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Trump and U.K. PM Starmer Hold News Conference; TikTok 'Will Be Owned by All American Investors' Says Trump; Situation in Gaza is 'Intolerable' Says Starmer. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired September 18, 2025 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: -- prisoners from the Congo being released into the United States. Prisons opened up in Venezuela and many other countries, pouring into the United States. And I couldn't believe it. And one of the reasons I decided to run. I decided to run because I don't want to be controversial, but you see what's happened and you see all the information that's come out.

We won in 2020 big. And I said, let's run. We got to run because I saw what was happening. And the worst thing that I saw was all of these people. You know, we've already solved inflation. We've solved prices. Oil is way down. Energy is way down in the United States. But what I saw happening with millions of people pouring into our country, I couldn't, I couldn't stand to watch it. And we've done a great job.

Nobody, if you've seen the last -- I appreciate your question, by the way, nobody, absolutely zero, and I'm not even sure that's possible, but it's a very liberal group. They come out with those statistics. The last three months we had zero -- from millions of people a year ago, we had zero people enter our country illegally. And we do have people coming in legally, through a legal process and testing and lots of other things. I think it's very important. And we speak about it.

And I think your situation is very similar. You know, you have people coming in and I told the prime minister, I would stop it. And it doesn't matter if you call out the military, it doesn't matter what means you use, but it's going to destroy -- it destroys countries from within.

And we're actually now removing a lot of the people that came into our country. It's a very hard chore. It's a very -- we were given a very, very, bad hand. Millions of people came in from prisons and mental institutions. We have to remove them and we are removing them. We have no choice. And I feel very strongly about it. Thank you very much.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Let me just deal with the question of returns because this is obviously an issue we're taking incredibly seriously. We've struck a number of deals, both on cooperation with other countries, because this is a problem right across Europe to tackle the problem of actually breaking up the gangs that are running this trade. We have had a record number of returns, over 35,000 now since we came into office. That's the highest number for the best part of 10 years. We struck the returns arrangement with France and notwithstanding the challenges to that scheme, which you've seen in the last few days, a flight went off at 6:15 this morning, successfully returning someone under that scheme. So, that is an important step forward. Obviously, there's no silver bullet here. There's a range of things that need to be done, but given the challenges of returning people it is important that we're able to prove it can be done. It was done. It was done early this morning.

So, I can confirm that that flight went, it went successfully. And I'm pleased about that. Now, we need to ramp that up at scale, which was always envisaged under the scheme, but it's very important that we have been able to prove that -- the proof of concept, if you like, that this can be done and continue in that way.

On the question of energy, firstly, let me be really clear that I am absolutely determined to ensure that the price and cost of energy comes down so that bills come down both for individuals, for families with their household bills, but also for business, because this is so important. The mix will include oil and gas for many years to come from the North Sea. we've been clear about that for some time, but we also need to mix that with renewables and it's the mix that's really important. And the approach I've taken on this is the same approach that I take to many other things, a pragmatic approach. Thank you, Jack.

TRUMP: I would like to say that we inherited the worst inflation in the history of our country. We had inflation, the likes of which we've really never said. They say 48 years and I'll accept that, but I really don't. We had the worst inflation in the history of our country. And we had an expression that I used a lot, drill, baby, drill. And as you know, we brought fuel way down, prices way down. And we don't do wind because wind is a disaster. It's a very expensive joke, frankly. And we got our energy prices way down, that brought the inflation way down. And now, we have very little inflation and we have a very, very strong economy. So, that was very important. Drill, baby drill.

And you have a great asset here. And we spoke about it. It's called the North Sea. The North Sea oil is phenomenal. And I hope -- because I love this country, you know, my mother was born in Scotland and the Hebrides, Stornoway, that's serious Scotland. We were talking about it and I want this country to do well. And you have great assets that you're going to start using, I believe under this prime minister.

STARMER: Thank you.

TRUMP: Thank you.

STARMER: And I've got Matthew from The Economist. Matthew.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Prime Minister. Mr. President, you say that, President Putin has let you down, have negotiations run out of road and what are your next steps to compel an end to this war?

[10:35:00] TRUMP: Well, he has led me down. I mean, he's killing many people and he's losing more people than he's -- you know, than he's killing. I mean, frankly, the Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than the Ukrainian soldiers.

But yes, he said, let me down. I don't like to see -- it's death. You know, it doesn't affect the United States. We have other than -- unless you end up in a World War over this thing, you could, this was a thing that would have never happened had I been president. If I were president, it would have never happened. And it didn't happen for four years. People -- most people agree it didn't happen, nor was it close to happening.

And I spoke to President Putin about Ukraine. It was the apple of his eye. I've said that many times, it was, but he would have never done what he did except that he didn't respect the leadership of the United States. They just went through the Afghanistan total disaster for no reason whatsoever. We're going to leave Afghanistan, but we're going to leave it with strength and dignity. And we're going to keep Bagram, the big air base, that -- one of the biggest air bases in the world. We gave it to him for nothing. We're trying to get it back by the way. OK. That could be a little breaking news. We're trying to get it back because they need things from us. We want that base back.

But one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. So, a lot of things are happening, But I am very disappointed in the fact that that one's not settled. To think that we settled, Azerbaijan and Albania as an example, it was going on for years. It was never going to be settled.

If you remember, the prime minister and the presidents, they were there for many years. They said when they were in my office, we settled and they started off at both sides of the oval office so far away. I didn't know you could be so far away. And as we were together for an hour, they kept getting closer, closer. And by the time we finished, we all hugged each other.

And one said, I was -- I've been in this position for 22 years and all I've done is kill their people. The other was there for seven years and all he did was kill their people and we got it settled. And we did others, as you know. Congo, the Congo, we did, we settled the Congo with Rwanda that was going on. And that was a machete war. That was a gruesome war. Many people, close to 10 million people killed. We got that settled.

My biggest disappointment, but it's -- you know, look, we did seven and most of them were not thought to be settlable. We did India and we did Pakistan. That's two nuclear. That was purely for trade. You want to trade with us, you're going to have to get along. And they were going at it hot and heavy. But the Russia situation, I hope we're going to have some good news for you coming up.

But again, it doesn't affect the United States. And he -- look, it doesn't so much affect you. Of course, you are a lot closer to the scene than we are. We have a whole ocean separating us. But I will say this, it's -- millions of people have died in that war, millions of souls, and they're not American. The soldiers, mostly soldiers, as you know, the soldiers are being killed at levels nobody's seen since the Second World War, but they're being killed. And I feel I have an obligation to get it settled for that reason. Thank you.

STARMER: And just to add on that question, because we have to put extra pressure on Putin. and it's only when the president has put pressure on Putin that he's actually shown any inclination to move. So, we have to ramp that pressure up. I think it's important to have this conversation in the context of what's happened in recent weeks. We saw damage and bombing to British Council in key.

These are targets that it was thought until recently were not targets, would be hit the British Council, the European Union embassy, the Council of Ministers where President Zelenskyy's ministers work was hit again. These were thought to be places that wouldn't be hit. And then, the incursion into Poland last week.

And if you put that together, what you can see is either an emboldenment or at least an increased recklessness on Putin's part. And that's why I said earlier that they're not the actions of someone who wants peace. So, we have to ramp up.

And we discussed earlier today, we have built, the Coalition of the Willing with British leadership and French leadership, stepping up with military planning in the seas, in the sky, in the -- on the ground and ramping up what we do with the Ukrainians themselves. And of course, that taken with an American guarantee is now an example, I think, of the challenge of Europe stepping up to the plate, which it has done in the last few months to show through what we and the French have done, that we're prepared to take the lead in this and take the necessary measures.

[10:40:00]

TRUMP: But that's a war that could have been a Third World War. And I don't think we're going to be there now, but that was heading to a Third World War. And what a shame it is. What a shame it is.

STARMER: Mr. President, do you want to call some of the --

TRUMP: I would love to call a few of them. Bev, do you want to have a question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bev (INAUDIBLE) News. Thank you. Having been in D.C. for a few weeks, it's really interesting to see how you run the country as a proud Christian leader. And it really begs the question to the prime minister, if you don't mind, are we still a Christian country, but also --

TRUMP: When you say we, are you talking here or --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here. The U.K. I'm still British. I might live in the America, I'm still British.

TRUMP: I'd rather have him answer that question.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But also --

TRUMP: I can't give you that answer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's for the prime minister. But also, despite what we talked about in Scotland a few weeks ago, we still have 12,000 people a year here being arrested for social media posts, for free speech violations. Does that not remain an important area that there is still a lot of disagreement on?

TRUMP: I'd like to have you answer that.

STARMER: Yes. Look, I mean, in terms of a Christian country, I was christened. So, that is -- my church has been all my life. And we are -- you know, that is wired into our informal constitution. Of course, we celebrate many other faiths as well. And I'm really proud that we're able to do so as a country.

And on free speech that has long lived in this country, free speech. It's one of the founding values of the United Kingdom. And we protect it jealously and fiercely and always will. And we will bear down on any limits on free speech. I draw a limit between free speech and the speech of those that want to peddle pedophilia and suicide social media to children.

And therefore, I'm all for free speech. I'm also for protecting children from things that will harm them, pedophiles, those that peddle suicide, which has had a terrible consequence for individual -- particularly teenagers. And so, that's the balance we strike, but we have had freedom of speech in this country for a very long time, and we will always protect it.

TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you very much. Brian, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Prime Minister. It's good to see you again. You have a beautiful country. Thanks for having us.

STARMER: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two questions. One, just recently, President Trump labeled Antifa domestic terrorists. Would you consider doing something like that in your country?

STARMER: Well, we obviously will take decisions for ourselves. I don't want to comment on the decisions of the president, but we take our decisions ourselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And my question to you, President Trump, is there any update on the auto pen?

TRUMP: Yes. It's just gotten worse from their standpoint. He -- the people that used it and one -- in particular one person was never told by Biden to do it. Only spoke to Biden twice. And that was just talking about the weather, not talking about any order. And he was taking orders from people other than Joe Biden. Joe Biden wasn't giving those orders. You know, Joe Biden didn't believe in open borders. He didn't. I've known him for a long time. He was never the brightest bulb in the ceiling, as we know. You can go back 40 years ago and you'll see that. Go back and take a look at the hearings on Justice Thomas and you'll see that very much. But he didn't believe in open borders and all of this nonsense that they're peddling now, which is why they're not in office any longer. It's a shame.

The auto pen was illegal. It was illegally used. He never gave the orders. He never told him what to do. And I guess the only one he signed or one of the few he signed was the pardon for his son. But you had the congressman who -- when they got the information, they found out they were guilty and they deleted and destroyed all information, everything. You couldn't get any of it.

They found out that Nancy Pelosi actually was offered the 10,000 soldiers and she turned them down. They found out many things that were very bad. So, they deleted and destroyed all information. You talk about freedom of the press and freedom of speech. How about that one? And there's not a thing. This is after a year and a half of hearings. They destroyed everything. And somebody has got to be held responsible.

So, Biden, what he did is they do -- I don't think he knew, but somebody knew. I don't think Biden had a clue about anything. If you want to know the truth. But they gave a pardon to those congress people.

[10:45:00]

They gave a pardon. Those people are so guilty. They gave a pardon. But Biden didn't know about it. The people, whether it's Lisa or any of those people in there that really ran it, I know them all, and they're sick people. They're smart people. They're very smart. They're probably brilliant, but they're sick in ideology. And they were running the auto pen. And it was totally illegal what he did. And I hope it's going to be so adjudged.

STARMER: Did you want to take one more and then I'll go --

TRUMP: OK. Let's see. Peter, go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, President Trump. In the field that you're working on for the Chinese to sell TikTok to an American buyer.

TRUMP: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are the Americans going to have to come up with their own algorithm, or are they going to continue to use the successful but addictive Chinese algorithm?

TRUMP: So, what we're doing, and we're speaking to President Xi on Friday to see if we can finalize something on TikTok, because there is tremendous value, and I hate to give away value, but I like TikTok. It helped get me elected. In fact, Charlie said, sir, you ought to get on TikTok. You'd be great. I said, really? Tell me about TikTok. And we -- as you know, we did unbelievably well with youth, like at a level that no Republican has ever even dreamt of. And, you know, look, I think we won it for a lot of reasons, but that was a reason we won the election by such a big number.

TikTok has tremendous value. The United States has that value in its hand because we're the ones that have to approve it. I specifically get the right to approve it. The people that are investing in it are among the greatest investors in the world, the biggest, the richest, and they'll do a great job. And we're doing it in conjunction with China. But we are getting -- the United States is getting a tremendous fee plus, I call it a fee plus, for just making the deal. And I don't want to throw that out the window.

I can say this, that you'll have a lot of very unhappy youth. And I use TikTok very legitimately, very straight, just statements every day. A little statement, short statements. Sir, make it short, please. And TikTok Jack, we call him. It was pretty good. Did a good job for me, I guess.

But no, I'd rather reap the benefits. I mean, the kind of money we're talking about is very substantial. And it'll be owned by all American investors. And you know, the best investors and the, you know, very rich people and companies are going to be owning it. Very straight, very legitimate countries, the companies, and really companies that love America. So, they're going to be owning it. So, it's a big thing.

And on a much bigger scale, and probably that's why we were able to get that, but on a much bigger scale, we're pretty close to a deal. We may do an extension with China, but it's an extension based on the same terms that we have right now, which are pretty good terms.

STARMER: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And my question for Prime Minister Starmer. If you feel so strongly about officially recognizing Palestine for statehood, why are you waiting for President Trump to leave the country? Why can't you just do it right now? And isn't there a risk in rewarding Hamas with that?

STARMER: Well, let me be really clear about Hamas. They're a terrorist organization who can have no part in any future governance in Palestine.

TRUMP: That's good.

STARMER: And what happened on October the 7th was the worst attack since the Holocaust. We have extended family in Israel. I understand firsthand the psychological impact that that had across Israel. So, I know exactly where I stand in relation to Hamas. Hamas, of course, don't want a two-state solution. They don't want peace. They don't want a ceasefire. I'm very clear where I stand on Hamas.

On the question of recognition, I made my position clear at the end of July as to the timing, which has got nothing to do with this state visit. And I've discussed it with the president, as you would expect amongst two leaders who respect each other and like each other and want to bring about a better solution in the best way that we can. Thank you so much.

Can I go back then to Robert at ITV?

ROBERT PESTON, ITV: Robert Peston, ITV. Mr. President, you uniquely you alone in the whole world have the power to persuade Prime Minister Netanyahu to stop the demolition of Gaza City, to stop the starvation of Palestine, and to stop the killing of civilians. If not now, when will you exercise that power to tell him to stop?

TRUMP: True.

PESTON: And then for both of you on --

TRUMP: But you do understand about October 7th

PESTON: Of course. Yes, I'm a Jew.

TRUMP: You do understand?

PESTON: So, believe me, I understand about it.

TRUMP: One of the worst days in the history of humanity, what happened. I have seen the tapes. Babies that are four months old just chopped up to pieces. You've seen the tapes and I've seen the tapes. You're a professional and so am I. And people forget about October 7th. I can't forget about it.

[10:50:00]

So, I want it to end. But I want the hostages back. I don't want the hostages used as human shields, which is what Hamas is threatening to do.

PESTON: But as soon as they're back, that's the moment you will tell Netanyahu to stop?

TRUMP: Well, it would certainly help, but I have to have the hostages back. And I don't want them back piecemeal, as I said before. I want them back.

PESTON: And on a separate issue, free speech, your vice president, Vance, said that free speech is under attack in the U.K. Do you agree with him? And, Prime Minister, we saw the dismissal of a very well- known chat show host in America last night, Mr. Kimmel. Is free speech more under attack in Britain or America?

TRUMP: Well, Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else. And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk. And Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago. So, you know, you can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent. Yes, please, go ahead.

STARMER: Yes. I mean, firstly, on the question of Charlie Kirk, can I just express how shocking that is, I think, to everybody who believes in free speech and in democracy? And it sent shockwaves through the world, and I know that he was a friend of the president, and I reached out straightaway to the president because I understood how impactful it would be on him and his family. And we all need to be absolutely clear about that whatever our political views, it is shocking and is to be condemned.

On free speech, not much to add to the answer I gave earlier. This country has had free speech for a very, very long time. It is part of who we are as a country, and it is the values that we fought for. We fought for it during the Second World War alongside each other. So, we need no reminding of the importance of free speech in this country. Thank you, Robert.

And I go to Beth for the final question, please. Beth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much.

STARMER: Sky.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Beth Rigby, Sky News. Thank you, Prime Minister. If I could start with you. Prime Minister, President Trump has said he's ready to impose major sanctions on Russia if NATO countries stop purchasing Russian oil. He's got a point, hasn't he? Is that what you now believe is needed to bring Putin properly to the table, and what's your message to the president on U.S. sanctions?

And Mr. president, if I may, the U.K. -- the king praised your personal commitment last night to finding solutions to the world's most intractable conflicts. You have invested much of your time and effort in Ukraine. But even as you seek to broker a deal, President Putin is escalating the war. He's firing drones into NATO airspace.

TRUMP: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You say he has let you down. Was it a mistake to invite him to Alaska? Do you regret it?

TRUMP: No, no.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And is it time to squeeze him, sir, and scare him, and impose sanctions? And finally, if I may, the elephant in the room, Lord Mandelson. He is no longer the ambassador. Do you have some sympathy with him that he lost his job over historic links to Jeffrey Epstein? Thank you very much, sir.

TRUMP: I don't know him, actually. I had heard that, and I think maybe the prime minister would be better speaking of that, that was a choice that he made, and I don't know. What is your answer to that?

STARMER: Well, I mean, it's very straightforward. Some information came to light last week which wasn't available when he was appointed, and I made a decision about it, and that's very clear.

On the question of the pressure on Putin and on Russia, which is obviously really important. Look, I think it is a challenge to Europe. There are a number of European countries which are too reliant on energy from Russia. The U.K. actually obviously has almost got nothing at all, but we do need to bear down and work with our European counterparts here.

There are one or two countries, I think, that do need to look again at the question of energy. There's no one silver bullet here. We do have to have a wider suite of sanctions, which we've put in place a number of times, working across Europe and with the United States. And of course, we must, and we are, making sure that Ukraine is in the strongest position now, because one of my long concerns here has been that whilst we talk about a ceasefire, and we all want a ceasefire, and we talk about what might happen after a ceasefire, we mustn't forget that Ukraine needs our support now.

And we've said we stand with Ukraine from the start to the finish, and that means we must continue to supply them with what they need in order to fight this war, which, of course, resulted from, and is a result of, Russian aggression.

[10:55:00]

We have particularly done the sort of leadership role in the Coalition of the Willing, so that if there is a ceasefire, and if there is a deal, and I do hope there is, that is then lasting, and not then broken, because given previous history, I don't trust Putin. Thank you.

TRUMP: Very simply, if the price of oil comes down, Putin's going to drop out. He's going to have no choice. He's going to drop out of that war. And when I found out that the European nations were buying oil from Russia, and as you know, I'm very close to India, I'm very close to the prime minister of India. I spoke to him the other day, wished him a happy birthday. We have a very good relationship. He put out a beautiful statement too.

We have -- but I said, you know, I sanctioned them. China is paying a very large tariff right now to the United States. But I'm willing to do other things, but not when the people that I'm fighting for are buying oil from Russia. If the oil price comes down, very simply, Russia will settle. And the oil price is way down, you know, we got it way down. We're drilling and we produce more oil than anybody else in the world. We're doing a lot. But I was disappointed to see that and the prime minister was disappointed to see that. And it wasn't him. It was other countries. And you can't do that. You can't do that. You can't. That's not playing fair with the United States. And we can't have that. Thank you.

STARMER: Thank you very much indeed.

TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. They're wrapping up their news conference, their joint news conference. And we have a lot of unpack right now. And an excellent, excellent crew to discuss and assess what we just heard, very important issues coming up. CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nick Robertson is joining us. CNN Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour is with us. CNN's Chief National Security Analyst Jim Sciutto is here with me in the Situation Room.

Nic, you're there on the scene. What was your major takeaway from this, what, approximately 50-minute news conference?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Aside from the stunning news that President Trump wants to regain access and control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan because he says it's just an hour from where China's making its nuclear weapons, I think, which is shocking and stunning, I don't think any of U.S. had an idea that that was actually happening or what it would take or what sort of deal he's talking about doing with the Taliban. We know that the women and the children in that country are suffering through a lack of aid. And much of that aid in the past had come from the United States when it was cut back, who knows what the trade is with the Taliban to get access to Bagram again. But he put it there.

Russia, I think, was a big thing that came up for me there. The prime minister talking about you only get action out of President Putin when President Trump puts pressure on him. President Trump saying again that President Putin had let him down. But you could really hear from the British journalists in the room wanting to put pressure, wanting to get more information from President Trump about what he would do and when he would do it. And it did come back to that issue of he is -- it did sound like he's more prepared to put real pressure on Russia if Europe dials back the amount of energy supplies that it gets from Russia.

And again, on that specific issue, he said it's not Britain that's at fault. And the British prime minister said, yes, look, I agree with the president on this issue. There are some European countries who are buying too much energy from Russia. We do need to dial back on that.

So, I think on that particular issue, there was perhaps a closing of the gap or perceived gap between the two countries. But -- and just not to get into too much detail here, but on the issue of Gaza, obviously, this was one area where the president said very clearly that he disagrees with the British prime minister. The British prime minister, I got a hint there that he was dialing back on his statement about recognizing a Palestinian State, linking it back into an end of war, something he's talked about before, part of a process. Is he pulling back from an announcement next week? Is that pressure from President Trump, or will he still go ahead with it? That wasn't clear to me, Wolf.

BROWN: Good point. Let me bring Christiane Amanpour into this assessment as well. Do you agree with that assessment, Christiane, that Starmer, the British prime minister, seemed to be pulling back a bit from his earlier promise to accept and recognize a future Palestinian State?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, if you heard what he actually said when he was asked that point blank, he said, I made my position clear on this back in July. So, you remember in July, after President Macron and a certain number of other European leaders had already -- and including all the Arab leaders who met at the U.N. in a united way earlier in the summer, had said that they were going to declare recognition of a Palestinian State during this week's UNGA.

Back then, Starmer had said, unless Israel changes its policies in terms of humanitarian aid, and they've --

[11:00:00]