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Trump: Israel And Sudan Agree to Normalize Relations. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired October 23, 2020 - 12:30   ET

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

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[12:32:37]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Moments ago, in the Oval Office, the president taking questions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you also said that the Palestinians want to do something. Can you give us an update on the status of those --

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No. I mean, they're both just statements that we have many countries wanting to come in and we're doing them one by one. We did Sudan. They wanted to do a deal. And that was in particular nice, because they've essentially been at war with Israel for a long time. I don't know if it was fighting. I don't know that, but probably there's been a little bit, but certainly it's been for many years, you've been officially at war with Sudan and now it's not only the deal was signed, but it's peace. So that's official and that's nice. Yes, we have at least five that want to come in and we'll have many more than that very soon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And when you say want to come in, you mean --

TRUMP: Want to come in to the deal. In other words, yes, part of the peace deal. And you know what it's costing the United States? Nothing, nothing. It's so nice. Isn't that nice? I say nothing. Why should we be paying? We're settling peace. It's like Kosovo and Serbia. You look at what's happened there. We're doing a trade deal, Bibi, two trade deals. And they were killing each other all the time for 25 years, right, much longer than that. I said, "Wait a minute, we're doing trade with each country, why don't we just settle it up, so you don't have to kill each other?" And they were so happy, you know. They were so happy. So we settled the deal. We do a lot of things that people don't know about fellas. Any other questions, for the Prime Minister?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you just walk us through what normalized relations means, like what now --

TRUMP: Yes. Sure. Bibi, do you want to give that? What normalized relationship, what it really means and what it means to you? Go ahead Bibi.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Yes, well, I'll give you an example. I mean this is so -- it's really mind boggling, OK? A few days ago, I went into a port in Haifa. There was a ship, a huge ship, container ship that came in from the Emirates, second container ship. The first one was a week earlier. So these were the first container ships coming from the free trade area in Dubai, coming to Israel. They had consumer goods there. They had actually washing machines. OK. That's bringing down the price, the cost of living for the citizens of Israel right away.

So first, it's trade, OK? Then Israelis could never fly east. I mean, we had to go around the Red Sea, really around the Arabian Peninsula. It would take us hours to get anywhere, let alone to get into the Arabian Peninsula because we didn't have any relations there.

[12:35:08]

Now people are planning. There are now guide -- tourism offices from Israel, all these tourism agents, flocking to Abu Dhabi and Dubai and Bahrain. And they're now just loaded with requests from Israelis and believe it or not, the other way around, Bahrainis and Emiratis who want to come to Israel. So you have tourism, you have trade, tourism, technology, entrepreneurs, everything.

I mean the same thing is going to happen with Sudan. We're going to have, you know, each of us has -- what it has to offer the other. It changes the lives of people. And exactly, as you said, Mr. President, we're not engaging in bloodshed. We're not engaging in antagonism. We're engaging in cooperation for the present and the future. And it's not a distant vision. It's not a distant dream. I mean, we're actually seeing the fruits of peace right now, in these days, days after signing these agreements.

I think that -- we've never seen anything like this. And I want to say, one thing that I do see, an enthusiasm from most countries in the world, for most people in the world, across the political divide. Yes, Iran is unhappy. Hezbollah is unhappy. Hamas is unhappy. But most everybody else, is very happy and they should be because peace is a good thing. It's a very good thing. So if you ask me, what does it feel like? It's amazing and it's fast.

TRUMP: They're also poor. Iran is poor. Hamas is poor. They're all poor. And they weren't poor three years ago, they were blowing everything up. They're very poor. Do you think Sleepy Joe could have made this deal, Bibi, Sleepy Joe, I think -- do you think he would've made this deal somehow, I don't think so.

NETANYAHU: Well, Mr. President, one thing I can tell you, is we appreciate the help for peace from any one in America and we appreciate what you've done enormously.

TRUMP: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, can you follow up on the idea of what this means to (inaudible) the pressure --

NETANYAHU: And this will be registered in the books, history books. History registers who did what. TRUMP: Yes.

NETANYAHU: I think it does. It's going to --

TRUMP: Yes. No, I think it's a terrific thing. And it should be completed pretty soon. Say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I just wondered if you could expand a little bit about what this means to Iran, the pressure that these deals are now placing on --

TRUMP: Well, I think ultimately Iran maybe will become a member of this whole thing, if you want to really know the truth. Look in the end, you're going to have everybody together with the United States and beyond the United States, you'll have other major powers involved. And with it, not have to be signed into it, because it's a region, but they're with it.

And I could see Iran, look, someday, I'd love to help Iran. I'd love to get Iran back on track. Their GDP went down 27 percent. They've gone from a rich country to a poor country in a period of three years, and I'd love to get them back on track. They just can't have nuclear weapons, that's all. And nuclear weapons and it's always death to Israel. That's all they shout, is death to Israel. So they can't have nuclear weapons, but they can have what they want.

I mean, they should be a great nation. They're great people. I know so many Iranians. I have a lot of Iranian friends. It should be a great nation and we want it to be a great nation, but we can't have nuclear weapons. And I could see Iran ultimately, it sounds, right now, it doesn't sound like something that would happen, but I see it happening.

Ultimately, they'll all be one unified family. It will be an amazing thing. Probably has never happened in the Middle East because the Middle East is known for conflict and fighting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, is the full normalization -- when if it's a full normalization and do you and the prime minister want to say anything about the sale of F-35s to the UAE?

TRUMP: No, but I think that's moving along, that process is moving along. It's a good process. We've had an incredible relationship long- term. We've never had a dispute with UAE. They've always been on our side and that process is moving along, I think hopefully rapidly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, you're also trying to remove Sudan from the state-sponsored list of terrorism. And can you speak a little bit about how that move or those plans are playing into the dynamics of the normalization deal with Israel?

TRUMP: Which plans?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To remove Sudan from the state-sponsored of terrorism.

TRUMP: The dam, you said, the dam back is it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- the state-sponsored list -- the list of state- sponsored of terrorism.

TRUMP: Oh, yeah. Why don't I have you answer that question?

MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: So we've been working with Sudan for as long as I've been part of this administration to address this issue of state sponsor of terrorism. They did all of the things that they needed to do.

These two leaders of Sudan did all the right things. We now have a civilian-led government inside of Sudan, and so the rationale for them being designated a state sponsor no longer made sense. We also wanted to make sure that victims of that terror had compensation. So we've now accounted for that; $335 million will go to the victims from those terror attacks. But now Sudan has fully complied with that, and their leaders have done great work.

[12:40:13]

We want to support that civilian-led government. We want them to be successful. So, it's completely appropriate that we would lift this. This will also be something that will help the Sudanese people and the Sudanese government. And you'll see trade not only between Israel and Sudan, but between the United States and Sudan, as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, but can you explain --

TRUMP: Sudan has -- Sudan has great potential on trade and other things. I mean, they really -- they -- it could be a very, very successful, wonderful country. And I think it will be. It's been hampered by what's going on in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you explain though how that connects to the normalization deal with Israel, as well as negotiations --

POMPEO: Let me -- sure. They're connected in the sense that the Sudanese leadership made sense that this -- they both have one other thing in common. It made sense for the Sudanese people to build out their economy, to create democratic institutions, all the things that the Sudanese people have been demanding. They're connected in the sense of the Sudanese leadership is now driving towards a really good outcome and improved life for the people of Sudan, and we think for the broader region in North Africa, as well.

TRUMP: And with the leaders on the phone, they've been incredible leaders, I will say. They have been incredible leaders. You have great leadership now, which you haven't had in the past. Please?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Obviously, you're going to be hitting the road the next couple of days. Are you envisioning any sort of meeting here in Washington between the Sudanese as well as the Israelis? And then, I'm just curious, what's it like to try to do something like this while also campaigning? I mean, you're trying to -- I know you've got a big staff. But trying to do something like this -- TRUMP: It's my life. Do I have a choice? Do I have a choice? This is all things I've been working on and then the campaign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, are they coming to D.C., Sir?

TRUMP: The campaign begins, and, you know, I think last night was very, very successful. We've gotten great reviews, great polls, great everything. And I had won 91 to -- 91 percent to 9, that's good. But, no, it was an exciting night. Tremendous audience, I understand. They had bigger than they even thought. And it was certainly an exciting night. But I have to, you know, this is my day job. I have to do this. This is very important.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, are they coming to D.C., Sir?

TRUMP: We will have them, along with some other countries that you will be hearing about, coming -- probably simultaneously. And then, ultimately, we're going to have a big reunion at the end, where everybody is here and everybody is going to be signed. And we expect that Saudi Arabia will be one of those countries. And highly respected, the King and the Crown Prince, they're all just highly respected in the Middle East, and Mohammed from UAE, highly, very highly respected, a warrior. He's really a great warrior. So they'll all come together. We're going to have a big, beautiful party at the end, OK? And you'll be there, OK? OK. Anybody else have a question?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Another question about the debate last night.

TRUMP: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I know, obviously, this is very important, but I think everybody was watching the debate last night. You seemed much more calm and measured at the podium. How much of that was you, kind of, trying to change your strategy or was that you wanting to play by the debate commission's rules? What were you kind of -- what's going through your mind? Because you didn't seem to jump out as you did in the first debate.

TRUMP: I think the other is more effective, in terms of business and life, the first one. I thought I did great. There are certain groups of very aggressive people that loved the first debate. But I think this was better. This is obviously a more popular way of doing it.

And, no, I think, you know, I wanted to play by the rules. They felt very strongly about it. It's two different styles. I'm able to do different styles, you know, if you had to. But this seemed to be much more popular.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you do another debate?

TRUMP: Yes, but I don't think there's any reason. I think we're leading in a lot of states that you don't know about. Your pollsters may be the worst there are, by the way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you stand by your statement that you take responsibility for the pandemic that you said last night, Sir? TRUMP: I always take responsibility, and I've done a great job, and the people around me have done a great job, just like these people have done a great job. The pandemic people, what they've done for ventilators and for equipment and for stocking governors that had absolutely nothing, they had nothing on their shelves, and we stocked them. And those governors, if they're honest, they'll tell you we've done the best job they've ever seen. I've had governors say it's one of the best jobs they've ever seen anybody do on anything what we did.

We made a lot of governors look good. And there are a lot of good governors, too, by the way. They did a good job. But they had nothing. They didn't have ventilators. They didn't have gowns. They didn't have masks or goggles or anything. And we got them.

And think of it, ventilators are very tough, not one person with all of this going on, not one person who needed a ventilator didn't get it. And that's very untrue in other countries. In other countries, very few people were able to get it. We're now supplying ventilators to many other countries because they're very hard to make. You know, they're very complex and very hard to make, very expensive. So, no, I think we've done a great job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- offer an update on stimulus talks with Speaker Pelosi?

TRUMP: I think we can. Sure. I think we can. Go ahead, Steve, real quick.

[12:45:02]

STEVEN MNUCHIN, SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY: The President has been very clear in his instructions to me that if we can get the right deal, we're going to do that. We've been speaking to the Speaker. I would say we've offered compromises. The Speaker, on a number of issues, is still dug in. If she wants to compromise, there will be a deal. But we've made lots of progress in lots of areas, but there's still some significant differences that we're working on.

TRUMP: I mean, one of the big differences that you, and I said it last night, loud and clear, she wants to bail out poorly run Democrat states. They're poorly run, both in terms of crime and in terms of economics. And we just don't want that. We want COVID-related.

But she wants to bail out poorly run Democrat states, and that's a problem because you're talking about tremendous amounts of money. And we don't want to reward areas of our country who have not done a good job. And a lot of them, a lot of those areas have not done a good job on medical and COVID, frankly. If you look at New York, and if you look at some others, it's been, it's been a rough, it's been very rough. But we don't want to do that.

Now, we're talking, and we'll see what happens. But at this moment, I would say that, I actually think Nancy would rather wait until after the election. She thinks it's a good point for the election, but I think it's against her because the American people know it's her that's stopping the money to going, going to her -- going to them. So, you know, I really believe it. I think she views it as a good election point, perhaps. She's, you know, good for November 3rd.

I'd like to see the people get the money. I don't think she wants the people to get the money before the election. I don't think that's a good point for her, but we want the people to get the money. It wasn't their fault. It was China's fault. It was China's fault. The plague came in from China, OK? And that's about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, can you --

TRUMP: No, no, no. That's enough. That's enough. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can we talk about --

TRUMP: Four questions is too many. Who else?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Armenia and Azerbaijan, are you going to play any role in that conflict?

TRUMP: Yes, we're talking, we're talking about it. We're working with Armenia. We have a very good relationship with Armenia. They're very good people. They're so dedicated. They're incredible people, and we'll see what happens.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you spoken to either leader in the last month?

TRUMP: I don't want to say. But we will see what happens. I think really good progress is made -- being made with respect to that. Armenia is -- we have a lot of people living in this country from Armenia, originally from Armenia, and they're great people, and we're going to help them, OK?

JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS: -- for the Prime Minister, Sir, you mentioned a potential scenario in which Iran would be part of a peace deal.

TRUMP: No, I think, at the very end, Iran will be, yes, I can see that. I can see that. Do you see that?

POMPEO: Sure. Absolutely.

MASON: Can we ask Prime Minister Netanyahu how he feels about that?

TRUMP: I would say that. Yes, sure. Go ahead.

MASON: Prime Minister Netanyahu, if you can hear me, Jeff Mason with Reuters.

TRUMP: This is Jeff Mason. He's got a mask on that's the largest mask I think I've seen. So I don't know if you can hear him. But he wants to know about what you think, what you, gentlemen, think about -- as I said, when it's all finished up and everybody is in the deal, I said that I wouldn't be surprised to see Iran be very friendly also. You have everybody unified, and I think that Iran will be in some way involved. And what do you think about that?

NETANYAHU: Well, I was beginning to say that when I spoke in the American Congress, I didn't say I was opposed to any deal. I said I was opposed to that deal because that deal lifted all sorts of restrictions from Iran and did not condition any change, any -- require any change in behavior from Iran. So Iran essentially increased its aggression after the deal, rather than reduce it. You know, with ballistic missiles, with enrichment of uranium for atomic bombs, with all sorts of terrorism in the region.

So I think that if a new deal is offered, and that's what I actually said when I spoke to the U.S. Congress, a different deal was offered, it would be welcomed. I think that that will only happen if Iran faces, I would say faces strong opposition to its aggression of the kind that has been thwarted by you, Mr. President.

If you're soft on Iran, you're not going to get peace with Iran. If you're strong against Iran and prevent it, as you just said, from achieving nuclear weapons, then I think they might come around to a better deal. A better deal, a real deal, I think, is something that no one will be opposed to, but so far, that's not been available.

TRUMP: When everybody is unified and this is all done, and it won't be in a long period of time, Iran will be, in some way, involved. If not part of the deal, they'll be very happy. And, you know what, they're tired of fighting, too. They're tired of what's going on. Those are great people, and they want an end to it. They want an end to it.

In fact, if we win the election, they all want me to say "when," but I always say "if" because it's an election, right? If we win the election, one of the first calls I'll get will be from Iran, let's make a deal. One of the first calls I'll get. So, if they don't want me to win, and Russia doesn't want me to win either, you know, what's unique about those two countries, they both don't want me to win, and that's OK.

[12:50:17]

But I think we're going to win. And I think if you start looking at what's happening in these states and the votes that are coming in, and the amount of votes that are coming in, and the great red wave hasn't hit yet, that hits in a few days. It's going to be a great red wave like you've never seen before. You're going to have a wave like you've never seen before. It's going to be all red, and it's going to be a thing of beauty.

Have a good time, everybody. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: The President of the United States in the Oval Office with his national security team. They're taking questions from reporters after announcing that he has been part, the United States has helped broker a normalization of relations between Sudan and the State of Israel. That is a big deal. The details scant though we'll see how it plays out with the Prime Minister of Israel joining the call by speakerphone answering a few of the questions from reporters. The President then talking about the debate last night he says he's confident he did a good job. He predicted a quote a red wave is coming even though the polls show Joe Biden with a big lead right now. The President says that will change in the days ahead, predicting a red wave.

Let's discuss what we just heard. Joining me from the White House was CNN correspondent Boris Sanchez, Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem for us. Boris, let me start with you at the White House. The President confident about the debate, talking about this normalization of relations as a building block toward Middle East and regional peace there, if you sum it all up trying to use his day job, the power of incumbency to make a statement in the closing days of this campaign.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, John, the President injecting reelection politics into this brokered normalization of relations between Israel and Sudan. And it's a trend that we've seen from the White House lately and brokering these deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and now Sudan.

The President wants to show that he is working toward Middle East peace, this pet project of his son in law, Jared Kushner, at one point on the call, he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he believed that Sleepy Joe Biden could have gotten this sort of deal done. Netanyahu sort of uncomfortably parried the question, but the President is clearly telegraphing his intention here. He also did so when speaking about Iran and saying that one of the first calls that he would get if he were reelected, would be from Iranian leadership, and that he would try to navigate the prospects of some potential deal with that government.

He was also asked about the debate last night, as you noted, the President saying that he felt good about his performance, that he performed it in a style that was more popular and calm. The Trump campaign is certainly happy about his performance, the reporting of boost of $26 million in fundraising tied to that debate last night, John.

KING: And Oren, these events are always interesting. I want you to bring the significance to us. I just want to note at the top of it, the President of the United States said this was ending a war between Sudan and Israel. He said he didn't know if they were fighting. But this ended the war in Sudan and Israel obviously, are not fighting kind of stunning to hear the President of the United States say things like that, about the state of global affairs. But how significant is this Oren?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is very significant. Israel and Sudan have in the past been at a state of war in the 1948, Arab Israeli war, Israel's War of Independence, and in the 1967, Six-Day War. Did the two sides directly fight? No, but specifically in 1948, Sudan supported Egypt, which was very much at war with Israel. So there is a big difference here, these two countries have had a state of war in the past. And this will officially end that. And that makes it fundamentally different than the agreements between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain. Those countries have never been at war. And that was just essentially formalizing agreements that had essentially been under the table until that point.

Sudan is famous for another reason when it comes to Israeli history. And that's the 1967 cartoon resolution. The three knows no to peace with Israel, no to recognition with Israel, and no to negotiations with Israel. So that the turning around of that that changing now with the normalization is a significant statement, certainly a foreign policy accomplishment by the White House, and a big one for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has pointed out this this is now the three yeses, three Arab states agreeing to normalize relations with Israel within just a few months here, John.

KING: Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem, Boris Sanchez in the White House, gentlemen, appreciate your insights after that event with the President. We'll see you back here on Monday.

[12:54:41]

I'll also hope to see you Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. Eastern for Inside Politics so you can get up and join us a very busy news day. Please stay with us. Brianna Keilar picks up our coverage after a quick break. Have a good day.

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[13:00:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar. And I want to welcome viewers here in the United States and around the world. The pandemic in America is a disaster. It already was, and now it's getting worse.