Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2020

July 15, 2020

The President. So we're making a trip. You know where we're going, and it won't be long.

We'll back here pretty early. Discussing a lot of very interesting topics.

The markets are very good. The country is doing well. Jobs are growing fast. We want schools to be open, and they will be open. And they'll be open, I think, relatively on time. Hopefully, perfectly on time, most places.

And do you have any question?

Republican Primary Elections

Q. Mr. President, what's your reaction to your former Attorney General Jeff Sessions's loss in Alabama yesterday?

The President. I'm very happy that Tommy Tuberville won the race. I think he's going to be a great Senator. We don't have a good Senator in there right now. And Jones, he's not doing the job. He should be doing a much better job. Certainly, he doesn't represent the views of the people of Alabama, that's for sure. So we're not happy about him at all.

I don't think the people of Alabama are happy with their representation in the Senate. And Tommy Tuberville is going to be a great Senator. He was a great coach. I spoke to another coach last nightâunrelatedâand he said, "Tommy Tuberville was a great coach and he's a great guy." Someday, I'll tell you who said that, but he's somebody respected.

So it was a greatâit was a tremendous win for Tommy Tuberville last night. I'm very happy about it.

And also a tremendous win for Ronny Jackson, and it looks like it could be a tremendous win for a gentleman named Gonzales. You know about that too. That race is still a little bit going on. By the time I got involved, a lot of the votes were already cast. But I got involved, really, at the last moment. We think he can easily win that area. Soâand two very good candidates. Reyes is a great candidate, and so is Gonzales.

But when I got involved, a lot of the votesâearly votes were cast, and it was a big comeback. It was a big comeback. So that's going to be a very interesting race.

The other thingâvery, very amazingâsomebody you all know is Ronny Jackson. Admiral Ronny and Doc Ronny. We call him a lot of different things. But everybody agrees: They respect Ronny Jackson a lot.

Yes.

Antifa Movement

Q. Mr. President, you declared MSâ13 as a terrorist organization this morning. Are you going to plan to do the same thing with Antifa and leftist organizations that you say cause trouble?

The President. It could happen. It could happen. Antifa is no good. They're bad. They're bad people, and it could very well happen.

Coronavirus Data/National Economy

Q. Mr. President, why do you want coronavirus data going to HHS first instead of the CDC? Why make that change?

The President. Didn't change for me. Iâlook, they're all on the same team. We're all on the same team, including Dr. Fauci. I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci. And we're all on the same team. We want to get rid of this mess that China sent us.

So everybody is working on the same line, and we're doing very well. We're doing well in a lot of ways, and our country is coming back very strong. When you look at those job numbers, we've never had job numbers like we have right now. So it's coming back very strongly.

Okay?

Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Director Peter K. Navarro

Q. Has Peter Navarro gone rogue?

The President. Well, he made a statement representing himself. He shouldn't be doing that.

No, I have a very good relationship with Anthony.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

NOTE: The President spoke at 1:29 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White House prior to boarding Marine One. In his remarks, he referred to Alabama Republican senatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville; Texas Republican congressional candidate former capacity as Physician to the President Ronny L. Jackson; and Texas Republican congressional candidates Tony Gonzalez and Raul Reyes; and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony S. Fauci.

Categories: Interviews With the News Media : Exchanges with reporters :: White House. Locations: Washington, DC.

Names: Fauci, Anthony S.; Gonzales, Tony; Jackson, Ronny L.; Jones, Doug; Navarro, Peter K.; Reyes, Raul; Tuberville, Tommy.

Subjects: China : Coronavirus outbreak; Communications : News media :: Presidential interviews; Economy, national : Improvement; Education : Schools, efforts to reopen; Elections : 2020 Presidential and congressional elections; Elections : Voter participation; Employment and unemployment : Job creation and growth; Health and Human Services, Department of : National Institutes of Health; Law enforcement and crime : Nationwide civil unrest and violence; White House Office : Trade and Manufacturing Policy, Office of.

DCPD Number: DCPD202000518.