When it comes to acting presidential, Trump says he's second only to 'the late, great Abraham Lincoln'

(Image credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 26 July 2017

It's "real easy" to act presidential, President Trump told a crowd in Youngstown, Ohio, on Tuesday, but not when you want to get things done.

When people say Trump doesn't act presidential, he responds by declaring he went to "great schools" and is a "smart guy," and while it's "so easy" to act magnanimously, "that's not gonna get it done," he told supporters. "It's much easier, by the way, to act presidential than what we're doing here tonight." With the exception of "the late, great Abraham Lincoln, I can be more presidential than any president that's ever held this office, that I can tell you," he added.

To get things done, you have to "move a little faster," Trump said, and that's hard to do when you're acting presidential. Trump vowed to "never be beholden to the lobbyists or the special interests" and said he wants to "protect America, and I want to protect the citizens of America. Your hopes are my hopes, your dreams are my dreams." He touted his prowess as a businessman, saying he had a "great, successful career," but "this is the only thing that matters."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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