English subtitles for clip: File:7-21-16- White House Press Briefing.webm

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The Press: Let's
see the socks.

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Mr. Earnest: Want
to see the socks?

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The Press: Yes.

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Mr. Earnest: All right.

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Got the socks on, man.

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(laughter)

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All right, now that we've
got the socks out of the way --

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(laughter)

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-- good morning,
everybody.

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Knowing of your intense
interest in covering the

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visit of the World Series
Champion Kansas City Royals --

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(applause)

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-- The Press: Our
intense interest?

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(laughter)

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Mr. Earnest: -- we thought
we would get the briefing

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out of the way so that
then you could focus on

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what I'm sure is the big
news story at the White

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House today.

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The Press: Clarify
news interest today.

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(laughter)

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Mr. Earnest: Exactly.

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Exactly.

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Listen, before we get
started with questions

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I'll just do
one other thing.

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There's another reason,
another significant thing

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about today that
warrants mentioning.

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Today marks the sixth
anniversary of the

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Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer

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Protection Act.

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This is a piece of
legislation that the

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President strongly
supported, and it's

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primarily because of the
President's belief that

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never again should
taxpayers be on the hook

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for bailing out the
economy because of bad

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debts that are made by
Wall Street bankers.

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That is why you've seen
the President vigorously

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defend Wall Street
reform from attempts by

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Republicans in Congress to
roll back these critical

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financial and
consumer protections.

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And six years later, we've
seen significant progress

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on behalf of taxpayers
in terms of making our

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financial system stronger
and more accountable.

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Let me just give you a
couple of statistics.

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Over the last seven years,
banks have added more than

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$700 billion of additional
capital and can now

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withstand severe losses
while still supporting the

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real economy.

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The Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau, which

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was created as a part of
this bill, has put $11.7

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billion in the pockets
of more than 27 million

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consumers who've
been harmed.

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That's $6.4 million for
every single day that that

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agency has been
in existence.

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The $600 trillion
derivatives market has

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been brought out of the
shadows with additional

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requirements that ensure
transparency in the market.

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And contrary to the
predictions of the critics

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of Wall Street reform, we
have succeeded both in

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strengthening the U.S.

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financial system and
presiding over the

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recovery and
expansion of the U.S. economy.

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Businesses in this time
have created nearly 15

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million new jobs.

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A family's wealth has
grown by $30 trillion,

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exceeding
pre-crisis levels.

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Average hourly earnings
for private employees have

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increased 2.6 percent
over the last 12 months.

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Foreclosure rates have
dropped all the way back

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to pre-crisis levels,
and business lending has

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climbed over 60 percent.

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In other words, we have
succeeded both in making

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the financial system
more stable, even as our

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economy has essentially
become the envy of the world.

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And there was a lot of
skepticism that these

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kinds of tough reforms
would have a negative

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impact on the economy.

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And the President, and
the strategy that we have

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pursued with the strong
support of Democrats, has

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actually proved
those critics wrong.

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We've been able
to do both.

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And it's American
taxpayers and American

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workers who
benefit the most.

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So this is certainly --
when we talk about the

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President's legacy, this
is not the first thing

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that comes to mind,
but the successful

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implementation of
Wall Street reform,

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particularly in the
aftermath of the worst

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economic downturn since
the Great Depression, is

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certainly an important
part of I think what

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historians will assess
about the Obama presidency.

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So with that, Darlene,
let's go to your questions.

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MR. YOST: Excuse me.

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Mr. Earnest:
Uh-oh, you guys.

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Look out.

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(Kansas City Royals
manager and ballplayers

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come out.)

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MR. YOST: We had real
fears that Josh would get

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in trouble by hijacking
the President's jersey, so

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we made a special
one for him.

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(laughter)

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The Press: Oooh --
Mr. Earnest: Oh, wow!

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Look at that!

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Thank you, Ned.

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I really appreciate it.

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Look at this!

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Hey, Salvy how are you?

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Very nice to see you.

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Thank you.

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MR. HOSMER: Here's
a mug for you.

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Mr. Earnest: That
is a big mug.

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(laughter)

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I don't think it will
fit underneath the desk.

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Thank you, guys.

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Welcome to the
White House.

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MR. YOST: Thank you.

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We're excited to be here.

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Mr. Earnest: So glad
that you're here.

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I know the President is
looking forward to it, too.

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MR. YOST: So are we.

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Mr. Earnest: And this is
a celebration worthy of a

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World Championship.

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MR. YOST: Sorry
we interrupted.

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We know you have to work.

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Mr. Earnest:
That's all right.

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You're welcome
here any time.

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Nice to see you guys.

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Hopefully we'll
see you later.

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Thank you, Salvy.

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Nice to see you.

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MR. PEREZ: Nice
to see you, Josh.

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Back to work.

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Mr. Earnest: I don't know
if this is going to fit

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underneath the
podium here.

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(laughter)

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The Press: Are you
going to put it on?

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Mr. Earnest: Course I am.

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Look at this!

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That's pretty
cool right there.

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That's pretty good.

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All right.

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The Press: Is that
your first one?

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Mr. Earnest: This is my
first one, right here.

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I'm going to have to wear
that this afternoon.

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(laughter)

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All right.

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The Press: How
do you top that?

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Mr. Earnest: I don't know.

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I have no idea.

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(laughter)

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Back to Dodd-Frank.

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Yes.

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Yes.

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Where were we?

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The Press: I wanted to ask
what is the reaction from

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the White House to Donald
Trump when he says that

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the U.S.

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may not come to the aid
of the Baltic States if

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they're attacked by Russia
unless they fulfill their

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obligations to
both the U.S. and NATO?

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Mr. Earnest: Listen,
there's obviously been a

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lot of discussion and
debate and churn about the

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agenda being put forward
and the rhetoric being

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used by the
Republican nominee.

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I'll let other people
weigh in on that.

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Let me just be really
clear about the policy

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that this President has
pursued, which is a

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steadfast commitment
to our NATO alliance.

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The cornerstone of that
alliance is a pledge that

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all of the allies
have made to mutual

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self-defense.

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The U.S.

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commitment to that
pledge is ironclad.

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The President renewed that
commitment just two weeks

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ago today, when he
traveled to Warsaw,

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Poland, to attend
the NATO Summit.

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Over the course of this
presidency, one of the

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President's priorities
has been solidifying the

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transatlantic alliance
and strengthening the

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transatlantic alliance, in
some cases, even expanding it.

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And NATO welcomed a new
member, Montenegro, at

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this most recent summit.

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It's also important I
think to recognize that

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the recognition that NATO
is the cornerstone of

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American national security
is a policy that the

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United States has pursued
under every post-World War

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II President, Democrat
and Republican.

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So this is a longstanding
commitment that has been

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strengthened under the
leadership of President Obama.

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And there should be no
mistake or miscalculation

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made about this country's
commitment to our

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transatlantic alliance.

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The Press: Secondly,
I wanted to ask about Turkey.

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They are moving there
toward imposing a

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three-month state of
emergency after the coup.

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There have been a lot
of mass arrests,

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school closures.

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The deputy prime minister
there says his country is

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also moving to suspend
the European Human

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Rights Convention.

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How alarmed is the White
House by some of what's

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going on in Turkey?

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And also, the Germans
today said -- seemed to

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suggest that a three-month
state of emergency was not

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necessary, that it could
be shorter than that.

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Does the White House think
three months is too much time?

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Or do you have an opinion
on the length of the state

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of emergency?

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Mr. Earnest: I don't have
a specific reaction to the

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length of time that's been
announced by the

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Turkish government.

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What the President made
clear in his telephone

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call with President
Erdogan is that Turkey

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succeeded in fighting off
the military coup because

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of the strength of that
country and those citizens

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to democracy.

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Turkey has a long
tradition of democracy.

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These are principles that
are enshrined in

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their constitution.

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And even in this time of
turmoil, it's important

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for the democratically
elected civilian

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government of Turkey
to protect them.

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Now, at the same time,
less than a week ago, some

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elements of the Turkish
military launched attacks

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against those democratic
institutions that resulted

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in significant
loss of life.

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So it's certainly
understandable that

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President Erdogan and
other government officials

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are going to take steps to
get to the bottom of

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what happened.

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The Turkish people
have an interest in

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accountability, particular
for those individuals who

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conspired to attack the
democratically elected

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civilian government
of Turkey.

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But it's important,
moving forward, that the

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democratic institutions
that were critical to the

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success in repelling the
coup emerge stronger than ever.

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And the President made
that clear in his

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telephone call to
President Erdogan even as

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the Turkish government
pursued an investigation

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into what happened.

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The United States stands
ready to assist them and

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we remain committed to the
stability and success of

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our NATO allies.

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Jeff.

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The Press: Josh,
following up on Turkey.

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The Turkish government has
also said there will not

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be a return to the deep
repression of the past,

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despite this three-month
state of emergency.

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Is the United States
confident that that is, in

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fact, the case?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, Jeff,
the President indicated

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that we're going to
continue to monitor this

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situation closely.

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And U.S. officials will continue
to be in close touch with

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their Turkish counterparts
to signal our support for

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their efforts to
investigate this coup, and

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00:11:06,999 --> 00:11:08,969
to bring full
accountability to those

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individuals who may have
been involved in trying to

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overthrow this civilian
democratic government.

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But at the same time,
we're going to continue to

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urge them to protect
the kinds of democratic

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00:11:23,649 --> 00:11:30,959
traditions and
institutions that helped

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00:11:30,956 --> 00:11:34,296
them repel the coup in
the first place and are

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00:11:34,293 --> 00:11:37,593
critical to Turkey's
success in the future.

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These are institutions
that have strong support

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among the Turkish people.

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I think the best evidence
I have for that is

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00:11:42,601 --> 00:11:44,741
something I mentioned
yesterday, which is that

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as the coup -- the
attempted coup was

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00:11:47,807 --> 00:11:51,277
starting, there were
strong statements from all

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00:11:51,277 --> 00:11:53,277
of the political parties
represented in the Turkish

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00:11:53,279 --> 00:11:56,679
parliament
condemning the coup.

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Those statements included
an unambiguous message

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00:12:03,189 --> 00:12:07,059
from the political parties
that have vigorous

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political disagreements
with President Erdogan and

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his government.

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So there is a commitment
to the democratic process

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in Turkey.

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And that is a tradition
and a set of rights and a

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process that's worth
investing in and

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00:12:22,741 --> 00:12:24,511
worth protecting.

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The Press: In order to
start talks to join the

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European Union, Turkey
had to abolish the

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death penalty.

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Now that -- the Turkish
government has said it's

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00:12:33,219 --> 00:12:35,919
considering bringing that
back to deal with plotters

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of the coup.

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The United States
obviously has the death

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00:12:39,859 --> 00:12:41,859
penalty, which makes it a
little tougher perhaps to

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00:12:41,861 --> 00:12:45,601
comment on this, but does
the White House have any

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00:12:45,598 --> 00:12:49,068
concerns about the
consideration of bringing

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00:12:49,068 --> 00:12:52,408
back that penalty in
response to this crisis?

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00:12:52,404 --> 00:12:56,144
Mr. Earnest: Well, the
United States is not going

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00:12:56,142 --> 00:12:59,082
to micromanage the
situation in Turkey, but I

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00:12:59,078 --> 00:13:02,248
think we are going to send
a clear, unmistakable

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00:13:02,248 --> 00:13:06,588
signal of support for the
democratic institutions of

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00:13:06,585 --> 00:13:09,755
Turkey, support for the
democratically elected

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00:13:09,755 --> 00:13:14,195
civilian government of
Turkey, and continue to

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encourage that democratic
government to rely on due

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00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:25,540
process, democratic
institutions, and rights

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00:13:25,538 --> 00:13:28,478
that are enshrined in
Turkey's constitution.

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00:13:28,474 --> 00:13:29,204
The Press: So what's
your thought about them

303
00:13:29,208 --> 00:13:31,708
bringing back the
death penalty?

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00:13:31,710 --> 00:13:34,050
Mr. Earnest: I don't have
a specific reaction to that.

305
00:13:34,046 --> 00:13:37,046
Obviously, the Turkish
government and President

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00:13:37,049 --> 00:13:39,719
Erdogan are going to have
some decisions to make

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00:13:39,718 --> 00:13:42,988
about how to proceed,
and as they do, the

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00:13:42,988 --> 00:13:45,758
international community
will be closely watching.

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And their desire for
accountability as it

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00:13:49,528 --> 00:13:50,528
relates to the failed
coup is

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00:13:50,529 --> 00:13:51,529
certainly understandable.

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00:13:51,530 --> 00:13:57,540
And at the same time, I
think it's arguably been

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00:13:57,536 --> 00:14:00,936
as important as it's ever
been for the Turkish

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00:14:00,940 --> 00:14:05,240
government to demonstrate
their continued, clear

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00:14:05,244 --> 00:14:08,614
commitment to a set of
democratic traditions and

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00:14:08,614 --> 00:14:11,654
principles that are
enshrined in

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00:14:11,650 --> 00:14:13,320
Turkey's constitution.

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00:14:13,319 --> 00:14:14,419
The Press: Lastly, Josh,
on another subject.

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00:14:14,420 --> 00:14:16,420
The President has
established strong ties

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00:14:16,422 --> 00:14:19,322
with Malaysia and its
Prime Minister during his

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00:14:19,325 --> 00:14:20,395
time in office.

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00:14:20,392 --> 00:14:22,692
Is the White House
concerned that these

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00:14:22,695 --> 00:14:26,365
lawsuits to recuperate $1
billion stolen from the

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00:14:26,365 --> 00:14:29,205
development fund might
affect the diplomatic

325
00:14:29,201 --> 00:14:31,541
relationship between
our two countries?

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00:14:31,537 --> 00:14:34,007
Mr. Earnest: Well, Jeff,
what you're referring to

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00:14:34,006 --> 00:14:36,476
is a Department of Justice
action and an enforcement

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00:14:36,475 --> 00:14:42,145
action that was taken
independent of influence

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00:14:42,147 --> 00:14:45,317
from anywhere else in
the executive branch.

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00:14:45,317 --> 00:14:48,857
This certainly is
something that was

331
00:14:48,854 --> 00:14:50,424
conducted pursuant to U.S.

332
00:14:50,422 --> 00:14:55,192
law, again, without any
influence from the White House.

333
00:14:55,194 --> 00:14:58,494
So as it relates to that
action and any sort of

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00:14:58,497 --> 00:14:59,967
ongoing investigation,
I'd refer you to the

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00:14:59,965 --> 00:15:02,165
Department of Justice.

336
00:15:02,167 --> 00:15:07,107
More generally, the
President discussed this

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00:15:07,106 --> 00:15:09,606
broader situation -- not
the specific Department of

338
00:15:09,608 --> 00:15:16,718
Justice investigation --
but addressed the reports

339
00:15:16,715 --> 00:15:19,885
with the public and with
Prime Minister Najib when

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00:15:19,885 --> 00:15:23,285
he was in Malaysia
last fall.

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00:15:23,289 --> 00:15:27,489
And the President
reiterated how important

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00:15:27,493 --> 00:15:31,263
it is, particularly for a
fast-growing country like

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00:15:31,263 --> 00:15:34,663
Malaysia, to be
transparent, to

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00:15:34,667 --> 00:15:42,807
demonstrate a commitment
to fair play and good

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00:15:42,808 --> 00:15:47,648
government and a business
climate that will allow

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00:15:47,646 --> 00:15:50,116
that country's economy
to continue to succeed.

347
00:15:50,115 --> 00:15:53,585
And for business interests
who are considering doing

348
00:15:53,585 --> 00:15:55,585
business in Malaysia,
they're going to be

349
00:15:55,587 --> 00:16:01,157
looking for signs that
there's a good business

350
00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:03,500
climate in Malaysia.

351
00:16:03,495 --> 00:16:07,465
And the government should
be conspicuous about

352
00:16:07,466 --> 00:16:09,666
making clear that they're
committed to transparency

353
00:16:09,668 --> 00:16:13,868
and good governance and
the kind of rules that

354
00:16:13,872 --> 00:16:18,082
will encourage people who
are considering investing

355
00:16:18,077 --> 00:16:21,517
in Malaysia's fast-growing
economy to have confidence

356
00:16:21,513 --> 00:16:27,053
that they can
do so fairly.

357
00:16:27,052 --> 00:16:29,292
But ultimately it will be
the responsibility of the

358
00:16:29,288 --> 00:16:32,658
Malaysian government to
address the concerns that

359
00:16:32,658 --> 00:16:39,828
have been raised, and
that's something that the

360
00:16:39,832 --> 00:16:43,402
President has been saying,
dating back to his visit

361
00:16:43,402 --> 00:17:13,202
to Malaysia last year.

362
00:16:46,438 --> 00:16:48,008
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

363
00:16:48,006 --> 00:16:50,276
A couple days ago, you
mentioned that the Turkish

364
00:16:50,275 --> 00:16:52,615
government had transmitted
some information to the U.S.

365
00:16:52,611 --> 00:16:56,281
government in relation to
the cleric in Pennsylvania

366
00:16:56,281 --> 00:17:01,651
who they believe has been
sort of responsible for

367
00:17:01,653 --> 00:17:03,653
this coup attempt.

368
00:17:03,655 --> 00:17:05,225
I'm wondering if,
having looked over that

369
00:17:05,224 --> 00:17:07,724
information, you
believe that that is an

370
00:17:07,726 --> 00:17:09,066
extradition request and if
you've seen any evidence

371
00:17:09,061 --> 00:17:10,731
to back up what the
Turkish government has

372
00:17:10,729 --> 00:17:12,529
said so far.

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00:17:12,531 --> 00:17:14,271
Mr. Earnest: Well, Toluse,
as I indicated earlier

374
00:17:13,198 --> 00:17:40,958
Toluse.

375
00:17:14,266 --> 00:17:18,506
this week, the United
States Department of

376
00:17:18,504 --> 00:17:25,244
Justice and the State
Department intend to be

377
00:17:25,244 --> 00:17:31,784
responsive to requests
from their Turkish counterparts.

378
00:17:31,784 --> 00:17:43,224
That includes reviewing
relevant materials that

379
00:17:43,228 --> 00:17:45,228
are provided by the
Turkish government and

380
00:17:45,230 --> 00:17:47,230
doing so consistent
with the terms of the

381
00:17:47,232 --> 00:17:49,232
longstanding extradition
treaty between the United

382
00:17:49,234 --> 00:17:51,234
States and Turkey, and
consistent with the

383
00:17:51,236 --> 00:17:54,206
principles
enshrined in U.S. law.

384
00:17:54,206 --> 00:17:58,476
I'm not going to be able
to provide a daily update

385
00:17:58,477 --> 00:18:02,917
on the progress of those
interactions between U.S.

386
00:18:02,915 --> 00:18:07,385
Justice officials
and their Turkish counterparts.

387
00:18:07,386 --> 00:18:09,886
But I can assure you that
that interaction and that

388
00:18:09,888 --> 00:18:10,888
engagement is ongoing.

389
00:18:10,889 --> 00:18:14,559
And all of the decisions
that are made as a part of

390
00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:16,860
the process will not be
dictated by the President

391
00:18:16,862 --> 00:18:19,762
because this is not a
presidential decision.

392
00:18:19,765 --> 00:18:22,835
The outcomes will be
dictated by the terms of

393
00:18:22,835 --> 00:18:26,535
the extradition treaty
between our two countries

394
00:18:26,538 --> 00:18:30,378
and due process that
individuals who live in

395
00:18:30,375 --> 00:18:40,255
the United States are
allowed to -- that are

396
00:18:40,252 --> 00:18:41,252
protected by.

397
00:18:41,253 --> 00:18:43,953
The Press: With relation
to the three-month state

398
00:18:43,956 --> 00:18:46,056
of emergency, are you
saying that the U.S.

399
00:18:46,058 --> 00:18:48,828
has no concerns that the
state of emergency --

400
00:18:48,827 --> 00:18:51,767
which will allow for
crackdowns on freedom of

401
00:18:51,763 --> 00:18:54,763
the press and freedom of
assembly, sort of doing an

402
00:18:54,766 --> 00:18:57,336
end run around the
parliament there -- do you

403
00:18:57,336 --> 00:19:00,736
think there are no
concerns that this could

404
00:19:00,739 --> 00:19:04,039
undermine the democratic
institutions of Turkey?

405
00:19:04,042 --> 00:19:05,312
Mr. Earnest: I think what
I'm saying, Toluse, is

406
00:19:05,310 --> 00:19:06,550
that the United States
government will be closely

407
00:19:06,545 --> 00:19:08,215
monitoring the situation
in Turkey, and we're going

408
00:19:08,213 --> 00:19:11,353
to continue to urge the
democratically elected

409
00:19:11,350 --> 00:19:13,620
civilian government of
Turkey to abide by the

410
00:19:13,619 --> 00:19:15,619
democratic traditions that
the people of that

411
00:19:15,621 --> 00:19:16,621
country cherish.

412
00:19:16,622 --> 00:19:22,592
The Turkish government has
democratic institutions

413
00:19:22,594 --> 00:19:24,664
that are worth protecting.

414
00:19:24,663 --> 00:19:28,933
The rights that are
enshrined in the Turkish

415
00:19:28,934 --> 00:19:32,534
constitution are
worth protecting.

416
00:19:32,538 --> 00:19:34,538
And we'll continue to make
that clear to the Turkish

417
00:19:34,540 --> 00:19:40,510
government, even as they
conduct an investigation

418
00:19:40,512 --> 00:19:43,412
to determine who was
behind the military plot

419
00:19:43,415 --> 00:19:47,485
to overthrow the
democratic government of Turkey.

420
00:19:47,486 --> 00:19:50,886
The Press: And if they
decide that after you've

421
00:19:50,889 --> 00:19:52,329
made it clear -- and
you've been making it

422
00:19:52,324 --> 00:19:56,264
clear for several months
that every time the

423
00:19:56,261 --> 00:19:58,301
President talks to
President Erdogan he does

424
00:19:58,297 --> 00:20:00,767
bring these things up --
so if they decide that

425
00:20:00,766 --> 00:20:03,036
they were going to go
forward with these

426
00:20:03,035 --> 00:20:05,975
crackdowns anyway, is
there anything that the U.S.

427
00:20:05,971 --> 00:20:08,041
plans to do differently?

428
00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,410
Mr. Earnest: Well, at this
point, I'm not going to

429
00:20:10,409 --> 00:20:11,609
engage in hypotheticals.

430
00:20:11,610 --> 00:20:15,810
Obviously our views on
this topic have been made

431
00:20:15,814 --> 00:20:17,884
clear both publicly and
privately, including at

432
00:20:17,883 --> 00:20:18,883
the highest levels.

433
00:20:18,884 --> 00:20:20,984
And so we're going to
continue to monitor the

434
00:20:20,986 --> 00:20:24,986
situation in Turkey
moving forward.

435
00:20:24,990 --> 00:20:26,960
U.S. officials, particularly at
the Department of Justice

436
00:20:26,959 --> 00:20:28,329
and the Department of
State, will continue to

437
00:20:28,327 --> 00:20:31,427
engage with their
Turkish counterparts.

438
00:20:31,430 --> 00:20:33,430
And the United States is
going to be continue to be

439
00:20:33,432 --> 00:20:36,302
unequivocal about our
strong support for

440
00:20:36,301 --> 00:20:38,541
Turkey's democratic
institutions, for Turkey's

441
00:20:38,537 --> 00:20:41,677
democratic traditions, and
for the democratically

442
00:20:41,673 --> 00:20:42,973
elected civilian
government of Turkey.

443
00:20:42,975 --> 00:20:44,875
The Press: And
then one more.

444
00:20:44,876 --> 00:20:48,476
In the interview with The
New York Times, Donald

445
00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:49,280
Trump said that the U.S.

446
00:20:49,281 --> 00:20:51,951
doesn't have a right to
sort of lecture other

447
00:20:51,950 --> 00:20:54,090
countries because we need
to fix our own mess when

448
00:20:54,086 --> 00:20:59,496
it comes to things like
police shootings or what's

449
00:20:59,491 --> 00:21:01,231
happened in Dallas
or Baton Rouge.

450
00:21:01,226 --> 00:21:05,066
How do respond to that
idea, that the U.S.

451
00:21:05,063 --> 00:21:07,363
-- in a sort of criticism
that other countries have

452
00:21:07,366 --> 00:21:08,936
made as well --
that the U.S.

453
00:21:08,934 --> 00:21:10,604
shouldn't tell other
countries how to manage

454
00:21:10,602 --> 00:21:13,102
their internal issues
because we have our own

455
00:21:13,105 --> 00:21:16,305
problems to deal
with as well?

456
00:21:16,308 --> 00:21:17,748
Mr. Earnest: Listen, this
is not a controversial notion.

457
00:21:17,743 --> 00:21:18,643
The President of the
United States has a

458
00:21:18,644 --> 00:21:21,814
responsibility to advocate
around the world for

459
00:21:21,813 --> 00:21:24,713
America's interests
and for our values.

460
00:21:24,716 --> 00:21:27,056
And that's certainly what
President Obama has done.

461
00:21:27,052 --> 00:21:32,892
And the President makes
that case not because the

462
00:21:32,891 --> 00:21:38,631
United States is perfect,
but because the United

463
00:21:38,630 --> 00:21:43,170
States continually
strives to be perfect.

464
00:21:43,168 --> 00:21:46,808
Our goal is to form
a more perfect union.

465
00:21:46,805 --> 00:21:49,275
And even when there are
instances where we fall

466
00:21:49,274 --> 00:21:56,314
short, the American
people and the U.S.

467
00:21:56,314 --> 00:21:59,114
government are committed
to righting those wrongs,

468
00:21:59,117 --> 00:22:03,217
to addressing those
shortcomings, and living

469
00:22:03,221 --> 00:22:04,721
up to the high standard
that we've set for ourselves.

470
00:22:04,723 --> 00:22:10,063
That is what gives the
President of the United

471
00:22:10,062 --> 00:22:14,562
States the moral authority
to go and make our case to

472
00:22:14,566 --> 00:22:16,136
countries around the world
that they should try to do

473
00:22:16,134 --> 00:22:18,474
the same thing.

474
00:22:18,470 --> 00:22:20,610
So the President has
made this case on many

475
00:22:20,605 --> 00:22:23,975
occasions, including even
before the United Nations

476
00:22:23,975 --> 00:22:27,015
General Assembly, on
more than one occasion.

477
00:22:27,012 --> 00:22:29,282
So the President has
certainly spoken to this.

478
00:22:29,281 --> 00:22:32,651
The irony is, is that
occasionally there have

479
00:22:32,651 --> 00:22:35,491
been Republicans who have
suggested that when the

480
00:22:35,487 --> 00:22:37,057
President makes this
point, that he's somehow

481
00:22:37,055 --> 00:22:40,355
engaged in a global
apology tour.

482
00:22:40,358 --> 00:22:43,228
That is a notion that has
been thoroughly debunked.

483
00:22:43,228 --> 00:22:45,428
But I guess it makes it a
little ironic that -- I

484
00:22:45,430 --> 00:22:49,870
guess it means that
there's some ironies

485
00:22:49,868 --> 00:22:51,368
associated with the case
that's being made by the

486
00:22:51,369 --> 00:22:53,309
Republican nominee
at this point.

487
00:22:53,305 --> 00:22:56,305
But the case that the
President has made is one

488
00:22:56,308 --> 00:22:58,648
that is rooted in the
exceptional nature of the

489
00:22:58,643 --> 00:22:59,643
country that he leads.

490
00:22:59,644 --> 00:23:05,784
And the exceptional nature
of this country is that we

491
00:23:05,784 --> 00:23:07,784
have set a very high
standard when it comes to

492
00:23:07,786 --> 00:23:10,056
our values and our
commitment to a set of

493
00:23:10,055 --> 00:23:13,895
universal human rights,
and we never stop and we

494
00:23:13,892 --> 00:23:16,462
never tire of striving
to live up to that

495
00:23:16,461 --> 00:23:17,531
high standard.

496
00:23:17,529 --> 00:23:19,229
And that certainly is
what we encourage other

497
00:23:19,231 --> 00:23:21,271
countries around
the world to do.

498
00:23:21,266 --> 00:23:22,136
Kevin.

499
00:23:22,134 --> 00:23:22,634
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

500
00:23:22,634 --> 00:23:24,034
Can you give me sort of a
readout on what we should

501
00:23:24,035 --> 00:23:25,675
expect from the
President's conversations

502
00:23:25,670 --> 00:23:29,510
with the Mexican
leadership tomorrow?

503
00:23:29,508 --> 00:23:33,778
And specifically, is the
President satisfied in the

504
00:23:33,779 --> 00:23:37,179
job that they've done in
terms of human trafficking

505
00:23:37,182 --> 00:23:39,852
and drug trafficking
interdiction at all along

506
00:23:39,851 --> 00:23:41,951
the U.S.-Mexican border?

507
00:23:41,953 --> 00:23:42,823
Mr. Earnest: Kevin, you'll
have an opportunity to

508
00:23:42,821 --> 00:23:44,291
hear from the two
Presidents tomorrow after

509
00:23:44,289 --> 00:23:45,929
their meeting, so you'll
be able to get a detailed

510
00:23:45,924 --> 00:23:47,194
assessment of their
conversation.

511
00:23:47,192 --> 00:23:48,592
But let me give you a
sense of what's on the

512
00:23:48,593 --> 00:23:51,393
President's mind as he
prepares to meet with his

513
00:23:51,396 --> 00:23:53,866
Mexican counterpart
tomorrow.

514
00:23:53,865 --> 00:23:55,405
I would anticipate that
the two leaders will spend

515
00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:58,200
some time talking about
the trade relationship

516
00:23:58,203 --> 00:23:59,203
between our two countries.

517
00:23:59,204 --> 00:24:01,204
Both the United States and
Mexico are signatories to

518
00:24:01,206 --> 00:24:02,846
the Trans-Pacific
Partnership.

519
00:24:02,841 --> 00:24:04,841
The President is quite
enthusiastic about this

520
00:24:04,843 --> 00:24:11,253
deal because it would
represent an upgrade on NAFTA.

521
00:24:11,249 --> 00:24:14,089
For the first time, it
would make enforceable

522
00:24:14,085 --> 00:24:16,585
higher labor and
environmental standards

523
00:24:16,588 --> 00:24:18,588
that will create a more
level playing field for

524
00:24:18,590 --> 00:24:20,590
American workers and
American businesses that

525
00:24:20,592 --> 00:24:24,662
has the potential
to expand economic

526
00:24:24,663 --> 00:24:29,833
opportunity here in the
United States and give

527
00:24:29,835 --> 00:24:30,835
more U.S.

528
00:24:30,836 --> 00:24:32,806
companies an opportunity
to grow not just here in

529
00:24:32,804 --> 00:24:34,804
the United States,
but around the world,

530
00:24:34,806 --> 00:24:38,246
including with neighboring
countries like Canada and

531
00:24:38,243 --> 00:24:40,683
Mexico that are
signatories to the agreement.

532
00:24:40,679 --> 00:24:43,949
In addition to that, the
United States has found

533
00:24:43,949 --> 00:24:48,289
Mexico to be an effective
partner on fighting

534
00:24:48,286 --> 00:24:49,556
climate change.

535
00:24:49,554 --> 00:24:51,824
And I would anticipate
that they will continue to

536
00:24:51,823 --> 00:24:54,423
discuss additional efforts
that both our countries

537
00:24:54,426 --> 00:24:56,066
can take in that effort.

538
00:24:56,061 --> 00:24:58,061
Obviously there was a
significant announcement

539
00:24:58,063 --> 00:25:00,403
that was made at the North
American Leaders Summit in

540
00:25:00,398 --> 00:25:03,268
Canada last month, and
there will be a continued

541
00:25:03,268 --> 00:25:06,238
discussion of
those commitments.

542
00:25:06,238 --> 00:25:08,238
And there certainly will
be a discussion about

543
00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:11,240
border security,
and fighting narco-trafficking.

544
00:25:11,243 --> 00:25:13,343
We have made progress in
that effort over the last

545
00:25:13,345 --> 00:25:16,785
couple of years, in part
because our cooperation

546
00:25:16,781 --> 00:25:21,491
with the Mexican
government has improved.

547
00:25:21,486 --> 00:25:24,056
And it will require
effective cooperation

548
00:25:24,055 --> 00:25:26,725
between the United States
and Mexico to crack down

549
00:25:26,725 --> 00:25:29,795
on criminal elements --
transnational criminal

550
00:25:29,794 --> 00:25:32,294
elements, including those
that are focused on

551
00:25:32,297 --> 00:25:34,497
narco-trafficking or
human trafficking.

552
00:25:34,499 --> 00:25:43,979
Our effective cooperation
will allow us to bring an

553
00:25:43,975 --> 00:25:47,575
end to those organizations
that create so much

554
00:25:47,579 --> 00:25:52,179
criminal activity and have
such a negative impact on

555
00:25:52,183 --> 00:25:57,353
communities on both
sides of the border.

556
00:25:57,355 --> 00:25:59,455
I should note, under
President Obama's

557
00:25:59,457 --> 00:26:01,697
leadership, the United
States government has made

558
00:26:01,693 --> 00:26:04,293
a historic investment in
border security along the

559
00:26:04,296 --> 00:26:06,696
U.S.-Mexico border.

560
00:26:06,698 --> 00:26:09,338
In terms of technology, in
terms of infrastructure

561
00:26:09,334 --> 00:26:14,304
and in terms of staffing,
there's never been a great

562
00:26:14,306 --> 00:26:16,676
commitment to
border security.

563
00:26:16,675 --> 00:26:18,675
And that's reflected in
the numbers that we see of

564
00:26:18,677 --> 00:26:20,677
individuals who are
apprehended attempting to

565
00:26:20,679 --> 00:26:21,679
cross the border.

566
00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:23,680
Those numbers are lower
than they've been

567
00:26:23,682 --> 00:26:24,682
in a generation.

568
00:26:24,683 --> 00:26:27,223
And that's a testament to
the efforts that we have

569
00:26:27,218 --> 00:26:31,428
made under President Obama
to strengthen our

570
00:26:31,423 --> 00:26:34,823
border security.

571
00:26:34,826 --> 00:26:37,626
Part of that strategy
includes effective

572
00:26:37,629 --> 00:26:40,469
coordination with the
Mexican government.

573
00:26:40,465 --> 00:26:43,465
We certainly have enjoyed
that effective cooperation

574
00:26:43,468 --> 00:26:46,338
with President Peña Nieto,
and their conversations

575
00:26:46,338 --> 00:26:48,938
tomorrow will include a
discussion about how to

576
00:26:48,940 --> 00:26:50,180
deepen that cooperation.

577
00:26:50,175 --> 00:26:53,245
The Press: Are remittances
on the agenda, do you

578
00:26:53,244 --> 00:26:54,914
imagine, Josh, in any way?

579
00:26:54,913 --> 00:26:55,983
Mr. Earnest: I don't know
if that will come up in

580
00:26:55,981 --> 00:26:58,381
their meeting tomorrow,
but once that conversation

581
00:26:58,383 --> 00:27:00,853
has occurred, we'll try to
give you a more

582
00:27:00,852 --> 00:27:02,422
detailed readout.

583
00:27:02,420 --> 00:27:03,320
The Press: Okay, good.

584
00:27:03,321 --> 00:27:04,721
Merrick Garland -- what's
the very latest on the

585
00:27:04,723 --> 00:27:05,493
Chief Judge?

586
00:27:05,490 --> 00:27:06,990
And what, if anything,
will be happening in the

587
00:27:06,992 --> 00:27:09,232
weeks during the break?

588
00:27:09,227 --> 00:27:11,827
Mr. Earnest: Well, we've
reached an unfortunate

589
00:27:11,830 --> 00:27:14,500
milestone, as I noted
earlier this week, that

590
00:27:14,499 --> 00:27:18,369
Chief Judge Garland has
now gone longer without a

591
00:27:18,370 --> 00:27:24,480
hearing than any other
Supreme Court nominee in

592
00:27:24,476 --> 00:27:26,476
history that wasn't
later withdrawn.

593
00:27:26,478 --> 00:27:28,718
And that's rather
unfortunate when you

594
00:27:28,713 --> 00:27:31,253
consider that Chief Judge
Garland has another

595
00:27:31,249 --> 00:27:35,519
distinction, which is that
he is arguably the most

596
00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:39,390
experienced Supreme Court
nominee in American history.

597
00:27:39,391 --> 00:27:41,531
He has served more years
on the federal bench than

598
00:27:41,526 --> 00:27:43,526
any other individual who's
ever been nominated for

599
00:27:43,528 --> 00:27:46,598
the Supreme Court.

600
00:27:46,598 --> 00:27:49,638
When you couple that with
the highest possible

601
00:27:49,634 --> 00:27:52,204
rating that he received
from the nonpartisan ABA

602
00:27:52,203 --> 00:27:55,243
and from the clear
assessment of Republican

603
00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:58,310
senators, including Orrin
Hatch, who described him

604
00:27:58,309 --> 00:28:04,679
as a unanimous -- or a
consensus nominee, I think

605
00:28:04,682 --> 00:28:08,022
that's an indication that
he's not being treated

606
00:28:08,019 --> 00:28:09,819
fairly by Republicans.

607
00:28:09,821 --> 00:28:10,821
I think it's a clear
indication that

608
00:28:10,822 --> 00:28:13,192
Republicans are not
doing their job.

609
00:28:13,191 --> 00:28:15,591
And that's unfortunate.

610
00:28:15,593 --> 00:28:19,563
But the President is
committed to his pick, and

611
00:28:19,564 --> 00:28:21,664
we're going to make a
strong case both in public

612
00:28:21,666 --> 00:28:24,706
and in private that the
senators should do their

613
00:28:24,702 --> 00:28:25,272
job and that they should
confirm Chief Judge

614
00:28:25,270 --> 00:28:29,970
Garland to an appointment
on the Supreme Court.

615
00:28:29,974 --> 00:28:31,974
Because the President is
confident that he will

616
00:28:31,976 --> 00:28:33,976
serve this country with
honor and distinction

617
00:28:33,978 --> 00:28:34,978
in that role.

618
00:28:34,979 --> 00:28:36,979
The Press: So, no change
or no plans that the

619
00:28:36,981 --> 00:28:38,981
President would have
of withdrawing that nomination?

620
00:28:38,983 --> 00:28:41,783
And has Chief Judge
Garland made any comments

621
00:28:41,786 --> 00:28:44,626
about the process to the
President or the White

622
00:28:44,622 --> 00:28:47,362
House about wanting
to maybe step away?

623
00:28:47,358 --> 00:28:50,558
Mr. Earnest: No, there is
no chance that President

624
00:28:50,562 --> 00:28:54,932
Obama will withdraw his
nominee to the Supreme

625
00:28:54,933 --> 00:28:56,703
Court, Chief Judge
Merrick Garland.

626
00:28:56,701 --> 00:28:58,771
And the President and his
team, including Chief

627
00:28:58,770 --> 00:29:01,740
Judge Garland, remain
100 percent committed to

628
00:29:01,739 --> 00:29:03,979
seeing through his
nomination and seeing it

629
00:29:03,975 --> 00:29:07,215
result in his appointment
to the Supreme Court.

630
00:29:07,212 --> 00:29:07,812
The Press: Last
one for me.

631
00:29:07,812 --> 00:29:10,912
An interesting dustup on
Twitter over the last

632
00:29:10,915 --> 00:29:16,385
several days finds a famed
blogger who's now been

633
00:29:16,387 --> 00:29:19,257
banned from Twitter for
inciting -- it has been

634
00:29:19,257 --> 00:29:21,157
alleged -- inciting
hate speech.

635
00:29:21,159 --> 00:29:24,099
What does the White House
think about the balance of

636
00:29:24,095 --> 00:29:28,265
free speech versus,
for lack of a better

637
00:29:28,266 --> 00:29:30,136
description,
inciteful speech?

638
00:29:30,135 --> 00:29:33,305
And is that a good idea
that services like Twitter

639
00:29:33,304 --> 00:29:36,574
remove people from their
service because of it?

640
00:29:36,574 --> 00:29:38,914
And I ask that question
also because we've had the

641
00:29:38,910 --> 00:29:41,780
conversation previously,
you and I, about these

642
00:29:41,779 --> 00:29:44,679
hate groups overseas, or
these ISIS-sympathetic

643
00:29:44,682 --> 00:29:46,952
groups in particular.

644
00:29:46,951 --> 00:29:48,321
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
all of these kinds of

645
00:29:48,319 --> 00:29:52,659
questions raise important
First Amendment considerations.

646
00:29:52,657 --> 00:29:55,827
And the United States
government and President

647
00:29:55,827 --> 00:29:58,997
Obama and the Obama
administration are I think

648
00:29:58,997 --> 00:30:02,067
quite obviously strongly
committed to First

649
00:30:02,066 --> 00:30:03,536
Amendment protections.

650
00:30:03,535 --> 00:30:05,805
At the same time, social
media companies like

651
00:30:05,803 --> 00:30:08,843
Twitter have to make their
own decisions and set

652
00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:13,580
their own policies for the
use of their technology.

653
00:30:13,578 --> 00:30:17,278
And obviously the U.S.

654
00:30:17,282 --> 00:30:18,752
government has been able
to work effectively with

655
00:30:18,750 --> 00:30:20,520
these social media
companies in many

656
00:30:20,518 --> 00:30:24,058
instances to combat
individuals who might try

657
00:30:24,055 --> 00:30:27,525
to capitalize on this
technology to propagate a

658
00:30:27,525 --> 00:30:29,395
hateful ideology and
inspire people to carry

659
00:30:29,394 --> 00:30:31,834
out acts of violence.

660
00:30:31,829 --> 00:30:33,769
I think what's also true
with Twitter is they

661
00:30:33,765 --> 00:30:48,715
recognize that having some
rules of the roads, some

662
00:30:48,713 --> 00:30:58,453
terms of use, allows for
a more effective tool.

663
00:30:58,456 --> 00:31:04,126
People are more likely to
use this social medial

664
00:31:04,128 --> 00:31:09,768
tool to connect with their
friends or other people

665
00:31:09,767 --> 00:31:12,307
around the world if they
know they're not going to

666
00:31:12,303 --> 00:31:18,273
be subjected to a stream
of hate every time they log on.

667
00:31:18,276 --> 00:31:21,616
So the considerations that
Twitter and other social

668
00:31:21,613 --> 00:31:24,413
media companies have to
make are different than

669
00:31:24,415 --> 00:31:26,415
the kind of considerations
that the U.S.

670
00:31:26,417 --> 00:31:27,417
government has to make.

671
00:31:27,418 --> 00:31:29,418
We've got a commitment to
protecting people's First

672
00:31:29,420 --> 00:31:30,460
Amendment rights.

673
00:31:30,455 --> 00:31:32,555
Twitter has a commitment
to their users and to

674
00:31:32,557 --> 00:31:38,567
their customers in
fostering an environment

675
00:31:38,563 --> 00:31:42,303
that makes people feel
comfortable enough to use it.

676
00:31:42,300 --> 00:31:44,300
So I'm certainly not going
to second-guess any of the

677
00:31:44,302 --> 00:31:46,972
steps that Twitter or any
other social media company

678
00:31:46,971 --> 00:31:53,141
has to make in
this regard.

679
00:31:53,144 --> 00:31:55,144
But obviously these are
the kinds of challenging

680
00:31:55,146 --> 00:32:01,016
questions that have
significant consequences

681
00:32:01,019 --> 00:32:03,559
that innovators have
to make, and certainly

682
00:32:03,554 --> 00:32:05,524
Twitter is among them.

683
00:32:05,523 --> 00:32:06,453
Margaret.

684
00:32:06,457 --> 00:32:08,527
The Press: Josh, on the
timing of the Mexican

685
00:32:08,526 --> 00:32:12,496
President's visit, can you
comment on whether there

686
00:32:12,497 --> 00:32:15,197
was an eye towards
politics on that, given

687
00:32:15,199 --> 00:32:17,669
that he will be visiting
and speaking to the press

688
00:32:17,669 --> 00:32:20,469
a day after we hear the
Republican nominee, whose

689
00:32:20,471 --> 00:32:23,111
prime foreign policy
platform is about building

690
00:32:23,107 --> 00:32:24,547
a wall with this country?

691
00:32:24,542 --> 00:32:30,682
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
I think all of you have

692
00:32:30,682 --> 00:32:34,982
made conclusions about the
starkly different approach

693
00:32:34,986 --> 00:32:37,086
that President Obama has
taken to a wide range of

694
00:32:37,088 --> 00:32:40,488
issues than the agenda
that's being put forward

695
00:32:40,491 --> 00:32:44,801
by the Republican nominee.

696
00:32:44,796 --> 00:32:47,236
So I think it's fair to
say that almost anything

697
00:32:47,231 --> 00:32:49,401
that President Obama did
on Friday would be viewed

698
00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:53,910
as a sharp contrast to the
agenda that's being put

699
00:32:53,905 --> 00:32:57,475
forward by the other side.

700
00:32:57,475 --> 00:33:02,815
But in this case, it's
been a while since the

701
00:33:02,814 --> 00:33:06,584
President has hosted the
President of Mexico here

702
00:33:06,584 --> 00:33:07,584
at White House.

703
00:33:07,585 --> 00:33:09,825
And they had an
opportunity to discuss a

704
00:33:09,821 --> 00:33:12,721
range of issues in
Canada last month.

705
00:33:12,724 --> 00:33:14,724
The President felt it was
an important opportunity

706
00:33:14,726 --> 00:33:16,726
to continue those
conversations here at the

707
00:33:16,728 --> 00:33:19,198
White House later this
week, and the President is

708
00:33:19,197 --> 00:33:20,867
certainly looking forward
to that visit and he's

709
00:33:20,865 --> 00:33:24,165
looking forward to a
constructive conversation

710
00:33:24,168 --> 00:33:25,368
with our friends
in Mexico.

711
00:33:25,370 --> 00:33:28,670
The Press: And, I'm sure,
looking forward to the

712
00:33:28,673 --> 00:33:31,943
chance to speak about
something -- you're also

713
00:33:31,943 --> 00:33:34,343
giving the Mexican
President a platform to

714
00:33:34,345 --> 00:33:37,445
speak for himself in the
wake of what we can only

715
00:33:37,448 --> 00:33:41,758
anticipate are disparaging
comments about the issue

716
00:33:41,753 --> 00:33:45,423
of illegal immigration to
this country from his.

717
00:33:45,423 --> 00:33:47,423
Is that not part of
your consideration?

718
00:33:47,425 --> 00:33:49,395
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
it is not at all uncommon,

719
00:33:49,394 --> 00:33:52,034
as you know, for the
President to host a news

720
00:33:52,029 --> 00:33:57,569
conference when the
head of a state of a

721
00:33:57,568 --> 00:33:59,738
significant U.S.

722
00:33:59,737 --> 00:34:02,737
ally is at the
White House.

723
00:34:02,740 --> 00:34:04,740
This is not an
unusual occurrence.

724
00:34:04,742 --> 00:34:13,582
And I don't know exactly
how President Peña Nieto

725
00:34:13,584 --> 00:34:18,794
plans to address the
question about the

726
00:34:18,790 --> 00:34:19,790
Republican nominee.

727
00:34:19,791 --> 00:34:22,391
But presumably, one of you
will ask him and give him

728
00:34:22,393 --> 00:34:23,393
the opportunity to do so.

729
00:34:23,394 --> 00:34:24,394
We'll see what he says.

730
00:34:24,395 --> 00:34:27,935
The Press: The Republican
nominee made some comments

731
00:34:27,932 --> 00:34:33,642
about also withdrawing
from NAFTA very, very quickly.

732
00:34:33,638 --> 00:34:36,278
You we're talking up TPP
as really being an upgrade

733
00:34:36,274 --> 00:34:37,274
to that trade deal.

734
00:34:37,275 --> 00:34:38,205
Mr. Earnest: It is.

735
00:34:38,209 --> 00:34:39,309
The Press: In calling it
an upgrade, are you saying

736
00:34:39,310 --> 00:34:41,780
that there is a need for
some improvement on the

737
00:34:41,779 --> 00:34:43,449
terms of NAFTA?

738
00:34:43,448 --> 00:34:45,018
Mr. Earnest: I'll let the
Republican nominee speak

739
00:34:45,016 --> 00:34:45,686
for himself.

740
00:34:45,683 --> 00:34:47,253
President Obama, when he
was campaigning for this

741
00:34:47,251 --> 00:34:51,221
job back in 2008, included
a promise to renegotiate NAFTA.

742
00:34:51,222 --> 00:34:53,362
And the President made
good on that promise.

743
00:34:53,357 --> 00:34:57,667
And what he had in mind
was raising the standards

744
00:34:57,662 --> 00:34:59,032
that were included
in the agreement.

745
00:34:59,030 --> 00:35:01,800
And what we've been able
to do in the context of

746
00:35:01,799 --> 00:35:06,509
the TPP agreement that's
quite significant is to

747
00:35:06,504 --> 00:35:08,504
not just raise those
standards but to make them

748
00:35:08,506 --> 00:35:10,506
enforceable inside the
context of the agreement.

749
00:35:10,508 --> 00:35:14,808
And that should give
American workers and

750
00:35:14,812 --> 00:35:16,812
American businesses
confidence that this

751
00:35:16,814 --> 00:35:19,084
agreement will actually
succeed in leveling that

752
00:35:19,083 --> 00:35:21,483
playing field in a way
that will have important

753
00:35:21,486 --> 00:35:24,026
benefits for American
workers and American businesses.

754
00:35:24,021 --> 00:35:26,761
The President continues
to be confident that if

755
00:35:26,757 --> 00:35:30,297
American companies and
American workers are given

756
00:35:30,294 --> 00:35:33,664
a fair chance to succeed
and compete in the 21st

757
00:35:33,664 --> 00:35:35,664
century global economy
that they're going to win

758
00:35:35,666 --> 00:35:36,836
more often than not.

759
00:35:36,834 --> 00:35:40,704
And that's among the
reasons the President has

760
00:35:40,705 --> 00:35:43,545
made the Trans-Pacific
Partnership a genuine priority.

761
00:35:43,541 --> 00:35:46,941
The Press: On NATO, when
we were in Warsaw with the

762
00:35:46,944 --> 00:35:50,144
President, he made a
point of saying only five

763
00:35:50,147 --> 00:35:52,587
countries pay their fair
share -- that includes the U.S.

764
00:35:52,583 --> 00:35:55,153
-- of their dues to NATO.

765
00:35:55,152 --> 00:35:57,122
Does the President think
he has been forceful

766
00:35:57,121 --> 00:36:02,031
enough in urging allies --
very close ones, Canada

767
00:36:02,026 --> 00:36:04,766
among them -- to pay
up when they're not?

768
00:36:04,762 --> 00:36:09,602
That is at the heart of
what the criticism is from

769
00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:13,070
the Republican nominee
that perhaps there hasn't

770
00:36:13,070 --> 00:36:16,010
been enough pressure put
on NATO members to pay up.

771
00:36:16,007 --> 00:36:18,447
And the President himself
has said he's irritated by that.

772
00:36:18,442 --> 00:36:19,882
Mr. Earnest: Well, the
President has made clear

773
00:36:19,877 --> 00:36:24,287
that it's important for
our allies to pay their

774
00:36:24,282 --> 00:36:26,522
fair share, and they need
to make that a priority.

775
00:36:26,517 --> 00:36:30,717
The President also is
aware that he is making

776
00:36:30,721 --> 00:36:33,761
that argument in the
context of a European

777
00:36:33,758 --> 00:36:37,928
economy that is not as
strong as we'd like.

778
00:36:37,929 --> 00:36:40,899
So the President is
understanding of the

779
00:36:40,898 --> 00:36:45,198
cross-pressures here, but
it's important not to take

780
00:36:45,202 --> 00:36:48,172
the NATO alliance
for granted.

781
00:36:48,172 --> 00:36:53,512
And one significant
achievement of the NATO

782
00:36:53,511 --> 00:36:57,511
summit that was convened
in Wales two years ago --

783
00:36:57,515 --> 00:37:03,125
and this is an initiative
that was not just

784
00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:05,260
prioritized by the British
government that was hosts

785
00:37:05,256 --> 00:37:08,726
of the summit, but also
prioritized by the U.S.

786
00:37:08,726 --> 00:37:10,696
government -- was to
secure a commitment from

787
00:37:10,695 --> 00:37:12,965
all of the NATO allies
that they would work

788
00:37:12,964 --> 00:37:18,374
toward sufficient defense
funding over the 10-year

789
00:37:18,369 --> 00:37:19,369
budget window.

790
00:37:19,370 --> 00:37:21,570
And there was a commitment
on the part of all the

791
00:37:21,572 --> 00:37:25,572
allies to work toward
ensuring that by 2024, 10

792
00:37:25,576 --> 00:37:28,346
years after signing the
agreement, that all of the

793
00:37:28,346 --> 00:37:31,146
NATO allies would be
committing 2 percent of

794
00:37:31,148 --> 00:37:33,518
their GDP to
defense spending.

795
00:37:33,517 --> 00:37:36,487
And that would make sure
that all of the allies

796
00:37:36,487 --> 00:37:41,127
were doing their fair
share and prepared to

797
00:37:41,125 --> 00:37:48,265
contribute to meeting the
defense commitments that

798
00:37:48,265 --> 00:37:50,805
are enshrined in
the NATO alliance.

799
00:37:50,801 --> 00:37:52,801
So the President has been
forceful in making this

800
00:37:52,803 --> 00:37:54,903
argument and we have
secured specific

801
00:37:54,905 --> 00:37:56,905
commitments as a result of
the President making that

802
00:37:56,907 --> 00:37:59,677
argument in a way that
will enhance not just the

803
00:37:59,677 --> 00:38:01,677
strength of NATO but also
the national security of

804
00:38:01,679 --> 00:38:04,049
the United States.

805
00:38:04,048 --> 00:38:05,048
Hans.

806
00:38:05,049 --> 00:38:07,049
The Press: Josh, you've
noted the irony of the

807
00:38:07,051 --> 00:38:08,791
President being accused
of something that the

808
00:38:08,786 --> 00:38:11,656
Republicans accused him of
a global apology tour, and

809
00:38:11,656 --> 00:38:14,726
what Trump is sort of
advocating -- does the

810
00:38:14,725 --> 00:38:16,725
President share
your sense of irony?

811
00:38:16,727 --> 00:38:19,967
Mr. Earnest: Well, I'll
let the President speak

812
00:38:19,964 --> 00:38:22,704
for himself in terms of
his observations about

813
00:38:22,700 --> 00:38:24,140
that -- The Press: We
wanted to get on TV today.

814
00:38:24,135 --> 00:38:26,535
Does he share a
sense of irony now?

815
00:38:26,537 --> 00:38:28,507
(laughter)

816
00:38:28,506 --> 00:38:29,606
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
there's plenty of footage

817
00:38:29,607 --> 00:38:31,207
that you have of the
President talking about

818
00:38:31,208 --> 00:38:33,208
the presidential race.

819
00:38:33,210 --> 00:38:36,610
But I don't have any
desire to be on television

820
00:38:36,614 --> 00:38:37,744
today to talk about
the presidential race.

821
00:38:37,748 --> 00:38:42,718
Pam.

822
00:38:42,720 --> 00:38:44,290
The Press: On the
financial reform issue,

823
00:38:44,288 --> 00:38:46,628
Josh, you've said in the
past that the penalties

824
00:38:46,624 --> 00:38:52,134
for the banks that created
the whole mess in the

825
00:38:52,129 --> 00:38:55,329
first place were really
being the punishment

826
00:38:55,332 --> 00:38:57,432
rather than people
actually going to jail.

827
00:38:57,435 --> 00:39:01,505
Have there been enough
reforms to set up laws

828
00:39:01,505 --> 00:39:03,745
that in the future if
something like this

829
00:39:03,741 --> 00:39:06,411
happened again people
could actually be

830
00:39:06,410 --> 00:39:07,480
criminally prosecuted?

831
00:39:07,478 --> 00:39:09,418
Because that's one of the
complaints, that few, if

832
00:39:09,413 --> 00:39:12,083
any, big bank
people went to jail.

833
00:39:12,083 --> 00:39:12,983
Mr. Earnest: Well, there
have been some complaints.

834
00:39:12,983 --> 00:39:18,193
And the observation made
by some is that while the

835
00:39:18,189 --> 00:39:20,589
highly irresponsible
activity on Wall Street

836
00:39:20,591 --> 00:39:27,761
that contributed to the
Great Recession were

837
00:39:27,765 --> 00:39:30,205
actions that were
irresponsible but not

838
00:39:30,201 --> 00:39:34,671
necessarily illegal.

839
00:39:34,672 --> 00:39:39,742
And I think some have
made the observation that

840
00:39:39,744 --> 00:39:42,244
that's what's made many
of those actions very

841
00:39:42,246 --> 00:39:44,846
difficult to prosecute.

842
00:39:44,849 --> 00:39:49,149
And there has been some
improvement in the

843
00:39:49,153 --> 00:39:51,323
clarification and
strengthening of some of

844
00:39:51,322 --> 00:39:57,692
those laws to make clear
and to better align the

845
00:39:57,695 --> 00:40:03,535
incentives in a way that's
consistent with the

846
00:40:03,534 --> 00:40:06,204
broader interest of the
economy and the American people.

847
00:40:06,203 --> 00:40:08,773
So we've made some
progress on that front.

848
00:40:08,773 --> 00:40:10,773
I think it's notable --
and we can provide some

849
00:40:10,775 --> 00:40:14,315
additional statistics for
you about this -- that

850
00:40:14,311 --> 00:40:17,081
there are a number of
settlements that have been

851
00:40:17,081 --> 00:40:20,781
reached by the Department
of Justice that did allow

852
00:40:20,785 --> 00:40:30,125
taxpayers and homeowners
and others who were

853
00:40:30,127 --> 00:40:33,927
treated unfairly in this
process to recoup some of

854
00:40:33,931 --> 00:40:38,641
the money that they lost.

855
00:40:38,636 --> 00:40:40,636
So there has been some
important work that's been

856
00:40:40,638 --> 00:40:42,908
done both by the Treasury
Department, by the

857
00:40:42,907 --> 00:40:45,277
Department of Justice and
other agencies that

858
00:40:45,276 --> 00:40:46,276
have jurisdiction.

859
00:40:46,277 --> 00:40:53,017
But there certainly is
progress included in the

860
00:40:53,017 --> 00:40:55,017
Wall Street reform
legislation that the

861
00:40:55,019 --> 00:40:58,859
President signed six
years ago today that will

862
00:40:58,856 --> 00:41:02,926
toughen enforcement of
these kinds of rules

863
00:41:02,927 --> 00:41:04,567
and regulations.

864
00:41:04,562 --> 00:41:06,832
The Press: Some people
think that there are still

865
00:41:06,831 --> 00:41:09,701
banks that are too big to
fail and that they're a

866
00:41:09,700 --> 00:41:10,940
risk to the economy.

867
00:41:10,935 --> 00:41:12,905
Do you think that that
risk is still there

868
00:41:12,903 --> 00:41:14,573
despite the reforms?

869
00:41:14,572 --> 00:41:16,842
Mr. Earnest: Well, the
President is confident

870
00:41:16,841 --> 00:41:18,881
that because of the way
that we have succeeded in

871
00:41:18,876 --> 00:41:23,216
implementing Wall Street
reform regulations, that

872
00:41:23,214 --> 00:41:26,714
we have addressed the
problem that was raised in

873
00:41:26,717 --> 00:41:28,717
the context of the
financial crisis about

874
00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:31,759
taxpayers being on the
hook for bailing out big

875
00:41:31,755 --> 00:41:35,055
banks that make risky
bets that go bad.

876
00:41:35,059 --> 00:41:40,599
The good news is that
there now is a mechanism

877
00:41:40,598 --> 00:41:44,398
for regularly reviewing
large financial

878
00:41:44,401 --> 00:41:47,571
institutions to assess
their health and to assess

879
00:41:47,571 --> 00:41:55,811
their ability to weather
a difficult financial

880
00:41:55,813 --> 00:42:00,283
environment, even a
financial crisis.

881
00:42:00,284 --> 00:42:03,284
So regulatory agencies,
not just in the executive

882
00:42:03,287 --> 00:42:09,227
branch or not just that
are part of the Obama

883
00:42:09,226 --> 00:42:11,496
administration, but even
independent regulator

884
00:42:11,495 --> 00:42:15,195
institutions, now have
more authority and greater

885
00:42:15,199 --> 00:42:17,739
transparency into the
inner workings of these

886
00:42:17,735 --> 00:42:22,945
financial institutions and
a regular schedule for

887
00:42:22,940 --> 00:42:24,340
reviewing them.

888
00:42:24,341 --> 00:42:29,851
All of that should be
helpful in preventing the

889
00:42:29,847 --> 00:42:31,847
kind of crisis that
we saw back in 2008.

890
00:42:31,849 --> 00:42:35,549
The Press: And just one
quick one on Merrick Garland.

891
00:42:35,552 --> 00:42:38,022
When the President
announced the nomination,

892
00:42:38,022 --> 00:42:41,822
he suggested if the Senate
would not give him a

893
00:42:41,825 --> 00:42:45,425
hearing that there could
be a tit-for-tat kind of

894
00:42:45,429 --> 00:42:46,399
situation with Democrats.

895
00:42:46,397 --> 00:42:48,767
Given the fact that
Garland has waited so long

896
00:42:48,766 --> 00:42:50,236
now for a hearing, do you
think that possibility

897
00:42:50,234 --> 00:42:51,774
is increasing?

898
00:42:51,769 --> 00:42:56,269
Mr. Earnest: Well,
what is clearly true is

899
00:42:56,273 --> 00:43:01,083
Republicans have, in
unprecedented fashion,

900
00:43:01,078 --> 00:43:02,648
politicized the process of
confirming a Supreme

901
00:43:02,646 --> 00:43:04,046
Court nominee.

902
00:43:04,048 --> 00:43:05,648
There's no denying that.

903
00:43:05,649 --> 00:43:07,689
Some Republicans have
even acknowledged that.

904
00:43:07,685 --> 00:43:09,685
Senator Graham
acknowledged that what

905
00:43:09,687 --> 00:43:12,927
Republicans were doing
is unprecedented.

906
00:43:12,923 --> 00:43:14,923
And the President is
concerned about the impact

907
00:43:14,925 --> 00:43:17,565
that has on our system of
justice and on the Supreme

908
00:43:17,561 --> 00:43:19,101
Court as an institution.

909
00:43:19,096 --> 00:43:21,096
That's why he wrote an
op-ed in the Wall Street

910
00:43:21,098 --> 00:43:23,098
Journal earlier this week,
basically suggesting that

911
00:43:23,100 --> 00:43:25,100
Democrats and Republicans
should come together

912
00:43:25,102 --> 00:43:27,102
around an idea that was
originally put forward by

913
00:43:27,104 --> 00:43:28,104
President George W.

914
00:43:28,105 --> 00:43:32,075
Bush to establish
a timeline for the

915
00:43:32,076 --> 00:43:39,216
consideration of obviously
qualified Supreme

916
00:43:39,216 --> 00:43:41,616
Court nominees.

917
00:43:41,618 --> 00:43:44,858
That would at least do a
little something to try to

918
00:43:44,855 --> 00:43:52,795
walk the Senate back from
the brinksmanship that

919
00:43:52,796 --> 00:43:55,466
Republicans have engaged
in over the last several months.

920
00:43:55,466 --> 00:43:57,466
And the President believes
that would improve the

921
00:43:57,468 --> 00:43:59,468
health of our justice
system and give people

922
00:43:59,470 --> 00:44:02,410
more confidence that
people will be treated in

923
00:44:02,406 --> 00:44:05,406
our justice system without
regard to their political

924
00:44:05,409 --> 00:44:07,979
views or their
political affiliation.

925
00:44:07,978 --> 00:44:10,618
Meghan.

926
00:44:10,614 --> 00:44:12,854
The Press: A couple
questions, Josh, on Zika.

927
00:44:12,850 --> 00:44:15,090
One, any updates on the
situation in Florida?

928
00:44:15,085 --> 00:44:17,955
And then, two, one of
the comments you made

929
00:44:17,955 --> 00:44:19,255
yesterday is that
Republicans have the seven

930
00:44:19,256 --> 00:44:21,926
weeks of recess to think
about the consequences of

931
00:44:21,925 --> 00:44:24,465
their failure to deal
with the situation.

932
00:44:24,461 --> 00:44:26,461
What can you tell us
specifically are the

933
00:44:26,463 --> 00:44:28,103
consequences
at this point?

934
00:44:28,098 --> 00:44:30,268
Has the research
been slowed?

935
00:44:30,267 --> 00:44:33,507
Is there less vector
control than there would

936
00:44:33,504 --> 00:44:36,744
have been had that $1.9
billion been passed?

937
00:44:36,740 --> 00:44:38,780
Mr. Earnest: Well, let
me start by saying as it

938
00:44:38,776 --> 00:44:40,746
relates to the situation
in Florida, this is

939
00:44:40,744 --> 00:44:42,744
obviously something
that our public health

940
00:44:42,746 --> 00:44:44,746
professionals at the CDC
are closely monitoring.

941
00:44:44,748 --> 00:44:46,988
Public health
professionals in Florida

942
00:44:46,984 --> 00:44:48,984
have the responsibility
for responding to this

943
00:44:48,986 --> 00:44:50,656
particular situation.

944
00:44:50,654 --> 00:44:53,424
President Obama called
Governor Scott yesterday

945
00:44:53,424 --> 00:44:58,064
to assure him
that the U.S.

946
00:44:58,062 --> 00:45:01,032
government stands ready to
offer as much assistance

947
00:45:01,031 --> 00:45:03,171
as we possibly can to the
state of Florida as they

948
00:45:03,167 --> 00:45:08,607
deal with not just this
one particular outbreak of

949
00:45:08,605 --> 00:45:12,405
the virus but to ensure
that we've got the

950
00:45:12,409 --> 00:45:14,949
resources -- that we can
mobilize resources to help

951
00:45:14,945 --> 00:45:21,885
them respond if there are
other outbreaks detected.

952
00:45:21,885 --> 00:45:23,885
But what's clear
is that the U.S.

953
00:45:23,887 --> 00:45:25,887
government does not
have all the resources

954
00:45:25,889 --> 00:45:28,559
available that we would
like to use to assist

955
00:45:28,559 --> 00:45:30,559
state and local
authorities because

956
00:45:30,561 --> 00:45:32,801
Congress hasn't acted on
a request that President

957
00:45:32,796 --> 00:45:34,996
Obama put forward
five months ago now.

958
00:45:34,998 --> 00:45:36,998
This was a request that
was essentially written by

959
00:45:37,000 --> 00:45:39,000
our public health
professionals that

960
00:45:39,002 --> 00:45:41,002
outlined all of the things
that they need to do

961
00:45:41,004 --> 00:45:42,974
everything possible to
protect the country from

962
00:45:42,973 --> 00:45:44,473
the Zika virus.

963
00:45:44,475 --> 00:45:46,475
The Press: So are you
saying that that $5.6

964
00:45:46,477 --> 00:45:48,747
million that the President
guaranteed to Florida

965
00:45:48,745 --> 00:45:52,245
yesterday would have been
more if the $1.9 billion

966
00:45:52,249 --> 00:45:55,249
would have been passed?

967
00:45:55,252 --> 00:45:59,422
Or is it ultimately
bolstering Republicans'

968
00:45:59,423 --> 00:46:01,593
argument that money will
be allocated anyway?

969
00:46:01,592 --> 00:46:04,532
Mr. Earnest: Well, there
certainly are resources

970
00:46:04,528 --> 00:46:08,568
that could be used to help
Florida that may not be

971
00:46:08,565 --> 00:46:12,875
available right now
because the funding isn't there.

972
00:46:12,870 --> 00:46:15,970
There are also aspects
of the response that are

973
00:46:15,973 --> 00:46:19,613
being led by public health
professionals that are not

974
00:46:19,610 --> 00:46:25,120
operating at full capacity
because of the lack of

975
00:46:25,115 --> 00:46:26,515
congressional response.

976
00:46:26,517 --> 00:46:31,757
So things like lab
capacity that would allow

977
00:46:31,755 --> 00:46:34,795
diagnostic tests to be
processed more quickly and

978
00:46:34,791 --> 00:46:42,131
allow diagnostic tests to
be more widely available

979
00:46:42,132 --> 00:46:44,132
is not at the level that
we would like it to be

980
00:46:44,134 --> 00:46:46,734
because Congress hasn't
appropriated the funding.

981
00:46:46,737 --> 00:46:49,237
So that's not something
that's just relevant to

982
00:46:49,239 --> 00:46:51,279
Florida, that's relevant
to states all across

983
00:46:51,275 --> 00:46:52,275
the country.

984
00:46:52,276 --> 00:46:54,246
Florida is certainly
affected by that, but

985
00:46:54,244 --> 00:46:56,584
other states are, too.

986
00:46:56,580 --> 00:46:58,580
There are additional
resources that we would

987
00:46:58,582 --> 00:47:01,082
like to be able to make
available to states to

988
00:47:01,084 --> 00:47:05,054
help them do vector
control to fight mosquitoes.

989
00:47:05,055 --> 00:47:09,155
So certainly some of the
money that the President

990
00:47:09,159 --> 00:47:11,559
discussed in his call with
Governor Scott could be

991
00:47:11,562 --> 00:47:15,362
dedicated to that effort,
but presumably Governor

992
00:47:15,365 --> 00:47:17,735
Scott or other governors
would say, boy, there's

993
00:47:17,734 --> 00:47:19,934
more help that we would
like to have in terms of

994
00:47:19,937 --> 00:47:23,577
hiring more people and
getting more equipment to

995
00:47:23,574 --> 00:47:27,744
help us fight mosquitoes.

996
00:47:27,744 --> 00:47:29,714
But the federal government
can't do as much as we

997
00:47:29,713 --> 00:47:31,713
would like to do to help
those states, again,

998
00:47:31,715 --> 00:47:32,715
because Congress
hasn't acted.

999
00:47:32,716 --> 00:47:36,116
The Press: And did the
President have a chance to

1000
00:47:36,119 --> 00:47:38,689
watch the First Lady's
appearance on "Carpool Karaoke?"

1001
00:47:38,689 --> 00:47:39,719
Any reaction there?

1002
00:47:39,723 --> 00:47:42,323
Mr. Earnest: I know that
the President heard about

1003
00:47:42,326 --> 00:47:45,296
her appearance that was
taped a few weeks ago.

1004
00:47:45,295 --> 00:47:49,805
I don't know if he saw the
product that aired last night.

1005
00:47:49,800 --> 00:47:52,170
I actually have not seen
what aired last night.

1006
00:47:52,169 --> 00:47:55,109
I saw the teaser that they
released yesterday, I believe.

1007
00:47:55,105 --> 00:47:58,845
But it sounds like it must
have been interesting.

1008
00:47:58,842 --> 00:48:00,212
The Press: It was fun.

1009
00:48:00,210 --> 00:48:00,810
Michelle.

1010
00:48:00,811 --> 00:48:01,811
The Press: Josh, for days
we've been talking about

1011
00:48:01,812 --> 00:48:04,352
urging Turkey to
exercise restraint.

1012
00:48:04,348 --> 00:48:06,518
But when you look at the
numbers since the coup --

1013
00:48:06,516 --> 00:48:09,386
and this is days ago --
there have been more than

1014
00:48:09,386 --> 00:48:12,656
9,000 people detained or
arrested, 21,000 teachers'

1015
00:48:12,656 --> 00:48:15,896
licenses suspended, more
than 9,000 Ministry of

1016
00:48:15,892 --> 00:48:20,402
Interior people suspended,
1,500 university deans

1017
00:48:20,397 --> 00:48:24,237
asked to resign, 2,300
ministry of youth and

1018
00:48:24,234 --> 00:48:28,974
sports people suspended,
21,000 Ministry of

1019
00:48:28,972 --> 00:48:34,542
Education people
suspended, and then 24

1020
00:48:34,544 --> 00:48:37,884
radio and TV
licenses revoked.

1021
00:48:37,881 --> 00:48:40,821
How does that look like
restraint in any way?

1022
00:48:40,817 --> 00:48:45,957
Mr. Earnest: Well,
Michelle, the numbers that

1023
00:48:45,956 --> 00:48:47,956
you've presented
are compelling.

1024
00:48:47,958 --> 00:48:51,058
But what's also compelling
are the images that we saw

1025
00:48:51,061 --> 00:48:55,301
on television of troops
being mobilized in tanks

1026
00:48:55,299 --> 00:48:57,299
rolling through the
streets of Istanbul and

1027
00:48:57,301 --> 00:49:00,841
Ankara, cutting off
bridges -- in some cases,

1028
00:49:00,837 --> 00:49:03,677
even firing shots at the
parliament building and

1029
00:49:03,674 --> 00:49:07,044
other law enforcement
institutions.

1030
00:49:07,044 --> 00:49:10,714
We've got reports that the
safety and security of the

1031
00:49:10,714 --> 00:49:14,254
President of Turkey was
threatened based on some

1032
00:49:14,251 --> 00:49:18,921
actions that were taken
by the Turkish military.

1033
00:49:18,922 --> 00:49:22,192
So the situation in
Turkey is serious.

1034
00:49:22,192 --> 00:49:27,432
And it's understandable
that people are feeling on edge.

1035
00:49:27,431 --> 00:49:29,431
It's also understandable
that both the Turkish

1036
00:49:29,433 --> 00:49:31,803
government and the
Turkish people are keenly

1037
00:49:31,802 --> 00:49:33,802
interested in getting to
the bottom of what exactly

1038
00:49:33,804 --> 00:49:37,074
happened, determining
who was responsible, and

1039
00:49:37,074 --> 00:49:41,244
holding them accountable
for attempting to

1040
00:49:41,244 --> 00:49:43,244
overthrown the
democratically elected

1041
00:49:43,246 --> 00:49:48,056
government of
Turkey by force.

1042
00:49:48,051 --> 00:49:50,121
So given that context, and
given the fact that that

1043
00:49:50,120 --> 00:49:58,100
occurred six days ago,
it's understandable that

1044
00:49:58,095 --> 00:50:00,095
people are on edge.

1045
00:50:00,097 --> 00:50:03,037
And even as they're on
edge, it's important for

1046
00:50:03,033 --> 00:50:05,133
everybody to understand,
including the President of

1047
00:50:05,135 --> 00:50:11,045
Turkey, that that coup was
repelled because of the

1048
00:50:11,041 --> 00:50:13,141
country's commitment
to democracy.

1049
00:50:13,143 --> 00:50:15,413
And even in these times of
turmoil, and even in these

1050
00:50:15,412 --> 00:50:20,552
times when people are on
edge, the democratically

1051
00:50:20,550 --> 00:50:22,550
elected government
of Turkey has a

1052
00:50:22,552 --> 00:50:25,622
responsibility to
protect those democratic

1053
00:50:25,622 --> 00:50:27,622
institutions and to
protect those democratic

1054
00:50:27,624 --> 00:50:29,624
traditions, because it
will make the country

1055
00:50:29,626 --> 00:50:31,826
stronger because that
reflects the will of the

1056
00:50:31,828 --> 00:50:33,768
Turkish people.

1057
00:50:33,764 --> 00:50:37,104
And that's a message that
we're not just delivering

1058
00:50:37,100 --> 00:50:39,340
publicly in settings like
this one, it's also a

1059
00:50:39,336 --> 00:50:41,636
message that President
Obama has delivered

1060
00:50:41,638 --> 00:50:46,148
privately and personally
to President Erdogan.

1061
00:50:46,143 --> 00:50:47,713
The Press: I mean, nobody
is comparing what's going

1062
00:50:47,711 --> 00:50:50,481
on now with the government
-- arresting and

1063
00:50:50,480 --> 00:50:53,520
suspending people -- to
violence and an overthrow

1064
00:50:53,517 --> 00:50:54,347
of the government.

1065
00:50:54,351 --> 00:50:56,291
I mean, there's not really
a comparison there.

1066
00:50:56,286 --> 00:51:01,356
But the question is, this
is a leader who's recently

1067
00:51:01,358 --> 00:51:04,198
been called out for
consolidating power,

1068
00:51:04,194 --> 00:51:06,034
cracking down
on the press.

1069
00:51:06,029 --> 00:51:09,499
The question is, is this
now going to be his chance

1070
00:51:09,499 --> 00:51:12,839
to change things
politically in ways that

1071
00:51:12,836 --> 00:51:15,576
maybe he couldn't
so broadly before?

1072
00:51:15,572 --> 00:51:18,572
So does this not raise
flags -- because when

1073
00:51:18,575 --> 00:51:21,075
you're talking about due
process, and we're looking

1074
00:51:21,077 --> 00:51:24,677
at something that's going
on six days after a coup,

1075
00:51:24,681 --> 00:51:29,151
to arrest or fire 50,000
people in the country --

1076
00:51:29,152 --> 00:51:32,022
that doesn't look a lot
like due process at this

1077
00:51:32,022 --> 00:51:32,892
point, does it?

1078
00:51:32,889 --> 00:51:34,359
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
I think what it looks like

1079
00:51:34,357 --> 00:51:35,857
is a situation where
people all across the

1080
00:51:35,859 --> 00:51:38,659
country are quite on edge,
and are quite uneasy.

1081
00:51:38,662 --> 00:51:40,932
And it's why the United
States is going to closely

1082
00:51:40,931 --> 00:51:44,001
monitor the situation
moving forward, in part,

1083
00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:47,100
Michelle, because you make
a credible point -- the

1084
00:51:47,103 --> 00:51:50,573
concerns that we have
raised about the

1085
00:51:50,574 --> 00:51:53,474
importance of protecting
democratic institutions in

1086
00:51:53,477 --> 00:51:57,977
Turkey is something that
President Obama has talked

1087
00:51:57,981 --> 00:52:00,281
about with President
Erdogan many times over

1088
00:52:00,283 --> 00:52:03,053
the last several years.

1089
00:52:03,053 --> 00:52:07,123
And again, I cited the
example earlier this week

1090
00:52:07,123 --> 00:52:09,723
of President Erdogan's
visit to the United States

1091
00:52:09,726 --> 00:52:13,826
earlier this year, where
there were reports that

1092
00:52:13,830 --> 00:52:19,300
his security detail was
scuffling with independent

1093
00:52:19,302 --> 00:52:22,242
professional journalists.

1094
00:52:22,239 --> 00:52:25,909
That certainly is not the
kind of relationship that

1095
00:52:25,909 --> 00:52:27,909
we would expect a
democratic leader to have

1096
00:52:27,911 --> 00:52:37,221
with journalists who are
guaranteed certain rights

1097
00:52:37,220 --> 00:52:39,490
under their country's
constitution.

1098
00:52:39,489 --> 00:52:48,199
So that's why the United
States will be monitoring

1099
00:52:48,198 --> 00:52:50,238
the situation carefully.

1100
00:52:50,233 --> 00:52:51,733
That's why it should be
clear to everyone that

1101
00:52:51,735 --> 00:52:56,135
even as the United States
continues to strongly

1102
00:52:56,139 --> 00:52:58,239
support the democratically
elected civilian

1103
00:52:58,241 --> 00:53:01,511
government of Turkey,
we're also going to

1104
00:53:01,511 --> 00:53:08,151
strongly encourage the
President of Turkey to

1105
00:53:08,151 --> 00:53:10,491
protect the rights
enshrined in the

1106
00:53:10,487 --> 00:53:12,487
constitution and the
democratic institutions

1107
00:53:12,489 --> 00:53:14,929
that are so critical to
the future success

1108
00:53:14,925 --> 00:53:15,925
of the country.

1109
00:53:15,926 --> 00:53:19,026
The Press: That urging
doesn't seem to be

1110
00:53:19,029 --> 00:53:21,369
working, in the
last six days.

1111
00:53:21,364 --> 00:53:23,664
Mr. Earnest: Well,
again, I think given the

1112
00:53:23,667 --> 00:53:25,667
tumultuous nature of
events in Turkey over the

1113
00:53:25,669 --> 00:53:34,509
last six days, I think the
answer is something that

1114
00:53:34,511 --> 00:53:35,681
we'll learn in
the weeks ahead.

1115
00:53:35,679 --> 00:53:38,249
And that's why we'll be
monitoring the situation

1116
00:53:38,248 --> 00:53:39,448
so closely.

1117
00:53:39,449 --> 00:53:40,049
The Press: Okay.

1118
00:53:40,050 --> 00:53:42,290
And just quickly,
yesterday, when the vice

1119
00:53:42,285 --> 00:53:45,125
presidential possible pick
for Secretary Clinton came

1120
00:53:45,121 --> 00:53:48,391
up, you, kind of on your
own, mentioned and then

1121
00:53:48,391 --> 00:53:51,661
lauded Tim Kaine, without
being asked specifically

1122
00:53:51,661 --> 00:53:52,191
about him.

1123
00:53:52,195 --> 00:53:54,765
You felt it important
to bring up his name.

1124
00:53:54,764 --> 00:53:58,264
Why did you want to sort
of throw his name out there?

1125
00:53:58,268 --> 00:54:00,638
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
certainly did not intend

1126
00:54:00,637 --> 00:54:03,537
to signal -- and I don't
think many of you saw it

1127
00:54:03,540 --> 00:54:04,440
this way -- The Press: No.

1128
00:54:04,441 --> 00:54:06,441
Mr. Earnest: -- but I
appreciate you giving me

1129
00:54:06,443 --> 00:54:07,843
the opportunity
to clarify.

1130
00:54:07,844 --> 00:54:10,444
I certainly did not
intend to signal that the

1131
00:54:10,447 --> 00:54:15,787
President secretly favors
one potential vice

1132
00:54:15,785 --> 00:54:17,785
presidential candidate
over another.

1133
00:54:17,787 --> 00:54:21,757
I think what's also true
is I think you also

1134
00:54:21,758 --> 00:54:26,468
understood that I wasn't
bringing up Tim Kaine's

1135
00:54:26,463 --> 00:54:28,763
name out of the blue.

1136
00:54:28,765 --> 00:54:31,065
His name was prominently
featured in the news

1137
00:54:31,067 --> 00:54:33,067
reports we saw yesterday,
alongside the other two

1138
00:54:33,069 --> 00:54:35,069
individuals that
I was asked about.

1139
00:54:35,071 --> 00:54:38,711
So I think the point that
I was trying to make is

1140
00:54:38,708 --> 00:54:43,348
that Secretary Clinton
has any number of highly

1141
00:54:43,346 --> 00:54:47,586
qualified Democrats with a
strong record of service

1142
00:54:47,584 --> 00:54:48,954
to choose from.

1143
00:54:48,952 --> 00:54:54,422
And President Obama is
certainly proud of the

1144
00:54:54,424 --> 00:55:03,304
service and relationship
that he has with the

1145
00:55:03,299 --> 00:55:08,839
individuals who are most
prominently speculated about.

1146
00:55:08,838 --> 00:55:09,838
Yes, sir.

1147
00:55:09,739 --> 00:55:10,469
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

1148
00:55:09,839 --> 00:55:10,939
In the back.

1149
00:55:10,473 --> 00:55:11,943
Do you know if the
President is going to --

1150
00:55:11,941 --> 00:55:14,681
is lanning to watch the
speech by Mr. Trump

1151
00:55:14,678 --> 00:55:15,478
this evening?

1152
00:55:15,478 --> 00:55:17,078
Mr. Earnest: I don't know
whether or not President

1153
00:55:17,080 --> 00:55:18,520
Obama will be
tuning in tonight.

1154
00:55:18,515 --> 00:55:22,815
But, again, he'll be
doing a news conference

1155
00:55:22,819 --> 00:55:24,819
tomorrow, so you'll have
an opportunity to ask him

1156
00:55:24,821 --> 00:55:26,721
whether or not he watched.

1157
00:55:26,723 --> 00:55:27,323
The Press: Is that
typically a solo thing,

1158
00:55:27,323 --> 00:55:27,893
his convention-watching?

1159
00:55:27,891 --> 00:55:29,361
Or do White House staff
get together for this?

1160
00:55:29,359 --> 00:55:30,799
Mr. Earnest: I would not
anticipate -- at least for

1161
00:55:30,794 --> 00:55:32,264
the Republican convention,
I'm not aware that any

1162
00:55:32,262 --> 00:55:36,832
White House staff have
made it a social occasion.

1163
00:55:36,833 --> 00:55:38,833
The Press: I was sort of
struck by his remarks

1164
00:55:38,835 --> 00:55:40,835
yesterday in sort of the
hard things are hard

1165
00:55:40,837 --> 00:55:43,277
speech, where -- I
think he gave a very

1166
00:55:43,273 --> 00:55:45,773
historically accurate
assessment of how progress

1167
00:55:45,775 --> 00:55:47,745
gets made in this town,
but not necessarily a

1168
00:55:47,744 --> 00:55:50,884
terribly uplifting version
of that in terms of sort

1169
00:55:50,880 --> 00:55:53,920
of stressing the idea that
like things take time to

1170
00:55:53,917 --> 00:55:55,687
get done in Washington.

1171
00:55:55,685 --> 00:55:58,785
My question is, maybe over
the past eight years -- I

1172
00:55:58,788 --> 00:56:01,288
think it's two things --
one, has his sort of view

1173
00:56:01,291 --> 00:56:04,091
of how progress gets done
in Washington gotten tempered?

1174
00:56:04,094 --> 00:56:06,094
And two, is there any
frustration on his behalf

1175
00:56:06,096 --> 00:56:09,436
about the expectations
from others outside Washington?

1176
00:56:09,432 --> 00:56:11,632
Meaning does the President
think that maybe Americans

1177
00:56:11,634 --> 00:56:13,974
would benefit from a
greater appreciation of

1178
00:56:13,970 --> 00:56:17,210
maybe how slow progress
gets done, and perhaps

1179
00:56:17,207 --> 00:56:19,207
their expectations on
how things get done in

1180
00:56:19,209 --> 00:56:21,209
Washington are perhaps
unreasonably high?

1181
00:56:21,211 --> 00:56:23,211
Mr. Earnest: Listen, the
President has talked about

1182
00:56:23,213 --> 00:56:24,213
this quite a bit.

1183
00:56:24,214 --> 00:56:26,984
And his view has been that
it's understandable that

1184
00:56:26,983 --> 00:56:30,653
people are impatient, that
the wheels of democracy

1185
00:56:30,653 --> 00:56:34,093
intentionally move slowly.

1186
00:56:34,090 --> 00:56:36,890
That's what the Founding
Fathers had in mind --

1187
00:56:36,893 --> 00:56:38,893
that we want to make sure
that when we're making

1188
00:56:38,895 --> 00:56:40,895
momentous decisions about
the country that we're

1189
00:56:40,897 --> 00:56:46,607
doing so in a way that
carefully considers the

1190
00:56:46,603 --> 00:56:48,603
diversity of views that
are represented in a

1191
00:56:48,605 --> 00:56:51,245
country as big and
diverse as ours.

1192
00:56:51,241 --> 00:56:57,551
And sometimes that means
the process of making the

1193
00:56:57,547 --> 00:57:00,747
kinds of changes we'd like
to see is cumbersome, is

1194
00:57:00,750 --> 00:57:07,020
messy, and is not as fast
and efficient as we would like.

1195
00:57:07,023 --> 00:57:09,693
It's why the President
continues to encourage

1196
00:57:09,692 --> 00:57:11,492
people to take
the longer view.

1197
00:57:11,494 --> 00:57:13,964
And even over the course
of the last eight years,

1198
00:57:13,963 --> 00:57:16,103
we've made some profound
changes in this country.

1199
00:57:16,099 --> 00:57:18,969
And the President is quite
proud of the progress that

1200
00:57:18,968 --> 00:57:20,968
we've made -- everything
from reforming our health

1201
00:57:20,970 --> 00:57:24,240
care system to important
reforms on Wall Street to

1202
00:57:24,240 --> 00:57:26,240
the significant steps that
we've taken to address

1203
00:57:26,242 --> 00:57:28,542
climate change; certainly
all the progress that's

1204
00:57:28,545 --> 00:57:33,085
been made in terms of --
in pursuit of equality for

1205
00:57:33,082 --> 00:57:34,822
LGBT Americans.

1206
00:57:34,818 --> 00:57:36,888
There are a variety of
ways to evaluate that progress.

1207
00:57:36,886 --> 00:57:40,926
And in each of those
situations, in some ways,

1208
00:57:40,924 --> 00:57:42,924
the briefing room is a
pretty good measure of that.

1209
00:57:42,926 --> 00:57:44,926
We get pressing questions
about whether or not the

1210
00:57:44,928 --> 00:57:46,928
President was frustrated
that we weren't making as

1211
00:57:46,930 --> 00:57:48,930
much progress on climate
change, or we weren't

1212
00:57:48,932 --> 00:57:50,932
making as much progress on
LGBT rights like "don't

1213
00:57:50,934 --> 00:57:53,434
ask, don't tell," that we
were not going to be able

1214
00:57:53,436 --> 00:57:57,106
to succeed in getting
health care reform done.

1215
00:57:57,106 --> 00:57:59,106
All of those things took
longer than the President

1216
00:57:59,108 --> 00:58:00,648
would have liked.

1217
00:58:00,643 --> 00:58:02,643
But because of the
approach that President

1218
00:58:02,645 --> 00:58:05,015
Obama took, we've made
important progress that is

1219
00:58:05,014 --> 00:58:09,054
now engrained in our
democracy, and we've built

1220
00:58:09,052 --> 00:58:12,152
consensus -- or at least
built a strong majority.

1221
00:58:12,155 --> 00:58:14,625
And we've had to
compromise along the way.

1222
00:58:14,624 --> 00:58:16,764
But the progress has
been unmistakable.

1223
00:58:16,759 --> 00:58:19,199
And it certainly is
understandable that people

1224
00:58:19,195 --> 00:58:21,665
would be frustrated that
that progress isn't

1225
00:58:21,664 --> 00:58:24,804
happening more quickly,
but even just looking at

1226
00:58:24,801 --> 00:58:29,641
the arc of the last eight
years, people who voted

1227
00:58:29,639 --> 00:58:32,509
for "change we can believe
in" eight years ago made

1228
00:58:32,508 --> 00:58:33,578
a good bet.

1229
00:58:33,576 --> 00:58:37,546
The Press: Lastly, on a
much more serious topic, I

1230
00:58:37,547 --> 00:58:39,547
was struck by an article
in The New York Times

1231
00:58:39,549 --> 00:58:43,419
today in which Saudi
Arabia clerics call it

1232
00:58:43,419 --> 00:58:45,419
"un-Islamic," Russian
officials say that

1233
00:58:45,421 --> 00:58:47,491
consequences would be
irreversible if

1234
00:58:47,490 --> 00:58:48,490
continued unchecked.

1235
00:58:48,491 --> 00:58:51,391
Does the White House have
any advice for Americans

1236
00:58:51,394 --> 00:58:54,964
enraptured with the
Pokémon Go epidemic?

1237
00:58:54,964 --> 00:58:57,204
And are there any
Pokémons secretly located

1238
00:58:57,200 --> 00:58:58,200
throughout this
White House?

1239
00:58:58,201 --> 00:58:59,201
(laughter)

1240
00:58:59,202 --> 00:59:00,802
Mr. Earnest: Not
that I'm aware of.

1241
00:59:00,803 --> 00:59:03,873
Let's just say I take no
special delight in being

1242
00:59:03,873 --> 00:59:05,443
the first White House
spokesperson to say

1243
00:59:05,441 --> 00:59:07,281
"Pokémon" at a White
House briefing.

1244
00:59:07,277 --> 00:59:09,417
(laughter)

1245
00:59:09,412 --> 00:59:13,152
But look, I think there
have been, in some

1246
00:59:13,149 --> 00:59:15,149
instances, legitimate
security questions that

1247
00:59:15,151 --> 00:59:19,721
have been raised
about the game.

1248
00:59:19,722 --> 00:59:26,662
It's not one that I'm
playing right now.

1249
00:59:26,663 --> 00:59:30,903
So those concerns aside,
obviously this is -- we

1250
00:59:30,900 --> 00:59:35,370
encourage people to not
suspend common sense, even

1251
00:59:35,371 --> 00:59:37,941
if they look for -- turn
to Pokémon for a little

1252
00:59:37,941 --> 00:59:41,181
summer fun.

1253
00:59:41,177 --> 00:59:42,717
Yes, ma'am, I'll give
you the last one.

1254
00:59:42,712 --> 00:59:44,282
The Press:
Thank you, Josh.

1255
00:59:44,280 --> 00:59:47,350
As you know, the United
States and South Korea

1256
00:59:47,350 --> 00:59:51,090
agreed on the THAAD
missile deployment in

1257
00:59:51,087 --> 00:59:52,887
South Korea.

1258
00:59:52,889 --> 00:59:56,059
And the South Korean
people are against the

1259
00:59:56,059 --> 00:59:58,659
THAAD deploying
in South Korea.

1260
00:59:58,661 --> 01:00:02,971
Do you think the THAAD
missile is necessary to

1261
01:00:02,966 --> 01:00:04,166
(inaudible)

1262
01:00:04,167 --> 01:00:06,107
in South Korea?

1263
01:00:06,102 --> 01:00:07,132
Mr. Earnest: Well,
as you know, the U.S.

1264
01:00:07,136 --> 01:00:09,436
government has been
working closely with our

1265
01:00:09,439 --> 01:00:12,479
allies in South Korea to
discuss with them what

1266
01:00:12,475 --> 01:00:14,145
additional steps the U.S.

1267
01:00:14,143 --> 01:00:17,183
government can take to
protect them from the

1268
01:00:17,180 --> 01:00:19,180
threat emanating
in North Korea.

1269
01:00:19,182 --> 01:00:23,152
And there has been an
agreement recently reached

1270
01:00:23,152 --> 01:00:27,362
to locate a THAAD battery
-- this is a highly

1271
01:00:27,357 --> 01:00:30,827
sophisticated
anti-ballistic missile

1272
01:00:30,827 --> 01:00:34,167
defense system -- in South
Korea to protect our

1273
01:00:34,163 --> 01:00:37,333
allies from the missile
threat emanating from

1274
01:00:37,333 --> 01:00:38,773
North Korea.

1275
01:00:38,768 --> 01:00:40,708
So we're certainly going
to work closely with the

1276
01:00:40,703 --> 01:00:44,803
South Korean government
to ensure that those

1277
01:00:44,807 --> 01:00:47,377
protections are put in
place in a way that's

1278
01:00:47,377 --> 01:00:51,377
consistent with the
interests and preferences

1279
01:00:51,381 --> 01:00:52,911
of the South
Korean people.

1280
01:00:52,915 --> 01:00:55,715
South Korea is a
democracy, so we certainly

1281
01:00:55,718 --> 01:00:58,858
want to do this in a way
that's consistent with the

1282
01:00:58,855 --> 01:01:00,655
interests of the
South Korean people.

1283
01:01:00,656 --> 01:01:05,096
But I think this is a
reflection of the strong

1284
01:01:05,094 --> 01:01:07,364
commitment that the United
States has to the safety

1285
01:01:07,363 --> 01:01:12,333
and security of our allies
in South Kora, and we'll

1286
01:01:12,335 --> 01:01:14,075
continue these
conversations moving forward.

1287
01:01:14,070 --> 01:01:16,810
But our priority is going
to be on the safety and

1288
01:01:16,806 --> 01:01:19,706
security of our
South Korean allies.

1289
01:01:19,709 --> 01:01:30,089
The Press: Can the United
States provide information

1290
01:01:30,086 --> 01:01:30,816
about the risk of THAAD
-- Mr. Earnest: Any risk

1291
01:01:30,820 --> 01:01:31,650
associated with
that missile?

1292
01:01:31,654 --> 01:01:33,894
I'm not sure what concerns
have been raised.

1293
01:01:33,890 --> 01:01:35,960
But certainly if there
concerns that are raised

1294
01:01:35,958 --> 01:01:38,758
by the South Korean
government, we obviously

1295
01:01:38,761 --> 01:01:40,431
are interested in working
cooperatively with them.

1296
01:01:40,430 --> 01:01:45,230
After all, the reason that
we have agreed to locate

1297
01:01:45,234 --> 01:01:47,174
this anti-ballistic
missile system in South

1298
01:01:47,170 --> 01:01:48,870
Korea is for the
protection of South Korea.

1299
01:01:48,871 --> 01:01:51,671
And so we obviously want
to work jointly and

1300
01:01:51,674 --> 01:01:53,244
cooperatively with the
South Korean government to

1301
01:01:53,242 --> 01:01:56,212
implement that in a way
that will maximize the

1302
01:01:56,212 --> 01:01:58,282
protection that it
provides and minimize the

1303
01:01:58,281 --> 01:02:00,381
inconvenience that it
imposes on the South

1304
01:02:00,383 --> 01:02:02,323
Korean people.

1305
01:02:02,318 --> 01:02:03,188
Thanks, everybody.

1306
01:02:03,186 --> 01:02:04,286
Enjoy the rest
of your day.