Free Republic

President Trump on Monday said he doesn't believe the federal government will pursue reparations for descendants of slaves, an idea that has gained traction among some Democrats. "I don’t see it happening," Trump said in an exclusive interview with The Hill. The House Judiciary Committee held the first hearing on the issue in a decade earlier this month, and a handful of Democratic presidential candidates seeking to challenge Trump in 2020 have broached the idea. "I think it’s a very unusual thing," Trump said of the possibility of reparations. "You have a lot of — it’s been a very interesting...

President Trump’s scorched-earth offensive against congressional Democrats this week is a clear sign he sees his path to reelection as being paved through battles with his opponents more than collaboration. The president’s decisions to walk out of a White House meeting on infrastructure and to belittle and poke Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) with personal attacks are likely to excite Trump supporters who like nothing more than his confrontations with the establishment. “Donald Trump is a fighter, there’s no ambiguity about that, and he’s going to fight for what he believes in,” said Bryan Lanza, a former Trump campaign and transition...

President Trump on Monday said he would build his long-desired wall along the southern border regardless of whether Congress approves funding for it. "Just so you know, we're building the wall anyway," Trump said at a campaign rally in El Paso, Texas, which sits directly across the Rio Grande from Mexico. Trump spoke shortly after lawmakers said they had reached a funding deal in principle to avoid another government shutdown set to begin on Saturday. The deal includes some money for barriers along the border. The president said he would not sign an agreement that cuts the number of detention...

Asked by reporters about Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) suggestion that Trump sign a stopgap spending bill to buy more time for talks, Trump responded, “I did reject it.” “I’m not interested. I want to get it solved. I don’t want to just delay it. I want to get it solved,” he said.

President Trump on Friday denied a report that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heard an audio recording of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was never given or shown a Transcript or Video of the Saudi Consulate event. FAKE NEWS!" Trump tweeted. The president's comments come one day after ABC News reported Pompeo listened to the recording and was given a transcript of it during meetings this week in Turkey scheduled in response to Khashoggi's disappearance. Trump administration officials have repeatedly denied the report, which was based on the account of...

President Trump on Wednesday said the U.S. has requested audio and video from Turkey related to the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. "We've asked for it, if it exists," Trump said in the Oval Office. Trump told reporters he is not sure if a recording exists, but conceded it "probably does," and indicated it could play a role in assigning blame for his fate. "We will probably know that by the end of the week," Trump said regarding the Khashoggi case. The president spoke as grisly details emerged about the Saudis alleged interrogation of Khashoggi inside their consulate in Istanbul...

President Trump tweeted on Friday that “Fox & Friends” was broadcasting from the front lawn of the White House, teasing a possible visit. Minutes later, Trump was standing side-by-side with Fox host Steve Doocy unloading on former FBI Director James Comey, Democrats and the Russia probe in an unusual setting: the North Lawn of the White House. After ending the Fox interview, Trump conceded to a shorter, more hostile series of questions from other reporters — one of whom he described as obnoxious. In the course of the two interviews, Trump offered a series of claims, several of them misleading...

The White House on Tuesday hardened its position against a bipartisan proposal in the Senate that would shield young immigrants living in the U.S. from deportation. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders gave her strongest indication yet that President Trump would not sign the measure, written by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), if it reaches his desk. “It’s totally unacceptable to the president and should be declared dead on arrival,” she told reporters. President Trump previously dismissed the proposal in profane fashion when it was first presented to him in the Oval Office, remarks that helped lead to...