Remarks in an Exchange With Reporters

Trade Negotiations

Q. Mr. President, can you give us an update on tariff negotiations? How are those going?

The President. I think they're going very well. We're going to make a lot of money. We're already 25 percent on cars and aluminum and steel. Taking in a lot of money—a lot of money—more money than this country has seen. And that's just the beginning.

Funeral for Pope Francis/The President's Schedule

Q. Are you going to go to the Pope's funeral?

The President. I don't know yet. We're going to be briefed on it right now. In fact, I'm going to the Oval Office.

Q. Are you going to try to work it out to go, or would you like to go?

The President. Say it.

Q. Would you like to go?

The President. Well, I don't know, I just have to look at the timing. We just lowered the flags throughout the country.

Ukraine/Russia/Iran

Q. On these Ukraine talks over the weekend. Is there a proposal from the United States that Ukraine recognize Crimea as part of Russia?

The President. So I will be giving you a full detail over the next 3 days. But we had very good meetings on Ukraine-Russia.

We had very good meetings, actually, on Iran too. We'll see how that works out.

Q. I was going to ask you about that too.

The President. Yes.

Iran

Q. I mean, what's the next step there?

The President. Next step is, we need a little time, but we had very good meetings on Iran. We had very good on—and the tariffs are going very well, as you know.

Q. How are you going to——

The President. Everybody wants to negotiate.

The Legacy of Pope Francis

Q. How are you going to remember Pope Francis's legacy?

The President. He's a very good man who loved—he loved the world, and he especially loved people that were having a hard time, and that's good with me.

Q. Mr. President, do you have any——

Global Migrants

Q. So he preached tolerance for immigrants—for migrants. He preached tolerance for migrants. Do——

The President. Yes, he did. Yes, he did.

Q. Do you agree with that, or do you disagree with that?

The President. Yes, I do. I do. I really do.

Q. Mr. President, there's a DC——

Secretary of Defense Peter B. Hegseth/Houthi Rebel Group

Q. On Pete Hegseth. What—do you still have confidence? What's the deal?

The President. I mean, I hear they're doing that whole scene—thing again. Here we go again. Just a waste of time.

He's—he is doing——

Q. Why do you still have confidence in him, sir?

The President. He is doing a great job. Hegseth——

Q. Why do you still have confidence in him?

The President. Because he's doing a great job.

[At this point, several reporters began asking questions at once.]

Ask the Houthis how he's doing.

Immigration Enforcement Actions

Q. There's a hearing today on the Alien Enemies Act in the DC District Court. Your thoughts on that, Mr. President?

The President. Well, we were elected to clean up the mess of this country. And we had millions and millions of people come in who are criminals, who are murderers, who are everything you can imagine—drug lords, drug dealers. They came in from prisons and from mental institutions, and I was elected to move them out—among many other things—and that's what we're doing.

Yes.

[Several reporters spoke at once.]

Department of Defense/Secretary of Defense Peter B. Hegseth

Q. Mr. President—[inaudible]—dysfunction——

The President. There is no dysfunction. Ask the Houthis how much dysfunction there is. There's none.

Pete is doing a great job. Everybody is happy with him. We have the highest recruitment numbers I think they've had in 28 years. No, he's doing a great job.

Q. Should he stop——

The President. It's just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess it's—sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people, and that's what he's doing. So you don't always have friends when you do that.

Q. Should he stop using the app?

The President's Schedule

Q. On Scotland. [Inaudible]—to go up to the——

The President. I'm going to be——

Q. ——to the golf course?

The President. Yes, I will be there. I'm going to be—I hope to be there.

Q. The MacLeod Course, are you going to open that one?

The President. We're opening a fantastic project there, yes. And I hope I'm going to get to see it.

Q. We look forward to seeing it.

The President. It's going to be great. Thank you very much.

[Several reporters spoke at once.]

Immigration Enforcement Actions

Q. Mr. President, will you comply with the Supreme Court's ruling on Abrego Garcia?

The President. I comply with everything.

[Several reporters spoke at once.]

Illegal Immigration

Q. Mr. President, on Haitian immigrants. You're—you've ordered a lot of them to leave the country, but their travel to Haiti is almost nearly impossible because flights have been suspended. What do you make of that?

The President. Well, I make of the fact that we have to have a safe country. If people are in our country illegally, and if people are—if they have records that are very bad in particular, we have to get them out.

I was, as you know, elected on the basis that we would have very little crime in our country. They don't want illegal immigrants. We've closed up the border. The border is now the strongest border we've ever had.

Haitian Refugees

Q. These are Haitians who came legally through that Biden-era program, who—there are communities, even in Texas, conservative voters saying they—these people should not be forced to leave.

The President. Well, if they came legally, then they're going to be in good shape. Okay?

Q. So you're not going to deport them? There's a Thursday deadline.

[Several reporters spoke at once.]

[The President interacted with some participants in the Easter Egg Roll activities taking place on the South Lawn. He then resumed addressing reporters as follows.]

The President. Thank you very much.

So are you doing all right? Are the girls in good shape?

Q. They're doing good.

The President. I like this guy too.

Q. Happy Easter, sir.

Q. I know, you know——

Q. Good to see you, sir.

The President. I like this guy.

Q. How are you?

The President. Good, good. Everything all right?

Q. This is my beautiful fiancée Monica.

Q. Nice to meet you, Mr. President.

Q. They're getting married in 2 weeks.

The President. Very exciting.

Q. Any advice for the new——

The President. Yes, make sure you like each other. [Laughter] If you don't, don't get married. [Laughter]

Q. Hey, real quickly——

Q. Thank you, Mr.——

Q. ——you talked about——

The President. He's a good man.

Q. Yes, he is.

Q. Thank you.

The Importance of Religion

Q. You talked about Jesus in your opening statement.

The President. Yes.

Q. How important is this country right now to——

The President. Very important. It brings the country together. I mean, it's so important if can do that—religion. I said, "Bring religion back." Religion keeps you together. Such a great thing.

Q. Thank you, sir.

[Several reporters spoke at once.]

The President. How did you get back here?