23 posts from Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Thank you to Speaker Johnson and thank you to all of the members of Congress who are here, quite a few, most of which are Irish, most of whom are Irish. And we welcome Tishook, and I love the name because, uh, Mihal. But it's Michael. I said, "How many people call you Michael?" It's exactly Michael. I said, he said, "About 50 percent." I said, "Do you get upset when they do?" He said, "No. You, Mihal," because that's the way it is. Martin, who has really been terrific, I've been with him quite a bit. I've spoken to him quite a bit, and we're going to have no problems. And his wife, Mary, we welcome you to America, fantastic people. And it's really a wonderful annual tradition, being here. We're also grateful to be joined by Irish Ambassador to the United States, Geraldine Byrne-Nason - where's Geraldine? Hi, Geraldine, thank you very much - and the entire Irish delegation. And I know we're a little bit - everybody's a little bit late today, but that's okay, because we're celebrating the Irish, and I think it's okay, we're a little bit late. I also want to congratulate a friend of mine, Ed Walsh. He's a great golfer. He's a championship golfer, actually. Not quite as good as Rory, but that's okay. He's right - he's right up here, and he's won many, many club championships, many club championships, and he's one of the best golfers you'll ever see. And congratulations, boy, you're going to have fun over there. He's going to be the ambassador to Ireland, so congratulations, Ed. Well, maybe it is thanks to me, but you're going to have a good time, and you're going to represent us well. He can do most of his business in the golf course, too. That's a nice - he's got the best job of anybody. And I really appreciate so many of my friends being here. So many great friends here. This afternoon, we're gathered to celebrate the deep and abiding ties of history, family, and friendship that bind together Ireland and the United States of America. The Irish American patriots have been part of our national history and our country's earliest days - amazing history they have with our country. Irish Americans fought heroically in our war for independence, served with honor in the crucible of the Civil War, and won fame and valor among Theodore Roosevelt's famous Rough Riders. They were rough riders. By some estimates, more than 2,000 Irish American warriors have earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. This is an amazing statistic, because who would ever think that's even possible? It's more than 50 percent of the medals of honor were won by the Irish - I'm going to have to check that. That sounds like - that's like - that's an awfully good statistic. We're going to have to check what's going on over there, huh? But that's an amazing statistic, actually, 50 percent. This includes the great Audie Murphy, the most decorated, enlisted soldier in American history whose service in the Second World War earned a Medal of Honor, two silver stars, a broad star, three purple hearts, and the Legion of Merit - quite a person - became a movie actor. The movie actor stuff wasn't quite as good as the soldier that he did, but he was great. He became a very famous person, actually. America has truly been blessed by the courage and unstoppable spirit of the Irish. Over the generations, Americans of Irish ancestry have helped build our railroads and raise our cities and man our factories, enrich our culture with art and music and literature - we see that all over - and protect our communities by joining the proud tradition of Irish-American police officers and firefighters. A few have done more for the Stars and Stripes than the sons and daughters of the Emerald Isle. And I can tell you, I know your father was a great boxer, and they have a lot of good fighters. There are so many Irish fighters they like to fight, and they're damn good at it, too. But your father - his father was a great fighter, actually. So that means genetically I'm not going to mess around with you. You understand. I'm a believer in that. But as you know, on Monday, millions of Americans will celebrate St. Patrick's Day. We love St. Patrick's Day. Maybe especially in New York. Hundreds of thousands of citizens decked in Irish Queen will parade through the streets of Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and of course New York, a site that I've witnessed many, many times. In Manhattan, the people will stream up Fifth Avenue and march past the magnificent - I see it so much, and I love it - especially when you're looking down upon St. Patrick's Cathedral, because it's to me one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. And it's a monument not only to God, but also to the Patriot Saint of Ireland, Patriot Saint. It's really an extraordinary testament to the connection between our two countries that after more than 1,500 years, the shining legacy of St. Patrick still rouses city blocks half the world away. Think of that. And fills our people with incredible love and pride. We have a lot of pride in that cathedral. That cathedral is something to me so beautiful. I think maybe my favorite - they have larger, you know? It's very large, but they have larger. But I think it's truly one of the most beautiful. The Irish spirit is truly alive and thriving in America, and as we see today, the friendship between our nations is strong, and it's really unbreakable, and that includes all of you, you know? It's all of you. We love you all. So Tishook, I want to just thank you once again for being here. It's an honor, and hopefully we're going to be doing this at least three more times, okay? We're going to be doing this three more times at least, and when I say at least, they go absolutely crazy. So thank you very much for being here, Mary. Thank you very much for being here. It's a great honor. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, everybody. Thank you.

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-Trump went car shopping today. -Hello, President Trump. Are you looking to buy your lease today? -Well, I'm gonna buy, and I'm gonna buy because number one is a great product, as good as it gets. Now, here's the bad news. I'm not allowed to drive because I haven't driven a car in a long time, and I love to drive cars, but I'm gonna have it at the White House, and I'm gonna let my staff use it. I'm gonna let people at the place use it, and they all are all excited about that. I'm not allowed to use it. Can you believe it? Watch out, ladies. If you see a Tesla whipping around D.C. next week, it might be Stephen Miller. And Trump just laid his eyes on a red one. Should I get in? -Get in. -Okay. -Have you ever -- -Let me get in this second. -Do you want one of these of a Tesla? -You want my notes? -Yeah. -They gave me notes, so I'm not biting. I don't need notes. I'll watch Secret Service go crazy. -How many of you actually drove it around there? It would really be well. -Wow, that's beautiful. Wow. -Thank you. -That's beautiful. This is a different panel than I've had. Everything's computer. You don't want me to drive it, do you? This is really amazing. Think Biden could get into that car? -Binder used to say, "Why would Biden buy an EV? Presidents don't drive." Well, Trump doesn't drive either, and he just paid sticker price for one. He should have haggled whatever happened to the art of the deal. -The Democrats saw Trump buy a Tesla on the White House lawn and said the car's ugly, and it's the most corrupt administration in American history. Democrats are mad that Trump's promoting EVs. It's what Biden did for four years. -Mr. President. -This sucker, quick. -How does it compare to the Corvette? -Press, press, press, press, please. -Biden gave billions to Detroit to build EVs and then gave Americans $8,000 in rebates to buy one. But he didn't buy one. He said he liked his Corvette better because of the way the engine purred. The only reason 47's buying a Tesla is because Democrats are firebombing them. -Now, that's beautiful. -Yeah. -Mr. President, he talks about some of the violence that's been going on around the country at dealerships. Some say they should be labeled domestic terrorists. -I will do that. I'll do it. I'm gonna stop them. We catch anybody doing it because they're harming a great American company. When you heard an American company, especially a company like this, supplies so many jobs that others are unable to do. When you do that, those people are gonna go through a big problem when we catch them. Let me tell you, you do it to Tesla and you do it to any company. We're gonna catch you, and you're gonna go through hell. Liberals said EVs were gonna save the planet. Now they're lighting them on fire. I can't even keep up with these people. Any American company that comes under attack by domestic terrorists, the president, whoever it is, should buy the product. If liberals were vandalizing Pizza Hut, the president has to get some deep-dish delivery. Teslas are made in America. They don't make them in Mexico. That's the whole point of Trump's trade agenda. Made in America by Americans. Create jobs and boost wages. -What is your message, President Trump, buying a new car while there are some folks who will see this clip at home and they are struggling with their retirement accounts down at the moment, uncertainty about work ahead? -Well, I think they're gonna do great. I think our country had to do this. We had to go and do this. They've taken away other countries. They've taken away our business. They've taken away our jobs. This economy, in my opinion, is gonna blow it away. But what I have to do is I have to get the workers back. I have to get the factories open. We gave it away. Presidents, before me, gave it away. And I can name every one of them. But they gave it away, and we're taking it back. -Globalization benefited multinational corporations, kept the stock market high, kept prices low. But it decimated around 100,000 American factories and sent 5 million manufacturing jobs overseas. That's why we call it the Rust Belt. Working-class, middle American towns collapsed. When the jobs left, families fell apart. The birth rate dropped, and the drugs took over. -For ages, hot molten steel has been the lifeblood of Johnstown, vigorously pumping dollars and jobs through the city's veins. But now the pulse of the community is in cardiac arrest. Bethlehem officials aren't making any more comments than what's contained in this press release. They're sorry, but it's simply not cost-effective to run the mill any longer. -It does hurt, and there's a dramatic spin-off that's gonna come from that. And there's gonna be a lot of problems that have to be solved. -In part, Bethlehem cites fierce foreign competition and the national economy for their demise. For some Bethlehem employees, it's hard to look past the shocking news. -I'm gonna go, "Don't rely on a corporation that don't want you," in a sense. And they don't care, you know? You're only in number. -American industry got hollowed out. We stopped building ships, automobiles, even medicine. And it crushed our dignity. It wounded the fabric of American life. This trade war is really a war for American independence. -President Trump will not repeat the trend of past American presidents who broke their promises to the American public and smiled while they stuck a knife in the back of American workers and shipped their jobs overseas. -Trump was elected in 2016 to save the working men and women of this country, and he got off to a great start, and then COVID hit. And we realized how vulnerable we are, relying on China for everything. Foreign supply chains in critical industries are a national security threat, and the Golden Age isn't gonna happen if American companies don't come home. What's the Democrats' plan to do that? They don't have one. What's the Democrats' plan to lower foreign tariffs? They don't have one. The stock market was good under Biden because Joe never did anything, and the market liked certainty. And the market was certain Joe was asleep. No news, no new action. It was predictable. Wall Street did great. But how'd the American worker do? They got hammered by inflation and illegal immigration, and Trump was elected to correctness, and that's what he's doing. The tariffs are unpredictable, and the market hates that. They have to plan ahead, and they can't move factories back here like that. That takes time and money. And Wall Street has plenty of money, but the American worker doesn't have the time. And Canada especially has gotten a free ride for far too long. Trump's been trying to make them an offer they can't refuse. Quote, "The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished 51st state. This would make all tariffs and everything else totally disappear." Yesterday, our neighbors to the north decided they wanted to do things the hard way. They slapped a 25% tariff on electricity coming into the country, which would jack up utility prices in New York, Michigan, Minnesota. Trump hit back this morning, announcing he was doubling the tariffs on Canadian steel from 25% to 50%. The Canadians didn't like that, and they fired the first official shot of the American-Canadian war. -Let me be clear. I will not hesitate to increase this charge. If necessary, if the United States escalates, I will not hesitate to shut the electricity off completely. -That's an act of war. That's like a utility company telling the army base next door they're gonna shut their power off, the army base that protects them and everybody else in town. Trump couldn't believe it. He declared a national emergency on electricity. Quote, "Can you imagine Canada stooping so low as to use electricity that so affects the life of innocent people as a bargaining chip and threat? They will pay a financial price for this so big that it will be read about in history books for many years to come." The Canadians immediately called the White House and backed down. -As you know, there's a very strong man in Canada who said he was gonna charge a surcharge or a tariff on electricity coming into our country. He has called, and he said he's not gonna do that. Okay, not gonna do that. And it would have been a very bad thing if he did, and he's not gonna do that, so I respect that. -Can you believe the nerve of Canada trying to pull our plug over a steel tariff, which is just a tactic Trump's using to renegotiate the USMCA that comes up for review next year? -It's directed at Canada because you look at Toyota. Toyota builds the RAV4 and some Lexus models up in Canada. Look, the RAV4 is wildly popular, one of the most popular vehicles sold here in the United States. So, you know, what this is, this is the Trump administration saying to Canada, "You think you have these plants? Think again. We want them down here." -The media won't tell you this, but major companies are pouring back into this country -- Honda, Hyundai, Volvo, LG, Samsung, Stellanis, Volkswagen, the list goes on. American Steel loves what Trump's doing, and so do the Teamsters, who didn't endorse Kamala Harris. -It's almost comical if it didn't have an economic effect. It's like, you know, he puts the tariff in, he puts the tariff out, he puts the tariff in, he puts the tariff out, then he does the hokey-pokey, and he turns us all around. -We're in a world of hurt. No matter what Donald Trump tells you, because he's nervous, he's scared, he's doing these interviews because he's trying to change the narrative, such negative news, we're in a recession. We are in a dictatorship, but we're in a recession. -It's going to be worse in the next couple days and worse after that because he has started a trade war that we're going to lose, and it's unbelievable that people believe in it. A dictator triggered a recession by starting a trade war he's going to lose. That's the media's patriotic message. Well, I guess we should just go back to Bidenomics, where life was so affordable. Foreigners never invaded our country and stole our jobs in factories. The Treasury Secretary, Scott Besant, says the economy needs to detox from Bidenomics. -The thing is that the markets aren't taken into account, my view, and I think this is pretty much backed up by everybody I'm speaking to, is that there's some goodies coming, right? Lower taxes, less regulation, less fentanyl in this country because we closed the borders, which is going to be good for the economy, less immigration, which means you don't have illegal immigrants clouding our healthcare system. All this is happening right now, and it's not being factored into the market. So I would just say this. If you're looking at this sort of broadly, this is a puke. It needs to get some of this out of our system. Now, if you're retiring now, first of all, congratulations, you've experienced the greatest market run in civilization. Look at this chart from the '80s. If you put $100,000 in the market in 1980, didn't touch it, didn't even add to it, you'd retire today with $7 million. No one likes to lose money, but the Dow's basically flat since the election. I know, it's been about four months. It seems like longer. And Trump's not running for reelection, so he's doing the tough stuff that no other politician would ever do. Fight trade wars, buck Wall Street, cut spending. Because it's in the long-term interest of the American people. -Mr. President, your comments the other day not ruling out a potential recession seem to rattle the stock market. The Commerce Secretary said it wouldn't be won. -Just so you know. -Just specifically, on the recession, do you think there will be a recession? -I don't see it at all. I think this country's gonna boom. But as I said, I can do it the easy way or the hard way. The hard way to do it is exactly what I'm doing, but the results are gonna be 20 times greater. And remember, Trump is always right. -And what do you say to him? -If you look at what I've said over the last 10 years, Trump has been right all the time. This is the way to do it.

Transcribed automatically. Expect errors in names and numbers.