Approved and after the budget assuming we have the support of all the republicans because we will have no support from the democrats or almost no support because they really become just obstructionests and have no good policies and frankly are not good politicians but are very good obstructionists and that is what they do well, obstruct. The number of nominees i have approved by the democrats are about half of what president obama had. When you look at that and you can look at judicial appointments and how slow that is going. I will have 145 ultimately which is a tremendous number. We will have 17 court of appeals appointments. They are not getting approved. They are being slow walked by schumer and the group of democrats that really its really disgraceful. Even people they know they will approve they take it right out to the end and use every single minute. I think its a very disgraceful situation. Obamacare is everything but dead. The people arent going to take it. They are not going to take it. Alaska had over 200 increase in arizona. They were 116 and i hear going up higher. And the people arent going to take that any longer. I think we are in great shape. I think we have the votes and will be doing that right after the largest tax cuts in the history of our country are approved hopefully sometime in the very near future. Is grand cassidy still the plan . Especially. Mr. Prime minister with respect to the president in march of 2016 you said that the potential for a donald trump presidency, quote, i hope we will not face this evil. Im wondering if after spending time with the president you have changed your mind or if you are of the same mind. I wish i knew that before my speech. [ laughter ] translator the meeting i had with the president , his approach and the way he addresses the u. S. Is a very strong power and their ability to intervent for good are very, very important. I want to confirm that the meeting that we had was very productive. Not a moment did i feel that i was threatened at any time. I saw that there is a very fertile outlook here. In order to set aside any differences we may have to find the Common Ground, the Common Ground which is really important for the relationship between the two people that are traditional and historical. And for our common objectives. We need common values. We have common values. Dont forget that the value of democracy and freedom was born in greece. And its one of the basic values that traverses American Culture and american tradition. The president today of the u. S. Continues this tradition and i think our collaboration will be very substantial and im very optimistic after our meeting that we had today. I might just add that a number of countries were a little bit nervous at the beginning and i have very good relationships with the leaders of virtually every country i have dealt with. The reason they were concerned was because i will not allow our country, the United States of america, to be taken advantage of by so many other countries all over the world. If you look at our trade deficits, massive trade deficits with virtually every country. You look at our jobs moving out to certain countries and the companies are leaving and they are firing the people and the product is made elsewhere and then it is sold back into the United States. Im not going to be allowing that. I can understand how certain countries and the leaders of certain countries may feel. But we are just not going to allow the United States to be taken advantage of by other countries anymore. And there is nothing we can do about that. Thank you. You have a question. Mr. Prime minister, how do you plan to attract longterm Foreign Direct Investments in greece . And if you can elaborate, please, on the steps that greece is taking to tackle in order to ensure investors around the world that greece is ready for business. Mr. President , why do you encourage companies to invest in greece and how can the u. S. Support greek efforts to attract investments . Thank you translator first of all, this is one thing is to intervene legislatively to attract investment. It is different to work on a daily basis to implement these attentions in a stable environment. We opted to reflect with the basic illnesses of Greek Public Administration and to create a friendly environment for Foreign Investment because this is our investment. Investment means jobs. Jobs means less unemployment and means return of young people that have left greece, educated greeks that left greece to come back to greece. What did we do . We passed a law in parliament that provides a stable tax environment, tax rate, fixed tax rate for 12 years for investments of high value. We simplified the procedures to provide licenses to investments. We introduced the fast track process for strategic investments. And we also made significant change changes to combat bureaucracy through digitizization procedures, administrative procedures in Public Administration and our vision is to have a digital Public Administration but we want to make it practice. I have personally created a task force in the Prime Minister office for investments. So we can see whether laws are being implemented, whether there is effectiveness and we are sending out a strong signal of political will to promote these projects. The president asked me earlier what is happening with the old airport where years ago he himself as a businessman in the past was interested in it and saw himself the weaknesses of Greek Public Administration. I informed him it is moving along and very soon we will see this being formed to a very large project in greece which will be we are hoping it will be an attraction for other investments from abroad. I would like to also say that greece for the first time is the first country in absorbing european funds from european funds. We find ourselves in a turning point, a point where investments can provide the ability to exit finally the crisis. And the message i want to pass on to u. S. Investments is that greece is not just a tourist attraction but is also an investment attraction, an investment destination, as well. I can say that we have a great confidence in greece. I think it is a land of tremendous potential. I know many people are looking to invest in greece. A lot of the problems are behind it. They have had very good leadership. They really have done a made a lot of difficult decisions. We are helping, as you know, with a massive renovation of their air force and airplanes generally going to greece. They are looking at buying additional planes from boeing and we are helping, we are very much involved with greece and with helping greece get back on its feet. We have a tremendous greek population in this country. People whose heritage is greece and we love that country, special country, one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I think it has Great Potential and we are helping it along. Jennifer, you want to go . Thank you, mr. President. Let me start with you, mr. President. Let me give you a quick question about the federal reserve. Do you have any other candidates that you are looking at other than powell, yellin, the five already named . I would say within those five you will probably get the answer and i will be making the decision over the next fairly short period of time. Can you say who your favorite is at this point . Honestly, i like them all. I do. I have a Great Respect for all of them. I will make a decision over the next very short period of time. Can i ask you a quick obamacare question, as well . Sure. Apparently, Lamar Alexander said he made a deal with senator patty murray. Has the white house been involved in those negotiations and will you support that deal . We have been involved and this is a shortterm deal because we think ultimately bloc grants to the states will be the answer. Thats a very good solution. We think it is not only going to save money but give people much Better Health care with a very much smaller premium spike. You look at what is going on with that and also much lower deductibles so they can use it. Lamar has been working very, very hard with the democratic, his colleagues on the other side and patty murray is one of them in particular. And they are coming up and fairly close to a short Term Solution. The solution will be for about a year or two years and it will get us over this intermediate hump because we have as you probably know we either have the votes or are close tahaving the votes and we will get the votes for the potential of having Great Health Care in our country. So they are indeed working but it is a short Term Solution so that we dont have this very dangerous little period including dangerous period for Insurance Companies, by the way. For a period of one year, two years we will have a good solution but a great solution ultimately for health care. And they are working together and i know very much what they are doing. Thank you. Mr. Prime minister, on turkey, do you still regard turkey as a democracy . And should turkey remain a member of nato . Translator i have to say that despite our concerns regarding turkey, despite the concerns that are also based on the daily intervention, we continue to support the turkish course towards europe. We respect it as a Regional Power and we believe that it must stay oriented towards the european perspective oriented to its collaboration with the west and oriented towards nato. We do believe that the european outlook perspective of turkey can also be a lever of pressure so that we can have those reforms towards the democratization. My answer to your question is relatively easy. Yes, we do believe that turkey must remain within nato and its european course. But on the other side we have to ensure and we must make it clear to this ally of ours and its government that the road to europe and the collaboration with the west has certain responsibilities. One of the most necessary conditions is to respect international law, to collaborate and not promote tension with ally countries such as greece. This is our basic direction. I do believe i had the opportunity to go in detail on this matter with President Trump to explaining the need for the fulfillment of conditions so that there are clear messages. Also toward the turkish administration. Thank you. Mr. Prime minister, how do you as greeks like to hear about the deal strategic importance of greece in the region . What is your government planning to do to enhance this role and for the benefit of the bilateral relationship . And for specifically are there any plans you have for it . And mr. President , you praise the greeces role in nato with the contribution. Amid all the region of the Eastern Mediterranean what do you see is the potential of greece being as a pillar of stability in the region and what would the u. S. Like to see happening in order to greece to receive this potential . I start by saying that i think it has a great role instability in the area. We have a feeling that it will get stronger and stronger, very stable people. It has the potential once it gets over this tremendous financial hurdle that it is in the process of working out we think that there will be great stability in greece and mi militarily and is very important to the United States. We have great confidence in greece as a nation. We have great confidence in what they are doing relative to their military because i know they have plans to do some terrific things. And we know they will be an ally for many, many years to come. You know, they have always been a very reliable ally and we have always been very reliable to them. We look forward to that for many years. We are going to be friends for many, many years and stability is very important and we look upon that with respect to greece as being a key. Thank you. Translator as regards to the issues that we are taking and also regarding the initiatives that we have taken to broaden the strategic role of greece as reliable partner both in the eu and nato i would like to say that from the first moment we took over the administration we moved, we proceeded to a new dogma through the Foreign Affairs. As a basic game to enhance the role of greece as a country that is a pillar of safe security and stability in a very sensitive and unstable area, region. We enhanced collaboration with two significant partners in the area of egypt and israel. And greece cyprus with israel and egypt and other places such as jordan and lebanon. Our goal is that through the Multi Lateral collaborations to ensure the collaboration stability, peace and joint development, joint growth in this area. Of course, greece for a number of years has been playing, as underlined earlier, it plays the role of a reliable ally of the u. S. But it also has a unique different feature. Greece may be talking with the arab world with other countries in the east. So its not just a nato member. Its a useful ally for the United States of america. Now, as regards to we all know it is a special strategic importance and we jointly evaluated it and i think we are doing great work there. It can and it must be upgraded, enhanced. I want to thank everybody. The Prime Minister said this is so beautiful. I said this is the rose garden. I think even the media likeathize rose garden. That is hard to believe it. It has been a great honor having you and we look forward to many, many years of friendship working together and keep up the good work. Thank you very much. President of the United States heading back to the the oval office with Prime Minister of greece. The president mentioning new record for the dow. Well see where it ends up today. Also, taking on not just the relationship with greece and the comments that the Prime Minister made about the president before he was elected about whether or not he had an evil raft of ideas kind of going past that also taking questions about something on millions of americans minds and that is obamacare. Chuck todd is with us, andrea mitchell, as well. Chuck, let me start with you because he mentioned a couple of specific plans out there. You have Alexander Murray. Im not sure if i heard him say he endorses it or it is being worked on. And then you also obviously have the other senate part of this and you have one to two years and maybe another plan goes in place. Is it Graham Cassidy . What did you take from that . Are we closer to understanding what the question was the answer to the question asked. I heard him endorsing the compromise coming out of the senate. I heard him characterize it as a temporary compromise but i thought it was fascinating that he said perhaps a year or two. Thats a long time in politics. That means after the november 2018 elections we see what they are doing there. This is a big deal, essentially an endorsement by the president because the Alexander Murray compromise includes those payments back to Insurance Companies in order to lower premiums, in order to subsidize lower income folks who want to buy insurance on the exchanges. Do we know how paul ryan feels about that . And that to me is the thats the big unknown there. The president sounded like he is willing to sign that bill. We can debate about how enthusiastic he is about it. He certainly sounded like he is okay with that compromise. I just dont know how this gets through the house without a lot of democratic votes and can paul ryan afford to do that . Is it going to be that kind of vote there . I dont know. I think the fear, i will be honest with you, i think the fear of being blamed for unraveling the Health Care Law in an accelerated fashion will probably be enough to get House Republicans on board with the compromise for now since you have the president saying it is just a year and Graham Cassidy is coming back as he said we are going the block grant route. Is this about how you spin it . You say it is virtually dead, everything but dead. We have people working on a way to sure up the markets. He just himself endorsed extending the life span of obamacare by as long as at least two years. I can tell you this if it lives another year it will probably live another ten. Andrea mitchell, let me ask about Foreign Affairs part of this. This is a country deeply relied on in the International Community. You understand the nervousness not to disagree with the president who said people were worried he was tough that is why International Leaders didnt like him because he wasnt going to be taken advantage of. Greece had something very specific because this was a candidate who didnt like the idea of bailouts and spending money for other countries that were in trouble. When you look at it sort of in the big picture of what we were coming into it what was your headline in terms of Foreign Affairs coming out of this press conference . He tried to praise the greek Prime Minister. The greek Prime Minister who does not wear a tie because he said he will not put a tie back on as long as he doesnt want to signal business as usual. He is still waiting for help from the International Community and this president as he was questioned today the president is someone that he before the election referred to as an evil. So there was th