In what came as a surprise twist to absolutely no one,
Donald Trump has given a rambling, defensive and generally not very pleasant speech during a
White House “celebration” of his impeachment acquittal by the Senate.
As the former reality television host walked to his lectern, he received a standing ovation while ‘Hail to the Chief’ played, before launching into an unhinged riff targetting some of his favourite and most frequently mentioned subjects.
A day after the partisan decision, the US president hit out at the “bullshit”, brandished a copy of the
Washington Post and even found time to promote The Apprentice during an unscripted outpouring.
He spoke for more than an hour.“Bullshit”Despite the significance of the event, there was no teleprompter. This was pure stream-of-consciousness Trump. The first suggestion this could be his most surreal performance yet came when he declared the earlier
Russia investigation to be “bullshit”.
“We were treated unbelievably unfairly,” he said in campaign rally-style. “You have to understand, we first went through ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’. It was all bullshit.”Attacks rivalsTrump admitted the event was more of a “celebration” than a speech, and he used it as an opportunity to slam his critics - most notably House speaker Nancy Pelosi, who launched the impeachment inquiry, and Adam Schiff, the Democrat leading the House prosecutors.
“Adam Schiff is a vicious, horrible person.
Nancy Pelosi is a horrible person,” Trump said. “They’re vicious as hell.”
The president said that at the earlier National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Pelosi was sitting nearby: “I said things other folks wouldn’t say. But I meant every word.”He singled out Mitt Romney, who was the only
Republican to vote to convict Trump on impeachment, as a “failed presidential candidate”.He reprised old attacks on James Comey, the “sleazebag” former
FBI director, claiming that had he not fired him “it’s possible I wouldn’t even be standing here right now”.Points to a headlineHe brought props.
“I’ve done things wrong in my life, I will admit ... but this is what the end result is,” Trump said, holding up a copy of the Washington Post with the headline ‘Trump acquitted’.
Turning to wife Melania, he quipped: “Honey, maybe we’ll frame it. The only good headline I’ve ever had on the Washington Post.”
The president kept returning to the theme of “total acquittal”.Praises RepublicansHe called the investigations into his presidency “evil” and
Democrats “vicious as hell” as Republican allies laughed and applauded
“We’ve been going through this now over three years,” he said. “It was evil. It was corrupt. It was dirty cops. It was leakers and liars. And this should never ever happen to another president.”
While decrying his critics, he praised
Republicans he viewed as loyal. He mentioned Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, and complimented his physical fitness.
“When I first got to know Jim, I’d say, huh, he never wears a jacket — he’s obviously very proud of his body,” Trump said.
Jordan was a college wrestler and an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Jordan’s time coaching at Ohio State was marked by dozens of allegations from wrestlers over sexually abuse by the team doctor. Jordan has denied knowing about the abuse.Other random thoughts Well ...lol he even got a plug for the apprentice in there, this presser has it all— Paige Lavender (@paigelav) February 6, 2020Trump is giving the crowd a blow-by-blow account of the congressional
baseball shooting. "Everyone ran into the dugout," he says. "These two people came charging forward, boom, boom, boom."— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) February 6, 2020Trump attacked:∙ Democrats∙ Barack Obama∙ Hillary Clinton∙ Joe Biden∙ James Comey∙ Bob Mueller∙ Mitt Romney∙ Claire McCaskill∙ Jerry Nadler∙ Adam Schiff∙ Nancy Pelosi∙ Chuck Schumer∙ "the top scum" of the FBIand compared himself to George Washington.— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) February 6, 2020Related... Will Bernie Sanders Be President? Kirk Douglas Fans Are Remembering Him With This Impassioned Letter He Wrote About Trump In 2016
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