ICYMI: President Trump on 60 Minutes: “We Have Historically Good Numbers”

Last night, President Donald J. Trump sat down with 60 Minutes following the midterm elections and made a powerful case for his America First record. President Trump highlighted the booming Trump economy - 165,000 new jobs in October, record 401(k) balances, and hundreds of billions of dollars in new factories - touted the most secure border in history, detailed the decisive blows he has dealt to Iran's nuclear program, explained why America must win the Super Intelligence race, and much more.

Key exchanges:

• On the midterms: "I think if I was on the ballot, it would've been a much different situation… But there's something beyond that. They didn't like the war. They didn't like the fact that gasoline went up… And there's a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel." (Watch)
• On the stock market: "We have historically good numbers. We have the highest stock market in history." (Watch)
  • Since President Trump was elected, the S&P 500 has hit 77 new record highs, the Nasdaq has hit 70 record highs, and the Dow has hit 51 record highs. Since Inauguration Day, the S&P 500 has hit 67 record highs, the Nasdaq has hit 60 record highs, and the Dow has hit 43 record highs.
• On jobs numbers: "The numbers are way beyond anybody's expectations… We had 165,000 jobs created just in a short time." (Watch)
  • The U.S. economy added 165,000 new jobs in October - smashing economists' expectations; manufacturing added 19,000 jobs in October and the sector has added more than 100,000 jobs since its December 2025 low.
• On retirement savings: "401(k)s are at their all-time high by a lot. Under other Presidents, they were a disaster. 401(k)s have made people rich." (Watch)
  • 401(k), 403(b), and IRA balances hit new highs in the second quarter of 2026, with the average 401(k) balance reaching a record $155,800 - up 13.1% from a year earlier.
• On private investment: "There has never been a time where there is the activity - trillions and trillions of dollars right now, as we sit, is being built. In a year from now… many of those plants are gonna be open, operating." (Watch)
  • Companies are pouring money into America, including Apple ($600 billion and 20,000 new American hires), NVIDIA (up to $500 billion in American-made SI infrastructure), TSMC ($165 billion in the largest single foreign direct investment in U.S. history), and Johnson & Johnson (more than $55 billion).
• On reshoring auto manufacturing: "We're also building automobile factories like we've never built before." (Watch)
  • Audi is building its first-ever U.S. plant in Georgia, with a $4 billion investment that will create about 4,500 new jobs.
• On reshoring pharmaceutical manufacturing: "How about pharmaceutical? Eli Lilly, Merck, Pfizer - they're building hundreds of billions of [investment]." (Watch)
  • Eli Lilly has committed more than $50 billion to American manufacturing, Merck has committed more than $70 billion, and Pfizer has committed an additional $70 billion as part of its landmark agreement with the Trump Administration to lower drug prices.
• On securing the border: "I think I got an A+ for closing up the border… I get very high marks for getting the bad ones out." (Watch)
  • Border Patrol recorded just 98,708 southwest border apprehensions in FY2026 - the lowest in agency history and a 95% drop from the Biden-era average - while September marked the 17th straight month of zero releases at the border.
• On Iran: "You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon. I think, historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not, but I have to go with what's right for our country." (Watch)
• On the Strait of Hormuz: "The strait is open, Ross… Your favorite newspaper, The Wall Street Journal… had an article that said, 'There's more oil going through the Hormuz Strait than there was at the beginning of the war.' Think of that." (Watch)
  • The Wall Street Journal reports that Persian Gulf oil exports have surpassed prewar levels - more than 24 million barrels a day - thanks to a shipping system under U.S. protection.
• On Venezuela: "I just say the Venezuela attack will go down in military histories… It was one of the most incredible attacks anyone's ever seen. They left the aircraft carriers at 1:00 in the morning, pitch black. Everything went perfect." (Watch)
• On the Russia-Ukraine war: "I believe that war is going to end and it's going to end soon, and the only reason it's going to end is because of me." (Watch)
• On Super Intelligence: "The reason I'm an AI bull, one of the reasons, is because President Xi left here two weeks ago - we had a great meeting - he's all-in to SI… Whoever wins that race wins." (Watch)
• On data centers: "China has no problem with data centers. China has no problem with electricity. And, by the way, we don't either because… I'm demanding that they build their own electric plant." (Watch)
• On MAGA: "MAGA is basically common sense. MAGA is strong borders, good military - we have created wealth at a level that our country has never seen before." (Watch)
• On 2028: "We have a tremendous bench." (Watch)
• On how his presidency will be remembered: "That I made America great again." (Watch)