President Trump met in the Oval Office with Henry Kissinger and pool was led in about 11:47 a.m. Kissinger, seated in a chair to the president’s right, spoke briefly and returned praise for the job President Trump is doing. This is one of many meetings Trump had so far with the former Secretary of the State.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Henry Kissinger has been a friend of mine. I’ve liked him, I’ve respected him. But we’ve been friends for a long time, long before my emergence in the world of politics, which has not been too long.
But we have been really in, I guess you’d say, the New York scene a little bit — but we got to know each other very well. He’s a man I have great, great respect for. He’s also somebody — usually I say, “Have you ever been in the Oval Office?” And with Henry Kissinger, I didn’t bother asking that question because he has been in this office many, many times.
But it’s an honor to have Dr. Kissinger with us, a man of immense talent, and experience, and knowledge. And I’m going to talk to him for a while, and we’re going to learn a lot. But I can say from a world standpoint and with many of the countries that Henry and I would talk about before the election — because I would talk with Henry before the election — we’ve made a lot of progress with many of them. We have some outstanding, and we’ll handle that as we have to handle it.
But we’ve made a lot of progress in the Middle East with ISIS and so many other things. It’s a much calmer place. But, Henry, I say often, I inherited a mess, but we’re fixing it.
So you may want to say something. And thank you for being here, Henry. Thank you very much.
KISSINGER: Mr. President, I didn’t expect this opportunity.
It’s always a great honor to be in this office, and I’m here at a moment when the opportunity to build a constructive, peaceful world order is very great.
And the President is leaving on a trip to Asia, which I think will make a big contribution to progress and peace and prosperity.
Thank you for inviting me.
THE PRESIDENT : Thank you very much, Henry. I appreciate it.
