President Trump signs a raft of Executive Orders in the Oval Office aimed to boost commercial fishing in American Samoa.
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00:00Fantastic. Look at that.
00:02Wow.
00:03These people are amazing people.
00:07Okay, why don't we start just by — we're going to be signing some executive orders.
00:15Yes, sir.
00:16And do you want to discuss it for a second, Will?
00:19And then we'll have a couple of people speak.
00:21And it's my honor to help you.
00:23What they did to you is ridiculous.
00:24Thank you, sir.
00:25I would agree.
00:26How long has this been going on?
00:27Well, there's a lot of this, but this one's been going on —
00:30Since 2008.
00:31— 2008, yeah.
00:32And it just gets bigger and bigger.
00:34And they basically took away your fishing routes.
00:36Yeah.
00:37They cashed my tax check.
00:38Was that Obama and Biden?
00:402014 was when they expanded to 500,000 square miles.
00:45Obama signed in 2014.
00:48It's so sad.
00:50It's too bad they won't pick it up properly.
00:53But it's so sad.
00:54Go ahead, Will.
00:55So as Peter said, sir, starting in 2009, continuing in 2014, a very large part of the American Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific amounting in total to half a million square miles of the American Economic Zone has been —
01:12— has been held off limits to commercial fishing.
01:16We have a proclamation for your signature today, sir, that would reopen this area for commercial fishing by American-flagged vessels only.
01:24This is a huge deal to the island populations in the Pacific.
01:27It is.
01:28And we hope that this will lead to a new dawn for the American fishing industry in the Pacific Islands.
01:34Could you, Captain, say a few words about how ridiculous this has been to get to live like this?
01:39American Samoa.
01:40American Samoa.
01:41We operate on American Samoa.
01:43We supply to StarCist, an American company that does military packs.
01:46Yeah.
01:47And it's, you know, it's our right.
01:48The U.S. has the biggest EEZ in the Pacific, and yet we can't fish there.
01:52And it seems unfair, and I'm glad that we're opening it up so that we can feed our people.
01:57And tell them how large an area we're talking about.
02:00It's, the Pacific is big, but this is a huge area.
02:03Again, the U.S. has the biggest EEZ in the Pacific.
02:06It's three Californians.
02:07It's an area of three Californians.
02:09It's an area the size of three Californians.
02:15They can't fish there.
02:16And so what do you do?
02:17How do you fish?
02:18They took away your livelihood.
02:19Well, we fish in the high seas, and then we have to pay to fish in other people's EEZs.
02:23Now, the high seas would mean more danger, right?
02:25Is there more danger in the high seas?
02:26Not really.
02:27It's just a...
02:28Far away.
02:29It's a bigger area, and you know...
02:31So how far do you have to travel to get to fish?
02:34Well, the boat carries a lot of fish, so it goes until it's full, basically.
02:38But it's good to have plenty of fishing grounds.
02:41To get out to where you have to go from seven days?
02:44It can be as close as four days, but it's a little bit of a jaunt, yeah.
02:48That's a little bit.
02:49I'd say...
02:50So you'll travel from four to seven days?
02:54Just to get to the fishing grounds.
02:55Just to get to the area that you're allowed to fish.
02:58And is that as fertile an area as the area that you're not allowed to fish in, or...?
03:02Well, the Western Pacific in a whole is...
03:0480% of the world's tuna comes from the Western Pacific, so...
03:07The U.S. has a huge EEZ there.
03:09There's also the island countries, but it's a big area.
03:12So they took away very fertile grounds, right?
03:15Very fertile, yeah.
03:17This is so crazy.
03:18This is so crazy.
03:19What would you like to say?
03:20Go ahead.
03:21Thank you, sir.
03:22Such an honor to do this for these people.
03:23This is just crazy.
03:24Just tell me, when did this start?
03:26When was it?
03:27When did it?
03:28It started back in 2008.
03:30But thank you, Mr. President, for this great announcement, and thank you so much for your
03:34awesome leadership and giving back to American Samoa, what had been taken away from us without
03:40even consulting with our leaders and people at that time.
03:43You mean they just one day just took away three Californias?
03:47Three Californias.
03:48Yes.
03:49And so this is such a wonderful gift to American Samoa.
03:52And of course, it's also Holy Week beginning today.
03:56And so thank you for returning to our indigenous people this wonderful gift of our traditional
04:03fishing grounds.
04:04It's such an honor to do this.
04:07You know, normally I say things and it's nice and everything's good.
04:11You get more water in the shower head and things like that.
04:14But this is such an honor what they've done to you people.
04:18It's incredible.
04:19It's like, it's so terrible.
04:21Well, you have to travel four days in a boat to fish.
04:26And it's usually seven days, I was told before.
04:28But four days to seven days in order to fish.
04:31And you were there a long time before we were, right?
04:34Yes.
04:35For centuries.
04:36Centuries.
04:37Yeah.
04:38Thousands of years, I was going to say.
04:39So, Mr. President, you have another fishery in the Pacific Ocean.
04:43This is the per se fishery that fishes for canned tuna.
04:48And then the fishery in Hawaii fishes for fresh tuna.
04:52And so there are 150 vessels.
04:55And you're opening up Johnston Island, which is very close to Hawaii.
05:00Makes it a lot easier for them to fish.
05:02Even Hawaii.
05:03So even Hawaii's.
05:04Well, yes, of course.
05:05So you're helping the entire fleet.
05:10And most of our fish are sold on the mainland.
05:13We also fish for swordfish.
05:15And when we have too many regulations for our swordfish fishery, you get swordfish from Peru,
05:21Brazil, and all those other places that don't have the same management measures that we have in the United States.
05:27That's correct.
05:28So we are very grateful in Hawaii for this, the fishermen.
05:31And it would be just, it's fantastic.
05:33So what's the difference?
05:34You say canned tuna.
05:35Right.
05:36You have two different U.S. fisheries there.
05:37Yeah, but the same tuna.
05:38Different.
05:39No.
05:40That's a skipjack, albacore, and yellowfin.
05:44And then.
05:45So albacore is canned tuna, right?
05:46Right.
05:47I know that from it.
05:48Oh, you've seen the canned.
05:50So, yeah.
05:51So our fishery fishes for the sashimi-quality fish.
05:55So it's all fresh.
05:56It's an ice fishery, and it's been around since what started in the early 1900s.
06:01Well, it's been around for millions of years.
06:04Right, exactly.
06:05Long before us.
06:06Right, exactly.
06:07That's great.
06:08So, you know, that's where you're getting your sashimi and your swordfish from.
06:11Most of the swordfish that you eat on the mainland comes from our fishery.
06:16You know, they shut down, also, areas off Main.
06:19You know that.
06:20Yes.
06:21Oh, yes, yes.
06:22I think we're going to have to open that one up really quickly, too.
06:24Yes, sir.
06:25But we did it, and then after the election, which was totally rigged, they went out and
06:31they put it back again.
06:33It was like 500 square miles or some ridiculous thing like that.
06:37And Canada fish is there.
06:39But we're not allowed to.
06:40Can you imagine?
06:41They restricted it, but Canada fish is there.
06:44Please.
06:45Mr. President, this is such a great honor.
06:47You know, today in American Samoa, we're celebrating the 125th Flag Day.
06:52It's the first day celebrating when the U.S. flag was first raised there.
06:57This very moment, they're celebrating that.
06:59So this is a monumental occasion for the people of American Samoa, and we are truly there.
07:04So this is a big thing?
07:05This is because we're a tuna-dependent economy.
07:08Ninety-nine point five percent of our exports is tuna.
07:11Ninety-nine point five percent?
07:13Yeah.
07:14Well, what about the other hand?
07:15I don't know.
07:16What is that?
07:17Snakes.
07:18And then about eighty percent of our private employment is related to the tuna industry.
07:22So, yes, this is a big thing for the tourists.
07:25So what's this going to do in terms, it's so interesting to me.
07:29It's so horrible and so stupid.
07:33It's so stupid.
07:34It's so stupid.
07:35We're talking about a massive ocean, and they're forced to travel four to seven days to go and
07:40fish in an area that's not as good and is probably a little more dangerous, the whole
07:45thing.
07:46So what's this going to, how is this going to affect your business?
07:50It's going to be many more, I mean, you're going to be able to do much more business,
07:54I would think, right?
07:55Yes, we would think that this will definitely result in more fish deliveries, and more fish
08:00deliveries is more economic gains for the territory.
08:02Tell us what happens when you say China and other people steal your fish.
08:08In other words, you're forced to go to areas that are very dangerous.
08:12Well, because of the monuments and overlays of sanctuaries, our fishermen mostly fish on
08:18the high seas, and if you look at Global Watch, you will see China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan
08:25all fishing on our very edge of the 200-mile zone.
08:28So our fishing, we're in competition with them.
08:31And also, you know, their dumping of their fish on U.S. markets lowers the price for our
08:37fishermen.
08:38And that's another difficult thing that we hope you'll take care of.
08:41And what about the stealing of your fish?
08:43Well, you're competing with tuna in a very competitive market, right?
08:47So they're camped right outside, like Kitty said.
08:50They're camped right outside our EEZ.
08:52And what happens?
08:53And they're taking our fish because it's migratory.
08:56Tuna is migratory.
08:57We can't fish in our zone.
08:58The fish goes to whoever.
08:59And they come in.
09:00They come in and they're dead at night.
09:02Most of them have to go out.
09:03Yes, they have to go out.
09:04They take the fish.
09:05They steal.
09:06They steal.
09:07That's a common, well-documented problem.
09:09Does anyone...
09:10I mean, it's so interesting.
09:11Even you have to find this one interesting.
09:13Yes.
09:14So by doing this, we're going to give you back your lives.
09:16Yes.
09:17And you've been doing this for thousands of years in this area.
09:20Absolutely.
09:21So when comes Biden and Obama and they say you can't do it anymore, right?
09:25This is fish, baby, fish.
09:28Yeah.
09:29Fish, baby, fish.
09:30That's right.
09:31What's the level of popular...
09:33And this is a risky question, but what's the level of popularity of Trump and Samoa versus the Democrats?
09:3977%.
09:40For Trump?
09:41For Trump.
09:42Yes, that's right.
09:4477%.
09:45We're going to 90 tomorrow.
09:47Yes.
09:48We'll go up to 100.
09:49Yeah.
09:50Well, it's an honor.
09:51I'm not doing it for that.
09:52All right.
09:53I'm doing it because it's just an honor.
09:55Here's one of the boats in there.
09:57Look how beautiful that is.
09:58Now they use it for beautiful crews to take seven days before they can do the first fish.
10:03Can you believe it?
10:04So now you'll be able to do it like almost immediately, right?
10:06We get much closer.
10:07Absolutely.
10:08So if the fish is there, we can make more trips and employ more people.
10:12Do you know through sonar, radar, everything, do you know where the fish are?
10:16I mean, can you see that?
10:17You get educated guesses so you get all kinds of different reports, planked in and all kinds
10:22of stuff.
10:23Temperature.
10:24It's a beautiful life.
10:25You wouldn't choose any other life, right?
10:27It's a very unique life.
10:28I love what I do.
10:29I really do.
10:30I mean, if you could have a life like some beautiful leisurely life in Washington, D.C.
10:34The moment when you go to work, but other than that, you love politics.
10:39Uh-uh.
10:40If you could live in the White House, you'd take exactly what you do.
10:43I might take it under consideration.
10:46All right.
10:47Let's do this, right?
10:48That's an honor.
10:50You've seen that signature.
10:51And I don't use auto pants.
10:52Yeah, but Joe, it's on.
10:53You know, like Biden.
10:54Biden uses auto pants.
10:55You know, like Biden.
10:56Biden uses auto pants.
10:57I think they're...
10:58You know, like Biden.
10:59Biden uses auto pants.
11:00And you say, in return
11:02In return
11:03No way.
11:04Where they're going.
11:05Where they're going.
11:06Is it going?
11:07No way.
11:08I'm going.
11:09Right.
11:10No way.
11:11No way.
11:12Penn, no way.
11:13No way.
11:14I'm going.
11:15I'll go.
11:16No way.
11:17No way.
11:18All right.
11:1990'...
11:20god image.
11:2150 min 4.
11:22In 7, I incorrectly
11:23We have one more also relating to fisheries sir. This is an executive order on seafood
11:35competitiveness. Currently we have two basic problems here. One is that the American seafood
11:41industry is dramatically overregulated. Our fisheries are dramatically overregulated. The
11:46other is that we have unfair trade practices from our foreign trading partners relating to the
11:51seafood industry. So this executive order is going to attempt to address both of those.
11:56The Department of Commerce, other federal departments and agencies are going to work with the fisheries
12:01to establish common sense regulatory reforms. How long will that take? I think we're expecting
12:06to move as quickly as we can. Yes sir. You know what the regular, I mean you know exactly what
12:11we're talking about already right? It's crazy. The regulation. Secretary Lutnick is going to fast
12:17track there. I can assure you. Howard please. Go ahead. Sure. So you just heard us, the economic
12:23zone around Hawaii and Samoa is huge and it's exclusively ours. So why wouldn't we have our
12:31fishermen fish there? I mean imagine saying our own fishermen, every country in the world,
12:36they all fish the 200 miles off their coast and we were stopping our own fishermen from going
12:42off the coast. It's totally the opposite of common sense. That's why President Trump has changed it.
12:48Now let's talk about regulation. If you're not even going to let them fish, imagine the regulations
12:54that have been written to stop our fishermen from just surviving and thriving. We have the greatest
13:00coasts in the world with the greatest fishermen in the world and we need to let them do their great
13:08jobs, raise and catch your fish, bring them to our tables, have America have the greatest fish in the
13:15world, which we have, and then let them export all these other countries, right? They stop us from
13:21exporting. That's going to be over with your leadership and your trading policies. We're going to open
13:27all of these markets and we're going to let our fishermen thrive and prosper and we are going to have
13:33lower cost fish, more of it, and the freshest fish in the world. And this is just common sense
13:40for the United States of America. So could I ask, it's so interesting, so you take these massive areas
13:47of water and other countries are allowed to fish in them, right? No, they sneak in, they coach.
13:53So they're not allowed, but they do it because they don't care. But they fish in their own zones. So we're
13:58systematically disadvantaging our fishermen by not allowing them to fish in parts of our exclusive
14:03economic zone, while other countries have their own exclusive economic zones and they're fishing the
14:08heck out of those. So they're totally benefiting. Now that you're allowing the U.S. fishing fleet to fish, they
14:14also serve as observers. And when they see poachers, they report them to the authorities. And so they are a big help to the U.S.
14:23Coast Guard. And so it's great for our U.S. food security.
14:28We should have a trade surplus in fish and we have a big trade deficit.
14:32Crazy.
14:32Because of all this. It's just crazy.
14:34Okay.
14:36Familiar for me.
14:37This is an easy one.
14:39Very easy.
14:41Hi, Mom. This is an easy one.
14:43This is crazy, huh?
14:45About 80% of the seafood in the U.S. is imported.
14:49Can you imagine that? We import seafood and we have the greatest coast
14:53and fishing in the world.
14:54Okay. So in Maine, they do something similar. I think it's like 500 miles or something.
14:58Some crazy thing. And Canada goes and they fish there. Other people fish there.
15:02Europe fishes there. The Maine lobster. You can't get Maine lobsters because Maine.
15:07So Maine is forced to go for days out to some other area that's not as good.
15:14We have to free that up, too.
15:16We'll have that on your desk next week, I promise.
15:18The Maine lobster, right?
15:19Definitely.
15:20It's incredible.
15:21You did it.
15:22Last time and they undid it.
15:23Canada fishes there.
15:24Biden undid it.
15:25No, we're not allowed to.
15:26Yeah. I did it last time in Maine.
15:28And they undid it. That's why we have to stay president for a long time.
15:35Thank you, everybody. What an honor. It's a great honor.
15:38Thank you, sir.
15:39Thank you, Mr. President.
15:40Thank you, Mr. President.
15:41Thank you very much.
15:42Thank you very much.
15:43Thank you, Mr. President.
15:45It's a great job.
15:46Thank you so much, Mr. President.
15:47Beautiful.
15:48You guys look like a real athlete right here.
15:50I get ashamed, too.
15:54Mr. President.
15:54Thank you, Mr. President.
15:55A short time ago, the Supreme Court agreed to hear oral arguments in the case about ending
16:00birthright citizenship.
16:02How confident are you that the court will rule in your favor?