Trump denies calling the White House 'a dump'

(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Several things happened on Wednesday that President Trump could have addressed — the Russian prime minister accusing him of showing "total weakness" by signing Russian sanctions legislation into law, the Boy Scouts of America insisting a flattering phone call Trump said he had with the chief scout executive never happened, NBC News reporting that he suggested firing the U.S. commander for the Afghan War — but instead, the president settled on a Sports Illustrated article published online Tuesday, which claimed Trump told members of his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club that the White House is "a real dump."

The article states that Trump dissed his new digs after a recent round of golf, but Trump said on Twitter Wednesday night it was a made-up exchange. "I love the White House, one of the most beautiful buildings (homes) I have ever seen," he wrote. "But Fake News said I called it a dump — TOTALLY UNTRUE." He limited himself to just one tweet, only two words were in all caps, and he refrained from insulting anyone personally, so maybe his new Chief of Staff John Kelly really is a positive influence.

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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.