and washington, d.c., along with new york and los angeles, speaks not for the people, but for the special interests and for those profiting.broken system. the press has become so dishonest that if we don't talk about it, we are doing a tremendous disservice to the american people. tremendous disservice. we have to talk about it. to find out what is going on because the press honestly is out of control. the level of dishonesty is out of control. i ran for president to represent the citizens of our country. i am here to change the broken system so it serves their families and their communities well. i am talking and really talking on this very entrenched power structure and what we are doing is we are talking about the power structure. we are talking about its entrenchment as a result, the

media is going through what they have to go through to oftentimes distort, not all the time, and some of the media is fantastic, have to say, they are honest and fantastic. much of it is not. the distortion -- we will talk about it, you will be able to ask me questions about it. we are not going to let it happen because i am here again to take my message straight to the people. as you know, our administration inherited many problems across government and across the economy. to be honest, i inherited a mess, it is a mess. at home and abroad, a mess. jobs are pouring out of the country. you see what is going on with all of the companies leaving our country, going to mexico and other places. low pay, low wages, mass instability overseas, no matter where you look. the middle east, a disaster.

north korea, we will take care of it, folks. we're going to take care of it all. i just want to let you know, i inherited a mess. beginning on day one, administration went to work to tackle these challenges. on foreign affairs, we have already begun enormously productive talks with many foreign leaders, much of that you have covered, to move forward toward stability, security, and peace in the most troubled regions of the world, which were many. we have had great conversations with the united kingdom and meetings, israel, mexico, japan, china, and canada. really, really productive conversations. i would say far more productive than you would understand. we have even developed a new counsel with canada to promote women's business leaders and entrepreneurs, very important and become a very important to my daughter ivanka.

i have directed our defense committee headed by our great general now second mattis, he is over there now working very hard, to submit a plan for the p that celebrates the mortar and torture of innocent people d large sections of the world, used to be a small group, now it is enlarged sections of the world. they have spread like cancer. isis has spread like cancer. another method i inherited. and we have imposed new sanctions on the nation of iran, who has totally taken advantage of our previous administration, and they are the world's top sponsor of terrorism. we are not going to stop until that problem is properly solved, and it is not properly solved now. it is one of the worst agreements i've ever seen drawn by anybody.

i have ordered plans to begin for the massive rebuilding of the united states military. i had great support from the senate, i have had great support from congress generally. we have pursued this rebuilding in the hopes that we will never have to use this military, and i will tell you that i would be so happy if we never had to use it. but our country will never have had a military like the military we are about to build and rebuild. we have the greatest people on earth and our military, but they don't have the right equipment, and their equipment is old. i used it. i talked about it at every stop, depleted, it is depleted. it won't be depleted for long. i think one of the reasons i'm standing here instead of other people is that, frankly, i

talked about we have to have a strong military. have to have strong law enforcement also. so we do not go abroad in the search of war. we really are searching for peace, but it is peace through strength. at home, we have begun the monumental task of returning the government back to the people on a scale not seen in many, many years. in each of these actions, i am keeping my promises to the american people. these are campaign promises. some people are so surprised at having strong borders, but that's what i've been talking about for a year and a half, strong borders. they are so surprised, having strong borders, that is what i've been talking about to the press and everybody else. one promise after another after years of politicians lying to you to get elected. they lied to the american people to get elected. some of the things i'm doing probably are not popular, but they are necessary for other

reasons. coming to washington and pursuing their own interests, which is more important too many politicians. i am here following through on what i pledged to do. that is all i'm doing. i put it out before the american people. got 306 electoral college votes. i was not supposed to get 222, they said there is no way to get 222, 230 is impossible, 270, which you need, that was laughable. we got 306. because people came out and voted like they have never voted before, that is the way it goes. i guess it was the biggest electoral college win since ronald reagan. in other words, the media is trying to attack our administration because they know that we are following through on pledges that we made, and they are not happy about it, for whatever reason.

but a lot of people are happy about it. in fact, i will be in melbourne, florida, 5:00 on saturday. i just heard that the crowds are massive that want to be there. i turn on the tv, open the newspapers, and i see stories of chaos, chaos. yet it is the exact opposite. this administration is running like a fine-tuned machine, despite the fact that i cannot get my cabinet approved, and they are outstanding people. like senator dan coats who is one of the most respected men of the senate. he cannot get approved. how do you not approve hemp eczema he's been a colleague, highly respected , brilliant guy, great guy, everybody knows him, waiting for approval. we have a wonderful group of people working very hard that is being very much of us are

presented, and we cannot let that happen. if the democrats -- all you have to do is look at where they are right now. the only thing they can do is delay because they have screwed things up royally, believe me. let me list you some of the things we have done in just a short period of time. just got here. got here with no cabinet. again, each of these actions is a promise i made to the american people, so we will go over just some of them here we have a lot happening in the weeks coming. we have withdrawn from the job killing disaster known as trans-pacific partnership. we are going to make trade deals, but we are going to have one-on-one deals bilateral, one on one deals. we have directed the elimination of regulations that undermine manufacturing and called for expedited approval of the permit

needed for america and american infrastructure, and that means plant equipment, roads, bridges, factories. people take ten, 15, 20 years to get this approved through a factory. going for a permit, it is many, many years, then at the end of the process, they spent tens of millions of dollars on nonsense, yet at the end of the process, they get rejected. they may be rejected with me, but it is going to be a quick rejection, not going to take years. but mostly, it's going to be acceptance, we want plants built and factories built, and we want the jobs. we don't want the jobs going to other countries. we have imposed a hiring freeze on nonessential federal workers. we have imposed a temporary moratorium on new federal regulations. we have issued a game changing new rule that says for each one new regulation, two old

regulations must be eliminated. it makes sense. nobody has ever seen regulations like we have. you go to other countries and look at industries they have come you say, let me see your regulations. they are a fraction, just a tiny fraction of what we have. i want regulations because i want safety, i want environmental, all environmental situations to be properly taken care of, it is very important to me. but you do not need four or five or six regulations to take care of the same thing. we have stood up for the men and women of law enforcement, directing federal agencies to ensure they are protected from crimes of violence. we have directed the creation of a task force for reducing violent crime in america, including the horrendous situation, take a look at chicago and others, taking place right now in our inner cities.

horrible. we have ordered the department of homeland security and justice to coordinate on a plan to destroy criminal cartels coming into the united states with drugs. we are becoming a drug infested nation. drugs are becoming cheaper than candy bars. we are not going to let it happen any longer. we have undertaken the most substantial border security measures in a generation to keep our nation and our tax dollars safe. and are now in the process of beginning to build a promised wall on the southern border, met with general now secretary kelly yesterday, and we are starting that process. the wall is going to be a great wall, and it's going to be a wall negotiated by me. the price is going to come down just like it has on everything else i have negotiated for the government. and we are going to have a wall that works, not a wall like we

have now which is either nonexistent or a joke. we have ordered a crackdown on sanctuary cities that refuse to comply with federal law and that harbor criminal aliens, and we have ordered an end to the policy of catch and release on the border. no more release. no matter who you are, release. we have begun a nationwide effort to remove criminal aliens, gang members, drug dealers, and others who pose a threat to public safety. we are saving american lives every single day. the court system has not made it easy for us. and are even creating a new office in homeland security dedicated to the forgotten american victims of illegal immigrant violence, which there are many. we have taken decisive action to keep radical islamic terrorists out of our country. no part are necessary and

constitutional actions were blocked by judges, in my opinion, incorrect, and unsafe ruling. our administration is working night and day to keep you safe, including reporters safe. and is vigorously defending this lawful order. i will not back down from defending our country. i got elected on defense of our country. i keep my campaign promises, and our citizens will be very happy when they see the result. they already are, i can tell you that. extreme vetting will be put in place come in it already is in place in many places. in fact, we had to go quicker than we thought because of the bad decision we received from a circuit that has been overturned at a record number. i have heard 80%. i find that hard to believe. that is just a number i heard, that they are overturned 80% of the time. that circuit is encased, in that

circuit is frankly in turmoil. but we are appealing that, and we are going further. we are issuing a new executive action next week that will comprehensively protect our country. we will be going along the one path and hopefully winning that, at the same time we will be issuing a new and very comprehensive order to protect our people. that will be done sometime next week, toward the beginning or middle at the latest part. we have also taken steps to begin construction of the keystone pipeline and dakota access pipelines. thousands and thousands of jobs, and put new buy american measures in place to require american steel for american pipelines. in other words, they build a pipeline in this country, and we use the powers of government to make that pipeline happen, we want them to use american steel.

and they are willing to do that, but nobody ever asked before i came along. even this order was gone, they did not say that. i'm reading the order, why aren't we using american steel? they said, that's a good idea, we put it in. two drain the swamp of corruption in washington, d.c., i started by imposing a five-year lobbying ban on white house officials and a lifetime ban on lobbying for a foreign government. we have begun preparing to repeal and replace obamacare. obamacare is a disaster, folks. it is a disaster. you can say, oh, obamacare, they fill up our alleys with people that you wonder how they get there, but they are not the republican people that are representatives are representing. so we have begun repairing and replacing obamacare and are deep

in the midst of negotiations on a very historic tax reform to bring our jobs back, bring our jobs back to this country, big league. it's already happening. i have also worked to install a cabinet over the delays and obstruction of senate democrats. you've seen what they have done over the last long number of years. that will be one of the great cabinets ever assembled in american history. you look at rex tillerson come out there negotiating right now. general mattis i mentioned before, general kelly. we have great, great people. mick is with us now, we have great people. among their responsibilities will be ending the bleeding of jobs from our country and negotiating fair trade deals for our citizens. look, fair trade. not free, fair. if a country is taking advantage

of us, not going to let that happen anymore. every country takes advantage of us almost. i may be able to find a couple that don't. but for the most part, that would be a very tough job for me to do. jobs have already started to surge since my election, ford announced it will abandon its plans to build a new factory in mexico and will instead invest $700 million in michigan, creating many, many jobs. theatric chrysler announced it will invest $1 billion in ohio and michigan creating 2,000 more american jobs. they were with me a week ago. general motors likewise committed to invest billions of dollars in its american manufacturing operation, keeping many jobs here that were going to leave. if i did not get elected, believe me, they would have left. these jobs come of these things i'm announcing would never have come here. intel just announced that it will move ahead with a new plant

in arizona that probably was never going to move ahead with. that will result in at least 10,000 american jobs. walmart announced it will create 10,000 jobs in the united states just this year because of our various plans and initiatives. there will be many, many more, many more, these are a few that were named. other countries have been taking advantage of us for decades, decades, and decades, and decades, folks. and we are not going to let that happen anymore. not going to let it happen. one more thing. i have kept my promise to the american people by nominating a justice of the united states supreme court, judge neil gorsuch. who is from my list of 20 and who will be a true defender of our laws and our constitution, highly respected, should get the votes from the democrats. you may not see that. he will get there one way or the

other. but he should get there the old-fashioned way, and he should get those votes. this last month has represented an unprecedented degree of action on behalf of of the great citizens of our country. again, i say it. there has never been a presidency that has done so much in such a short period of time. and we have not even started the big work. that starts early next week. some very big things are going to be announced next week. so we are just getting started. we will be giving a speech, as i said, in melbourne, florida, at 5:00 p.m. i hope to see you there. and with that, i just say, god bless america, and let's take some questions. morrow, go ahead. you were cut off pretty violently at our last news conference. mike flynn is a fine person, and

i asked for his resignation. he respectfully gave it. he is a man who there was a certain amount of information given to vice president pence who is with us today. i was not happy with the way that information was given. he did not have to do that because what he did was not wrong, what he did in terms of the information he saw. what was wrong was the way other people, including yourselves in this room, were given that information because that was classified information that was given illegally. that is the real problem. you can talk all you want about russia, which is all a fake news fabricated deal to try to make up for the loss of the democrat democrats, in the press plays right into it. in fact, i saw a couple of the people that were supposedly involved with all of this that they know nothing about it, they were never in russia, never made

a phone call to russia, never received a phone call, it is all fake news. it is all fake news. the nice thing is i see it starting to turn where people are now looking at the legal -- i think it is very important, illegal giving out classified information. let me just tell you, it was given out like so much. i will give you an example. i called, as you know, mexico. it was a very confidential, classified call, but i called mexico. calling mexico, i figured, that's nice, spoke to the president of mexico, had a good call. all of a sudden, it is out there for the world to see. it's supposed to be secret. it's supposed to be either conch confidential are classified in that case. same thing with australia. all of a sudden, people are finding out exactly what took place.

the same thing happened with respect to general flynn. everybody saw this. i am saying -- the first thing i thought about was how does the press get this information that is classified? how do they do it? you know why? it's in a legal process, in the press should be ashamed of themselves. more important become of the people that gave out the information to the press should be ashamed of themselves. really ashamed. go ahead. [indistinct question] >> president trump: because when i looked at the information, i said, i don't that he did anything wrong. if anything, he did something right. he was coming into office, looked at the information, said, that is fine. that is what they are supposed to do. he did not just go to russia, he called and spoke to both ways i think there were 30 some odd quest to 8 countries. so he was just doing his job. the thing is he did not tell our vice president properly, and then he said he did not remember, so either way, it was

not very satisfactory to me. i have somebody that i think will be outstanding for the position and that also helps, i think, in the making of my decision. but he did not tell the vice president of the united states the facts, and then he did not remember. that just was not acceptable to me, yes. >> reporter: some clarification, during the campaign, did anyone from your team communicate with members of the russian government or russian intelligence, and if so, what was the nature of those conversations? >> president trump: "the new york times" were a big come along front page story yesterday. it was very much discredited, as you know. it is a joke. the people mentioned in the story, i noticed they were on television today say even spoke. they were not even a part -- really, it was such a minor part -- they had not spoken to them

-- i think that one person -- i don't think i've ever spoken to them, don't think i've ever met them. they actually said it was a very low member of a committee for a short period of time. i don't think i ever met them pure possible i walked into a room and he was sitting there, but i don't think i ever met him. i didn't talk to him ever. he thought it was a joke. the other person said he never spoke to russia, never received a call, look at his phone records, et cetera, et cetera. the other person, people knew that he represented various countries, but i don't think he represented russia but knew that he represented various countries, that is what he does. people know that. that is mr. paul manafort to by the way, respected man, he is a respected man, but i think he represented the ukraine or ukraine government or somebody. people knew that. everybody knew that. and he said that he has absolutely nothing to do and never has with russia, and he said that very forcefully. i saw his statement.

he said it very forcefully. most of the papers don't print that because it is not good for their stories. so the three people that they talked about all totally deny it, and i can tell you, speaking for myself, i own nothing in russia. i have no loans in russia. i don't have any deals in russi russia. president putin called me up very nicely to congratulate me on the win of the election. he then called me up extremely nicely to congratulate me on the inauguration, which was terrific. but so did many other leaders, almost all other leaders from almost all other countries. that is the extent. russia is fake news. this is fake news put out by the media. the real news is the fact that people, probably from the obama administration because they are there because we have our new people going in place right now as you know, mike pompeo is now taking control of the cia.

james comey at fbi, dan coats is waiting to be approved. he is a senator and a highly respected one, and he is still waiting to be approved. but our new people are going in. just while you're at it because you mentioned this, "the wall street journal" did a story today that was almost as disgraceful as the feeling "new york times" story yesterda yesterday. it talked about -- you saw, front-page. so director of national intelligence just put out, acting, a statement. any suggestion that the united states intelligence community -- this was just given to us, is withholding information and not providing the best possible intelligence to the president and his national security team is not true. so they took this front-page story out of "the wall street journal" ," and they just about the story that is not true. i will tell you something.

i will be honest. i sort of enjoy this back and forth, and i guess i have all my life, but i've never seen more dishonest media then frankly the political media. i thought the financial media was much more honest. i will say that i never get phone calls from the media. how do they write a story like that in "the wall street journal" without asking me? how do they write a story in "the new york times," put it on the front page? that was like the story they wrote about the women and to me, front-page, big, massive story, and it wasn't nasty, then they called and said, we never said that, we like mr. trump. they called up my office, we like mr. trump, we never said that. they totally misrepresented those very wonderful women. i have to tell you, totally misrepresented. i said, give us a retraction. they never gave us a retraction, and frankly, i then went on to other things.

okay. go ahead. [indistinct question] >> reporter: 306 votes car president obama got 355 -- >> president trump: i'm talking about republican. [indistinct question] >> president trump: i was given the information, i don't know, we had a very big margin. i was given that information. actually, i have seen that information around. it was a very substantial victory. do you agree with that? okay, thank you. good answer. yes? >> reporter: tell us in determining that lieutenant general flynn, there was no

wrongdoing in your mind, what evidence was weighed? did you ask for transcripts of these telephone intercepts with russian officials, particularly the ambassador he was communicating with, what evidence did you way to determine there was no wrongdoing? further to that, sir, you've set on a couple occasions this morning you're going to aggressively pursue the source of these leaks. can we ask what you are going to do, and also we heard about a review of the intelligence community headed up by steven feinberg, what can you tell us about that? >> president trump: first of all, about that. we now have dan coats hopefully soon, mike pompeo and james comey and they are in position, so i hope we will be able to straighten that out without using anybody else. the person you mentioned is very talented and very successful, and he has offered his services. it is something we may take advantage of, but i do not think we will need that at all because of the fact that i think that we are going to be able to straighten it out very easily on its own.

as far as the general is concerned, when i first heard about it, i said, that doesn't sound right. my counsel came, white house counsel, and he told me, and i asked him, and he can speak very well for himself, he said he doesn't think anything is wrong, really didn't think -- it was really what happened after that, but he didn't think anything was done wrong. i didn't either because i waited a period of time and started to think about it. to me, he was doing the job. the information was provided by, who i don't know, sally yates. i was a little surprised because i said, that doesn't sound like he did anything wrong there. but he did something wrong with respect to the vice president, and i thought that was not acceptable. as far as the actual making the call -- in fact, i've watched various programs and read

various articles where he was just doing his job. it was very normal. first, everybody got excited because they thought he did something wrong. after they thought about it, it turned out he was just doing his job. i do, and by the way, with all of that being said, i do think he has a fine man. yes, john. finish off that i will get you, john. >> reporter: what will you do on the leaks, you've said twice today you are going aggressively -- >> president trump: yes, very serious. i've gone to all of the folks and various agencies, and i have actually called the justice department to look into the leaks. those are criminal leaks. to be put out by people either in agencies -- i think you will see it is stopping because now we have our people in. again, we don't have our people and because we cannot get them approved by the senate. we just had jeff sessions approved, just as an example. we are looking into that very seriously. it is a criminal act. you know what i say?

when i was called out on mexico, i was shocked. all of this equipment, incredible phone equipment. when i was called out on mexico, i was honestly really, really surprised. but i said, you know, it doesn't make sense, that won't happen, but that was not that important a call, it was fine, i could show it to the world come he could show it to the road, the president is a very fine man, by the way. same thing with australia. i said, that is terrible it was bleak, but it wasn't that important. then i said what is going to happen when i'm dealing with the problem of north korea? what happens when i am dealing with the problems in the middle east? are you folks going to be reporting all of that very, very confidential information, very important, at the highest level? are you going to be reporting about that, too? i don't want classified information getting out to the public. in a way, that was almost a test. so i am dealing with mexico.

i am dealing with argentina. we were dealing, on this case, with mike flynn. all this information gets put into "the washington post" and into "the new york times," and i am saying, what is going to happen when i am dealing on the middle east, what's going to happen when i am dealing with really, really important subjects like north korea? we've got to stop it. that is why it is a criminal penalty. yes, john. reporter mike i want to get you to clarify a very important point. can you say definitively that no one on your campaign had any contact with the russians during the campaign, and on the leaks, is it fake news or are these real news? >> president trump: the leaks are real, you're the one that wrote about them and reported them, the leaks are real. you know what they said, you saw. the leaks are absolutely real. the news is fake because so much of the news is fake. one thing i thought was very important to do, and i hope we can correct it. there is nobody to have more respect for -- may be a little,

the reporters, good reporters. it is very important to me, and especially in this position, very important. i don't mind bad stories. i can handle a bad story better than anybody as long as it is true. over a course of time, i will make mistakes, you will write badly, and i am okay with that. but i am not okay when it is fake. i watch cnn. it is so much anger and hatred and just the hatred, i don't watch anymore because it is -- it is okay, jim. you will have your chance. i watch others. you are not the only one, don't feel bad. i think it should be straight. i think it would be, frankly, more interesting. i know how everyone's ratings are right now, but i think it would actually be better. you have a lower approval rate than congress. i think that is right. is that one right?

i think -- i heard lower than congress. honestly, the public would appreciate it. i would appreciate it. again, i don't mind bad stories when it is true. but we have an administration where the democrats are making it very difficult. i think we are setting a record or close to a record in the time of approval of a cabinet. i mean, the numbers are crazy, some had them approved immediately, mine are forever, and i still have a lot of people we are waiting for. all they are doing is delaying. you look at schumer, the mess he has over there. they have nothing going. the only thing they can do is delay. you know, i think they would be better served by approving and making sure that they are happy and everybody is good, and sometimes, i know president obama lost 3 of 4, and you lose them on the way, that is okay, that is fine. i think they would be much better served, john, if they just went through the process

quickly. this is pure delay tactics. they say it, and everybody understands appeared go ahead. [indistinct question] >> president trump: i have nothing to do with it appeared i have nothing to do with russia. i told you i have no deals they are, anything. wikileaks, which i have nothing to do with, they come out and happen to give, they are not giving classified information. they are giving staff, what was said in an office about hillary cheating on the debates, which by the way, nobody mentions. nobody mentions that hillary received the questions to the debates. can you imagine, seriously, can you imagine if i received the questions? it would be the electric chair. okay? "he should be put in the electric" -- you would even call for the reinstitution of the death penalty, okay? maybe not you, john. we will do you next, jim.

yes? >> reporter: did you direct mike flynn to discuss sanctions with the russian ambassador? >> president trump: no, i did not. >> reporter: prior to the inauguration and did you fire him -- because to be when i fired him because of what he said to mike pence, very simple. he was doing his job, calling countries and his counterparts. it certainly would have been okay with me if he did it. i would have directed him to do it if i thought he was not doing it. i would have directed him because that is his job. and it came out that way and in all fairness, i watched dr. charles krauthammer the other night saying he was doing his job. i agreed with him. since then, i've watched many other people say that. i did not direct him, but i would have directed him if he did not do it. reporter meant just for the record, we don't hate you, i don't hate you.

pass that along. >> president trump: ask jeff zucker how he got his job. >> reporter: follow-up to the questions that have taken place here -- >> president trump: we do have other people, you have other people come here ratings are not as good as some of the other people. go ahead. >> reporter: if i may ask, sir, you said earlier that wikileaks was revealing information about hillary clinton campaign during the election cycle, you welcomed that at one time. >> president trump: i was okay with that. >> reporter: campaign press conference, you called on the russians to find missing 30,000 emails. i am wondering, sir -- just be when she was missing 33 then it got extended. but i didn't say 30,000, but it was higher than that. >> jenna: if -- >> reporter: if i may ask you, sir, you do not have a lot of credibility for leaking if that is something you're encouraged during the campaign, if i may ask you that and i have a follow-up -- >> president trump: do you

mind? and one case, you're talking about highly classified information. in the other case, you're talking about john podesta saying bad things about the boss. i will say this, if john podesta said that about me and he was working for me, i would have fired him so fast your head would have spun. he said terrible things about her. but it was not classified information. in one case you're talking about classified, regardless, if you look at the rnc, we had a very strong -- at my suggestion, and i give reince preibus great credit for this. at my suggestion because i know something about this world, i said, i want a very strong defensive mechanism. i don't want to be hacked. we did that. you have seen that they tried to hack us and they failed. the dnc did not do that, and if they did it, they could not have been hacked. they were hacked, and terrible things came along to the only thing i do think is unfair is some of the things -- when i heard some of those things, i picked up the papers the next morning to say this is going to

be front page. it was not even in the papers. again, if i had that happen to me, it would be the biggest story and history of publishing or of newspapers. i would have been the headline in every newspaper. think of it. they gave her the questions to a debate, and she showed the reporter herself. why didn't hillary clinton announced, i am sorry, but i have been given the questions to a debate or a town hall, and i feel that it is inappropriate, and i want to turn in cnn for not doing a good job? >> reporter: up if i can follow up, something jonathan karl was asking about, you said that leaks are real but the news is fake. i don't understand, seems like there is a disconnect there, information coming from those leaks, if it is real, how can the stories be fake? i just want to ask -- >> president trump: the reporting is fake. here is what it is. the public reads newspapers,

they seat televisions, they watch peer they don't know if it is true or false because they are not involved. i am involved. i've been involved with this stuff on my life. but i am involved. so i know when you are telling the truth or when you are not. i just see many, many untruthful things, and what else i see, tone, you know the word tone. the tone is such hatred. i am really not a bad person, by the way. but the tone is -- i do get good ratings, you have to admit that. the tone is such hatred. i watched this morning, a couple of the networks, and i have to say, "fox & friends" in the morning, they are very honorable people. not because they are good because they had me also when i do something wrong. but they have the most honest morning show. that is all i can say. it is the most honest. but the tone, jim. if you look -- the hatred -- i mean, sometimes, somebody -- well, you look at your show that

goes on at 10:00 in the evening. you just take a look at that show. that is a constant hit. piano is exclusively anti-trump. the good news is he does not have good ratings, but the panel is almost exclusive anti-trump. and the hatred and venom coming from his mouth. the hatred coming from other people on your network. now i will say this. i watch it, i see it, i am amazed by it, and i just think you would be a lot better off -- i honestly do. the public gets it. when i go to rallies, they turn around and start screaming at cnn, they want to throw their placards at cnn. i think you would do much better at being different. just take a look. take a look at some of your shows in the morning in the evening. if a guest comes out and says something positive about me, it is brutal. they will take this news conference -- i'm actually having a very good time.

they will take this news conference -- don't forget, that is the way i won. i used to give you a news conference every time i made a speech which was like every day. that is how i won. i won with news conference and probably speeches. i certainly did not win by people listening to you people, that is for sure. i'm having a good time. tomorrow, they will say "donald trump rants and raves at the press" peered are not ranting and raving, i'm just telling you you are dishonest p. but i am not ranting and raving. i love this, i am having a good time doing it, but tomorrow the headlines are going to be "donald trump rants and raves" peered i'm not ranting and raving. see 40 more follow-up -- >> president trump: should i let him have a little bit more? peter, should i let him have a little? sit down, we will get it. >> reporter: because of the attack of fake news in attacking our network, i just want to ask -- >> president trump: i'm changing it from fake news, very fake news. [laughter] go ahead. >> reporter: real news, mr. president. >> president trump: you are

not related to our new -- >> reporter: i am not related, no. >> president trump: i look at that name and said wait a minute, is there any relation? >> reporter: i am sure you check it out. >> president trump: they said no, sir, i said please check the family tree. >> reporter: aren't you concerned that you are undermining the people's faith in the first amendment, freedom of the press, press in this country when you call stories you do not like fake news? by not say it is a story i don't like? you call it fake news undermining confidence in our news media. >> president trump: you are right about that except -- i know when i should get good and when i should get bad peers sometimes i say, that is going to be a great story, then i get killed. i know what is good and bad. i would be a pretty good reporter, not as good as you, but i know what is good. i know what is bad. when they change it and make it really bad, something that should be positive, sometimes something that should be very positive, they will make okay.

they will even make it negative. because i am there, i know what was said, who was saying it, i am there. it is very important to me -- look, i want to see an honest press. i started off today by saying it is so important to the public to get an honest press. the public does not believe you people anymore. maybe i had something to do with that, i don't know, but they don't believe you. if you were straight and really told it like it is as howard cosell used to say -- of course, he had some questions also, but if you were straight, i would be your biggest booster, your biggest fan in the world, including bad stories about me. but if you go, as an example, cnn, i mean it is the story, after story, after story is bad. i won. i won. the other thing, chaos, there is zero chaos peered we are running -- this is a fine-tuned machine.

reince preibus happens to be doing a good job but half of his job is putting out lies by the press. i said to him yesterday, the whole russia scam that you guys are building so you don't talk about the real subject which is illegal leaks, but i watched him yesterday working so hard to try and get that story proper, and i am saying, here is my chief of staff, really good guy, phenomenal job, everything, won the election, won the presidency. we got some senators, got all over the country, take a look, he's done a great job. i said to myself in someone, take a look at reince, he's working so hard just putting out fires that are fake fires. they are fake. they are not true. isn't that a shame because he would rather be working on healthcare. he would rather be working on tax reform, jim. i mean that pit i would be your biggest fan of the road if you treated him well. i understand there is a certain

bias by jeff or someone else, for whatever reason, but -- i understand that, fair. that is why the public sees it. they see it. they see it is not fair. take a look at some of your shows. see the bias and the hatred, in the public is smart, they understand it. okay, go ahead. >> reporter: is there anything that you have learned over the last few weeks that you might be able to reveal if that might ease their concerns that this isn't fake news? spew what i think they don't believe it. the public doesn't which is why the rasmussen poll has me through the roof. i don't think they believe it. i guess one of the reasons i'm here today is to tell you the whole russia thing, that is a ruse, it is a ruse. by the way, it would be great if we could get along with russia, just so you understand that. tomorrow, you will say "donald trump wants to get along

with russia, this is terrible." it is not terrible. it is good. we had hillary clinton try to do a reset. we had hillary clinton give russia 20% of the uranium in our country. you know what uranium is, right? thank called nuclear weapons and other things like lots of peopl, lots of bad things, but nobody talks about that. i did not do anything for russia. i've done nothing for russia. hillary clinton gave them 20% of our uranium. hillary clinton did a reset, remember with the stupid plastic but that made us all look like a bunch of jerks? he looked at her like what the hell is she doing with that cheap plastic button? that was a reset, remember that? if i do that, oh, i am a bad guy. if we could get along with russia, that is a positive thing peered we have a very talented man, rex tillerson, who is going to be meeting with them shortly.

i told him, i said i know politically it is probably not good. the greatest thing i could do is shoot that ship that is 30 miles offshore right out of the water. everyone in this country is going to say, oh, it is so great. that is not great. that is not great. i would love to be able to get along with russia. you have had a lot of presidents that have not taken that tact, and look where we are now. look where we are now. if i can -- i love to negotiate things. i do it really well and all that stuff, but it is possible i won't be able to get along with putin. maybe it is. i just wanted tell you the false reporting by the media, by you people, the false, horrible, fake reporting makes it much harder to make a deal with russia. and probably putin said, you know? he is sitting behind his desk and saying, you know? i see what is going on in the united states. i follow it closely.

it has to be impossible for president trump to ever get along with russia because of all the pressure he has got with this fake story. that is a shame. because if we could get along with russia -- and by the way, china and japan and everyone. if we could get along, it would be a positive thing, not a negative thing. >> reporter: mr. president -- >> president trump: tax reform is going to happen fairly quickly. we are doing obamacare, final stages, we should be submitting the official plan in early march, i would say. and we have to come as you know, statutorily and for reasons of budget, we have to go first -- frankly, the tax would be easier in my opinion, but for statutory reasons and for budgetary reasons, we have to submit the healthcare sooner, so we will be submitting's health care sometime in early march, mid-march and after that, we are going to come up and we are doing very well on tax reform, yes. >> reporter: mr. president, we should talk about some serious

situations you have had to deal with as president peered you mentioned this by vessel of the quotes of the united states, there was a blistered muscle test many interpreted as a violation of an agreement betwee two countries and a russian plane buzzed a u.s. destroyer. >> president trump: not good. excuse me. excuse me, when did it happen? happen when -- if you were putin right now, you would say, hey, we are back to the old games with the united states. there is no way trump could ever do a deal with us because -- you have to understand. if i was just brutal on russia right now, just brutal, people would say, oh, isn't that wonderful. i know you well enough. then you would say, he was too tough, should not have done tha that. just one second. all of those things that you mentioned are very recent because probably putin assumes he's not going to be able to make a deal with me because it is politically not popular for me to make a deal. so hillary clinton tries a reset and failed. they all tried. i'm different than those people,

go ahead. >> reporter: how are you interpreting those moves and what do you intend to do about those? have you given rex tillerson any advice or counsel on how to deal? >> president trump: i am so beautifully represented and so happy the senate approved him, he's going to be fantastic. >> reporter: do you think putin is testing you? >> president trump: i don't think so. i think putin assumes he cannot make a deal with me anymore because politically it would be unpopular for a politician to make a deal -- i cannot believe i'm saying a politician, because i guess that is what i am now. it would be much easier for me to be tough on russia but then we are not going to make a deal. i don't know that we are going to make a deal. we might, we might not. it would be much easier to be so tough -- the tough right i am on russia the better, but i want to do the right thing for the american people into the honest, secondary, i want to do the right thing for the world. if russia and the united states actually got together and got along -- and don't forget, we are very powerful nuclear

country, and so are they appear there is no upside. we are a very powerful nuclear country, and so are they. i've been briefed. i can tell you one thing about a briefing that we are allowed to say because anybody that ever read the most basic book can say it. nuclear holocaust would be like no other. they are a very powerful nuclear country, and so are we. if we have a good relationship with russia, believe me, that is a good thing, not bad. >> reporter: when you say they are not good -- i read off the three things we silly that have happened, you said they are not good. do they damage the relationship? this country's ability to work with russia? >> president trump: they all happen recently, and i understand what they are doing because they are doing the same thing. again, maybe i won't be able to do a deal but at least i will have tried. if i don't, does anybody really think that hillary clinton would be tougher on russia than donald trump? does anyone in this room really believe that? okay?

i will tell you one thing. she tried to make a deal. she had the reset. she gave all that valuable uranium away. she did other things. they say i am close to russia, hillary clinton gave away 20% of the uranium and the united states. she is close to russia. you know what i give to russia? you know what i gave? nothing. >> reporter: can we conclude there will be no response to these provocations? >> president trump: i'm not going to tell you anything about what i'm going to do, i'm not going to talk about military stuff, i will not say we are going to attack multiple in four months. "we are going to attack and one month. next week, we are going to it attack mosul." in the meantime, mosul is very, very difficult you know why? i don't talk about military and certain other things. you were going to be surprised to hear that peered by the way, my whole campaign i said that. i don't have to tell you. i'm not going to be one of those guys who says "here is what we are going to do." i don't have to do that. i don't have to tell you what i'm going to do in north korea. wait a minute.

i don't have to tell you what i'm going to do in north korea. i don't have to tell you what i am going to do with iran. you know why? because they should not know. and eventually, you guys are going to get tired of asking that question. so when you ask me what am i going to do with the ship, the russian ship as an example, i am not going to tell you. hopefully, i won't have to do anything. but i am not going to tell you. >> reporter: thank you very much, mr. president. >> president trump: where you from? >> reporter: bbc. >> president trump: here is another beauty. >> reporter: it is a good line peered impartial, free, and fai fair. wister president -- >> president trump: just like cnn. >> reporter: on the travel ban -- we can banter back and forth. on the travel ban, would you accept that was a good example of the smooth running of government smacks me when i do, let me tell you -- wait, wait, wait. i know who you are, just wait. let me tell you about the travel

ban. we had a very smooth rollout but we had a bad court, bad decisio decision, overturned, wrong decision, but i think it is overturned 80%, a lot. that decision, we're going to keep going with the decision and put in a new executive order next week sometime. we had a bad decision, that is the only thing wrong with the travel ban. you had dealt with a massive problem with their computer system at the airports. you had some people that were put out there brought by very nice buses and put out at various locations. despite that, the only problem is we had a bad court. a court that gave us what i consider to be, with great respect, a very bad decision. very bad for the safety and security of our country. the rollout was perfect. what i wanted to do was to do the exact same executive order but said one thing, and i said this to my people. give them a one-month period of time. but general kelly, now secretary

kelly, said if you do that, all these people will come in, the bad ones peered you do agree there are bad people out there, right? they are not everybody like you. there are some bad people out there. so kelly said, you cannot do that. he was right. as soon as he said that, i never thought of it. how about one week? he said no good come you have to do it immediately because if you do it immediately, they don't have time to come in. nobody ever reports that, but that is why we did it quickly. if i would have done it a month, everything would have been perfect, but the problem is we would have wasted a lot of time, it may be a lot of lives because a lot of bad people would have come into our country. in the meantime, we are venting very, very strongly. very, very strongly. but we need help, and we need help getting the executive order past. >> reporter: if it is so urgent, why not introduce -- >> president trump: go ahead. >> reporter: hoping we can get it yes-or-no answer on one of

the questions involving russia. can you say whether you are aware that anyone who advised your campaign had contact with russia during the course of the election? >> president trump: i told you general flynn obviously wasn't dealing, that is one person. he was dealing as he should have been. >> president trump: during the election? >> president trump: have any times do i have to answer this question? russia is a ruse. i know you have to get up and ask a question so important. russia is a ruse. i have nothing to do with russia. haven't made a phone call to russia in years. don't speak to people from russia, not that i wouldn't, i just have nobody to speak to you. i spoke to putin twice. he called me on the election. i told you this. and he called me on the inauguration, a few days ago. we had a very good talk. especially the second one, lasted for a pretty long period of time. i am sure you probably get it because it was classified, so i'm sure everyone in this room perhaps has it. but we had a very, very good talk. i have nothing to do with russia. to the best of my knowledge, no

person that i deal with does. paul manafort has totally denied it. people knew that he was a consultant over in that part of the world for a wild, but not for russia. i think he represented ukraine or people having to do with ukraine or whoever, but people knew that, everybody knew that. >> reporter: in his capacity as your campaign manager, was he in touch with russian officials during the election? >> president trump: he said no. i can only tell you -- he was replaced long before the election, you know that, right? he was replaced long before the election. went all this stuff started coming out, he came out during the election peered paul manafort, who is a good man alst was replaced long before the election took place. he was only there for a short period of time. how much longer should we stay here, folks? five more minutes, is that okay? five? let's see. i want to find a friendly

reporter. are you a friendly reporter? watch how friendly he is. watch how friendly he is, go ahead. go ahead. [indistinct question] [ inaudible question ] >> asking a very simple question.