President Trump Doubled Down on ‘Why Don’t They Go Back’ Remarks: Read the Transcript

Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Okay. Do you have any questions on how well our manufacturing business is doing, press? The press–well, that’s a lot of press. Look.

QUESTION:

Who were you talking about in your tweet about going back to their home (INAUDIBLE)?

TRUMP:

Well I don’t mention–I didn’t mention names and I didn’t do that but I will tell you with our country and I think everybody in this audience these are great manufacturers, great workers in our audience two, they brought a lot of their workers here if you are not happy here then you can leave. As far as I am concerned if you hate our country–

(APPLAUSE)

–if you’re not happy here you can leave. That is what I say all of the time. That’s what I said in a Tweet which I guess some people think is controversial, a lot of people love it by the way. A lot of people love it but if you are not happy in the U.S. if you are complaining all of the time very simply you can leave. You can leave right now. Come back if you want, don’t come back, that’s okay, too. But if you are not happy you can leave.

(APPLAUSE)

QUESTION:

(INAUDIBLE) is that true?

TRUMP:

Wow, that’s just a very racist statement somebody that would say that. So Speaker Pelosi said make America white again. Let me tell you that’s a very racist–that’s a very racist statement. I’m surprised she would say that. John go ahead.

QUESTION:

(INAUDIBLE)

TRUMP:

Well, they are very unhappy. I am watching them, all they do is complain so all I’m saying is if they want to leave they can leave, John. They can leave. I mean I look at the one, I look at Omar I don’t know I never met her. I hear the way she talks about Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda has killed many of Americans. She said you can hold your chest out, you can–when I think of America, when I think of Al Qaeda I can hold my chest out. When she talked about the World Trade Center being knocked down some people. You remember the famous some people.

These are people that in my opinion hate our country. Now you can say what you want but get a list of all of the statements they have made and all I’m saying that if they are not happy here they can leave. They can leave and you know what I’m sure that there will be many people that won’t miss them. But they have to love–they have to love our country. They are congresspeople and I never used in the names but these are people – my quiet, quiet, quiet. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet. These are people that if they don’t like it here they can leave and I would be–I don’t know who’s going to miss them but I guess some people will. One of them is polling–one of them is polling and–one of them is polling at 8 percent. One of them is polling at 8 percent. So when I hear people speaking about how wonderful Al Qaida is, when I hear people talking about some people some people with the World Trade Center some people–no, not some people. Much more than some people. When I hear the statements that they have made and in one case you have somebody that comes from Somalia which is a failed government, a failed state who love Somalia who ultimately came here and I now was a Congresswoman who is never happy, says horrible things about Israel, hates Israel, hates Jews. Hates Jews. It’s very simple and if the Democrats want to wrap their bows around this group of four people. One of them kept Amazon out of New York. Tens of thousands of jobs would have been a great thing and she kept Amazon from going. Would have been a good deal, I mean, could he have made it better? Maybe. But tens of thousands of jobs and New York has not been the same since that happened. It’s really hurt New York and New York City. Amazon was getting together was going to relocate a major section of their business to New York she kept them out. It was a terrible thing she did, a terrible thing she did.

So, here’s a story–here’s a story. I see them complaining. They’re complaining constantly. I watched Lindsey Graham today on FOX and Friends talking about the same subject and frankly, even stronger than what I’m saying. He’s saying they’re Communists. I’m saying–I’m saying that they’re Socialists definitely as to whether or not they’re Communists, I would think they might be. But this isn’t what our country is about. Nevertheless, they’re free to leave if they want. And if they want to leave that’s fine. And if they want to stay that’s fine. But the people have to know. And politicians can’t be afraid to take them on. A politician that hears somebody where we’re at war with Al Qaida and sees somebody talking about how great Al Qaida is. Pick out her statement. That was Omar. How great Al Qaida is when you hear that and we’re losing great soldiers to Al Qaida, when you see the World Trade Center gets knocked down and you see the statements about the World Trade Center all the death and destruction. I’ll tell you what–I’m not happy with them. And it’s very easy to say oh, gee, well, it’s OK. If weak politicians want to say and the democrats in this case if they want to gear their wagons around these four people I think they are going to have a very tough election. Because I don’t think the people of the United States will stand for it.

(APPLAUSE)

John, go ahead. Go ahead, John. Go ahead.

QUESTION:

Does it concern you that that tweet was seen as racist? Lindsey Graham said encouraged you to aim higher. And does it trouble–

TRUMP:

No, he didn’t say aim higher he just said don’t go. See, I disagree with Lindsey. These are congressman. What am I supposed to do? Just wait for Senators? No. These are four–so I disagree with Lindsey about that. That was the only thing. He said aim higher, shoot higher. What am I supposed to do wait till we get somebody else in a higher position? Higher office? These are people that hate our country. Hey, John, hate our country. They hate it, I think, with a passion. Now, it’s possible I’m wrong. The voter will decide. But when I hear the way they talk about our country. When I hear the anti-Semitic language they use. When I hear the hatred they have for Israel and the love they have for enemies like Al Qaida, then you know what? I will tell you that I do–I do not believe that this is good for the democrat party. Certainly, it’s not the party that I’ve known over the years.

QUESTION:

Mr. President where should–

QUESTION:

Mr. President–

QUESTION:

Does it concern you that many people saw that tweet as racist and that white nationalist groups are finding common cause with you on that post?

TRUMP:

It doesn’t concern me because many people agree with me. And all I’m saying they want to leave they can leave now. It doesn’t say leave forever. It says leave. But what it says and what that, John, what that says is if they’re not happy with the United States if they’re doing nothing but criticizing us all the time–you see these people walking down criticizing the United States we just hit the highest stock market in history. All of these incredible manufacturers that are in these are great businesspeople they employ many people. And we have workers with us too they’re having the best year they’ve ever had. Can I say that? Is that a correct statement?

(APPLAUSE)

And they’re hiring more people than they ever have and more people are making a good living than they’ve ever had. We just hit 27000 plus on the DOW. It’s the highest the stock market has ever been. And, you have to go by the election. Because the market started going up the day after I won. You know, they like to add all of that tremendous gain they like to try to give it to Obama. The fact is if I would have lost the stock market would crash. Out of these people that I watch in those debates ever got their hands on the United States government 401ks, the values of your company, everything else we talk about we are so proud of it’s down the tubes. People will lose their money. They’ll lose their wealth. You’ll have a crash like you’ve never seen before and I’m really good at this stuff. I know what I’m talking about. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

The ICE raids. The ICE raids. The ICE raids were very successful. People came into our country illegally–illegally. Many were felons. Many were convicted of crimes. Many, many were taken out on Sunday. You just didn’t know about it. In fact, I went to–I spoke to the head of ICE. I spoke to a couple of people. We had many people it was a very successful day but you didn’t see a lot of it but it was done a lot. You’ll speak to them and I’m not even sure they should be telling you–but it was a lot. And it wouldn’t have to be Sunday we’ve been doing this–look, we have been removing MS-13 they’re monsters. We’ve been removing MS-13 by the thousands during my administration. And I tell my people–much easier to go the other route. But I say focus on the criminals. Focus on the people that are killing people–that are causing crime. Focus on them. Much easier just to go to general population. That’s easy. But I don’t do it the easy way.

We are getting tremendous number of criminals. And yesterday, it was just reported to me before I walk cause I said, how did that go yesterday? Didn’t have to start yesterday. The truth is, it started a number of days before yesterday but yesterday was very successful. People come into our country illegally and they go out legally. Every person taken out had papers and we had court orders. OK. Thank you.

QUESTION:

Mr. President, why are you doing this new policy?

QUESTION:

Why the asylum change?

TRUMP:

How about getting the manufacturers up here. Come on up. Come on up. Come on up. Come up.