New York, United States, Jan 11 (EFE).- US President-elect Donald Trump said in a press conference here Wednesday that he would be “the biggest jobs producer God ever created.”
Trump said big news would be unveiled in the coming weeks about companies that will expand their operations in the United States and recalled that automakers Ford and Fiat Chrysler had already announced plans to add jobs through further investment within the US borders.
The president-elect went on to predict that “a lot of industries” would be returning to the United States.
He referred specifically to the pharmaceutical sector, lamenting that most prescription drugs consumed in the United States are made abroad and saying that production needs to come back.
Trump also reiterated his intention to repeal the health care reform known as Obamacare, and he announced that it will be replaced by a new plan.
“It will be repeal and replace. It will be essentially simultaneously,” Trump said, adding that the new plan will be much less costly and much better than Obamacare, which he once again called a “complete disaster”.
Trump also vowed to overhaul the government’s procedures for acquiring prescription medication, saying he would save billions of dollars by creating “new bidding procedures for the drug industry.”
Medicare is currently barred from negotiating for lower drug prices.
In other remarks at the press conference, Trump said he would not sell his assets but instead put them into a trust and cede control over his businesses to his two adult sons, who he said would not discuss business decisions with him.
Furthermore, as part of the agreement an independent ethics adviser – to be appointed soon – will need to approve new domestic deals and transactions.
His attorney, Sheri Dillon, said at the news conference that the Trump Organization would be barred from entering into new foreign deals.
During the press conference, Trump reiterated that a wall would be built along the southwestern border and that Mexico would reimburse the United States for its cost via a tax or payment.
Trump also said in the press conference, which came just days after he was briefed by US intelligence officials about alleged Russian hacking aimed at influencing the Nov. 8 election, that he believed that Russia was behind the disclosure by WikiLeaks of e-mails from the Democratic National Committee and from the chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, John Podesta.
A declassified release last Friday by the office of Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said US intelligence agencies concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind what is characterized as an effort to harm Clinton’s prospects in the election and to discredit the democratic process.
Russia has consistently denied interfering in the election, while WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange repeated last week that Russia was not the source for the DNC and Podesta documents.
Trump also said at the press conference that reports about Russian agents gathering compromising information about him should never have been published, calling the stories “fake news.”
He called the media reports that Moscow possessed information that could be used to blackmail him “nonsense” and said if US intelligence agencies leaked the information it was a “tremendous blot on their record.”