Remarks by President Trump Before a Briefing on the Opioid Crisis
Trump National Golf Club
Bedminster, New Jersey
3:12 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Secretary Price, for your work to address the crisis of opioid, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamines. It is a tremendous problem in our country, and we’re going to get it taken care of as well as it can be taken care of, which hopefully will be better than any other country which also has the same problems or similar problems.
Nobody is safe from this epidemic that threatens young and old, rich and poor, urban and rural communities. Everybody is threatened. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, and opioid overdose deaths have nearly quadrupled since 1999. It is a problem the likes of which we have not seen.
Meanwhile, federal drug prosecutions have gone down in recent years. We’re going to be bringing them up and bringing them up rapidly. At the end of 2016, there were 23 percent fewer than in 2011. So they looked at this scourge and they let it go by, and we’re not letting it go by. The average sentence length for a convicted federal drug offender decreased 20 percent from 2009 to 2016.
During my campaign, I promised to fight this battle because, as President of the United States, my greatest responsibility is to protect the American people and to ensure their safety. Especially in some parts of our country, it is horrible what’s going on with opioid and other drugs. But the opioid is something that nobody has seen anything like it.
Today, I am pleased to receive a briefing from our team on ways we can help our communities combat this absolutely terrible epidemic and keep youth from going down this deadly path.
The best way to prevent drug addiction and overdose is to prevent people from abusing drugs in the first place. If they don’t start, they won’t have a problem. If they do start, it’s awfully tough to get off. So we can keep them from going on, and maybe by talking to youth and telling them, “No good; really bad for you” in every way. But if they don’t start, it will never be a problem.
We’re also working with law enforcement officers to protect innocent citizens from drug dealers that poison our communities. Strong law enforcement is absolutely vital to having a drug-free society. I have had the opportunity to hear from many on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, and I’m confident that by working with our healthcare and law enforcement experts, we will fight this deadly epidemic and the United States will win.
We’re also very, very tough on the southern border, where much of this comes in. And we’re talking to China, where certain forms of manmade drug comes in, and it is bad. And we’re speaking to other countries and we’re getting cooperation, but we’re being very, very strong on our southern border and, I would say, the likes of which this country certainly has never seen that kind of strength.
So we’re going to do our job. We’re going to get it going. We’ve got a tremendous team of experts and people that want to beat this horrible situation that’s happened to our country — and we will. We will win. We have no alternative. We have to win for our youth. We have to win for our young people. And, frankly, we have to win for a lot of other people, not necessarily young, that are totally addicted and have serious, serious problems.
So we thank you all for being here. And we’re going to get on with our meeting. Thank you very much. Thank you all.
Q Any comment on the reports about North Korea’s nuclear capabilities?
THE PRESIDENT: North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. He has been very threatening beyond a normal state. And as I said, they will be met with fire, fury, and, frankly, power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.
Those drug arrests and prosecutions – will that include Big Pharma and doctors who are pushing/prescribing these opioids like they are candy?
Just asking…
Filling up our prisons (a lot are for-profit prisons) with druggies is not exactly going to solve the source of the problem – will it?
BTW – West Virginia has been said to be the worst state in the country with the most opioid drug overdoses. But yet West Virginia is where the majority are Trump voters.
Hmmm…and claim to be such God-fearing Christians. So – why are these folks the ones with the highest opioid problems?
It is feeling like setting in the front seat of the car. the Driver is making a mad rush toward a brick wall. You scream what they hell are you doing? If you don’t stop we will be crashing and dying! The driver commonly replies, ” I know but I was wondering what it would feel like?”.
Investigations are infamous for uncovering things that were never even imagined when the investigation was started.
Let’s not forget – Clinton’s impeachment (but acquittal by Senate) was the result of the Whitewater Investigation. Who knew that Whitewater would take so many winding turns and eventually end up with Clinton and Monica Lewinsky?
(From the link): President Trump has never been one for negotiation or diplomacy, having spent his entire life hurling money and lawyers at problems until they went away. But in this case, he can’t, since he hasn’t even bothered to name an ambassador to South Korea.
If you look at that video of Trump saying those words – fire and fury like the world has never seen before (or something to that effect) – look at how Trump has his arms crossed. His hands are like inside his sleeves and hidden.
Is this really the body language of a strong leader? Or is it body language of a playground bully that is looking for his Mommy to come rescue him – but he does not have the good sense to keep his mouth shut.
Trump and his Trumpublicans truly believe all Trump has to do is to bark out some words and the rest of the world will shake in their boots.
That might have worked in Trump Reality T.V. Land – but that does not work in the real world.
Real strength comes from knowledge of the situation and the wisdom to listen to the smartest person in the room – which I’ve read where Trump’s veiled threat to North Korea was not run by his military advisers prior to Trump barking them out.
REal strength also comes from knowing history – and respecting history.
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
The ultimate pissing contest between two bullies on the playground.
But – Trumpublicans will be the first ones to volunteer to do the actual fighting and dying this time – won’t they?
Hell – I don’t care how old they are – they can at least be on the front lines and block bullets.
Make these Trumpublicans go to battle – FIRST.
Remarks by President Trump Before a Briefing on the Opioid Crisis
Trump National Golf Club
Bedminster, New Jersey
3:12 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Secretary Price, for your work to address the crisis of opioid, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamines. It is a tremendous problem in our country, and we’re going to get it taken care of as well as it can be taken care of, which hopefully will be better than any other country which also has the same problems or similar problems.
Nobody is safe from this epidemic that threatens young and old, rich and poor, urban and rural communities. Everybody is threatened. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, and opioid overdose deaths have nearly quadrupled since 1999. It is a problem the likes of which we have not seen.
Meanwhile, federal drug prosecutions have gone down in recent years. We’re going to be bringing them up and bringing them up rapidly. At the end of 2016, there were 23 percent fewer than in 2011. So they looked at this scourge and they let it go by, and we’re not letting it go by. The average sentence length for a convicted federal drug offender decreased 20 percent from 2009 to 2016.
During my campaign, I promised to fight this battle because, as President of the United States, my greatest responsibility is to protect the American people and to ensure their safety. Especially in some parts of our country, it is horrible what’s going on with opioid and other drugs. But the opioid is something that nobody has seen anything like it.
Today, I am pleased to receive a briefing from our team on ways we can help our communities combat this absolutely terrible epidemic and keep youth from going down this deadly path.
The best way to prevent drug addiction and overdose is to prevent people from abusing drugs in the first place. If they don’t start, they won’t have a problem. If they do start, it’s awfully tough to get off. So we can keep them from going on, and maybe by talking to youth and telling them, “No good; really bad for you” in every way. But if they don’t start, it will never be a problem.
We’re also working with law enforcement officers to protect innocent citizens from drug dealers that poison our communities. Strong law enforcement is absolutely vital to having a drug-free society. I have had the opportunity to hear from many on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, and I’m confident that by working with our healthcare and law enforcement experts, we will fight this deadly epidemic and the United States will win.
We’re also very, very tough on the southern border, where much of this comes in. And we’re talking to China, where certain forms of manmade drug comes in, and it is bad. And we’re speaking to other countries and we’re getting cooperation, but we’re being very, very strong on our southern border and, I would say, the likes of which this country certainly has never seen that kind of strength.
So we’re going to do our job. We’re going to get it going. We’ve got a tremendous team of experts and people that want to beat this horrible situation that’s happened to our country — and we will. We will win. We have no alternative. We have to win for our youth. We have to win for our young people. And, frankly, we have to win for a lot of other people, not necessarily young, that are totally addicted and have serious, serious problems.
So we thank you all for being here. And we’re going to get on with our meeting. Thank you very much. Thank you all.
Q Any comment on the reports about North Korea’s nuclear capabilities?
THE PRESIDENT: North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. He has been very threatening beyond a normal state. And as I said, they will be met with fire, fury, and, frankly, power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.
Thank you.
END
3:17 P.M. EDT
Those drug arrests and prosecutions – will that include Big Pharma and doctors who are pushing/prescribing these opioids like they are candy?
Just asking…
Filling up our prisons (a lot are for-profit prisons) with druggies is not exactly going to solve the source of the problem – will it?
BTW – West Virginia has been said to be the worst state in the country with the most opioid drug overdoses. But yet West Virginia is where the majority are Trump voters.
Hmmm…and claim to be such God-fearing Christians. So – why are these folks the ones with the highest opioid problems?
It is feeling like setting in the front seat of the car. the Driver is making a mad rush toward a brick wall. You scream what they hell are you doing? If you don’t stop we will be crashing and dying! The driver commonly replies, ” I know but I was wondering what it would feel like?”.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/fbi-conducted-predawn-raid-of-former-trump-campaign-chairman-manafort%e2%80%99s-home/ar-AApLXiO?li=BBnb4R7
===
Perhaps there is a big leak in the Trump Dam?
Investigations are infamous for uncovering things that were never even imagined when the investigation was started.
Let’s not forget – Clinton’s impeachment (but acquittal by Senate) was the result of the Whitewater Investigation. Who knew that Whitewater would take so many winding turns and eventually end up with Clinton and Monica Lewinsky?
(From the link): President Trump has never been one for negotiation or diplomacy, having spent his entire life hurling money and lawyers at problems until they went away. But in this case, he can’t, since he hasn’t even bothered to name an ambassador to South Korea.
Justin Trudeau Just Went Behind Trump’s Back To Deal With North Korea
http://washingtonjournal.com/2017/08/09/justin-trudeau-just-went-behind-trumps-back-deal-north-korea/
If you look at that video of Trump saying those words – fire and fury like the world has never seen before (or something to that effect) – look at how Trump has his arms crossed. His hands are like inside his sleeves and hidden.
Is this really the body language of a strong leader? Or is it body language of a playground bully that is looking for his Mommy to come rescue him – but he does not have the good sense to keep his mouth shut.
Trump and his Trumpublicans truly believe all Trump has to do is to bark out some words and the rest of the world will shake in their boots.
That might have worked in Trump Reality T.V. Land – but that does not work in the real world.
Real strength comes from knowledge of the situation and the wisdom to listen to the smartest person in the room – which I’ve read where Trump’s veiled threat to North Korea was not run by his military advisers prior to Trump barking them out.
REal strength also comes from knowing history – and respecting history.
Oh – Oh – we’re in trouble…IMHO
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/09/donald-trump-north-korea-history-215473
===
This is some background history on North Korea – and how we have arrived at this point in time.
It would behoove Trump to become a student of World History- and for God’s Sake – learn American History at the same time.