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Tag: Donald Trump

Trump replaces White House chief of staff with loyalist lawmaker
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would replace his current chief of staff Mick Mulvaney with Mark Meadows, a Republican congressman who is one of the president’s staunchest defenders.
“I have long known and worked with Mark, and the relationship is a very good one.
“I want to thank Acting Chief Mick Mulvaney for having served the Administration so well,” Trump said in a tweet.
Mulvaney, also a former Republican congressman, served as the chief of staff for 14 months, in a tenure defined by his entanglement in Trump’s impeachment.
In the role, Mulvaney was a stalwart defender of the president, but his political gaffes, including some statements regarding Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, put the president in hot water.
Democrats unsuccessfully sought to compel Mulvaney to testify about his actions related to the withholding of aid to Ukraine, which was at the centre of the impeachment trial.
Meadows will be the president’s fourth chief of staff. Trump said Mulvaney will now serve as the special envoy for Northern Ireland. (dpa/NAN)
March 7, 2020
Trump defends rhetoric and slams rivals in first town hall of 2020
US President Donald Trump defended his often divisive rhetoric, as he fielded questions in his first town hall of 2020 on Thursday, and said he will continue to “hit back,” as the presidential election is in full swing.
“When they hit us we have to hit back,” Trump said responding to a question about his political rhetoric. “You can’t turn your cheek.”
The town hall – a televised question and answer session with potential voters – is Trump’s first in the 2020 presidential election cycle and comes as the race for his Democratic opponent has narrowed to a two-man competition.
Trump said he was “all set” to face left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders, describing him as “communist,” before former vice president Joe Biden had a surprise resurgence in the past few days.
The president defended his administration’s actions on health care and immigration, and discussed his foreign policy with North Korea and Afghanistan.
Trump – a known germaphobe who was once reluctant to shake supporters’ hands – also said he will continue to shake hands despite the outbreak of coronavirus.
“The bottom line is I shake anybody’s hand now, I’m proud of it,” he said. (dpa)
March 6, 2020
U.S. Senate rejects Democrats’ demand for documents in Trump impeachment trial
The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate on Tuesday rejected three sepreate motions proposed by the Democrats to acquire documents and evidence in the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump.
The motions, brought up by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, are amendments to the Republican-proposed resolution guiding the trial process.
The first one, rejected in a 53-47 party-line vote, called for subpoenaing any “documents, communications and other records” kept by the White House that were stonewalled from Congress during the House-led impeachment inquiry.
An earlier four-page resolution proposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell does not require additional witnesses to be subpoenaed and does not allow House prosecutors to admit evidence into the Senate trial record until the opening arguments from the two opposing sides are heard.
Schumer then introduced a second amendment seeking to subpoena the State Department for certain documents and records.
But the second one was rejected by the same voting result as the first one.
The Democratic senator from New York later offered a third amendment to subpoena relevant documents from the Office of Management and Budget.
The third amendment was unsurprisingly nullified along party lines.
The trial then went into a 30-minute recess for dinner.
McConnell in a floor speech earlier in the day vowed to block any early votes on witnesses.
“If a senator moves to amend the resolution in order to subpoena specific witnesses or documents, I will move to table such motions because the Senate will decide those questions later in the trial,” said the Kentucky Republican.
Tuesday marked the formal start of the impeachment trial against Trump, who was accused by the Democratic-controlled House of abusing power and obstructing Congress.
The task for Tuesday was to debate and vote on rules governing the trial. (Xinhua/NAN)
January 22, 2020