Donald Trump said yesterday at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago that he would answer a couple of questions.
By the time he finished speaking, it had already lasted an hour.
Trump made headlines on a dozen topics, a reminder of the freewheeling approach that even among journalists who can't stand him, the incoming president is a news-making machine, providing headlines 24 hours a day, setting the terms of debate, in stark contrast. with the reclusive Joe Biden.
Trump also deflected some questions that he absolutely should not have answered, such as Ukraine strategy and whether he would retaliate against Iran.
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However, I was a little surprised that he launched an attack on the press, as this contradicted his recent comments about reaching out to even hostile media outlets, as long as they treat him fairly.
This came two days after ABC and George Stephanopoulos apologized to Trump to resolve a defamation, and agreed to donate $15 million to a presidential library or foundation, plus another $1 million to cover his legal fees. This avoided what could have been an embarrassing and grueling deposition by his star anchor.
The network's problem is that Stephanopoulos had repeatedly said that Trump had been found liable for “rape,” repeating the word about 10 times, in E. Jean Carroll's civil suit, when the jury found him liable for “sexual abuse.” .
While the judge said this would commonly be understood as rape, they are legally different in New York. You don't accept $15 million unless you think you don't have much of a point.
The New York Post editorial board wrote that President-elect Trump did not press ABC host George Stephanopoulos as hard as he could have in a recent defamation case. (Getty Images)
While left-wing pundits accuse ABC of “caving in” to Trump, the network made a different decision.
Trump called the media “very corrupt” and mentioned more lawsuits he has filed or plans to file.
The president-elect said he planned to sue the Des Moines Register for conducting a poll before the election that turned out to be incorrect. He praised pollster Ann Selzer for always getting him right until the Iowa caucuses, when she said he would lose by 4 points and win the state by 13.
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Trump said he was taking legal action against “60 Minutes” for substituting a different, stricter answer to a different question than the one that had been asked, a practice that most journalists, including me, said was a big mistake. from the CBS show.
“We have to straighten out the press,” he said. “The press is very corrupt. Almost as corrupt as our elections.”
He added: “I'm not doing this because I want to. I'm doing it because I feel like I have an obligation to do it,” Trump said. “In my opinion, it was election fraud and interference.”
Trump also said he would file a lawsuit against Bob Woodward for making public audio tapes of a book project. Woodward has said he never agreed not to do so.
Next to former President Donald Trump and investigative journalist Bob Woodward. (Getty Images)
And Trump plans to continue his action against the Pulitzer Prize board for awarding prizes to the Washington Post and the New York Times for what he calls the Russia Russia Russia hoax. While it was certainly exaggerated, the board says Trump was unable to point out any inaccuracies in the articles presented.
And then there was Trump commenting on, well, almost everything else.
He said he would consider a pardon for accused New York Mayor Eric Adams because he had been treated “very unfairly.”
He said he couldn't understand how people could sympathize with the suspect in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson: “It was cold-blooded. Just a horrible, cold-blooded murder, and how can people like this guy, that's how it is”. a disease, actually.”
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He praised Lara Trump but said the decision to appoint her to a vacant Florida Senate seat was up to DeSantis. However, the Wall Street Journal reports that she has pressured the governor to choose her.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams holds a press conference at City Hall in June in New York City. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
He defended Defense Department nominee Pete Hegseth, saying all he wants to do is improve the military. He also provided visual support by bringing Hegseth to the Army-Navy game, along with JD Vance, Elon Musk (of course), Ron DeSantis, Tulsi Gabbard and spokesperson Mike Johnson.
Trump said he would stick with the polio vaccine but would hold talks with RFK Jr. about other vaccines, including his thoroughly debunked theory that vaccines cause autism. Trump did argue that there has been an increase in autism among children. “I think it's going to be a lot less radical than you might think,” he told reporters.
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Trump demanded that Biden officials explain what is happening with the mysterious drones, since they obviously know.
That's a lot of news. Maybe we've forgotten how Donald J. Trump loves to talk about everything under the sun. We are about to receive a four-year refresher course.
