Trump discusses drones, the pardon of Eric Adams, and TikTok’s election-boosting influence

Trump discusses drones, the pardon of Eric Adams, and TikTok's election-boosting influence

President-elect Donald Trump said Monday that the Biden administration knows more about the drones that have raised concerns in parts of the country than it is disclosing to the public.

“They understand where it came from and where it went. And for some reason, they refuse to comment. And I believe they would be better off saying what it is. Our military knows, as does our president. “And for some reason, they want to keep people guessing,” Trump stated.

Trump answered questions for over an hour on a variety of topics. He began his remarks by announcing that SoftBank will invest $100 billion in the United States, creating 100,000 jobs focused on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

According to a person familiar with the situation, SoftBank intends to complete the work before Trump leaves office in 2029.

TikTok and election results

When asked about a potential TikTok ban unless it finds new ownership, Trump said he has “a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” because it helped him win a larger share of the youth vote than he did in 2016.

A federal appeals court last week denied TikTok’s request to halt the pending ban and postpone the Jan. 19 deadline for a sale.

“TikTok had an impact,” Trump claimed. “So, we’re looking into it.” I’m not sure why, but we ended up finishing; one poll showed us down about 30. We were 35 or 36 points ahead with young people. So I have a little warm spot in my heart.

Considering a pardon for Eric Adams

Trump also said he would “take a look” at pardoning New York Mayor Eric Adams, who faced bribery charges in September.

“I think he was treated pretty unfairly,” Trump said, implying that the charges were retaliation for Adams speaking out against the influx of migrants into the country.

“It’s quite intriguing that he essentially contradicted the current situation with the influx of migrants,” the president stated. “And, you know, he said some pretty strong things, like, ‘This is not sustainable.'” I asked, ‘You know what? He will be indicted soon.

I said it. That is a prediction, albeit a little lighthearted, but I made it. I predicted that he would face charges. An indictment followed a few months later. So I would definitely look into it.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and vaccines

Following reports last week that the personal attorney for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, had previously lobbied the Food and Drug Administration to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, the president-elect stated that he is a “big believer in the polio vaccine.”

“You will not lose the polio vaccine. “That won’t happen,” he said. “I witnessed what happened with the polio.” It had a profound impact on my friends. I have friends from many years ago, and they’re obviously still not in good shape as a result.”

Trump’s choice of Kennedy, a known anti-vaccine crusader, to lead HHS has raised concerns about the impact his activism will have on the agency’s mission. Trump said Monday that those concerns are unfounded.

“I think you’ll find Bobby to be much more rational. “I found him to be very rational,” Trump stated.

“But we’re going to look into finding out why the autism rate is so much higher than it was 20, 25, or 30 years ago,” he told me. “It’s more than a hundred times higher,” he said. There is something wrong. And we’ll try to find that.”

Ending the war in Ukraine

When asked if Ukraine should cede territory to Russia to end the war, Trump did not give a straight answer, instead saying the cities are a “demolition site” and there is “nothing there” for Ukrainians.

“But when you look at what’s happened to that territory, there are cities where no buildings remain.” It is a demolition site. There is no building standing. People cannot return to those cities. There is nothing there. “It is just rubble,” Trump said, implying that there is no reason for Ukraine to keep the land.

Auctioning off the border wall

While calling the transition from the Biden administration to his new one “friendly,” Trump demanded a policy change on the wall, claiming the White House was attempting to auction off border wall material.

“That has nothing to do with a smooth transition; that has to do with people really trying to stop our nation, and all it means is that we’re going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more, not even talking about the time,” said Mr. Obama.

Trump declared, “It’s almost a criminal act,” lamenting the sale of border wall materials for “5 cents on the dollar.”

Deadline for Hamas to release hostages

Trump reiterated his demand for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and others in the Middle East by Inauguration Day during his conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We discussed what is going to happen, and I’ll be very available on January 20th,” he informed me. “And we shall see. As you are aware, I have issued a warning that chaos will ensue if these hostages do not return home by that date.

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