Trump tries to defend foreign dirt comments by noting he meets with world leaders all the time

(Image credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

published 13 June 2019

President Trump is out with a defense of his foreign dirt comments, and it's a real doozy.

Trump took to Twitter on Thursday after coming under fire for saying in an interview with ABC that he would accept dirt on an election opponent offered by a foreign government and wouldn't necessarily alert the FBI.

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Trump also complained about his "full answer" not being played on the news while not explaining what context or nuance is supposedly missing. In the interview, George Stephanopoulos specifically asked Trump whether 2020 candidates should accept information on their opponents from foreign governments, and he said that "I think I'd take it" and would only "maybe" go to the FBI if he "thought there was something wrong" while defending this as not being "interference." ABC's Meridith McGraw noted on Twitter that the network "did not edit" his answer.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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