President Trump: President Iohannis, thank you for
being here.
It's an honor to welcome such a good friend of
America to the White House.
As you know, the people of Romania and America share
much in common -- a love of freedom, proud
cultures, rich traditions, and a vast and storied
landscape to call home.
The relationship between our two countries
stretches back well over a century.
But today we especially reaffirm and celebrate our
strategic partnership that began 20 years
ago next month.
That partnership covers many dimensions, including
economic, military, and cultural ties.
And today we are making those ties even stronger.
Mr. President, your visit comes at an important
moment not just in this partnership, but among all
of the responsible nations of the world.
I have just returned from a historic trip to Europe
and the Middle East, where I worked to strengthen our
alliances, forge new friendships, and unite all
civilized peoples in the fight against terrorism.
No civilized nation can tolerate this violence, or
allow this wicked ideology to spread on its shores.
I addressed a summit of more than 50 Arab and
Muslim leaders -- a unique meeting in the history of
nations -- where key players in the region
agreed to stop supporting terrorism, whether it be
financial, military or even moral support.
The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has
historically been a funder of terrorism at a very
high level, and in the wake of that conference,
nations came together and spoke to me about
confronting Qatar over its behavior.
So we had a decision to make: Do we take the easy
road, or do we finally take a hard but
necessary action?
We have to stop the funding of terrorism.
I decided, along with Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson, our great generals and military
people, the time had come to call on Qatar to end
its funding -- they have to end that funding -- and
its extremist ideology in terms of funding.
I want to call on all other nations to stop
immediately supporting terrorism.
Stop teaching people to kill other people.
Stop filling their minds with hate and intolerance.
I won't name other countries, but we are not
done solving the problem, but we will
solve that problem.
Have no choice.
This is my great priority because it is my first
duty as President to keep our people safe.
Defeating ISIS and other terror organizations is
something I have emphasized all during my
campaign and right up until the present.
To do that, stop funding, stop teaching hate, and
stop the killing.
For Qatar, we want you back among the unity of
responsible nations.
We ask Qatar, and other nations in the region to
do more and do it faster.
I want to thank Saudi Arabia, and my friend,
King Salman, and all of the countries who
participated in that very historic summit.
It was truly historic.
There has never been anything like it before
and perhaps there never will be again.
Hopefully, it will be the beginning of the end of
funding terrorism.
It will, therefore, be the beginning of the end to
terrorism.
No more funding.
I also want to thank the Romanian people for
everything they contribute to our common defense and
to the fight against the evil menace of terrorism.
They have their own difficulties with it, and
they've come a long way and they're doing a lot.
Romania has been a valuable member of the
coalition to defeat ISIS, and it's the
fourth-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan.
There, 23 of your citizens have paid the ultimate
price.
And America honors their sacrifice.
I want to recognize President Iohannis for his
leadership in committing Romania this year to
increase its defense spending from 1.4 percent
of GDP to over 2 percent.
We hope our other NATO allies will follow
Romania's lead on meeting their financial
obligations and paying their fair share for the
cost of defense.
But I will say this, that because of our actions,
money is starting to pour into NATO.
The money is starting to pour in.
Other countries are starting to realize that
it's time to pay up, and they're doing that.
Very proud of that fact.
As you know, I have been an advocate for
strengthening our NATO Alliance through greater
responsibility and burden-sharing among
member nations.
And that is what is happening.
Because, together, we can confront the common
security challenges facing the world.
Mr. President, I want to applaud your courage and
your courageous efforts in Romania to fight
corruption and defend the rule of law.
This work is necessary to create an environment
where trade and commerce can flourish and where
citizens can prosper.
I look forward to working with you to deepen the
ties of both commerce and culture between our two
countries.
Romanians have made many contributions to the
United States, and to the world.
Very notable among them was Nobel Prize laureate
Elie Wiesel, who was born in Romania and, sadly,
passed away almost one year ago.
And I understand that earlier this week, the
American Jewish Committee presented President
Iohannis with its very prestigious Light Unto the
Nations Award, for his work to further Holocaust
remembrance and education in Romania.
I join the AJC in saluting your leadership in that
vital cause.
The people of Romania have endured many, many
hardships, but they have made a truly remarkable,
historical journey.
The future of Romania and Romania's relationship
with the United States is very, very bright.
President Iohannis, I thank you for your
leadership, and I thank you again for being here
today.
I look forward to strengthening our alliance
with your country and our bonds with your people.
The relationship has been good, but now it's
stronger than ever.
Thank you very much.
President Iohannis: President Trump, thank you
so much for the words you found for Romania, for the
Romanian people, and for me.
Thank you very much for the invitation to be here
today with you.
And thank you so much for arranging this nice
weather in this place.
Mr. President, I'm very glad that we had such a
good meeting.
And this is due to your strong leadership, and
this is also due to our strong partnership.
Obviously, the fact that we celebrate 20 years of
strategic partnership this year is important for both
our nations, and it is important to know -- and
this is what I want to underline -- that this
partnership with the United States of America
shaped Romania as it is today.
Romania, a solid democracy with a solid and
sustainable economic growth.
Romania which stands together with the U.S.
troops in Afghanistan.
We stand together in Iraq.
Mr. President, this partnership contributed
greatly to what Romania is today.
And this partnership was and is very important.
And I think this partnership not only has
to continue, this partnership has to become
stronger.
This partnership has to define our bilateral
relation, and this partnership has to
contribute to solve so many problems.
President Trump, you mentioned terrorism.
I'm very glad that, due to your strong leadership,
NATO decided to go against terrorism.
Your involvement made so many nations conscious of
the fact that we have to share the burden inside
NATO.
And this is why Romania also decided -- and if I'm
right, I think this is the first country during your
mandate to step up to 2 percent of GDP for defense
spending.
A significant part of this defense spending is going
into strategic acquisitions.
And I hope, President Trump, that we find good
ways together to make good use of this money.
Romania is very conscious of the fact that we stand
on the Eastern Flank and we heavily rely on your
partnership, President Trump, because we cannot
stand there without the U.S.
We cannot stand there alone.
On the other hand, our partnership has a huge
opportunity to step up not only in security matters,
but also in commercial and economic matters.
And this is very important.
Romania is a member of the European Union.
And I think it's the best interest of you,
Mr. President, to have a strong European Union as a
partner.
This is vital for all of us.
Our relationship, the transatlantic link is
vital.
The transatlantic link is not about diplomacy, about
policy -- it's at the basis of our Western
civilization.
And together, we will make it stronger.
Together, we will make it better.
NATO and the European Union do not have to
compete against each other.
They have to work together.
They have to work in such a manner as to produce
synergetic effects.
Make NATO stronger.
Make European stronger.
Make the United States of America stronger.
And this is what we decided, President Trump
and I, to make our partnership stronger,
better, more enduring.
And this will lead very soon to an enhanced
economic exchange -- to better commerce.
And this is what we all decide and what we wish,
because we are responsible, President
Trump and I, not only for the security.
We are responsible for the well-being of our
citizens.
And this is what we are deciding to do.
Thank you so much, President Trump.
President Trump: Thank you.
Dave Boyer, Washington Times.
Dave.
Come on, Dave.
The Press: Thank you, Mr. President.
Apologies.
President Trump: That's all right, Dave.
The Press: Mr. President, this morning, on Twitter,
you were referring to the testimony of James Comey
vindicating you.
But I wondered if you could tell us in person,
sir, why you feel that his testimony vindicated you
when it really boils down to his word against your
word.
And if you could also tell us, sir, do tapes exist of
your conversations with him?
President Trump: Well, I'll tell you about that
maybe sometime in the very near future.
But in the meantime, no collusion, no obstruction.
He's a leaker.
But we want to get back to running our great country
-- jobs.
Trade deficits, we want them to disappear fast.
North Korea, a big problem.
Middle East, a big problem.
So that's what I am focused on.
That's what I have been focused on.
But yesterday showed no collusion, no obstruction.
We are doing really well.
That was an excuse by the Democrats who lost an
election that some people think they shouldn't have
lost, because it's almost impossible for the
Democrats to lose the Electoral College, as you
know.
We have to run up the whole East Coast and you
have to win everything as a Republican.
And that's just what we did.
So it was just an excuse.
But we were very, very happy.
And frankly, James Comey confirmed a lot of what I
said.
And some of the things that he said just weren't
true.
Thank you very much.
Do you have a question?
The Press: Thank you.
Mr. President, if you could tell us -- a couple
weeks ago, President Trump was in Brussels at the
NATO meeting, and not only was he encouraging NATO
members to pay up the 2 percent required of GDP
for national defense, but he also was saying that
countries, including yours, who had not paid 2
percent in the past should make up for that
difference.
Do you think that's fair?
President Iohannis: I was in Brussels, and I met
President Trump and I listened to his speech and
I liked it.
Because, you see, NATO is based on values, but it is
ultimately a military alliance.
And you know, military spendings are complicated
and you need a lot of money, because NATO is the
strongest alliance the Earth ever saw and we want
to keep it that way.
So we have to spend money for defense purposes.
And spending money means if you're in an alliance,
everybody has to spend money.
This is called burden-sharing.
And I fully agree, Mr. President, to that.
So, of course, some people liked this better, and
some didn't like it so much.
But it's a simple fact that we have to do this.
Not as a purpose in itself; we have to do this
to stay strong, to be strong, and to
defend our nations.
President Trump: One hundred percent correct.
And you know, one of the things I was referring to
during that speech was the fact that, yes, they
haven't paid what they should be paying now, but
for many years, they haven't been paying.
So I said, do we ever go back and say, how about
paying the money from many, many years passed?
Now, I know no President has ever asked that
question.
But I do.
And we're going to make NATO very strong.
We need the money to make it strong.
You can't just do what we've been doing in the
past.
So I did say, yes, you haven't paid this year,
but what about the past years, the many past years
where you haven't paid?
Perhaps you should pay some or all of that money
back.
You have a question?
The Press: Thank you.
I have a question for President Trump.
On the matter of security, sir, many of the countries
on the Eastern Flank of NATO, including Romania,
see Russia as a threat to the security and the peace
in the region.
Do you share this vision?
And do you think that the United States should act
under Article 5, if any of these countries would be
under military aggression?
Thank you very much.
President Trump: Well, I'm committing the United
States, and have committed, but I'm
committing the United States to Article 5.
And certainly we are there to protect.
And that's one of the reasons that I want people
to make sure we have a very, very strong force by
paying the kind of money necessary to have that
force.
But, yes, absolutely, I'd be committed to Article 5.
The Press: Thank you.
Mr. President, were there any discussion about the
Visa Waiver Program for Romania?
Is there a time frame for including our country in
this program?
Thank you.
President Trump: We didn't discuss it -- President
Iohannis: Yes -- President Trump: We didn't discuss
it.
But there would be certainly -- it would be
something we will discuss.
Mr. President.
President Iohannis: I mentioned this issue, and
I also mentioned it during other meetings I had,
because this is important for us, it's important for
Romanians who want to come to the United States.
And you see more and more people come, President
Trump, from Romania to the United States.
Some come as tourists.
Some come for business.
And those who come for business should be
encouraged.
So the matter of visa waiver would be probably
important to discuss.
And we all hope that we will advance on this.
President Trump: Good.
Look at those hands up there, President.
Do you have this in Romania, too?
I don't know.
(Laughter.) I've got the microphone.
If I could only sell that.
If I could only sell it.
Who would like to ask -- should I take one of the
killer networks that treat me so badly as fake news?
Should I do that?
Go ahead, Jon.
Be fair, Jon.
The Press: Oh, absolutely.
President Trump: Remember how nice you used to be
before I ran?
Such a nice man.
The Press: Always fair.
Mr. President, can we get back to James Comey's
testimony.
You suggested he didn't tell the truth in
everything he said.
He did say, under oath, that you told him to let
the Flynn -- you said you hoped the Flynn
investigation he could let -- President Trump: I
didn't say that.
The Press: So he lied about that?
President Trump: Well, I didn't say that.
I mean, I will tell you I didn't say that.
The Press: And did he ask you to pledge -- President
Trump: And there would be nothing wrong if I did say
it, according to everybody that I've read today.
But I did not say that.
The Press: And did he ask for a pledge of loyalty
from you?
That's another thing he said.
President Trump: No, he did not.
The Press: So he said those things under oath.
Would you be willing to speak under oath to give
your version of those events?
President Trump: One hundred percent.
I didn't say under oath -- I hardly know the man.
I'm not going to say, I want you to pledge
allegiance.
Who would do that?
Who would ask a man to pledge allegiance under
oath?
I mean, think of it.
I hardly know the man.
It doesn't make sense.
No, I didn't say that, and I didn't say the other.
The Press: So if Robert Mueller wanted to speak
with you about that you would be willing to talk
to him?
President Trump: I would be glad to tell him
exactly what I just told you, Jon.
The Press: And you seem to be hinting that there are
recordings of those conversations.
President Trump: I'm not hinting anything.
I'll tell you about it over a very short period
of time.
The Press: When is that?
President Trump: Okay.
Do you have a question here?
The Press: When will you tell us about the
recordings?
President Trump: Over a fairly short period of
time.
The Press: Why not now?
The Press: Are there tapes -- President Trump: Oh,
you're going to be very disappointed when you hear
the answer.
Don't worry.
Jon, do you have a question for the
President?
The Press: Yes.
Thank you.
And, President Iohannis, you are no stranger to
Russian aggression.
Vladimir Putin recently suggested that Romania
could be in Russia's crosshairs.
How concerned should the world be about Russian
aggression in your region?
And how concerned should we be here in the United
States about what Russia tried to do in our
election, sir?
President Iohannis: Everybody is concerned.
But, you see, being concerned should lead you
to being prepared.
So in my opinion, we have to be very clear, very
simple and very straightforward if we talk
about Russia and with Russia.
In my opinion, we need dialogue.
But, on the other hand, we need what we all together
decided in NATO, a strong deterrence.
So this combination -- strong deterrence and
dialogue -- should lead towards a solution which
is feasible for every part.
The Press: Hello, Mr. President Trump.
You mentioned earlier the anticorruption fight in
Romania.
It is a matter of high importance in our country.
But we see now that the anticorruption fight and
the efforts to consolidate the rule of law are
sometimes undermined by some politicians -- part
of what we can call the "Bucharest swamp."
Is your administration going to support the
anticorruption fight in Romania?
And how can you do it?
Thank you.
President Trump: Well, we support very strongly
Romania.
And therefore, obviously we do support that fight
on anticorruption.
We will always support that.
And we support your President.
We think he's done an outstanding job.
Very popular, very solid, working very hard.
We know everything that's going on.
And, yeah, and he's going to win that fight.
He's going to win that battle.
But he has our support.
The Press: Do you think corruption in Romania is a
problem for the U.S.-Romania partnership
and for the American investor -- because we
still have corruption in Romania, despite this
anticorruption fight.
President Trump: Well, you do.
But I can tell you that there are many American
investors right now going to Romania and investing.
In fact, I was given a chart just before our
meeting, and we have people going over to
Romania and investing, and they weren't doing that a
number of years ago.
So that shows very, very big progress.
And there really are a lot of congratulations in
store.
But a lot of people are investing from our country
to yours.
And people love -- from Romania -- the United
States.
And they come here a lot, and we're very proud of
them.
Thank you all very much.