PREZ PROMISES TO ‘SHUT DOWN’ GOVERNMENT
Trump threatens shutdown, touts wall in Ariz.
AN ANIMATED and ardent President Trump on Tuesday threatened a government shutdown over his border wall, railed against the media and defended his controversial response to the violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va.
Trump struck a civil and conciliatory tone as he kicked off a campaign event in Phoenix, calling for unity before going on the offensive.
“When one part of America hurts, we all hurt,” Trump told the crowd. “And when one American suffers an injustice, all of America suffers together.”
Trump’s tone then took a turn as he returned to the fiery rhetoric of the campaign trail — striking many of the major points that became familiar mantras as he crisscrossed the country last year.
“If we have to close down our government, we’re building that wall,” Trump promised — threatening to shut down the federal government unless Congress ponies up funds for the wall he repeatedly said Mexico would pay for.
He said he believes his hard line with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, following their war of words on the threat of nuclear war, is working.
“I respect the fact that he is starting to respect us,” Trump said. “Maybe something positive can come about.”
Trump, who has long touted himself as a dealmaker, also said that the U.S. may have to terminate NAFTA.
“Personally, I don’t think we can make a deal,” Trump said of the trade agreement between Mexico, Canada and the U.S.
The President also touted clean coal plants as he championed the economy.
“They are taking out coal, they are going to clean it,” he bizarrely said.
In an attempt to discredit the media, Trump spent more than 20 minutes rereading parts of statements he made in the days following the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer.
“And they said, remember, they said, ‘Well, he wasn’t specific enough. Why wasn’t he more specific?’ ” Trump said. “So, in my second statement, I got really specific. And they said, ‘Why didn’t he do it faster?’ ”
The President, as he read partial transcripts of his comments, did not repeat his most controversial remarks, in which he said there was “blame on many sides” for the violence that occurred.
“The words were perfect,” Trump told the adoring crowd.
Democrats and fellow Republicans denounced Trump’s comments in the days after the Virginia rally as he initially failed to call out neo-Nazis and other hate groups by name, and then insisted again there was blame on “both sides.”
But Trump placed the blame for the blowback against him solely on the media, whom he accused of “trying to take away our history and our heritage.”
“For the most part, honestly, these are really, really dishonest people, they’re bad people,” Trump said. “I really think they don’t like our country. I really believe that.”
The President, while bragging about what he sees as his administration’s accomplishments, bemoaned his party’s inability to pass health care overhaul.
He complained that the Senate was only “one vote away,” but did not mention Arizona Sen. John McCain, who voted against the bill, by name. Trump’s appearance drew thousands of protesters. Outside of the Phoenix Convention Center, police used barricades to separate Trump supporters from demonstrators. A few scuffles broke out and police fired tear gas into the crowd, but the scene was predominantly peaceful.