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Trump Gaggles with Press Upon Departure from the White House, Oct. 12, 2026

October 12, 2026 · The White House · 0:06:58

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

President Donald Trump took questions from reporters as he departed the White House on October 12, 2026, in a gaggle carried in full on the White House channel. Asked about Representative Ilhan Omar, the President called her “totally crooked” in his personal view and a “terrible person,” while saying any examination of her was “really up to the DOJ — I have nothing to do” with it.

On Ukraine, asked about reports that Russia had violated a ceasefire, he said he was not sure about the report and would take a look, and repeated that Presidents Zelensky and Putin “have to get together and end that ridiculous war.” Challenged that both sides deny agreeing to a ceasefire, he answered: “They agreed. You know why? Because I said you agreed.” Asked whether the November election would affect his decision on Iran, he said it would have no impact. He also said he might meet North Korea’s Kim Jong-un during an Asia trip — “That’ll be exciting, won’t it?” — and said his rally tour and the stock market’s record run were, in his account, lifting Republicans’ prospects.

Why it matters

Departure and arrival gaggles are where this President most often states his positions in his own words, outside a prepared text. Foreign policy is the portfolio of Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, whose records this site tracks against statements like these.

Sources: The White House, “President Trump Gaggles with Press Upon Departure from the White House, Oct. 12, 2026” (official upload, embedded above). All characterizations, including the remarks about Representative Omar, as stated by the President in the gaggle.