President-elect Trump held a wide-ranging press conference at Mar-a-Lago today, seen as the first such event since his election. He introduced the president of SoftBank, a major Japanese investor who was visiting him and is prepared to make a big investment in the U.S. Trump spoke of seeing 100,000 new jobs from the investment.
Trump reiterated his strong opposition to the insane decision to begin bombing Russia, especially just weeks before he was to assume the presidency. “Why would they not ask me what I thought?” Trump said. “I wouldn’t have had them do that.” He came back several times to the need to stop the war in Ukraine, noting the complete destruction, saying he saw pictures with the bodies piled up on top of each other, similar to what could be seen in pictures from our own Civil War. He also admitted that it would not be easy, but that stopping the war had to be done.
Trump was asked about the invitation he had extended to Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration and whether he thought Xi would attend. He said he didn’t know and hadn’t received word one way or another. He used the opportunity, however, to underline the close relationship he had had with the Chinese President, which he reported, ended after the outbreak of COVID. Trump said that he held Xi in high regard and said that they had spent several hours together in the very room where the press was now gathered. “He’s an amazing guy,” Trump said. “I know the press doesn’t like it when I say it, but he is an amazing person.” He said that he had been in touch with Xi, primarily through an exchange of letters. Further, Trump said that, “China and the U.S. together can solve all the problems of the world.”
