‘I inherited a mess,’ Trump claims
Donald Trump insisted that he had “inherited a mess” as he launched the most vigorous defence of his presidency to date during a wide-ranging 75-minute impromptu press conference Thursday.
Trump claimed his administration was operating like a “fine-tuned machine” and railed against claims to the contrary during a session initially intended as an introduction of his new cabinet nominee.
The president briefly noted that Alexander Acosta would be the next secretary of labour before launching into an impassioned defence of himself and his policies.
“I inherited a mess, at home and abroad, a mess,” he said. “No matter where you look, a disaster ... we’ll take care of it. I just wanted to let you know I inherited a mess.”
Trump said his rivals and the media continued to claim his administration was in “chaos”, but the reality was “the exact opposite”, and that no previous president had accomplished so much and so quickly.
He jolted from anger, to humour to defiance, claiming that while he knew the headlines would say he had “ranted and raved”, he was enjoying himself.
The press conference marked a return to Trump’s improvisational style during the campaign following weeks in which his public statements had come largely on Twitter or in exchanges with friendly media outlets.
A White House official told CNN the president had simply strolled into the Oval Office and said: “Let’s do a press conference today.”
Trump claimed reports that his senior campaign aides had been in contact with Russian intelligence officials were a “ruse” designed to undermine his presidency.
But he twice declined to say whether they were accurate, until finally clarifying that “nobody that I know of” had held conversations with Russian agents.
“The leaks are absolutely real,” Trump said. “The news is fake.”
The leaks could be a sign that a historic clash may be erupting between the intelligence apparatus of the United States and the country’s democratically elected president.
The president announced Thursday that he had instructed the Justice Department to examine leaks to the media that have damaged his administration — including several based on private communications with foreign governments.
Intercepted phone calls with Russia’s ambassador, for instance, led to the firing of Trump’s national security adviser this week. The president lamented the firing, insisting Michael Flynn had done nothing wrong in reassuring Russia about economic sanctions.
The president said the reason he axed the senior military man was that Flynn later mischaracterized those interactions to Vice-President Mike Pence. Now he wants to go after the leakers.
“We’re gonna find the leakers,” Trump said. “They’re gonna pay a big price.”
Asked about reports that Stephen Feinberg, the billionaire investor, would be conducting a review of U.S. intelligence, Trump said he hoped that would not be necessary.
“The gentleman you mentioned is a very talented man, very successful man and he’s offered his services and it’s something we may take advantage of. But I don’t think we’ll need that at all because I think that we are going to be able to straighten it out very easily on its own.”
However, a White House official said earlier that Feinberg had been asked to make recommendations on improvements to efficiency and co-ordination between the various intelligence agencies. Feinberg’s position is not official until he completes an ethics review, the official said.
Former national security adviser Stephen Hadley, who served under President George W. Bush, said Trump must avoid “witch hunts or inquisitions” if he is to gain the confidence of the intelligence community.
“The president needs to embrace these permanent institutions and show that he respects and appreciates the role the intelligence community, military, diplomats and civil servants play,” Hadley said.
Trump, meanwhile, appeared to forgive Vladimir Putin for stepping up his aggression toward the U.S., saying he believed negative media coverage had convinced the Russian president that a potential “deal” was off.