Watch Trump kick Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney out of his ABC News interview for coughing
There were several eyebrow-raising and factually incorrect parts of President Trump's long interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, including his assertions that he has been treated worse than Abraham Lincoln, that he'll have his long-promised health-care plan out in anywhere from "a month" to "fairly soon" or "much before the election," and that Special Counsel Robert Mueller was "conflicted" because of a dispute over golf dues.
But when Trump was trying to convince Stephanopoulos that even though Congress wants his "fantastic financial statement" and he wants them to see it, "it's not up to me, it's up to lawyers, it's up to everything else," acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney started coughing. Trump stopped the interview. "Let's do that over, he's coughing in the middle of my answer," he said. "I don't like that, you know, I don't like that. ... If you're going to cough, please leave the room. You just can't, you just can't cough. Boy, oh boy."
Trump isn't wrong about coughing in the middle of your boss' on-camera interview, but the idea that Trump believes he can do just about anything — including firing the prosecutor investigating him — but not release his own tax returns or financial statements, that's pretty hard to swallow.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Salted caramel and chocolate tart recipeThe Week Recommends Delicious dessert can be made with any biscuits you fancy
-
Meet Ireland’s new socialist presidentIn the Spotlight Landslide victory of former barrister and ‘outsider’ Catherine Connolly could ‘mark a turning point’ in anti-establishment politics
-
Should TV adverts reflect the nation?Talking Point Reform MP Sarah Pochin’s controversial comments on black and Asian actors in adverts expose a real divide on race and representation
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
