For fact-checking, see Fact-Check: Major Claims from Trump’s Cannabis Executive Order Event. Assistance from Claude AI.
Summary
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on December 18, 2025, rescheduling marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3, recognizing its legitimate medical uses while emphasizing this is not legalization for recreational purposes. The move, which polls at 82% approval, aims to help patients suffering from extreme pain, cancer, seizure disorders, and neurological problems, particularly veterans and seniors. In a major policy shift, Dr. Mehmet Oz announced that Medicare will cover CBD products starting April 2026, making millions of seniors eligible for up to $500 annually in hemp-derived treatments at no cost. The rescheduling will dramatically expand research capabilities, allowing large-scale clinical trials that were previously impossible due to federal restrictions. Trump credited his friend Howard Kessler, a cancer survivor, with persistently advocating for the change after experiencing relief from cannabis during chemotherapy.
Participants
- Donald Trump – President of the United States
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Dr. Mehmet Oz – Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Dr. Marty Makary – Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Dr. Jay Bhattacharya – Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Dr. Nora Volkow – Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Dr. Ilana Braun – Cancer Psychiatrist and Medical Cannabis Researcher, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Dr. David J. Casarett – Professor, Duke University
- Dan K. Wiley – National Commander, The American Legion
- Howard Kessler – Private citizen and cancer survivor who advocated for the policy change
The Executive Order: What It Does and Doesn’t Do
President Trump opened the signing ceremony by emphasizing the historic nature of the decision, surrounded by what he called “mostly medical people and brilliant people” who are “most respected people in the country.” He explained that the executive order would reschedule marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3, recognizing it as a controlled substance with “legitimate medical uses.”
The president was explicit about what this order is not: “I want to emphasize that the order I am about to sign is not the legalization or it doesn’t legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form. And in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug—has nothing to do with that.”
Trump drew a parallel to prescription painkillers, noting that while they may have legitimate uses, they “can also do irreversible damage and never—if you look at some of the damage that can be caused, wreck lives if it’s abused.” He stressed that “it’s never safe to use powerful controlled substances in recreational matters.”
The president shared his consistent personal stance against substance use: “I’ve always told my children don’t take drugs, no drinking, no smoking and just stay away from drugs.” He recounted telling his children this message repeatedly, adding with characteristic humor that “they would look at me, they said, Dad, would you stop saying that? I would say every time I looked at them practically.”
Trump emphasized young Americans are “especially at risk,” stating: “Unless a drug is recommended by a doctor for medical reasons, just don’t do it.” However, he acknowledged: “At the same time, the facts compel the federal government to recognize that marijuana can be legitimate in terms of medical applications when carefully administered.”
The president noted this could serve as “a substitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioid painkillers” which “cause tremendous problems,” adding: “This can do it in a much lesser way, can make people feel much better that are living through tremendous pain and problems.”
Overwhelming Public Support and Personal Appeals
Trump revealed the extraordinary level of public interest in this issue: “I think I probably have received more phone calls on this—on doing what we’re doing. I don’t think I received any calls on the other side of it.” He emphasized that the reclassification polls at 82 percent approval.
Later in the event, he reinforced this point: “I’ve never been inundated by so many people as I have about this particular reclassification.”
The president described cannabis as potentially life-changing for patients in extreme circumstances: “Some people are literally dying and they’re dying with tremendous pain. And this can in many cases literally stop it, and they have their senses about them as opposed to painkillers, which don’t allow that—don’t allow them to die with dignity, frankly.”
Trump characterized the decision as fulfilling his campaign promise: “I promised to be the president of common sense and that is exactly what we’re doing. This is really something having to do with common sense, and it’s something having to do with the fact that so many people that I respect ask me to do it, people that are having problems, big problems, they are having big problems with illness with cancer in particular.”
Revolutionary Medicare Coverage for CBD Products
In what may prove the most immediately impactful aspect of the announcement, Dr. Mehmet Oz revealed that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is launching a groundbreaking program to provide CBD products to Medicare beneficiaries starting in April 2026.
Dr. Oz began by noting the president’s deep personal engagement with the issue: “He has called me frequently about the people who are calling him, as he alluded to, who are saying that they’ve got problems and they got relief from some of the solutions we’re talking about today.”
He highlighted Howard Kessler as “an early caller of the president” and “a passionate advocate for avoiding narcotics, especially in seniors and particularly seniors suffering from cancer.” Oz noted this is “a population that is a very important one” and “a sympathetic population that’s desirous of trying new ways besides some of the conventional approaches that have been tested by pharmaceutical companies but have untoward side effects.”
Dr. Oz described the president’s directive: “At the beginning of the year, one of the first things the president told me—he doesn’t actually tell you, he demanded from me—that my agency, CMS—”
Trump interjected with characteristic humor: “Nobody demands from him; nobody. You have to know him.”
Oz continued, explaining his commitment: “I promised that we would find an answer, even though it had not been done before, and today, we are delivering on that promise.”
The Medicare Innovation Model Details
Dr. Oz outlined the specifics of the new CMS Innovation Center model:
Coverage Scope: “Today, our Innovation Center at CMS is announcing a new model and additional actions to give seniors access to cannabinoids—these are CBD’s, they’re not addictive—which many are already using to manage pain.”
Clinical Evidence: “There’s some clinical evidence that’s showing that CBD’s provide relief from common conditions that affect Americans, including cancer symptoms and chronic pain, and a slew of other problems that affect disproportionately seniors and our veterans. And 6 in 10 people who use these CBD’s report that they improve their pain.”
Why This Matters: Oz explained the challenge previous administrations faced: “Sometimes these decisions are difficult and there’s a reason this hasn’t happened before and there’s a reason, Mr. President, that every president before you has whiffed on this issue. It’s tough and I know there’s going to be a lot of discussion about it.”
He described the current regulatory patchwork: “The laws and regulations—they are leaving patients and doctors without adequate guidance on the safeguards of how to use these products even though they’re still being used.”
Medicare Population: “At Medicare we cover 68 million Americans, including people under the age of 65 and they did not have a way of providing these treatments until today.”
Implementation Timeline and Structure
Starting April 2026: “The Innovation Center models are going to allow millions of Americans on Medicare to become eligible to receive CBD as early as April of next year. And at no charge if their doctors recommend them.”
Delivery Mechanism: “The accountable care organizations in this country working in Medicare will be able to provide these products, again, at no cost to patients. Medicare Advantage insurers as we’ve been calling them are also agreeing to consider CBD to be used for the 34 million Americans that they cover.”
Who Should Pay Attention: “If you can hear my voice and you’re over 65, you should pay attention to this executive order because it’s going to touch your life. Again, this all becomes active after the first quarter of next year.”
Quality Requirements: “These CBD products must first meet local and state quality and safety standards. They must come from legitimate sources and they must abide by other regulations of those states.”
Financial Benefit: “With these boxes checked patients can be eligible for up to $500 of hemp-derived products each year.”
Research and Data Collection Component
Dr. Oz emphasized the research dimension: “This is the first government-led testing of quality and outcomes for patients across different conditions and it delivers on the need for more data collection and research into hemp usage. CMS is going to collect data.”
The data strategy includes: “We’re going to analyze that data. We’re going to make it publicly available to everybody to be able to analyze with us. If it shows promise, we will expand access to these products to even more conditions amongst Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.”
Oz acknowledged the collaborative nature: “I want to thank not just the secretary, but, um, Marty Makary. We want a lot of companies who are doing this research that approach the FDA for formal approval. That is the right way to move forward. And Jay Bhattacharya, who’s hiding in the back, he rarely hides. But Jay runs NIH and he’s agreed to support initiatives to study the data that we’re collecting.”
State-Level Precedent and Research Potential
Trump noted that 40 states and multiple US territories have already recognized the use of medical marijuana, adding: “This reclassification order will make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research allowing us to study benefits, potential dangers and future treatments. It’s going to have a tremendously positive impact, I believe.”
The president also mentioned a related congressional request: “We’re also asking Congress to reconsider its classification of hemp derived CBD to ensure seniors can access CBD products they have found beneficial for pain and other reasons.”
Cancer Research and Patient Care Perspectives
Dr. Ilana Braun, a cancer psychiatrist and medical cannabis researcher from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, provided the oncology perspective on why this matters for cancer patients.
She thanked the administration “for your leadership in rescheduling cannabis from schedule one to schedule three. This decision will accelerate scientific research and expand what can responsibly be studied.”
Braun explained the broader context of cancer care: “Over the past decade, federal investment and research has helped transform cancer care. People are living longer than ever before. But cancer care is not only about treating the tumor. It’s also about addressing the anxiety, the fear the stress that can come with a diagnosis, symptoms that can interfere with treatment and make recovery much more difficult.”
She highlighted the medication challenge: “Many medications we use for acute anxiety carry significant risks, particularly in the older adults. That’s why we’re studying specific natural compounds found in cannabis, including the non-addictive cannabidiol to understand whether they can safely and effectively help manage anxiety during cancer treatment.”
The research approach she described: “Rescheduling allows us to ask these questions rigorously about dosing about safety and who may benefit most. This research reflects the best of federal investment helping people not only live longer but live better.”
A Twenty-Year Journey: Dr. Casarett’s Story
Dr. David J. Casarett from Duke University shared a powerful personal story that illustrated the decades-long struggle to research cannabis medically.
“I never really thought this day would come,” he began. “I met a patient about 20 years ago, a retired professor named Elizabeth who came to my clinic. She was dying of pancreatic cancer and she asked me then whether cannabis might help her. And I said no, because that’s what I learned in medical school.”
What happened next changed his perspective: “She reached into her briefcase, took out a three inch tall stack of articles, put them down on my desk and said really, Doctor, you should read these, you might learn something and I did read those articles, every single one and found a bunch more.”
Casarett described what he discovered: “I learned that there actually is some medical benefit to cannabis that I had not anticipated never heard about in medical school. Second, I learned that there was a lot we don’t know. And third, I learned it’s really, really, really difficult to do high quality randomized controlled trials of a substance that’s federally illegal.”
How Rescheduling Changes Medical Research
Dr. Casarett outlined three transformative impacts on research:
1. Democratization: “It will democratize the research process so that all academic institutions can participate in research, not just elite academic medical centers.”
2. Access to Quality Materials: “It will give patients and researchers access to highly refined reliable sources of cannabis rather than relying on one or two sources around the country.”
3. Large-Scale Clinical Trials: “It will let us do the sorts of large scale randomized controlled trials that we do in oncology and cardiology, not dozens of patients, but hundreds or thousands of patients. That’s how we learn, that’s how we produce valuable knowledge that’s useful in guiding treatment decisions.”
He concluded: “Mr. President, without you this never would have been possible and my patients and I and all of our families are grateful.”
Veterans and PTSD: The American Legion’s Perspective
Dan K. Wiley, national commander of The American Legion, spoke on behalf of the nation’s veterans. “Representing 1.5 million veterans, we are the biggest largest veterans organization. We have 2.5 million members of our American Legion family and I want to start by thanking you for your leadership on this issue. This issue is extremely important to the American Legion.”
Wiley acknowledged the administration’s broader veterans work: “I also want to thank you for your VA secretary, Secretary Collins, and his work on veterans issues with us this past year. The VA has worked with us on our Be the One mission, which is a mission to fight the epidemic of veteran suicide.”
He explained why cannabis research matters for veterans: “Veterans are disproportionately affected by conditions such as PTSD, TBI, depression and chronic pain. And with this reclassification, it will allow research to be conducted with regard to cannabis. There is anecdotal evidence that cannabis benefits these conditions and now we’ll have an opportunity to see if research does prove that it is effective.”
The potential impact: “If it is so, then it’ll open up a whole new method of treatment for our veterans with regard to this particular issue.”
Trump responded emotionally: “Such great people. That have suffered and will suffer a lot less now. Based on what I hear.”
Scientific Perspective on Risks and Research
Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), provided the scientific community’s perspective on both opportunities and cautions.
She explained the research imperative: “For us that rescheduling opens the door to actually be able to accelerate the rate at which we can do research and discovery and research is crucial in order for us to, for example, understand what may be and for whom the dangers of cannabis use.”
Dr. Volkow acknowledged the risks: “Cannabis can be addictive and certainly people, adolescents, and children may be the most vulnerable, but we cannot close our eyes to research and the opportunity that we are hearing from patients that for some of them cannabis can solve their problem.”
She outlined the research agenda:
- “Understand what are those conditions” where cannabis may help
- “Learn how to use it” optimally
- “Understand who is a danger”
Her conclusion: “It is knowledge that will allow us to optimally benefit, take the benefits that may be behind cannabis as research shows. But on the other hand, also enable us better to do prevention interventions to protect those that are most vulnerable.”
Responding to Youth Use Concerns
When asked by a reporter about GOP lawmakers concerned the order “could normalize drug use for youth,” Trump deferred to the medical experts.
Dr. Volkow responded directly: “My answer is we have had cannabis scheduled for how long, and it hasn’t protected neither the adolescents nor the adults. We have 20 million people in the United States with cannabis use disorder. This is not legalizing it. It’s making it easier to do research so that we can use it when it is indicated and optimally.”
Trump added: “A big part of this is research. In other words, you’ll now have a much larger sample, and you’ll be able to see if it’s as good as many people say it is. I mean, people say it is beyond good, and you’ll be able to find that out now.”
Secretary Kennedy on Ending Decades of Stalemate
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serving as Secretary of Health and Human Services, framed the issue as one that has divided the nation due to valid concerns on both sides.
“This is a question, a scientific question that has divided our country for many, many years and there are valid claims on both sides,” Kennedy explained.
The Case for Medical Cannabis
“On one side, patients and physicians attest that this had cannabinoids and—and THC can be have miraculous effects on chronic pain on epilepsy, on PTSD, on chemotherapy-induced nausea.”
He specifically credited Howard Kessler: “My friend, Howard Kessler, without whom we wouldn’t be here today has drove this—this—this—this change in the schedule and he did it because of his own experience and in mitigating the impacts of chemotherapy. He has nothing to gain from this. He just saw something that worked for him that worked for thousands of other Americans and he wants to make it available to them.”
The Case for Caution
“On the other side, there are valid claims about the negative impacts, about addiction, about psychosis, about adverse public health impacts and impacts particularly on young people.”
The Problem: Lack of Scientific Data
Kennedy identified the core issue: “All of these is anecdotal and it’s hypothetical because we have not been able to do scientific studies. There is no—there is no standardized dosing and if you don’t have standardized dosing, any study that you do is comparing apples to pears. And we don’t know the difference between botanicals and synthetics and all of these questions we’re now going to be able to answer.”
Five Administrations Failed—Until Now
RFK Jr. provided historical context: “Five administrations have promised to act on this issue. The Biden administration promised to do this, and the proposal began during the Biden administration. It got mired down in the chaos and inertia and disorganization.”
He praised Trump’s follow-through: “I want to thank President Trump who made the promise during the 2024 election that he was going to come in and solve this issue, that he was going to take decisive action and he has kept that promise today. And so, thank you, President Trump, for your vision. And because of that we will have answers very soon. This will finally allow us to study this issue and to answer these questions for the American people.”
Howard Kessler: The Private Citizen Who Made It Happen
Throughout the event, President Trump repeatedly credited his friend Howard Kessler as the driving force behind the policy change.
During the introduction, Trump described him: “My friend Howard Kessler. Howard, how are you feeling?”
Kessler responded: “I’m doing great?”
Trump remarked: “You look—I’m telling you, he looks better than he did 20 years ago, but I don’t want to go through what you went through to get there, right? It looks like you’re doing great. I’m proud of you.”
Dr. Oz joked: “Howard Kessler, God bless you for being a pain in our sides. [Laughter] Mr. President, he’s promised to stop calling you. [Laughter] But on this issue, he’ll call you on other issues.”
Kessler’s Personal Journey
Later, Trump provided more detail about Kessler’s advocacy: “Mr. Howard Kessler, a friend of mine, one of the most successful people in the country, came to see me on more than one occasion actually. And he had some real difficulty about three and a half, four years ago and he went through hell. And during his going through hell, he probably sampled everything you can sample when you’re going through that, Howard.”
Kessler confirmed: “For sure.”
Trump continued: “And he came to me and said there’s been nothing like this and we’re going to have to take a good strong look at it. And that’s what he asked me to do. And others have likewise said that—many others, many—I mean, again, I’ve never been inundated by so many people as I have about this particular reclassification.”
Kessler’s Vision for Rapid Research
When invited to speak, Kessler outlined his broader goal: “I just want to help the people 65 and over and make a difference in their lives. And we have machines and talent that could do it not in eight-year clinical trials but in a year. And we’re going to prove that to be—may change the world really in health care.”
Trump responded with humor: “And I’m far younger than 65, so this does not pertain to me. [Laughter] Thank you. I don’t want it, OK. I’m not going to be taking it, but a lot of people do want it. A lot of people need it and thank you, Howard, for really opening a lot of eyes.”
Press Questions: Health Care, Federal Reserve, and Foreign Policy
ACA Subsidies and Insurance Reform
A reporter asked about Obamacare subsidies expiring, with “more than 20 million Americans now bracing for their premiums to skyrocket.”
Trump responded critically of insurance companies: “They will skyrocket because it was never any good. I’d like to see the money that is going to the insurance companies by the hundreds of billions of dollars. You know, their stocks are up 1,400 percent, 1,800 percent and 1,624 percent. Their stocks are up through the roof over a fairly short period of time because they’re getting vast amounts of money.”
His alternative vision: “I want that money to go to the people directly and let the people buy their own health care and they’ll get much better health care than they get with the Unaffordable Care Act as it’s known by a lot of people, it is virtually unaffordable for people. It’s a bad thing. We can have a great thing. Let the money go directly to the people and let them buy their own health care.”
Dr. Oz provided new data: “We just got data today; you have federal exchanges where people come shopping for the ACA. And the president hasn’t heard this yet, but we’ve talked to the team, the percentage change from last year was down 2.7 to 2.8 percent, not the massive numbers that have been predicted.”
He added context: “Right now, Americans are signing up for these programs despite all the things that have been going on. 2.8 percent is a tiny fraction of what many had claimed would happen. And I think it speaks to the fact that the American people appreciate these ACA plans are already subsidized over 80 percent. So, it’s a good deal even if you don’t get the extra 15 to 20 percent.”
Political Dynamics
Trump blamed partisan politics: “I’d like to get right into this. I don’t know why we have to extend. This could be done rapidly if the Democrats would come along. We have a problem—the insurance companies own the Democrat Party, they own it. And the Democrats are having a hard time. They give a lot of money to the Democrats. Very little money to Republicans, by the way, a lot of money to Democrats. And they’re going to have to decide, do they want to do the right thing or do they want to be beholden to the insurance companies. They’re making a fortune. I want the money to go to the people.”
Federal Reserve Chairman Search
When asked about the Federal Reserve chairman position, Trump revealed he’s interviewing candidates: “We’re talking to three or four. I think every one of them would be a good choice, honestly. We’ll be making a decision pretty quick.”
About Chris Waller: “I think he’s great. I mean, he’s a—been a man who’s been there a long time, somebody that I was very involved with in the sense of his career. And he’s a fantastic man. I met him yesterday again.”
About Michelle Bowman: “She’s fantastic. She’s a fantastic person.”
Timeline: “Over the next couple of weeks. I mean, I don’t know before the end of the year, but pretty soon.”
Housing Crisis and National Emergency
On whether he’s considering a national emergency declaration over housing: “I’m looking at it, yes.”
Trump explained the dilemma: “You know, I have two—there’s two thoughts on housing. You have a lot of people who have housing that, because we have such a strong time and such a strong market, their houses are very valuable. It’s a big part of their net worth, their house. I don’t want to knock those numbers down because I want them to continue to have a big value for their house.”
The conflict: “At the same time, I want to make it possible for young people out there and other people to buy housing. In a way they’re at conflict. In other words, you create a lot of housing all of a sudden and it drives the housing prices down. So, I want to take care of the people that have houses that have a value to their house that they never thought possible that have sort of made them wealthy and happy.”
His balancing act: “Especially in their later years, got to be careful with that. I want to keep them up; at the same time, I want to make it possible for people to go buy houses.”
The Warrior’s Dividend: $1,776 for Troops
A reporter asked about the “warrior’s dividend” announced in Trump’s primetime speech.
Trump explained the number choice: “Well, the 1776 was easy to come up with because we were actually at 1775. The number was 1775, and I said wow, I think we could afford one more dollar. But we actually—they came up to me, it was $1,775. So, I said, well, let’s add a dollar to it, I think we could find that.”
His broader rationale: “Very simple, we’ve had, uh, a military that, in my opinion, by other presidents, was not treated well. They’re incredible, their finest people. They’re protecting us. And because of tariffs, we’re taking in billions and billions of dollars more than we ever have before with no inflation, by the way, with no inflation.”
Economic context: “You saw the inflation numbers, they just came out today what great timing, practically no inflation. And yet we’re taking in hundreds of billions of dollars. And this is small potatoes by comparison, but it’s a way of taking care of our warriors, our soldiers.”
Kennedy Center Renaming
When asked about the Kennedy Center board voting to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center, the president responded: “I was honored by—the board is a very distinguished board, most distinguished people in the country and I was surprised by it. I was honored by it. You know, we’ve—we’re saving the building, we saved the building. The building was in such bad shape, both physically and financially in every other way.”
The turnaround: “Now it’s very solid, very strong. We have something going on television, I guess on the 23rd December, I think it’s going to get very big ratings. And the Kennedy Center is really, really backed strongly. It’s a very bad shape—very, very bad shape physically. And we were also to get Congress to put up a lot of money and other people to put up a lot of money. We had a lot of donors come in for record setting numbers.”
His reaction: “So we—we saved the Kennedy Center and I was really—this was brought up by one of the very distinguished board members and they voted on it. And there’s a lot of board members and they voted unanimously. So I was very honored by it.”
Ukraine Peace Talks
On the Ukraine peace meeting in Florida, Trump expressed urgency: “They’re getting close to something, but I hope Ukraine moves quickly. I hope Ukraine moves quickly because Russia’s there and, you know, every time they take too much time, then Russia changes their mind. 27,000 soldiers were killed last month. Think of that. What do you think of that, doctors? 27,000, It’s like a half a football stadium were killed in one month.”
The devastating scope: “And it’s that way, it’s anywhere between 20 and 30,000, mostly soldiers, also some people from Kyiv and other places, but largely it’s the soldiers, they’re losing their lives. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it. It’s the worst since World War II.”
His peace record: “You know, you’ve heard me say I settled eight wars some going on for 35 years, one going on for 37, one going on for 32 and eight wars. And I thought this would be an easier one. This is, because of the animosity, the hatred, it’s a little bit more difficult than we thought, but there’s a chance we can get this done maybe soon.”
The human cost: “Remember that 25 to 30,000 people being killed a month, young people being killed a month.”
Cartel Operations in Venezuela
On whether he’d seek congressional authorization for “land attacks on drug cartels in Venezuela,” Trump was dismissive: “I wouldn’t mind telling them, but, you know, it’s not a big deal. I don’t have to tell them. It’s been proven, but it wouldn’t—I wouldn’t mind at all. I just hope they wouldn’t leak it. You know, you have people leak it, they are politicians and they leak like a sieve, but I have no problem doing that.”
North Carolina Rally Message
On his upcoming Rocky Mount, North Carolina rally, Trump outlined his themes:
Economic Success: “We’ve had tremendous success. We’re bringing prices down, we inherited a mess and part of what we inherited was the worst inflation in 48 years, I say history. But we had the worst inflation, it drove prices up and now we’re bringing those prices down.”
Border Security: “I’ll be talking about the fact that we secured the border where literally nobody can come into our country illegally anymore. They came in from prisons and mental institutions and drug dealers and, you know, a lot of bad people from all over the world. Venezuela emptied their prisons into our country.”
Gang Violence: “We had Tren de Aragua, which supposedly—the doctors don’t know this. It’s—it’s the meanest gang of them all. OK, Doctor? You don’t have to know about it. You got other problems. [Laughter] But, uh, they let a lot of bad people in here.”
National Guard Success: “I think I’ll be talking about the tremendous success we have by sending the National Guard into various cities. DC is the ultimate example. People walk to work and they—they thank me all the time. People in the White House, they just walk to the White House from ten blocks away. Before I came into office they couldn’t do that. They were—they were getting badly hurt in many cases and beyond hurt killed. So we were losing people.”
The transformation: “We were losing on average a person a week, can you believe it more and now we haven’t lost anybody in a long time… Washington, DC now is a safe, beautiful city where the restaurants are booming. The town is booming. People walk to the restaurants with their wife or their children and, uh, they have a good time.”
His broader claim: “We become in ten months the—the hottest country anywhere in the world. And we were—and I say it all the time, we were a dead country one and a half years ago.”
Netanyahu Meeting
On meeting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Palm Beach: “Yeah, he would like to see me. We haven’t set it up formally, but he’d like to see me. We’ve had great success. Peace in the Middle East aside from everything else, we now have peace in the Middle East. Yeah, he’ll probably come to see me in Florida.”
On potentially meeting Egyptian President el-Sisi: “I’d love to have him, el-Sisi, he’s a friend of mine. Yeah, I’d love to have him.”
Source
“Remarks: Donald Trump Signs an Executive Order to Ease Cannabis Rules – December 18, 2025.” Factbase, 18 Dec. 2025, www.factba.se.