Trump says he 'believes' in polio vaccine and other takeaways from press conference

President-elect Donald Trump held a wide-ranging news conference Monday in which he said he would preserve access to the polio vaccine, but wavered on other vaccines, vowed to consider reduce pharmaceutical costs and expressed doubt that his daughter. -Law could be Florida's next senator.

Trump held on for more than an hour, the first time he took questions from reporters since winning the election. The event was reminiscent of his lengthy news conferences during his first term and was a stark contrast to President Joe Biden, who does not often take questions from reporters.

Here's a look at what he covered:

Trump gives some assurances on polio vaccine

Trump defended his choice for health secretary, prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but said he personally believes strongly in the polio vaccine and that he would preserve access.

You're not going to lose the polio vaccine, he said. This won't happen.

Over the weekend, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, came out in favor of the polio vaccine after a recent report found that one of the aides Kennedy had filed a petition to revoke approval of the polio vaccine in 2022.

Kennedy has long pushed the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Trump appeared to question whether there was a link, saying we were looking to find out, and noted the increase in diagnosed cases of autism.

There is something wrong and we will find out, he said.

There are no blood or laboratory tests for autism; instead, a doctor bases the diagnosis on the child's behavior. Although the diagnosis of autism has been available for at least 80 years, the definition has gradually broadened to include milder, more common cases. A study last year found that about a quarter of autistic children, or about 110,000 in the United States, have the most severe version of developmental disability, which leaves them unable to speak or with a lower IQ. to 50, or both.

About Kennedy, he will be much less radical than one might think, he said. I think he has a very open mind, otherwise I wouldn't have put him there.

Trump blames middlemen for high drug prices

Trump described a dinner he had this month with Kennedy; Dr. Mehmet Oz, a famous heart surgeon turned talk show host and lifestyle guru, whom he tapped to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and senior pharmaceutical executives during which they discussed drug prices.

Trump praised the corporations, the very ones Kennedy regularly argued would be unfairly taken advantage of by Americans, but said the high cost of health care was the focus of their dinner.

What came out of that meeting was that we were paying way too much, Trump said.

Trump also hit pharmacy benefit managers, calling them horrible middlemen who drive up the cost of drugs. Pharmaceutical companies have aggressively lobbied Congress to restrict the role of pharmacy benefit managers, who help health insurance companies' largest customers decide how and which prescription drugs will be covered in their insurance plans .

I don't know who these middlemen are, but they are extremely rich, Trump said.

Trump's appearance is a stark departure from Biden's style

The news conference was Trump's largest public appearance since his victory six weeks ago, a rare absence from the public stage for the former reality TV star.

But it also underscored that, even as president-elect, Trump has shifted attention away from Biden, who still has a month left in his term. Biden has not held a news conference in months and has had a limited public schedule.

As Trump addressed some of the most important issues of the moment — including sightings of drones flying over the Northeast — Biden himself remained silent, leaving it to his aides to try to calm the public.

I don't know if Lara Trump will be senator

Trump seemed skeptical that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would appoint his daughter-in-law as a senator from Florida, filling the seat held by Marco Rubio, who was named secretary of state.

Asked if he expected DeSantis to nominate Lara Trump to replace Rubio, Trump responded: “I probably don't, but I don't know.” Trump recently spoke with DeSantis at a memorial for Florida law enforcement.

Trump allies pushed DeSantis to nominate Lara Trump, who is married to Trump's son, Eric, and served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee this year.

Rons is doing a good job with his choice, Trump said, without elaborating.

He praised Lara Trump, particularly for her work at the RNC, where part of her duties included focusing on election integrity, a priority for Trump after falsely claiming fraud in the presidential election. 2020.

Trump ready to intervene in possible TikTok ban

Trump has indicated that he would consider intervening in the possible ban of TikTok in the United States. The popular social media platform must sever ties with its China-based parent company or be banned by mid-January under a federal law.

He did not elaborate, but Trump credited the platform with helping him win the election. His campaign saw it as a bridge to reach younger, less politically engaged voters, especially when clips circulated showing him with celebrities at UFC fights.

Well, take a look at TikTok, he said. You know, I have a warm place in my heart for TikTok.

Trump tried to ban TikTok during his first term, but changed his mind and vowed to save TikTok. Once he takes office, his Justice Department will be responsible for enforcing the new federal law against TikTok.

Trump was meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at his Mar-a-Lago club on Monday, according to two people familiar with the president-elect's plans who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to AP under the guise of anonymity.

Everyone wants to be my friend, he said

Trump highlighted the differences between when he first took office eight years ago and today, saying leaders now want to meet with him.

He said they were hostile at the time.

Everyone fought me, he said about his first mandate. This quarter, everyone wants to be my friend. I don't know. My personality changed or something.

As he left office in 2021, ostracized and angry, Trump experienced a stunning turnaround that led him to his electoral victory. Last week, he was honored by being named Time magazine's Person of the Year and ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange.

His meeting with the TikTok executive was part of a series of meetings he has had with Silicon Valley billionaires and other tech leaders since becoming president-elect. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai all traveled to Trump's club to meet him.

He revealed on Monday that he had also met with Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will meet with him this week, Trump said.

“We have a lot of great executives coming in from the top executives, the top bankers, they're all calling us,” he said. It's like the complete opposite of the first.

Trump is already back on the world stage

Faced with multiple ongoing wars, Trump sought to re-enter the world stage. He said he was working to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and had very good talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But on Monday, he appeared to temper expectations about his promise to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war even before taking office, calling the conflict difficult and nasty.

We are trying to stop this war, this horrible, horrible war, he said. This is a difficult question. It's nasty. It's nasty. People are being killed at levels no one has ever seen.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine constitutes the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II and has cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides.

Trump declined to say whether he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin since his election victory. He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris this month during his visit to reopen Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Trump's new press secretary said Trump invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other world leaders to his inauguration on Jan. 20, but Trump said Monday that Zelenskyy was not among them. If he wanted to come, I would love to have him,” Trump said.

Trump said Xi has not yet said whether he will come. He described the Chinese leader as a friend of mine and a great man, but acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected their relationship.

It was a bridge too far for me, he said.

___

Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Amanda Seitz in Washington and Colleen Long in Palm Beach, Fla., contributed to this report.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos