Transcript - Interview: Brady Mallory of KELO-TV Sioux Falls Interviews Donald Trump - September 7, 2018 | Factba.se

Donald Trump

00:00:00 - 00:00:02 (2 sec)

Hi Brady. How are you?

Brady Mallory

00:00:02 - 00:00:04 (3 sec)

Hello. Mr. President. Thank you for your time.

Donald Trump

00:00:04 - 00:00:07 (3 sec)

Nice to see you. Thank you very much.

Brady Mallory

00:00:07 - 00:00:08 (1 sec)

Welcome to South Dakota.

Donald Trump

00:00:08 - 00:00:08 (1 sec)

Thank you very much. Great honor.

Brady Mallory

00:00:08 - 00:00:09 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:00:09 - 00:00:09 (0 sec)

Brady Mallory

00:00:09 - 00:00:15 (6 sec)

So we are a big ag state, and farmers have said the last four years has been really tough and the tariff war isn't helping many things --

Donald Trump

00:00:15 - 00:00:15 (0 sec)

Brady Mallory

00:00:15 - 00:00:22 (7 sec)

-- from what they told us. What can you do to make sure that farmers can keep farming, so they can feed the world?

Donald Trump

00:00:22 - 00:00:42 (20 sec)

Well, the farmers are going to be in very good shape as soon as I finish the various deals. The farmers have been shut out from the EU, which is basically Europe. They've been shut out from Canada, as you know, Canada is charging tremendous tariffs, almost 300 percent on dairy products. They've been shut out, to a large extent, in China while they do business with China, they're still shut out.

Donald Trump

00:00:42 - 00:00:47 (5 sec)

And what we're doing is, we're knocking down those trade barriers, and the farmers are going to be the biggest beneficiary.

Donald Trump

00:00:47 - 00:01:07 (20 sec)

And remember this: before my election, if you look at soybeans, five years before my election they dropped 5 -- or down -- each year, they were dropping down 10 and 15 percent. They ended up dropping 50 percent, and that's just for a period of five years and that's before we ever got here. So whether it's soybeans, or corn or any of it, I think the farmers are going to have a much bigger market.

Donald Trump

00:01:07 - 00:01:28 (21 sec)

But I have to get the trade deals done. I have to say this -- these countries have been really ripping the United States for a long time. They are very spoiled, but now they're learning. Those barriers are coming down and they're coming along. We've made our deal with Mexico. Canada is negotiating with us right now, and we have a lot of cards, as you know.

Donald Trump

00:01:28 - 00:01:37 (9 sec)

And I think the farmers have been terrific, because they say, look, President Trump knows what he's doing. It was time that somebody did it. We're going to open up the markets

Brady Mallory

00:01:37 - 00:01:48 (11 sec)

Well, for farmers who want certainty now, I -- I know that is coming -- for certainty now. It's hard to make a profit on commodities right now and farmers are worried about that. Can you give them any certainty now?

Donald Trump

00:01:48 - 00:02:08 (20 sec)

Well, you have to remember they've been worried for 15 years. For 15 years they haven't been doing well and for 15 years, they've really been hurt by the trade practices of other countries. And I will tell you that I think the farming business is going to be very good as soon as I finish up with the things we're working on right now. And if you push it too fast, you're not going to make the right deal.

Donald Trump

00:02:08 - 00:02:25 (18 sec)

So, I don't want to push it too fast. The farmers are great patriots. They know exactly what I'm doing, and they've been behind me 100 percent. And I said this even during the -- as you remember -- during the primary campaigns, and during the campaign I said we're going to take care of the farmers we have to make new trade deals. The trade deals that we have in this country NAFTA and others are absolutely terrible.

Donald Trump

00:02:25 - 00:02:27 (2 sec)

So they're being renegotiated to the benefit of our country.

Brady Mallory

00:02:27 - 00:02:40 (13 sec)

And so for family farmers here who are worried about losing their generations-long farms at the end of the season or early retirements. Any words of comfort for them?

Donald Trump

00:02:40 - 00:02:48 (8 sec)

Well, they would have lost them anyway because they were being hurt so badly with the trade barriers. We will tell you they are going to be in a very good position very soon.

Brady Mallory

00:02:48 - 00:03:01 (13 sec)

I want to talk about jobs. Now you have been touting low unemployment numbers in the country, and you say they're good. They've been good here in South Dakota for quite some time. Our problem is we need workers to fill those jobs. So how do we get the workers?

Donald Trump

00:03:01 - 00:03:18 (18 sec)

Well, what we're going to do -- and you have that problem, and so do a lot of -- because we're at 3.9% even 3.8% percent unemployment, which is great in most respects, but for businesses, a lot of people are going to be coming in through a merit system of immigration, which we're working on. And I think I'm going to be able to have it done very quickly.

Donald Trump

00:03:18 - 00:03:36 (18 sec)

But we want people to come into the country through merit, not through lotteries and not through other ways. We're going to have a lot of farmers, a lot of help for our farmers. And I think that's going to take place very soon. But I want people coming into the country through the merit system, not through a system where we have no idea who we're taking.

Brady Mallory

00:03:36 - 00:03:41 (5 sec)

And you're referring to your position on securing the border?

Donald Trump

00:03:41 - 00:03:56 (15 sec)

I'm talking about securing the borders, and we have largely. I mean, the borders are doing much better now, even though we have horrible laws. We have horrible, horrible laws. But the borders are doing much better now. But we want people to come in -- I want people to come into the country, but I want them to come in through merit.

Brady Mallory

00:03:56 - 00:04:03 (7 sec)

The other thing -- one of the other things you've been talking about is the opioid crisis in America. That has hit South Dakota very hard --

Donald Trump

00:04:03 - 00:04:04 (1 sec)

Brady Mallory

00:04:04 - 00:04:13 (9 sec)

-- up 10 percent in the state. And I know the Senate is working on a bill to target specifically fentanyl. You know, what are you going to do to help us tackle those problematic numbers?

Donald Trump

00:04:13 - 00:04:36 (23 sec)

Well, I'm working on the bill with the Senate and that's going to be an important bill. We're also working through the postal system, because you know what's going on with fentanyl it's and you know where it's coming from, mostly coming from China, and we're working on a very strong stop act within the postal system. In addition to that, I had $6 billion approved to fight -- and to help -- with the opioid problem.

Donald Trump

00:04:36 - 00:04:58 (22 sec)

And we got that in the last budget. So we're doing a really big job. Most areas tend to be down, you know, with doctors and with other prescription type of things. So most areas -- I'm a little surprised that you're up -- but most areas tend to be down. We're fighting it very hard. We have $6 billion now, just got approved. We've got $6 billion now to fight the opioid crisis.

Brady Mallory

00:04:58 - 00:05:01 (2 sec)

Is it -- do we have that money?

Donald Trump

00:05:01 - 00:05:04 (3 sec)

Yes. It's all been approved. It's all been approved. It's starting to flow in.

Brady Mallory

00:05:04 - 00:05:11 (7 sec)

I wanted to talk about your visit here today. Why -- why was that important for you to come here to support Kristi Noem?

Donald Trump

00:05:11 - 00:05:32 (22 sec)

I think she's a terrific leader. She's been a terrific Congresswoman. She's done a great job. She's been very supportive of me. She's a tremendous leader. And I can tell you, she loves your state. She really loves your state. South Dakota is very important to her. And she left a very big job. You know, she is highly respected had good positions in Congress, she left that to become governor.

Donald Trump

00:05:32 - 00:05:42 (10 sec)

I think she'll be a great governor of your state. And she has some of the things you're talking about. She's very much talking about them, including ethanol which we discussed at great length at a meeting just now.

Brady Mallory

00:05:42 - 00:05:53 (11 sec)

She's been in politics for a long time. She's served in our state since 2007, and then she's been in Congress since 2011. Why is -- is she not part of the swamp then?

Donald Trump

00:05:53 - 00:06:18 (25 sec)

No, actually she's very much of a rebel within Congress. I mean she was somebody that would oftentimes go against Congress. And, I think that's why she probably did so well in terms of her primary election. She -- she's very much of -- and I use the term very affectionately in a sense -- she was very much of a rebel. She wanted things to change in Congress, and she helped.

Donald Trump

00:06:18 - 00:06:25 (7 sec)

She was terrific. She was a highly respected Congresswoman. And a lot of people are going to miss her.

Brady Mallory

00:06:25 - 00:06:40 (15 sec)

My last thing, you know, in his speech today, former President Obama mentioned you. He talked about the powerful -- this is a quote -- the powerful and the privileged to want to keep us divided and angry. He mentioned you by name. He says you are not the cause, but a symptom. What's your response to that?

Donald Trump

00:06:40 - 00:07:04 (24 sec)

Well, I think we've done a great job. On the economy we've done great. Our military is now being rebuilt. It was in shambles after eight years of President Obama. The military was absolutely in shambles. A lot of bad decisions were made, and they weren't renewing -- and we have done a tremendous job with the military, including the vets where we have choice, where we have so many other things that we've got approved that he was unable to get approved.

Donald Trump

00:07:04 - 00:07:28 (25 sec)

But, now we have Veterans Choice. We have veterans accountability. I think that we are probably less divided than we were when he was president. If you look at the divisions now, a lot of them are artificial. A lot of them are put up by people running for president in two years. And I think we probably are a lot -- lot less divided. But I can tell you this: our country is doing much better.

Donald Trump

00:07:28 - 00:07:47 (19 sec)

I mean if you look at the economy you look at all of the numbers 4.2%. You look at the GDP numbers which I think are going to go substantially higher. We have tremendous potential in this country, and I think he sees what we're doing, and I think he's probably saying, wow I wish I could have done that.

Brady Mallory

00:07:47 - 00:07:56 (8 sec)

When we have people who are talking about racism and Nazi sympathizing, do you feel pressure to say don't do that?

Donald Trump

00:07:56 - 00:08:06 (11 sec)

Sure I always would say that. But if you look at President Obama, look at what took place during his presidency, it was -- it was actually terrible. So, I think we've come a long way. Thank you very much.

Brady Mallory

00:08:06 - 00:08:07 (1 sec)

Thank you so much for your time.

Donald Trump

00:08:07 - 00:08:08 (1 sec)

Take care of yourself.

Brady Mallory

00:08:08 - 00:08:08 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:08:08 - 00:08:10 (1 sec)

Thank you. Thank you.