In an interview with NBC News on Saturday, President Donald Trump stated that he would not fire anyone involved in the Signal group chat where military attack plans were accidentally revealed to a journalist, and that he “could not care less” if automakers raised prices in response to new tariffs.
In the wide-ranging interview, Trump also discussed his desire to annex Greenland and reiterated that a military option was not out of the question.
Following a week of headlines about Signal, tariffs, and Greenland, the president dismissed concerns that his agenda is causing Wall Street volatility or lowering consumer confidence, citing polling data showing that the share of Americans who believe the country is on the right track is at a record high.
“What I see is right track and wrong track. And it was the first time in about 40 years that it was on the right track,” the president said, calling Finland’s President Alexander Stubb on the phone. The two men were golfing in Florida on Saturday.
No concern if automakers raise their prices
Following his announcement of 25% tariffs on all foreign-made automobiles, the president stated that he “could not care less” if automakers raised prices.
When asked what his recent message was to auto industry CEOs, and whether he had warned them against raising prices, Trump replied, “The message is congratulations; if you make your car in the United States, you are going to make a lot of money.” If you don’t, you will most likely have to come to the United States, because there are no tariffs if you manufacture your car here.”
When asked if he told CEOs not to raise prices, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, Trump responded, “No, I never said that. I do not care if they raise prices; people will start buying American-made cars.”
Trump added, “I could not care less. I hope they raise their prices because if they do, people will purchase American-made vehicles. “We have plenty.”
When asked if he was concerned about rising car prices, Trump replied, “No, I could not care less, because if the prices of foreign cars rise, they will buy American cars.”
Following the interview, an aide to the president told NBC News that Trump was specifically referring to foreign car prices.
NBC News reported earlier this week that foreign auto parts would be taxed at 25%, even if the vehicles they go into are domestically built. Companies that import vehicles under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will be given special treatment until the government establishes a process for levying the 25% duties, according to the White House.
Until that time, USMCA-compliant auto parts will be tariff-free.
The president also stated that the tariffs would be permanent.
“They are absolutely permanent. For the past 40 years or so, the rest of the world has been taking advantage of the United States. And all we are doing is being fair, and to be honest, I am being extremely generous,” Trump stated.
Trump’s tariff announcement on Wednesday came just weeks before his planned April 2 “Liberation Day,” when tariffs on a wide range of consumer goods are scheduled to go into effect. They were swiftly condemned by international leaders including Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Carney told reporters on Thursday that the tariffs were “unjustified” and that “the old relationship we had with the United States, based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation, is over.”
On Saturday, Trump reiterated that he does not intend to postpone the imposition of the April 2 tariffs and would consider negotiating on that point “only if people are willing to give us something of great value.” Because countries have valuable assets; otherwise, there is no room for negotiation.
Signal incident
Trump said he has no plans to fire anyone after it was revealed that national security adviser Michael Waltz added a journalist to a Signal app group chat with senior Trump administration officials earlier this month to discuss plans to strike Houthi militants in Yemen.
“I do not fire people because of fake news and witch hunts,” Trump said, repeatedly calling the story “fake news” throughout the interview.
“I do,” the president responded when asked if he still trusts Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was also in the Signal chat and sent a detailed timeline of the planned strikes before they occurred.
“I think it is just a witch hunt and the fake news, like you, talk about it all the time, but it is just a witch hunt, and it should not be talked [about],” Trump said in response. “We had an extremely successful strike. We struck hard and lethal. Nobody wants to discuss that. Everything they want to talk about is nonsense. “It is fake news.”
Trump’s comments come as he faces calls to fire Waltz, including from allies, following The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg’s report on Monday that he had been added to a private messaging app chat group with senior administration officials.
During the conversation, the officials appeared to discuss their plans to strike Houthi rebels, which the Trump administration has repeatedly claimed were not classified.
“I do not know what Signal is. “I do not care what Signal is,” Trump stated on Saturday. “All I can tell you is that it is just a witch hunt, and that is all the press wants to talk about because there is nothing else to talk about. Because it has been the most successful 100-day presidency in our country’s history.”
Everything is on the table to obtain Greenland
On Saturday, the president also stated that he has “absolutely” discussed annexing Greenland, which is currently a semiautonomous Danish territory.
“We will get Greenland. “Yes, 100%,” Trump said.
He added that there is a “good chance that we could do it without military force,” but “I do not rule anything out.”
This comes just one day after Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland with his wife, Usha, and spoke with service members at Pituffik Space Base, a US Space Force base on the northwestern coast of Greenland.
While he was there, Vance said, “Our message to Denmark is very simple — you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland.”
When asked what message acquiring Greenland would send to Russia and the rest of the world, Trump responded, “I do not really think about that. I do not really care. Greenland is a very separate and distinct subject. It is about international peace. It represents international security and strength.”
“You have ships sailing outside Greenland from Russia, China, and a variety of other places. And we will not allow things to happen that will harm the world or the United States,” he said.
