FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM A TRUMP INTERVIEW
U.S. President Donald Trump sat down Sunday evening for a full-length interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes. Here are the highlights:
ON RUSSIAN MEDDLING IN THE 2016 CAMPAIGN
Trump: They — they meddled. But I think China meddled too. And I think, frankly, China is a bigger problem.
Stahl: You are diverting the whole Russia thing.
Trump: I’m not doing anything.
Stahl: You are, you are Trump: I’m saying Russia, but I’m also saying China.
ON SANCTIONING SAUDI ARABIA FOR THE ALLEGED MURDER OF JAMAL KHASHOGGI
Trump: I tell you what I don’t want to do. Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, all these com — I don’t want to hurt jobs. I don’t want to 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.
ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Trump: I think something’s happening, 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 man-made. I will say this: I don’t want to give trillions and trillions of dollars. I don’t want to lose millions and millions of jobs. I don’t want to be put at a disadvantage . ...
Trump: I’m not denying climate change. But it could very well go back. You know, we’re talking about over a millions —
Stahl: But that’s denying it.
Trump: — of years. They say that we had hurricanes that were far worse than what we just had with Michael.
ON DEFENSE SECRETARY JIM MATTIS’S FUTURE
Trump: I think he’s sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth. But General Mattis is a good guy. We get along very well. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. Everybody. People leave. That’s Washington.
ON NATO
Trump: Now, I like NATO, NATO’s fine. But you know what? We shouldn’t be paying almost the entire cost of NATO to protect Europe. And then on top of that, they take advantage of us on trade. They’re not going to do it anymore. They understand that.
Stahl: OK, but are, it does seem this, are you willing to disrupt the Western Alliance? It’s been going for 70 years. It’s kept the peace for 70 years. Trump: You don’t know that. You don’t know that. Stahl: I don’t know what? Trump: You don’t know that.
Stahl: Is it true General Mattis said to you, “The reason for NATO and the reason for all these alliances is to prevent World War III?”
Trump: No, it’s not true. Stahl: What’s not true?
Trump: 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.