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White House Press Pool Reports @WHPressPool - Travel pool note #18 // Bilat wrapped
Trump starts off with warm remarks about al-Sharaa: "He's done a really fantastic job as president, he's unified the country in a very short period of time. I'd say like a year and a half, about a year and a half, and right from the beginning it was a real mess, very disjointed place, and he's brought it together. He's a strong person, he's a great leader, he's respected by everybody, including me, and we're proud to have him together. We're just here to talk a little bit. We released sanctions from the country, which I think was a big boost. The sanctions was a very important thing, and we're proud of the job he's doing. Syria has become a very stable. I mean, it's amazing. In a short period of time, it's really been stabilized, and we're proud of that. And to be part of the Middle East, Syria had one of the great cultures, the professors and lawyers and doctors, it had one of the great cultures of any country, not just Middle East."
On removing Syria from the state sponsor of terrorism list: "Any problems with that?" he said, turning to Rubio and his team. "I think we should. Yeah."
On Syria helping with Hezbollah in Lebanon: "They could help. We'll find out. I think we're making a lot of progress."
POTUS doesn't really address Netanyahu's concerns about Erdogan / F-35s: "Look, Turkey has been fantastic, and a fantastic ally. They're also a NATO country, and Israel - we've done no president's done as much for Israel as I have."
POTUS on oil prices, suggested he might "do some other things" that would "lift it a little bit .. but I don't think it's going to lift it a lot at all. I think oil is coming down, just tremendous amounts of oil."
POTUS, asked whether ending trade with Spain would mean renegotiating a trade deal with the European Union: "We're going to see what happens with the EU."
POTUS on oil prices being up today: "Anytime we hit them, it goes up a little bit. $2." I asked if that's what he meant when he said we might see oil prices lift a little: "It's down from, let's say, $135 down to $69 dropping, and everything else drops as oil goes, so goes everything else."
That's a wrap at 5:36 p.m. Pool is moving and next up should be the presser.
Megan Messerly
POLITICO
Wed. Jul. 8, 5:37 PM
https://x.com/WHPressPool/status/2074868354104410303

White House Press Pool Reports @WHPressPool - Travel pool note #19 // Pool waiting at presser
The pool has arrived as of 5:47 p.m. in the auditorium where POTUS will hold a press conference. The room is absolutely packed, with journalists sitting on stairs and in the aisles.