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Trump Takes Questions on South Lawn; Trump on Iran Nuclear Deal; Trump on Health Care; Las Vegas Police Update. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired October 13, 2017 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:00:00] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I may do that. I may do that. The deal is terrible. So what we've done is, through the certification process, we'll have Congress take a look at it. And I may very well do that. But I like a two-step process much better.

John.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) Obamacare (INAUDIBLE) executive order yesterday --

TRUMP: Yes.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) remove the subsidies.

TRUMP: Got great support.

QUESTION: Is that -- is that a way for you to put pressure on Democrats to say, look, (INAUDIBLE) come to the table and negotiate with us.

TRUMP: Well, they've already lost a big chunk because, as you know, that's a big chunk and it's very popular. And you will have millions and millions of people sign up under that.

You could say, I mean, I'm not doing that consciously. I will say this, John, I will say that the Democrats should come to me. I would even go to them. Because I'm only interested in one thing, getting great health care for this country.

That was a big chunk. And as far as the subsidy is concerned, I don't want to make the insurance companies rich. If you look at their stock price over the last number of years, take a look at what's happened with those insurance companies. They're making a fortune by getting that kind of money.

Yes.

QUESTION: Sir, how long can you (INAUDIBLE) --

TRUMP: We will see what happens with Iran. We're very unhappy with Iran. They have not treated us with the kind of respect that they should be treating. They should have thanked Barack Obama for making that deal. They were gone. They were economically gone. He infused $100 billion to $150 billion into their economy. He gave them $1.7 billion in cash. And they should be, thank you, President Obama. They didn't say that.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) you said you would declare a national emergency (INAUDIBLE) --

TRUMP: So we're studying national emergency right now. Believe it or not, doing national emergency, as you understand, is a very big statement. We will be doing that. My wife, Melania, who happens to be right here, finds that subject to be of such vital importance. And she's very much involved. And, as you know, she's on the committee and really wants to be involved in that process.

QUESTION: Have you spoken (INAUDIBLE) Emmanuel Macron about the Iranian deal?

TRUMP: Yes. Yes.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: They would love me to stay in, only for one reason, look at the kind of money that's being sent. You know, Iran is spending money in various countries. And I've always said it, and I say to them, don't do anything, don't worry about it. Take all the money you can get. They're all friends of mine. Actually, actually Emmanuel called up and he talked to me, and I said, look, Emmanuel, they just gave Renault (ph) a lot of money. Take their money. Enjoy yourselves. But we'll see what happens. Iran has to behave much differently.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) CSR payments (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: The CSR payments, if you take a look at CSR payments, that money is going to insurance companies to prop up insurance companies. That money is going to insurance companies to lift up their stock price. And that's not what I'm about. Take a look at who those insurance companies support. And I guarantee you one thing, it's not Donald Trump.

John.

QUESTION: Mr. President, (INAUDIBLE) -- the JCPOA (INAUDIBLE) -- Corker and Rubio (INAUDIBLE) -- IAEA (INAUDIBLE) --

TRUMP: Yes.

QUESTION: Does that meet the bar for you or do you need more?

TRUMP: Well, I think we're going to take look, John, at what happens. We're going to see what happens. We're going to see what they come back with. They may come back with something that's very satisfactory to me. And if they don't, within a very short period of time, I'll terminate the deal.

And as far as Puerto Rico's concerned, I love Puerto Rico. We've done --

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) stay there forever --

TRUMP: We've done a great job.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) --

TRUMP: Yes.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: We've done a great job in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has to get the infrastructure going. We are helping them with their infrastructure. But most important on Puerto Rico is their electric plants are essentially gone. Now, they were gone before the hurricane. They were in bankruptcy. They owed $9 billion. I think it was $9 billion.

But the plants, as you know, were -- the electric was a disaster. After the storm, even more so. We have to help them get the plants rebuilt. That's a long term project, unfortunately. But we have to help them. But I love the people of Puerto Rico and we're going to help them.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) do you want to make sure that (INAUDIBLE) hurricane relief and debt relief (INAUDIBLE) --

TRUMP: Well, you have to watch it. You can't say there was a hurricane and now we're going to spend x dollars. And we also have to do something with all the money that's been invested, mostly private. The government is going to have to come before that money because the government's going to want security. They're going to have to come before that money. And I'm sure we'll be able to work that out.

[14:05:04] But the Puerto Rican people have tremendous spirit. When I was there and I looked at the way that -- what they have to go through. But they had a lot of problems. We're going to help them straighten it out.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) can you clarify -- can you clarify where you are on North Korea. And you raised some eyebrows when you said this is the calm before the storm. What's next on North Korea?

TRUMP: We're going to see what happens with North Korea. That's all I can say. We're going to see what happens. We're totally prepared for numerous things. We are going to see what happens with North Korea. I will say, look, if something can happen where we negotiate, I'm always open to that. But if it's going to be something other than negotiation, believe me, we are ready. More so than we have ever been.

Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so there's the president and the first lady heading over to Marine One, answering reporters' questions on the South Lawn of the White House for about ten minutes or so following his 20-minute address to the nation on the Iran nuclear deal.

Jim Acosta is over at the White House, our senior White House correspondent. Health care, Iran, Puerto Rico, North Korea, significant subjects on

the agenda right now.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf, almost a mini press conference there on the South Lawn of the White House.

And the president was pressed on those subjects that you mention.

A couple of interesting points to make. One is, he seems pretty invested, pretty comfortable with what his administration has come up with when it comes to decertifying the Iran nuclear deal. He said, let's see what Congress does. He repeated that line a couple of times to reporters out there on the South Lawn. Even though he seems to have had some very big misgivings about doing this behind the scenes. He wanted to pull out of the Iran deal and his top advisors were, you know, pleading with him not to do it. He seemed to be pretty comfortable. He wanted to see what Congress comes back with.

Now, I did press him on Obamacare, this decision to scrap the subsidies to insurance companies to provide health care to people who aren't as well off. The president essentially said, listen, those subsidies are a payout to the insurance companies. He's really echoing White House talking points on all of this. But he went on to say that he wants to deal with Democrats.

BLITZER: I'm going to interrupt you for a moment. We're going to get back to that. But police in Las Vegas have a news conference. Let's see if they clarify the timeline of what happened leading up to that disaster, that massacre.

SHERIFF JOE LOMBARDO, CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA: This conference will be done strictly through my narrative provided to you. OK?

OK, first and foremost, I want to give you an update on the injuries. This has been a big deal on my mind, as it has been the public. And I think it's important for you to be given an accurate picture of what is occurring associated with the injuries of the 1 October event.

So as of 8:00 this morning, I was updated with the most current numbers. And let me back up just a minute.

You know, in early throws of this tragedy, I had advised each and every one of you that items of information were going to change. The dynamics of this investigation is far reaching. It's wide. It's huge. And you can't expect exact answers in the early throws. My intent in early throws were to give you the information to provide that calmness in the community and to ensure that we didn't have a second player or a third player out hiding in the community intending to cause us harm.

So, there was no integrity question associated with that, as I've experienced through the cyber space questioning my integrity. I provide you the information as I knew it and everybody in here knew it was going to change. So we will get through that.

I'm not giving you a hundred percent satisfaction associated with what I'm going to give you today, because I think some of that's going to change. And we will not know that until we're completed with this investigation.

So back to where we were.

I think it is important for the community of Clark County to realize, we use 17 separate medical facilities to accommodate the injuries associated with this event. And that speaks volumes for the medical community here in Las Vegas, in Clark County. And it seems to be lost in the narrative associated with this that it was strictly a public safety fire and police event. No, it was including the medical community. And I think it's important for me to give them their due respect.

So 17 separate medical facilities. Today's numbers, 546 reported injuries, 501 of those have been discharged. In other words, they responded to a medical facility. They were treated for their wounds. And, subsequently, left to seek healing process wherever they chose to do so.

[14:10:25] Fifty-eight is still the number of individuals that have died. Now, this is an important piece. Forty-five individuals that are still hospitalized. Some of those are in critical condition. So 58 may raise. By the grace of God it doesn't, and we shall continue to move forward, the medical profession will provide all the medical care necessary, but sometimes it's -- people meet their demise outside of our control. So I'm hoping that number does not raise, but today's number is 58.

The fuel tanks. I'm going read this narrative so my words do not get changed, but I want to provide you some information in reference to the fuel tanks.

It is believed the fuel tanks were fired upon with intent. McCarron's (ph) leaders have safety protocols in place which they reexamined following any safety-related incident. The leaders have already contacted experts and fuel storage out of the abundance of caution. I am more than confident that they will immediately implement any changes or security augmentations if they are so advised.

It has -- I have been advised there is a very low probability that aviation fuel could be ignited by gunfire. And the tanks are outfitted for a continual release of vapors.

So that is the situation of the fuel tanks. Any future information that needs to be provided in reference to that will be provided by the public information office out of McCarron Airport.

The dates of the 25th, versus the 28th, this was not breaking news. No matter who believed it to be so in this form. We were aware of the discrepancy of the 28th versus the 25th in the early parts of this investigation. What we weren't aware of is why the date of the 28th was utilized in the early portion of this as I was provided this information as part of the person registered in the suspect's room.

We have come to learn the suspect did occupy the room on the 25th and the situation on how the room was compensated or paid for had changed. And the name, as part of the registration, had changed on the 28th to include Marilou Danley.

So that was the confusion associated with that. No matter what the perception is, whether we were being nontransparent or we were attempting to be subversive is false. I was acting on the information at the time I was provided it.

The autopsy. Yes, there has been an autopsy performed on Mr. Paddock, or the suspect. In the early evaluation, there was no abnormalities observed visually. As a matter of practice, in the forensic science, his brain has been shipped to an appropriate evaluation facility in order to take a microscopic evaluation of the brain.

So the initial report that there was no abnormalities was a visual inspection of his brain. So it's yet to be known whether there is any abnormalities to be presented at a later date.

Now, the time line.

Unfortunately, a great deal of my investigator's time has been preoccupied on this timeline. In the public space, the word incompetence has been brought forward. And I am absolutely offended with that characterization.

This is a very dynamic event. A very big event. Thousands of people involved. Humans involved in documentation. And every venue of information involved in this investigation.

[14:15:12] So the information was attained via security logs. Officer Campos, himself, body worn cameras, hotel cameras, lock interrogation, my dispatch, LVMPD dispatch, hotel and private cameras, and interviews. So imagine bringing that all together to ensure that we are drawing an accurate picture.

So I'll provide you a little more information on that.

I still stand by the time of 21:59, 9:59. It's important that you continue to listen to me. 9:59 is important. It wasn't inaccurate when I provided it to you. The circumstances associated with it is inaccurate. OK?

I am very well aware of the MGM statement provided yesterday. I agree with their statement. I'm not in conflict with their statement. But what -- here is what I will tell you. We were provided the time of 21:59 as a human entry into a security log. Through investigation we have determined that Mr. Campos had encountered the barricaded door, adjacent to the suspect's door, at approximately 21:59.

In his attempt to gain entry to the 32nd floor, it required him to ascend to another level and eventually make access to the 32nd floor. He went to the doorway that he was dispatched to originally to address the open doorway. He mitigated that situation and subsequently received fire from the suspect.

When you culminate that timeline associated from the initial 21:59 to the 22:05 timeline that we are -- still stand by as the initial volley of fire, Mr. Campos received his wounds in close proximity to 22:05.

He attempted to relay that information via his radio. And it was confirmed because he also relayed that information via his cell phone. So the timeline associated to both of those sources have been verified.

22:05, the number that was provided earlier, referenced the majority of fire upon our community. We still stand by that time. And that was done by the combination of different sources that I listed for you earlier.

22:17, 12 minutes, that is when our officers first arrived on the 32nd floor. Twelve minutes. You are very well aware the suspect fired at approximately 10 minutes. Upon our arrival on the 32nd floor, the firing had ceased. We did not believe we had -- continually had an active shooter. At that point we conducted evacuations of the rooms adjacent to the suspect's room and you know the rest.

So there is no conspiracy between the FBI, between the LVMPD and the MGM. Nobody is attempting to hide anything in reference to this investigation. The dynamics and the size of this investigation requires us to go through voluminous amounts of information in order to draw an accurate picture. My attempt, like I stated earlier, is to give you information as I know it, unverified, to calm the public, not to establish a legal case. Everybody understand that?

No question, sir.

Now we're going to get into the future of the investigation.

I don't want to put a percentage of responsibility associated with this investigation because it would not make sense, but I'm here to tell you we are standing hand in hand with the FBI and the continuance of this investigation. In the beginning throws of it and in the continuance of it.

[14:20:04] Our portion at LVMPD has become contracted. My concern was initial safety of the community. Whether we had any other bad actors out there that we had to address. And I feel confident there are no other individuals intending to cause harm to our community associated with the 1 October event.

Now it has become protracted. And that's where the FBI has their expertise. We are establishing the timeline of the suspect's life, his motivation and everybody else associated with him throughout time. It requires us to rely on the FBI's resources for that success. Nobody's acquiescing in my department to this. I'm not acquiescing. And nor is the FBI coming in with a hammer and attempting to take over. This will continue to be a joint operation.

With that being said, I want to give you the opportunity for Aaron Rouse to provide some statements.

AARON ROUSE, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: Thank you, sheriff.

I am Aaron Rouse. I'm the special agent in charge for the FBI in Las Vegas.

In support of our partner, from the beginning, we established a 24- hour, seven-day a week command post with agents, analysts, task force officers and many support personnel. We have deployed over 200 employees from across the FBI to Las Vegas, including many in specialized positions. Globally, we have hundreds of agents covering every facet of this investigation. Nothing will be overlooked.

We have made significant progress. To date, we have found no signs of ideology or affiliation to any groups. Hundreds of interviews have been conducted so far. Close to 2,000 leads have been covered so far. Extensive review of digital media on a multitude of devices is ongoing. Over a thousand pieces of evidence have been collected and are being reviewed by the FBI laboratory. Hours and hours of video footage from hotels continues to be reviewed.

FBI victim specialists from across the country are here assisting victims and families of the victims. More than 1,800 victim questioners have been completed and the return of personal property continues.

We continue -- we continue to ask you if you have factual information and furtherance of this investigation, please call us. If you know something, say something. The number is 1-800-CALL-FBI.

The FBI, nor a partner, we don't rush to conclusions. We ask for your patience and will not comment on the specifics of this investigation while it is in process. This is in keeping with the long standing FBI tradition.

As I said from the beginning, this is our city. It is your city. Las Vegas is a resilient city. A microcosm of a resilient nation.

While we grieve as a community, we will use that energy to learn as much as we can about this horrible crime so that we may prevent another one from happening.

I thank you.

LOMBARDO: Thank you, Aaron.

So before we close out today, I want to provide you another written narrative. I want to read verbatim in support, in other words, bring a better light to what's occurred in the carnage that is associated with our community. There's some bright spots and I don't want anybody to take offense when I've completed my comments today. There's a thousand heroes out there. But I'm going to bring it home to my department and I think it's important for you to hear it.

So the first narrative.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Sergeant Garrett Everett (ph) arrived at Reno in Haven and saw the need for medical triage area. For hours, Sergeant Everett and other LVMPD officers, along with the off-duty nurses, paramedics and firefighters triaged at least 50 gunshot victims. They ran out of tourniquets and began using anything they could find to stop the bleeding, to include their own hobble devices they use during the normal course of their duties.

[14:25:05] These officers calmly took care of the wounded and the dying as they waited for medical transport. At times, placing the critical victims on the backs of trucks so they could get them to the hospital quickly. Not all the victims made it out as the night wore on. Those same officers were assigned to guard the deceased victims, not allowing any of them to be left alone.

So the undersheriff and myself, Kevin McMayhill (ph), took it upon ourselves to go out and visit some of my officers yesterday to discuss their mental state, to thank them, and check on their overall condition. These particular officers sustained some substantial wounds. And some of them you have heard in the public forum already. And some, you haven't.

But there's a couple key individuals I want you to write about. And one of them is Brady Cook (ph). Brady sustained four separate gunshot wounds. And when I say separate, that's entries and exits. That's not actually four separate bullets. And this important piece on Brady is, the suspect was fired upon the crowd as our officers started to arrive via vehicles, which Brady was occupying one, it is readily apparent to me that he adjusted his fire and directed it toward the police vehicles. So the response of those individuals, I believe, saved lives.

No matter what his personal vendettas is against the police or not, maybe he was preventing the wolf from getting to his door sooner than later. But he chose to fire upon the police vehicles.

Brady sustained a substantial wound to his shoulder, through his bicep, into his chest, and out his back. And the reason why I bring this one up, he asked me if he could go back to work today.

Samuel Whitworth (ph) -- excuse me for my emotions.

Samuel was laying on his couch with a very intensive wound to his leg. During the melee and his attempt to evacuate victims, he sustained a broken leg, but he remained on scene and provided security for the medical personnel.

So at this point, I want to thank the community. I want to thank you for letting me be your sheriff. And Vegas strong. Thank you.

QUESTION: Sheriff, there's a matter of public --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No questions.

QUESTION: When did MGM call (INAUDIBLE). What time did MGM call police (INAUDIBLE) --

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: All right, I want to bring in my experts, as well as Kyung Lah, to talk about this. That was a very emotional Sheriff Lombardo there of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, updating the press on this investigation of the Las Vegas massacre. The deadliest shooting in modern American history. And he answered critics about what -- it's really been a changing

timeline, saying that he is absolutely offended at charges that his team has been incompetent in the aftermath.

So I want to give you some of the headlines that he just told us.

He said, the death toll remains at 58. Fifty-eight people lost their lives in this shooting. And there are at least 45 people who are still in the hospital. He made the point that some of them are in critical condition. It's clearly very much touch and go for some of these folks who are still fighting for their lives there in Las Vegas. That is first and foremost.

On the investigation, though, there have been some changes in the timeline of the shooting. The sheriff defended that. He cleared up what they believe at this point in time. He says that at 9:59 p.m. a security guard from the hotel, from the Mandalay Bay, responded to a report of an open door. And that it took some minutes for that security guard to go and take care of that, presumably closing that door.

Then the security guard encountered fire from the gunman's room seconds before the gunman fired on the crowd. Six minutes later. That is the official time right now.

And then it was 12 minutes after that, that the first officers arrived there on the 32nd floor where the gunman was.

[14:59:58] So I want to start there now with CNN law enforcement analyst and former U.S. Marshal, Art Roderick. We also have Tom Fuentes. He is a CNN senior law enforcement analyst and a former assistant FBI director. I want to also bring in Scott McLean. He is outside of police headquarters.

OK, so first --