President Donald Trump delivered a wide-ranging, unscripted performance Friday afternoon as he spoke with White House pool reporters from behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, touching on everything from American farmers and meat processors to Iran, artificial intelligence, data centers, the midterms and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Farmers and ranchers stood behind the president as Trump announced new actions aimed at strengthening their position against the nation’s large meat processors.
“For years I’ve heard they have problems with the big processors,” Trump said, describing complaints about the four dominant processors.
“People have been asking for this change for decades and we’re getting it done.”
Trump said he was preparing to sign two executive orders that he described as “very earthshaking from the standpoint of positivity for our ranchers and for our farmers, who I love.”
The administration’s actions also include country-of-origin labeling and measures aimed at giving ranchers greater ability to protect cattle from predators.
When Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins discussed restrictions involving endangered Mexican gray wolves, Trump jokingly asked whether ranchers could shoot them “as of today?”
And when another rancher brought up Canadian gray wolves, Trump cracked: “So let’s give them back to Canada.”
TRUMP ON IRAN: ‘SMALL POTATOES FOR US’
Trump was also pressed about Vice President JD Vance’s characterization of the Iran conflict.
“A lot of people don’t call it a war. I call it a military conflict,” Trump said. “It’s small potatoes for us… We do intermittent strikes… We’re not fighting right now.”
When a reporter pressed him further, Trump fired back: “How long were we in Vietnam?”
“I don’t think it matters what you call it,” Trump added. “What matters is we had tremendous success.”
Trump also warned Iran about the future importance of the Strait of Hormuz, saying pipelines being constructed could eventually diminish its strategic leverage.
TRUMP TOUTS ECONOMY, BLASTS BIDEN INFLATION
Trump took aim at the Biden administration over the inflation he inherited while highlighting falling egg prices and growing investment in American manufacturing.
“People were screaming at me about the egg prices and we brought them way down,” Trump said. “We inherited these high prices. We inherited the worst inflation in the history of our country from the Biden administration.”
Trump also complained about a market mentality in which strong employment numbers can trigger fears of inflation and falling stock prices.
“Growth does not cause inflation. Stupidly causes inflation,” Trump said.
“We’re building more plants and factories today than at any time in the history of our country,” Trump added. “We could have a GDP that would break every single record.”
TRUMP GOES ALL-IN ON DATA CENTERS
One of Trump’s strongest economic messages came when he was asked what he would tell communities resisting the construction of data centers.
Trump made clear that he believes communities turning away properly planned data centers risk giving up enormous economic opportunities.
“If I were running a state or a town, if I was a mayor or governor, I would want as many data centers as I can because they throw off tremendous amounts of money,” Trump said.
Trump argued that new facilities can build their own power generation rather than drain existing electrical grids.
“We’re giving them the right to build their own power plant so they don’t have to use the grid,” he said.
Trump said excess power from those facilities could even flow back into the grid.
“If you want to get rich as a state or as a town and if you want to pay lower taxes, if you want to create tremendous wealth, if you want your house to be more valuable and everything else, you’re going to want a data center,” Trump said.
Then came the Trump-style punch line:
“If you want to go through poverty, crime, and squalor, I would say don’t approve data centers. You know, you have your choice.”
Trump acknowledged that data centers should be properly located and scrutinized for issues such as sound, power and water usage, but argued communities rejecting them today could regret the decision later.
“I think if you want success, you have to go with the data center.”
‘WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS’
Asked whether he was concerned about artificial intelligence veering out of control or launching cyberattacks, Trump said the technology is being watched carefully — but emphasized that America cannot afford to surrender leadership to China.
“We’re leading China in AI and, whoever wins AI, wins,” Trump said.
“This is bigger than the internet. This is a revolution.”
Trump pointed specifically to potential medical breakthroughs.
“I’ve seen some results that are incredible medically,” he said. “We’re coming up with things medically that we wouldn’t have maybe in 100 years.”
“Whoever wins with AI wins and right now it’s really between China and us.”
TRUMP: ‘I’M GOING TO SPEND WHATEVER AMOUNT OF MONEY IS NECESSARY’
The president also turned to the 2026 midterm elections.
Asked when his Super PAC would begin spending, Trump said the effort was already underway.
“We already did. I think I have close to a billion dollars in the Super PAC,” Trump said.
He expressed optimism about Republican chances in November and made clear he intends to play aggressively.
“I’m going to spend whatever amount of money is necessary.”
RUSSIA-UKRAINE AND XI VISIT
Trump said Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were traveling to Moscow carrying “a plan to end the war.”
“It’s a personality problem in Russia-Ukraine,” Trump said, arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “hate each other.”
Trump also previewed a visit from Chinese President Xi Jinping and said a state dinner is planned.
“He and I have a very good relationship,” Trump said.
The nearly hour-long Oval Office exchange began shortly after 2:13 p.m., with Trump seated behind the Resolute Desk, and continued until pool reporters were ushered out around 3:04 p.m.
It was classic Trump unplugged: policy announcements, economic arguments, foreign-policy warnings, campaign politics and one-liners — all delivered in a freewheeling Oval Office conversation with the press.