POTUS berates reporters, slams Dems as policy event morphs into campaign rally
ANALYSIS — A testy and combative President Donald Trump winged it Friday in the Rose Garden, turning an often-rambling defense of his border security emergency into a 2020 assault on Democrats.
Trump has redefined the presidency around his unique style and penchant for unpredictable and unprecedented moves, as well as the sharp rhetoric he uses both at the White House and his rowdy campaign rallies. But there was something different during Trump’s remarks Friday, with the president leading off his remarks by talking about anything but the compromise funding measure and border security actions he signed later that day.
He lauded his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and touted their second denuclearization summit later this month, even talking up that country’s economic potential. On Chinese President Xi Jinping, again, Trump talked about their rosy relationship and predicted: “We’re a lot closer in this country than we ever were with having a real trade deal” with Beijing — yet he struggled to note specific things that might be in the potential deal.
View the complete February 15 article by John T. Bennett on The Roll Call website here.