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Sept. 18, 2025 - Bannon's War Room
58:43
Episode 4787: Trump Speaks In Chequers
Participants
Main voices
d
donald j trump
24:18
k
keir starmer
16:35
s
steve bannon
06:13
Appearances
b
beth rigby
01:14
j
jeffrey goldberg
01:40
m
mika brzezinski
01:37
Clips
c
chris mason
00:32
j
jack ellison
00:36
j
jake tapper
00:12
p
peter doocy
00:36
r
robert peston
00:55
s
stephanie ruhle
00:56
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Speaker Time Text
unidentified
Is planning to take action against left-wing groups that the president and his allies claim have contributed to political unrest and violence.
mika brzezinski
The moves are expected to include investigations into tax-exempt status of certain liberal groups like the Open Society Foundations and the Ford Foundation.
unidentified
A source tells NBC News that these actions, which come in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, could begin as early as the end of the month.
mika brzezinski
Federal law, however, prohibits the president and vice president from ordering such tax inquiries.
unidentified
And there has been no evidence linking those groups to Kirk's killing.
mika brzezinski
Officials say they believe the suspect acted alone.
unidentified
The Wall Street Journal reports that officials across the administration are working to identify groups suspected of targeting conservatives or causes that conservatives support.
That could include looking at attacks on Tesla showrooms earlier this year, as well as people who have retaliated against law enforcement carrying out Trump's deportation campaign.
Meanwhile, the president announced last night that he will label Antifa as a major terrorist organization, although current law only allows this designation for foreign groups.
We begin.
Well, one of the specific problems here is that Antifa isn't really a group.
I mean, it's the nature of an anarchic or a foreign group.
jeffrey goldberg
It's a bunch of people who organize around a set of ideas that they learn from each other and learn from the internet.
The whole issue today is that obviously you don't need an organizational structure to do anything.
unidentified
People become radicalized by reading the web and then they become, we've seen that for years on the Islamist front.
jeffrey goldberg
I'm not comparing ISIS and al-Qaeda to whatever might be happening on the left.
On the larger question of Open Society Foundation, Ford Foundation, I mean, this is just silly.
These are organizations that argue liberal arguments in a legal, law-abiding way, and they're part of the marketplace of ideas.
And the idea that you would try to link, whether you agree with it or not, whether you would link Ford Foundation's position on X, Y, or Z, on trans rights, for instance, to violence, it's absurd and it's dangerous.
unidentified
And, you know, the issue that conservative groups and the Trump administration need to consider is that, you know, if you want to introduce this way of dealing with your enemies, adversaries, in American politics, you're going to reap the whirlwind sooner or later, right?
jeffrey goldberg
I mean, because no political ideology stays on top forever in the American tradition.
unidentified
And so I find it extraordinary.
I find it to be an extraordinary power move that is not well thought out and obviously not grounded in American law or even more important, American tradition.
This was being treated as a single murder.
steve bannon
It's not a single murder.
unidentified
This is not a single murder of a great man.
There's a vast conspiracy in back of this.
Antifa needs to be designated as a domestic terrorist organization.
steve bannon
Hey, if you want to make it international terrorist, there's plenty of evidence of that.
unidentified
In fact, he came out of Europe.
stephanie ruhle
What do you think about this reporting that the president and the administration plan to go after in some way left-leaning groups before the end of the month without proving that they've actually done anything wrong?
unidentified
It's more authoritarian nonsense from this administration, which we've seen.
And one thing in particular that bothers me about it is he's like, we're going to go after Antifa.
That's like saying you're going after Black Lives Matter.
Like, it's a general term, right?
Antifa is not necessarily a set group.
It is being an anti-fascist.
So you can apply that to almost anybody.
So if you're just saying we're going to go after anybody who doesn't like fascism, well, are you going after a group?
Are you going after a group of middle-aged women in the suburbs who are like, hey, we don't like the fact that you're doing a midterm redistricting?
There's lots of things that can fall under that umbrella, but it just goes to show that this administration is about revenge.
Because if you can't define the bad guy, you could go after anybody.
stephanie ruhle
ABC is pulling Jimmy Kimmel alive off the air indefinitely following Kimmel's comments about Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel raised the possibility that the suspect in the killing might have been a pro-Trump Republican, according to authorities.
unidentified
That wasn't true.
That comment immediately drew the attention of FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, who threatened to, quote, take action, action, action against Disney's ABC.
We should note the FCC licenses stations owned by or are affiliated with ABC.
It does not license the network itself.
Earlier tonight, the president celebrated the decision, saying in part, quote, great news for America.
The ratings challenge Jimmy Kimmel show is canceled.
stephanie ruhle
Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.
unidentified
It's becoming increasingly clear, isn't it, Mike, that people around President Trump, who are now in the White House, spent the four years that President Trump was out of power thinking how can we dismantle liberal with a small L institutions that conservatives have had gripes about, sometimes fairly, sometimes not fairly, for a very long time.
And we're seeing them do that systematically.
And anytime there is an opportunity and they feel that public opinion will let them push that much further, it seems they're going to go as far as they can.
mika brzezinski
What do you see potentially down the line as next, if there is a next?
unidentified
I mean, I think that you're going to, I mean, I think that each, you know, every time you see one of these settlements, in whatever form it takes, the administration is saying, wow, this is really working.
Let's look for more targets.
You designate them a terrorist organization, then all kinds of good things happen.
You start subpoenaing telephone records, text messages.
You go to the telephone companies like the one on us and took all our stuff.
Fine, do it.
What's good for the goose is good for the ganders.
See the interconnection.
See who's financing them.
See who's contacting them.
See what politicians are working with them.
See what media types are working with them.
And then we ought to round up the media types are working with them as accessories.
This is doable.
And if you want to avoid a civil war, it needs to be done today.
steve bannon
Use the powers of the state.
unidentified
We happen to be in charge.
This is the primal scream of a dying regime.
Pray for our enemies because we're going medieval on these people.
Here's not got a free shot on all these networks lying about the people.
steve bannon
The people have had a belly full of it.
unidentified
I know you don't like hearing that.
I know you're trying to do everything in the world to stop that, but you're not going to stop it.
steve bannon
It's going to happen.
unidentified
And where do people like that go to share the big lie?
MAGA Media.
I wish in my soul, I wish that any of these people had a conscience.
Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose?
If that answer is to save my country, this country will be saved.
Here's your host, Stephen K. Bannon.
It's Thursday, 18th September in the year of our Lord, 2025.
steve bannon
We are momentarily going to go to Checkers, which is the country home of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, for a press conference with the Prime Minister Starmer and President Trump.
unidentified
They announced earlier today, you saw Real America's Voice live.
I don't know, I think it's a $400 million deal on nuclear power plants that England's going to, you know, they finally realize nobody's got power.
Since they all bought into the climate hoax, they're all sitting squealing.
And the only reason it's a big deal, wait for it, artificial intelligence.
steve bannon
Yep.
unidentified
Since the tech bros need power, power you shall have.
And it ain't windmills.
It's not solar farms.
You're going to get good old nuclear power.
Remember how that was verboten after what, the China syndrome, the Jack Lemon and Jane Fonda movie?
steve bannon
Couldn't touch it.
unidentified
Couldn't touch it.
Well, now you can touch it.
Huge deal offered.
Not a lot of specifics on this issue of free speech in the United Kingdom and what restrictions we're going to put on the kind of deal.
steve bannon
I'm sure that's going to get asked at the presser.
unidentified
Overnight, though, huge news.
steve bannon
Jimmy Kimmel, the affiliates, Sinclair Broadcasting, a conservative news, conservative media company run by Dave Smith.
unidentified
I think he's still chairman, CEO.
He and his parents founded it, or his parents founded it.
steve bannon
He's one of the biggest affiliate, I think the biggest affiliate network in ABC.
unidentified
He said, hey, guess what?
steve bannon
We're not putting on Jimmy Kimmel anymore.
So Disney, you want to put it up, have it play in New York and LA?
unidentified
Go for it.
Jimmy Kimmel's gone.
Even bigger news.
steve bannon
Now the assassination of Charlie Kirk's not just being treated as a murder case by some cops out in Utah.
It is going to be designated, we're going to have Antifa and all of its subsets designated as a major terrorist network by the President of the United States.
unidentified
I think that executive order will be coming here forthwith.
I know teams are already being formed.
This is going to be the end of days for this crowd.
You see how they're squealing right there?
Well, Antifa's not really, it's totally disorganized.
steve bannon
Yeah, okay.
unidentified
That's the top level of the Grundoons.
steve bannon
You got the middle level of kind of the military and other intelligence apparatuses that train them.
unidentified
And then you got the base and the bottom and the most important, the operations, the media connections, the corporate connections, the foundation connections, the university connections, and wait for it, the money.
And what foreign operators, what foreign countries are in back of this, the color revolution.
This is going after the color revolution in the United States of America.
And it's going to be full bore.
This will break them.
And of course, Karl Rove, he of the war crimes in Iraq, we got it?
Okay, we're going to go.
Let's go to Checkers right now.
Press conference, President of the United States, Prime Minister of England will return immediately afterwards.
I would like to welcome you to Checkers.
This historic second state visit is a moment to celebrate the unique bond between our two countries.
But today we've gone far beyond that.
We've renewed the special relationship for a new era.
keir starmer
The United Kingdom and the United States stand together today as first partners on defense, first partners in trade with the groundbreaking deal we struck in May, and now with the new agreement that we've just signed this afternoon, we're confirming our status as the first partners in science and technology, ready to define this century together,
unidentified
just as we did the last.
This tech partnership has the power to change lives.
It's our chance to ensure that technologies like AI, quantum, and others amplify human potential, solve problems, cure diseases, make us richer and freer, strengthen the cause of democracy, not tyranny.
This is the territory on which the future will be one.
So this partnership today is a signal of our determination to win this race together and to ensure it brings real benefits in jobs, in growth, in lower bills, to put more hard-earned cash in people's pockets at the end of each month.
That's what we're determined to deliver.
And we're bringing businesses with us.
keir starmer
We've just come from a fantastic meeting with business leaders where we set out this vision.
unidentified
They have responded with new deals and investment, breaking every record that we have.
£250 billion flowing both ways across the Atlantic.
keir starmer
That is a record.
Expected to create 15,000 jobs here in the United Kingdom.
unidentified
High-skilled jobs in cutting-edge sectors where people can build careers for the long term, changing lives in communities up and down our country.
And look, while we shape this bond for a new era, the fundamentals have not changed.
Security remains the cornerstone of this special relationship.
We have the deepest, most advanced defence relationship in the world.
Our warriors train together and they fight together.
Our industries build together.
Everything from fast jets to new AUKUS-class submarines.
So now, as we drive up defence spending, we're going to sweep away the barriers to working together on new defence technologies so we can stay ahead of our adversaries.
We're united in defence and security, yes, absolutely.
But we're also united in the pursuit of peace.
We are working together to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East, get the aid in, free the hostages, and ultimately bring Israel and the region back towards a comprehensive plan which can deliver peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
We're also working together to end the killing in Ukraine.
In recent days, Putin has shown his true face, mounting the biggest attacks since the evasion began, with yet more bloodshed, yet more innocents killed, and unprecedented violations of NATO airspace.
These are not the actions of someone who wants peace.
So we've discussed today how we can build our defences further, support Ukraine, and decisively increase the pressure on Putin to get him to agree a peace deal that will last.
And President Trump, you have led the way here, and we will continue to stand and work together for security and for peace.
Mr. President, next year we'll celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.
We've come on a long journey together since 1776.
But it's no exaggeration to say that the partnership our two nations have built has shaped the world from the beaches of Normandy to the founding of NATO to the creation of technologies that have revolutionized our lives.
Time and time again, it is British and American men and women side by side, changing the path of history and turning it towards our values, towards freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.
In Britain, we take huge pride in that.
And let's be clear, this relationship is not just about history, it's about the future.
It's about the benefits it delivers now and for decades to come to make our people safer and better off.
We've shown today that we're delivering those benefits, improving people's lives.
So we will go into that anniversary year more optimistic than ever and more confident than ever about our two great nations and what they can achieve side by side.
Thank you.
And it is now my pleasure to give the floor to Mr. President.
Thank you.
donald j trump
Thank you very much, very much.
unidentified
Prime Minister Starmer, Milani and I are tremendously thankful for the wonderful hospitality that you and Lady Starmer have extended today at Checkers.
donald j trump
Quite the place, I must say, quite the place.
unidentified
And we're grateful beyond words for the spectacular honor of the state visit yesterday at Windsor Castle, hosted by His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla.
These are two fantastic people.
We will never forget it.
As I said last night, the bond between our countries is like no other anywhere in the world.
The United States and the United Kingdom have done more good on this planet than any two nations in human history.
That is thanks in large part to the traditions of British liberty which grew up on these isles, these beautiful, magnificent isles, and were carried by our ancestors to the new world.
We're forever joined and we are forever friends and we will always be friends.
This enduring connection is why I was thrilled that the United Kingdom was the very first country with which we made a historic trade deal and a very good trade deal.
He's a tough negotiator.
I think it was a better deal for you than us, but these are minor details.
It's a very good deal for both of us.
donald j trump
He's a great negotiator.
unidentified
We will extend our unparalleled security alliance into the realm of economic security for the first time.
And I look forward to finalizing it very soon.
We'll have it done very quickly.
We have also just signed a historic technology prosperity deal, one of a kind, to ensure our countries lead the next great technological revolution side by side.
In fact, we just left the business leaders, the biggest in the world.
Some are in this room right now.
And that was quite a meeting we had on business and trade and technology.
This trip has galvanized $350 billion in deals across many sectors.
And we're committed to ensuring that the UK is a secure and reliable supply of the best AI hardware and software on earth.
And we supply that and we'll make sure we supply it in quantity to the UK.
We also are joining forces on quantum computing and nuclear power, a natural partnership for close allies.
donald j trump
The United States, as you probably have heard, is doing better than it has ever done in terms of business and investment.
unidentified
The stock market has hit a new high, as you know, and that's for many, many days out of our fairly short eight months.
And we seem to be hitting new highs, and I think we're going to do much better even as time goes by.
Jobs are at a record, and most importantly, we have more than $17 trillion, $17 trillion, and this is during an eight-month period being invested in the country, which is not only a record, but if you compare $17 trillion to the last year of the Biden administration, They did $250 billion.
They didn't do $1 trillion for the four-year period.
We did $17 trillion of investment coming in.
A lot of it's because of tariffs, and a lot of it's for a lot of other reasons, but there's never been anything like it.
It's an economic superstar.
That's what's become.
It was mismanaged and badly handled for a long period of time, but it's not badly handled anymore.
So that's a record.
And remember, that's up until eight months.
donald j trump
We have another few months to go, and that number is going to get significantly higher, especially if we win a certain case that we're waiting to hear.
unidentified
That will be something like the world has never seen.
I want to congratulate the United Kingdom on making the vital commitment to spend 5% of GDP on defense at the NATO summit this year.
donald j trump
We've worked together very closely in so many ways.
unidentified
I'm very honored to tell you that we've solved seven wars, seven wars, wars that were unsolvable, wars that couldn't be negotiated or done.
We've done, the U.S. has done seven of them.
The one that I thought would be easiest would be because of my relationship with President Putin, but he's let me down.
He's really let me down.
Who's going to be Russia and Ukraine?
But we'll see how that turns out.
But that turned out to be, I thought it might be among the easiest of the group.
But we have settled just about every conflict.
And as you know, we're working very hard on Israel and Gaza.
That's happening over there.
Complex, but it's going to be, it's going to get done.
donald j trump
It'll all get done right.
unidentified
And likewise, Russia and Ukraine will get done.
But it's, you never know in war.
You know, war is a different thing.
Things happen that are very opposite of what you thought.
You thought you were going to have an easy time or a hard time, and it turns out to be the reverse.
As we saw in the unforgettable parade yesterday at Windsor Castle, what a place it is the British Armed Forces carry on.
One of the finest military traditions in the world, one of the greatest marching bands, one of the most magnificent sites I've seen.
I know that our service members look forward, and we do look so forward to working even more closely with yours as you push toward that 5% goal.
And I think, Mr. Prime Minister, you're just about there.
You're going to be there very quickly, along with a lot of other great countries.
I want to thank NATO and our wonderful head of NATO, who's really worked very hard, Mark, for the job they've done.
As you know, NATO was at 2% GDP, and they didn't pay it.
Now they're at 5%, and they pay it.
And we appreciate that.
And we're sending a lot of weapons to NATO.
NATO is paying for those weapons in full.
But we're sending them, and we're doing a great job at getting them what they need.
And we appreciate the fact that they're taking care of it, because the United States is into that war for $350 billion.
And it's just really very sad.
It just got out of control.
They didn't know what they were doing.
But over the generations, British and American warriors have shed their blood side by side in defense of liberty and freedom.
And that's why it's so imperative that the United States and the United Kingdom stand together for these fundamental rights and values of the English-speaking world.
And we've always stood together and we will continue to.
Just last week, a great American, Charlie Kirk, was heinously assassinated for speaking his mind.
He was a great young man, incredible future.
Some people said he might be president someday.
I told him, I said, Charlie, I think you have a good shot someday at being president.
And he just wanted to take care of youth.
He loved youth.
I've never seen anybody relate to youths like Charlie, and they related to him.
And they're devastated.
But I appreciate the many British citizens who have offered their condolences.
And again, Charlie was a great person.
donald j trump
We'll be going out to a service on Sunday.
unidentified
I'll be leaving with some of the people in this room just to celebrate Charlie and all that he's done.
So incredible.
Never seen anything like it.
But I hope that together our nations can lead a movement to defend the glorious traditions of freedom on both sides of the Atlantic.
There could be no greater tribute to the immortal bonds of affection and loyalty that unite the British and the American people for all of time.
We have a relationship like no other.
It will always be that way.
We will always be united.
We'll always be together.
And I just want to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for the great job I think you're doing.
donald j trump
Thank you very much.
unidentified
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
We're going to take some questions.
keir starmer
I'll call two or three to start with, and then I'll pass over to the President.
unidentified
I've got Chris Mason from the BBC first.
keir starmer
Chris.
unidentified
Thank you both.
Chris Mason, BBC News.
Mr. President, the UK is expected to recognise a Palestinian state in the coming days as the killing in Gaza continues.
chris mason
It often seems that you're the only person that Israel will listen to.
unidentified
What more can you say to them to tell them to stop?
chris mason
And why is the UK's position on a Palestinian state, in your view, wrong?
unidentified
And, Prime Minister, what will the recognition of a Palestinian state actually achieve?
Is it not just gesture politics to appease people in your own party?
Thank you both.
Well, Chris, let me just start with that because we discussed this, amongst other things.
keir starmer
We had the best part of an hour, I think, upstairs earlier today, just one-to-one going through a number of affairs, world affairs, in private.
unidentified
And we absolutely agree on the need for peace and a roadmap because the situation in Gaza is intolerable.
The hostages have been held for a very, very long time, and they must be freed.
And we need aid to get into Gaza at speed.
And so it's within that context of a plan for peace, which we're working hard on, which not only did we discuss this morning, but our two teams have been working together on, that the question of recognition needs to be seen.
And so it's part of that overall package, which hopefully takes us from the appalling situation we're in now to the outcome of a safe and secure Israel, which we do not have, and a viable Palestinian state.
keir starmer
Thank you.
unidentified
Well, simply, I want the hostages released now, right now.
Not one, two.
We'll give you three more tomorrow.
And, you know, like it's been, but we're the ones that got all the hostages released.
We got many, many.
donald j trump
They came, many came to the Oval Office, and I've heard stories like I've never thought even possible.
unidentified
There was no humanity, no anything.
I said to them, I said, was there any warmth shown during this stay?
Like they offered you a little extra meal, they gave you a little smile, and they said, Don't worry, you'll be okay.
donald j trump
And every one of them said, Not even a little bit.
unidentified
Amazing, you know, to think that during this stay, long stay, in some cases, we had a man the other day, 451 days he was there.
I always ask that question.
And was there any warmth, John?
Just a little word of encouragement.
And the answer is every time, absolutely not.
I'm shocked to hear it, because in the worst cases, there's always somebody that comes through.
We have to remember October 7th, one of the worst, most violent days in the history of the world, not just there, the history of the world.
And I got to see the tapes, and I wish I didn't see them, actually.
But I got to see them.
And I want an end.
I want the hostages released.
And I think it's going to be okay.
donald j trump
But it has been a brutal period of time.
unidentified
But this has been going on for a long time.
donald j trump
This is not something that's over the last year, two years, but this has been for decades and decades.
unidentified
But we want it to end.
We have to have the hostages back immediately.
That's what the people of Israel want.
They want them back.
And we want the fighting to stop.
And it's going to stop.
But a lot of bad things.
You know, Hamas said that they're going to put the hostages up as bait.
They're going to put the hostages in front of any attack.
And that's pretty brutal.
donald j trump
We haven't heard that one in a long time.
unidentified
So we have to remember that.
So I have a disagreement with the Prime Minister on that score.
One of our few disagreements, actually.
Can I take Jack from the Sun?
Jack.
Thank you both.
Jack Elson from The Sun.
Mr. President, in the nine months you've been in office, you've been incredibly successful in all but eliminating crossings on your southern border.
Meanwhile, illegal migration is at record levels in Britain.
The Prime Minister is trying to tackle that.
What advice would you give to the man standing next to you on trying to stop illegal migration in Britain?
And Prime Minister, if I can just ask, the President is all about drill, baby, drill in terms of trying to secure American energy and cut bills for Americans.
Meanwhile, you are turning Britain's back on oil and gas in favor of renewable energies such as wind turbines.
jack ellison
Why do you think that you are right and he is wrong?
unidentified
So we had millions of people flowing in, totally unchecked, totally unvetted from the Biden administration.
25 million, in my opinion, that would be about 25 million.
They came from prisons.
They came from mental institutions.
They were gang members.
They were drug dealers.
They came from the Congo.
They came from all parts of South America.
They came from everywhere.
Think of it.
Prisons from the Congo being released into the United States.
Prisons opened up in Venezuela and many other countries pouring into the United States.
And I couldn't believe it.
And one of the reasons I decided to run.
I decided to run because I don't want to be controversial, but you see what's happened and you see all the information that's come out.
We won in 2020, big.
And I said, let's run.
We've got to run because I saw what was happening.
And the worst thing that I saw was all of these people.
You know, we've already solved inflation.
We've solved prices.
donald j trump
Oil is way down.
unidentified
Energy is way down in the United States.
But what I saw happening with millions of people pouring into our country, I couldn't stand to watch it.
And we've done a great job.
donald j trump
Nobody, if you've seen the last, I appreciate your question, by the way, nobody, absolutely zero.
unidentified
And I'm not even sure that's possible, but it's a very liberal group that come out with those statistics.
The last three months, we had zero from millions of people a year ago.
We had zero people enter our country illegally.
And we do have people coming in legally through a legal process and testing and lots of other things.
I think it's very important and we speak about it.
And I think your situation is very similar.
You know, you have people coming in, and I told the Prime Minister I would stop it.
And it doesn't matter if you call out the military, it doesn't matter what means you use, but it's going to destroy.
It destroys countries from within.
And we're actually now removing a lot of the people that came into our country.
It's a very hard chore.
We were given a very, very bad hand.
donald j trump
Millions of people came in from prisons and mental institutions.
unidentified
We have to remove them.
And we are removing them.
donald j trump
We have no choice.
unidentified
And I feel very strongly about it.
donald j trump
Thank you very much.
unidentified
Jack, let me just deal with the question of returns, because this is obviously an issue we're taking incredibly seriously.
keir starmer
We've struck a number of deals, both on cooperation with other countries, because this is a problem right across Europe, to tackle the problem of actually breaking up the gangs that are running this trade.
unidentified
We have had a record number of returns, over 35,000 now, since we came into office.
That's the highest number for the best part of 10 years.
We struck the returns arrangement with France.
And notwithstanding the challenges to that scheme, which you've seen in the last few days, a flight went off at 6.15 this morning, successfully returning someone under that scheme.
So that is an important step forward.
keir starmer
Obviously, there's no silver bullet here.
unidentified
There's a range of things that need to be done.
But given the challenges of returning people, it is important that we're able to prove it can be done.
It was done.
It was done early this morning.
So I can confirm that that flight went.
It went successfully.
And I'm pleased about that.
Now we need to ramp that up at scale, which was always a scheme, but it's very important that we have been able to prove that the proof of concept, if you write, if you like, that this can be done and we'll continue in that way.
keir starmer
On the question of energy, firstly, let me be really clear that I am absolutely determined to ensure that the price and cost of energy comes down, so that bills come down both for individuals, for families with their household bills, but also for business, because this is so important.
unidentified
The mix will include oil and gas for many years to come from the North Sea.
We've been clear about that for some time.
keir starmer
But we also need to mix that with renewables.
unidentified
And it's the mix that's really important.
And the approach I've taken on this is the same approach that I take to many other things, a pragmatic approach.
Thank you, Jack.
I would like to say that we inherited the worst inflation in the history of our country.
We had inflation, the likes of which we've really never seen.
They say 48 years, and I'll accept that, but I really don't.
We had the worst inflation in the history of our country.
And we had an expression that I used a lot, drill, baby, drill.
And as you know, we brought fuel way down, the prices way down.
And we don't do wind because wind is a disaster.
It's a very expensive joke, frankly.
And we got our energy prices way down.
That brought the inflation way down.
And now we have very little inflation.
And we have a very, very strong economy.
So that was very important.
Drill, baby, drill.
And you have a great asset here, and we spoke about it.
It's called the North Sea.
The North Sea oil is phenomenal.
And I hope, because I love this country.
donald j trump
My mother was born in Scotland and the Hebrides, Stornoway.
unidentified
That's Syria, Scotland.
We were talking about it.
And I want this country to do well.
And you have great assets that you're going to start using, I believe, under this Prime Minister.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And I've got Matthew from The Economist.
Matthew.
Thank you, Prime Minister.
Mr. President, you say that President Putin has let you down.
Have negotiations run out of road?
And what are your next steps to compel an end to this war?
He has let me down.
donald j trump
I mean, he's killing many people, and he's losing more people than he's, you know, than he's killing.
unidentified
I mean, frankly, the Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than the Ukrainian soldiers.
But, yeah, he said, let me down.
I don't like to see it's death.
donald j trump
You know, it doesn't affect the United States.
unidentified
We have, other than unless you end up in a world war over this thing, you could.
This was a thing that would have never happened had I been president.
If I were president, it would have never happened.
And it didn't happen for four years.
donald j trump
People, most people agree.
unidentified
It didn't happen, nor was it close to happening.
donald j trump
And I spoke to President Putin about Ukraine.
unidentified
It was the apple of his eye.
donald j trump
I've said that many times.
unidentified
It was.
But he would have never done what he did, except that he didn't respect the leadership of the United States.
They just went through the Afghanistan total disaster for no reason whatsoever.
We're going to leave Afghanistan, but we're going to leave it with strength and dignity.
And we're going to keep Bagram, the big air base, one of the biggest air bases in the world.
We gave it to him for nothing.
We're trying to get it back, by the way.
Okay, that could be a little breaking news.
donald j trump
We're trying to get it back because they need things from us.
We want that base back.
unidentified
But one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.
So a lot of things are happening, but I am very disappointed in the fact that that one's not settled.
To think that we settled Aber Baijan and Albania as an example.
It was going on for years.
It was never going to be settled.
If you remember, the prime minister, the presidents, they were there for many years.
They said, when they were in my office, we settled.
And they started off at both sides of the Oval Office, so far away.
I didn't know you could be so far away.
And as we were together for an hour, they kept getting closer, closer.
And by the time we finished, we all hugged each other.
And one said, I've been in this position for 22 years, and all I've done is kill their people.
The other was there for seven years, and all he did was kill their people.
And we got it settled.
And we did others, as you know.
donald j trump
Congo, the Congo, we did.
unidentified
We settled the Congo with Rwanda.
That was going on.
And that was a machete war.
That was a gruesome war.
Many people, close to 10 million people killed.
We got that.
So my biggest disappointment, but it's, you know, look, we did seven, and most of them were not thought to be settleable.
We did India, and we did Pakistan.
donald j trump
That's two nuclear.
unidentified
That was purely for trade.
You want to trade with us, you're going to have to get along.
And they were going at it hot and heavy.
But the Russia situation, I hope we're going to have some good news for you coming up.
But again, it doesn't affect the United States.
And he, look, it doesn't so much affect you.
Of course, you are a lot closer to the scene than we are.
donald j trump
We have a whole ocean separating us.
unidentified
But I will say this.
It's millions of people have died in that war, millions of souls.
And they're not American.
The soldiers, mostly soldiers, as you know.
The soldiers are being killed at levels that nobody's seen since the Second World War.
donald j trump
But they're being killed.
unidentified
And I feel I have an obligation to get it settled for that reason.
Thank you.
And just add on that question, because we have to put extra pressure on Putin.
And it's only when the President has put pressure on Putin that he's actually shown any inclination to move.
So we have to ramp that pressure up.
I think it's important to have this conversation in the context of what's happened in recent weeks.
We saw damage and bombing to the British Council in Kiev.
These are targets that it was thought until recently were not targets that would be hit.
The British Council, the European Union Embassy, the Council of Ministers, where President Zelensky's ministers' work was hit.
Again, these were thought to be places that wouldn't be hit.
And then the incursion into Poland last week.
And if you put that together, what you can see is either an emboldenment or at least an increased recklessness on Putin's part.
And that's why I said earlier that they're not the actions of someone who wants peace.
So we have to ramp up.
And we discussed earlier today, we have built the coalition of the willing, with British leadership and French leadership, stepping up with military planning in the seas, in the sky, on the ground, and ramping up what we do with the Ukrainians themselves.
And of course, that, taken with an American guarantee, is now an example, I think, of the challenge of Europe stepping up to the plate, which it has done in the last few months, to show through what we and the French have done that we're prepared to take the lead in this and take the necessary measures.
donald j trump
But that's a war that could have been a third world war, and I don't think we're going to be there now.
unidentified
But that was heading to a third world war.
And what a shame it is.
What a shame it is.
Mr. President, do you want to call some of the few of them?
Bev, do you want to have a question?
I've got to come back.
Thank you.
Having been in DC for a few weeks, it's really interesting to see how you run the country as a proud Christian leader.
And it really begs the question to the Prime Minister, if you don't mind.
we still a christian country but also when you say we are you talking here or here Here.
The UK.
I'm still British.
I might live in America.
I'm still British.
But also.
donald j trump
I'm going to give you that answer.
unidentified
That's for the Prime Minister.
But also, despite what we talked about in Scotland a few weeks ago, we still have 12,000 people a year here being arrested for social media posts for free speech violations.
Does that not remain an important area that there is still a lot of disagreement on?
donald j trump
I'd like to have you answer that.
unidentified
Yeah, look, I mean, in terms of a Christian country, I was christened, so that is my church has been all my life.
And we are, you know, that is wired into our informal constitution.
Of course, we celebrate many other faiths as well, and I'm really proud that we're able to do so as a country.
And on free speech, that has long lived in this country.
keir starmer
Free speech, it's one of the founding values of the United Kingdom, and we protect it jealously and fiercely, and always will.
unidentified
We will bear down on any limits on free speech.
I draw a limit between free speech and the speech of those that want to peddle paedophilia and suicide social media to children.
And therefore, I'm all for free speech.
I'm also for protecting children from things that will harm them, paedophiles, those that peddle suicide, which has had a terrible consequence for individual, particularly teenagers.
And so that's the balance we strike.
keir starmer
But we have had freedom of speech in this country for a very long time, and we will always protect it.
donald j trump
Thank you.
unidentified
Thank you very much, Brian.
Please.
Thank you, Prime Minister.
It's good to see you again.
You have a beautiful country.
Thanks for having us.
Thank you.
I have two questions.
One, just recently, President Trump labelled Antifa domestic terrorists.
Would you consider doing something like that in your country?
Well, we obviously will take decisions for ourselves.
That wants to comment on the decisions of the president, but we take our decisions ourselves.
And my question to you, President Trump, is there any update on the auto pen?
Yeah, she's gotten worse from their standpoint.
The people that used it, and in particular, one person was never told by Biden to do it.
Only spoke to Biden twice, and that was just talking about the weather, not talking about any order.
And he was taking orders from people other than Joe Biden.
Joe Biden wasn't giving those orders.
You know, Joe Biden didn't believe in open borders.
He didn't.
donald j trump
I've known him for a long time.
unidentified
He was never the brightest bulb in the ceiling, as we know.
You can go back 40 years ago and you'll see that.
Go back and take a look at the hearings on Justice Thomas, and you'll see that very much.
But he didn't believe in open borders and all of this nonsense that they're peddling now, which is why they're not in office any longer.
It's a shame.
The auto pen was illegal.
It was illegally used.
donald j trump
He never gave the orders.
unidentified
He never told them what to do.
And I guess the only one he signed, or one of the few he signed, was the pardon for his son.
But you had the congressmen who, when they got the information, they found out they were guilty.
And they deleted and destroyed all information, everything.
You couldn't get any of it.
They found out that Nancy Pelosi actually was offered the 10,000 soldiers and she turned them down.
They found out many things that were very bad.
So they deleted and destroyed all information.
You talk about freedom of the press and freedom of speech.
How about that one?
And there's not a thing.
This is after a year and a half of hearings.
They destroyed everything.
And somebody's got to be held responsible.
donald j trump
So Biden, what he did is they knew, I don't think he knew, but somebody knew.
unidentified
I don't think Biden had a clue about anything, if you want to know the truth.
But they gave a pardon to those congresspeople.
They gave a pardon.
donald j trump
Those people are so guilty.
unidentified
They gave a pardon, but Biden didn't know about it.
donald j trump
The people, whether it's Lisa or any of those people in there that really ran it, I know them all.
unidentified
And they're sick people.
They're smart people.
They're very smart.
They're probably brilliant, but they're sick in ideology.
And they were running the auto pen.
And it was totally illegal what he did.
And I hope it's going to be so adjudged.
keir starmer
Did you want to take one more?
unidentified
Then I'll take some British.
Let's see.
Peter, go ahead.
peter doocy
Thank you, President Trump.
unidentified
In the deal that you're working on for the Chinese to sell TikTok to an American buyer, are the Americans going to have to come up with their own algorithm, or are they going to continue to use the successful but addictive Chinese algorithm?
So what we're doing, and we're speaking to President Xi on Friday to see if we can finalize something on TikTok, because there is tremendous value, and I hate to give away value, but I like TikTok.
It helped get me elected.
donald j trump
In fact, Charlie said, sir, you ought to get on TikTok.
unidentified
You'd be great.
I said, really?
donald j trump
Tell me about TikTok.
unidentified
And, as you know, we did unbelievably well with youth, like at a level that no Republican has ever even dreamt of.
And, you know, look, I think we won it for a lot of reasons, but that was a reason we won the election by such a big number.
TikTok has tremendous value.
The United States has that value in its hand because we're the ones that have to approve it.
I specifically get the right to approve it.
donald j trump
The people that are investing it are among the greatest investors in the world, the biggest, the richest, and they'll do a great job.
unidentified
And we're doing it in conjunction with China.
But we are getting, the United States is getting a tremendous fee plus, I call it a fee plus, for just making the deal.
And I don't want to throw that out the window.
I can say this, that you have a lot of very unhappy youth.
And I use TikTok very legitimately, very straight, just statements every day, little statements, short statements.
donald j trump
Sir, make it short, please.
unidentified
And TikTok Jack, we call him.
He was pretty good.
Did a good job for me, I guess.
But no, I'd rather reap the benefits.
I mean, the kind of money we're talking about is very substantial.
And it'll be owned by all American investors.
And, you know, the best investors and the very rich people and companies are going to be owning it.
Very, very straight, very legitimate countries, companies, and really companies that love America.
So they're going to be owning it.
It's a big thing.
And on a much bigger scale, and probably that's why we were able to get that.
But on a much bigger scale, we're pretty close to a deal.
donald j trump
We may do an extension with China, but it's an extension based on the same terms that we have right now, which are pretty good terms.
unidentified
And my thank you for Prime Minister Starmer.
peter doocy
If you feel so strongly about officially recognizing Palestine for statehood, why are you waiting for President Trump to leave the country?
unidentified
Why can't you just do it right now?
And isn't there a risk in rewarding Hamas with that?
Well, let me be really clear about Hamas.
keir starmer
They're a terrorist organization who can have no part in any future governance in Palestine.
unidentified
And what happened on October the 7th was the worst attack since the Holocaust.
We have extended family in Israel.
I understand firsthand the psychological impact that that had across Israel.
So I know exactly where I stand in relation to Hamas.
Hamas, of course, don't want a two-state solution.
They don't want peace.
They don't want the ceasefire.
I'm very clear where I stand on Hamas.
keir starmer
On the question of recognition, I made my position clear at the end of July as to the timing, which has got nothing to do with this state visit.
unidentified
And I've discussed it with the President, as you would expect amongst two leaders who respect each other and like each other and want to bring about a better solution in the best way that we can.
Thank you so much.
Can I go back then to Robert at ITV?
Robert person, ITV.
Mr. President, you uniquely, you alone in the whole world, have the power to persuade Prime Minister Netanyahu to stop the demolition of Gaza City, to stop the starvation of Palestine, and to stop the killing of civilians.
If not now, when will you exercise that power to tell him to stop?
And then for both of you, I do understand.
It's one of the worst days in the history of humanity.
What happened?
donald j trump
I have seen the tapes.
unidentified
Babies that are four months old and just chopped up to pieces.
You've seen the tapes and I've seen the tapes.
donald j trump
You're a professional and so am I.
unidentified
And people forget about October 7th.
I can't forget about it.
donald j trump
So I want it to end, but I want the hostages back.
unidentified
I don't want the hostages used as human shields, which is what Hamas is threatening to do.
robert peston
But as soon as they're back, that's the moment you will tell Netanyahu.
donald j trump
Well, it would certainly help, but I have to have the hostages back.
unidentified
And I don't want them back piecemeal, as I said before.
I want them back.
And on a separate issue, free speech, your Vice President Vance, said that free speech is under attack in the UK.
Do you agree with him?
Prime Minister, we saw the dismissal of a very well-known chat show host in America last night, Mr. Kimmel.
Is free speech more under attack in Britain or America?
Well, Jamie Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else.
And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk.
donald j trump
And Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person.
unidentified
He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago.
So, you know, you can call that free speech or not.
He was fired for lack of talent.
Please go ahead.
Yeah, I mean, firstly, on the question of Charlie Kirk, can I just express how shocking that is, I think, to everybody who believes in free speech and in democracy.
And it sent shockwaves through the world.
And I know that he was a friend of the President, and I reached out straight away to the President because I understood how impactful it would be on him and his family.
And we all need to be absolutely clear about that.
keir starmer
Whatever our political views, it is shocking and is to be condemned.
unidentified
On free speech, not much to add to the answer I gave earlier.
This country's had free speech for a very, very long time.
It is part of who we are as a country and it is the values that we fought for.
keir starmer
We fought for it during the Second World War alongside each other.
unidentified
So we need no reminding of the importance of free speech in this country.
keir starmer
Thank you, Robert.
unidentified
And I go to Beth for the final question, please.
Beth.
Thank you, Sir.
Thank you, Beth Rigby Sky News.
Thank you, Prime Minister.
If I could start with you.
Prime Minister, President Trump has said he's ready to impose Meso sanctions on Russia if NATO countries stop purchasing Russian oil.
beth rigby
He's got a point, hasn't he?
Is that what you now believe is needed to bring Putin properly to the table?
unidentified
And what's your message to the President on US sanctions?
And, Mr. President, if I may, the King praised your personal commitment last night to finding solutions to the world's most intractable conflicts.
beth rigby
You have invested much of your time and effort in Ukraine.
unidentified
But even as you seek to broker a deal, President Putin is escalating the war.
He's firing drones into NATO airspace.
You say he has let you down.
beth rigby
Was it a mistake to invite him to Alaska?
unidentified
Do you regret it?
And is it time to squeeze him, sir, and scare him and impose sanctions?
And finally, if I may, the elephant in the room, Lord Mandelson, he is no longer the ambassador.
Do you have some sympathy with him that he lost his job over historic links to Geoffrey Epstein?
beth rigby
Thank you very much.
unidentified
I don't know him, actually.
I had heard that, and I think maybe the Prime Minister would be better speaking over that.
That was a choice that he made, and I don't know.
What is your answer to that?
Well, I mean, it's very straightforward.
Some information came to light last week which wasn't available when he was appointed, and I made a decision about it, and that's very clear.
On the question of the pressure on Putin and on Russia, which is obviously really important, look, I think it is a challenge to Europe.
There are a number of European countries which are too reliant on energy from Russia.
The UK actually obviously has almost got nothing at all, but we do need to bear down and work with our European counterparts here.
There are one or two countries, I think, that do need to look again at the question of energy.
There's no one silver bullet here.
keir starmer
We do have to have a wider suite of sanctions, which we've put in place a number of times, working across Europe and with the United States.
unidentified
And of course, we must, and we are making sure that Ukraine is in the strongest position now, because one of my long concerns here has been that whilst we talk about a ceasefire, and we all want a ceasefire, and we talk about what might happen after a ceasefire, we mustn't forget that Ukraine needs our support now.
We've said we stand with Ukraine from the start to finish, and that means we must continue to supply them with what they need in order to fight this war, which, of course, resulted from and is a result of Russian aggression.
We have particularly done the sort of leadership role in the coalition of the willing, so that if there is a ceasefire, and if there is a deal, and I do hope there is, that is then lasting and not then broken.
Because given previous history, I don't trust Putin.
Thank you.
donald j trump
Very simply, if the price of oil comes down, Putin's going to drop out.
unidentified
He's going to have no choice.
He's going to drop out of that war.
And when I found out that the European nations were buying oil from Russia, and as you know, I'm very close to India.
I'm very close to the Prime Minister of India.
I spoke to him the other day, wished him a happy birthday.
We have a very good relationship.
He had had a beautiful statement, too.
We have, but I said, you know, I sanctioned them.
China is paying a very large tariff right now to the United States, but I'm willing to do other things, but not when the people that I'm fighting for are buying oil from Russia.
If the oil price comes down, very simply, Russia will settle.
And the oil price is way down.
You know, we got it way down.
donald j trump
We're drilling and we produce more oil than anybody else in the world.
unidentified
We're doing a lot.
But I was disappointed to see that.
And the Prime Minister was disappointed to see that.
And it wasn't him, it was other countries.
And you can't do that.
You can't do that.
donald j trump
You can't.
unidentified
That's not playing fair with the United States.
And we can't have that.
donald j trump
Thank you.
keir starmer
Thank you very much indeed.
unidentified
Thank you.
Thank you, thank you.
Checkers, a almost one hour press conference.
We've still got Dr. Peter Navarra.
Let's go to Dr. Navarre.
First off, we don't have Dr. Navarra.
He left where it is 11 o'clock.
Okay.
Right there, you saw President Trump on a wide range of topics.
I think one of the most controversial, obviously, is this huge deal for the power artificial intelligence.
Does it have restrictions?
steve bannon
Is it tied to any restrictions on free speech?
unidentified
I thought Starmer's answers to the question were pretty weak.
Of course, people know I'm not a Starmer fan.
This was, I think, considered, and particularly in the United Kingdom, as President Trump doing a solid for Starmer, this deal.
And you had some of the top business guys in the world there.
The typical names Larry Fink went over for this business meeting.
Steve Schwartzman was there.
Larry Fink was there.
steve bannon
There was just a host of folks, of business folks there.
unidentified
Tim Apple was there.
So a whole host of folks to back this up.
You have this huge nuclear power deal, plus other deals, but it's driven by artificial intelligence.
We're going to get some experts on AI, really people that are, I think, what you call them decelerationists, right?
steve bannon
Decelerationists will join us here in a moment on this new book, If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Will Die, which is kind of a gripping title.
unidentified
Let's just hit a reset.
A great question in there about Antifa being designated as a terrorist organization.
Of course, Antifa's roots are in Germany and in Italy.
They got French, Low Countries, et cetera, operations in England.
Starmer completely passed on that, but the designation of Antifa gets to the bottom of all of it.
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