Watch Live: President Trump meets Germany’s Angela Merkel
Ongoing coverage of the first meeting between these two world leaders, with a joint press conference at 1:20 pm, EST.
Tag: President Trump
President Trump: still no evidence for Obama Wire Tapping allegations
It’s been over 50 hours since President Trump leveled allegations that President Obama ordered a wire tap on Trump Towers during the Presidential Campaign, and his Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, confirms that he still stands by his original allegations. In fact, the President appears to be doubling down on his claims, asking Congress to investigate. But despite this apparent zeal, the President has yet to offer proof, of any kind, to support his seemingly outrageous claims.
This pattern is typical of President Trump. He makes accusations, often quite serious in nature, with no supporting evidence. And where do these accusations come from? He claims to have proof, but never offers it to the press, so the American People, and apparently the rest of the government as well, are left in the dark.
Frankly, many believe the President is spinning these stories from whole cloth. But what’s his motive? Some suggest that the President is mentally unbalanced. The stories themselves seem to find safe harbor with the radio shock jocks and conspiracy theory enthusiasts of the far right, and it appears that the current accusation originated in that quarter.
But despite the extreme and even crazy quality, his story telling seems to have a utilitarian function—-distraction. His administration is plagued by accusations and revelations surrounding contact with the Russians during the Presidential Campaign, in addition to other concerns over his governing style, his newly revised travel ban, and much more.
So a distracting story shifting focus, and blame, to his political opponents would help to take the pressure off, at least in the short term. Of course, in the longer term, it would generate a whole new set of issues and problems that would potentially cause trouble for the fledgling Administration. But that doesn’t seem to bother the Nation’s Chief Executive, who seems very comfortable at the center of a confused, swirling vortex of unsupported allegations, misinformation and lies.
But enough is enough. The Presidency of the United States is an office of great importance and power. It’s not to be taken lightly. The occupant, however flawed (as human beings are apt to be) must aspire to the best standards of leadership, appealing to Lincoln’s “better Angel’s of our nature,” not the baser instincts of lesser men. President Trump must end this charade. If he has legitimate evidence to support his claim, then by all means, Mr. President, present it. But drop the matter here and now if you do not. And learn to govern your nation with wisdom, clarity, and good judgement.
Photo: Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons
Watch President Trump address CPAC
President Trump takes the stage at this major conservative event:
Photo: WH.gov / youtube.com
Watch news conference with President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau
The leaders of the United States and Canada held a joint news conference on Tuesday. The two men were cordial and optimistic. Both men spoke at length. Prime Minister Trudeau addressed the press corps with a bi-lingual presentation in both English and French, while President Trump spoke in English (the traditional approach for leaders of both countries.)
President Trump strongly defended his recent travel ban, which has been halted by court action in two states, Washington and Virginia. Prime Minister Trudeau made it clear in a tactful and indirect manner that he holds a different view, but made it clear that he didn’t visit the U.S. to lecture or condescend. He also stressed the importance of trade between the two countries for the Canadian economy.
Learn more about the news conference and Trump’s travel ban defense (CNN)
Watch Press Conference:
Photo and video: RT (Russia Today – screen capture)
Face Activities Tweets Trump about Israeli settlements
Gill, of the Face Activities Management Team, tweeted President Trump, thanking him for his recent statements about Israeli settlements. In an interview on Friday, the President stated that he didn’t think settlements helped the peace process.
In previous interviews and statements President Trump has seemed squarely in Israel’s corner, but Friday’s tweet suggests he may be willing to take a harder line on Israeli settlements, viewed by many (including former President Barack Obama) as a stumbling block for the peace process that greatly hampers efforts to create the much coveted, but highly elusive, two state solution (President’s Carter, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and Obama have all attempted to achieve this diplomatic coups, without success.)
Learn more about President Trump’s statements (The New York Times)
Photo: Face Activities Twitter Account (screen capture)
Watch President Trump Super Bowl interview
Federal Judge temporarily halts President’s immigration order
A Federal Judge has placed a temporary, nationwide hold on President Trump’s Executive Order on immigration. Justice James Robard, a George W. Bush appointee who presides in Seattle, WA, granted the temporary restraining order on Friday. Following the judge’s decision, the U.S. Government will now reinstate the visas of travelers from the seven Muslim-majority countries affected by the executive order, allowing them to come and go legally, until the matter is resolved at a later date.
The Trump Administration initially called the court order “Outrageous,” and the Department of Justice has announced intentions to challenge the restraining order by filing an emergency stay, in order to defend the President’s controversial Executive Order. It’s possible that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear this case eventually, which would represent a major test of Trump Administration policy.
The Executive Order, which prevents valid visa holders from seven countries (Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Lybia, Yemen, and Syria) from entering the U.S. for a period of 90 days, in order to allow time for “extreme vetting”, has sparked a firestorm of protests across the United States, and condemnation from around the world. Many believe the Executive Order is contrary to American values, inordinately cruel to struggling refugees, and even unconstitutional.
Learn more about Judge Robard’s temporary restraining order (CNN)
Photo: By Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
President Obama’s statement on Trump
It’s customary for American President’s to leave office and remain silent, receding into civilian life while the new President begins to lead the nation, for better or worse. President Obama promised to follow suite, unless he felt core American values were in danger of compromise. President Obama believe’s that President Trump’s travel ban is such a danger, and he’s issued a statement through Kevin Lewis, his spokesman, to address the issue.
Though he doesn’t mention the travel ban directly, his rhetoric makes it clear that the former President, like many, finds the ban to be an example of religious discrimination: people of the muslim faith are primarily targeted by this action. However, the Trump administration denies this accusation.
It’s striking that President Obama’s statement comes so close to his departure. The ink on Donald Trump’s first executive orders is hardly dry, in only the second full week of his Presidency. And yet, according to President Obama, American values have already been challenged, to a degree necessary for an intervention.
Here’s the text of President Obama’s statement:
“President Obama is heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country. In his final official speech as President, he spoke about the important role of citizen and how all Americans and how all Americans have a responsibility to be the guardians of our democracy—-not just during an election but every day.
Citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble, organize and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake.
With regard to comparison’s to President Obama’s foreign policy decisions, as we’ve heard before, the President fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion.”
President Obama disagrees with immigration executive order (CNN)
Photo: CNN (screen capture)
Trump Administration is off to a Rocky Start
It’s early into the first full week of President Donald J. Trump’s administration, following his inauguration on Friday, and things are off to a surprisingly rocky start. Newly minted Presidents typically possess a large amount of political capital with which to coast on the good will of the people, and the press, for the first 100 days, until more challenging times arrive. But President Trump’s facing rough sailing right now, largely of his own making, and that’s unusual for a President so early in his first term.
1984
In fact, the weekend was so bad for President Trump and his camp that, as a direct result, George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, originally published in 1949, catapulted to the top of the best seller lists! This shocking turn of events followed Kelly Ann Conway’s disturbing invocation of “alternative facts” during a key interview on NBC News’s ‘Meet the Press.’ That’s disconcerting news for a democratically elected President of a great republic.
Video: NBC News / Youtube
Protest and Riot
During his inauguration on Friday, a large protest was underway in Washington D.C., very close to the ceremonies. Out of this large group a much smaller number of protesters (about 100) started to riot, throwing bricks at police and breaking windows of major companies, like Starbucks and Bank of America. These rioters were reported to be members of an anti-capitalist anarchist group.
The Women’s March
And the following day, he Women’s March, an organized event which brought about half a million people, including men, women and children marching together in unity against the new President and his policies, rocked the nations capital, while large sister marches in multiple cities across the U.S., and other countries too, left no doubt that a sizable opposition to President Trump is alive and well.
Crowd Size
But the Administrations biggest political threat comes from the President himself, and his closest advisors. In an inexplicable display of arrogance, or perhaps incompetence, the administration made a number of factually incorrect statements about the size of the crowd at Friday’s inauguration, opening a particularly messy can of worms. In his first press conference, Press Secretary Sean Spicer insisted that inauguration crowds were the largest in history, but it was painfully obvious to the press corps, and those who studied photographs of both events, that this was a falsehood. It was painful to listen to, but Trump and his advisors doubled down on this stand. Kelly Ann Conway, the following day, issued her now infamous explanation, that Spicer had offered “alternative facts,” a term that sounds a lot like a creepy euphemism for lying to most thinking people.
Voting Allegations
And now, if that’s not bad enough, in an absurdly inane move that defies logic, the President, and his team, are claiming that he lost the popular vote in the general election because millions of illegal aliens voted. There is zero evidence for this claim, so it’s not surprising that the administration has failed to back it up in any way what so ever. But why on earth are they even mentioning the popular vote at all? The election is over, and Mr. Trump won it. He is in power now, and has begun the business of governing this great nation. How will bringing up this petty issue help the nation that he’s now charged with protecting? The answer, sadly, is that it only serves to massage his bloated ego, and nothing more. Bringing up these petty issues and grievances won’t, in any way, help the United States unify, heal or move forward.
Bust Of MLK
Instead of working with the White House Press Corp to inform the American People, a vital and indispensable task, President Trump is choosing to make an enemy of the Press. He is misrepresenting a minor misunderstanding regarding an historic bust of Martin Luther King, Jr., which a press reporter had incorrectly reported missing from the Oval Office, apparently in order to paint the press as hostile.
But in reality, the reporter quickly corrected his error, and apologized for his mistake, less than an hour after, and no story was published with the incorrect information. But Trump, with the help of Sean Hannity at Fox news, and other boosters, is twisting this minor incident into a scandalous conspiracy.
What’s the problem here?
What is wrong with Donald Trump? Why is the President behaving in this manner? This is a time when the new President should both reassure and inspire the nation. The President should lay out his vision for the country, clearer and more passionately than ever before. He should explain what needs to be done, and how he’s going to do it, with clarity, and enthusiasm. He should revel in the challenge that lies ahead, sharing his joy with the American People via inspiring oratory. Instead, he chooses to blow up small grievances into major affronts, and perpetuate factual errors in a brazen manner indistinguishable from the telling of lies.
Dear Mr. President, for the sake of your country, change course! Take the high road, and leave this undignified bickering behind.
Photo: By Sean Spicer (Press Sec., White House) – https://twitter.com/PressSec (22 January 2017), Public Domain, Link
Photo: Screen capture of Wikimedia Commons video (Public Domain)
