By Michael D. Shear
During his first comprehensive news conference since the election, President-elect Donald Trump referenced discredited information connecting vaccines to autism, promised tax reductions, pledged to restart the construction of his border wall, and accused the Biden administration of concealing details about recent drone incidents.
From his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump revealed a $100 billion investment from the Japanese tech firm SoftBank. However, he utilized the event before journalists to shift rapidly between topics in an hour-long display reminiscent of the extensive discussions he often engaged in during his initial term.
“The government is aware of what is occurring,” Trump remarked regarding the drone activities observed in several states, although he refrained from stating whether he had received briefings from government officials. “Look, our military can trace the origin. If it’s a garage, they can go right into that garage. They know where it originated and where it went. And for some reason, they won’t comment.”
He noted, “I mean, they happen to be above Bedminster,” referring to his property in New Jersey. “They’re quite close to Bedminster. I think perhaps I’ll skip spending the weekend in Bedminster. I’ve decided to abandon my trip.”
The press conference, in many respects, was a return to the earlier days when Trump enjoyed captivating the public’s attention through lengthy Q&A sessions that wandered across various subjects. Yet, in a rare moment of introspection, the president-elect implied that he is being received more favorably as he steps into his second term, with a significant portion of the Republican Party more firmly aligned with him. He remarked that many CEOs have rushed to seek his favor this time around.
“In my first term, everyone was against me,” he said. “In this term, everyone is eager to be my friend. I don’t know — maybe my personality has changed or something.”
As he regains influence, Trump continues to be one of the most polarizing personalities in American politics, achieving a second election victory by a slim margin. He reaffirms his intentions to disrupt conventions, implement tariffs, pursue legal action against journalists, and cut government expenditures.
Trump lauded Pete Hegseth, his pick for secretary of defense, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his appointee for secretary of health and human services. He then rapidly traversed a series of subjects before responding to inquiries from journalists.
He stated that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis would “make the correct decision” regarding the potential appointment of Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law, to fill Marco Rubio’s Senate seat if Rubio is named secretary of state.
He avoided disclosing whether he had communicated with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the election but reiterated his assertion that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine during his administration. In reality, Russia had begun its incursions into Ukraine’s eastern territories back in 2014, and Trump took no action to halt the conflict, which subsequently escalated with the full-on invasion in 2022.
He suggested that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine should be prepared to negotiate with Russia to bring an end to the war in his nation. He did not specify what concessions Zelenskyy should make but emphasized that a resolution was necessary due to the high casualty rates.
The president-elect remarked that it would be unwise to declare whether he supports a preemptive strike against Iran’s nuclear sites. He mentioned having discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about regional conflicts.
He also indicated that he would contemplate issuing a pardon for Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, currently embroiled in a federal corruption investigation.
“I feel he was treated quite unfairly,” he stated.
Addressing the journalists directly, he labeled the media as “very corrupt” and vowed to continue legal pursuits against news outlets that he believes have misrepresented his statements. He expressed plans to sue the Des Moines Register for a pre-election poll that turned out to be inaccurate. Additionally, he mentioned seeking legal action against “60 Minutes” for alleged misquotations.
“We must rectify the media,” he asserted. “The media is extremely corrupt. Nearly as corrupt as our elections.”
Trump also mentioned that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would eliminate $2 trillion from the $6.8 trillion federal budget and “it won’t affect people.” In reality, excluding cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and defense, which Trump has ruled out, a $2 trillion reduction would necessitate shutting down nearly the entire federal government. Erasing all non-defense discretionary spending would only achieve about half of the $2 trillion target.
