Trump addresses Rudy Giuliani apparently going rogue on Hannity's show: 'He'll get his facts straight'

President Trump on Friday addressed Rudy Giuliani apparently going rogue Wednesday night, when the attorney told Sean Hannity that Trump reimbursed his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. "Rudy is a great guy but he started a day ago," Trump told reporters, adding that "he's learning the subject matter and he's going to be issuing a statement soon." The president explained: "He'll get his facts straight."

Trump, who denied last month that he knew about the payment to Daniels, admitted after Giuliani's television appearance that he reimbursed the lawyer. Giuliani told NBC News that Trump himself had only learned "he paid [Cohen] back … until we made him aware of paperwork." Giuliani claimed Trump responded to the news by saying, "Oh my goodness, I guess that's what it was for."

Giuliani reportedly spoke with Trump before and after his appearance on Hannity, and has insisted that the president was happy with — and unsurprised by — his performance. Cohen, for his part, told MSNBC's Donny Deutsch that Giuliani "doesn't always know what he's talking about."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up