Donald Trump on Tuesday met with staff and reporters from The New York Times to discuss a broad range of topics including white supremacists, Steve Bannon, climate change, conflicts of interest, the Clintons, the media’s coverage of him and more.
Big turnout for the president-elect's visit to The New York Times mothership. His arrival's expected within minutes. pic.twitter.com/Qa2ku67ycx
— Ashley Southall (@AshleyAtTimes) November 22, 2016
Trump was originally scheduled to meet with the Times earlier in the day. But after reports of Trump flying off the handle at an off-the-record meeting with network news anchors and execs leaked, and after incoming WH Chief of Staff Reince Priebus lobbied to cancel the meeting with the Times, Trump took to Twitter to do just that and also accuse the Grey Lady of changing the terms of their meeting at the last minute–something the NYT ardently denies.
I cancelled today's meeting with the failing @nytimes when the terms and conditions of the meeting were changed at the last moment. Not nice
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2016
Shortly thereafter, the meeting was rescheduled, per the NYT:
“Mr. Trump’s staff has told us that the president-elect’s meeting with The Times is on again,’’ the paper said in a statement. “He will meet with our publisher off the record and that session will be followed by an on-the-record meeting with our journalists and editorial columnists.’’
Here is a list of those who were in attendance at the meeting.
The attendees at today’s meeting between the President-elect and The New York Times. pic.twitter.com/8kPqRp3AVE
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016
The president-elect’s meeting at the NYT wrapped after 75 minutes. Trump was in sales mode — joking, solicitous. Certainly evasive at times.
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016
Below, read Twitter updates from the meeting via Maggie Haberman and Mike Grynbaum at the Times.
On white supremacists supporting him:
Trump on alt-right supporters: "It's not a group I want to energize. And if they are energized I want to look into it and find out why."
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
Trump gets asked again about the alt-right conference. 'Boy you are really into" this issue, Trump replies. Then disavows again.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
Will the President-elect condemn Richard Spencer’s alt-right gathering? “I condemn them. I disavow, and I condemn,” says Trump.
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016
On the electoral college:
"We had a great victory," Trump says. "I'll see every once in awhile someone says, 'Well, the popular vote.'"
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
Adds: "Until now." Also says Electoral College "gets you out to" see states you wouldn't otherwise.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
Without EC "You wouldn't leave New York," Trump says.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
On prosecuting Hillary Clinton for alleged crimes having either to do with her use of a private email server or alleged wrongdoing at the Clinton Foundation:
Trump is pressed if he has definitively ruled out prosecuting Hillary Clinton. “It’s just not something that I feel very strongly about."
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016
“I don’t want to hurt the Clintons, I really don’t. She went through a lot and suffered greatly in many different ways."
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016
Says he wants to move on and move forward. "I'm not looking to go back and go through this," Trump says.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
Trump on disappointing his supporters re Clinton: "I don't think they will be disappointed…" 1/2
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
2/2 "I think I will explain it that we in many ways will save our country."
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
"I think it would be very very divisive for the country," Trump says about prosecuting the Clintons.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
On climate change:
Tom Friedman asks if Trump will withdraw from climate change accords. Trump: “I’m looking at it very closely. I have an open mind to it."
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016
Does Trump think human activity is linked to climate change? “I think there is some connectivity. Some, something. It depends on how much."
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016
On climate change, Trump says he is also thinking about "how much it will cost our companies” & the effect on American competitiveness.
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016
On white supremacist Steve Bannon:
On Bannon:"If I thought he was a racist or alt-right or any of the things, the terms we could use, I wouldn't even think about hiring him."
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
Trump on Bannon: "I think it's very hard on him. I think he's having a hard time with it. Because it's not him."
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
Trump: "Breitbart is just a publication."
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
Trump is asked about concerns from minority groups about Breitbart News’s coverage under Steve Bannon. His reply: pic.twitter.com/FBqCGwQpBr
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016
"A lot of people are coming to his defense right now," Trump says of Bannon. Reince voices support too at conference table.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
On his business and conflicts of interest now that he will become president:
Trump on his businesses/conflict q's: "The law's totally on my side, the president can't have a conflict of interest."
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
"My company's so unimportant to me relative to what I'm doing." Trump.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
Trump acknowledges the DC hotel he owns is "probably a more valuable asset than it was before." Says the brand is "hotter."
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
"I don't care about anything having anything to do" with something other than the U.S., Trump says. "I don't want to influence anything."
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
"In theory I could run my business perfectly and then run the country perfectly. There's never been a case like this,"he says of his tangles
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
"I'd assumed that you'd have to set up some type of trust or whatever and you don't," Trump says.But he adds "I would like to do something."
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
What about selling your company? “That’s a really hard thing to do, because I have real estate."
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016
Conflicts of interest? Trump says: “If it were up to some people, I would never, ever see my daughter Ivanka again."
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016
On meeting President Obama:
"I had a great meeting with President Obama," Trump says, says he never met him before. "I really liked him a lot."
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
"He said very nice things after the meeting and I saidvery nice things about him," Trump says of Obama.Says he didn't know if he'd like him.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
"I think he's looking to do absolutely the right thing for the country in terms of transition," Trump says of Obama.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
'He did tell me what he thought were the biggest problems, in particular one problem," Trump says. Won't say what that was.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
On freedom of the press:
Trump gets asked about his commitment to first amendment, says, "I think you'll be happy."
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
