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Finnish President To Donald Trump: U.S. Has "Great Democracy, Keep It Going"; Trump Speaks To Reporters As Impeachment Inquiry Escalates. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired October 02, 2019 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: e have plenty of regulations but many of them we didn't need, we got rid of them.

The American economy is booming, wages are rising, incomes are soaring and unemployment has hit its lowest level in more than half a century. We want Finnish companies to join in America's extraordinary economic revival. So many countries are coming in, it's the hot place. We have the hottest economy in the world, and it's the hot place to be, they all want to be here.

The president and I are also working on a way to improve international trade based on the principle of fairness and -- my favorite word -- reciprocity. I hope that Finland, which now holds the rotating presidency of the E.U. Council, will support our efforts to achieve a mutually beneficial agreement with the European Union.

We're going to have to start doing something with the European Union, because they have not been treating this country right for many, many years, and they know it. And I tell them, and they know it.

America's trade deficit with the E.U. has been averaging $160 billion a year for many, many years. Achieving more balanced and robust trade flows would greatly benefit both Finland and the United States.

TRUMP: We also appreciate Finland's strong partnership in combating predatory trade practices worldwide, including the theft of intellectual property. From trade to security, from travel to commerce, we are immensely grateful for our close and deeply valued friendship with the people of Finland. Great people. And we're now working on a deal to sell a large number of airplanes, fighter jets, hopefully to Finland. See how that works out. But we make the greatest jets in the world, we make the greatest missiles and military equipment anywhere in the world. Nobody's even close.

Mr. President, I want to thank you again for visiting the White House. The history of our two nations is a profound testament to the importance of our independence and resolve to defend it. I look forward to continuing to work alongside of you as we safeguard our precious sovereignty and build a bright future of hope, harmony and peace for the American and Finnish people. And thank you very much for being with us at the White House and the Oval Office. We had a very special number of hours. Appreciate it very much. Thank you, sir.

NINISTO: Thank you, Mr. President. First of all, I will deliver your condolences to Finnish people. They do appreciate that. Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, before meeting, I had some spare time, so I visited a couple of museums here. Museum of American History, Museum of American -- African History and Museum of American Indian History. And in addition to that I had a possibility of attending ceremony in Arlington.

Mr. President, you have here a great democracy. Keep it going on. We were -- we had a very good discussion with the president.

Like you mentioned, our diplomatic relations are 100 years old. During that time, we have developed our cooperation a lot, not only in official meetings like this, but American and Finnish people, scientists, for example, meet each other, cooperating, working together. We have quite a lot of cooperation in security sector, also in defense. Because I think that we share the feeling that the most important thing for the nation is to guarantee security to its citizens. And that is the starting point for Finland also to this cooperation.

I wanted to take up with the president the important of Trans-Atlantic cooperation. Well, we all know Europe needs USA. But I say that USA needs also Europe. We know the price of everything. We should recognize also the value of everything. We share the same values -- democracy, human rights, rule-based order, and in that we are very similar. Europe has, in a way, awakened during the couple last years to understand also more about security point of view.

[14:35:00] And I just want to tell you that, in my opinion, the stronger Europe we have, the stronger partner you have. The Arctic area in north Finland is -- in very north -- is becoming more and more interesting, like the president said. We both, alongside with the six countries from the Arctic Council -- and we are working heavily.

There are surely possibilities like we have heard, the maritime routes are being opened, maybe there are also resources, but there are huge risks. One of them is that we should keep the low tension we are used to have there and that is what we have been discussing, and I do appreciate the president's position to emphasize that it is not a place for military.

But an even greater challenge is the environment. And I'm very glad that we started to talk two years ago in this very house about black coal. It is not maybe the worst, which of course is climate problems, but it is -- everybody can understand that if black comes down to ice and to snow, when the sun meets it, it melts down, and melting of sea ice in Arctic is very crucial. I used to say that if we lose the Arctic, we lose the globe.

We had a couple of words, very important ones, on arms control. We -- some of us remember the worst years of Cold War in 1960s. There was no agreement at all, just Cold War. We can't let the situation return no agreement at all about arms control, and that is why it is important to try to negotiate new agreements and to continue the New START agreement. That will be a good New START for -- for international cooperation on that. Joined (ph) up with -- you, Mr. President, referred to 5G. It is used ICT (ph) as a whole. We are very proud to have the excellence of -- of -- the Center of Excellence of Hybrid in Helsinki. USA has been very helpful in that. Very many countries are working there together to fight against the future danger of hybrid warfare, but comes to -- to providers in that area, I am not very willing to point out any country or company.

We are now maybe a bit late from USA in the E.U. making a risk assessment. It will be prepared in one, two weeks time, and after that, we are in a place that we have to choose the tools to protect us.

Mr. President, I want to thank you very much for having the possibility of meeting you here. It is very (inaudible). I found our discussions very open, very interesting, and giving (ph) a lot to my little country. Thank you, sir.

TRUMP: Thank you.

Before we take questions, something happened that's been -- it's going -- been going on for many decades, and we came to a conclusion. Could I ask Ambassador Pence to just come up for one second and explain the importance of what just took place? Because this has been going on for many, many years. And this is Ambassador Pence -- no relationship to our great vice president. Hard to believe. Nobody believes that, but that's true.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

PENCE: But I have been introduced as his father, his brother, his cousin, his uncle.

(LAUGHTER)

We are friends.

[14:40:00] Good afternoon. The -- when I arrived in Helsinki about a year and a half ago there were a stack of papers on the desk, one of -- a couple of which concerned indigenous peoples from the southwest United States -- Arizona, Colorado, including probably most predominantly, but it's generic. They all referred to them as Hopi Indians. They were one of the group. In 1895, a lot of their remains had been excavated and removed, along with like, 500 artifacts to Finland, and there they've remained, despite a lot of activity to get them back.

And I'll just jump to the end and say through the good offices of our State Department, but in particular, President Niinisto and -- and his entire team, we've secured a mutual agreement whereby all -- all those remains, including a number of -- of petrified bodies, will be going back to -- to be put back where they were buried. So it's special to us, and I think it's probably special to indigenous peoples everywhere around the globe that were all concerned about paying appropriate respect to those who have departed before us. So thank you. Thank both of the presidents for supporting this.

TRUMP: Thank you. Fantastic job. Thank you (inaudible)

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Thank you. That's a great job, Mr. Ambassador. That's been going on for many, many decades, so I just want to thank you. Outstanding.

John Roberts?

QUESTION: Mr. President. Thank you, President Niinisto.

If I could, sir, I've got two pertinent questions to ask you. Maybe I could ask them separately to get a fresh answer out of each one.

The three House Intelligence -- three House committees that are looking into the impeachment inquiry gave notice today that they will be sending a subpoena to the White House for documents and -- and other materials. Will you cooperate with those subpoenas?

TRUMP: Well, I always cooperate. This is a hoax. This is the greatest hoax. This is just a continuation of what's been playing out, John, for the last -- since my election, I would say, if you want, and probably -- we'll find out soon, but probably even before my election. This is a fraudulent crime on the American people. But we'll work together with Shifty Shift and Pelosi and all of them, and we'll see what happens, because we did absolutely -- I had a great call with the president of Ukraine. It was 100 percent. You have the transcript.

TRUMP: And then Schiff went up and he got -- as the chairman of the committee, got up and related a call that didn't take place. He made up the language. I -- hard to believe. Nobody's ever seen this. I think he had some kind of a mental breakdown. But he went up to the microphone and he read a statement from the president of the United States as if I were on the call. Because what happened is when he looked at the sheet, which was an exact transcript of my call done by very talented people that do this -- exact, word for word, he said, "Wow, he didn't do anything wrong." So he made it up. He went up to a microphone, and in front of the American people and in Congress, he went out and he -- he gave a whole presentation of words that the president of the United States never said. It has to be a criminal act, it has to be. And he should resign, and some people even say it was treason. But it was a very sad thing.

And just so you know, the call was perfect, the real call, the call I made. Many people were on the line, I knew that. Because usually, when I speak to foreign country leaders, you can name any one of them. But when I speak on the phone, I know that we have many people listening from various intelligence agencies. My knowledge, I know all about it.

And so this isn't something like, oh, gee, I'm on the line, let's talk about a big secret. This is many people on the line, I don't even know how many. We'll find out, I guess. But many people. Mike Pompeo was on the line. He didn't say anything, he just -- because they listen for both knowledge and for security reasons, and for lots of reasons. But the president of Ukraine at the United Nations the other day -- and previous to that, he announced, through his spokesperson, said there was absolutely no pressure put on him. There was no quid pro quo, at all.

And if you look at this whistleblower's -- which I have a lot of respect, for whistleblowers, but only when they're real -- his report of the phone call was totally different than the fact.

But what got them was, they never thought I was going to release the call. Because I don't like doing that. I don't want to do -- I hope I don't have to do it again, release phone calls to foreign dignitaries, to foreign leaders. I don't want to do that, John. I don't want to do it again.

But I did it with the permission of the Ukrainian government. We got permission. We called up their representatives and asked them, would it be OK. Otherwise, I couldn't have done it.

[14:45:00]

And if I wouldn't have done it, I would have been exposed to a lie. Because the whistleblower report, didn't he say seven or eight times, I said, quid pro quo? In other words, you're going to do this or you're not going to get money.

Now, in all fairness, Biden said it, and he's on tape. In all fairness, you have at least four United States senators, Democrats that said it. And they said it a lot stronger than even Schiff and his made-up story said it.

Obama, when he was dealing with the president of Russia -- not Putin -- he said, hey, tell Vladimir, I can do a lot more after the election. You remember that? You didn't make a big deal out of that, everybody thought, oh, isn't that cute, isn't that cute.

My talk and my response -- Lindsey Graham said, I never knew you were that nice. I can't believe you were that nice. He said that, loud and clear. It was perfect, it was perfect. Not a thing wrong with it.

To impeach a president over a fraud that was committed by other people that want to win an election in 2020, which they won't, is incredible. This is the greatest hoax -- now, it's gone on for a long time. We had the Mueller collusion delusion, OK? That went on for years. And that's finally done, no collusion, no obstruction, no nothing. It was a joke, and everyone knows it. And it was from the day one.

Now, I get three days of peace, and I'm walking into the United Nations, going to meet with the biggest leaders in the world, and I hear about the word impeachment. I said, what did I do now? And it was about a beautiful conversation that I had.

And just remember this, the Ukrainian new president, a fine man, said, I don't know what you're talking about. There was no pressure. And he said it a number of times.

OK, what's your second question?

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Just (ph) before...

TRUMP: Well, you shouldn't be asking two questions.

QUESTION: Well, you're going to want to answer.

TRUMP: Do me a favor. Ask one of the Finnish...

QUESTION: I will, but I think you'll want...

TRUMP: John, John.

QUESTION: ... to answer this question.

TRUMP: John. Ask one of the Finnish president.

QUESTION: Then can I come back to you? Because I think you'll want to answer...

TRUMP: We'll talk later, sure.

QUESTION: All right.

TRUMP: Well, it sounds like it might be a good question. Let me see if I like the question. Go ahead.

QUESTION: There ...

TRUMP: Maybe for the first time in three years, I'll have a good question and I'll love it.

QUESTION: There -- there is a report that came out just before you and President Niinisto walked out here that the whistleblower met with a staff member of Adam Schiff prior to ...

TRUMP: Oh, I love that question.

QUESTION: ... filed ...

TRUMP: It shows that Schiff is a fraud and a -- I love that question. Thank you, John.

QUESTION: So can I finish answer -- asking it?

TRUMP: Yes. There's nothing to finish.

QUESTION: So -- so the whistleblower, according to this report, met with a member of Adam Schiff's staff, you've got it right there, you know it ...

TRUMP: I hate to say it's The New York Times, I can't believe they wrote it.

QUESTION: Your -- your response to ...

TRUMP: Maybe they're getting better.

QUESTION: Your response to the fact that that happened, and that Schiff may have learned some of what the whistleblower knew prior to the complaint being filed.

TRUMP: Well I think it's a scandal that he knew before. I'd go a step further, I think he probably helped write it, OK? That's what the word is. And I think it's -- I give a lot of respect for The New York Times for putting it out.

Just happened as I'm walking up here, they handed it to me and I said to Mike -- I said whoa, that's something, that's big stuff. That's a big story. He knew long before and he helped write it, too. It's a scam -- it's a scam.

Just to finish on this, I appreciate it, I love that second question, by the way. Should've asked it first.

(LAUGHTER)

But let -- let me just tell you the whole thing is a scam. The Mueller deal was a scam. The Russian collusion was a scam. You can ask Putin, nobody's been rougher on Russia than Donald Trump, OK? Now, with that being said, it would be great to get along with Russia and we will get along with Russia because it's smart.

But nobody's been tougher on Russia than Donald Trump. OK, ask one, please.

QUESTION: Yes, President Niinisto, good to see you again. You had a conversation with President Trump about 5G and how Nokia, Finland's big company, could fill in that space. You also met with Chinese President Xi during the summer in which you renewed the ties of friendship between the two nations.

Do you believe that countries, particularly western countries that put Huawei equipment in their 5G cores, are at risk of national security?

NIINISTO: Thank you. Like I told already, in Europe, the situation is maybe a bit different from that here because you -- the main company you mentioned is inside Europe, partly at least. What European Union is now doing is making a risk assessment, asking each country what kind of experience, what kind of -- what you have seen and found out.

[14:50:00]

And that will be well finished in week, two -- or two weeks time, and after that we have to decide together in the European Union which kind of tools we need to protect ourselves.

You referred to my discussions with the President Xi. We didn't talk about 5G while meeting, and we all know Nokia is a major factor in this area. They will answer for themselves. Thank you.

TRUMP: Please? Pick somebody who's really nice from Finland.

NIINISTO: No more Finnish...

TRUMP: Getting a really .nice person.

NIINISTO: Finnish ...

TRUMP: I think they're all nice in Finland.

NIINISTO: Are there Finnish reporters? Just two? OK. Did I -- wait a minute. Yes?

QUESTION: I'm Maria Garpin (ph) from MTV News Finland and I have one question for President Trump and one question for President Niinisto.

First, Mr. Trump, how will this political storm affect the U.S. foreign policy, especially its relationship with Finland?

And second, for -- for President Niinisto, because this is the biggest issue here at the moment, I have to ask what kind of favors has Mr. Trump asked from you?

TRUMP: Or the other way around, you mean?

NIINISTO: What favors I asked, or (inaudible)?

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I think you mean the other way around.

NIINISTO: Both ways, OK.

TRUMP: So the political storm, I've lived with it from the day I got elected. I have done more and this administration has done more than any administration in the history of this country in the first two- and-a-half years. I'm used to it. For me it's like putting on a suit in the morning.

People have said to me, how does he handle it? Rush Limbaugh said, I don't know of any man in America that could handle it. Sean Hannity said the same thing. Others have said the same thing, I don't know any man in America. Because it's all a fraud. And because of that, and because I know that I'm right and because I'm doing a great job for the American people, I'm very, very happy living the way I'm living.

I thought that I would finish off the first term without the threat of people making false claims, but this one turned out to be incredible. All because they didn't know that I had a transcript done by very, very talented people, word for word, comma for comma, done by people that do it for a living. I -- we had an exact transcript. And when we produced that transcript they died. Because you look at the whistleblower statement and it's vicious, vicious, and that whistleblower, there's no question in my mind that some bad things have gone on, and I think we'll get to the bottom of it. I think it's going to be a total reversal.

But I've lived with this. I've live with this cloud now for almost three years. More than that, because it probably started even before.

And I think nobody has done what I've done, when you look at tax cuts, and regulation cuts, and rebuilding our military, and Right to Try, Right to Try. That means people that are terminally ill and very sick have the right to use our medicines, our great medicines, because we're so far ahead of every other country. So many things that we've done. Our vets are now taken care of. We've got Choice. Nobody thought we could ever get Choice. That's when you have to wait on line as a vet. You go outside, you get a doctor, we pay the bill. You don't have to wait for three weeks to see a doctor if you're a vet. We cherish our vets, at least this administration does, but for many years, they didn't. But I take care of the vets.

No administration has done -- and I've lived with it from the day I got elected, so I'm just fine with it. OK?

NIINISTO: Yes. We had a conversation and discussion on a very equal basis, which is -- I really appreciate that. Well, I had one request specifically. I wanted the president to take more notice on trans- Atlantic relations, because I consider it's useful both for USA and Europe.

What we were discussing also, trading. I told the president that the big purchase we are doing on fighters will be finished in two years time. We have five different candidates, three from Europe and two from United States. He answered that ours is best.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: Jeff, go ahead

[14:55:00].

QUESTION: Thank you, sir. Jeff Mason from Reuters.

Mr. President, I'd like to ask you about your use of the word "treason." You used it repeatedly in the last few days. Do you consider anyone who opposes you treasonous?

TRUMP: No. No, I consider when they lie, when they stare -- stand before our great body in our great chamber, and they make up a story that's fiction, like Schiff did. He took that perfect conversation I had with the Ukrainian president, and he made it into a total lie. It was a total fabrication. And you do admit that, it was a total fabrication.

He said, this is what -- and the only ones that don't like my conversation are the ones that never read it, but they heard Shifty Schiff. That's what I call a lie. And because of the fact that he's lying about the president of the United States, and as to what the president says?

You know, I -- believe it or not, I watch my words very carefully. There are those that think I am a very stable genius, OK? I watch my words very, very closely. And to have somebody get up and to totally fabricate a conversation that I had with another leader, and make it sound so bad, it was so evil.

And now I see this that just came out, minutes ago, where he met at a time that was impossible to have done unless there's corruption involved.

And just so you know, we've been investigating, on a personal basis, through Rudy and others, lawyers, corruption in the 2016 election. We've been investigating corruption because I probably will -- I was going to definitely, but I probably will be bringing a lot of litigation against a lot of people, having to do with the corrupt investigation, having to do with the 2016 election.

QUESTION: For example...

TRUMP: And I have every right to do that because the way they've treated me and other people, they've destroyed people. They've destroyed their lives with a phony charge that never existed. And that was collusion, never existed.

And you had 18 people that hated Donald Trump, and you had Bob Mueller that hated Donald Trump. And in the end, they couldn't find one damn thing. I could find it on you. They couldn't find one thing about Donald Trump, having to do with collusion. This is after two years and spending $42 million.

And I've been looking at that long and hard, for a long period of time. How it started, why it started, it should never happen to another president, ever. But I've been talking about it from the standpoint of bringing a major lawsuit, and I've been talking about it for a long time.

We've been investigating the corruption having to do with what they did to my people. They destroyed many of -- many people. They came down to Washington to do a great job, and they left home, they left Washington, dark. They were dark.

They came down here, I say, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. They wanted to do a great job for the people, they wanted to do a great job. We won the election. And then they get served with subpoenas, all these subpoenas.

Now, look at Nancy Pelosi. Nancy Pelosi hands out subpoenas like -- you know, she had to approve it -- she hands out subpoenas like they're cookies. You want a subpoena? Here you go, take them. Like they're cookies.

Paul Ryan would never give anybody a subpoena. He wouldn't give them -- when Mark Meadows went in to talk, he wouldn't give them. When Jim Jordan went in, when Devin Nunes, he would go in and they'd see Paul. I'm not saying wrong or right. But Paul Ryan, no, let's talk about, that's a big thing, to give a subpoena. Let's talk about it.

Two weeks later, they're still talking. They wanted subpoenas to investigate the corrupt Democrats and the corrupt people on the other side. Paul Ryan would not give subpoenas. Nancy Pelosi? Here you go, take it. Who was a subpoena. Every day, you get subpoenas. And Paul Ryan was actually right, probably. Because they should never, ever allow a thing like this to happen to our country again. Thank you very much, please.

QUESTION: Mr. President, can you just make clear, right here, what do you or what did you want President Zelensky to do with regard to Joe and Hunter Biden?

TRUMP: If you look at what he said, OK? And he brought it up. I think he brought up the name Rudy Giuliani. What I want is the following, and I've said this loud and clear. We have our ambassadors here. We have Mike Pence here. Why are we the only ones that give the big money to the Ukraine? We give money to Ukraine, and it's bothered me from day one, and you have plenty of people just here. I say, how come it's always the United States that gets ripped?

Frankly, Ukraine, we want to help them, and I do like the new president. You know why I like him? Because he was honest. Because he said, there was no pressure at all exerted on me, meaning him --

[15:00:00]