Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2026
April 25, 2026
The President. Okay. You probably heard that we canceled the trip. We have all the cards. We're not going to spend 15 hours in airplanes all the time, going back and forth, to be given a document that was not good enough. And so we'll deal by telephone, and they can call us anytime they want.
Again, we have all the cards. They have no military left, practically. They have no leaders left. We don't know who the leaders are. Nobody knows who the leaders—I don't think they know who the leaders are, very importantly. So you saw that.
And any other questions?
Pakistan/Role in Iran-U.S. Negotiations
Q. Yes. Sir, what have you heard from Pakistan? The—Iran's Foreign Minister was in Pakistan yesterday night.
The President. I think Pakistan is terrific. I think the Field Marshal is fantastic. I think the Prime Minister of Pakistan is great. And you know, they'd like to see something happen, but we're not going to be traveling 15, 16 hours to have a meeting with people that nobody ever heard of before.
Iran/U.S. Diplomatic Engagement
Q. What changed? What changed to make you make that decision?
The President. Too much travel. When they say the meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, I said: "Tuesday? That's a long time from now." But when you get right down to it, it's a lot of traveling. No, we don't want to do that.
The President's Representatives in U.S. Negotiations With Iran
Q. At what point do you send Witkoff and Kushner and send Vice President Vance in? And what point are you going to be ready?
The President. Well, we would. They're all very competent, all three. Those are three good.
But they weren't meeting with the leader of the country; they were meeting with other people. And I said we're just not going to do it. Too much traveling. Takes too long. Too expensive. I'm a very cost-conscious person.
Prediction Markets
Q. Mr. President, you said this week that you're not a fan of prediction markets and that they're turning the country into a casino. But at the same time, you're not——
The President. I'm not? Did you say I'm not?
Q. That you're not a fan of prediction markets. You said this.
The President. Well, I don't know. I know some people that are very smart, and they like it. They disagree, but they like it. But what would you like to know? Are you—who are you with?
Q. We're—I'm with Decrypt, a crypto-focused publication.
The President. Good.
Q. And we also have a prediction market.
The President. Good.
Q. And your administration is aggressively pushing to legalize these markets, and I was wondering if you potentially wanted to reconsider that policy.
The President. Well, a lot of other countries are doing it. And when the other countries do it, we get left out in the cold if we don't do it. So—but I know people that are in the prediction market business, and they're pretty—[inaudible].
[At this point, several reporters began asking questions at once.]
Crypto Currency and Digital Finance/California Rail Infrastructure Project
Q. Also on the subject of crypto, what made you decide to go and attend this meme coin conference today?
The President. It's a big industry, and we want to beat China at the industry. We're leading with crypto. We're leading with AI. And I really feel I have an obligation from the sense—as a President, I have to be able to make sure that all of our industries do well. Crypto is a big industry. It's become—actually become somewhat mainstream. The banks have it. People have it. And I think as the leader of the country, we want to lead in AI. We want—and we're leading China by a lot in AI, and we're also leading in crypto.
Q. Mr. President——
Chairman of the Federal Reserve System Board of Governors Jerome H. Powell
Q. Do you agree with the decision by Jeanine Pirro to drop the investigation into Jerome Powell?
The President. Well, I want to find out—you know, it's not dropped. They're looking into the whole thing about the cost.
Q. Deferred to the IG.
The President. What I want to look—yes, with the IG.
What I want to look at is how can a building that I could have done for $25 million cost $4 billion. That's a big thing. And he was in charge. So we'll get to the bottom of it.
Yes, I think—Jeanine is fantastic——
Q. Doesn't this——
The President. ——and she worked with other people on that. I'll tell you: I want to find out—I have an obligation to find out—this was done during Biden, but I have an obligation to find out how does it—I would have done that building for $25 million, had money left over, and it would have been open a long time ago.
Q. Did you or her people—your people ask her to drop it?
The President. I want to find out because—for the country.
Look, we have a railroad under construction in California that's the worst thing I've ever seen, under Gavin Newscum. And I want to find out why that one is costing 20 times what it was projected. Because, likewise, the Fed building is a small—I built a hotel in Washington; it's a Waldorf Astoria. I built it for $201 million, and I believe it's bigger than the Fed building. Add
your bathrooms. You have a lot of—you know, it's much tougher, much more expensive to build a hotel than an office.
I want to find out how can a building of that size cost four—whatever it's going to be.
Nobody knows, by the way, what it's going to be.
Kevin is going to be fantastic—Kevin Warsh. He may never get to be in that building.
Senate Confirmation Process for Federal Reserve System Board of Governors Chairman-Designate Kevin M. Warsh
Q. Is it smooth sailing for him now? Will Tillis drop his block?
The President. I would imagine it's smooth, but whether it is or not, somebody has to find out why that building that should have cost $25 million is costing billions of dollars.
Q. Sir, what else——
The President. And you know why they have to find it out? For other buildings, because that's not the only one. I think that's the most egregious example.
Q. What else——
Iran/U.S. Diplomatic Engagement
Q. On Iran, as you're figuring out who is in charge, if the hardliners or IRGC-aligned leaders have greater power in Iran, can the U.S. make a deal with those factions?
The President. I'll deal with whoever is running the show.
Q. Are we communicating with those factions?
The President. I'll deal with whoever runs the show. They don't know. They're—they are fighting with each other. There's tremendous infighting. They're probably fighting for leadership. In many cases, I think they're fighting not to be the leader, because we knocked out two levels of leaders. But I'll deal with whoever we have to.
But there's no reason to wait 2 days, have people traveling for 16, 17 hours. We're not doing it that way. We'll do it—when they want, they can call me. We have all the cards. We've won everything. We have all the cards.
Iran/Nuclear Weapons Development
Q. Yesterday you said to Reuters that we're dealing with who is in charge now. What changed from yesterday to today?
The President. Nothing. It's just that they gave us a paper that should have been better. And interestingly, immediately, when I canceled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better. It's great.
Q. What was on that paper, sir?
Q. Can you tell us?
Q. Can you explain?
The President. We talked about—they will not have a nuclear weapon. Very simple.
Look, that whole deal is not complicated. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Very simple.
Q. Did they offer, like, 20 years on?
U.S. Military Operations in Iran
Q. Is the cease-fire remaining? Will you continue the cease-fire?
The President. I haven't even thought about it. Yes.
Iran/Nuclear Weapons Development
Q. Did they offer anything in return to 20 years of suspending enriched uranium?
The President. They offered a lot.
Q. What did they offer?
The President. They offered a lot, but not enough. Thank you.
Q. Will Kevin Warsh be Fed Chair in May, do you think?
Q. Thank you, Mr. President.
NOTE: The President spoke at 2:25 p.m. on the tarmac at the Palm Beach International Airport prior to boarding Air Force One. In his remarks, he referred to Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan; U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steven C. Witkoff; U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro; and Gov. Gavin C. Newsom of California. He also referred to his son-in-law, U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Jared C. Kushner. A reporter referred to Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araqchi of Iran. The transcript was released by the Office of Communications on April 26.
Categories: Addresses and Remarks : Iran, remarks prior to departure from West Palm Beach, FL; Interviews With the News Media : Exchanges with reporters, West Palm Beach, FL.
Locations: West Palm Beach, FL.
Names: Biden, Joseph R., Jr.; Kushner, Jared C.; Munir Ahmed Shah, Syed Asim; Newsom, Gavin C.; Pirro, Jeanine; Powell, Jerome H.; Sharif, Shehbaz; Vance, James D. "J.D."; Warsh, Kevin M.; Witkoff, Steven C.
Subjects: Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies; California, Governor; Crypto currency and digital finance; Federal Reserve System; Florida, President's visit; Iran, diplomatic engagement with U.S.; Iran, nuclear weapons development; Iran, U.S. military operations; Pakistan, Chief of Defense Forces; Pakistan, Prime Minister; Prediction markets; Senate confirmation process; U.S. Special Envoy for Peace; U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions; Vice President.
DCPD Number: DCPD202600284.