President Donald Trump predicted climate change would fix itself, said he knows more about NATO that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and claimed the European Union was formed to take advantage of the U.S. in a wide-ranging interview aired Sunday on “60 Minutes.”
Speaking to CBS News’ CBS, +0.93% Lesley Stahl for the first time since taking office, Trump again boasted that “no administration in the history of our country” has done as much in its first two years. Trump appeared rambling and testy at times, and at one point, as he and Stahl sparred over his views on the media, the president ended the argument by saying: “In the meantime, I’m president — and you’re not.”
Here are some highlights on a range of subjects covered in the interview:
Climate change: While Trump said he doesn’t think climate change is a hoax, he also doesn’t necessarily think it’s man-made. “I think something’s happening,” Trump said. “Something’s changing and it’ll change back again. I don’t think it’s a hoax, I think there’s probably a difference. But I don’t know that it’s manmade. I will say this. I don’t wanna give trillions and trillions of dollars. I don’t wanna lose millions and millions of jobs. I don’t wanna be put at a disadvantage.”
Saudi Arabia: Trump vowed “severe punishment” if evidence is found proving the Saudis killed missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “It’s being looked at very, very strongly,” Trump said. “And we would be very upset and angry if that were the case. As of this moment, they deny it. And deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes.”
But he stopped short of saying the U.S. may curtail arms shipments to Saudi Arabia: “I tell you what I don’t wanna do. Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon. . . I don’t wanna hurt jobs. I don’t wanna lose an order like that. There are other ways of — punishing, to use a word that’s a pretty harsh word, but it’s true.”
“There will be severe punishment.” – President Trump on what will happen if Saudi Arabia is found to be behind the disappearance of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi pic.twitter.com/aE4581jHqY
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 14, 2018
North Korea: Trump said he trusts dictator Kim Jong Un, though he admitted his description that he “fell in love with” Kim was just a figure of speech. Despite Kim’s record of human rights abuses, the two get along: “Let it be whatever it is. I get along with him really well. I have a good energy with him. I have a good chemistry with him.”
Lesley Stahl on Kim Jong Un: "He presides over a cruel kingdom of repression, gulags, starvation…slave labor, public executions. This is a guy you love?"
President Trump: "I know all these things… I get along with him, okay? … Let it be whatever it is to get the job done.” pic.twitter.com/J6Gbuns2t6
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 14, 2018
China: On the subject of trade, Trump said he’s not trying to crush China’s economy, just push them to the negotiating table. “I want them to negotiate a fair deal with us,” he said. “I want them to open their markets like our markets are open.” But he warned that while he also has “great chemistry” with Chinese President Xi Jinping, “I don’t know that that’s necessarily going to continue.”
Europe: Trump claimed the EU treats the U.S. with hostility and has been taking advantage of the U.S. for years. “Nobody treats us much worse than the European Union,” he said. “The European Union was formed in order to take advantage of us on trade, and that’s what they’ve done.”
When asked about NATO, Trump disputed Stahl’s statement that the organization has “kept the peace for 70 years.”
“You don’t know that,” he said. When asked if it’s true that Mattis told him NATO’s function is to avoid World War III, Trump said “that’s not true. . . .Frankly, I like General Mattis. I think I know more about it than he does. And I know more about it from the standpoint of fairness, that I can tell you,” as he again claimed NATO allies do not pay their fair share.
Read: Trump calls Mattis a Democrat, suggests he’s on the way out
Russia: Trump claimed he’s been very tough with Russian President Vladimir Putin, even though he has yet to say anything harsh about Putin in public: “I think I’m very tough with him personally. I had a meeting with him. The two of us. It was a very tough meeting and it was a very good meeting.”
While admitting it’s likely that Putin is involved with assassinations, and that Russia meddled in the 2016 elections, Trump claimed without evidence that China and “other countries” did as well. “I think China meddled also,” he said, “And I think, frankly, China is a bigger problem.”
The Mueller probe: Trump refused to pledge not to shut down the Mueller investigation into Russian election interference, and again denied there was collusion. “Do you really think I’d call Russia to help me with an election? Give me a break. They wouldn’t be able to help me at all. Call Russia. It’s so ridiculous,” he said.
President Trump on whether he will pledge not to shut down the Mueller investigation: “I don't pledge anything. But I will tell you, I have no intention of doing that.” pic.twitter.com/TbSdVITZ3x
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 14, 2018
Brett Kavanaugh: Trump took credit for Kavanaugh’s confirmation by the Senate, saying his speech in Mississippi in which he mocked accuser Christine Blasey Ford made the difference. “Had I not made that speech, we would not have won. I was just saying she didn’t seem to know anything,” he said.
When pressed by Stahl over whether he treated Ford with respect, Trump said: “I’m not gonna get into it because we won. It doesn’t matter. We won.”
His White House: Trump denied reports of chaos within the White House, but also said he’s watching his back. “I don’t trust everybody in the White House, I’ll be honest with you,” he said. “It’s a tough business. This is a vicious place. Washington D.C. is a vicious, vicious place. The attacks, the bad mouthing, the speaking behind your back. . . but . . . you know, and in my way, I feel very comfortable here.”
