WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday condemned a recent shooting in New York, voiced support for allowing Ukrainian refugees to remain in the United States, and defended his administration’s economic strategy, emphasizing the role of tariffs in what he described as a strengthening national economy.
“It’s a terrible thing,” Trump said of the shooting. “It’s so bad, so sad to see. It’s a lunatic, and we just have to stop it.” Without elaborating, he appeared to link the violence to broader issues with public safety and immigration. “These people come in and never want to see a thing like that happen. And we’ve expressed our opinion very, very strongly — terrible thing.”
When asked whether Ukrainian refugees who fled the war would be permitted to remain in the U.S. until the conflict ends, the president responded affirmatively.
“I think we will. Yeah, I think we will,” he said. “We have a lot of people that came in from Ukraine, and we’re working with them.”
At one point, when pressed with a question related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell—largely inaudible to those present—Trump dismissed the inquiry with a brief, “Be quiet.”
Turning to the economy, Trump reiterated his administration’s support for tariffs as a tool for economic growth. “Won’t be finished tomorrow, but our country is becoming very rich, and that’s what we want,” he said. “We have to have a rich America. We’re taking in a lot of money. We’re becoming very strong and very rich.”
