind. not only did he win, he improved by more than 400%. the president made a considerable difference in his race coming in, when you watch the turnout, the movement in numbers, a week away to what they ended up on election day. you watched counties in which the democrat nominee last time actually carried but lost, this time. we improved by two percentage points. if you simply add two percentage points across, that is 13 more seats with only six more to go to win a majority. the difference between being in the minority and majority is roughly 116,000 votes overall. i think it is really foretelling of what's happening. let's look at what's happening inside congress itself. we have a speaker at a press conference today that refuses to answer questions of what's

happening to her chairman and judicial committee because they don't know what's happening. seu have a majority leader who response ability it is to manage the committee, has a different definition of what is happening in the judiciary committee than the chairman themselves. i've told you many times before. chairman nadler, if you was a chairman on our side of the aisle, the way he handles this committee, we would have removed him from that committee long ago. his inability to run a simple committee, his inability to know and explain what is moving forward. chairman nadler, when he came -- campaign to become chairman, and i will quote what he said, he said he would be "the strongest member to lead an impeachment after the election." even though the facts don't play that way, chairman nadler continues to try to move that way. we watched a new poll that came out through democrat voters. democrat voters know more about the democrats investigation than anything legislative they passed. i challenge the country to name me one thing this new democrat

majority has solved. name me one problem they have been able to solve. they have an internal battle with pretty much is an internal war. we watched, it was just a few new freshmen fighting with the speaker and the ideology of the party itself, and we found they won out. now we find all committee chairs cannot manage what is going on, nor do they know what's happening, nor do the members of the committee itself no. this is what the future holds. that is why today, the next day and the others we will be mapping out one, if fundamental agenda to show the public a better path and better way forward. that we can actually show the ability to continue to grow. when we watched today this economy, the strongest economy we had in more than 50 years, i will give you a few statistics. in the last 13 months, hourly wage has gone up 3% or higher. for those who are trying to make sure we raise their wages, we are able to accomplish that. showing a path to do that.

women between the age of 25 and 54, the participation rate in the economy is 76.3%, the highest participation rate we have found in more than 15 years. you see now we have joined -- been joined by our dear friend doug collins, a dear friend. let me turn to jim jordan, our leader when it comes to the oversight committee and a member of judiciary committee as well. jim? rep. jordan: let me thank kevin for his leadership and doug on the committee, and then of course congratulate dan. it was a big night. what a contrast between greg murphy and dan bishop. on tuesday evening. what you saw, and i will let doug a jump in, but what you saw in the judiciary committee this week. two days ago, they boasted to take away america's second amendment rights without them doing anything wrong, and they voted to allow that to happen in

a court proceeding where the person who is losing their rights doesn't get to show up and defend themselves. later, we had the crazy scenario we had today where is it impeachment, not an inquiry? jerry nadler doesn't want to talk about it but wants to go after the president. impeachment, investigation or that is straightforward. the reason they want to do this, change the rules in the middle of the game, nine months into a new congress, is nothing else has worked for them. the michael cohen hearing was a flop for them. cayman lyda seven dimes under the -- under oath. watched the bob mueller hearing. we know that was a flop. they got to come up with some way to go after this president because they are determined it to do it even though the country knows we shouldn't do it. even though the country says don't do it. they are bound and determined to do that. so they change the rules on the middle of the game. understand the issue