FILE PHOTO - U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on immigration reform in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday his administration was looking at alternatives to the conservatorship of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

“Fannie and Freddie can do a lot better than they’re doing. ... And that’s why I recently directed the Department of Treasury and HUD (Housing and Urban Development) ... to develop a framework for a modern housing finance system,” he told a gathering of real estate agents in Washington.