Trump news: Ex-president claims his personality ‘kept us out of war’ as
Former US President Donald Trump speaks to the crowd during a rally in South Carolina
Donald Trump boasted to a rally of his supporters that contrary to reports he failed to deter Vladimir Putin’s ambitions in the post-Soviet sphere, “no one was tougher on Russia” than him – and that “my personality is what kept us out of war”.
He also speculated that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “could lead to World War III”, adding that his successor Joe Biden can still “end this tragedy without getting Americans snared into a gruesome and very bloody war.”
Meanwhile, a former US ambassador to Ukraine said that transcripts revealing Mr Trump’s attempts to withhold congressionally approved military aid from Ukraine during a 2019 phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky likely emboldened the Russian president.
“I think it certainly plays a part. I think Putin saw how Trump viewed Ukraine … as a pawn,” Marie Yovanovitch told NBC on Sunday.
ICYMI: Trump proposes making all executive branch employees fireable by POTUS
In one of the wilder pronouncements issued at his Saturday rally, Donald Trump called for all employees of the executive branch of the government to serve directly at the pleasure of the president, allowing him or her to fire them at will.
Mr Trump’s threats to dispatch various government figures repeatedly landed him in serious trouble while he was president, so if the rules were changed after his re-election he would be far more free to behave as he liked.
Andrew Naughtie14 March 2022 17:35
Congressman defeated by AOC says Trump paved the way for her victory
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shot to national fame when she defeated establishment Democrat Joe Crowley in a congressional primary in 2018 – and speaking on a podcast this week, Mr Crowley attributed her victory in part to the rise of Donald Trump.
“I have a better, real clear understanding of just how powerful the election of Donald Trump was,” he said on Pro Politics with Zac McCary. “In many respects, it lit the fire onto the base of our party, and I think that’s a good thing in many respects, you know. Maybe personally, it didn’t work out for me, but I think he created the energy we needed to oust him as president in four years.”
Andrew Naughtie14 March 2022 17:10
Hunting Trump on British soil
Donald Trump spends most of his time safely ensconced at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, but that didn’t stop an intoxicated driver in Suffolk, England rolling up outside RAF Mildenhall – which is used by the US Air Force – and demanding to speak to him.
Andrew Naughtie14 March 2022 16:44
“Lay down your lives”: Trump in context
Journalist Jay Bookman makes a chilling point about one of Donald Trump’s standout lines at his South Carolina rally this weekend…
It’s worth noting that Mr Trump was apparently reading from a teleprompter when he said this, rather than speaking off the cuff.
Andrew Naughtie14 March 2022 16:16
Supreme Court justice’s wife denies helping plan 6 January rally
Ginni Thomas, the controversial right-wing activist and wife of arch-conservative Supreme Court Justice…
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