Donald Trump meets with NYT journalists

Good afternoon from the 16th floor boardroom of The New York Times building, where Donald Trump has just begun his lunchtime meeting.

Donald Trump is meeting with Times editors and reporters. Get the latest updates here. http://nyti.ms/2fnTCBM 

Trump is at NYT, says he has been treated unfairly during campaign. Says he'd like to improve relationship,that it would make his job easier

Dean Baquet asks if Trump feels like he did things to energize the alt-right movement. “I don’t think so, Dean,” Trump replies.

Trump: “I don’t want to energize the group, and I disavow the group.” (1/2)

Trump: "It’s not a group I want to energize, and if they are energized, I want to look into it and find out why.” (2/2)

Trump says "no" when asked if he is taking investigations off the table for Clintons but adds he doesn't want to "hurt the Clintons."

"I think it would be very very divisive for the country," Trump says about prosecuting the Clintons.

Does Trump think human activity is linked to climate change? “I think there is some connectivity. Some, something. It depends on how much."

On climate change, Trump says he is also thinking about "how much it will cost our companies” & the effect on American competitiveness.

Conflicts of interest? Trump says: “If it were up to some people, I would never, ever see my daughter Ivanka again."

Trump on his businesses/conflict q's: "The law's totally on my side, the president can't have a conflict of interest."

"In theory I could run my business perfectly and then run the country perfectly. There's never been a case like this,"he says of his tangles

"My company's so unimportant to me relative to what I'm doing." Trump.

Trump acknowledges the DC hotel he owns is "probably a more valuable asset than it was before." Says the brand is "hotter."

What about selling your company? “That’s a really hard thing to do, because I have real estate."

On Bannon:"If I thought he was a racist or alt-right or any of the things, the terms we could use, I wouldn't even think about hiring him."

Trump on Bannon: "I think it's very hard on him. I think he's having a hard time with it. Because it's not him."

Trump: "Breitbart is just a publication."

Will the President-elect condemn Richard Spencer’s alt-right gathering? “I condemn them. I disavow, and I condemn,” says Trump.

Donald Trump on The New York Times: “I do read it. Unfortunately. I’d live about 20 years longer if I didn’t."

"These people are really angry," Trump says of people who supported him in formerly-Dem states. They're "the forgotten man and woman."

Trump on GOP leaders @McConnellPress & @SpeakerRyan: "Right now they’re in love with me. Four weeks ago, they weren’t in love with me"

Of Ayotte, Trump says, "No, thank you."

Trump then says, "I think I was the first person that ever contributed to Chuck Schumer." Says Chuck may not admit that.

"I might have brought it up," Trump says of Farage meeting and wind farms.

Trump says Tim Cook from Apple called him, so did Bill Gates.

Trump on Obama: “I didn't know if I’d like him. I probably thought that maybe I wouldn’t, but I did. I really enjoyed him a lot."

"I had a great meeting with President Obama," Trump says, says he never met him before. "I really liked him a lot."

'He did tell me what he thought were the biggest problems, in particular one problem," Trump says. Won't say what that was.

From earlier: Obama says once he's out of office, he won't remain silent if Trump goes too far in undoing legacy http://nyti.ms/2gqWM9h https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/801136214686498816 …

"I don't think we should be a nation-builder," Trump says of the US role in the world.

Thomas Friedman asks, “What do you think is America’s role in the world?” Trump laughs: “That’s such a big question!"

“I would love to be the one who made peace with Israel and the Palestinians, that would be such a great achievement."

I asked PEOTUS what role he sees Kushner playing. Indicates formal role unlikely but he could be a player on Mideast peace.

Trump: Jared Kushner could help make peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Trump says he is "seriously considering" Mattis for DoD, says he asked Mattis about waterboarding, was surprised he didn't favor it.

Trump is asked about his attitude toward the First Amendment. “I think you’ll be happy, I think you’ll be happy,” Trump says.

Open up the libel laws? Trump says someone told him, “You know, YOU might be sued a lot more.’ I said, You know, I hadn’t thought of that."

Our meeting with Trump is now over. Thanks for following along.

The president-elect’s meeting at the NYT wrapped after 75 minutes. Trump was in sales mode — joking, solicitous. Certainly evasive at times.

The President-elect’s parting message: The New York Times is “a world jewel. And I hope we can all get along."

Donald Trump at the NYT: Says he has ‘open mind’ on climate change accord http://nyti.ms/2giGJrp 

President-elect Trump just submitted himself to just under an hour of tough questions from us. It was revealing, civil & productive.