Happy Monday!
President Donald Trump held a press availability during a Cabinet meeting on Monday, during which he went on a number of tangents and rants. Here are six of the wildest moments:
Schiff Is The Whistleblower’s Informant
Trump predictably went on a rant about the whistleblower at the heart of the House impeachment probe into Trump’s Ukraine scheme.
The rant got a little less predictable when Trump bizarrely suggested House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) was the informant in the whistleblower’s complaint.
“Maybe the informant was Schiff. It could be Shifty Schiff,” the President said. “In my opinion, it’s possibly Schiff.”
Trump bizarrely suggests Schiff was an informant to the whistleblower pic.twitter.com/EDXUzb17JU
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 21, 2019
Trump’s Trying To Get Us Out Of Wars But Also He Might Get Us Into Wars
As he was complaining about how the impeachment inquiry was distracting him from staying out of wars, Trump suddenly decided mid-sentence that he might go to war after all.
“In the midst of [the inquiry], I’m trying to get out of wars,” Trump said, immediately followed up by: “We may have to get in wars, too. We may have to get in wars.”
“We’re better prepared than we’ve ever been,” he continued. “If Iran does something, they’ll be hit like they’ve never been hit before. We have things that we’re looking at.”
Trump: "I'm trying to get out of wars. We may have to get in wars, too." pic.twitter.com/1TOgIEvZuo
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 21, 2019
The “Phony” Emoluments Clause
Trump also spent several minutes moaning about being forced to cancel his plan to host next year’s G-7 summit at his Florida resort, claiming that using the resort for the summit would not serve to promote his businesses.
“Then they say ,’Oh, but you’ll get promotion,'” Trump said of his critics. “Who cares? You don’t think I get enough promotion? I get more promotion than any human being that’s ever lived.”
“I don’t need the promotion,” he insisted.
He also derided critics for bringing up “this phony Emoluments clause.”
Trump mocks "phony" Emoluments clause pic.twitter.com/cvk9dZKmOM
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 21, 2019
Romney The Traitor
Trump repeatedly attacked Democrats during the presser, but he did praise them for one thing: Staying united with each other, unlike a certain someone in his own party.
“They’re vicious and they stick together,” he said. “They don’t have Mitt Romney in their midst.”
Trump on Dems: "They don't have Mitt Romney in their midst." pic.twitter.com/o1LJ2HMO6s
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 21, 2019
Trump’s “Largest Cheers”
Trump, ever obsessed with his rally crowd sizes and applause, brought up the two topics that apparently earned him “the largest cheers” at his rally in Dallas last week.
“My largest cheer that night was two things: We’re building the wall, that’s number one,” Trump bragged. “And number two, probably tied for number one, was we’re bringing our soldiers back home.”
Trump brags about the "loudest cheers" at his rally in Dallas pic.twitter.com/CBP2IXPRTz
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 21, 2019
“Dying” Never-Trumpers
Near the end of the pool spray, Trump grumbled about the “never-Trumpers” in his party.
“Those people might be worse than the Democrats,” Trump said. “The never-Trumpers.”
“The good news is they’re dying off fast,” he added. “They’re on artificial respiration, I think.”
Trump says never-Trumper Republicans are "dying fast." pic.twitter.com/xtdEEC4qYd
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 21, 2019
