Donald Trump Holds Rare News Conference, Talks about North Korea, NAFTA and Brett Kavanaugh
The U.S. President has taken it upon himself to change the narrative in the media and held a rare solo press conference and spoke on a wide-range of issues including the Russia “witch hunt” investigation, trade, tariffs and more.
While the world’s eyes are focused on the United Nations as the 73rd General Assembly session is underway, U.S. President Donald Trump had other things on his mind. Anyone following American news would know that Trump’s administration has been fighting one PR fire after another over the last couple of months.
The U.S. President has taken it upon himself to change the narrative in the media and held a rare solo press conference and spoke on a wide-range of issues including the Russia “witch hunt” investigation, trade, tariffs and more.
Second Summit with North Korea
President Trump, discussing his relationship with North Korea and Kim Jong Un, claimed that if he "wasn't elected, there would have been a war" adding that former President Obama was close to "pressing the trigger" and the “world would have been in another World war.”
Upon being asked why is he considering a second summit, Trump said that “I traveled to Singapore and just gave him my time. I haven’t removed sanctions, I only stopped the military games which cost us a fortune anyway but all I gave him was my time. In return they have stopped nuclear testing. No rocket testing anymore.”
NAFTA Negotiations
President Trump said he rejected a meeting request from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau amid a bitter NAFTA renegotiation. "Yeah I did," Trump said. "His tariffs are too high and he doesn’t seem to want to move."
He suggested deep mistrust in Chrystia Freeland, the lead Canadian trade negotiator, and her team. "We're not getting along at all with their negotiators," Trump said. And he warned the U.S. would soon go after Canadian auto imports.
U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s Sexual Misconduct Allegations
The U.S. president spoke at length about the ongoing controversy surrounding his pick to the U.S. Supreme Court. Three women have accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Trump said the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh "affect" him because he has had similar allegations many against himself "many times."
"People want fame. They want money. When I see it, I view it differently," Trump said. "It's happened to me many times. I've had many false charges."
Trump suggested that Brett Kavanaugh's accusers should have reported their purported sexual assaults when they occurred. "I only say this: 36 years, no charge, no nothing," he said during the news conference. He also accused the Democratic Party of facilitating the charges against Kavanaugh calling it a “big con job.”
However, he did say that "They're (Repblican Senators) giving the women a major chance to speak. Now it's possible I'll hear that and say hey I'm changing my mind. Hey, that's possible," Trump said.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 27, 2018 07:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).