Trump Awes Lesley Stahl: ‘He Is Much More Confident. He Is Truly President.’

President Donald Trump gave a Sixty Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl, after which Stahl gave a post-interview commentary about her interview with the president in the White House.

“He is so much more confident. He is truly president. He feels it. And I felt it in this interview,” said Lesley Stahl.

“I wouldn’t say he was restrained. He came at Fake News several times,” Stahl said.

“The more he’s out there, the more it helps the Republicans,” Stahl said.

Here are some of the best highlights of President Trump’s Sixty Minutes interview:

President Donald Trump said that “scientists also have a political agenda” when defending his retreat from the Paris climate accord.

“I don’t want to hurt jobs. There are other ways of punishing” Trump said of the Saudis.

“Maybe especially so because this man was a reporter. There’s something really terrible and disgusting about that, if that is the case,” Trump said, referring to the possible Saudi murder of a journalist. Marco Rubio has also strongly questioned Saudi Arabia and said the entire U.S.-Saudi relationship could be changed if it is true that Saudi Arabia killed the journalist.

“There has been no administration in the history of our country, in the first two years. It’s a fact. Tax cuts, regulation cuts, the biggest regulation cuts in history,” Trump said of his success.

On North Korea: ‘He Doesn’t Want To Go To War.’

“I thought it was going to end up in war…We were going to war with North Korea. Now, you don’t hear that. You don’t hear any talk of that. He doesn’t want to go to war. And we don’t want to go to war. And he’s talked about de-nuclearization.”

“We have a relationship now.”

“We haven’t done that. I’m not telling you. This isn’t the Obama administration. I haven’t used the sanctions.”

“I’m not a baby.”

“Look, look. I get along with him, okay.”

“Let it be an embrace.”

“Look, let it be whatever it is. I have a good energy with him, I have a good chemistry with him. Look at the horrible threats that were made. No more threats.”

On China: ‘You Call It A War. I Call It A Skirmish.”

“I have s great chemistry also with President Xi of China. I don’t know if that’s necessarily going to continue. I told President Xi, we can’t have China take $500 billion out of the United States.”

“So far, I put 25 percent tariffs on steel dumping, aluminum dumping, they don’t have enough ammunition to retailiate.”

“They are down 32 percent in four months, which is 1929. No, I don’t want that.”

“You call it a war, I don’t call it a war. I call it a skirmish. I consider it a skirmish. We are going to win.”

On Mattis: “I Think I Know More About It Than He Does.”

“I don’t want to be taken advantage of” with regard to NATO.

“Frankly, I like General Mattis. I think I know more about it than he does.”

“You don’t know what I talked about with Putin before the meeting.”

“I’m the one who gave Ukraine offensive weapons.”

“I think I’m very tough with him personally.”

“I think China meddled also.”

“I’m saying Russia, but I’m also saying: China.”

“Why should he have recused himself?”

On Mueller

“I don’t pledge anything….I think it is very unfair.”

“Do you really think I would call Russia to help me in an election? I wouldn’t call Russia at all. It’s ridiculous.”

On Regrets

“I regret that the press treats me so badly.”

“I could have been earlier with terminating the NAFTA deal. The problem is, I was getting to know the parties.”

On The Immigration Laws

“We want to change the immigration laws because they are a laughingstock all over the world.”

“No, I want all the laws changed.”

On Washington

“This is the most deceptive, vicious world. It is vicious. It is full of deception and lies.”

“Nobody has been able to do what I’ve been able to do: nobody’s been able to do anything like this. Most

“It’s a very deceptive world. I never knew how dishonest the media was.”

“Leslie, it’s okay. In the meantime, I’m president and you’re not.”

“I think the economy is bringing people together. It was very polarized under President Obama. We had Democrats who behaved horribly during the Brett Kavanaugh — you know what I’m saying. We had senators who behaved horribly.”

“I won.”

“I don’t think they want to be healed. I want to heal.”

On the Campaign Trail

Trump referred to “The famous Mississippi speech.”

“Had I not made that speech, we would not have won,” President Trump said.

“I’m not going to get into it, because we won. It doesn’t matter. We won.”

“It could have been The New York Times,” he said of the supposed anonymous op-ed writer.

“I’m changing things around, and I’m entitled to.”

“Other people will go. Sure.”

“I think I have a great Cabinet. There are some people I’m not happy with.”

On Mattis Leaving

“It could be that he is. I think he’s sort of a Democrat, to tell you the truth,” Trump said.

“At some point, everybody leaves. People leave. That’s Washington.”

“I don’t trust everybody in the White House, I’ll be honest with you.”

“I’m usually guarded, and I think I’m guarded anyway.”

“This is a tough business. This is a vicious place. Washington, DC is a vicious vicious place. The attacks, the badmouthing, the speaking behind people’s backs. But in my own way, I think I’m very comfortable here.”

“I very much feel like POTUS. I very much feel like the President.”

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