President Donald Trump held three wide-ranging back-to-back-to-back interviews with reporters Friday morning — one on "Fox and Friends" and two other sessions with the media — in which he spouted off on an array of topics.
At various points, and sometimes contradicting himself, Trump discussed the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, his administration's much-criticized policy of splitting up families at the U.S. border, and the recent summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
ON KIM JONG UN
"He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same."
"We got along very well, we had a good chemistry. I don't know if that's supposed to be popular or politically correct to say. But we really did, we had good chemistry."
ON DEFENDING KIM’S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD
"You know why? Because I don't want to see a nuclear weapon destroy you and your family."
ON NFL PLAYERS TAKING A KNEE
"They were all saying it has nothing to do with the flag, it's the way we've been treated. And in the meantime they're making $15 million a year. Look, I'm all for the athletes, I think it's great. I love athletics, I love sports, but they shouldn't get the politics involved. When you're in a stadium and they broadcast that national, you've got to stand, you've got to be proud and you've got to have your hand up and you gotta do everything that's right, and then go out and play really tough football. And once you leave that stadium, go and do whatever you want to do — run for office, do whatever."
ON TALKING TO MUELLER
"They’re getting people who say something that is a little bit off. 'Is it a nice day?' 'Well, you know, no it's not a great day.' Oops he lied...People are afraid of that. I would like to talk but it seems to be very biased."
"The problem with the Mueller investigation is everybody's got massive conflicts. You have this person who was at Hillary Clinton's funeral. Meaning her party that turned into a funeral. They were screaming, crying, going crazy. I call them the 13 angry Democrats. You have tremendous animosity."
ON HIS SUPPORTERS
"I have the greatest supporters in the world. By the way, they're the smartest, they're the hardest working, they pay taxes, they're incredible, they're loyal, I have the bikers, I have the construction workers, I have 'em all. They’re the great. And by the way, I have the FBI. You go into the FBI and take a poll of the real FBI, not the scum on top, not Comey and that group of people that are total thieves."
ON HIS EX-LAWYER MICHAEL COHEN
"I did nothing wrong. I always liked Michael. I haven't spoken to Michael in a long time."
ON SEPARATING FAMILIES
"If you noticed when I came over, they were all saying about separating the families, and that's a Democrat bill. That's Democrats wanting to do that and they can solve it very easily by getting together but they think it’s a good election point…I hate it, I hate the children being taken away. The Democrats have to change their law. That's their law."
ON SCANDAL-PLAGUED EPA CHIEF PRUITT
"Scott's done a fantastic job at EPA…I'm not happy about certain things."