President Trump provided soundbites like it was 2016 (or, really, any year since) on Tuesday when speaking with reporters as he prepared to board Marine One.
Over the roar of the chopper, Trump re-upped a baseless conspiracy theory tying former President Bill Clinton to Jeffrey Epstein's death, criticized Chris Cuomo's recent outburst, and gave an ambivalent answer to a question about the situation in Hong Kong.
When asked about the protests in Hong Kong, Trump said he just wants the "very tough situation" to work out for "everybody, including China, by the way" and hopes "nobody gets killed." That answer may seem wishy-washy, but it appears to be in line with his strategy on the matter — Trump reportedly told Chinese President Xi Jinping that the U.S. would tone down its criticism of China regarding its approach to Hong Kong, as Washington and Beijing try to iron out a trade deal. Still, that's not how everyone wanted him to respond.
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.
The president also continued to tout the Clinton-Epstein conspiracy, arguing that investigators need to figure out whether Clinton, who frequently flew on Epstein's plane, ever went to the alleged sex trafficker's private island in the Caribbean. "If you find that out, you're going to know a lot," Trump said after being asked if he thought the Clintons were involved in Epstein's death in his Manhattan jail cell.
Trump was relatively coy with those answers, but he was anything but vague when discussing CNN's Cuomo, who was involved in an altercation on Monday evening after a man called him "Fredo." In Trump's mind, Cuomo wasn't actually acting like Michael Corleone's frustrated older brother in The Godfather, but a "total out of control animal."
-
October 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's consolation prize, government workers during shutdown, and more
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
The Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being releasedThe Explainer Triumphant Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament as families on both sides of the Gaza war reunite with their loved ones
-
Trump DOJ indicts New York AG Letitia JamesSpeed Read New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted as Trump’s Justice Department pursues charges against his political opponents
-
Judge blocks Trump’s Guard deployment in ChicagoSpeed Read The president is temporarily blocked from federalizing the Illinois National Guard or deploying any Guard units in the state
-
Trump urges jail for Illinois, Chicago leadersSpeed Read The Texas National Guard begin operations in the Chicago area
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-offSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to ChicagoSpeed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in OregonSpeed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
