The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is considering
using legal instruments to penalise Omarosa Manigault-Newman, Trump’s former aide, to prevent her
releasing a recording she made in the White House Situation Room to the general public.
On Sunday, Manigault-Newman played the recording of her firing by the White House Chief of Staff,
John Kelly, during an interview for the NBC broadcaster.
The White House spokesperson, Sarah Sanders, slammed Manigault-Newman’s move by calling it a “blatant
disregard for our national security” since bringing a recording device into the Situation Room is prohibited.
Many Trump administration officials feared that their ex-colleague would release their private conversations
as well, the ABC News broadcaster reported.
“It’s an unbelievable violation of protocol and the law. You can lose your security clearance for bringing
your device into SCIF – to bring it in is a violation but to willfully record it – you’re entering a
whole other realm,” former White House spokesman Sean Spicer told the broadcaster.
Manigault-Newman’s interview was held ahead of the release of her memoir “Unhinged: An Insider’s Account
of the Trump White House,” which is expected to take place on Tuesday.
As excerpts of the book have been circulating in the media, tensions between Trump and his ex-aide
have mounted.
Media reported on Sunday, citing the book, that Manigault-Newman called the U.S. president a “racist,
misogynist and bigot.” Trump, in turn, called Manigault-Newman a “lowlife.”
Manigault-Newman appeared in Trump’s TV show The Apprentice in 2004.
Between January and December 2017, she worked in the presidential administration.
After her resignation, media suggested that Manigault-Newman had been forced to quit her job rather
than decided to leave herself.
On Monday the last day of April 2018, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari became the first African leader to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House with the US President openly expressing respect for the leader of Africa’s largest democracy.
Speaking at a joint press conference with President Buhari, Trump continuously reverbed how he has so much respect for Buhari, but does the US President actually means it?
President Buhari and Buhari at the joint press conference
“I have great respect for you, Mr. President. Nigeria is a great country, I will be visiting soon,” were President Trump’s words.
To fully grab the rhetoric of Trump’s claim of respect for Buhari, it becomes imperative to analyse and put the US President’s comments into perspective in context.
Before the joint press conference, President Buhari had a bilateral meeting with the US President in the White House, of which what transpired, Trump hinted at the joint press conference.
It is worthy to note that in the bigger scheme of things, the press conference was actually a footnote.
Trump, when quizzed at the joint press conference, revealed that more than anything else he discussed with President Buhari was the need for US agricultural products coming into Nigeria, which he said Nigeria wants.
“But there have been certain barriers that do not allow that to happen; very substantial barriers to the United States trading with Nigeria. We have already started talking with the President about taking down the trade barriers.
“So for the good of our farmers, US farmers and for the good of Nigeria, and all of Africa, it is very important that we are able to sell our great agricultural products into Nigeria. That will happen; and we are going to be working on that right away. So, we think that we are owed that,” said Trump.
Trump laid all these bare after Buhari insisted the US consider Nigeria’s crude oil in the stead of Shell’s.
“The progress made by the United States in technology is certainly frightening for us that are mono-economy. I hope technology will allow them use our crude for its quality, for petrochemicals, being light one, vis-à-vis what they are getting from Shell,” Buhari earlier demanded.
Trump’s claim of respect for Buhari cannot be said to be sincere as he ironically, tactically made a deal to push her agricultural products into Nigeria with the glaring fact that agriculture is the main thrust of Nigeria diversifying its economy from overdependence on crude oil.
Trump’s claim of respect for Buhari is to serve the purpose of massaging the ego of the Nigerian President into cajoling him to have his way to get US agricultural products into Nigeria.
Donald Trump is both rude and cruel; confirming diplomats and politicians alike can actually tell you to go to hell in a way you will look forward to the trip.
Trump said “there is no country more beautiful” than Nigeria; however, people exactly know when people are actually telling the truth.
“Well I would like very much to visit Nigeria. It is an amazing country. In certain ways, I hear from the standpoint of the beauty of a country — there’s no country more beautiful,” were Trump’s words.
Trump has been known to be the most chronic fact twister in recent times; so, it is not unexpected for him to make such supposed factual statement about Nigeria. He hopes he is dealing with an actual ‘maga’.
President Buhari and trump before bilateral meeting
If Trump is not high on the need to ‘mugu’ Buhari into assenting to allow US agricultural products into Nigeria, he wouldn’t have said what he said as it is obvious Nigeria is not in the list of the top 5 most beautiful countries of Africa, let alone “there is no country more beautiful” than Nigeria.
If Trump’s statements should be taken as they are, he could have meant what he said, but given context, the US President has no regards for Nigeria and the things that matter most for the country. It is obvious the respect Trump has for President Buhari is for him to take advantage of Nigeria.
He continuously prodded Buhari to consider lifting trade barrier to ensure the US gets its way of pushing its agricultural products into the country.
Trump smiling really hard
Meanwhile, in his speeches during the working lunch and at the joint press conference, President Buhari highlighted key areas the Nigerian government might be requiring the assistance of the US.
Already Buhari and Trump both acknowledged Nigeria acquisition of 12 Super Tucano war crafts during the press conference. In addition to this Buhari made known that discussion with his American counterpart, bothered on, including security, anti-corruption, trade, human rights and humanitarian aid.
While it is obvious that Buhari did not succumbed to Trump’s whims, there might be grave implications if he doesn’t, which might include the US tightening business relations with, and humanitarian aid for Nigeria.
President Muhammadu Buhari, Monday, said he did not bring up President Donald Trump’s alleged shithole remark about African countries when the two presidents met because he was not sure he actually made the comment.
Buhari said this at the press conference with Trump at the Rose Garden at the White House.
He said, “I am not sure about the validity or whether that allegation against the President was true or not, so the best thing to do for me is to keep quiet.”
Trump came under fire early in the year after he reportedly called some African countries ‘shithole’ at a private White House meeting on January 12.
The US leader, however, denied making the comment and labelled his accusers as fake news peddlers.
U.S. President Donald Trump is still willing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in spite of increasing tensions between the United States and Russia, White House Spokesperson, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said on Tuesday.
“The president still would like to sit down with him [Putin]. Again, he feels like it is better for the world if they have a good relationship.
“But that’s going to depend on the actions of Russia,’’ Sanders told newsmen.
Sanders also said the U.S. was considering additional sanctions against Russia and will make a decision on the matter in the “near future.”
Tensions between the U.S. and Russia have escalated in recent days over the conflict in Syria.
The U.S., UK and France launched missile strikes on a number of targets in Syria on Saturday in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Damascus’ suburb of Duma.
Western states have blamed the Syrian government forces for the incident, but Damascus has denied using chemical weapons.
Ties between Moscow and Washington significantly worsened after the eruption of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014.
Russian-U.S. relations continued to deteriorate in 2017 over a number of issues including alleged Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.
Also by playing a row around Russian diplomatic property in the U.S. as well as U.S. pressure on the RT broadcaster’s activities in the U.S.
In 2018, tensions have escalated even further over the U.S. decision to expel Russian diplomats over Moscow’s alleged involvement in the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in the UK city of Salisbury.
However, Russia has repeatedly denied all allegations.
Dr Ronny Jackson, U.S. President Donald Trump’s White House physician, has declared the president to be in “excellent health”.
“The examination went exceptionally well. The President is in excellent health and I look forward to briefing some of the details on Tuesday,” Jackson said in a statement released by the White House.
Jackson’s declaration came after Trump received his first medical check-up at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Bethesda, Maryland, on Friday.
Trump’s mental state has become an issue of concern recently following revelations in a recent book: “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House”, written by Michael Wolff.
The book, which has sparked sharp criticisms among Trump’s opponents and the White House, suggested that the U.S. president was mentally unfit and also heavily criticised the Trump’s presidency.
Trump spent about three hours at the medical facility in Maryland for the check-up, his first as president.
The president, however, declared himself as “a very stable genius”, pushing back hard against any suggestion that he was mentally unfit.
The examination lasted several hours and measured things like Trump’s blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, heart rate and weight.
The White House did not, however, provide specific results of those tests.
Jackson, who also provided care for President Barack Obama and became a White House physician in 2006, is expected to provide a detailed readout of the exam on Tuesday and answer questions from reporters.
But conclusions about Trump’s mental alertness were not expected as the White House said Trump would not undergo a psychiatric examination.
Bornstein had said in a December 2015 letter: “If elected, Mr Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”
In September 2016, two months before the November 2016 presidential election, Trump released a five-paragraph letter from his long-time physician, Dr Harold Bornstein, who concluded that Trump “is in excellent physical health”.
The letter put Trump’s blood pressure and cholesterol measurements in the healthy range, while his electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, echocardiogram and blood sugar were normal.
The doctor’s 2016 letter stated that Trump’s testosterone level, 441.6, was in the normal range, as were his Prostate-specific antigen reading for prostate abnormalities and tests of his liver and thyroid.
Trump was 70 when he took office on Jan. 20, 2017, making him the oldest person ever elected to the nation’s highest office.
Visitors and staff are to be banned from using personal electronic devices in the West Wing presidential offices, the White House said in a statement on Thursday.
“The security and integrity of the technology systems at the White House is a top priority for the Trump administration.
“Therefore, starting next week, the use of all personal devices for both guests and staff will no longer be allowed in the West Wing,” White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said.
The statement was issued in response to questions from the White House press corps about personal use of mobile phones in the West Wing.
Sanders said that White House staff “will be able to conduct business on their government-issued devices and continue working hard on behalf of the American people.”
The announcement follows a public row between President Donald Trump and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who was quoted extensively for an upcoming book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” by author Michael Wolff.
Wolff claims that Trump himself allowed him “something like a semi-permanent seat on a couch in the West Wing.”
The book portrays an unprepared candidate who had not really meant to win the presidency.
Trump’s Wednesday statement blasting Bannon accused the man who was chief executive of his winning campaign of helping journalists write “phony books.”
President Donald Trump on Monday swore in his new chief of staff, former Homeland Security Secretary and retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, insisting he has no doubt Kelly will do a “spectacular job” in his new role.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that Kelly takes over from Reince Priebus, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, who left the position after a little over six months, unable to bring order to a chaotic and at times fractious West Wing.
The change over follows one of Trump’s worst weeks in office so far. The Senate was unable to pass a plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. New White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci unleashed a foul-mouthed rant in which he belittled the former chief of staff — followed by Priebus’ resignation. GOP senators rebuked Trump for his criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. And controversial speeches before the Boy Scouts and police officers were followed by criticism from Boy Scouts and police officials.
Trump, however, said Monday that things are going well for his administration. He tweeted earlier in the morning, “Highest stock market ever, best economic numbers in years, unemployment lowest in 17 years, wages rising border secure S.C. No WH chaos!”
Highest Stock Market EVER, best economic numbers in years, unemployment lowest in 17 years, wages raising, border secure, S.C.: No WH chaos!
As NPR’s John Ydstie has reported, the stock market’s rise is likely attributable in part to Trump, but there are other factors at play, like faster global growth.
Kelly is highly regarded by Trump, who said what Kelly had accomplished at the Department of Homeland Security “is record shattering.” Trump said Kelly got “tremendous results” on border security with “very little controversy.” There has been a steep drop in border apprehensions during the administration and an increase in arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Kelly, formerly in charge of the U.S. Southern Command, was confirmed as Homeland Security secretary with bipartisan support by the Senate, 88-11.
In a meeting with his Cabinet after Monday’s swearing-in, Trump predicted Kelly will go down as “one of the greatest ever” chiefs of staff.
The White House has not yet announced whom Trump will nominate for Homeland Security.
Sean Spicer has reportedly resigned as Donald Trump’s Press Secretary after the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as director of communications.
The President had asked Mr Spicer to stay on, according to The New York Times, but Mr Spicer told the President that the appointment of Mr Scaramucci was a major mistake.
Mr Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier and longtime supporter of Mr Trump, will replace Mike Dubke, who resigned from the job in May amid fallout from primarily Russia-related scandals.
During the transition, Mr Trump had planned to appoint Mr Scaramucci as director of his office of public liaison, but the offer was pulled at the request of Mr Priebus over concerns about the financier’s overseas investments, The Times reported.
Mr Spicer’s resignation comes after Mr Trump also reshuffled his personal legal team, which is building the President’s defence against allegations of collusion with the Russian government around the 2016 election.
Jonathan Karl, the chief White House correspondent for ABC News, tweeted that when he went to ask Mr Spicer a question about Mr Scaramucci, the Press Secretary “slammed the door” in his face.
Minutes later, it was reported that Mr Spicer had resigned.
Throughout his six-month tenure as the White House Press Secretary, Mr Spicer became known for his combative style with the press that inspired a caricature of him on “Saturday Night Live”.
A former Republican National Committee spokesman and strategist, Mr Spicer was on the frontlines defending Mr Trump’s directives and decisions, from the controversial travel ban to the President’s abrupt firing of James Comey as FBI Director in May.
Mr Scaramucci and Mr Spicer’s replacement will be joining the administration when friction between the White House and the press is at a high. Mr Trump has criticised several news organisations, and communications staff has received backlash for holding fewer on-camera briefings. Mr Spicer has said the change is meant to draw more attention to the President’s remarks, but some reporters have asserted that the White House “should have the backbone” to answer questions during on-camera proceedings.
US President Donald Trump has broken a nearly 20-year-old tradition by failing to host a dinner marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The White House event had been held every year since President Clinton’s tenure.
The Eid al-Fitr feast ends Ramadan, a period when Muslims fast and focus on charitable giving.
But US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reportedly rejected a request to hold a reception.
In May, Reuters said Mr Tillerson had refused a recommendation from the State Department’s office of religion and global affairs to organise a celebration.
Mr Trump has previously been criticised for his use of anti-Muslim rhetoric, including on the campaign trail when he called for surveillance of US mosques.
He said in a statement: “On behalf of the American people, Melania and I send our warm greetings to Muslims as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr.
“Muslims in the United States joined those around the world during the holy month of Ramadan to focus on acts of faith and charity. Now, as they commemorate Eid with family and friends, they carry on the tradition of helping neighbours and breaking bread with people from all walks of life.
“During this holiday, we are reminded of the importance of mercy, compassion, and goodwill. With Muslims around the world, the United States renews our commitment to honour these values. Eid Mubarak.”
Mr Tillerson also released a brief statement, sending “best wishes to all Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr”.
The first presidential Iftar dinner (the name for a meal held after sunset, when Muslims break their fast), is said to have been hosted by Thomas Jefferson in 1805 for a Tunisian envoy.
The idea of hosting a dinner was revived by Hillary Clinton in 1996, when she was First Lady.
It became an annual tradition from 1999 and was attended by prominent US Muslim leaders, diplomats and legislators.
During Monday’s White House meeting with President Donald Trump, Tim Cook pushed for the U.S. government to make coding a required class for kids.
This is something Cook has publicly discussed before. When Apple debuted its kid-focused Swift Playgrounds app, he said that, “We believe coding should be a required language in all schools”.
In the meeting on Monday, President Trump called for a “sweeping transformation of the federal government’s technology” program.
Following the meeting, as well, Trump said that the government had to “catch up” with the private sector in everything from better services for citizens to stronger defense from cyber attacks.
“Government needs to catch up with the technology revolution,” Trump said, adding: “We’re going to change that with the help of great American businesses like the people assembled.”
This was the first meeting of the White House’s American Technology Council, which will see the Trump administration work alongside tech companies to bring federal bureaucracy up to date with the latest technology.
Cook, and much of the rest of Silicon Valley, has so far enjoyed a turbulent relationship with Trump.
Earlier this year, Cook criticized Trump’s executive order limiting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. More recently, he spoke out about Trump’s decision to take the United States out of the Paris climate agreement.
From the sound of things, though, all parties involved are happy to overlook political differences if it means that shared progress can be made.
