September 26, 2018

Donald Trump Gave a Rambling, Marathon Press Conference. It Was Not Good.

“This is Alex Jones level stuff from the President right now.”

In a bizarre and rare press conference Wednesday, President Donald Trump defended embattled Judge Brett Kavanaugh ahead of a high-profile hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Christine Blasey Ford, one of three women who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, will testify Thursday about an instance in high school when Kavanaugh allegedly sexually assaulted her. 

During the wide-ranging press conference, Trump called the Democrats “obstructionists” and claimed they had “destroyed a man’s reputation.”

“It’s not going to change the Democrats’ minds,” he said. “They know it’s a big, fat con job. They go into a room and I guarantee you they laugh like hell at what they’ve pulled off.”

The focus briefly turned to Trump’s past. Since 2016, more than a dozen women have accused him of sexual misconduct, harassment, or assault—allegations Trump’s White House has dismissed in the past. “When you say, does it affect me in terms of my thinking with respect to Judge Kavanaugh? Absolutely. Because I’ve had it many times,” Trump said.

Trump also told reporters he could delay a meeting with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein so it didn’t coincide with the Kavanagh hearing. “I don’t want to do anything that gets in the way,” he said.

When asked whether he thought the three accusers were liars, Trump replied he couldn’t say but called one of the accuser’s lawyers, Michael Avenatti, a “lowlife.” He went on to call Kavanaugh “one of the most respected people in Washington.” If Trump thought his nominee “was guilty of something like this,” he said, he would reconsider his choice.

He rejected the idea of meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and claimed America would be at war with North Korea had he not been elected. He accused China of interfering in US elections but refused to elaborate when asked for evidence: “I can’t tell you now.”

Trump also repeated a false claim that 52 percent of women voted for him in the 2016 election, a figure that only applies to white women. And he clarified that representatives at the UN weren’t laughing at him—hey were laughing with him.

The press conference was not received terribly well.

Watch the whole thing here, or scroll down for highlights—and lowlights.

Here’s that “con job” business…

And a small aside…

George Washington? What?

This claim came out of left field…

But what do you really think of Michael Avenatti, Mr. President?

Will he stay or will he go?

And who would laugh at a man with a very, very large brain?

Acknowledging the obvious…

O, Canada!

Come again?

The United Nations is a fun crowd!

This article has been updated.

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In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

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