Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2026
September 9, 2026
The President. Hello, everybody. So they're checking the slide over here, and I think it's going to take 15 minutes. They were doing a check on the slide—you know?—on the emergency. So I think it takes about 15 minutes.
So we're heading over to Dallas. I think we're going to have a tremendous crowd tonight. Sold out. Looks very big. Looks very exciting. And we're going to explain what we've done. We've done things that have never been done in a first term or the second term, frankly, of a President.
The economy is very strong. The investment in our country is the biggest in the history of any country, not just our country. We have factories being built all over the world right now, and it's very exciting to see.
Air Force One Maintenance Protocol
Q. Mr. President, do you know why they're checking the slide? Is there a security concern with the plane?
The President. No, they were checking it before, and they just wanted to make sure. So they've—I guess they've already put it up. They want to make sure everything works perfectly.
Oil Markets and Prices/U.S. Military Operations in Iran
Q. And, Mr. President, you've been saying for weeks that oil and gas prices are going to come down. Oil is now——
The President. They will.
Q. ——back above $100 a barrel.
The President. Yes.
Q. How do you explain this to Americans who are wondering when prices are going to come down?
The President. Well, I think it's very easy to explain to America. All you have to do is say, "Will you let Iran have a nuclear weapon?" And the answer is no.
And they're doing very poorly. Their country is in shambles right now. They are, as you probably have seen the numbers, 300-percent inflation. Their money is valueless. They're not paying their soldiers. We control the Strait and lots of other things.
So, for a little while, I would say this: Shortly, but right after the election—because they'd like to have it that way—but right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward. They're going to be tumbling down, and we'll get them down. I think, for gasoline, we'll get them below $2 a gallon.
Q. But not until after the midterms?
The President. I think it's going to take a little bit longer than the midterms, yes.
2026 Midterm Elections/Republican National Committee Midterm Convention
Q. And, Mr. President, several Republicans in competitive races are not coming to the convention. Do you understand why they're deciding not to come?
The President. Everybody that's come—everybody is coming to the convention. Everybody wants to come, but we only want—and the people that are coming—by the way, we're going to be sold out tonight, just so you understand.
Who are you with?
Q. ABC News, sir.
The President. ABC fake news. One of the worst—you are the worst of all, in my opinion.
Q. Mr. President——
The President. And the reason that some people are not coming is because we don't have room for 500 politicians. We have room for the ones that have a close race, if they're slightly behind or slightly ahead or tied. But we don't have rooms for people that are 35 points up and don't need to be there. We said, "Stay back and campaign." Every politician that we've wanted to be there is there.
Go ahead.
Air Force One Safety
Q. Mr. President, are you sure this plane is safe to fly?
The President. Yes, I am. [Laughter] I am. Or I wouldn't be on it. What do you want?
President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin of Russia/President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine
Q. Mr. President, can you tell us about your conversation with President Putin?
The President. We had a great conversation. He is wanting to make a deal. And if Zelenskyy is wanting to make a deal, that will be very nice.
Q. What is the holdup?
The President. The holdup is two people that hate each other.
Q. What gives you confidence that——
The President. I think more than anything else, it's two people that hate each other.
Q. But what has changed that gives you confidence that there's progress?
The President. I think that—because I speak to people. That's all I do is speak to people. My whole life, I know about deals. And these are two people that are tired of fighting.
Russia/Ukraine/U.S. Diplomatic Efforts
Q. Are you going to try to set up a trilateral meeting?
The President. It could happen.
Q. When——
The President. We had a good conversation. It could happen.
Q. When could that happen? When could that happen?
The President. Too many people are dying in that war. Twenty-five thousand last month.
The President's Former Personal Attorney Michael Cohen
Q. Mr. President, would you pardon Michael Cohen?
The President. I haven't even been—I've never been asked that question.
Q. You mentioned recently that he had recanted his testimony.
The President. Well, he did. He recanted. He said it was a very—it was illegal, what they did. What they put him through was incredible, you want to know the truth.
Nobody's asked me about a pardon, but——
Q. Would you consider it?
The President. ——what they put——
Well, if he's—if everything is checking out, it's something I would consider, yes.
Q. Mr. President——
The President. I mean, what they did to Michael Cohen was a disgrace. They forced him to say things that he didn't want to say and that he didn't believe, and I appreciate that at least he came out—although late, he came out and rectified the situation.
2026 Midterm Elections
Q. Mr. President, what do Republicans need to be doing that they aren't currently doing to win midterms?
The President. Just keep fighting and just keep explaining how well we're doing as a country. We're doing better now as a country than we've ever done before.
Yes.
Jewish Settlements in West Bank, Palestinian Territories
Q. Mr.—Britain, France, and Canada have imposed sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. What's your reaction to that? Is the U.S. opposed to it or neutral or what?
The President. Well, I've just seen it, and I'll be speaking to Israel. I'll be speaking to them, and I'll find out what they—what's their thinking.
I understand. You know, I understand exactly what's going on, but I want to find out why, all of a sudden, does that happen.
U.S. Military Operations in Iran/Commercial Transit Through the Strait of Hormuz
Q. We're seeing a lot of attacks around the Strait of Hormuz between the United States and Iran. Is the war——
The President. Well, the attacks are—the attacks are made by us. We've knocked out nine of their ships. I would say that the attacks are caused by us. Yes.
Q. And is it—is it——
The President. And you're going to see—you're going to see a lot more. We've taken out about nine of their tankers. Many of them are gone-zo.
Q. What's going—what's it going to take to stop?
The President. We're going to find out.
[At this point, several reporters began asking questions at once.]
Oh, I think the war is going to end immediately after the election.
Q. Why?
The President. I think the war will end immediately after the election.
Q. Because?
The President. Because they can't hold out any longer. They're desperate to try and affect the election so that we can get a nice weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon. All they want is a nuclear weapon. And if they had a nuclear weapon, the whole world is in deep trouble.
Iran/U.S. Diplomatic Engagement
Q. Do you expect any talks with Iran to continue?
Q. Are you still hoping for a nuclear deal? Secretary Wright said a nuclear deal might not be on the table anymore.
The President. No, I'm——
Q. Is that true?
The President. I'm doing much more than a nuclear deal. There's a lot more than nuclear.
We're going to have nuclear—that's 99.9. But there's going to be a lot of other things on the table that wouldn't have been on the table 3 months ago.
Status of U.S. Diplomatic Efforts With Iran
Q. What about negotiations with Iran? Do you expect that to restart at some point?
The President. We're not looking for it, to be honest with you, Jeff [Jeff Mason, Bloomberg News]. Originally, I wanted to make a deal. We're so far down the line. They have very little country left right now. So we're not looking for it.
Yes, a negotiation could possibly happen, but it's not something we're looking at. This war will end immediately after our election.
Thank you very much.
NOTE: The President spoke at 2:26 p.m. on the tarmac prior to boarding Air Force One en route to Dallas, TX.
Categories: Interviews With the News Media : Exchanges with reporters, Joint Base Andrews, MD.
Locations: Joint Base Andrews, MD.
Names: Cohen, Michael; Putin, Vladimir Vladimirovich; Zelenskyy, Volodymyr.
Subjects: 2026 midterm elections; ABC News; Economic improvement; Gasoline costs; Iran, diplomatic engagement with U.S.; Iran, nuclear weapons development; Iran, U.S. military operations; Maryland, Joint Base Andrews; Maryland, President's visit; News media, Presidential interviews; Oil markets and prices; Republican National Committee; Russia, conflict in Ukraine; Russia, President; Ukraine, President; Ukraine, Russian invasion and airstrikes; West Bank, Jewish settlements.
DCPD Number: DCPD202600588.