Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2025
November 10, 2025
The President. Okay. Thank you very much, everybody. It's an honor to be here for our friend, Sergio—Sergio Gor.
Today we're thrilled to be in a swear-in for the next Ambassador to India and Special Envoy to South and Central Asia, which is a big deal—and Sergio will handle it better than anybody could handle it. So I just want to congratulate Sergio.
Ambassador Gor. Thank you, sir.
The President. Come here a minute, Sergio.
Ambassador Gor. Thank you, sir.
The President. Good job.
So we are honored to be joined this afternoon by our great Vice President, J.D. Vance.
Thank you, J.D.
Senator James E. Risch. Yay, J.D.
The President. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Thank you, Marco, wherever he may be.
Secretary Scott Bessent, who's doing a great job. [Inaudible] Attorney General Pam Bondi. Pam, thank you. She is fantastic.
And U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. Jeanine. And I see DC is a very safe place, Jeanine, right?
Very safe place. And we're going to keep it that way. [Laughter]
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. Yes.
The President. Along with Senators Lindsey Graham, Jim Risch, Tommy Tuberville, and Katie Britt.
And I will give you an exemption, because, you know, they're supposed to be right now in the Senate. [Laughter] If you guys want to sneak out, nobody will see you leaving. Do you want to do that, Lindsey, or do you want to stay for a couple of minutes?
Senator Lindsey O. Graham. No, I——
The President. Okay, you sneak out any time you want. We don't want to screw up any votes, do we?
Sen. Graham. Amen.
Sen. Risch. Amen.
Sen. Graham. That's right.
The President. Okay, thank you. Thank you for being here.
But we're also very honored to be joined by Ms.—Mrs.—a very special woman who I unfortunately have seen a lot of lately and on television for the wrong reasons, a woman who is great, who Charlie said is the greatest of anybody he knew, best friends and best everything: Erika Kirk. So thank you very much.
And, as Erika knows, another special woman, Laura Ingraham. Where is Laura? She's here someplace. Thank you, Laura.
And many other true American patriots, great people.
One year ago, Sergio played a key role in helping us secure the most consequential Presidential election victory in the history of our country. And from the day we won, he immediately began working to staff our new administration with the most talented team of any President. And we have had a great team.
Couple of mistakes there, Sergio, but we won't mention them. [Laughter] They're gone. We got rid of them pretty quick.
Ambassador Gor. We got rid of them.
The President. We found a couple we weren't thrilled with. We got them out of here. [Laughter] But as my Director of Office and Presidential Personnel from the early days of transition, Sergio's leadership was essential to fulfilling the historic mandate entrusted to us by the American people, and that's what we've done.
With the help here at the White House, we set new benchmarks for Presidential staffing. Nobody's done it, I think, hopefully, better, but certainly quicker—but I don't think anybody's done it better. We have great people. We're surrounded by the people that are really do love and like and respect. But we hired 4,000 appointees across every Federal department in record time, including over 1,000 appointments on day one. So, before we even got started, we had over a thousand people working for us.
Under Sergio's leadership, Federal agencies and departments reached staffing levels of 95 percent, and that's faster than any administration in modern-day history. And prior to his work on behalf of my 2024 campaign, Sergio had tremendous success as an entrepreneur in the publishing world. He even published my book, which went to number one.
Ambassador Gor. That's right.
The President. I was very happy, because if it didn't, I wouldn't—probably, he wouldn't be here right now. [Laughter]
But now I'm trusting Sergio to help strengthen one of our country's most important international relationships, and that's the strategic partnership with the Republic of India. It's a big deal.
India is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations—the largest country in the world, actually—and it's got over 1.5 billion people. And we have a fantastic relationship with the Prime Minister, Modi, and Sergio has only enhanced that, because he's become already friendly with the Prime Minister.
Knowing that Sergio is going to be the Ambassador—they would call constantly to say, "Let's get to know this man." And they like what they see. So I know you're going to have a great success over there.
Ambassador Gor. Thank you, sir.
The President. It's a very important relationship, but it's also the fastest growing middle class, and it's an important economic and strategic security partner in the Indo-Pacific region. It's an amazing country actually—1.5 billion people. China has 1.4 billion. Those are two big countries.
As Ambassador, Sergio will work to fortify our country's bond, promote investments in key
U.S. industries and technologies, increase American energy exports, and expand our security ca-
—cooperation.
And you know, we're making a deal with India—a much different deal than we had in the past—so right now they don't love me, but they'll love us again. [Laughter] We're getting a fair deal—just a fair-trade deal. We had pretty unfair trade deals. They're very good negotiators, Sergio, so you have to take a look at that, if you would, please. [Laughter]
But we're getting close. Scott, I think we're pretty close to doing a deal that's good for everybody, right?
Secretary of the Treasury Scott K.H. Bessent. That's right.
The President. In the old days, do you think Biden would ask that question? I don't think so. [Laughter] He'd say, "How we doing with India?" He didn't know about India. He didn't know a damn thing, but that's okay. We had him. Oy.
Likewise, in Sergio's role as Special Envoy to South and Central Asia, he'll be a key emissary to a very important group of nations at the crossroads between east and west. And last week, I was honored to host the leaders of five central Asian countries here in the White House, and Sergio will be helping with all of that. We had an amazing meeting the other night at the White House.
And I'm confident that Sergio will do an outstanding job and make our country and all of his friends very proud. But I'm very proud of Sergio. I've known him for a long time, and he's a great guy, and most people love him. Some people don't like him so much. I'll be honest with you, Sergio. [Laughter] That said, some people—when they don't like Sergio, they don't like him. But when they like him, they like him more than anybody. [Laughter] But most of them really are on the like category.
And I just want to say that I think he's going to be an outstanding representative for the United States of America. And it's a big deal. Being the Ambassador to India is a big deal.
So, Sergio, congratulations. I know you're going to do a fantastic job. Thank you.
Ambassador Gor. Thank you.
The President. And now, Mr. Vice President, you'll swear in Sergio.
U.S. Attorney Pirro. All right. Okay. You stand over there.
Vice President James D. "J.D." Vance. Okay. Swear him in here.
U.S. Attorney Pirro. Yes. You stand——
Ambassador Gor. Which hand?
U.S. Attorney Pirro. Left hand on the Bible.
Ambassador Gor. Right—left hand.
U.S. Attorney Pirro. Right hand up.
Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio. There you go.
Ambassador Gor. Thank you. [Inaudible]
Vice President Vance. Thank you, Judge. I appreciate the assistance. [Laughter]
U.S. Attorney Pirro. Yes.
Vice President Vance. We have such a crowd here, you'd think we're swearing in a Vice President, sir. [Laughter] Okay.
Please, repeat after me.
I, Sergio Gor.
Ambassador Gor. I, Sergio Gor.
Vice President Vance. Do solemnly swear.
Ambassador Gor. Do solemnly swear.
Vice President Vance. That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Ambassador Gor. That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Vice President Vance. Against all enemies foreign and domestic.
Ambassador Gor. Against all enemies foreign and domestic.
Vice President Vance. That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.
Ambassador Gor. That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.
Vice President Vance. That I take this obligation freely.
Ambassador Gor. That I take this obligation freely. Vice President Vance. Without any mental reservation. Ambassador Gor. Without any mental reservation.
Vice President Vance. Or purpose of evasion.
Ambassador Gor. Or purpose of evasion.
Vice President Vance. And that I will well and faithfully.
Ambassador Gor. And that I will well and faithfully.
Vice President Vance. Discharge the duties.
Ambassador Gor. Discharge the duties.
Vice President Vance. Of the office on which I'm about to enter.
Ambassador Gor. Of the office of which I'm about to enter.
Vice President Vance. So help you God.
Ambassador Gor. So help me God.
Vice President Vance. Congratulations, Mr. Ambassador.
Ambassador Gor. Thank you. Thank you so much.
The President. You're welcome. Would you like to say something?
Ambassador Gor. Mr. President, this is an honor of a lifetime. I want to thank, first, you.
What you have done for this country—before you came back in, the trouble that this country was facing—I mean, frankly, we were screwed. What you have achieved in 10 months has been
historic, has surpassed any other Presidency. And I fully believe what you will achieve in the next 3 years will never be beaten.
So it has been an honor to serve you. I've been at your side for many years. I will continue to be there, and it's just an incredible honor.
And I look forward to enhancing the relationship between our two nations.
But, again, thank you for entrusting me with this position, and I look forward to doing a great job for you.
The President. Thank you very much, Sergio. J.D., would you like to say something?
Vice President Vance. Well, thank you, sir. First of all, congratulations, Sergio. You're going to be great ambassador and a great representative to the country of India, which the President and I both love.
As a lot of you know, Sergio was a critical piece of what made the first 10 months such a great success. Obviously, the President's leadership is the most important thing, but you can't do a whole lot unless you've got good people around you, and Sergio did as much as anybody to ensure that the White House was staffed with the very best people—people who were loyal to the President, loyal to the country, and loyal to the agenda that we're trying to implement.
So thank you all for being here. I think it's a great testament to you, Sergio, that you got multiple Cabinet Secretaries, Erika Kirk, the President of the United States. This crowd would not turn out for just anybody, but it turned out for Sergio Gor.
Ambassador Gor. Thank you.
The President. That's true.
Vice President Vance. You're going to do a hell of a job, man. Congratulations.
Ambassador Gor. Thank you.
The President. Marco?
Secretary Rubio. Well, just to echo what Sergio said, Mr. President, you've done a lot for this country, more than any other President has in such a short period of time. And part of that is putting together a phenomenal team, and I know Sergio was instrumental in helping you achieve that. And so we're—we think he'll do a great job.
This is a very impressive collection of people. There are almost 1.5 billion people in the Oval Office right now. [Inaudible] [Laughter] But to reflect—but Sergio is going to do a phenomenal job.
Those of us who've known him, so many of his friends that are here and family as well that know how hard he works—24 hours, 7 days a week. And that's what it takes to work in this administration, because of how much you're pushing our country forward, around the world and here at home. And we know Sergio will do a great job.
So congratulations, Sergio.
Ambassador Gor. Thank you, sir.
Secretary Rubio. You're going to do a phenomenal job.
Ambassador Gor. Thank you.
The President. Thank you.
Jeanine, please.
U.S. Attorney Pirro. Well, I'm very proud to be here with Sergio, my friend—who's been my friend for many years. He is someone who is loyal, he is trustworthy, and he works as hard as anyone I know.
And, Mr. President, there is in this room a group of people who love you, who believe in you, and who are so proud to be in this Oval Office and to be part of this amazing day, because you have changed the course of America. You—and thank you, Sergio, for what you've done.
Ambassador Gor. It's all the President.
U.S. Attorney Pirro. God bless you both.
The President. Thank you. Thank you very much, Jeanine.
Well, he was also very good friends with a guy named Charlie. We just knew him as "Charlie." And his wife, who we love so much, is here with us, and maybe—you know how close they were together. Maybe, Erika, you could say a couple of words, please.
Turning Point U.S.A. Chief Executive Officer Erika Kirk. I would be honored to, sir.
Charlie loved you. It's hard not to get emotional, because I know that he would have been the first phone call when he found out that you were going to be taking this position. And the way that I was able to witness the two of you work together for years and to champion and support the President was absolutely humbling to witness. And I am so proud of you.
And Charlie is going to be with you every single day in spirit. And I will be praying for you every day, because I know that this is just the beginning of an incredible opportunity for you.
And, sir, thank you for allowing Sergio to have this beautiful—
The President. Thank you.
Ms. Kirk. ——moment.
The President. Thank you very much. Thank you, darling. And that man is watching over us right now.
Ms. Kirk. Yes, he is.
The President. Right?
Okay, any questions?
Lapse in Federal Government Appropriations
Q. You mentioned the Senators that are here, Mr. President. Do you personally approve of the deal that's happening right now on Capitol Hill to end the Government shutdown?
The President. Well, it depends what deal we're talking about. But if it's the deal I heard about, that's certainly—you know, they want to change the deal a little bit, but I would say so. I think, based on everything I'm hearing, they haven't changed anything. And we have support from enough Democrats, and we're going to be opening up our country. It's too bad it was closed, but we'll be opening up our country very quickly.
Federal Workforce Reduction Efforts
Q. Mr. President, that deal does reverse the mass firings your administration put through during the shutdown. Did you sign off on that? And will you abide by that if this passes?
The President. Well, I will be. I'll abide by the deal. The deal is very good. We're not going to be giving $1½ trillion to people that came in from jails and from, you know, the gangs and drug dealers and all of these others that they wanted to be given health care, which would have hurt our health care system.
I hope that we're going to be able to have a health care where—Lindsey and I were discussing it. Jim and I were discussing it. And, Katie [Katie Pavlich, NewsNation], we discussed it. We want a health care system where we paid the money to the people——
Sen. Graham. Amen.
The President. ——instead of the insurance companies.
And I tell you, we're going to be working on that very hard over the next short period of time, where the people get the money. We're talking about trillions and trillions of dollars, where the people get the money.
Yes, please.
President Ahmad Husayn al-Shara' of Syria
Q. On Syria. The Syrian President, sir. Could you update us on your meeting? Did you come to any agreements?
The President. Say it.
Q. With the leader of Syria——
The President. Yes.
Q. ——you met earlier. Did you come to any agreements today?
The President. Well, I've had an agreement——
Q. And how were the talks?
The President. ——with him. He's a very strong leader. He comes from a very tough place, and he's tough guy. I liked him. I get along with him—the President, the new President in Syria. And we'll do everything we can to make Syria successful, because that's part of the Middle East.
We have peace now in the Middle East. First time that anyone can remember that ever happening. And, as you know, Syria is a very big—a very big part of the Middle East—very important part. If you look back at Syria, for years, they had the doctors, the lawyers, the—they had so many of the great intellects. It was—it's an amazing place with great people.
And we want to see Syria be successful along with the rest of the Middle East, so I have confidence that he'll be able to do the job. Absolutely.
[At this point, several reporters began asking questions at once.]
India-U.S. Trade/Tariffs/Domestic Manufacturing Investment
Q. Mr. President, on India, are—how close are you to a deal on the trade deal with India?
The President. Right.
Q. Are you willing to consider lowering the current tariff rate?
The President. Well, right now, the tariffs are very high on India because of the Russian oil.
And they've stopped doing the Russian oil. It's been reduced very substantially.
Yes, we're going to be bringing the tariffs down on India.
Q. To what kind of level are we talking about here?
The President. I mean, at some point——
Q. And how close are you to a deal?
The President. No, at some point we're going to be bringing them down. Without tariffs, we would be—this country would be in such trouble, as they were for many years. That's why we owe $38 trillion.
And one of the things we're going to do, we're going to issue a dividend to our middle-income people and lower-income people of about $2,000, and we're going to use the remaining tariffs to lower our debt. We're going to be lowering our debt, which is a national security thing. So we're doing a lot of good work.
And the numbers were reported so incorrectly. The real numbers are trillions of dollars have been taken in, or gotten in terms of investment, from the tariffs. And so, if that were ever reversed, it would be a disaster. It would—frankly, it would be a national security problem for our country.
And nobody thinks it's going to be reversed. I think we had a very good court case—as you know, it's before the Supreme Court right now. But if that were ever reversed—you know, the people were saying, "Oh, it's a billion dollars." Some people said, "Oh, it's $2 billion." Well, that, obviously, we can handle very easily.
But this is trillions of dollars we're talking about, in terms of the tariff income and all the investment income that's come into our country. You know, we have more than—I would say, right now, more than $18 trillion. The biggest number ever is a tiny fraction of that—for any country, China, the United States—the biggest number ever.
If you look at the past administration, Biden—he did less than a trillion in 4 years. We're over $18 trillion. By the time my first year ends, we're going to have over $20 trillion of investment coming into the United States. It's unheard of.
We have AI factories. We're leading China by a lot.
We have cars and, you know, car plants coming in by more than we've ever had built before.
All of that would go away if we lose the tariff case. So all of it would go away. So they're not giving the right numbers. It would be an economic disaster. It would be a national security disaster if we lost the case in the Supreme Court.
Daniel [Daniel Baldwin, One America News Network]. [Several reporters spoke at once.]
Tariff Revenue/Consumer Prices/Tax Code Reform
Q. Mr. President—Mr. President, back to that tariff rebate.
The President. Yes.
Q. You—this is an idea that you've been talking about for months. This is going to directly and——
The President. Yes.
Q. ——positively impact millions of Americans. Why was this important for you to do? And when can Americans expect that rebate check?
The President. So I've been talking about it for a long time—the dividend to people that, you know, have suffered under the Biden administration. So Biden had the highest inflation in history, and we now are at a very low point. We're going to be hitting 1½ percent pretty soon. So we're at a low point, and he was a high point. We did that.
Food prices are way down. It's all coming down. And the biggest decrease, of course, is energy. And you know, as goes energy, goes everything else. Because, when energy comes down, the oil, the electric, they all—but we—I think you're going to see $2 gasoline or something very close to that. In fact, we're already in the twos. But I think you're going to be seeing very soon $2 gasoline. That's like the equivalent of a massive tax cut.
But in addition to that, the "Great Big Beautiful Bill" gives you a very, very big tax cut. And then you have no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, and no tax on overtime for the middle income and for even, frankly, anybody. But you have no tax. And the no tax on tips has turned out to be a tremendous thing. But when you think—no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security for our seniors.
I—it's the "Great Big Beautiful Bill," which has been mischaracterized, but now people even—they don't want to talk about it, because it's so good—the enemy—because it's so good for everybody. It's the greatest piece of legislation ever passed in the history of our country in terms of size. And hence, it's called—they call it the "Big Beautiful Bill"—or the "One Big Beautiful"—I call it the "Great Big Beautiful Bill." It's an amazing bill for the middle class. It's an amazing bill for jobs. We've never passed anything like it.
And in my first administration—so we had the greatest economy. We had— everything was good, but we're really outdoing it this time, because we have investments coming in, largely because of tariffs and, I think, because of November 5—the election result. But we have investments coming in like we've never had before.
Q. On Syria. Mr. President, on Syria——
The President. Please, behind you.
Q. Thank you.
The President. Kaitlan [Kaitlan Collins, CNN], behind you.
Q. Thank you. On——
The President. Thank you, Kaitlan.
Syria/Middle East Peace Efforts
Q. On—[laughter]—On Syria. Can we expect an announcement on a pact between Syria and Israel or an announcement on them joining the anti-ISIS coalition?
The President. Yes, you can expect some announcements on Syria. We want to see Syria become a country that's very successful, and I think this leader can do it. I really do. I think this leader can do it.
And people said he's had a rough past. We've all had rough pasts. But he has had a rough past, and I think, frankly, if you didn't have a rough past, you wouldn't have a chance. He gets along very well with Turkey, with President Erdoğan, who's a great leader. Erdoğan is a great leader and very much in favor of what's happening in Syria. We have to make Syria work. Syria is a big part of the Middle East.
And I will tell you, I think it is working and really well. We're working also with Israel on, you know, getting along with Syria, getting along with everybody, and that's working amazingly.
As you know, Hamas has given us back numerous bodies. It sounds pretty gruesome, but it's something the parents want—more than if their son had been living. Hard to believe.
It's—I've seen all of the parents, so many of the parents, and getting back the body of their son—their dead son—is as vital to them, as important to them as if the boy was—generally, the boy—the boy was alive. And, as you know, over the last 4 or 5 days, we've gotten a lot of the additional bodies that they said they were going to—they—they've worked very hard to do that.
So we have peace in the Middle East. It's a great thing, and nobody's ever seen anything quite like it.
Q. After your meeting with the Syrian President today, Mr. President——
Switzerland-U.S. Trade
Q. Mr. President, on trade talks with Switzerland. You posted last week about trade—about your talks with Switzerland. We're reporting that you're near a deal that would lower their rate to 15——
The President. With Switzerland?
Q. Yes.
The President. We're working on a deal to get their tariffs a little bit lower, because——
Q. Fifteen percent is what we're hearing. Is that a number?
The President. No, I haven't said any number. But we're going to be working on something to help Switzerland along. We hit Switzerland very hard. We want Switzerland to remain successful. And you know, we're a part of Switzerland in the sense that they've been a very good ally.
Yes, we're working on them and some others. And we're working on others to increase them a little bit too.
Q. How close is it with Switzerland?
The President. Switzerland—why? Do you have something to do with Switzerland? [Laughter]
Q. Well, no, I'm just getting——
The President. It's sort of a——
Sen. Risch. He wants to buy a watch.
Sen. Graham. He wants a watch——
Q. We're reporting it this week.
The President. It's sort of a——
Sen. Risch. He wants to buy a watch.
The President. He wants to buy a nice watch, right? He wants to buy a nice Rolex, right?
We'll give Rolex some publicity. [Laughter] Because Rolex has been——
Q. We're reporting it could be——
The President. They've been very nice. You know?
Q. ——a couple of weeks. That's why I'm asking.
The President. No. Look, it's a beautiful country. It's a small country, but economically, very big. So we're working on something.
Kaitlan.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene/The President's Foreign Policy/Tax Code Reform/Tariffs
Q. After your meeting with the Syrian President earlier today, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is a big ally of yours, said that she would rather see you focused on nonstop domestic policy meetings here at the White House instead of nonstop foreign policy meetings. What's your response to her saying that and also saying that grocery prices are up and not down, as you've said?
The President. Yes. So I don't know what happened to Marjorie. She's a nice woman, but I don't know what happened. She's lost her way, I think.
But I have to view the Presidency as a worldwide situation, not locally. I mean, we could have a world that's on fire, where wars come to our shores very easily, if you had a bad President. We had a horrible President, and we ended up with Russia-Ukraine. And we ended up with other disasters too.
Don't forget, I put out eight wars—nine to come. I think I'll get the other one taken care of. But I put out eight wars. And look at the damage that Russia-Ukraine has done to us as a country. I mean, they—we spent $350 billion. We're not spending any money anymore. Now they pay us, through NATO. You know, I got NATO to go from 2 percent to 5 percent. Well, that's very important.
When you're President, you really sort of have to watch over the world, because you're going to be dragged into it otherwise. You're going to be dragged into a world war. I think, if I weren't President—if—first of all, it—that war would have never happened if I was President. And if I weren't President, that war could have led to World War III. It won't. It's not going to anymore.
But when I first got in, I said, "Wow, this situation could lead to World War III." And I got NATO together. I got everybody together.
But with all of that, I passed a "Great Big Beautiful Bill," which is the biggest tax cuts in the history of our country. So, when somebody like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's now catering to the other side—I don't know what—you know, I would guess she's, you know, got some kind of an act going, but I'm surprised at her. But when somebody like Marjorie goes over and starts making statements like that, it shows she doesn't know.
I don't devote a lot of my time—let me give you another example: China. China was going to hit us with rare earth. Now everybody says, "And what does that mean?" Magnets.
If China refused to give magnets, because they have a monopoly on magnets because they were allowed to—it happened over a 32-year period—there wouldn't be a car made in the entire world. There wouldn't be a radio. There wouldn't be a television. There wouldn't be internet.
There wouldn't be anything, because magnets are such a part. Now, nobody knows what magnets are. And not overly sophisticated but to build a magnet system would take 2 years.
So, if I weren't able to say to China, "Look, if you're going to do that to us, we're going to charge you 158-percent tariff"—it was 100 percent on top of 58 percent. And China called up immediately and said, "We will make peace." And we made peace. We made a great deal. We made an unbelievable deal. And China is paying tariffs to the United States, not the United States paying tariffs to China, which has always been the way it was. Nobody can believe these deals.
But—so, when somebody makes a statement about "He's devoting time to the world," well, the world is the United States, because if the world is in trouble or if the world is ripping us off—you know, the world was ripping us off before I came here. Europe was getting massive tariffs.
They were sending us 9-, 10 million cars a year. We were sending them none. They were not taking our agriculture. We were taking massive amounts of their—it was so unfair. Now we have a deal where $950 billion is coming into the United States because of me and because of tariffs.
So, if I don't do all these things, our country is doing very poorly. So, you know, it's easy to say, "Oh, don't worry about the world," but the world is turning out to be our biggest customer. The world is—the world was on fire, and we could have been in that fire very easily if you didn't have a President that knew what he was doing.
[Several reporters spoke at once.]
Air Traffic Control System
Q. Can you guarantee to Americans that travel is going to go back to normal once the Government——
The President. That travel is?
Q. Yes, travel.
The President. Oh, yes.
Q. All the air travel delays, that when——
The President. It'll go better than normal. You know why?
Q. ——when the Government reopens——
The President. Yes, sure.
Q. ——that this will all go back——
The President. It will be much better than normal, because we're buying the most sophisticated avionics and, you know, technology for our control towers. And we didn't have that.
We had a guy named Buttigieg. "Boot-edge-edge," they say is the best way. [Laughter] Just say two "edges," like off the edge of a cliff, which is what—where they were taking us, by the way. [Laughter] "Boot-edge-edge" was the Secretary of Transportation. [Laughter] And he spent billions of dollars trying to patch together our air control—our air traffic control system, which was a conglomeration of all different systems in all different cities.
He spent—they had hundreds of countries—companies working on it, and they were spending billions of dollars. And when they turned it on, it didn't work. It didn't even work a little bit. That's why you had a helicopter crashing into an airplane, that if we had a great system, bells and whistles would have started going off.
So we are now in the process—we're in final bids of getting the finest system anywhere in the world. I've analyzed it. Sean Duffy has been working really hard on it—doing a fantastic job, by the way. And over the next 2 or 3 weeks, we'll be handing out the finest air traffic control system anywhere in the world. All the towers will be equipped.
They were going copper wire into glass wire into other types of wire. And if you knew anything, you know copper wire doesn't work with glass, you know glass doesn't work with other substances. And they spent billions of dollars, and when they turned it on, nothing happened.
Okay?
We're getting the most sophisticated—all brandnew. All brandnew. Every control tower will have the same exact system. It'll be the most sophisticated system, by far, in the world.
And what we've done is, we've looked around other countries, and we've taken the absolute best systems in every different form, because there are different—you have lots of different companies, like IBM and Raytheon and a lot of great companies. They're all bidding, and we're going to pick the best one. And it will get built relatively quickly, and we are going to have the greatest air traffic control system anywhere in the world.
[Several reporters spoke at once.]
Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you. Thank you very much.
NOTE: The President spoke at 3:39 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Laura Ingraham, host, Fox News Channel's "Ingraham Angle" program; President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan; President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan; President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan; President Serdar Gurbangulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan; and President Sadyr Nurgojo uulu Japarov of Kyrgyzstan. The transcript was released by the Office of Communications on November 19.
Categories: Addresses and Remarks : Sergio Gor, swearing-in as U.S. Ambassador to India and Special Envoy to South and Central Asia; Interviews With the News Media : Exchanges with reporters, White House.
Locations: Washington, DC.
Names: Berdimuhamedow, Serdar Gurbangulyýewiç; Bessent, Scott K.H.; Biden, Joseph R., Jr.; Bondi, Pamela J.; Britt, Katie Boyd; Buttigieg, Peter P.M.; Duffy, Sean P.; Erdogan, Recep Tayyip; Gor, Sergio; Graham, Lindsey O.; Greene, Marjorie Taylor; Ingraham, Laura; Japarov, Sadyr Nurgojo uulu; Kirk, Erika; Mirziyoyev, Shavkat; Modi, Narendra; Pirro, Jeanine; Rahmon, Emomali; Risch, James E.; Rubio, Marco A.; Shara', Ahmad Husayn al-; Tokayev, Kassym-Jomart; Tuberville, Thomas H.; Vance, James D. J.D.
Subjects: Air traffic control system, modernization efforts; Attorney General; China, trade with U.S.; Critical minerals, supply chain improvements; District of Columbia, law enforcement improvement efforts; Federal Government, appropriations legislation; Gaza, hostages held by Hamas; Hamas political-paramilitary organization; Health insurance exchanges; India, Prime Minister; India, relations with U.S.; India, trade with U.S.; India, U.S. Ambassador; Inflation; Israel-Hamas cease-fire agreement implementation; Kazakhstan, President; Kyrgyzstan, President; Manufacturing industry, domestic investment; Middle East, regional integration and security; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Russia, conflict in Ukraine; Secretary of State; Secretary of the Treasury; Secretary of Transportation; Switzerland, trade with U.S.; Syria, President; Tajikistan, President; Tariffs; Tax Code reform; Turkey, President; Turkmenistan, President; U.S. attorneys; U.S. diplomatic efforts, expansion; U.S. Special Envoy to South and Central Asia; Ukraine, international military aid; Ukraine, Russian invasion and airstrikes; Uzbekistan, President; Vice President.
DCPD Number: DCPD202501109.