Archive for the ‘Donald Trump’ Category

Donald Trump: Our country needs a good ‘shutdown,’ suggests Senate rule change – CNN

"The reason for the plan negotiated between the Republicans and Democrats is that we need 60 votes in the Senate which are not there! We ... either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good 'shutdown' in September to fix mess!" Trump said Tuesday in two consecutive tweets.

Congressional leaders announced Sunday that they'd reached a deal to avert a government shutdown until September. The deal did not include several Trump campaign promises -- including money for a border wall -- in part because GOP leaders needed Democratic votes to pass the deal in the Senate.

Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney on Tuesday took to the White House briefing room to slam Democrats' claims of victory in the budget deal, arguing that Trump secured a large increase in defense spending and pushed border wall funding to its highest level in a decade.

Mulvaney also responded to Trump's tweet Tuesday morning about a potential September shutdown.

"A shutdown is not a goal," Mulvaney said, but rather a "negotiating tool to an extent."

He added a shutdown would show American voters that Washington "really was as broken as they thought it was when they voted for (Trump) for president."

The President's suggestion that we "change the rules now to 51%" is a variation of the so-called "nuclear option" that Republicans deployed during the Gorsuch Supreme Court fight -- when they lowered the number of votes needed to break a filibuster of a judicial nominee. In this case, Trump is proposing a rule change that would also lower the number of votes needed to break a legislative filibuster, something Republicans left untouched when they changed Senate rules for Gorsuch.

While Republicans do have majorities in both the House and Senate, their 52-seat Senate majority is too thin to break a filibuster unless eight Democrats side with the GOP.

A CNN/ORC poll from March found that 72% of Americans want to see Trump to reach bipartisan compromises rather than try to pass laws he thinks are right for the country, even if they aren't supported by Democrats. That includes a majority of Republicans (57%) who said Trump ought to be compromising with Democrats.

And that cuts both ways -- in the same poll, 69% said Democrats ought to be trying to compromise with Trump and not just resist the president's agenda.

CNN's Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.

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Donald Trump: Our country needs a good 'shutdown,' suggests Senate rule change - CNN

The ‘Surreal Disarray’ of Donald Trump – New York Times


New York Times
The 'Surreal Disarray' of Donald Trump
New York Times
Donald Trump's vision of American history, in this case his strange analysis of Andrew Jackson's settling the problem of the Civil War, strikes me as the perfect window into his political worldview. He puts outsize individuals at the center (Andrew ...
What's up with Donald Trump and Andrew Jackson?PolitiFact
Conan O'Brien Imagines a Donald Trump-Produced Civil War DocumentaryVanity Fair
Maybe Donald Trump Can't Read?The Root
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The 'Surreal Disarray' of Donald Trump - New York Times

Exploring Donald Trump’s network of unnamed friends – Washington Post

Theres a corollary to President Trumps now-infamous habit of claiming that many people are saying or feeling things that support his political positions. Trump also will frequently mention friends he uses as case studies, individuals or small groups that, he assures us, he knows personally and from whom he can relay a pertinent anecdote.

He did this twice during a recent interview with Bloomberg News, which prompted us to build out a full Rolodex of anonymous-but-politically-useful friends of Trump. Without further ado, that list.

Interview with Bloomberg, April 2017. (This friend was also mentioned in Baton Rouge in December.)

I have very good relationships with the truckers. I have one friend whos a big trucker and hes hes like said, Ive never seen anything like it, you know, with the roads youve heard this story with the roads, and his trucks are all being destroyed, and hes going to start buying cheap equipment now. Yeah, the roads are in bad shape.

Interview with CBS News, April 2017.

I mean, I have been under audit, Ill bet you 12 or 13 or 14 years in a row. Now, I have friends that are wealthy people. Theyve never been audited.

Speech in New York, April 2016.

I have a friend, hes a smart guy. He said, How could a certain politician have made that deal? I didnt think he was that stupid. I said, Its not stupid at all. Hes doing it because his lobbyist is demanding that he do it.

Speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, February 2017.

I have a friend, hes a very, very substantial guy. He loves the City of Lights, he loves Paris. For years, every year during the summer, he would go to Paris, was automatic with his wife and his family. Hadnt seen him in a while. And I said, Jim, let me ask you a question: Hows Paris doing? Paris? I dont go there anymore, Paris is no longer Paris. That was four years four or five years, hasnt gone there. He wouldnt miss it for anything. Now he doesnt even think in terms of going there.

Speech in De Pere, Wis., March 2016.

I have a friend whos a guy who was born to a very, very successful Wall Street baron. And the Wall Street baron is a vicious, ruthless, horrible human being. You would not like him for dinner. Youd respect him, but you wouldnt like him, and most of the people in the room would know who he is. One of the big barons of Wall Street.

This friend eventually helped manage the redevelopment of an unnamed golf club in Westchester, N.Y.

Speech in Millington, Tenn., February 2016.

I have a friend whos a great, great manufacturer. He deals with China. He says its a virtual impossibility.

Speech in Kinston, N.C., October 2016.

I have a friend who builds plants. He is, I believe, the biggest in the world. And I said, How are we doing? He said, Donald, were doing fine. Hows your company? Unbelievable. I said, Hows this country, our country, the country we love? and he loves this country, hes an American Hows it doing? Not good. I said, Well, how are you doing well? He said, I am building the greatest plants anywhere in the world in Mexico.

Speech in Walterboro, S.C., February 2016.

I have a friend who actually bought an airplane and he cant get it into China because the tax is so massive. Hes going to sell it now at a big loss.

Speech in Knoxville, Tenn., November 2015.

I have a friend, hes a doctor. Hes going to quit. Hes not an old guy. I say, Why? He said, Because its impossible. We need so much accounting. He said he has more accountants than he has nurses.

Speech in Keene, N.H., September 2015.

The Afghanistanian people, great fighters, always have been known. I have a friend of mine, hes a big war historian. Among the best fighters, Afghanistan.

Speech in Columbus, Ohio, August 2016.

I have a friend, hes very wealthy. He doesnt own a hedge fund.

Interview with The Post, March 2016.

You look at our inner cities, our inner cities are a horrible mess. I watched Baltimore, I have many, many friends in Baltimore, we watched what happened. St. Louis, Ferguson, Oakland, it could have been much worse over the summer.

Bloomberg.

I have many, many friends from the Philippines. Theyre great people.

A statement after his remarks about Judge Gonzalo Curiel, June 2016.

I am friends with and employ thousands of people of Mexican and Hispanic descent

Comment to a reporter, February 2016.

Asked who his best Muslim friend is, Trump replied:

I could give you about 20 of them.

For what its worth, Trump also has a lot of friends whose names hes happy to relay.

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Exploring Donald Trump's network of unnamed friends - Washington Post

6 Strongmen Trump Has Praised And The Conflicts It Presents – NPR

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the combined fire demonstration of the services of the Korean People's Army in celebration of its 85th founding anniversary in a photo released on April 26. KCNA via KNS /AFP/Getty Images hide caption

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the combined fire demonstration of the services of the Korean People's Army in celebration of its 85th founding anniversary in a photo released on April 26.

President Trump just seems to have a thing for strongmen.

He invited the brutal Philippine leader, Rodrigo Duterte, to the White House during a "very friendly" phone call Sunday. On Tuesday, Trump has another call this one with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump's invitation came despite Duterte's violent crackdown on drugs, that has left more than 7,000 of his countrymen dead since he took power less than a year ago. The White House defended Trump's decision, saying the Philippines is a key partner in dealing with North Korea, but experts say that's a stretch.

The United States and Western allies have long turned a blind eye to totalitarian regimes guilty of a long list of human-rights violations. Often, it was in the name of stability and at the expense of people suffering in those countries. But American leaders have mostly been mindful to choose their words carefully to maintain some semblance of a moral higher ground. What Trump is doing is different past American leaders would almost never express admiration for bad actors. Trump, in many cases, has been doing exactly that.

Duterte is hardly the only autocrat Trump has had kind words for. From Saddam Hussein's efficient killing of terrorists to the "smart cookie" in North Korea, Trump has praised strongmen around the world when others wouldn't. The following list reads like a who's who of totalitarian leaders with dicey human-rights records. And in all of the countries, the American president and real-estate magnate has a raft of potential conflicts of interest, too:

Nickname: "The Punisher" a.k.a. "Duterte Harry"

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during the ASEAN Leaders' Summit in Manila, Philippines, last month. Bullit Marquez/AP hide caption

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during the ASEAN Leaders' Summit in Manila, Philippines, last month.

What he's accused of: More than 7,000 Filipinos killed under his rule in his anti-drug crusade. In a warped comparison, he praised Hitler this way: "Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now, there is three million drug addicts. I'd be happy to slaughter them." He added that he wants to "finish the problem of my country and save the next generation." (Fact check: it was six million European Jews who were killed in the Holocaust.) ... He has undermined the judiciary ... Called experts "stupid" ... Threatened to "whack" mayors who stood in the way of his tactics ... Upset about traffic, he called the Pope a "son of a whore" ... "Joked" about a woman who was raped. ...

Justified the killing of journalists. "Just because you're a journalist," he said, "you are not exempted from assassination, if you're a son of a bitch." The Philippines is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists to work 78 journalists have been killed there since 1992, the third most of any country behind Iraq and Syria. (Somalia is behind the Philippines at No. 4.) Though Duterte's praised Trump, he's also said: "He is a bigot and I am not."

Quotable: "Forget the laws on human rights. If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out. Because I'd kill you. I'll dump all of you into Manila Bay, and fatten all the fish there."

What Trump has said about him (emphasis ours): The White House issued a readout of their phone call from April 29:

"It was a very friendly conversation, in which the two leaders discussed the concerns of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regarding regional security, including the threat posed by North Korea. They also discussed the fact that the Philippine government is fighting very hard to rid its country of drugs, a scourge that affects many countries throughout the world. President Trump enjoyed the conversation and said that he is looking forward to visiting the Philippines in November to participate in the East Asia Summit and the U.S.-ASEAN Summit. President Trump also invited President Duterte to the White House to discuss the importance of the United States-Philippines alliance, which is now heading in a very positive direction."

Duterte now might not even come. "I am tied up," Duterte said Monday. "I cannot make any definite promise. I am supposed to go to Russia, I am supposed to go to Israel."

Potential Trump conflict: His name is on a 57-story, $150 million building in Manila. Duterte named the head of the corporation that developed it as an envoy to the United States.

A high-rise building under construction in 2012 in Manila, Philippines bearing Trump's name. Jay Directo/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

A high-rise building under construction in 2012 in Manila, Philippines bearing Trump's name.

Nickname: "Pale Mouth" a.k.a. "Botox" a.k.a. "Pootie-Poot"

Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during a meeting with Director of the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Li Zhanshu in the Kremlin last month. Alexei Druzhinin/AP hide caption

Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during a meeting with Director of the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Li Zhanshu in the Kremlin last month.

What he's accused of: Invaded a sovereign country (Ukraine) and annexed part of it (Crimea). ... Aiding Syrian President Bashar Assad militarily. Assad is accused by the West of using chemical weapons against his own people. ... Meddled in elections, including in the U.S. ... Allowed hackings of Western bank accounts without prosecution ... Some 100 men suspected of being gay have been swept up in Chechnya, including three who were killed last month. ... People with disabilities face discrimination, including not studying in mainstream schools ...

Cracked down on freedom of information, including shutting down websites ... Persecuted critics, political opponents and journalists who have been jailed and killed. (It's the seventh-most dangerous country for journalists to work in.) ... Some human-rights NGOs have been labeled "foreign agents" and "undesirable foreign organizations." They've been banned and a new law means they could face up to six years in prison. ... Russian Olympians have been accused of doping through a government program. ... Russia won the rights to host the 2018 soccer World Cup, but there are questions as to how. Former FIFA head Sepp Blatter was ousted in 2015 and banned for eight years after soccer's world governing body was found to be rife with corruption and kickbacks. Still, Putin said Blatter "deserves a Nobel Peace Prize."

Quotable: "Hitler also failed when, with his hateful ideas, he was going to destroy Russia, throw us back behind the Urals. Everyone should remember how it ended."

What Trump has said about him: "If he says great things about me, I'm going to say great things about him. I've already said, he is really very much of a leader. I mean, you can say, oh, isn't that a terrible thing the man has very strong control over a country. Now, it's a very different system, and I don't happen to like the system. But certainly, in that system, he's been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader. ... he does have an 82 percent approval rating, according to the different pollsters...." (Sept. 7, 2016, NBC Commander-in-Chief Forum)

Potential Trump conflict: Trump put on the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow and has tried for a long time to gain a foothold in the Russian market. In 2008, Donald Trump Jr. said: "Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia." (The Washington Post and Time have more on Trump's Russia connections.)

Nickname: "Xi Dada" a.k.a. "Xi Big Big" a.k.a "Big Daddy Xi"

President Trump leads Chinese President Xi Jinping on a walk together after meetings in Palm Beach, Fla. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

President Trump leads Chinese President Xi Jinping on a walk together after meetings in Palm Beach, Fla.

What he's accused of: Extra-judicial detention, where detainees are tortured and mistreated, including as a tactic against political opponents and activists ... Leading the world in executions ... "Enforced disappearance of critics" ... Using strong-arm tactics to maintain Communist Party power. For example, launching an "anti-corruption campaign" against political opponents and shutting down groups seen as a threat even ones as seemingly benign as advocating for women's legal counsel against domestic abuse. ...

Identified as "the world's worst jailer of journalists" in 2014 and 2015. China was holding 49 journalists in 2015; that number was down to 38 last year and eclipsed only by Turkey (81), as Erdogan moved to consolidate power and repress opposition. China is ranked near the bottom (176 out of 180) in the World Press Freedom Index, beat out only by Syria, Turkmenistan, Eritrea and North Korea. ... Clamping down on access to the Internet and censoring it. Google left the country last year despite the huge potential market because of it ... Lack of religious freedom. Uighur Muslims, for example, are labeled extremists and terrorists; families of Tibetan self-immolators have been punished; 1,500 crosses have been torn down from church steeples; a small Chinese Jewish community has been harassed and prevented from worshiping together. China only has five "licensed" religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism and Taoism.

Quotable: "There are a few foreigners, with full bellies, who have nothing better to do than try to point fingers at our country. China does not export revolution, hunger, poverty nor does China cause you any headaches. Just what else do you want?"

What Trump has said about him: "He certainly doesn't want to see turmoil and death. He doesn't want to see it. He is a good man. He is a very good man and I got to know him very well." (April 28, Reuters interview)

Potential Trump conflict: Trump has strong business ties to China. He has tried to get into the Chinese market since 2008. He signed onto two multi-million-dollar deals that fell apart, including one with State Grid, the state-owned power company. In October, the Trump Organization announced new plans for 20 to 30 new hotels in cities all over China. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. is a tenant in Trump Tower. Bank of China, also state-owned, is a debt holder for at least part of a $950 million loan for a building in New York in which Trump is part-owner.

Trump and his daughter Ivanka were granted hard-to-come-by trademarks in China earlier this year. Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, a key (maybe top) adviser to the president owns a skyscraper in New York and was set to get a $400 million investment from a Chinese firm in the tower. But that deal was killed because of conflict-of-interest concerns.

A State Grid Corporation construction site. The electrical company is China's largest state-owned enterprise. Trump pursued a lucrative deal with the company headed by a top Communist official. Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

A State Grid Corporation construction site. The electrical company is China's largest state-owned enterprise. Trump pursued a lucrative deal with the company headed by a top Communist official.

Nickname: "The Young General" a.k.a. "Fatty Kim the Third" a.k.a. "Kim Fatty III" a.k.a. "Kim the Fat"

North Korea's Kim Jong-Un waves from a balcony toward participants of a mass military parade in 2015 in Pyongyang, North Korea. Liu Xingzhe/VCG via Getty Images hide caption

North Korea's Kim Jong-Un waves from a balcony toward participants of a mass military parade in 2015 in Pyongyang, North Korea.

What he's accused of: Human Rights Watch notes: "A 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry found that abuses in North Korea were without parallel in the contemporary world. They include extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions, and other sexual violence. North Korea operates secretive prison camps where perceived opponents of the government are sent to face torture and abuse, starvation rations, and forced labor. Fear of collective punishment is used to silence dissent. There is no independent media, functioning civil society, or religious freedom." ...

It is ranked at the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index. ... Kim has worked with China to crack down on border crossings to prevent escapees. In some cases, North Korea has tracked down citizens and returned them to the country. China is complicit as well, labeling those who escape as illegal and returning them. People returned to the country are sent to forced-labor prison camps, known as "kwanliso," which literally means management centers. ... Kim does not allow unauthorized outside movies, news, etc., into the country. ... There is no religious freedom or allowed political opposition. ... The country has a "songbun" class system in which people are grouped into three categories ranking their loyalty 1. Loyal, 2. Wavering, 3. Hostile.

Quotable: "If the American imperialists provoke us a bit, we will not hesitate to slap them with a pre-emptive nuclear strike. The United States must choose! It's up to you whether the nation called the United States exists on this planet or not."

What Trump has said about him: "At a very young age, he was able to assume power. A lot of people, I'm sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else. And he was able to do it. So obviously, he's a pretty smart cookie." (April 30, CBS)

"If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honored to do it. If it's under the, again, under the right circumstances. But I would do that. ... Most political people would never say that, but I'm telling you under the right circumstances I would meet with him. We have breaking news." (May 1, Bloomberg)

Potential Trump conflict: See China.

Nickname: "The Quiet General" a.k.a. "The Pimp"

President Trump shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi in the Oval Office of the White House last month. Trump praised the job al-Sissi has done. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

President Trump shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi in the Oval Office of the White House last month. Trump praised the job al-Sissi has done.

What he's accused of: A long-time general in the country's military, he rose to power in a bloody coup. Some 800 protesters were killed in a single day ... Public criticism of the government is squashed ... Anti-government protests are banned ... Scores of people have been arrested ... Privacy rights are routinely violated ... Some independent human-rights organizations have been banned; NGO workers could face up to 25 years in prison if they are believed to be working against Egypt's national interest ... Charges were brought against the country's top anti-corruption official ... Forced disappearances ... Detainees tortured ... Thousands of trials with flimsy evidence ... Overcrowding in prisons that have seen forced feedings and isolation ... Freedom of speech is repressed the head of the Press Syndicate was charged with "publishing false news, which threatens public peace." ...

Religious freedom is almost nonexistent Christians are routinely discriminated against; churches are limited and speaking out against Islam, even ISIS, can land you in prison. Four Christian children, in fact, were sentenced to five years in prison for putting up a video that mocked ISIS. ... The government has undertaken some perfunctory steps to curb violence against women, but Human Rights Watch says, "Sexual harassment and violence against women remained endemic." The new Interior Minister, a woman, has put the onus on women, telling them to avoid speaking loudly and to be cautious about how they dress. Women are also routinely discriminated against in family law cases. ...

Sexually repressive society that criminalizes sex outside marriage ... Tracks down and prosecutes alleged gays, who are often sodomized by police. ... Egypt is one of the worst countries for journalists, ranked 161 of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index. Ten journalists have been killed since 2011; some have faced years in detention without charges, others have seen long prison terms, as the Sissi government undergoes a "Sisification" of the media.

Quotable: "Please, don't listen to anyone but me. I am dead serious. Be careful, no one should abuse my patience and good manners to bring down the state. I swear by God that anyone who comes near it, I will remove him from the face of the Earth. I am telling you this as the whole of Egypt is listening. What do you think you're doing? Who are you?"

What Trump has said about him (emphasis ours): "I will tell you, President al-Sisi has been somebody that's been very close to me from the first time I met him. I met during the campaign, and at that point there were two of us, and we both met. And hopefully you like me a lot more. But it was very long. It was supposed to be just a quick brief meeting, and we were with each other for a long period of time. We agreed on so many things. I just want to let everybody know, in case there was any doubt, that we are very much behind President al-Sisi. He's done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation. We are very much behind Egypt and the people of Egypt. And the United States has, believe me, backing, and we have strong backing. ... And I just want to say to you, Mr. President, that you have a great friend and ally in the United States and in me." (Bilateral meeting with Egypt's president, April 3)

Potential Trump conflict: Trump lists two companies in Egpyt on his financial disclosure Trump Marks Egypt and Trump Marks Egypt LLC. There is not a lot of information about the companies. They do not appear in the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt's database. Both are, however, registered in Delaware. They are both registered with "National Registered Agents, Inc." out of Dover, Del. and were formed in 2007. (Many companies incorporate in Delaware, because there is no state income tax.)

Nickname: "Sultan" a.k.a. "Modern Yazid"

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. President Trump called to congratulate him recently on his win in a referendum that helped give more power to the Turkish presidency. Anadolu Agency/Getty Images hide caption

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. President Trump called to congratulate him recently on his win in a referendum that helped give more power to the Turkish presidency.

What he's accused of: Attempting to consolidate power in the face of political opposition. A referendum last month "gives him the green light to create a muscular presidency, with powers to personally appoint or dismiss ministers, select judges and rule by decree if he deems it necessary," BBC notes. ... He has jailed opponents and critics, including a 16-year-old, who insulted him and a Miss Turkey who shared a poem criticizing him. ... More than 50,000 people have been detained since a thwarted coup. ...

Accused protesters of being "arm in arm" with terrorists ... Turkey has the most jailed journalists of any country in the world. Fourteen were imprisoned in 2015, but that number jumped to 81 in 2016, more than double the number of journalists behind bars in China (No. 2 on the list). ... Some 120,000 public servants have been fired. ... Repressing religious freedom and women's rights. ... Attempted to criminalize adultery and create "alcohol-free zones."

Quotable: "You cannot put women and men on an equal footing. It is against nature. They were created differently. Their nature is different. ... Our religion has defined a position for women: motherhood. ... Some people can understand this, while others can't. You cannot explain this to feminists, because they don't accept the concept of motherhood."

A man walks past the Trump Towers building in Istanbul, Turkey. Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

A man walks past the Trump Towers building in Istanbul, Turkey.

What Trump has said about him (emphasis ours): The White House issued a readout of Trump calling Erdogan after he won a referendum that expanded his power:

"President Donald J. Trump spoke today with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey to congratulate him on his recent referendum victory and to discuss the United States' action in response to the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons on April 4th. President Trump thanked President Erdogan for supporting this action by the United States, and the leaders agreed on the importance of holding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accountable. President Trump and President Erdogan also discussed the counter-ISIS campaign and the need to cooperate against all groups that use terrorism to achieve their ends."

Potential Trump conflict: Trump licenses his name to two buildings in Istanbul. He got $5 million from the licenses in 2016, according to his financial disclosure. Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn worked as a foreign agent for Turkey in the fall, while a campaign adviser to Trump, pulling in $500,000. It was something he only reported in March. He resigned his White House post three weeks earlier.

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6 Strongmen Trump Has Praised And The Conflicts It Presents - NPR

Donald Trump Lashes Out At ‘Fake News’ Media As Journalists …

President Donald Trumpblasted the media as fake news and criticized journalists for taking part in the annualWhite House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday.

Trump held a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as several other events took place in Washington, D.C., including the dinner, thePeoples Climate Marchand Not The White House Correspondents Dinner, hosted by TBSSamantha Bee.

A large group of Hollywood actors and Washington media are consoling each other in a hotel ballroom in our nations capitol right now, he said. They are gathered together for a White House Correspondents Dinner without the president.

Carlo Allegri / Reuters

While speaking to reporters at the Ames Companies headquarters ahead of the rally, Trump struck a less critical tone about the dinner.

I hope they have a good dinner, But ours is going to be much more exciting, I think, Trump told reporters in the White House pool. We have a big crowd. We sold thousands and thousands of tickets.

Trump has attended the White House Correspondents Dinner before and was famously roasted by President Barack Obamaat the 2011 event.

His Pennsylvania rally was largely a chance for Trump to rail against what he called the dishonest media. Trump spent the majority of the rally criticizing journalists for their coverage of his first 100 days, and even repeated complaints about coverage of his presidential campaign.

At one point, the president claimed he invented the phrase fake news.

Everybody is using the word fake news, he said. Where did you hear it first, folks?

Carlo Allegri / Reuters

But his criticism wasnt just reserved for the media. Trump also went after Democrats, calling Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) a bad leader.

Hes leading the Democrats to doom, Trump said.

Trump also bragged about his success during his first 100 days and hyped up the crowd for upcoming events, including potential action on the North Korean situation, a big decision on the Paris climate accord and the building of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Well build a wall, folks, dont even worry about it, Trump said.

Trump also took note of several people in the audience, asking security to remove a protester and highlighting some signs from the crowd.

Thank you for that sign. Blacks for Trump! I love that guy, Trump said, pointing to one supporters sign.

Vice President Mike Pence also made an appearance at the rally, calling the mainstream media fake news and prompting chants of CNN sucks from the audience while introducing Trump.

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Donald Trump Lashes Out At 'Fake News' Media As Journalists ...