G20 summit 2019: Trump meets leaders in Osaka

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he met with both Xi Jinping and Donald Trump during the G20 and pushed the two leaders to “establish a stable economic relationship.”

In his closing press conference as the president of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Abe said, “I spoke to them of the great importance for the leaders of the largest and second largest economies of the world to establish a stable economic relationship through constructive discussion.”

Abe also highlighted the work of the G20 leaders on the “Osaka Blue Ocean Vision” which will work to reduce marine plastic litter. He said that the desire “to hand over a better planet to the next generation is shared by everyone.”

Speaking on tensions between Iran and the US, Abe touted his own work in Iran said there was a “rising voice of concern from various countries” on the situation in the Middle East. Abe said he would like to continue to collaborate with the international community on relaxing tensions there.

US President Donald Trump defended his stance on climate change and the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord at the press conference in Osaka.

When asked about climate change, Trump replied, “We have the best numbers we’ve ever had recently, and I’m not looking to put our companies out of business… I’m not looking to create a standard that is so high that we’re going to lose 20 to 25% of our production.”

He concluded: “I don’t like it, I don’t like it.”

Watch his full reply:

US President Donald Trump said that he hadn’t taken Huawei off a list of foreign firms deemed to undermine US national security.

But he reiterated that he’d allow Huawei to once again buy products from US companies.

It looks to be the second time that Trump has eased pressure on a Chinese technology company after talking to Xi.

In July 2018, Trump lifted restrictions on Chinese technology company ZTE which were restricting it from buying US parts, severely damaging their business.

Trump said at the G20 press conference that he had removed the restrictions as a “personal favor” to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

US President Donald Trump lamented the Supreme Court’s decision to block the addition of a citizenship question on the forthcoming US census.

He called the decision “very unfortunate” and said, as he tweeted earlier this week, that his administration is “looking” at legal options to stop the census. 

He said the price of the census was “shocking.”

Trump said the Supreme Court decision “wasn’t a real decision,” calling it “very strange” and “very sad” and the process “very convoluted.”

The addition of the question could impact the balance of power in states and the House of Representatives, which are based on total population. Adding the question, critics say, could result in minorities being undercounted. Writing for a 5-4 majority, Chief Justice John Roberts concluded that there was sufficient reason for concern about why the Commerce Department wanted to add the question. 

Trump shot back Saturday when pressed on whether his administration was playing politics with the citizenship question. 

“Who’s really playing politics? Check it out, you tell me who’s really playing politics,” he said. 

US President Donald Trump said he’s hoping to give a “quick hello” to Kim Jong Un tomorrow at the DMZ, but insisted it would not be a bad sign if he doesn’t show up. 

“No, of course I thought of that,” Trump said when asked if it should be interpreted as a bad sign if Kim failed to meet him, noting that he expects critics to say “Oh, he was stood up” should that happen. 

Asked if he knew that to be a fact, Trump said his team “got a call very quickly” after his tweet, adding, “A lot of people follow it.” 

As for what he would expect for a potential meeting, Trump said, “We’re not talking about extended – just a quick hello.”

President Trump says a squabble between two of his potential Democratic rivals was given too much attention.

Speaking at a news conference in Japan, Trump said Sen. Kamala Harris was overly praised for her rebuke of former Vice President Joe Biden for his opposition to federal mandated school bussing.

Asked if he viewed Harris as a tough challenger, Trump said it was too early to tell.

“You never know who’s going to be tough. You never know,” Trump said. “The one that you think is going to be tough turned out to be not much.”

Hear Trump’s comments:

US President Donald Trump was asked to clarify his sentiments to Russian President Vladimir Putin when he appeared to make light of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. 

“You have to take a look at the word. I did say it,” Trump said during a press conference in Osaka.

On Friday, Trump lightheartedly told Putin, “Don’t meddle in the election” when asked by a reporter if the topic would come up during their bilateral meeting. The offhand remark, perhaps an attempt at levity, drew swift criticism. 

Trump said he had a “tremendous discussion” with the Russian leader, and suggested it came up again later in their meeting. 

He added that they discussed other topics as well, including nuclear purchases and other arms control.

US President Donald Trump said Friday he would save the issue of Huawei for the end of US-China trade talks.

“We mentioned Huawei,” Trump said of his talks with President Xi Jinping of China earlier Saturday. “We’ll have to save that for the very end.”

The announcement appears to contradict previous assessments by US government officials that Huawei poses a spying risk to Western infrastructure networks.

Trump called the matter “very complex” and “highly scientific,” but said the matter of Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei executive who was arrested in Canada, didn’t come up.

Speaking at a press conference in Osaka, US President Donald Trump said that if his border wall had been built the lives of migrants could be saved.

Trump was referring to the viral picture of a father and his young daughter who drowned in the Rio Grande trying to get to the United States.

The US President again pushed for tougher border control policies, saying that illegal immigration was “very unfair.”

“You have millions of people on line for years to get into a country. They take tests, they study … and these people have worked hard, they’ve been on line for seven, eight, nine years, then someone walks in. Honestly it’s very unfair,” he said.

Watch the moment here:

At an ongoing press conference in Osaka, US President Donald Trump criticized Saudi Arabia’s persecution and detention of citizens, but deflected a question about the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

With that being said, I’m extremely angry and unhappy about a thing like that taking place. But as of this moment, more than 13 people are being prosecuted and I hear the numbers are going to be going up.”

Afterward, CNN’s Jim Sciutto tweeted: “False: US intel and UN found evidence Crown Prince directed the killing.”

Hear Trump’s comments:

An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified the reporter who questioned Trump. This has been corrected.