Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2026
January 16, 2026
[Several reporters began asking questions at once.]
Q. Mr. President——
Health Insurance Reforms
Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Can you explain how you view, you know, your great American—your Great Health Care Plan will impact Americans' health insurance premiums?
The President. It's going to be a tremendous—it is a tremendous plan. It's called the Great Health Care Plan, and we're going to get tremendous reductions, as you know, through—if you look at medicines and prescription drugs, they're going to come down by numbers that have never seen—been seen before.
And we're doing that by most favored nations. The other nations, whoever pays the lowest in the world, that's what we're going to pay. Right now we're paying 10—sometimes 10 times higher than other nations. So we have favored nations. That's been approved. Other nations have, for the most part, agreed to it. And they had no choice. Otherwise, we were going to put tariffs on them.
[Several reporters spoke at once.]
So the health care plan that we're coming—the money is going to pay—be paid directly to the people. So it goes directly—not to the companies, not to the insurance companies. It's going to go directly to the people, and the people are going to buy their own health care. They'll get much better health care at a much-reduced cost.
[Several reporters spoke at once.]
North Atlantic Treaty Organization/Greenland
Q. Would you seek to pull out of NATO if it doesn't help you acquire Greenland, if it doesn't lead the way?
The President. Well, we're going to see. NATO has been dealing with us on Greenland. We need Greenland for national security very badly. If we don't have it, we have a big hole in national security, especially when it comes to what we're doing in terms of the Golden Dome and all of the other things.
We have a lot of investments in military. We have got the strongest military in the world, and it's only getting stronger. And you saw that with Venezuela. You saw that with the attack on Iran, with the knocking out their nuclear capability, potentially.
So yes, we're going to—we're talking to NATO. We're talking. [Several reporters spoke at once.]
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Q. Can you commit to not militarily engaging NATO partners?
The President. I don't talk about that.
Q. You're not willing to commit to not attacking a NATO partner?
The President. Go ahead. [Several reporters spoke at once.]
Iran/Political Demonstrations
Q. Mr. President, you urged protesters in Iran earlier this week to keep fighting in the streets and said that help was on the way. Is help still on the way, or has your bar for intervention changed?
The President. Well, we're going to see. As you know, Iran canceled the hanging of over 800 people. They were going to hang over 800 people yesterday, and I greatly respect the fact that they canceled that.
Canada/China
Q. Mr. President, Prime Minister Carney is in China. Prime Minister—Prime Minister Carney is in China. How do you see the deals Canada and China have just—have just signed trade deals between the two partners? Is——
The President. Well, that's okay. That's what he should be doing. I mean, it's a good thing for him to sign a trade deal. If you can get a deal with China, you should do that.
[Several reporters spoke at once.] Go.
Iran
Q. Did Arab and Israeli officials convince you to not strike Iran?
The President. Nobody convinced me. I convinced myself. You had, yesterday, scheduled
over 800 hangings. They didn't hang anyone. They canceled the hangings. That had a big impact. [Several reporters spoke at once.]
Nobel Prize for Peace/Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado
Q. Yesterday you accepted María Machado's Nobel Prize medal.
The President. Right.
Q. What do you intend to do with it? And why would you want someone else's Nobel Prize?
The President. Well, she offered it to me. I thought it was very nice. She said, "You know, you've ended eight wars, and nobody deserves this prize more than—in history—than you do." And I thought it was a very nice gesture.
And by the way, I think she's a very fine woman, and we'll be talking again. [Several reporters spoke at once.]
Say it.
The President's Executive Authority
Q. What's the trigger for the Insurrection Act in Minnesota? What are you waiting for?
The President. Well, the Insurrection Act—which has been used by 48 percent of the presidents, as of this moment—the Insurrection Act. Also, if you look at it—I believe it was Bush—the elder Bush, he used it, I think, 28 times. It's been used a lot.
And if I needed it, I'd use it. I don't think there's any reason right now to use it. But if I needed it, I'd use it. It's very powerful.
Iraq/Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado
Q. You just called Machado "a very nice person." You said the meeting went well. Why align with Delcy Rodríguez and the remnants of the Maduro regime and not with Machado, who has the support of the Venezuelan people?
The President. Well, if you ever remember a place called Iraq, where everybody was fired—every single person: the police, the generals. Everybody was fired, and they ended up being ISIS. Instead of just getting down to business, they ended up being ISIS. So I remember that.
But I'll tell you, I had a great meeting yesterday by a person who I have a lot of respect for, and she has respect, obviously, for me and our country. And she gave me her Nobel Prize.
But I'll tell you what. I got to know her. I never met her before, and I was very, very impressed. She's a really—this is a fine woman.
March for Life in Washington, DC
Q. The March for Life is—the March for Life is—the March for Life is next week.
The President. Yes.
Q. And some pro-lifers are worried about your support for the Hyde Amendment. What do you tell them?
The President. Well, you know what I tell them? You're going to hear about it, because I just taped a beautiful piece for them, and they're going to play it. And those are great people. I want to tell you, they're great people.
Thank you very much. Thank you very much, everybody.
NOTE: The President spoke at 12:41 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White House prior to boarding Marine One. In his remarks, he referred to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist organization. A reporter referred to Interim President Delcy Rodriguez Gomez of Venezuela.
Categories: Interviews With the News Media : Exchanges with reporters, White House. Locations: Washington, DC.
Names: Carney, Mark; Machado, María Corina.
Subjects: Canada, Prime Minister; District of Columbia, March for Life; Greenland, ownership and administration; Health care costs and affordability; Iran, political unrest and violence; Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist organization; Missile defense, modernization efforts; News media, Presidential interviews; Nobel Prize for Peace; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Prescription drug costs, reduction efforts; U.S. military readiness, improvement efforts; Venezuela, U.S. military capture and exfiltration of President Maduro.
DCPD Number: DCPD202600032.