The president-elect mentioned he thought that establishing peace between Russia and Ukraine can be a more durable activity than peace between Israel and Hamas.
President-elect Donald Trump on Dec. 16 hosted his first press convention after successful the 2024 presidential election, addressing a variety of matters from the Russia-Ukraine struggle to his ideas on the latest drone sightings within the Northeast.
Trump’s remarks coated plans to reevaluate childhood vaccines by means of the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies (HHS), the possibilities of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointing Lara Trump to fill Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) seat subsequent yr, U.S. overseas coverage, a possible pardon for indicted New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams, and the border wall.
Kennedy to Create Vaccine Report
Trump mentioned he had dinner lately along with his nominee to guide HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the heads of Pfizer and Eli Lilly, two main pharmaceutical corporations. He mentioned the group would “have a look at autism … [and] discover out about it” as a result of he’s involved concerning the rising prognosis charges. After the preliminary paper purporting to point out a hyperlink between vaccines and autism was retracted, subsequent analysis has repeatedly discovered no hyperlinks between vaccines and autism.
Requested whether or not Kennedy deliberate to revoke any vaccines, as the previous Democrat has criticized early childhood vaccines previously, linking some to elevated charges of autism in youngsters and adults, Trump mentioned he didn’t need Kennedy to revoke any vaccines.
As an alternative, he’d “come again with a report as to what he thinks,” Trump mentioned. The report would accomplish two duties: introduce price financial savings and provoke “very severe discussions,” akin to limiting pesticides in vaccines.
“I believe [Kennedy’s] going to be a lot much less radical than you’ll suppose. I believe he’s acquired a really open thoughts. We’re going to get drug prices down at ranges that no person has ever seen earlier than.”
Trump mentioned he was an enormous believer within the polio vaccine and doesn’t like colleges implementing vaccine mandates for youngsters, evaluating them to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Florida Senate Seat Consideration
When requested whether or not he anticipated DeSantis to nominate his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to fill Rubio’s soon-to-be-vacant Florida Senate seat, Trump mentioned he “most likely” didn’t count on the governor to pick out her, leaving himself out of the decision-making course of.
“Ron is doing a superb job. It’s his selection—nothing to do with me,” Trump mentioned. “Ron’s gonna need to make that call, and he’ll make the proper resolution.”
DeSantis is reportedly contemplating a number of potential candidates for the seat, together with his Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez, Florida Lawyer Basic Ashley Moody, and former Florida Home Speaker José Oliva. He lately introduced he was vetting and interviewing candidates, and that the formal affirmation course of for Rubio because the potential subsequent secretary of state will come after Trump’s inauguration.
Drone Sightings
Amid a latest spate of drone sighting reviews within the airspace over states together with New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, Trump commented on the general public response after a number of authorities businesses steered on Saturday that reviews could possibly be defined by a mix of misidentified conventional plane sightings and people of personal citizen drone operators.
“The federal government is aware of what is occurring,” Trump mentioned. “Look, our navy is aware of the place they took off from. If it’s a storage, they will go proper into that storage.”
Concerning the aerial objects reviews and any sighting within the sky, Trump mentioned he believes the federal government “know[s] the place it got here from and the place it went.”
“For some motive, they don’t need to remark. And I believe they’d be higher off saying what it’s, ‘Our navy is aware of, and our president is aware of,’” Trump mentioned. “For some motive, they need to preserve folks in suspense.”
The president-elect mentioned he couldn’t think about that the reported objects had been from a overseas enemy and urged the federal government to be sincere with the general public, noting the latest sightings over his golf membership in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Xi, Netanyahu Discussions
When requested about his response to media reviews that Xi Jinping, the chief of the Chinese language Communist regime, is unlikely to attend his January inauguration, Trump mentioned he didn’t know if Xi can be current, as the 2 “haven’t actually spoken … about it,” and the invite was one thing “we barely mentioned.”
“China and america can, collectively, clear up all the issues of the world, if you consider it. So it’s crucial,” Trump mentioned. “He’s a tremendous individual.”
Trump confirmed he had lately spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing their talks as a “excellent dialog.”
“The true conversations will begin on the twentieth [of January] … I believe we’re going to be in a superb place within the Center East.”
Trump repeated his warning that if the hostages weren’t despatched house by his inauguration date, “all hell goes to interrupt out, and really robust.”
Russia-Ukraine Peace Tougher Than Center East
Trump mentioned he thought that establishing peace between Russia and Ukraine can be a more durable activity than peace between Israel and Hamas.
Trump mentioned he wouldn’t have given Ukraine authorization to fireside U.S.-made long-range missiles into Russian territory, including that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has “gotta make a deal.”
“The Russia, Ukraine state of affairs, I see that as harder,” he mentioned. “I don’t suppose they need to have allowed missiles to be shot 200 miles into Russia.”
Trump mentioned the missile authorization reportedly granted by President Joe Biden prompted Russia to usher in troopers from North Korea to struggle Ukraine.
“Too many individuals [are] getting killed,” Trump mentioned, blaming excessive inflation for Russia invading its southern neighbor.
New York Metropolis Mayor Pardon
Trump additionally commented on a possible pardon for New York Mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted in September on felony expenses ensuing from a federal corruption investigation.
Trump mentioned he didn’t know all of the details of Adams’s case however would definitely have a look at a possible pardon for the mayor.
“I believe that he was handled fairly unfairly,” Trump mentioned. The allegations towards Adams embody accepting discounted worldwide flights from corporations like Turkish Airways, which Trump in comparison with reporters taking airline upgrades themselves.
“It appears, you realize, like being upgraded in an airplane a few years in the past—I do know most likely all people right here has been upgraded. They see you’re all stars, they are saying, ‘I need to improve that individual from NBC,’ and that might imply you’ll spend the remainder of your life in jail,” Trump mentioned.
Adams’s indictment alleged that the mayor supplied overseas nationals with “favorable remedy in change for illicit advantages he acquired.”
Adams pleaded not responsible to the costs.
Border Wall Restraining Order
After the Each day Wire printed an investigative report concerning the Biden administration speeding to promote unused parts of the wall alongside the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump referred to as the transfer “actually horrible.”
“We spent an incredible sum of money on constructing the wall. The wall was designed particularly by the Border Patrol as a result of it’s very arduous to climb,” he mentioned. “Now we have tons of of miles that we put up … 571 miles of wall.
“They know we’re going to make use of it, and if we don’t have it, we’re going to need to rebuild it, and it will price double what it price years in the past, and that’s tons of of thousands and thousands of {dollars}.”
Trump mentioned he spoke with Texas Lawyer Basic Ken Paxton and Texas Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, all Republicans, about making an attempt to halt the sale of parts of the border wall earlier than his January inauguration.
