Remarks on the Flooding in Central Texas and an Exchange With Reporters in Morristown, New Jersey

The President. Thank you very much. We've been in touch with Governor Abbott—I'm very close to Governor Abbott—and everybody in Texas. Kristi Noem has, as you know, been there and will continue to be there. And we're working very close with representatives from Texas. And it's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible.

So we say, God bless all of the people that have gone through so much, and God bless—God bless the State of Texas. It's an incredible place.

Any questions, please?

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Q. Mr. President, are you still planning to phase out FEMA?

The President. Well, FEMA is something we can talk about later. But right now they're busy working, so we'll leave it at that.

Go ahead.

Tariff Rates/Trade Negotiations

Q. Mr. President, for the trade letters that you're sending out on Monday, Secretary Bessent said that it would be a 3-week extension and that rates could go back up to the April 2 level on August 1. Is that what we should——

The President. Well, we're going to be sending letters out on Monday having to do with the trade deals. Could be 12, maybe 15. You know Secretary of Commerce, right here. And I guess, Howard, I would say it could be maybe as many as 15 or so, and they'll be going out on Monday, and some will go out on Tuesday and Wednesday. And it will—and we've made deals, also, so we're going to have a combination of letters and some deals have been made.

Q. Does that mean that—does that——

Political Parties in the U.S./Former White House Senior Adviser Elon R. Musk

Q. Mr. President, your reaction to Elon Musk starting a third party?

The President. I think it's ridiculous to start a third party. We have a tremendous success with the Republican Party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it's always been a two-party system. And I think starting a third party just adds to confusion. It really seems to have been developed for two parties. Third parties have never worked. So he can have fun with it, but I think it's ridiculous.

Q. So what's your——

Q. [Inaudible]—the golden key back?

The President. What?

Q. Any plans to get the golden key back from Elon, Mr. President? [Laughter]

The President. Go ahead.

Israel-U.S. Cooperation/U.S. Airstrikes on Iranian Nuclear Facilities

Q. What's your message going to be to Netanyahu tomorrow?

The President. Well, we're working on a lot of things with Israel, and one of the things is probably a permanent deal with Iran. In other words, they have to give up all of the things that you know so well. The attack turned out—according to every—single atomic energy commission, that was a complete and total obliteration.

And we had the pilots, as you know, at the White House on Friday—they were incredible—and they confirmed that. They know better than anybody, by the way. But they confirmed that. Every bomb hit its mark perfectly. And they would have to start all over again at a different location. This one was—I'd say—you know, the word I used was a correct word: "obliteration."

Gaza, Palestinian Territories

Q. What will your message be on Gaza to Netanyahu?

The President. I think we're close to a deal on Gaza. We could have it this week.

Q. Mr. President, Democrats are blaming your Federal cuts for the deaths over in Texas.

The President. I can't hear you.

Yes, go ahead.

Cease-Fire and Hostage-Release Deal Between Israel and Hamas

Q. [Inaudible]—getting the hostages out. A deal with Hamas, does it have to include getting all the hostages home?

The President. Yes, I think there's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the week—during the coming week pertaining to quite a few of the hostages. Yes. You know, we've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out. We think we'll have that done this week.

Tariffs

Q. To clarify, Mr. President, do the tariff rates change at all on July 9, or do they change on August 1?

The President. What are you talking about?

Q. Tariff rates. Do they change on July 9 or August 1?

The President. No, they're going to be tariffs. The tariffs are going to be the tariffs. I think we'll have most countries done by July 9, yes. Either a letter or a deal.

Secretary of Commerce Howard W. Lutnick. But the—but they go into effect on August 1. The tariffs go into effect August 1. But the President is setting the rates and the deals right now.

The President. Okay?

National Weather Service

Q. Are you investigating whether some of the cuts to the Federal Government left key vacancies at the National Weather Service or in the emergency coordination?

The President. No——

Secretary Lutnick. They did not.

The President. No. They didn't. I'll tell you, if you look at that, that—what a situation that all is.

And that was really the Biden setup. That was not our setup. But I wouldn't blame Biden for it either. I would just say this is a hundred-year catastrophe, and it's just so horrible to watch.

The President's Schedule

Q. Are you planning to visit Texas, Mr. President, once——

The President. Yes, probably on Friday. We wanted to leave a little time. I would have done it today, but we'd just be in their way. Probably Friday.

Commercial Shipping in the Red Sea

Q. Mr. President, have you been briefed on the ship that was hit in the Red Sea? Do you know if the Houthis attacked that ship today?

The President. We'll give you a report sometime tonight or tomorrow.

National Football League's Washington Commanders

Q. Mr. President, the DC City Council has not approved the new stadium for the Commanders. If they don't approve it, will you step in?

The President. Well, we see what happens. I've been looking at the deal, and you know, I don't blame them. They have to—it's a very important piece of property. It's a great piece of property. So we'll see. But if I can help them out, I will.

You know, ultimately, we control that. The Federal Government ultimately controls it. So, we'll see what happens.

I saw the plans. I saw the stadium. The owner is a very, very successful and a very good man. I know him a little bit. And it would be a great place for the NFL to be there, I can tell you that. So, if they want to negotiate a little tough, that's okay with me.

Q. Do you want to see the Commanders change the name back to Redskins?

The President. Well, you want me to make a controversial statement? I would. I wouldn't have changed their name, but that's their—it just doesn't have the same—it doesn't have the same ring to me.

But, you know, winning can make everything sound good. So, if they win, all of a sudden, the Commanders sounds good.

But I wouldn't have changed their name.

Ukraine/U.S. Security Assistance/The President's Foreign Policy

Q. Why not help Ukraine the same way you helped Israel?

The President. Say it?

Q. Why not help Ukraine the same way you helped Israel?

The President. I am helping Ukraine. I'm helping it a lot.

And it's a war that should have never happened. It's a war that should have never started. If I were President, if the election weren't rigged—and it was rigged. They rigged it so badly, and that's come out. Read Miranda Devine in the New York Post today. The election was totally rigged.

And if it weren't rigged, you wouldn't have a war with Russia right now and you wouldn't have had inflation and you wouldn't have had the horrible Afghanistan—the way they left, not that they left. We would have been out before them. But the way they left the—I think the most embarrassing day in the history of our country. You wouldn't have had the October horror show with Israel and Hamas. You wouldn't have had any of it. You wouldn't have had the recent showdown with Iran. You wouldn't have had any of it, and you wouldn't have had inflation.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine/President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin of Russia

Q. Sir, you said you had a strategic call with Zelenskyy the other day. What strategy did you discuss?

The President. Well, I thought it was a good call. He's being hit very hard, as I said he would. He's being hit very hard.

And I was very disappointed with my call with President Putin. I was very disappointed.

Flooding in Central Texas

Q. Mr. President, in light of the floods, do you think that the Federal Government needs to hire back any of the meteorologists who were fired in the last few months?

The President. I wouldn't know that. I really wouldn't. I would think not. This was a thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it. Nobody saw it.

Very talented people are there, and they didn't see it. It's—I guess they said—once in a hundred years. They've never seen anything like this. So I wouldn't—I mean, people are trying to blame the school. They're trying to blame the camp. They're trying to blame—it's just a horrible thing.

But no, I wouldn't say that. No.

Q. Secretary Lutnick, are you expecting any deals to be signed this week? And what countries are closest to that?

Secretary Lutnick. Well, the President is right in the midst of discussing all sorts of deals with all sorts of countries, and the gentleman to my right is going to decide, and I'm going to be with him when he makes that decision.

The President. Thank you very much. Thank you, everybody. Thank you.