Donald Trump Presidency discussion thread II

Leroy42

JRant wrote: »

Maybe it's just me but the whole thing seems like theater and completely staged, probably to distract from some other news that will be slipped in without anyone noticing.

Such as the disbanding of the voter fraud commission.

It any other realm, this would be jumped on by the media and the opposition as a massive failure for POTUS, both in actually getting anything done but also in the disaster of setting it up on nothing more that a rumour.

jooksavage

JRant wrote: »

Maybe it's just me but the whole thing seems like theater and completely staged, probably to distract from some other news that will be slipped in without anyone noticing.

Absolutely nothing in the past year indicates Trump or his administration possess that level of cunning. The most likely explanation is probably the correct one: more chaos borne out of stupidity and selfishness.

mcmoustache

JRant wrote: »

Maybe it's just me but the whole thing seems like theater and completely staged, probably to distract from some other news that will be slipped in without anyone noticing.

This should not be discounted given the people involved.

Mr.Micro

Tell me how wrote: »

This seems to be the reality now doesn't it. Hard to see it changing without the harsh lessons of a conflict which hits them hard.

On that note, who are we kidding, right back to world war 2, they have been engaged in nearly constant conflict.

War on terror
First Iraq war
Vietnam
Korea

Not to mention continuous engagements and skirmishes.

There is always a new enemy out there to help sustain the paranoia of the US and promote patriotism at home. It needs validation and constant reassurance of its power and greatness. So needs enemies.

Commies always, Iran, NK as good old standbys. In the wings China and maybe Russia if Trump falls out with his boss Putin.

BuilderPlumber

Mr.Micro wrote: »

There is always a new enemy out there to help sustain the paranoia of the US and promote patriotism at home. It needs validation and constant reassurance of its power and greatness. So needs enemies.

Commies always, Iran, NK as good old standbys. In the wings China and maybe Russia if Trump falls out with his boss Putin.

Yes, that's just it. America has been almost constantly at war since 1941. Let's take a look:

1941-1945: Nazis, Japan and their allies.
1950-1953: North Korea.
1961-1962: Proxy war with Cuba.
1962-1975: Vietnam.
1983: Grenada.
1987-1988: Iran.
1989: Panama.
1991: Iraq.
1995-1999: various bombings of Yugoslavia.
1998: Afghanistan, Sudan.
2001-: Afghanistan.
2003-: Iraq.
2011-2012: Libya.
2017-:Syria.

Yes, they will always find a new enemy and keep an 'enemy' in the background they never plan to attack but to justify their policies (Iran and North Korea seem to be that). They will never take on the big powers though. A nice new target for them would be Venezuela: not in the Middle East, not Muslim, not powerful. Ticks ALL the boxes for 'clean war'.

BuilderPlumber

mcmoustache wrote: »

This should not be discounted given the people involved.

If Trump works for/with Putin, then Iran and North Korea are America's allies and America won't attack them. I get the feeling that a lot of these 'poor relations' are staged and to divert attention away from what is really going on.

Tell me how

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Yes, they will always find a new enemy and keep an 'enemy' in the background they never plan to attack but to justify their policies (Iran and North Korea seem to be that). They will never take on the big powers though. A nice new target for them would be Venezuela: not in the Middle East, not Muslim, not powerful. Ticks ALL the boxes for 'clean war'.

Not to mention how dependent they are on fear mongering.

http://siteselection.com/issues/2012/sep/sas-military-economy.cfm

From Article wrote:

Often overlooked, the companies that support the military are major employers and tax generators. A report prepared by Deloitte and sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) earlier this year assessed the contribution and financial impact of the U.S. aerospace and defense industry. The indirect and induced employment associated with the U.S. aerospace and defense industry is a minimum of 3.5 million jobs.

The companies providing these jobs generated $324 billion in sales revenue in 2010, with $15.6 billion in net income after tax at an average pre-tax reported operating profit margin of 10.5 percent.

Bolded part added by me.

mcmoustache

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

If Trump works for/with Putin, then Iran and North Korea are America's allies and America won't attack them. I get the feeling that a lot of these 'poor relations' are staged and to divert attention away from what is really going on.

I'm not saying that this is the case here or in my earlier post but it's not without precedent. For example, there's a belief out there that Pakistan's outrage over drone strikes is for domestic consumption and that those in charge over there have no problem with them.


On a lighter note, I've been seeing more excerpts from that Michael Wolff book. It's quite fascinating if true and he claims to have tapes as well. Trump is suing to get the publisher to hold back on publication. It's also the top selling book on Amazon right now.

Kellyanne Conway, who would put a finger-gun to her head in private about Trump's public comments, continued to mount an implacable defense on cable television, until she was pulled off the air by others in the White House who, however much the president enjoyed her, found her militancy idiotic. (Even Ivanka and Jared regarded Conway's fulsome defenses as cringeworthy.)

But there was palpable relief, of an Emperor's New Clothes sort, when longtime Trump staffer Sam Nunberg — fired by Trump during the campaign but credited with knowing him better than anyone else — came back into the fold and said, widely, ”He's just a ****ing fool."

Even Donald Trump couldn't say no to his kids. ”It's a littleee, littleee complicated …" he explained to Priebus about why he needed to give his daughter and son-in-law official jobs. But the effect of their leadership roles was to compound his own boundless inexperience in Washington, creating from the outset frustration and then disbelief and then rage on the part of the professionals in his employ.

There was, after the abrupt Scaramucci meltdown, hardly any effort inside the West Wing to disguise the sense of ludicrousness and anger felt by every member of the senior staff toward Trump's family and Trump himself. It became almost a kind of competition to demystify Trump. For Rex Tillerson, he was a moron. For Gary Cohn, he was dumb as ****. For H.R. McMaster, he was a hopeless idiot. For Steve Bannon, he had lost his mind.

Steve Bannon tried to gamely suggest that Trump was mere front man and that he, with plan and purpose and intellect, was, more reasonably, running the show — commanding a whiteboard of policies and initiatives that he claimed to have assembled from Trump's off-the-cuff ramblings and utterances. His adoption of the Saturday Night Live sobriquet "President Bannon" was less than entirely humorous.

Donald Trump's small staff of factotums, advisors and family began, on Jan. 20, 2017, an experience that none of them, by any right or logic, thought they would — or, in many cases, should — have, being part of a Trump presidency. Hoping for the best, with their personal futures as well as the country's future depending on it, my indelible impression of talking to them and observing them through much of the first year of his presidency, is that they all — 100 percent — came to believe he was incapable of functioning in his job.

At Mar-a-Lago, just before the new year, a heavily made-up Trump failed to recognize a succession of old friends.

jooksavage

Now Trump is trying to stop of the publication of Michael Wolff's book. Don't know who he's getting his advice from but this is probably the worst course of action and really makes me wonder about the judgement and competence of his lawyers. If he had an ounce of self-control he would shrug it off as inconsequential nonsense as his predecessor did when slanderous birther claims were leveled at him.

Odhinn

Odhinn wrote: »

His normal approach of aggressive counter-litigation is, thankfully, denied to him, it seems. However there may well be tools available to the presidency that he'll grasp at in ways unintended by their creators.

I'm wrong yet again, it seems.

"As the White House struggled to contain the fallout from the book’s damaging portrayal of the president, a lawyer for Trump sent a letter demanding Wolff and his publisher “cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination” of the forthcoming book, according to ABC News.

The lawyer, Charles Harder sent a similar letter to Steve Bannon on Wednesday night, that accused Trump’s former chief strategist of violating an employee agreement and defaming the president."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/04/trump-lawyers-book-steve-bannon-white-house?CMP=fb_gu

spacecoyote

ECO_Mental wrote: »

Easy Peasy:rolleyes: A lot of states (a lot of Democratic) didn't cooperate with the commission and wouldn't give the commission the confidential information they wanted. All he will say its the Dems fault... they wouldn't cooperate the dems want all these illegal votes. Its a win win for him!

Got it in one:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948872192284155904

Inquitus

Interesting piece on the new book, not the best of political sources, but well worth a read to get an insight into the first 12 months of the Trump Whitehouse.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-wolff-my-insane-year-inside-trumps-white-house-1071504

ThisRegard

jooksavage wrote: »

Now Trump is trying to stop of the publication of Michael Wolff's book. Don't know who he's getting his advice from but this is probably the worst course of action and really makes me wonder about the judgement and competence of his lawyers. If he had an ounce of self-control he would shrug it off as inconsequential nonsense as his predecessor did when slanderous birther claims were leveled at him.

He's probably getting good advice from his lawyers and advisors, but he just doesn't take note and believes he knows better.

Inquitus

ThisRegard wrote: »

He's probably getting good advice from his lawyers and advisors, bit he just doesn't take note and believes he knows better.

Aye the Streisand Effect already has the book at #1 on the Amazon Bestseller list!

https://www.amazon.com/best-sellers-books-Amazon/zgbs/books/ref=zg_bs_nav_0

Leroy42

Odhinn wrote: »

I'm wrong yet again, it seems.

"As the White House struggled to contain the fallout from the book’s damaging portrayal of the president, a lawyer for Trump sent a letter demanding Wolff and his publisher “cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination” of the forthcoming book, according to ABC News.

The lawyer, Charles Harder sent a similar letter to Steve Bannon on Wednesday night, that accused Trump’s former chief strategist of violating an employee agreement and defaming the president."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/04/trump-lawyers-book-steve-bannon-white-house?CMP=fb_gu

They seem to be claiming confidentiality clauses, which begs the question as to how true most of it is.

The better line would be to simply laugh it off. A disgruntled Bannon, blaming Trump when it is clear he lacked the ability to do the job he so longed for. A journalist and author looking to cash in on the Trump brand. A media looking for click bait and willing to big any story, regardless of the truth of it.

Let them have their fun, but the truth is that Trump is MAGA. Through his Supreme Court Judge pick, the biggest tax bill in the history, stopping immigration, no airlines deaths, more jobs, Christmas is finally back etc etc.

And that is why I don't understand why, when the media do get to sit down with him like the NYT recently, don't throw in some incendiary questions. Not even questions, just sort of imply that someone else did better. Like saying it was McConnell who got the tax bill done, it was clear it was Jared in charge of the Jerusalem decision.

ThisRegard

Inquitus wrote: »

Aye the Streisand Effect already has the book at #1 on the Amazon Bestseller list!

https://www.amazon.com/best-sellers-books-Amazon/zgbs/books/ref=zg_bs_nav_0

Brilliant, and genuinely I was going to check it out myself if it was reasonably priced on Kindle, £13.99 at the moment.

Mr.Micro

jooksavage wrote: »

Now Trump is trying to stop of the publication of Michael Wolff's book. Don't know who he's getting his advice from but this is probably the worst course of action and really makes me wonder about the judgement and competence of his lawyers. If he had an ounce of self-control he would shrug it off as inconsequential nonsense as his predecessor did when slanderous birther claims were leveled at him.

The more he doth protest and all that. Once again dishes it out on Twitter, says what he likes. Is the US still a democracy where free speech is allowed? Someone better advise Trump.

Mr.Micro

Inquitus wrote: »

Interesting piece on the new book, not the best of political sources, but well worth a read to get an insight into the first 12 months of the Trump Whitehouse.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-wolff-my-insane-year-inside-trumps-white-house-1071504

Mostly tantrums and broken crayons, with a caricature of a person, hair and all in power. What next?

manual_man

This Wolff fella is foaming at the mouth in anticipation of the biggest payday of his life. I'd take EVERYTHING that's written in this book with a massive dose of salt. Capitalism at its most pure. There's a massive audience who want to believe the very worst about Trump in every sense - Wolff being a crude operator is looking to cash in on this. Of course if the things claimed in the book can be corroborated as fact then that changes everything. I doubt this will be the case. I doubt either that a lot of people will wish to care.

oscarBravo

manual_man wrote: »

This Wolff fella is foaming at the mouth in anticipation of the biggest payday of his life. I'd take EVERYTHING that's written in this book with a massive dose of salt. Capitalism at its most pure. There's a massive audience who want to believe the very worst about Trump in every sense - Wolff being a crude operator is looking to cash in on this. Of course if the things claimed in the book can be corroborated as fact then that changes everything. I doubt this will be the case. I doubt either that a lot of people will wish to care.

All of the above may well be true, but it's a tragic reflection on the state of the US that the book is even plausible.

And, let's face it: everything we've seen so far is plausible. It may not be true, but there's nothing in it to make you go "ah, here - that can't be right".

Inquitus

manual_man wrote: »

This Wolff fella is foaming at the mouth in anticipation of the biggest payday of his life. I'd take EVERYTHING that's written in this book with a massive dose of salt. Capitalism at its most pure. There's a massive audience who want to believe the very worst about Trump in every sense - Wolff being a crude operator is looking to cash in on this. Of course if the things claimed in the book can be corroborated as fact then that changes everything. I doubt this will be the case. I doubt either that a lot of people will wish to care.

A lot of his interviews are recorded, if he couldn't backup his claims he would be sued bankrupt.

JRant

mcmoustache wrote: »

This should not be discounted given the people involved.

Exactly, it's just a bit to coordinated.
Having read some of the excerpts there isn't a whole lot that we didn't know already or at least suspected.

Leroy42

JRant wrote: »

Exactly, it's just a bit to coordinated.
Having read some of the excerpts there isn't a whole lot that we didn't know already or at least suspected.

You contradict yourself. On the one hand you suggest that it all a ruse and coordinated, and on the other pass it off as nothing new that wasn't already known.

For a brief second, try to imagine what your thinking would be if it had turned out that the first year of the Obama POTUS had been run in such a fashion? He was already touted has having no experience, so you really think a book like this would have just been laughed off?

On imagine if stories were coming out about POTUS HC, where she seemed more intent on looking after her family than running the country. Where all those around her seemed convinced she was not capable of the job.

You have accepted Trump has the new base level.

mcmoustache

JRant wrote: »

Exactly, it's just a bit to coordinated.
Having read some of the excerpts there isn't a whole lot that we didn't know already or at least suspected.

I actually think that the book itself mostly true in the sense that the quotes are real and the accounts of peoples' behaviour are accurate. There's a chance that the author made some incorrect conclusions and that some info from staffers could be incorrect but I'd say that on the whole, it's as accurate an account as you're likely to get from inside the WH at that time.

I was a bit sceptical about the Trump/Bannon fight initially but it looks like the fighting is all from Trump's side. Bannon himself was still saying nice things about Trump last night. I think Trump is genuinely angry here and isn't taking part in some theatrics.

Itssoeasy

manual_man wrote: »

This Wolff fella is foaming at the mouth in anticipation of the biggest payday of his life. I'd take EVERYTHING that's written in this book with a massive dose of salt. Capitalism at its most pure. There's a massive audience who want to believe the very worst about Trump in every sense - Wolff being a crude operator is looking to cash in on this. Of course if the things claimed in the book can be corroborated as fact then that changes everything. I doubt this will be the case. I doubt either that a lot of people will wish to care.

Well he says he has recordings of the people saying what's in the book so the former people in the administration must be lying then ?

Nody

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Well he says he has recordings of the people saying what's in the book so the former people in the administration must be lying then ?

Well he does state that people have contradicted each other in the interviews and that many of the statements may have been false and/or exaggerated in the beginning of the book.

FatherTed

jooksavage wrote: »

Now Trump is trying to stop of the publication of Michael Wolff's book. Don't know who he's getting his advice from but this is probably the worst course of action and really makes me wonder about the judgement and competence of his lawyers. If he had an ounce of self-control he would shrug it off as inconsequential nonsense as his predecessor did when slanderous birther claims were leveled at him.

And next week he will be tweeting taking credit for making this a #1 book.

JRant

Leroy42 wrote: »

You contradict yourself. On the one hand you suggest that it all a ruse and coordinated, and on the other pass it off as nothing new that wasn't already known.

For a brief second, try to imagine what your thinking would be if it had turned out that the first year of the Obama POTUS had been run in such a fashion? He was already touted has having no experience, so you really think a book like this would have just been laughed off?

On imagine if stories were coming out about POTUS HC, where she seemed more intent on looking after her family than running the country. Where all those around her seemed convinced she was not capable of the job.

You have accepted Trump has the new base level.

I'm not sure I follow Leroy?

The whole "row" seems a bit OTT to me. Now I am probably completely wrong but it just seems a bit too convenient, if that makes sense?


Has anything been released in the book that wasn't already in the public domain in one form or another?

Leroy42

Maybe I misread you, but I thought you were saying that it is all a bit convenient(and thus not credible) and nothing we don't know already (believable).

Apologies if I mistook it.

pitifulgod

The release of the book has been brought forward to tomorrow. I'd say Trump is going ape****.

Itssoeasy

Nody wrote: »

Well he does state that people have contradicted each other in the interviews and that many of the statements may have been false and/or exaggerated in the beginning of the book.

He said that he left people say what they wanted so he can only transcribe what they said.

froog

"Many mostly Democrat States refused to hand over data from the 2016 Election to the Commission On Voter Fraud. They fought hard that the Commission not see their records or methods because they know that many people are voting illegally. System is rigged, must go to Voter I.D."

lol this after he ended his commission on voter fraud because he didn't want to give the results to the democrats!

Itssoeasy

The book that we are all taking about will be released tomorrow not the 9th now.

20Cent

Wolff had huge access to the Whitehouse by the look of things. Ailles and Bannon attended a dinner party in his house and spoke openly about the disfunction.
Trump gave him access even though he had written an unflattering piece about him already. Apparently trump liked the image used in the article. Trump in mirror sunglasses. No one seems to have thought to actually read the article or vet this guy. So trumpish.

Hande hoche!

20Cent wrote: »

Wolff had huge access to the Whitehouse by the look of things. Ailles and Bannon attended a dinner party in his house and spoke openly about the disfunction.
Trump gave him access even though he had written an unflattering piece about him already. Apparently trump liked the image used in the article. Trump in mirror sunglasses. No one seems to have thought to actually read the article or vet this guy. So trumpish.

It's astonishing but would certainly view it as plausible. Could see Wolff being in the background and being effectively ignored amid all the chaos. It kind of reminds me of the camera crew following Anthony Weiner.

aloyisious

froog wrote: »

"Many mostly Democrat States refused to hand over data from the 2016 Election to the Commission On Voter Fraud. They fought hard that the Commission not see their records or methods because they know that many people are voting illegally. System is rigged, must go to Voter I.D."

lol this after he ended his commission on voter fraud because he didn't want to give the results to the democrats!

The lack of a comma between Many and Mostly was a refusal to blame his party-run states for not providing data to the Commission.

Leroy42

At today's press briefing a journalist asked why Wolff had been given so much access. All SHS could say was that they had declined multiple requests for a direct interview.

She never came them the opportunity to ask why no one had simply cancelled his WH pass. This is the POTUS, and this nobody (as SHS called him) was able to stroll up each day and get within the inner circle?

What the hell is Kelly doing allowing this type of stuff to go on? Why is SHS not questioning why a journalist is being given almost full access to the WH?

Forget about whether what is in the book is 100% true (no doubt there are things that are incorrect and as usual people will pick on specifics to try destroy the whole) but this yet again paints the WH as totally inept.

Itssoeasy

Leroy42 wrote: »

At today's press briefing a journalist asked why Wolff had been given so much access. All SHS could say was that they had declined multiple requests for a direct interview.

She never came them the opportunity to ask why no one had simply cancelled his WH pass. This is the POTUS, and this nobody (as SHS called him) was able to stroll up each day and get within the inner circle?

What the hell is Kelly doing allowing this type of stuff to go on? Why is SHS not questioning why a journalist is being given almost full access to the WH?

Forget about whether what is in the book is 100% true (no doubt there are things that are incorrect and as usual people will pick on specifics to try destroy the whole) but this yet again paints the WH as totally inept.

It doesn't say much for the security either. I mean no journalist should be able to walk into the White House and just sit there watching it go by. I mean lads regardless of who the president is, you'd think the security wouldn't let this happen but clearly it did.

Leroy42

Itssoeasy wrote: »

It doesn't say much for the security either. I mean no journalist should be able to walk into the White House and just sit there watching it go by. I mean lads regardless of who the president is, you'd think the security wouldn't let this happen but clearly it did.

That is precisely my point. Its not Trump I blame, but did nobody ever ask why this guy seems to always be hanging around? I'm no secret service agent, but wouldn't a guy sitting there all day taking notes and with a recorder not raise some questions?

Now I don't believe that to be true. I think he was given access, and they were more than happy to continue to allow him to have access. SHS called him a nobody, then why give the guy full access? Why allow hi to get so close to Trump, Bannon, KAC, COS all of them.

This is the man (Trump) who is saying he can make America safe and he can't even control the WH?

aloyisious

Leroy42 wrote: »

At today's press briefing a journalist asked why Wolff had been given so much access. All SHS could say was that they had declined multiple requests for a direct interview.

She never came them the opportunity to ask why no one had simply cancelled his WH pass. This is the POTUS, and this nobody (as SHS called him) was able to stroll up each day and get within the inner circle?

What the hell is Kelly doing allowing this type of stuff to go on? Why is SHS not questioning why a journalist is being given almost full access to the WH?

Forget about whether what is in the book is 100% true (no doubt there are things that are incorrect and as usual people will pick on specifics to try destroy the whole) but this yet again paints the WH as totally inept.

I can't find the start and finish dates of MW work-interviews in the W/H but it may have been before Kelly and SHS took up work there. MW seem's to have been sitting quietly in the corner not disturbing anyone, a non-staffer [no threat to any career-minded staffer] just writing down his observations and answers he got from interviews with Don's permission. He sailed below the horizon.

Re the new publiation date, the publisher was reported by RTE as thanking the president. presumably for the free publicity.

mcmoustache

This is mad. I mean really mad. I knew these guys were out of their depth but I didn't realise they would just let a guy in there just taking notes and doing interviews. This book is going to sell tomorrow and will dominate the news for at least a few days.

This is so f*cking stupid. So f*cking stupid that I'm amazed people still defend Trump and his administration. It's not just me who thinks Trump is a f*cking moron - it's everyone in the white house.

Itssoeasy

aloyisious wrote: »

I can't find the start and finish dates of MW work-interviews in the W/H but it may have been before Kelly and SHS took up work there. MW seem's to have been sitting quietly in the corner not disturbing anyone, a non-staffer [no threat to any career-minded staffer] just writing down his observations and answers he got from interviews with Don's permission. He sailed below the horizon.

Re the new publiation date, the publisher was reported by RTE as thanking the president. presumably for the free publicity.

The publisher must be thanking their lucky stars.

Yeah in passages that are posted on twitter it looks like he was there well before general Kelly and SHS. I think it was may 2016, but as you say given how crazy it seems to have been, if you kept the head down and said nothing you seem to have been left alone. Going by the bits I've read it seemed like a game of who could get the upper hand.

mcmoustache

mcmoustache wrote: »

It's not just me who thinks Trump is a f*cking moron - it's everyone in the white house.

I'd say the secret service guys could tell some interesting stories!

Itssoeasy

https://twitter.com/cnn/status/948999341515014144

What the hell is this ? Trump lives in the White House and he couldn't walk to the press room ? It's like something out of the wizard of oz.

B00MSTICK

Itssoeasy wrote: »

What the hell is this ? Trump lives in the White House and he couldn't walk to the press room ? It's like something out of the wizard of oz.

No teleprompter in the press room and no chance of getting asked any hard questions directly?

circadian

He's having a pants optional day.

Honestly though, I'm almost 100% it's pre-recorded. No idea why they done that but sure you could say that about most things this administration does.

Is this how he's going to deliver the Fake News and Media awards on Monday?

PopePalpatine

Jeff Sessions has rescinded an Obama Administration directive refraining from interfering with states who legalised marijuana. While federal prosecutors still have discretion when it comes to state laws conflicting with federal laws - and Trump himself has previously said it should be left to the states - you would have to be suspicious about the motives of a guy who only just recently claimed marijuana was only slightly less horrible than heroin and was turned down for a role as a federal judge over 30 years because even by then he was considered "too racist" for the job.

Professor Moriarty

Itssoeasy wrote: »

https://twitter.com/cnn/status/948999341515014144

What the hell is this ? Trump lives in the White House and he couldn't walk to the press room ? It's like something out of the wizard of oz.

His Narcissistic Personality Disorder aside, I have a hunch that he hasn't been well for a few weeks.

Patser

B00MSTICK wrote: »

No teleprompter in the press room and no chance of getting asked any hard questions directly?

Defo. You can see him squinting as he tries to read, and stumbling over some bits but still sticking exactly to plot - no rambling, no going off on a tangent as he does normally when speaking live. That's almost certainly Kelly or some other staffer holding his reins and telling him to do exactly as told.

Wonder how many takes it took.....

StringerBell

Too much of a risk putting him in front of the WH press corp. Better to let him record his propaganda when he can do many, many takes then swan off to Mar-a-lago for a well earned break.