TRUMP: Thank you very much, everybody. We have had a great three days at the United Nations in New York. And this is quite a gathering. Wow. It’s a lot of people. A lot of media. We’ve covered a great deal of territory. Just left, as you know, Prime Minister Abe of Japan.

We’re starting trade talks with them; they were not willing for years to talk trade. And now they’re willing to talk trade. And I’m sure we’ll make a very good deal. As you know, two days ago, [we] signed a deal with South Korea, a trade deal, a tremendous deal with South Korea.

It means a lot of business for our farmers. We’re opening up for farmers. We’re opening up for a lot of different groups. We’re going to be able to sell much more than double the number of automobiles that we were allowed under a deal that was totally defective that was there and so we’re very happy with that. That deal is actually concluded. We’re very well along the way with Mexico. The relationship is very good.

And with Canada, we’ll see what happens. They’re charging us 300 percent tariffs on dairy products. We can’t have that. With China, as you know, we put out an announcement today, they would like to see me lose an election, because they have never been challenged like this. But I want to open up China to our farmers and to our industrialists and our companies. And China is not open. But we’re open to them. They charge us 25, 35, 55 percent for things, and we charge them nothing in terms of coming into the country. Cars, they’re at 25 percent, and we’re at 2 percent and 2.5 percent.

But we’re doing very well in our situation with China on trade. I have a great relationship with the president of China, President Xi [Jinping]. But it’s got to be a two-way street. For 25 years and longer, it was not. And trillions and trillions of dollars was taken out of the United States for the benefit of China. We just can’t have that. We have to make it fair. So we’re at $250 billion now, 25 percent interest. And a lot of money is coming into our coffers. And it’s had no impact on our — absolutely, by the way, no impact on our economy. Which I said it wouldn’t. In fact, steel is like the hottest industry there is. If you look at what happened with steel, we’re charging a 25 percent tariff for the dumpers.

Tariffs cost Ford $1 billion in profit and hurt sales in China

They dump massive amounts of steel. They want to put the steel companies out of business, and after they’re out of business, they’ll come in and charge five times more than you ever thought possible. And we need steel, and we need aluminum. And those industries are doing well. But steel is incredible. US Steel is opening up a minimum of eight plants Nucor is opening up plants. Billion-dollar plants, in some cases. So what’s happening with the steel industry is very exciting to me. It’s being rebuilt overnight.

If you look at the miners in coal, if you look at energy, lNG, Japan just gave some numbers that are incredible. They’re doubling the amount that they’re going to be buying for Japan. They’re taking the ING, and they’re doubling it up. I said, you have to do me a favor. We don’t want these big deficits. You’re going to have to buy more. They’re buying massive amounts of equipment and military equipment. And other countries are doing the same thing. Because we have trade and balances with almost everybody.

It’s a rare exception that we don’t. So we are doing great as a country. Unfortunately, they just raised interest rates a little bit, because we are doing so well. I’m not happy about that, because I know it’s going to be a question. I am not happy about that. I would rather pay down debt or do other things. Create more jobs. So I’m worried about the fact that they seem to like raising interest rates. We can do other things with the money. And — but they raised them. And they’re raising them because we’re doing so well. We’re doing much better than I had projected in terms of when I was campaigning. I said we were going to do this, and we’re doing much better than anybody ever thought possible.

And I will say, if others got in, it would have been just the opposite, because they were going to put restrictions on. They were going to put regulations on. They were going to choke the economy, as it was already choking, but it would have been worse.

The economy wasn’t choking.  The unemployment rate has gone down steadily since the beginning of 2010.

And they’re going to raise your taxes. That’s what they want to do now if they ever got control, which I don’t think they’ll have control for a long time. So with that being said, we’ll take some questions. And, yes, please. John? Go ahead. We have plenty of time.

REPORTER: Mr. President, thank you very much. Of course, what you’re looking forward to tomorrow is the hearings with Judge Kavanaugh.

TRUMP: Yes.

REPORTER: Before the Judiciary Committee.

TRUMP: Yes.

REPORTER: In 1991, when Joe Biden passed along to the Bush 41 [George H.W. Bush] White House the allegations that Anita Hill had raised against Clarence Thomas, the Bush White House asked the FBI to look into it as part of Judge Thomas’s background investigation. Not a criminal investigation. But the background investigation.

TRUMP: Right.

REPORTER: When these allegations were raised, why didn’t this White House do the same thing? And with all of the allegations that are coming out now about Judge Kavanaugh, was there an opportunity missed here to have investigators look into this and get some sort of clarity one way or the other?

TRUMP: Well, the FBI told us they’ve investigated Judge Kavanaugh six times, five times, many times over the years. They know him very well. Here there was nothing to investigate from at least one standpoint. They didn’t know the location. They didn’t know the time. They didn’t know the year. They didn’t know anything. And it’s like, where do you go? Also, it’s not for the FBI. If you look at what Joe Biden he said, they don’t do this. And he said it very clearly.

So I think when you really look at it all, it’s not going to change any of the Democrats, they’re obstructionists. They’re actually con artists, because they know how quality this man is, and they have destroyed a man’s reputation. And they want to destroy it even and I think people are going to see that in the mid terms. What they have done to this family, what they have done to these children. These beautiful children of his. And what they have done to his wife.

And they know it’s a big, fat con job. And they go into a room, and I guarantee you, they laugh like hell at what they pulled off on you and on the public. They laugh like hell. So it wouldn’t have mattered if the FBI came back with a cleanest score. And you understand that very well, John. If they would have come back with the most perfect, we found everything and he’s perfectly innocent of everything. It wouldn’t have made a difference. You wouldn’t have gotten one vote. Now, we will get votes from the Democrats if we win. You’ll have three, four or five Democrats giving us votes. Because they’re in states that I won by 30 and 40 points, and they’re going to give us votes. But other than that, you probably won’t get any, John. Yes, go ahead, please.

REPORTER: Mr. President, there are now three women accusing Judge Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Are you saying that all three of those women are liars? Is there anything that could be said at this point tomorrow that could cause you to withdraw the nomination?

TRUMP: I won’t get into that game. I only tell you this. This is one of the highest quality people that I have ever met. And everybody that knows him says the same thing. And these are all false, to me. These are false accusations in certain cases, and certain cases even the media agrees with that. I can only say that what they have done to this man is incredible. You know, it’s very interesting. I pick a lot of judges. I have 145 judges I will be picking by the end of a fairly short period of time. Because president Obama wasn’t big on picking judges. When I got there, I said, how is this possible? I have 145, including court of appeals judges. And they just didn’t do it.

You know why? They got tired. They got complacent. Something happened. I have 145 judges. Everybody wants to be a federal judge. Not just a Supreme Court judge. I’m talking about court of appeals. I’m talking about district court. I don’t think they’re going to want to so much. I’ll be calling people, and we’ll have people calling people that do this. And people are going to be scared, because we could say it about you. 35 years ago, you met — and you might know — you might not know what’s going on.

What is going on? Why did they wait so long? Why did Senator [Dianne] Feinstein wait until the hearings were over and make this case? Why didn’t she bring it right at the beginning, when you ask about, as an example, the FBI. Why didn’t they bring this right at the beginning? During the hearing? You would have had all the time in the world for the FBI. It would have been fine.

Now, the FBI, as you know, did investigate this time, as they have five or six other times. And they did a very thorough investigation. But this is a big con job. And I would love to be in the room with the Democrats, close the door, you guys are all away, outside, waiting. And Schumer and his buddies are all in there laughing, how they fooled you all. Let’s just stop them a big fat go ahead.

REPORTER: Mr. President, if I could follow up, you have daughters. Can you understand why a victim of sexual assault would not report it at the time? Don’t you understand?

TRUMP: By the way, I only say this — 36 years. No charge. No nothing. But — that happens often. People are going to have to make a decision. 36 years. There’s no charge. All of a sudden, the hearings are over. And the rumors start coming out. And then you have this other con artist, [Michael] Avenatti, come out with another beauty today. I only say that you have to look at the facts too. The senators are very capable people. They’re very good people. I know many of them. They’re friends of mine. These are very talented, very good people. And they are going to vote.

They’re going to have to believe what they believe. I can — when I look at what’s happened to the reputation of a great gentleman, a great intellect, a brilliant man, somebody that has a chance to be one of our great Supreme Court justices in history, intellectually, I think it’s a shame. Yes, please.

REPORTER: Mr. President, my name is Thomas Reagan. Mr. President, yesterday at the speech at the UN, you spoke about how Venezuela’s problem was because of Cuba and the Castros, and how they went in there and they brought socialism and communism to Venezuela, and now to Nicaragua, as well. Mr. President, are you going to be more proactive now against Cuba, as well?

TRUMP: I’ve been very proactive against Cuba. I don’t like what’s happening in Cuba. As you know, President Obama gave them a pass. And I didn’t like it. Neither do Cuban people, based on the people that came from Cuba and suffered in Cuba. I don’t like what he did. I’ve ended much of it, most of it. I don’t like what’s happening in Cuba, and I certainly don’t like what’s happening in Venezuela. Yes, please. Go ahead.

REPORTER: Mr. President, just to finish really fast. You said also, that you had a call to action to ask the leaders around the world to also end socialism. Would you like to be recognized as a …

TRUMP: Well, I wouldn’t say that socialism has been working really well around the world. You can take a look at Venezuela as your number one — I guess the one that’s most obvious. But you take a look around the world, socialism is not exactly riding high. Please. Go ahead.

REPORTER: Thank you very much. If you don’t mind, after I’m finished, if Halley or Vivian or one of the female colleagues could go after me, that would be great. Just to follow up on …

TRUMP: What does he mean by that? Explain.

REPORTER: I think it would be great if a female —

TRUMP: What does it mean?

REPORTER: It would be great if a female reporter could ask a question about this issue.

TRUMP: I wouldn’t mind that at all.

REPORTER: All right. Well —

TRUMP: Wouldn’t make any difference to me.

REPORTER: All right.

TRUMP: Go ahead.

REPORTER: If I could follow up on John’s question. Why is it, Mr. President, that you always seem to side with the accused and not the accuser? You have three women here who are all making allegations. Who are all asking that their stories be heard. And, you know, if you look at the case of Roy Moore, if you look at the case of one of your staffers, you seem to time and again side with the accused and not the accuser. Is that because of the many allegations that you’ve had made against you over the years?

TRUMP: Well, first of all, I wasn’t happy with Roy Moore, let’s get that straight. But Roy Moore was a … Republican candidate. And I would have rather had a Republican candidate win.

I was very happy with Luther Strange. He was a terrific man, but Luther Strange had a lot of things going against him. As far as women, whether it’s a man or a woman, these are — you know, it can happen the other way. Allegations can go the other way also. You understand that.

And whether it was a man or a woman, 30 years ago, 36 years ago — in fact, they don’t even know how many years ago, because nobody knows what the time is. That’s a long time. And I could pick, as an example, hopefully I won’t have to do it as a replacement, because hopefully this is going to go very well on Thursday. It’s going to go very well on Monday or Saturday or Sunday or whenever they vote. But I could pick a woman. And she could have charges made from many years ago also.

REPORTER: But don’t you understand, sir …

TRUMP: And I would look at the character. No, what I have to do —

REPORTER: Are reluctant to come forward. You raised doubts about these —

TRUMP: I don’t think people are reluctant to come forward. They’re going to have a chance to speak at a — they have a major chance to speak. Excuse me. Excuse me. They have a major chance to speak. And it will be tomorrow, I assume. We’ve delayed this, meaning the Republican senators — not me. The Republican senators have delayed this for weeks now. They’re giving the women a major chance to speak. Now, it’s possible I’ll hear that, and I’ll say, hey. I’m changing my mind. That is possible. We want to give them a chance to speak.

REPORTER: Do you think all three should have the chance?

TRUMP: Well, whoever is given a chance. We’ve delayed it a long time. But they’re going to have a big shot at speaking and making their case. And, you know what? I could be persuaded also. Okay? Yes, please. Please, go ahead. Go ahead. I would like to go — yes, go ahead, please.

REPORTER: Thank you, Mr. President. And a couple of questions for you to follow up on some answers that I didn’t quite hear from you. If you would allow me a couple of questions? First of all, do you think these women, all three of them, are liars?

TRUMP: Have they been what?

REPORTER: Are they liars?

TRUMP: I can’t tell you. I have to watch tomorrow. I have to read. I just heard about one a little while ago. I can tell you her lawyer is a lowlife, okay? So I can’t tell you whether or not their liars until I hear them. I don’t know what happened today, because I’ve been very busy with Japan, with South Korea, with China and about seven other countries. As you know. And I chaired the security council.

So I don’t know about today’s person that came forward. I do know about the lawyer, and you don’t get much worse. Bad reputation to take a look at his past. I’m going to see what happens tomorrow. I’m going to be watching, believe it or not. I’m going to see what’s said. It’s possible they will be convincing.

Now, with all of that being said, Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been for many years one of the most respected people in Washington. He’s been on, I guess would call it, the second-highest court. And every single person knows him. A lot of people know him well. And those people don’t believe what’s going on. I can always be convinced. I have to hear it.

REPORTER: It sounds like what you’re saying is, there is a situation, there is a scenario under which you would withdraw Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination. Is that correct?

TRUMP: If I thought he was guilty of something like this, yeah, sure.

REPORTER: And you will wait until tomorrow to make up your mind.

TRUMP: I want to watch. I want to see. I hope I can watch. I’m meeting with a lot of countries tomorrow. But I will certainly in some form be able to watch. And I’ll also rely on some very fair and talented Republican senators who — look, if we brought George Washington here and we said, we have George Washington, the Democrats would vote against him. Just so you understand. And he may have had a bad past, who knows, you know? He may have had some — I think accusations made. Didn’t he have a couple of things in his past?

George Washington would be voted against 100 percent by Schumer and the con artists. 100 percent. So it really doesn’t matter from their standpoint. That’s why when John asked about the FBI, if the FBI did the most thorough investigation in the history of the FBI, and they found him to be 100 percent perfect, he would lose every single vote.

Now, if the Republicans win tomorrow, I think you’re going to get some votes. From the Democrats. You know why? Because we all know why. Because it’s called politics. Then you’ll probably get some votes. Okay, let’s go. One more question, yes. She says, I would like to ask about three questions. It’s not really fair to everyone else. Should I let her ask another question? Go ahead.

REPORTER: To follow up on a question that a colleague asked as well, about the benefit of the doubt that you have given to people like Roy Moore to Roger Ailes, to Bill O’Reilly, to Brett Kavanaugh. They’re all men. Why is that?

TRUMP: It’s not a benefit of the doubt. I’ve known them. Haley, I’ve known them for a long time and a lot of these people. A lot of people. And some I’ve been disappointed with. I have been disappointed with some. Others I — you know, there were charges that were pretty weak. But I’ve known people for a long I never saw them do anything I never saw them do anything wrong.

And there are some that probably I agree. I can tell you there are some that I have been watching for a long time. And in a couple of cases, they weren’t Republicans, and