Key Excerpts:

Can the Peace Hold After He Leaves Office?

“I can’t answer it. So I can’t tell you what’s going to happen, but I’ll be out there fighting for whoever it may be.”

On His Impromptu Remarks About Giving Bibi a Pardon

Trump said he didn’t warn Netanyahu ahead of time:

“No, I told him I didn’t want to bring up the pardon, but it was just a perfect spot. It was good timing. Wouldn’t you say? He was getting a very good hand, and when they stopped, I said, ‘Why didn’t you give this guy a pardon?’ If he didn’t get a good hand, I wouldn’t have done that. But the timing was right. It’s a little risqué, you know, to bring up a pretty sore subject in Israel, but the people were fantastic.”

On Crime in Cities Like Chicago

His message to Democratic governors and mayors: “I want them to admit they have crime.”

Will He Use the Insurrection Act?

“Well, I could use it if I wanted to. I could use it. Look, that’s a very simple answer. I’m allowed to use the Insurrection Act. In fact, that was on today, on the Stephanopoulos Show. They asked Chris Christie about the Insurrection Act. He said, ‘Well, if you’re talking about the Insurrection Act, he’s got the absolute right to use that.’ And he said a couple of things—he said 50% of the presidents that served in office have used the Insurrection Act. And the Insurrection Act, according to all of them, I can’t even be challenged. I don’t have to go there yet because I’m winning on appeal. We’re losing with radical left judges generally, and we’re winning on appeal. So we’ll see what happens.”

His Message to Governor Pritzker

“Well, I think he should beg for help, because he’s running a bad operation, and he’s letting people be killed in his city—in Chicago. And I love Chicago. Chicago can be a great city again, and very quickly. I would have Chicago cleaned out, the criminals removed. We would remove them.”

Government Shutdown Updates

President Trump was asked for updates on the shutdown and whether he’d have meetings with Republican leadership this week. He reiterated his message that it’s about Democrats wanting to give healthcare to illegal immigrants and said he talks to Thune and Johnson all the time.

Praise for Bill Clinton

He praised Bill Clinton for praising him on Gaza: “I’ve always gotten along with him. He used to be a friend of mine, came to my wedding, you know. So did she. A lot of people don’t know that.”

Two-State Solution?

Asked about some states like Egypt wanting a two-state solution, he said: “They are talking about a different plan. I’m talking about something very much different. We’re talking about rebuilding Gaza. I mean, a lot of people like the one-state solution, some people like the two-state solution. We’ll have to see. I haven’t commented on that. I will decide what I think is right, but I’d be in coordination with other states and other countries.”

Trump bristled at a reporter’s question about some people calling the declaration of peace in the Middle East premature.

Turkey and NATO

He said Erdogan might be able to help with Russia and added: “You know, when NATO has a problem with Erdogan, which they often do, they call me to talk to him, and I’ve never failed in working it out—like immediately.”

Zelensky Meeting

He confirmed Zelensky will be in the White House on Friday.

POTUS said, “Look. I’m very disappointed, because Vladimir and I had a very good relationship. Probably still do. I don’t know why he continues with this war. This war has been so bad for him.

“He’s going into four years of a war that should have beaten he should have won that war in one week. He’s now from soon be into his fourth year, he’s lost a million and a half soldiers, probably plus, certainly in terms of wounded and no legs and no arms and all of the things that happened in horrible war it’s horrible.”

POTUS said there are “long lines for gasoline in Russia,” and warned the Russian economy could “collapse,” if the war doesn’t end.

Trump did not answer directly when asked if Ukraine should get Tomahawk missiles. He jokingly asked Milei if he wants some for his “opposition” and quipped that American Democrats would like to use Tomahawks against him. There was laughter around the long oval table.

President Trump credited his Argentine counterpart for his MAGA-style election.

“I appreciated that, but he was ‘Make Argentina Great Again.’ It worked. I actually sent him some hats for his early part of the campaign. And then he told me he wanted a lot more,” POTUS said.

He noted Argentina has faced years of economic pain—and joked he faced the same in the United States.

Treasury Secretary Bessent said Argentina had “decided to shake off” decades of failed policy with Milei’s election.

Milei presented Trump with a letter about the Middle East agreement in a gold frame. “Thank you very much,” Trump said, calling it “beautiful.”

Trump said the Argentina aid package was meant to “help a good financial philosophy where Argentina can, after 20 years of disaster—because it was very successful at one point and it can be again, like Venezuela was very successful.”

POTUS: “He took over a real mess. So did I take over a mess? I took over a mess by the Biden group. And Obama started it—Barack Hussein Obama started it.”

Asked if China was trying to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Argentina by purchasing soybeans from Argentina, POTUS replied: “I would say so.”

Of the United Nations: “They killed my teleprompter.” He also noted he threatened to put tariffs on all products from members of BRICS.

Asked if he would support NATO expelling Spain, Trump responded: “I’m very unhappy with Spain. They’re the only country that didn’t raise their number to 5%. Every other country in NATO raised up to 5%, and Spain is doing very well off our backs. So I’m not happy with Spain.”

Trump threatened “trade punishment” against Spain for its defense spending decision, calling it “not nice.”

Trump contended: “I actually have a man who is a very wealthy person—a donor, great gentleman—and he said if there’s any shortfall for the paying of the troops, that he will pay it. How about that?”
On the government shutdown, Trump again blamed Democrats: “They want to extend, but they want $1.5 trillion so they can give it away to illegal immigrants, the people that are invading your cities. I called it a long time ago.”

POTUS said it doesn’t have to become a prolonged shutdown.

Trump signaled he does not feel urgency to end the shutdown because Democrats are “getting killed” and his administration is ending programs they like.

POTUS on Hamas: “They’re going to disarm. And if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them.”

Asked how, POTUS replied: “I don’t have to explain that to you, but if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them.”
Should it come to that, Trump said it would happen “quickly,” defining that as “a reasonable amount of time.”