i mean, we're going to see what happens. >> reporter: it's something he said on his first full day in office, at the cia. >> the old expression, to the victor belong the spoils. do you remember, i always used to say, keep the oil. >> reporter: the new white house press secretary attempted to explain president trump's thinking. >> we want to make sure that our interests are protected. so if we're going into a country for a cause, i think he wants to make sure that america is getting something out of it for the commitment and sacrifice we're making. >> reporter: the remarks have alarmed the iraqi government. >> translator: iraq's oil is definitely, constitutionally, the property of the iraqis, and anything to the contrary is unacceptable. i do not think there is any official in the world who can claim something that is not his. >> reporter: stealing iraq's oil would likely be considered pillaging under international law, a war crime. >> we are not the vikings. we are not ghengas khan. >> iraq is the fourth largest