Pool Reports of October 6, 2025

In-town Pool report #1 lunch lid

We have a lunch lid until 12:30

In-town pool report #2 -- briefing

Two-minute warning for briefing at 1:14.

In town pool report #3 - end of briefing

The briefing started at 1:16.

Q&A began at 1:22 and ended at 1:42 after 29 questions from 15 different reporters.

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Pool iks gaqthering

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Pool is in oval office. President and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum talking about indoin a Biden action on Ambler Road and minerals in Alaska. Secretary Wright also there. The president called it 'a very big signing". He said Biden "wasted a lot of time, money and effort." Construction to begin next spring on 211 mile road

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The president was upbeat about the shutdow n, saying his message to people is "hang in there " good things can happen. He said negotiations on health care are underway with Democrats. "I'd like to see a deal on health care." He added, negotiations "could lead to very good things." He said "obamacare has been a wreck as you know... it's a mess."

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TRavel photo lid at 6:01 p.m.

More Quotes from Oval Office in imminent pool report.

In town pool report 9 quotes

Pool note
The pool entered the Oval Office at 4:12 and departed at 4:57. The president spoke for 45 minutes, initially making a presentation on Alaska, letting Secretary Burgum and Secretary Wright speak before accepting questions from the pool. The questions ranged from the Middle East to domestic crime.

On Alaska:
"It's an economic gold mine, so to speak. And I signed this years ago, and Biden unsigned it for me." He said it should have been "making billions of dollars for our country and supplying a lot of energy and minerals" and minerals and "they undid it and wasted a lot of time and a lot of money and a lot of effort and now we're starting again." He said construction of the Ambler Road will start in the Spring.

On the Middle East:
He denied that Prime Minister Netanyahu has opposed the Middle East peace plan. "He's been very positive. He's been very positive on the deal. Everybody is. I think every nation is." He added, "No, Israel's been great. They've all been good." He added that Hamas has "been very positive on the deal. Everybody is, I think every nation is. I think we're doing very well."

More on Middle East:
He said Israelie are celebrating the peace plan "They're so happy. It's like they can't breathe." He repeated his commitment to getting the hostages freed. He praised the work of his son-in-law Jared Kushner. You don't find anybody more capable. We have the A-plus team working on it." Of Hamas, he said, "They've been fine. I hope its going to continue that way. I think it will. I really think we're going to have a deal. We have a really good chance of making a deal and it'll be a lasting deal .This is beyond Gaza. Gaza is a big deal, but this is really peace in the Middle East." And, he said, "the amazing thing is we have every Arab country, every Muslim country. We have every country surrounding." He praised Turkish President Erdogan, calling him "fantastic. He's been pushing very hard. He's a very powerful guy." He said Hamas "has a lot of respect" for him and for Qatar and the UAE and Saudi Arabia. "We have everybody on our side to get this deal done. There's never been anything like it. Nobody's ever seen it."

On the shutdown:
He said a negative vote by Democrats tonight could move him closer to layoffs. "The Democrats are the ones that started this. And if you think about it, it's about health care. To a large extent we want great healthcare for people. We don't want to give the money away to other people that come pouring into our country… The way you stop it is not to give away, not to announce and be giving everybody free health care… Obamacare has been a wreck as you know and to … keep it propped up and keep doing the best you can with it. It's a mess."
He said, that "We have a negotiation going on right now with the Democrats that cold lead to very good things with regard to health care." Asked if he would make a deal with them on ACA subsidies, he said, "Subsidies. That's the problem with Obamacare. The subsidies are so much, it's billions and billons of dollars, is being wasted and we can have a much better health care than we have right now. And we're talking.. I'm not saying it's going to happen, because this also has been going on, and not for 3,000 years but it's been going on for a long time."
Asked about the pain of the shutdown, he said, "Up til now, there hasn't been a great deal of pain." Asked about his message to the American

On crime and troops in cities and attacks on ICE agents:
He warned of "very severe" consequences for attacks on ICE agents. "We're gonna find out who's going after our federal agents."

He said Chicago is "like a war zone." He called Illinois Gov. Pritzker "an incompetent guy. That's why they threw him out of the family business." He said of sending in troops, "We have no choice but to do this…. Portland is on fire. Portland has been on fire for years." He added, "These are unsafe places. We're going to make them safe." He said the people of Memphis "are so happy." He added, "You have black women with MAGA hats on in Chicago, all over the place. They want the Guard to come in, or they don't care who comes in. They just want to be safe and they really don't care." He said, "We're going to go city by city. We're going to have safe cities." He repeated his contention that DC is now safe and blamed Democrats for the problem. "Most of these cities are Democrat-run." He warned of further consequences. "So far, it hasn't been necessary. But we have an Insurrection Act for a reason." He suggested that may be triggered "if people were being killed and courts were holding us up or governors or mayors were holding us up." He added, "I want to make sure that people aren't killed. We have to make sure that our cities are safe"

He said that Texas Gov Abbott is not the only red state governor to offer troops. "Every one of them is willing to offer whatever we need." He said that is because "they want our agents protected."

Greta Thunberg:
He dismissed her views on Palestine. "She's no longer into the environment. Now, she's a troublemaker. She has an anger management problem. I think she should see a doctor. She's angry. If you ever watch her, she's a young person. She's so angry. She's so crazy."

Ghislaine Maxwell losing her appeal and possible pardon:
"You know, I haven't heard the name in so long. I can say this that I'd have to take a look at it. I would have to… I will speak to the DoJ. I wouldn't consider it or not consider. I don't know anything about it. So I will speak to the DA." Asked why he would consider it for someone who trafficked women, he said, "I don't know. I mean I'd have to speak to the DoJ. I'll look at it. I have a lot of people have asked me for pardons." (But she was convicted of sex trafficking?) "I mean I'm gonna have to take a look at it. I have to ask DoJ. I didn't know they rejected it. I didn't know she was even asking for it."

On Ukraine request for Tomahawks has he made a decision?
"Yeah, I've sort of made a decision." But he would not share it. "I think I want to find out what they're doing with them."