Transcription
Q Welcome the President of
the United States — Barack Obama. (Applause.)
Welcome back, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
It's good to be back. (Applause.)
Q Well, we're thrilled to
have you.
THE PRESIDENT: It is good to
be back.
Q And a happy birthday.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very
much.
Q Happy birthday to you.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.)
Q So how did you celebrate
Sunday? What did you do?
THE PRESIDENT: I had a bunch
of friends come over who I don't see that often from high school and
college. And we played a little golf, and then we tried to play a little
basketball. And it was a sad state of affairs. (Laughter.)
Q Really?
THE PRESIDENT: A bunch of old
guys. Where's the Ibuprofen and all that stuff. (Laughter.)
Q But you're pretty
competitive.
THE PRESIDENT: I am pretty
competitive. But the day of my birthday — we do departure photos of
people who are transitioning out of the White House. And we let them
bring their families and they take a picture in the Oval Office. And
this wonderful staff person came in and had a really cute, young son. He
looked like Harry Potter, a six-year-old guy. (Laughter.) He came in, he
had an economic report for me. He had graphs and everything. (Laughter.)
And, he says, "My birthday is in August, too." I said, "Well, how old
are you going to be?" He said, "Seven." He said, "How old are you?" I
said, "Fifty-two." He said, "Whoa." (Laughter.) Whoa. Whoa. (Laughter.)
He looked off in the distance. He was trying to project. (Laughter.)
Q Yes, you can't even —
THE PRESIDENT: You can't go
out that far.
Q You can't grasp that number,
no. (Laughter.) Now, I've seen Michelle tease you about your gray hair.
You have a bit of silver in your hair. Do you tease back?
THE PRESIDENT: No. (Laughter
and applause.) That's why we're celebrating our 21st anniversary. (Laughter.)
Q As I'm married 33 years, I
know exactly what you're saying. (Laughter.) I've got to ask you about
this. Everyone is concerned about these embassy closings. How
significant is this threat?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, it's
significant enough that we're taking every precaution. We had already
done a lot to bolster embassy security around the world, but especially
in the Middle East and North Africa, where the threats tend to be
highest. And whenever we see a threat stream that we think is specific
enough that we can take some specific precautions within a certain
timeframe, then we do so.
Now, it's a reminder that for
all the progress we've made — getting bin Laden, putting al Qaeda
between Afghanistan and Pakistan back on its heels — that this radical,
violent extremism is still out there. And we've got to stay on top of it.
It's also a reminder of how courageous our embassy personnel tend to be,
because you can never have 100 percent security in some of these places.
The countries themselves sometimes are ill-equipped to provide the kind
of security that you want. Even if we reinforce it, there are still
vulnerabilities.
And these diplomats, they go
out there and they serve every day. Oftentimes, they have their families
with them. They do an incredible job and sometimes don't get enough
credit. So we're grateful to them and we've got to do everything we can
to protect them. (Applause.)
Q This global travel warning,
this is for Americans all around the world? Are we telling people don't
take that European vacation just yet? What are we saying?
THE PRESIDENT: I think the
general rule is just show some common sense and some caution. So there
are some countries where you're less likely to experience a terrorist
attack. There are some where there are more dangers. And if people are
paying attention, checking with the State Department or embassy, going
on the website before you travel, find out what kind of precautions you
should be taking, then I think it still makes sense for people to take
vacations. They just have to make sure that they're doing so in a
prudent way.
Q What do you say to those
cynics who go, oh, this is an overreaction to Benghazi — how do you
respond to that?
THE PRESIDENT: One thing I've
tried to do as President is not over react, but make sure that as much
as possible the American people understand that there are genuine risks
out there. What's great about what we've seen with America over the last
several years is how resilient we are. So after the Boston bombing, for
example, the next day folks were out there, they're going to ball games.
They are making sure that we're not reacting in a way that somehow shuts
us down.
And that's the right reaction.
Terrorists depend on the idea that we're going to be terrorized. And
we're going to live our lives. And the odds of people dying in a
terrorist attack obviously are still a lot lower than in a car accident,
unfortunately. But there are things that we can do to make sure that
we're keeping the pressure on these networks that would try to injure
Americans. And the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last
thing I think about when I go to bed is making sure that I'm doing
everything I can to keep Americans safe. (Applause.)
Q It's safe to say that we
learned about these threats through the NSA intelligence program? Is
that a fair assessment?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, this
intelligence-gathering that we do is a critical component of
counterterrorism. And obviously, with Mr. Snowden and the disclosures of
classified information, this raised a lot of questions for people. But
what I said as soon as it happened I continue to believe in, which is a
lot of these programs were put in place before I came in. I had some
skepticism, and I think we should have a healthy skepticism about what
government is doing. I had the programs reviewed. We put in some
additional safeguards to make sure that there's federal court oversight
as well as congressional oversight, that there is no spying on Americans.
We don't have a domestic
spying program. What we do have are some mechanisms where we can track a
phone number or an email address that we know is connected to some sort
of terrorist threat. And that information is useful. But what I've said
before I want to make sure I repeat, and that is we should be skeptical
about the potential encroachments on privacy. None of the revelations
show that government has actually abused these powers, but they're
pretty significant powers.
And I've been talking to
Congress and civil libertarians and others about are there additional
ways that we can make sure that people know nobody is listening to your
phone call, but we do want to make sure that after a Boston bombing, for
example, we've got the phone numbers of those two brothers — we want to
be able to make sure did they call anybody else? Are there networks in
New York, are there networks elsewhere that we have to roll up? And if
we can make sure that there's confidence on the part of the American
people that there's oversight, then I think we can make sure that we're
properly balancing our liberty and our security.
Q When we come back, I want
to ask you about Russia and Snowden. I hit on something in the monologue
which just seems incredible to me, and I want to get your thoughts on
that.
More with the President when
we come back. (Applause.)
* * *
Q Welcome back to our
discussion with President Barack Obama. (Applause.)
Let me ask you about this —
the NSA leaker Edward Snowden. Some call him a whistleblower. What do
you call him?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we don’t
know yet exactly what he did, other than what he’s said on the Internet,
and it’s important for me not to prejudge something.
Q Got you.
THE PRESIDENT: Hopefully, at
some point he’ll go to trial and he will have a lawyer and due process,
and we can make those decisions.
I can tell you that there are
ways, if you think that the government is abusing a program, of coming
forward. In fact, I, through executive order, signed whistleblower
protection for intelligence officers or people who are involved in the
intelligence industry. So you don’t have to break the law. You don’t
have to divulge information that could compromise American security. You
can come forward, come to the appropriate individuals and say, look,
I’ve got a problem with what’s going on here, I’m not sure whether it’s
being done properly.
If, in fact, the allegations
are true, then he didn’t do that. And that is a huge problem because a
lot of what we do depends on terrorists networks not knowing that, in
fact, we may be able to access their information.
Q Let me add — now, he was a
contracted employee.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q And it seems the government
has a lot of these. I remember when I was coming up my brother was in
ROTC, and in those days, they would take college students, you go into
the Army, the Army would train you. This guy is being paid money by an
outside firm, living in Hawaii, got the stripper girlfriend. All of a
sudden you’re all upset with what the government is doing, and you go to
another country. I mean, in my era, Daniel Ellsberg stood in the town
square and said, “I’ve got this,” got arrested, The New York Times — I
mean, should we go back to not using so many — whether it’s Blackwater
or any of these contract — these people who are Hessians, they get paid?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think
you’re raising an important issue. We’ve been trying to reduce the
reliance on contractors. Some of the contractors do a great job, and
they’re patriots and they’re trying to support our mission. Sometimes
they can do it more efficiently or effectively if they’ve got some
specialized knowledge. But one of the things that I’ve asked our team to
look at is, when it comes to intelligence, should we, in fact, be
farming that much stuff out. And there are a lot of extraordinarily
capable folks in our military and our government who can do this, and
probably do it cheaper, and then benefit from the training that they get
so that when they transfer — (applause) — they’re in a better position.
Q Now, were you surprised
that Russia granted Snowden asylum?
THE PRESIDENT: I was
disappointed because even though we don’t have an extradition treaty
with them, traditionally we have tried to respect if there’s a law-breaker
or an alleged law-breaker in their country, we evaluate it and we try to
work with them. They didn’t do that with us. And in some ways it’s
reflective of some underlying challenges that we’ve had with Russia
lately. A lot of what’s been going on hasn’t been major breaks in the
relationship, and they still help us on supplying our troops in
Afghanistan; they’re still helping us on counterterrorism work; they
were helpful after the Boston bombing in that investigation. And so
there’s still a lot of business that we can do with them.
But there have been times
where they slip back into Cold War thinking and a Cold War mentality.
And what I consistently say to them, and what I say to President Putin,
is that’s the past and we’ve got to think about the future, and there’s
no reason why we shouldn’t be able to cooperate more effectively than we
do.
Q And Putin seems to me like
one of those old-school KGB guys.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, he
headed up the KGB. (Laughter.)
Q Yes. Well, that’s what I
mean. Yes, that’s what I mean. He has that mentality. I mean, look at
this picture here. You two don’t look pretty — (laughter) — you look
like me and the NBC executives. What is going on there? (Laughter.) That
doesn’t look like a friendly picture.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, the
truth is, is that when we have meetings we can have some pretty blunt
exchanges and animated exchanges. But he’s got — that seems to be his
preferred style during press conferences, is sitting back and not
looking too excited. (Laughter.) Now, part of it is he’s not accustomed
to having press conferences where you’ve got a bunch of reporters
yelling questions at you.
Q Now, the G20 summit is in
St. Petersburg next —
THE PRESIDENT: Coming up,
right.
Q Are you going to that and
will you meet with Putin?
THE PRESIDENT: I will be
going to that. I will be going to that because the G20 summit is the
main forum where we talk about the economy, the world economy, with all
the top economic powers in the world. So it’s not something unique to
Russia. They’re hosting it this year, but it’s important for us, as the
leading economy in the world, to make sure that we’re there — in part
because creating jobs, improving our economy, building up our
manufacturing base, increasing wages — all those things now depend on
how we compete in this global economy. And when you’ve got problems in
Europe, or China is slowing down, that has an impact here in the United
States.
And I’ve been saying for the
entire tenure of my presidency that my number-one priority at all times
is how do we create an economy where, if you work hard in this country,
you can succeed. And there are a lot of things that we can do here in
this country, but we’ve also got to pay attention to what’s going on
outside it.
Q Well, something that
shocked me about Russia — and I’m surprised this is not a huge story —
suddenly, homosexuality is against the law. I mean, this seems like
Germany: Let’s round up the Jews, let’s round up the gays, let’s round
up the blacks. I mean, it starts with that. You round up people who you
don’t
— I mean, why is not more of
the world outraged at this?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’ve
been very clear that when it comes to universal rights, when it comes to
people’s basic freedoms, that whether you are discriminating on the
basis of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation, you are violating
the basic morality that I think should transcend every country. And I
have no patience for countries that try to treat gays or lesbians or
transgender persons in ways that intimidate them or are harmful to them.
Now, what’s happening in
Russia is not unique. When I traveled to Africa, there were some
countries that are doing a lot of good things for their people, who
we’re working with and helping on development issues, but in some cases
have persecuted gays and lesbians. And it makes for some uncomfortable
press conferences sometimes. But one of the things that I think is very
important for me to speak out on is making sure that people are treated
fairly and justly, because that’s what we stand for. And I believe that
that’s a precept that’s not unique to America, that’s something that
should apply everywhere. (Applause.)
Q Do you think it will affect
the Olympics?
THE PRESIDENT: I think Putin
and Russia have a big stake in making sure the Olympics work, and I
think they understand that for most of the countries that participate in
the Olympics, we wouldn’t tolerate gays and lesbians being treated
differently. They’re athletes, they’re there to compete. And if Russia
wants to uphold the Olympic spirit, then every judgment should be made
on the track, or in the swimming pool, or on the balance beam, and
people’s sexual orientation shouldn’t have anything to do with it. (Applause.)
Q Good enough for me.
We’ll be right back. We’ll
talk about the economy when we come back.
THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely.
Q More with President Obama
right after this. (Applause.)
* * *
Q Welcome back. We’re talking
with the President of the United States, Barack Obama.
Hey, let’s talk about the
economy. Things seem to be getting better, seem to be improving.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, the
economy is growing.
Q Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: The
unemployment rate has been ticking down, and housing is improving. We’ve
seen the deficit cut in half. Health care costs are actually going up
slower than they have in — any time in the last 50 years. So there are a
lot of good trends.
Q Right.
THE PRESIDENT: But I think
what folks all across the country would tell you is we’ve got a lot more
work to do. Wages and salaries haven’t gone up. Middle-class families
are still struggling to make sure they can pay for their kids’ college
education. They're still concerned about whether they can retire.
And what Washington should be
thinking about every single day is how do we make sure we’ve got an
economy where if folks work hard, they can find a good job that pays a
decent wage; they can send their kids to college; they've got health
care they can count on; they can retire even if they don't get rich — or
even if they're not rich; and that we’re creating these ladders of
opportunities for people to get into the middle class
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And what’s happened over the
last 20 years is — actually longer than that, probably over the last 30
— is that the gap between those of us at the very top and the vast
middle has been growing wider and wider. And some of that is
globalization. Some of it is technology. You go to a factory — you’re a
car guy — if you go to an auto plant now, robots, and it’s clean as a
whistle, and it doesn't employ as many people as it used to. So a lot of
those middle-class jobs have gone away.
And what we have to do is
make sure that we are investing in infrastructure, research; making sure
our kids are educated properly; and an improved and more stable housing
market instead of the kind of bubbles that we had before. All those
things can really make a difference.
Q You mentioned
infrastructure. Why is that a partisan issue? I live in a town, the
bridge is falling apart, it’s not safe. How does that become Republican
or Democrat? How do you not just fix the bridge? (Laughter and applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: I don't know.
As you know, for the last three years, I’ve said, let’s work together.
Let’s find a financing mechanism and let’s go ahead and fix our bridges,
fix our roads, sewer systems, our ports. The Panama is being widened so
that these big supertankers can come in. Now, that will be finished in
2015. If we don't deepen our ports all along the Gulf — places like
Charleston, South Carolina, or Savannah, Georgia, or Jacksonville,
Florida — if we don't do that, those ships are going to go someplace
else. And we’ll lose jobs. Businesses won’t locate here.
So this is something that
traditionally has been bipartisan. I mean, it used to be Republicans and
Democrats, they love cutting those ribbons.
Q Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: And we’ve got
a bunch of construction workers who aren’t working right now. They’ve
got the skills. They want to get on the job. It would have a huge impact
on the economy not just now, but well into the future. So I’m just going
to keep on pushing Republicans to join with us, and let’s try to do it.
Part of it is — what they’ll
say is, we like infrastructure, but we don't want to pay for it. And one
of the things I’ve been trying to get across here is, is that we don't
need a huge government, but we need government doing some basic things,
and we should all agree on a sensible mechanism to go ahead and pay for
it — make sure we don't waste money, make sure we’re cutting down on
permitting times and delays, but let’s go ahead and get it done.
Q Would it be possible to do
a modern WPA, almost like a America Peace Corps where kids get paid a
decent wage, you give them food, and they fix up Detroit, they fix up
other cities — whatever — they fix bridges? I mean, when you travel this
country, you see these great bridges and things that were built by — and
they have the plaque, the guys that built it in 1932, in 1931.
THE PRESIDENT: And it was
incredibly important for not just the economy in the ‘30s, we use it
still — Golden Gate Bridge, Hoover Dam. It opened up opportunity for
everybody. The Interstate Highway System — think of all the businesses
that got created because we put that together.
So it’s possible. The
question is do we have the political will to do it. And my argument to
Congress has been, this is just like your house. You can put off fixing
the roof. You can put off doing the tuckpointing. You can put off
replacing the old boiler. But sooner or later, you’re going to have to
fix it, and it’s going to be more expensive the longer you put it off.
When we’ve got unemployed folks right now, we should be putting them to
work, and it would be good for the entire country. (Applause.)
Q And let me ask you about
something I’m seeing. Is it me, or do I see kind of bromance with you
and John McCain? (Laughter.) I remember you two had that lovers’ quarrel
for a while. And, oh, now, you’re, oh — well, you’re best friends.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know
that's how —
Q What happened?
THE PRESIDENT: That's how a
classic romantic comedy goes, right? (Laughter.) Initially you’re not
getting along, and then you keep on bumping into each other. (Laughter.)
Q Yes, but what’s — I mean,
what changed? Who saw the light? (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: John McCain
and I have a number of philosophical differences, but he is a person of
integrity. He is willing to say things regardless of the politics. The
fact that he worked hard with a group of Democratic and Republican
senators on immigration reform; they passed a bill in the Senate that
will make sure that folks who are here illegally have to pay back-taxes
and pay a penalty and get to the back of the line, but over time have a
pathway to citizenship, and make sure that we’re strengthening our
borders. He went ahead and passed that even though there are some
questions in his own party. So I think that he deserves credit for being
somebody who is willing to go against the grain of his own party
sometimes. It’s probably not good for me to compliment him on television.
Q Yes, yes. (Laughter.) Get a
big head.
THE PRESIDENT: But I think
that he’s an example of a number of Republicans in the Senate, in the
House, who want to be for something, not just be against everything. (Applause.)
And the more that they can try to move in that direction, I think the
better off we’ll be.
Q Now, we’re going to take a
break. I want to talk about Hillary because I know you had lunch with
her.
THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely.
Q My question — my question
when we come back, who asked who to lunch. (Laughter.) Don't answer.
Don't answer. We’ll find out more with President Obama right after this.
(Applause.)
* * *
Q (Applause.) We are back
with the President of the United States.
You and Hillary had lunch
last — who invited who to lunch? I’m curious.
THE PRESIDENT: I invited her.
Q Okay.
THE PRESIDENT: And we had a
great time. She had that post-administration glow. (Laughter.) You know,
when folks leave the White House — two weeks later, they look great. (Laughter.)
But it was a wonderful conversation. By the end of my first term, we had
become genuinely close and I could not have more respect for her. She
was a great Secretary of State, and I'm very, very proud of the work she
did. (Applause.)
Q Did you notice her
measuring the drapes or anything like that? (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: No. Keep in
mind, she’s been there before.
Q Right, that’s true. That’s
true.
THE PRESIDENT: So she doesn’t
have to measure them.
Q So what’s the latest in
health care? What’s new?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, on
October 1st, people are going to be able to sign up if they don’t have
health care. If you’ve got health care, you don’t have to do anything.
The only thing that’s happened for people who have health care right now
is, is that you’ve been able to benefit from the fact that we put in
place a law so that insurance companies have to spend 80 percent of your
premiums on health care, and if they spend it on administrative costs
and high CEO salaries, they’ve got to send you a rebate. And that’s been
affecting people. (Applause.)
If you’ve got a kid who has
just graduated, doesn’t have a job with health care, they can stay on
their parent’s plan. That’s in place right now. Free preventive care and
free contraceptive care for young women and families — all that stuff is
in place now. No lifetime limits. (Applause.)
So a lot of consumer
protections got put in place. But on October 1st, if you don’t have
health care right now, you can join what are called these marketplaces
and you’ll be able to get lower-cost health care. Here in California,
it’s estimated it will be 20, 30 percent cheaper than what you’re
already getting. And we’ll give you subsidies — tax credits, essentially
— if you still can’t afford it.
So you can go to
healthcare.gov and right now you can pre-register essentially and start
figuring out is this plan right for you.
Q Well, I was able to get
health care from — the guys who worked at my shop for me are all over
50. They never had health care. And I was able to get it now because you
can’t be turned down. So thank you for that.
THE PRESIDENT: You can’t be
turned down because of a preexisting condition. That’s part of what
we’re going to be doing. (Applause.)
Q Something I thought was — I
thought you spoke very eloquently about the Trayvon Martin case and I
could tell you were speaking from the heart. And tell me about that.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think
all of us were troubled by what happened. And any of us who were parents
can imagine the heart ache that those parents went through. It doesn’t
mean that Trayvon was a perfect kid — none of us were. We were talking
offstage — when you’re a teenager, especially a teenage boy, you’re
going to mess up, and you won’t always have the best judgment. But what
I think all of us agree to is, is that we should have a criminal justice
system that’s fair, that’s just. And what I wanted to try to explain was
why this was a particularly sensitive topic for African American
families, because a lot of people who have sons know the experience they
had of being followed or being viewed suspiciously.
We all know that young
African American men disproportionately have involvement in criminal
activities and violence — for a lot of reasons, a lot of it having to do
with poverty, a lot of it having to do with disruptions in their
neighborhoods and their communities, and failing schools and all those
things. And that’s no excuse, but what we also believe in is, is that
people — everybody — should be treated fairly and the system should work
for everyone. (Applause.) And so what I’m trying to do is just —
Q I agree.
THE PRESIDENT: — make sure
that we have a conversation and that we’re all asking ourselves are
there some things that we can do to foster better understanding, and to
make sure that we don’t have laws in place that encourage the kind of
violent encounter that we saw there that resulted in tragedy.
Q Let me ask you something —
you told a group of young people that broccoli was your favorite food. (Laughter.)
Now, lying to voters is one thing; lying to children, that’s — (laughter
and applause) — well, that is —
THE PRESIDENT: Let me say
this —
Q Can you put your right hand
on a Bible and say, “Broccoli” — (laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Let me say
this — I have broccoli a lot. (Laughter.) I mean, no, you can ask my
staff.
Q Really?
THE PRESIDENT: It is one of
my staples. Me and broccoli, I don’t know, we’ve got a thing going. (Laughter.)
Q Really?
THE PRESIDENT: It goes
especially well with burgers and fries.
Q Right, right. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely.
Q And did Michelle make a
broccoli cake with broccoli icing?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I won’t
go that far.
Q Now, did the kids believe
you or did they go, “Oh, come on.”
THE PRESIDENT: No, they did
kind of — they looked at me. (Laughter.) They had their little pads and
pencils, and they were all, “Really?” (Laughter.) “More than chips?” (Laughter.)
But to Michelle’s credit, the
Let’s Move initiative that she’s been involved with that has gotten so
many folks all around the country doing stuff to help kids exercise and
eat right. For the first time in a long time, we’ve started to see some
modest reduction in childhood obesity. So I think it’s making a
difference. (Applause.)
Q Well, that’s good. Really
proud of that.
Mr. President, it’s been an
honor. I know you have to go.
THE PRESIDENT: It was nice to
see you.
Q Thank you so much.
THE PRESIDENT: Before we go,
well, Jay, I know you’re very proud of your car collection.
Q Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, there’s
one piece that’s missing.
Q Cool.
THE PRESIDENT: This is the
Beast.
Q The Beast!
THE PRESIDENT: The one I
drive in. (Applause.)
Q Oh, look at that. My friend,
Ed Wellburn, designed that car. Will you sign the roof?
THE PRESIDENT: I will sign
the roof.
Q Oh, cool. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Now, the doors
are heavy, so when you’re getting in you may need a little help. (Laughter.)
Q I assume the real car will
be at my garage after the show. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: There you go,
Jay.
Q Very good.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so
much.
Q Mr. President, a pleasure
and an honor, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: I appreciate
it.
Q Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 5:16 P.M. PDT
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