The article reporters Rebecca Ballhaus, Michael C. Bender, Peter Nicholas and Louise Radnofsky from the Wall Street Journal presumably were in the room. White House attendees included Communications Director Hope Hicks, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Director of the National Economic Council Gary Cohn were all in the room. There may have been a transcriber in the room as well. The Wall Street Journal stands by the transcript. Sarah Huckabee Sanders claims she heard him say I’’d” and I assume if asked Hicks and Cohn would back her up. “I’d” as in “I would” of course postulates a future eventuality.
Like the Republicans who were in the room with Trump for the shithole comment, Trump supporters may suddenly go deaf when he says something that will get him bad publicity.
When Trump speaks to the GOP he commands and demands attention. To deaf Republicans saying Trump didn't say shithole, excuse my French, je dis que c'est un tas de merde. When a president says shithole anyone within hearing distance is going to remember. Likewise, when he claims “I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un of North Korea” even with the modifier “probably” it borders on delusional.
”I’d probably” is ludicrous anyway since there’s no way Trump and Kim would ever have a very good relationship because Kim will never forgive and forget how Trump disparaged him.
An expert analysis of the audio recording might be able to tell which word he said.