20170430_Trumo_CBS_FactTheNation.tsv

1	John Dickerson	Mr. President, you and the administration said to North Korea, "Don't test a missile."	0
2	John Dickerson	They have tested a missile.	0
3	John Dickerson	Is the pressure not working?	0
4	Donald Trump	Well, I didn't say, "Don't test a missile."	0
5	Donald Trump	He's going to have to do what he has to do.	0
6	Donald Trump	But he understands we're not going to be very happy.	0
7	Donald Trump	And I will tell you, a man that I've gotten to like and respect, the president of China, President Xi, I believe, has been putting pressure on him also.	1
8	Donald Trump	But so far, perhaps nothing's happened and perhaps it has.	0
9	Donald Trump	This was a small missile.	0
10	Donald Trump	This was not a big missile.	0
11	Donald Trump	This was not a nuclear test, which he was expected to do three days ago.	0
12	Donald Trump	We'll see what happens.	0
13	John Dickerson	You say, "Not happy."	0
14	John Dickerson	What does that mean?	0
15	Donald Trump	I would not be happy.	0
16	Donald Trump	If he does a nuclear test, I will not be happy.	0
17	Donald Trump	And I can tell you also, I don't believe that the president of China, who is a very respected man, will be happy either.	0
18	John Dickerson	Not happy mean military action?	0
19	Donald Trump	I don't know.	0
20	Donald Trump	I mean, we'll see.	0
21	John Dickerson	The Chinese, our allies, have been allies with North Korea.	0
22	John Dickerson	How are you sure that they're not using this as a way to test you?	0
23	Donald Trump	You can never be sure of anything, can you?	0
24	Donald Trump	But I developed a very good relationship.	0
25	Donald Trump	I don't think they want to see a destabilized North Korea.	0
26	Donald Trump	I don't think they want to see it.	0
27	Donald Trump	They certainly don't want to see nuclear on -- from their neighbor.	0
28	Donald Trump	They haven't liked it for a long time.	0
29	Donald Trump	But we'll have to see what happens.	0
30	Donald Trump	The relationship I have with China, it's been already acclaimed as being something very special, something very different than we've ever had.	0
31	Donald Trump	But again, you know, we'll find out whether or not President Xi is able to affect change.	0
32	John Dickerson	Why do--	0
33	Donald Trump	I hope he is.	0
34	John Dickerson	Why do these missiles keep blowing up?	0
35	Donald Trump	Well, I'd rather not discuss it.	0
36	Donald Trump	But perhaps they're just not very good missiles.	0
37	Donald Trump	But eventually, he'll have good missiles.	0
38	John Dickerson	You don't want to discuss it because maybe we have something to do with it?	0
39	Donald Trump	I just don't want to discuss it.	0
40	Donald Trump	And I think you know me very well, where you've asked me many times over the last couple of years about military.	0
41	Donald Trump	I said, "We shouldn't be announcing we're going into Mosul."	0
42	Donald Trump	I said, "We shouldn't be announcing all our moves."	0
43	Donald Trump	It is a chess game.	0
44	Donald Trump	I just don't want people to know what my thinking is.	0
45	Donald Trump	So eventually, he will have a better delivery system.	0
46	Donald Trump	And if that happens, we can't allow it to happen.	0
47	John Dickerson	What do you make of the North Korean leader?	0
48	Donald Trump	I have -- I really, you know, have no comment on him.	0
49	Donald Trump	People are saying, "Is he sane?"	0
50	Donald Trump	I have no idea.	0
51	Donald Trump	I can tell you this, and a lot of people don't like when I say it, but he was a young man of 26 or 27 when he took over from his father, when his father died.	0
52	Donald Trump	He's dealing with obviously very tough people, in particular the generals and others.	0
53	Donald Trump	And at a very young age, he was able to assume power.	0
54	Donald Trump	A lot of people, I'm sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else.	0
55	Donald Trump	And he was able to do it.	0
56	Donald Trump	So obviously, he's a pretty smart cookie.	0
57	Donald Trump	But we have a situation that we just cannot let -- we cannot let what's been going on for a long period of years continue.	0
58	Donald Trump	And frankly, this should've been done and taken care of by the Obama administration.	0
59	Donald Trump	Should've been taken care of by the Bush administration.	0
60	Donald Trump	Should've been taken care of by Clinton.	0
61	John Dickerson	Let me ask you a question about the presidency.	0
62	John Dickerson	George W. Bush said this about being president.	0
63	John Dickerson	He said, "You think one thing going in, and then the pressures of the job or the realities of the world are different than you thought."	0
64	John Dickerson	Do you agree?	0
65	Donald Trump	I think I can agree with that.	0
66	Donald Trump	I love doing it.	0
67	Donald Trump	I'm, you know, thoroughly enjoying it.	0
68	Donald Trump	It's always a challenge, like life itself is a challenge.	0
69	Donald Trump	But it's something that I really love and I think I've done a very good job at it.	0
70	John Dickerson	You said in an interview with Reuters that you thought it would be easier.	0
71	John Dickerson	Why?	0
72	Donald Trump	Well, it's a tough job.	0
73	Donald Trump	But I've had a lot of tough jobs.	0
74	Donald Trump	I've had things that were tougher, although I'll let you know that better at the end of eight years.	0
75	Donald Trump	Perhaps eight years.	0
76	Donald Trump	Hopefully, eight years.	0
77	Donald Trump	But I'll let you know later on.	0
78	Donald Trump	I think we've done very well with foreign policy.	0
79	Donald Trump	I think we've done very, very well with relationships with other leaders.	0
80	Donald Trump	I think we're doing great on trade deals.	0
81	Donald Trump	It's set.	0
82	Donald Trump	And I think we're doing well.	0
83	Donald Trump	I mean, our country is being out-traded at every single point.	0
84	Donald Trump	We're losing tremendous amounts of money on trade.	0
85	Donald Trump	And I think actually, I've been very consistent.	0
86	Donald Trump	You know, it's very funny when the fake media goes out, you know, which we call the mainstream media which sometimes, I must say, is you.	0
87	John Dickerson	You mean me personally or?	0
88	Donald Trump	Well, your show.	0
89	Donald Trump	I love your show.	0
90	Donald Trump	I call it Deface the Nation.	0
91	Donald Trump	But, you know, your show is sometimes not exactly correct.	0
92	Donald Trump	But when they talk about currency manipulation, and I did say I would call China, if they were, a currency manipulator, early in my tenure.	0
93	Donald Trump	And then I get there.	0
94	Donald Trump	Number one, they -- as soon as I got elected, they stopped.	0
95	Donald Trump	They're not -- it's not going down anymore, their currency.	0
96	John Dickerson	But that had been true before.	0
97	John Dickerson	That had been true--	0
98	Donald Trump	No.	0
99	John Dickerson	--during the campaign, sir.	0
100	Donald Trump	No, not true to the extent that we're talking about.	0
101	Donald Trump	Much more important than that, as to when, but, you know, it did stop.	0
102	Donald Trump	And I was talking about it all during the campaign.	0
103	Donald Trump	And I would say that I was the one that got them to stop.	0
104	Donald Trump	But forget that.	0
105	John Dickerson	You were the one who got China--	0
106	Donald Trump	He is working with us--	0
107	John Dickerson	--to stop manipulating their currency?	0
108	Donald Trump	I think so, during the campaign I talked about.	0
109	John Dickerson	Even if they were doing it before?	0
110	Donald Trump	No, they were doing it before.	0
111	Donald Trump	I mean, there was no question.	0
112	Donald Trump	I mean, they were absolute currency manipulators before.	0
113	Donald Trump	But somebody said, "Oh, you didn't call him a currency manipulator."	0
114	Donald Trump	Now, you and I are just talking about how he's working -- I believe that President Xi is working to try and resolve a very big problem, for China also.	0
115	Donald Trump	And that's North Korea.	0
116	Donald Trump	Can you imagine if I say, "Hey, by the way, how are you doing with North Korea?	0
117	Donald Trump	Also, we're going to announce that you're a currency manipulator tomorrow."	0
118	Donald Trump	So the mainstream media never talks about that.	0
119	Donald Trump	They never say that.	0
120	Donald Trump	And that's, you know, unfortunate.	0
121	Donald Trump	It's just--	0
122	John Dickerson	Let me--	0
123	Donald Trump	--it's just one of many things, John.	0
124	John Dickerson	You're a negotiator.	0
125	John Dickerson	If you need something from somebody, you need China to help you with North Korea, doesn't that send a message to China, "We're not going to bug you about human rights, about intellectual property.	0
126	John Dickerson	In the South China Sea we're not going to put too much heat on you"?	0
127	John Dickerson	Aren't you breaking one of your own negotiating rules?	0
128	Donald Trump	No.	0
129	Donald Trump	I think that, frankly, North Korea is maybe more important than trade.	0
130	Donald Trump	Trade is very important.	0
131	Donald Trump	But massive warfare with millions, potentially millions of people being killed?	0
132	Donald Trump	That, as we would say, trumps trade.	0
133	John Dickerson	Let me ask you--	0
134	Donald Trump	Okay?	0
135	Donald Trump	You understand what I'm saying.	0
136	Donald Trump	And if I can use trade as a method to get China, because I happen to think that China does have reasonably good powers over North Korea.	0
137	Donald Trump	Now, maybe not, you know, ultimate, but pretty good powers.	0
138	Donald Trump	Now, if China can help us with North Korea and can solve that problem--	0
139	John Dickerson	Let me ask--	0
140	Donald Trump	--that's worth making not as good a trade deal for the United States, excuse me, right?	0
141	John Dickerson	What do you know now on day 100 that you wish you knew on day one of the presidency?	0
142	Donald Trump	Well, one of the things that I've learned is how dishonest the media is, really.	0
143	Donald Trump	I've done things that are I think very good.	0
144	Donald Trump	I've set great foundations with foreign leaders.	0
145	Donald Trump	We have you know -- NAFTA, as you know, I was going to terminate it, but I got a very nice call from a man I like, the president of Mexico.	0
146	Donald Trump	I got a very nice call from Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada.	0
147	Donald Trump	And they said please would you rather than terminating NAFTA -- I was all set to do it.	0
148	Donald Trump	In fact, I was going to do it today.	0
149	Donald Trump	I was going to do as we're sitting here.	0
150	Donald Trump	I would've had to delay you.	0
151	Donald Trump	I was going to do it today.	0
152	Donald Trump	I was going to terminate NAFTA.	0
153	Donald Trump	But they called up and they said, "Would you negotiate?"	0
154	Donald Trump	And I said, "Yes, I will negotiate."	0
155	John Dickerson	That's all you've learned, about the media?	0
156	John Dickerson	You knew from the campaign about the media.	0
157	John Dickerson	You said it all the time --	0
158	Donald Trump	No, no, but the media didn't cover it that way.	0
159	Donald Trump	The media said, oh, I didn't terminate NAFTA.	0
160	John Dickerson	So--	0
161	Donald Trump	First of all, if you look at my statements, I said--	0
162	John Dickerson	No, no, I meant--	0
163	Donald Trump	If I'm not able to renegotiate NAFTA, I will terminate NAFTA.	0
164	Donald Trump	Well, I'll make that statement right now.	0
165	John Dickerson	Here's a question.	0
166	Donald Trump	If I'm not able to renegotiate NAFTA, we will terminate NAFTA.	0
167	John Dickerson	Let's step back a minute.	0
168	Donald Trump	Okay.	0
169	John Dickerson	Presidents have to learn how to adapt.	0
170	John Dickerson	Every president comes into the job, it's different than they expect, they must adapt.	0
171	John Dickerson	Surely, you've learned something else other than that the media is dishonest.	0
172	Donald Trump	No, no, I'm just saying--	0
173	John Dickerson	And how do you adapt?	0
174	Donald Trump	--it was one of my disappointments.	0
175	John Dickerson	Give me another thing you learned that you're going to adapt and change because all presidents have to at this stage.	0
176	Donald Trump	Well, I think things generally tend to go a little bit slower than you'd like them to go.	0
177	John Dickerson	Why?	0
178	Donald Trump	Just a system.	0
179	Donald Trump	It's just a very, very bureaucratic system.	0
180	Donald Trump	I think the rules in Congress and in particular the rules in the Senate are unbelievably archaic and slow moving.	0
181	Donald Trump	And in many cases, unfair.	0
182	Donald Trump	In many cases, you're forced to make deals that are not the deal you'd make.	0
183	Donald Trump	You'd make a much different kind of a deal.	0
184	Donald Trump	You're forced into situations that you hate to be forced into.	0
185	Donald Trump	I also learned, and this is very sad, because we have a country that we have to take care of.	0
186	Donald Trump	The Democrats have been totally obstructionist.	0
187	Donald Trump	Chuck Schumer has turned out to be a bad leader.	0
188	Donald Trump	He's a bad leader for the country.	0
189	Donald Trump	And the Democrats are extremely obstructionist.	0
190	Donald Trump	All they do is obstruct.	0
191	Donald Trump	All they do is delay.	0
192	Donald Trump	Even our Supreme Court justice, as you know, who I think is going to be outstanding, Justice Gorsuch.	0
193	Donald Trump	I think that it was disgraceful the way they handled that.	0
194	Donald Trump	But, you know, I still have people, I'm waiting for them to be approved.	0
195	Donald Trump	Our chief trade negotiator.	0
196	Donald Trump	We can't get these people through.	0
197	John Dickerson	I want to get to--	0
198	Donald Trump	They are obstructionists.	0
199	Donald Trump	And you know what that's hurting?	0
200	Donald Trump	It's hurting the country.	0
201	John Dickerson	Let me ask you about health care -- Tucker Carlson interviewed you about six weeks ago when you were in the middle of health care negotiations.	0
202	John Dickerson	And you agreed with him that the health care bill wasn't going to help your supporters.	0
203	John Dickerson	That those who lived in rural areas, the older, were going to get hurt by that bill.	0
204	John Dickerson	And you told him--	0
205	Donald Trump	Excuse me, the health care bill is going to help my supporters.	0
206	John Dickerson	Well, hold on.	0
207	John Dickerson	Let me just finish the question, if I may, sir--	0
208	Donald Trump	Otherwise, I'm not going to sign it.	0
209	Donald Trump	I'm not going to do it.	0
210	John Dickerson	Well, this is why I wanted to ask you.	0
211	John Dickerson	You said to Tucker, "We will take care of our people, or I am not signing it."	0
212	John Dickerson	You said you were going to negotiate.	0
213	Donald Trump	Well, that's what I just said.	0
214	John Dickerson	So tell me what in the bill you've been negotiating to get--	0
215	Donald Trump	But let me--	0
216	John Dickerson	--in that helps your supporters.	0
217	John Dickerson	I'm just trying to get the details of how your people--	0
218	Donald Trump	Let me just tell you.	0
219	John Dickerson	--will be helped.	0
220	Donald Trump	Pre-existing conditions are in the bill.	0
221	Donald Trump	And I just watched another network than yours, and they were saying, "Pre-existing is not covered."	0
222	Donald Trump	Pre-existing conditions are in the bill.	0
223	Donald Trump	And I mandate it.	0
224	Donald Trump	I said, "Has to be."	0
225	John Dickerson	So--	0
226	Donald Trump	We have, we're going to have lower premiums.	0
227	Donald Trump	And before you start there, let me just tell you something.	0
228	Donald Trump	Obamacare is dead.	0
229	Donald Trump	Obamacare right now, all the insurance companies are fleeing.	0
230	Donald Trump	Places like Tennessee have already lost half of their state with the insurance companies.	0
231	Donald Trump	They're all going.	0
232	Donald Trump	Obamacare, John, is dead.	0
233	Donald Trump	Okay, because we're being -- we're being compared to Obamacare.	0
234	Donald Trump	Just, so.	0
235	Donald Trump	Obamacare doesn't work--	0
236	John Dickerson	I just want to compare you to your own.	0
237	Donald Trump	One thing.	0
238	Donald Trump	No, no, it's important.	0
239	Donald Trump	I've got to compare it.	0
240	John Dickerson	No, no, but I want--	0
241	Donald Trump	But you were saying about Obamacare.	0
242	John Dickerson	No, but I'm not.	0
243	John Dickerson	I'm asking what--	0
244	Donald Trump	With Obamacare--	0
245	John Dickerson	--you're going to do.	0
246	Donald Trump	--the premiums are too high.	0
247	Donald Trump	The deductibles are through the roof, so you never get to use it.	0
248	Donald Trump	But more importantly, it's dead.	0
249	John Dickerson	So but in the bill, as it was analyzed, there were two problems.	0
250	John Dickerson	One, and you talked about this with Congressman Robert Aderholt, who brought you the example of the 64-year-old who under Obamacare the premiums--	0
251	Donald Trump	But that was a long time ago, John.	0
252	John Dickerson	But has that been fixed?	0
253	Donald Trump	Totally fixed.	0
254	John Dickerson	How?	0
255	Donald Trump	How?	0
256	Donald Trump	We've made many changes to the bill.	0
257	Donald Trump	You know, this bill is--	0
258	John Dickerson	What kind though?	0
259	Donald Trump	--very much different than it was three weeks ago.	0
260	John Dickerson	Help us explain because there are people--	0
261	Donald Trump	The bill--	0
262	John Dickerson	--out there wondering what kind of changes.	0
263	Donald Trump	Let me explain.	0
264	Donald Trump	Let me explain it to you.	0
265	John Dickerson	Okay.	0
266	Donald Trump	This bill is much different than it was a little while ago, okay?	0
267	Donald Trump	This bill has evolved.	0
268	Donald Trump	And we didn't have a failure on the bill.	0
269	Donald Trump	You know, it was reported like a failure.	0
270	Donald Trump	Now, the one thing I wouldn't have done again is put a timeline.	0
271	Donald Trump	That's why on the second iteration, I didn't put a timeline.	0
272	Donald Trump	But we have now pre-existing conditions in the bill.	0
273	Donald Trump	We have -- we've set up a pool for the pre-existing conditions so that the premiums can be allowed to fall.	0
274	Donald Trump	We're taking across all of the borders or the lines so that insurance companies can compete--	0
275	John Dickerson	But that's not in--	0
276	Donald Trump	--nationwide.	0
277	John Dickerson	--this bill.	0
278	John Dickerson	The borders are not in--	0
279	Donald Trump	Of course, it's in.	0
280	John Dickerson	--this bill.	0
281	John Dickerson	It's in that third bill, right, because--	0
282	Donald Trump	It's in the second phase.	0
283	John Dickerson	Okay.	0
284	Donald Trump	It's called phase one, phase two.	0
285	Donald Trump	And that's, in effect, second phase, which will get approved, which will quickly get approved.	0
286	John Dickerson	Let me--	0
287	Donald Trump	But let me just explain something.	0
288	Donald Trump	There will be such competition.	0
289	Donald Trump	Right now, there's no competition.	0
290	Donald Trump	There will be such competition by insurance companies so that they can get health care and the people taking care of health care.	0
291	John Dickerson	So--	0
292	Donald Trump	The other thing we're going to have is groups.	0
293	Donald Trump	Groups of people can negotiate.	0
294	Donald Trump	What's going to happen is the competition is going to drive down the premiums.	0
295	Donald Trump	In my opinion, much, much more than people understand.	0
296	John Dickerson	So what you've just described is the bill that you previously had said you worried wouldn't help your people.	0
297	John Dickerson	And here's why I ask.	0
298	John Dickerson	You said, "Pre-existing conditions."	0
299	Donald Trump	No, there were things in the other bill, the first version, which were not as good.	0
300	John Dickerson	Okay.	0
301	Donald Trump	But when I watch some of the news reports, which are so unfair, and they say we don't cover pre-existing conditions, we cover it beautifully.	0
302	John Dickerson	Although--	0
303	Donald Trump	I'll tell you who doesn't cover pre-existing conditions.	0
304	Donald Trump	Obamacare.	0
305	Donald Trump	You know why?	0
306	Donald Trump	It's dead.	0
307	John Dickerson	In one of the fixes that was--	0
308	Donald Trump	It's not going to be here.	0
309	John Dickerson	In one of the fixes it was discussed pre-existing was optional for the states--	0
310	Donald Trump	Sure, in one of the fixes.	0
311	Donald Trump	And they're changing it--	0
312	John Dickerson	--oh, okay.	0
313	John Dickerson	So it'll--	0
314	Donald Trump	--and changing.	0
315	John Dickerson	--be permanent?	0
316	Donald Trump	Of course.	0
317	John Dickerson	Okay.	0
318	John Dickerson	Well, that's a development, sir.	0
319	John Dickerson	So you're saying it's going to be pre-existing to everybody?	0
320	Donald Trump	John, this has evolved over a period of three or four weeks.	0
321	Donald Trump	Now, we really have a good bill.	0
322	Donald Trump	I think they could have voted on Friday.	0
323	Donald Trump	I said, "Just relax.	0
324	Donald Trump	Don't worry about this phony 100 day thing.	0
325	Donald Trump	Just relax.	0
326	Donald Trump	Take it easy.	0
327	Donald Trump	Take your time.	0
328	Donald Trump	Get the good vote and make it perfect."	0
329	John Dickerson	Just to--	0
330	Donald Trump	Most importantly, we're going to drive down premiums.	0
331	Donald Trump	We're going to drive down deductibles because right now, deductibles are so high, you never -- unless you're going to die a long, hard death, you never can get to use your health care--	0
332	John Dickerson	Let me ask you something--	0
333	Donald Trump	--because the deductibles are so high.	0
334	John Dickerson	Okay.	0
335	John Dickerson	So what I hear you saying is pre-existing is going to be in there for everybody, it's not going to be up to the states?	0
336	Donald Trump	Pre-existing is going to be in there and we're also--	0
337	John Dickerson	And it's not up to the states?	0
338	Donald Trump	--going to create pools.	0
339	John Dickerson	Okay.	0
340	Donald Trump	And pools are going to take care of the pre-existing.	0
341	John Dickerson	But on that crucial question, it's not going to be left up to the states?	0
342	John Dickerson	Everybody gets pre-existing, no matter where they live?	0
343	Donald Trump	No, but the states--	0
344	John Dickerson	Guaranteed?	0
345	Donald Trump	--are also going to have a lot to do with it because we ultimately want to get it back down to the states.	0
346	John Dickerson	Okay.	0
347	John Dickerson	Is it a guarantee?	0
348	Donald Trump	Look, because if you hurt your knee, honestly, I'd rather have the federal government focused on North Korea, focused on other things, than your knee, okay?	0
349	Donald Trump	Or than your back, as important as your back is.	0
350	Donald Trump	I would much rather see the federal government focused on other things--	0
351	John Dickerson	Let me.	0
352	Donald Trump	--bigger things.	0
353	Donald Trump	Now, the state is going to be in a much better position to take care, because it's smaller.	0
354	John Dickerson	People out there with pre-existing conditions, they are worried.	0
355	John Dickerson	Are they going to have the guarantee of coverage if they have a pre-existing condition or if they live in a state where the governor decides that's not a part of the health care, or that the prices are going to go up?	0
356	John Dickerson	That's the worry.	0
357	John Dickerson	The American Medical Association says--	0
358	Donald Trump	We actually--	0
359	John Dickerson	--it could effectively make coverage completely unaffordable for people.	0
360	Donald Trump	--we actually have, well, forget about unaffordable.	0
361	Donald Trump	What's unaffordable is Obamacare, John.	0
362	John Dickerson	So I'm not hearing you, Mr. President, say there's a guarantee of pre-existing conditions.	0
363	Donald Trump	We actually have -- we actually have a clause that guarantees.	0
364	John Dickerson	Okay, excellent.	0
365	John Dickerson	We got there.	0
366	Donald Trump	We have a specific clause--	0
367	John Dickerson	Let me ask you--	0
368	Donald Trump	--that guarantees.	0
369	John Dickerson	--about your tax plan.	0
370	Donald Trump	Go ahead.	0
371	John Dickerson	Tax plan came out this week.	0
372	John Dickerson	It's got some big deficit numbers.	0
373	John Dickerson	You've said that's going to be made up by growth.	0
374	John Dickerson	Congressional--	0
375	Donald Trump	Well, not only growth.	0
376	Donald Trump	It's going to be made up by better trade deals.	0
377	Donald Trump	It's going to be made up--	0
378	John Dickerson	Let me.	0
379	Donald Trump	--by many different, reciprocal tax.	0
380	Donald Trump	As an example, we have countries where if we make a product and we send it to that country, they charge us 100% tax.	0
381	Donald Trump	If they make the same product and send it to us, we charge them nothing.	0
382	Donald Trump	You think that's smart?	0
383	Donald Trump	It's not.	0
384	John Dickerson	Look--	0
385	Donald Trump	We're going to come up with reciprocal taxes and lots of other things on those countries.	0
386	Donald Trump	But I view that more in trade.	0
387	Donald Trump	We're also going to fix all of our trade deals.	0
388	Donald Trump	We're going to have a very wealthy country again.	0
389	John Dickerson	Let me ask you this, Mr. President.	0
390	John Dickerson	Congress may not go along with--	0
391	Donald Trump	Always.	0
392	John Dickerson	--so they're going to try and find some spending.	0
393	John Dickerson	Let me ask you about the question of Medicare.	0
394	John Dickerson	They're going to want, in Congress, to make up on the spending side, to change Medicare.	0
395	John Dickerson	Will you allow that?	0
396	Donald Trump	You're not going to have to do it.	0
397	John Dickerson	But, sir, will you allow it?	0
398	Donald Trump	You're not going to have to do it.	0
399	Donald Trump	I'm just telling you we are--	0
400	John Dickerson	Does President Donald Trump want them not to do that?	0
401	Donald Trump	I would much prefer them not to do that, that's right.	0
402	John Dickerson	It sounds as if, having covered you in the campaign, it sounds like you're leaving the door open.	0
403	John Dickerson	On the campaign, you were quite clear.	0
404	John Dickerson	You said, "I'm the guy who's not going to touch Medicare."	0
405	Donald Trump	Okay, then let me more clear.	0
406	Donald Trump	I'm not going to touch it, because I said it.	0
407	Donald Trump	Now, waste, fraud and abuse, I'm going to touch.	0
408	Donald Trump	If there's something in Medicare that's been abused, I will touch that.	0
409	Donald Trump	There are certain things, as you know, that have been absolutely abused.	0
410	Donald Trump	There are certain provisions in Medicare that are horrible and abusive and there's been terrible things happening.	0
411	Donald Trump	So that kind of stuff, I will absolutely touch.	0
412	John Dickerson	So if I--	0
413	Donald Trump	But the concept of Medicare, I'm not touching.	0
414	John Dickerson	For me, if I have it now, or if I'm going to have it in the future, it's not getting cut?	0
415	Donald Trump	Waste, fraud and abuse.	0
416	John Dickerson	And that's it?	0
417	Donald Trump	And if there are things within Medicare that are being abused, I will touch that also.	0
418	John Dickerson	Other than that, it's tightened up?	0
419	Donald Trump	That's right.	0
420	Donald Trump	That's what it is.	0
421	Donald Trump	But here's what we do.	0
422	Donald Trump	We're going to grow.	0
423	Donald Trump	The numbers just came out for Obama's last year.	0
424	Donald Trump	1.6 GDP.	0
425	Donald Trump	That means nothing.	0
426	Donald Trump	That's, like, 1% GDP.	0
427	Donald Trump	So I have gotten to know as you know, I really get along with a lot of other countries.	0
428	Donald Trump	So I talk to the heads of countries.	0
429	Donald Trump	How are you doing?	0
430	Donald Trump	Not well, not well.	0
431	Donald Trump	Why?	0
432	Donald Trump	GDP is 8%.	0
433	Donald Trump	GDP is 9%.	0
434	Donald Trump	We are doing poorly.	0
435	Donald Trump	GDP -- Our GDP is, like, 1%.	0
436	John Dickerson	Let me ask you about your tax returns, sir.	0
437	John Dickerson	When your Treasury secretary was asked about whether you were going to release them, Secretary Mnuchin said, "The president has no intention."	0
438	John Dickerson	Is that right?	0
439	Donald Trump	Well, I never spoke to him about it.	0
440	Donald Trump	Honestly, he's never asked me about it.	0
441	Donald Trump	I said, number one, I'm under audit.	0
442	Donald Trump	Right now, I'm under audit.	0
443	Donald Trump	After the audit is complete.	0
444	Donald Trump	It's a routine audit, but I have a very big tax return.	0
445	Donald Trump	You've seen the pictures.	0
446	Donald Trump	My tax return is probably higher than that from the floor.	0
447	Donald Trump	When you look at other people's tax return, even other wealthy people, their tax return is this big.	0
448	Donald Trump	My tax return is this high.	0
449	John Dickerson	I just wanted to make sure--	0
450	Donald Trump	I'm under routine--	0
451	John Dickerson	--you weren't changing.	0
452	Donald Trump	--audit.	0
453	Donald Trump	And I think it's a very unfair thing because I have been under audit almost, like, since I became famous, okay?	0
454	John Dickerson	Have you--	0
455	Donald Trump	Not just political.	0
456	Donald Trump	I mean, I have been under audit, I'll bet you 12 or 13 or 14 years in a row.	0
457	Donald Trump	Now, I have friends that are wealthy people.	0
458	John Dickerson	Let me ask you--	0
459	Donald Trump	They've never been audited.	0
460	John Dickerson	You--	0
461	Donald Trump	And I think it's very unfair.	0
462	John Dickerson	You first said that you were under audit, were going to wait till that was done, about 14 months ago.	0
463	John Dickerson	That seems like a long time.	0
464	John Dickerson	When do you think this might happen?	0
465	John Dickerson	Are you asking them?	0
466	Donald Trump	It could happen soon.	0
467	Donald Trump	I don't know.	0
468	Donald Trump	I mean, I think--	0
469	John Dickerson	When?	0
470	John Dickerson	Give me a sense of--	0
471	Donald Trump	--it's pretty routine, to be honest with you.	0
472	Donald Trump	But then I'll make a decision.	0
473	John Dickerson	A member of Congress suggested that a condition for getting tax reform would be releasing your tax returns.	0
474	John Dickerson	What do you think about that?	0
475	Donald Trump	Oh, I don't know who did that.	0
476	Donald Trump	I mean, I don't care who did that.	0
477	Donald Trump	These are the people, you know, the great obstructionists.	0
478	John Dickerson	So you're not buying that deal.	0
479	Donald Trump	Look where they are.	0
480	Donald Trump	Look where the Democrats have ended up.	0
481	Donald Trump	Hey, John, they had everything going.	0
482	Donald Trump	Now they don't have the presidency, they don't have the House, they don't have the Senate, and Schumer's going around making a fool out of himself.	0
483	John Dickerson	You said yesterday on Fox that Russia is a phony story.	0
484	John Dickerson	Which part of it is phony?	0
485	Donald Trump	The concept of Russia with respect to us is a total phony story.	0
486	John Dickerson	Meaning the Trump campaign?	0
487	Donald Trump	Of course, it's a total phony story.	0
488	Donald Trump	In fact, I just heard where General Flynn got his clearance from the Obama administration.	0
489	John Dickerson	But you don't mean--	0
490	Donald Trump	Excuse me.	0
491	Donald Trump	I didn't realize this, when he went to Russia, it was 2015 and he was on the Obama clearance.	0
492	Donald Trump	When General Flynn came to us, as you now know, he already had the highest clearance you can have.	0
493	Donald Trump	I think the same clearance as the president of the United States would have.	0
494	Donald Trump	He had this really high clearance.	0
495	Donald Trump	And, by the way, they're so devastated because this only came up two days ago.	0
496	John Dickerson	Let me ask you this, sir.	0
497	Donald Trump	Why wasn't this reported months ago?	0
498	John Dickerson	I--	0
499	Donald Trump	But I watched one of your other competitors, and they were devastated--	0
500	John Dickerson	Look--	0
501	Donald Trump	--by this news, because you know what?	0
502	Donald Trump	That kills them.	0
503	Donald Trump	That's the end of that subject.	0
504	John Dickerson	You don't think it's phony that they, the Russians, tried to meddle in the election?	0
505	John Dickerson	You believe that?	0
506	Donald Trump	That, I don't know.	0
507	Donald Trump	I don't know.	0
508	John Dickerson	That you don't know or you do know?	0
509	Donald Trump	Well, I have a problem.	0
510	Donald Trump	You have Podesta, who, by the way, I understand has a company with his brother in Russia.	0
511	Donald Trump	Hillary's husband makes speeches in Russia.	1
512	Donald Trump	Hillary did a uranium deal with Russia.	0
513	Donald Trump	Nobody ever talks about that.	0
514	Donald Trump	But I don't know--	0
515	John Dickerson	You don't--	0
516	Donald Trump	--because the FBI was not allowed by Podesta to go in and check all of the records on their servers and everything else that you would normally have to check.	0
517	Donald Trump	That's number one.	0
518	Donald Trump	Number two, knowing something about hacking, if you don't catch a hacker, okay, in the act, it's very hard to say who did the hacking.	0
519	Donald Trump	With that being said, I'll go along with Russia.	0
520	Donald Trump	Could've been China, could've been a lot of different groups.	0
521	John Dickerson	So President Donald Trump is ambivalent--	0
522	Donald Trump	But it could've--	0
523	John Dickerson	--about or not ambivalent, you're not just not sure?	0
524	Donald Trump	No.	0
525	Donald Trump	We have to find out what happened.	0
526	Donald Trump	I'd love to find out what happened.	0
527	John Dickerson	But you don't think it's the Russians--	0
528	Donald Trump	I can tell you one thing.	0
529	Donald Trump	Had nothing to do with us.	0
530	Donald Trump	Had nothing to do with this, and everyone knows it.	0
531	Donald Trump	And by the way, even my enemies on your show said, "We haven't found anything that the Trump campaign did wrong."	0
532	John Dickerson	But--	0
533	Donald Trump	Do you agree with that?	0
534	John Dickerson	But there is agreement in the intelligence communities and other places and investigative communities on the Hill that Russia was--	0
535	Donald Trump	I'm okay with it.	0
536	John Dickerson	--involved in the election.	0
537	Donald Trump	Honestly, John, I'm okay.	0
538	Donald Trump	But why didn't Podesta and the Democrats, why didn't they allow the FBI to eject the server?	0
539	Donald Trump	They hired some company who somebody said some pretty bad things about, to go and check their server and give the information.	0
540	Donald Trump	So they were hacked.	0
541	Donald Trump	Why didn't they -- the Democrats allow the FBI?	0
542	Donald Trump	They told the FBI, "We are not going to allow you to do it."	0
543	Donald Trump	Why did they do that?	0
544	Donald Trump	Why did they do that, John?	0
545	Donald Trump	Why wouldn't they let the FBI go in and check?	0
546	Donald Trump	And by the way, why didn't the FBI complain about it?	0
547	John Dickerson	Mr. President, I think we're going to have to end it there.	0
548	Donald Trump	Thank you.	0