Tag: Trump ego

As America Awaits a Winner, Trump Falsely Claims He Prevailed

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The president made his unfounded claim even though no news organizations declared a winner between him and Joseph R. Biden Jr., and a number of closely contested states still had millions of mail-in ballots to count.

With no winner declared in the 2020 presidential race, President Trump appeared in the White House just after 2 a.m. on Wednesday to brazenly claim he had already won the election — and to insist that votes stop being counted even though the ballots of millions of Americans had yet to be tallied. 

Speaking with a mix of defiance, anger and wonder that the election had not yet been called in his favor, the president recounted his standing in an array of battleground states before falsely declaring: “Frankly, we did win this election.”

No news organizations declared a winner between Mr. Trump and Joseph R. Biden Jr., and a number of closely contested states still had millions of mail-in ballots to count, in part because state and local Republican officials had insisted that they not be counted until Election Day. Continue reading.

A Trump Victory May Push His Defense Secretary Out an Open Door

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Mark Esper’s strained relationship with President Trump, since he balked at using active-duty troops to quell civil unrest, may result in Mr. Trump choosing a new defense secretary if he keeps the White House.

WASHINGTON — Throughout the long corridors of the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper is widely seen as a dead man walking.

There is a broad consensus that if President Trump defies the pollsand wins re-election, the president has so belittled his defense secretary, referring to him as “Yesper” and deriding him both publicly and privately, that a new defense secretary soon would be sitting in the prestigious outer ring of the Pentagon’s third floor.

Asked if he has considered firing Mr. Esper, who took over the post in July 2019, Mr. Trump told reporters at a White House news conference in August: “I consider firing everybody. At some point, that’s what happens.” Continue reading.

Trump’s fearlessness of coronavirus is powered by the type of health care only he gets

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President Trump is sending some discordant messages as he projects that he has turned the corner on his own coronavirus infection. He’s said he “learned a lot” about the disease and also advised Americans to not “be afraid.” All the while, he’s expressed gratitude for the medical professionals attending to him.

“This is an incredible hospital — Walter Reed,” he said in a video tweeted Monday. “The work they do is just absolutely amazing. And I want to thank them all — the nurses, the doctors, everybody here.”

Reflecting on his stint in the hospital, he added: Continue reading.

The president cares about his image. That’s pretty much it.

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President Trump walked out of the double brass doors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center wearing a disposable mask and surrounded by security. He paused for the cameras. He gave a thumbs-up for the benefit of the pictures. And he climbed aboard Marine One.

And when he arrived at the White House, he walked up the steps, stood in front of four American flags. And removed his mask. He removed his mask in a show of what? Ego. Recklessness. Selfishness.

He is still convalescing from covid-19, a highly unpredictable and deadly disease. He remains contagious. His doctor has noted that he may not be “entirely out of the woods.” And since he has been at Walter Reed, the White House has become a coronavirus hot spot. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Monday added her name to the list of staff, residents and recent visitors who have tested positive in the past week, which also includes the first lady. Continue reading.

Trump Returned To The White House And Took His Mask Off While Infected With COVID-19

The president’s doctors said he was well enough to leave the hospital on Monday evening, despite warning signs that suggest his COVID-19 case may be severe.

President Donald Trump returned to the White House on Monday, just hours after doctors admitted they are in “uncharted territory” because of the COVID-19 treatments he’s received.

Trump did not respond to questions from reporters as he exited the hospital and got into an SUV, saying only “thank you very much” while giving an occasional thumbs-up.

Marine One touched down on the White House’s South Lawn at around 6:54 p.m., after which Trump walked up the South Portico stairs, removed his face mask, and stood on the balcony overlooking the lawn for photos. Continue reading.

Secret Service agents, doctors aghast at Trump’s drive outside hospital

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Current and former Secret Service agents and medical professionals were aghast Sunday night at President Trump’s trip outside the hospital where he is being treated for the coronavirus, saying the president endangered those inside his SUV for a publicity stunt.

As the backlash grew, multiple aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations also called Trump’s evening outing an unnecessary risk — but said it was not surprising. Trump had said he was bored in the hospital, advisers said. He wanted to show strength after his chief of staff offered a grimmer assessment of his health than doctors, according to campaign and White House officials.

A growing number of Secret Service agents have been concerned about the president’s seeming indifference to the health risks they face when traveling with him in public, and a few reacted with outrage to the trip, asking how Trump’s desire to be seen outside his hospital suite justified the jeopardy to agents protecting him. Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis has already brought new scrutiny to his lax approach to social distancing, as public health officials scramble to trace those he may have exposed at large in-person events. Continue reading.

Infectious Trump briefly leaves hospital to greet fans as confusion continues over his health

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The White House continued to provide limited and contradictory information about President Trump’s health on Sunday, saying that he had begun a steroid treatment after twice suffering bouts of low oxygen but also contending that he was doing well and could soon be discharged from the hospital where he is being treated for the novel coronavirus.

Adding to the confusion about his status, Trump briefly left Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda to wave to supporters from a motorcade, after releasing a video on Twitter thanking people who had gathered outside the facility.

“We’re getting great reports from the doctors,” Trump said in the video before promising a “little surprise” to his supporters. “It’s been a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about covid.” Continue reading.

Secret Service Agents Furious Over Trump’s Disregard For Their Health And Safety

The Secret Service isn’t saying how many of its agents have tested positive for COVID-19 or been forced to quarantine, but in private, agents are angry at Donald Trump’s contempt for their health and safety.

“He’s never cared about us,” one agent told a confidant who in turn told The Washington Post. “This administration doesn’t care about the Secret Service,” another said in an internal discussion group also reported by the Post. “It’s so obvious.”

“Former Secret Service agents said it was unheard of for agents to openly complain about their president but that some currently in the ranks had become convinced during the pandemic that Trump was willing to put his protectors in harm’s way,” the Post further reports. Continue reading.

As Kim wooed Trump with ‘love letters,’ he kept building his nuclear capability, intelligence shows

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In a secret letter to President Trump in December 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un likened the two leaders’ budding friendship to a Hollywood romance. Future meetings with “Your Excellency,” Kim wrote to Trump, would be “reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film.”

Yet even as he penned the words, Kim was busy creating an illusion of a different kind. At six of the country’s missile bases, trucks hauled rock from underground construction sites as workers dug a maze of new tunnels and bunkers, allowing North Korea to move weapons around like peas in a shell game. Southeast of the capital, meanwhile, new buildings sprouted across an industrial complex that was processing uranium for as many as 15 new bombs, according to current and former U.S. and South Korean officials, as well as a report by a United Nations panel of experts.

The new work reflects a continuation of a pattern observed by analysts since the first summit between Trump and Kim in 2018. While North Korea has refrained from carrying out provocative tests of its most advanced weapon systems, it never stopped working on them, U.S. intelligence officials said. Indeed, new evidence suggests that Kim took advantage of the lull by improving his ability to hide his most powerful weapons and shield them from future attacks. Continue reading.

Robert Reich: The coming civil war caused by Trump’s megalomaniacal ego

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What is America really fighting over in the upcoming election? No particular issue. Not even Democrats versus Republicans.

The central fight is over Donald J Trump.

Before Trump, most Americans weren’t especially passionate about politics. But Trump’s MO has been to force people to become passionate about him – to take fierce sides for or against. And he considers himself president only of the former – whom he calls “my people.”

Trump came to office with no agenda except to feed his monstrous ego. He has never fueled his base. His base has fueled him. Its adoration sustains him. Continue reading.