President-elect on Monday held a wide-ranging news conference in which he said he would preserve access to the polio vaccine but equivocated on other vaccines, pledged to look at bringing down the costs of pharmaceuticals and expressed doubts that his daughter-in-law might be Florida's next senator.
Trump held forth for over an hour, the first time he took questions from reporters since winning the election. The event harkens back to his long-winding news conferences from his first term and is a stark contrast from President , who doesn't often take questions from reporters.
Here's a look at some of what he touched on:
Trump provides some assurances on polio vaccine
Trump defended his choice for health secretary, prominent vaccine skeptic , but said he personally is a 鈥渂ig believer鈥� in the polio vaccine and would preserve access to it.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e not going to lose the polio vaccine," he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not going to happen.鈥�
Over the weekend, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, after a recent report disclosed that one of Kennedy's advisers filed a petition to revoke approval for the polio vaccine in 2022.
Kennedy has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Trump seemed to question whether there鈥檚 a link, saying 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking to find out,鈥� and remarked on the rising cases of autism being diagnosed.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something wrong, and we鈥檙e going to find out about it,鈥� he said.
There are no blood or biological tests for autism; instead, a doctor bases the diagnosis on a child鈥檚 behavior. While the autism diagnosis has been available for at least 80 years, the definition gradually expanded to include milder cases, which are more common. A study last year found that about a quarter of kids with autism 鈥� about 110,000 in the U.S. 鈥� have the most severe version of the developmental disability, which has left them unable to speak or with an IQ below 50 or both.
Of Kennedy, 鈥淗e鈥檚 going to be much less radical than you would think," he said. "I think he鈥檚 got a very open mind, or I wouldn鈥檛 have put him there.鈥�
Trump blames middlemen for high price of pharmaceutical drugs
Trump described a dinner he had this month with Kennedy; Dr. , a celebrity heart surgeon turned talk show host and lifestyle guru whom he's tapped to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and top pharmaceutical executives in which they discussed drug prices.
Trump heaped praise on the companies 鈥� the same ones that Kennedy has routinely argued profit off of Americans unfairly 鈥� but said the high cost of health care was a focus of their dinner.
鈥淲hat came out of that meeting is that we鈥檙e paying far too much,鈥� Trump said.
Trump also hit pharmaceutical benefits managers, calling them 鈥渉orrible middlemen鈥� who drive up the cost of drugs. Pharmaceutical companies have been aggressively lobbying Congress to restrict the role of pharmaceutical benefit managers, which help health insurance companies鈥� biggest clients decide how and what prescription drugs will be covered in their insurance plans.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know who these middlemen are, but they are rich as hell," Trump said.
Trump's appearance is a clear break from Biden's style
The press conference was Trump鈥檚 most extensive public appearance since his victory six weeks ago 鈥� a rare absence from the public stage for the former reality star.
But it also underscored how even while president-elect, Trump has seized the spotlight from Biden, who still has a month left on his term in office. Biden has not held a press conference in months and has had a limited public schedule.
While Trump was addressing some of the top-of-mind issues of the day -- including sightings of drones flying over the Northeast -- Biden himself has been silent, leaving it to aides to try to calm the public.
鈥業 don't know' if Lara Trump will be a senator
Trump seemed skeptical that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would appoint his daughter-in-law to be a Florida senator, taking the seat held by Marco Rubio, who has been nominated for secretary of state.
Asked whether he expected DeSantis to name Lara Trump to replace Rubio, Trump said, 鈥淚 probably don鈥檛, but I don鈥檛 know.鈥� Trump recently spoke with DeSantis at a memorial for Florida law enforcement officers.
Trump's allies have been Lara Trump, who is married to Trump's son, Eric, and served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee this year.
鈥淩on鈥檚 doing a good job with his choice," Trump said, without elaborating.
He lavished praise on Lara Trump, including for her work at the RNC, where part of her duties involved focusing on 鈥渆lection integrity,鈥� a priority of Trump's after he falsely claimed fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump open to intervening in potential TikTok ban
Trump indicated he would look at intervening in the in the U.S. The popular social media platform must cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned by mid-January under a federal law.
He didn't offer specifics, 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, particularly when clips circulated showing him with celebrities at UFC fights.
鈥淲e鈥檒l take a look at TikTok,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok."
Trump tried to ban TikTok during his first term but changed his mind and pledged to 鈥渟ave鈥� TikTok. Once he takes office, his Justice Department would be tasked with enforcing the new federal law against TikTok.
Trump on Monday was meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at his Mar-a-Lago club, according to two people familiar with the president-elect鈥檚 plans who were not authorized to speak publicly about them and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
'Everybody wants to be my friend,鈥� he says
Trump noted the differences between the first time he was to take office eight years ago and today, saying executives now want to meet with him.
He said they were 鈥渉ostile鈥� back then.
鈥淓verybody was fighting me,鈥� he said about his first term. 鈥淭his term, everybody wants to be my friend. I don鈥檛 know. My personality changed or something.鈥�
While he left office in 2021 ostracized and angry, Trump has had a stunning turnaround leading to his election win. Last week, he was honored by being named Time magazine鈥檚 Person of the Year and ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
His meeting with the TikTok executive was part of a string of meetings he's had with Silicon Valley billionaires and other technology leaders since becoming president-elect. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai have all flown to Trump's club to meet with him.
He revealed Monday that he had also met with Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will meet with him this week, Trump said.
鈥淲e have a lot of great executives coming in 鈥� the top executives, the top bankers, they鈥檙e all calling," he said. "It鈥檚 like a complete opposite from the first one.鈥�
Trump already returning to world stage
With multiple wars going on, Trump has sought to insert himself back on the world stage. He said he is working to get Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza to be released and had a 鈥渧ery good talk鈥� with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But on Monday he seemed to buffer expectations about his promise to solve the even before taking office, describing the conflict as a 鈥渢ough one鈥� and a 鈥渘asty one."
鈥淲e are trying to get that war stopped, that horrible, horrible war鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough one. It鈥檚 a nasty one. It鈥檚 nasty. People are being killed at levels that nobody鈥檚 ever seen.鈥�
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is Europe鈥檚 biggest armed conflict since World War II and has cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides.
Trump declined to say whether he's spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin since winning the election. He this month when he visited for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Trump's incoming press secretary has said that to his Jan. 20 inauguration, but Trump said Monday that Zelenskyy was not among them. 鈥淚f he'd like to come, I'd like to have him," Trump said.
Trump said Xi has not yet said whether he is coming. He described the Chinese leader as 鈥渁 friend of mine鈥� and 鈥渁n amazing guy鈥� but acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected their relationship.
鈥淚t was a bridge too far for me,鈥� he said.
___
Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Amanda Seitz in Washington and Colleen Long in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
Michelle L. Price And Adriana Gomez Licon, The Associated Press
