Trump shows off his DVR to reporters, uses it to mock James Clapper and Sally Yates' Senate testimonies

(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

last updated 11 May 2017

On a White House tour with President Trump earlier this month, Time reporters had the opportunity to look at a new 60-inch flat-screen TV Trump had installed in his dining room. This particular television boasted "one of the greatest inventions of all time," Trump wanted the reporters to know. "TiVo."

But cued up on the DVR was not Trump's typical fare (CNN, Fox & Friends). Instead, Trump reviewed saved footage of the Senate hearings on Russia's influence over the 2016 election, while mocking former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates:

The first clip [Trump] shows is of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham speaking to [...] Clapper. Graham asks if Clapper stands by his statement that he knows of no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Trump waits quietly, until Clapper admits that nothing has changed. Trump pantomimes a sort of victory."Yes. He was choking on that," the president chortles. "Is there any record at all of collusion? He was the head of the whole thing. He said no. That's a big statement.' [Time]

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"Watch them start to choke like dogs," Trump says, having fun. "Watch what happens. They are desperate for breath."Clapper, on the screen, pauses several beats to search his memory. "Ah, he's choking. Ah, look," the president says. After a delay, Clapper finally answers, admitting that he had requested an unmasking, which would have been a routine occurrence in his former job. The running Trump commentary continues. "See the people in the back, people are gasping," he says, though it's unclear who he is referring to on the screen. [Time]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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