Remarks transcript, Sep 9, 2026 (Donald Trump)

Hello, everybody. So they're checking the slide over here, and I think it's going to take 15 minutes. They were doing a check on the slide—you know?—on the emergency. So I think it takes about 15 minutes.

So we're heading over to Dallas. I think we're going to have a tremendous crowd tonight. Sold out. Looks very big. Looks very exciting. And we're going to explain what we've done. We've done things that have never been done in a first term or the second term, frankly, of a President.

The economy is very strong. The investment in our country is the biggest in the history of any country, not just our country. We have factories being built all over the world right now, and it's very exciting to see.

Mr. President, do you know why they're checking the slide? Is there a security concern with the plane?

No, they were checking it before, and they just wanted to make sure. So they've—I guess they've already put it up. They want to make sure everything works perfectly.

And, Mr. President, you've been saying for weeks that oil and gas prices are going to come down. Oil is now——

They will.

——back above $100 a barrel.

Yes.

How do you explain this to Americans who are wondering when prices are going to come down?

Well, I think it's very easy to explain to America. All you have to do is say, "Will you let Iran have a nuclear weapon?" And the answer is no.

And they're doing very poorly. Their country is in shambles right now. They are, as you probably have seen the numbers, 300-percent inflation. Their money is valueless. They're not paying their soldiers. We control the Strait and lots of other things.

So, for a little while, I would say this: Shortly, but right after the election—because they'd like to have it that way—but right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward. They're going to be tumbling down, and we'll get them down. I think, for gasoline, we'll get them below $2 a gallon.

But not until after the midterms?

I think it's going to take a little bit longer than the midterms, yes.

And, Mr. President, several Republicans in competitive races are not coming to the convention. Do you understand why they're deciding not to come?

Everybody that's come—everybody is coming to the convention. Everybody wants to come, but we only want—and the people that are coming—by the way, we're going to be sold out tonight, just so you understand.

Who are you with?

ABC News, sir.

ABC fake news. One of the worst—you are the worst of all, in my opinion.

Mr. President——

And the reason that some people are not coming is because we don't have room for 500 politicians. We have room for the ones that have a close race, if they're slightly behind or slightly ahead or tied. But we don't have rooms for people that are 35 points up and don't need to be there. We said, "Stay back and campaign." Every politician that we've wanted to be there is there.

Go ahead.

Mr. President, are you sure this plane is safe to fly?

Yes, I am. [ Laughter ] I am. Or I wouldn't be on it.

What do you want?

Mr. President, can you tell us about your conversation with President Putin?

We had a great conversation. He is wanting to make a deal. And if Zelenskyy is wanting to make a deal, that will be very nice.

What is the holdup?

The holdup is two people that hate each other.

What gives you confidence that——

I think more than anything else, it's two people that hate each other.

But what has changed that gives you confidence that there's progress?

I think that—because I speak to people. That's all I do is speak to people. My whole life, I know about deals. And these are two people that are tired of fighting.

Are you going to try to set up a trilateral meeting?

It could happen.

When——

We had a good conversation. It could happen.

When could that happen? When could that happen?

Too many people are dying in that war. Twenty-five thousand last month.

Mr. President, would you pardon Michael Cohen?

I haven't even been—I've never been asked that question.

You mentioned recently that he had recanted his testimony.

Well, he did. He recanted. He said it was a very—it was illegal, what they did. What they put him through was incredible, you want to know the truth.

Nobody's asked me about a pardon, but——

Would you consider it?

——what they put——

Well, if he's—if everything is checking out, it's something I would consider, yes.

Mr. President——

I mean, what they did to Michael Cohen was a disgrace. They forced him to say things that he didn't want to say and that he didn't believe, and I appreciate that at least he came out—although late, he came out and rectified the situation.

Mr. President, what do Republicans need to be doing that they aren't currently doing to win midterms?

Just keep fighting and just keep explaining how well we're doing as a country. We're doing better now as a country than we've ever done before.

Yes.

Mr.—Britain, France, and Canada have imposed sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. What's your reaction to that? Is the U.S. opposed to it or neutral or what?

Well, I've just seen it, and I'll be speaking to Israel. I'll be speaking to them, and I'll find out what they—what's their thinking.

I understand. You know, I understand exactly what's going on, but I want to find out why, all of a sudden, does that happen.

We're seeing a lot of attacks around the Strait of Hormuz between the United States and Iran. Is the war——

Well, the attacks are—the attacks are made by us. We've knocked out nine of their ships. I would say that the attacks are caused by us. Yes.

And is it—is it——

And you're going to see—you're going to see a lot more.

We've taken out about nine of their tankers. Many of them are gone-zo.

What's going—what's it going to take to stop?

We're going to find out.

Oh, I think the war is going to end immediately after the election.

Why?

I think the war will end immediately after the election.

Because?

Because they can't hold out any longer. They're desperate to try and affect the election so that we can get a nice weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon. All they want is a nuclear weapon. And if they had a nuclear weapon, the whole world is in deep trouble.

Do you expect any talks with Iran to continue?

Are you still hoping for a nuclear deal? Secretary Wright said a nuclear deal might not be on the table anymore.

No, I'm——

Is that true?

I'm doing much more than a nuclear deal. There's a lot more than nuclear. We're going to have nuclear—that's 99.9. But there's going to be a lot of other things on the table that wouldn't have been on the table 3 months ago.

What about negotiations with Iran? Do you expect that to restart at some point?

We're not looking for it, to be honest with you, Jeff [Jeff Mason, Bloomberg News]. Originally, I wanted to make a deal. We're so far down the line. They have very little country left right now. So we're not looking for it.

Yes, a negotiation could possibly happen, but it's not something we're looking at. This war will end immediately after our election.

Thank you very much.