Meets Reporters Before Attending 100th Day in Office Event
"No Preference... There Is a Great Cardinal in New York"
As attention is focused on the election of a new pope, U.S. President Donald Trump joked that he would like to be the pope.
According to the White House press pool on April 29 (local time), President Trump was asked about his preference for the next pope by reporters as he was leaving the White House to attend an event marking his 100th day in office. He replied, "I want to be the pope. That's my number one choice."
He added, "I don't know. I have no preference," and continued, "We have a very good cardinal in a place called New York. So we will see what happens."
The Vatican will begin the conclave to elect a new pope to succeed Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, on May 7. According to Politico, the cardinal from New York mentioned by President Trump is Cardinal Timothy Dolan, but he is not currently considered a leading candidate for the papacy.
Previously, foreign media outlets such as The Times reported that President Trump and his supporters want a conservative figure to be elected as the new pope. On the same day, President Trump commented on trade negotiations with India, saying, "India is going well. I think we will make a deal with India. They want to make a deal."
Trump was also asked whether he was in talks with the Australian leader regarding trade issues. He responded, "They are reaching out, and I will speak with him." He said there was nothing new in negotiations with Canada. Regarding the decision to ease the tariff burden on auto parts manufacturers, he stated, "We just wanted to help the companies enjoy a small transition in this short period."
He continued, "As you know, this concerns a very small percentage (of all parts subject to tariffs)," and explained, "Even if they can't source (U.S.-made) parts, we don't want to punish them."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
