After three days at the United Nations, US President Donald Trump met with reporters at the Intercontinental Hotel on Wednesday afternoon. Speaking in the same slow tone he used on Tuesday during his speech at the General Assembly, he recalled his diplomatic achievements and listed dozens of bilateral meetings he participated in.
“The press doesn’t even cover it”, he said, “because you waste time with nonsense”. Nonsense is how he defined the announcement that the House would begin an impeachment inquiry against him for his call with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump urged him to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. “That was all planned”, the President explained, so media would not talk about his work at the United Nations.
Notes and remarks on the second phone call with Zelensky were released on Wednesday morning. For Trump, there was “no push, no pressure, no nothing” other than a “very nice” and “innocent” conversation. “Nancy, Chuck and all these people”, he added referring to Democrats, are following this “witch hunt” for electoral gain, because “they cannot beat us”.
While criticizing media for their “fake news”, Trump ended up hosting a “fake” press conference, in which he kept an unusual non-combative attitude and allowed only four questions. Most of these seemed clearly staged. Among them, Fox Business asked about China, and Trump had the opportunity to brag about the trade war he believes he is winning. A reporter from Venezuela was conveniently picked from the pool. As she asked about socialism and Maduro, she thanked the administration for their efforts and help against the regime.
