Trump repeats intent to pull troops from Syria, send troops to Mexican border in press conference

President Trump, taking questions from reporters Tuesday in a joint White House press conference with the leaders of the Baltic States, reiterated his intent to pull U.S. forces out of Syria -- and send U.S. troops to the southern border with Mexico.

Moments earlier Tuesday, Mr. Trump blasted Mexico over the North American Free Trade Agreement, praised Mexico's own immigration laws, and said the U.S. cannot afford to have the "caravans" of people coming through the border. "Until we have the wall," the U.S. military is necessary, Mr Trump said. During the press conference, Mr. Trump said his administration will have a meeting on the subject with Defense Secretary James Mattis "in a little while."

There is some precedent for a military presence at the border -- both former President George W. Bush and former President Barack Obama sent the U.S. National Guard to the border, but they had no authority to pursue or detain immigrants.

"We don't have laws," Mr. Trump said. "We have catch and release. You catch and then you immediately release, and people come back years later for a court case, except they virtually never come back. So we are preparing for the military to secure our border between Mexico and the United States. We have a meeting on it in a little while with General Mattis and everybody. And I think that it's something we have to do."

Mr. Trump made those comments while standing alongside Estonia's President Kersti Kaljulaid, Latvia's President Raimonds Vejonis and Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite, taking questions from both the U.S. and foreign press. The president also repeated his desire to pull U.S. forces out of Syria, something he said last week he wants to do "very soon."

"We'll be making a decision very quickly, in coordination with others in the area, as to what we'll do," Mr. Trump said.

"I want to get out," he added, pressed about his intentions. "I want to bring our troops back home. I want to start rebuilding our nation."

But for reporters from the Baltic States, it was the U.S. relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin that was perhaps of the most interest. Mr. Trump, who recently invited Putin to the White House, said it would be great to have a good relationship with Russia, in response to a foreign reporter's question as to whether he sees Putin as an enemy or someone he can have a dialogue with. Mr. Trump said he believes the two can have a good dialogue, although he isn't sure a good relationship is certain. Mr. Trump insists he has been tougher on Russia than just about any other president.

Mr. Trump's press conference also comes as the White House still has no date announced for another diplomatic meeting, the meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

See below for updates from earlier.

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