President Donald Trump on Friday pushed back on claims that he “jumped the gun” when he announced South Korea would invest in a $54 billion Alaska natural-gas pipeline, telling reporters he would “just charge them more” if Seoul backs out of the deal.
Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One for a rally in Alabama, Trump was asked about South Korea’s statement that it had not signed off on the pipeline and was still studying the project.
“Well, I didn’t jump the gun. I mean, they were there and they were represented,” Trump said. “And let’s see, if they don’t want to do it, that’s okay with me. I’ll just charge them more.”
The exchange follows Trump’s announcement on Wednesday of a $200 billion South Korean investment package covering eight large nuclear power plants, a natural gas pipeline, and a 6-gigawatt power plant in Texas. South Korean officials quickly suggested one key element — the long-planned $54 billion LNG pipeline running more than 800 miles from Alaska’s North Slope to an LNG facility in Nikiski — was not yet set in stone, and Seoul’s industry ministry expressed surprise at Trump’s claim of an additional $8.4 billion for an aging oilfield project, according to Reuters.
The remarks are part of a wider Trump push to steer South Korean investment into the Alaska LNG project, which would cost more than twice as much as a comparable U.S. Gulf Coast plant.
Video: The White House