Trump news – live: Fauci responds to White House attacks as Oklahoma governor tests positive for coronavirus
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Dr Anthony Fauci responded to White House's "bizarre" attacks against the coronavirus taskforce head, saying it ultimately hurts the president.
Donald Trump distanced himself from the op-ed in USA Today, saying it was written by Peter Navarro and that he had a good relationship with Dr Fauci.
It came as Oklahoma's Kevin Stitt becomes first US governor announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19.
Trump, meanwhile, appeared to avoid a Twitter hack that targeted presidential candidates Joe Biden and Kanye West, as well as other high-profile politicians and business leaders like Barack Obama and Elon Musk.
Follow the latest updates below:
John T Bennett, our Washington Bureau Chief, provides a rundown of the president's rambling 52 minute campaign-style speech in the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday evening.
Donald Trump on Tuesday announced he signed an executive order ending Hong Kong‘s favoured trading status after a new Chinese law his administration says vastly erodes Hong Kong’s autonomy. But he appeared to use the policy announcement as a mechanism to hammer his 2020 general election foe in yet another surreal scene at the White House under the 45th president, a former reality television host.
He also signed bipartisan legislation slapping sanctions on China over its Hong Kong policy. But the Hong Kong-China policy news was almost immediately obliterated by what happened next.
What transpired in the steamy Rose Garden was a campaign event – paid for by the American taxpayer, not Mr Trump’s political donors via his campaign organisation – as a clearly aggrieved and frustrated president pivoted to hard line rhetoric and appearing to understand the uphill fight he has to win a second term.
Trump would welcome Flynn back to White House
While retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn was on national security adviser for the first month of the Trump administration before being fired for lying to the vice president, Donald Trump told CBS News that he would welcome him back to the White House.
"I would. I think he's a great gentleman," he told CBS News' Catherine Herridge in an interview on Tuesday.
"He's a great — he's been in the military for many, many decades, actually. Highly respected. What General Flynn went through is so unfair."
Mr Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI, but his sentencing was delayed when he agreed to cooperate with the Mueller investigation.
Ivanka tweets support for Goya, may have violated ethics law
First daughter and presidential adviser Ivanka Trump tweeted her support for Goya Foods late on Tuesday as the company faced a boycott after the CEO voiced his support for Donald Trump.
Unfortunately for Ivanka, the tweet may have violated federal ethics laws which state that "an employee's position or title should not be used to coerce; to endorse any product, service or enterprise; or to give the appearance of governmental sanction".
Indeed, Walter Shaub, former director of the Office of Government Ethics, laid out how it broke the rules in an extensive Twitter thread.
The Goya tweet has also reminded people of the time Kellyanne Conway promoted Ivanka's clothing line in a 2017 appearance on Fox News. Ms Conway was warned that she may have violated federal laws, but it was argued she had done so "inadvertently".
Mary Trump speaks
We covered the some of the most startling excerpts from the Mary Trump book Too Much and Never Enough when they were released ahead of publication, but following a court ruling that Donald Trump's niece could promote her book in person, she made her first television appearance this morning.
Speaking to George Stephanopoulos on ABC's Good Morning America, Ms Trump, a clinical psychologist, was candid in her assessment of the president.
“He is utterly incapable of leading this country, and it’s dangerous to allow him to do so.”
She labelled the family as "dysfunctional" and her grandfather, Fred, as a "sociopath", who turned his children and wife into "pawns to be used to his own ends".
The book says that this relationship explains much of her uncle's behaviour today.
The White House has said that book is full of "falsehoods" and "absurd allegations".
At least one other Trump was watching the Mary Trump interview
Mitch McConnell says he has "total" faith in Dr Fauci
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is in Shelby County, Kentucky, today, discussing the next stimulus package and urging people to wear masks.
Asked about his level of faith in Dr Anthony Fauci, he responded: "Total".
Today's schedule
Today the president will receive a law enforcement briefing at 11am in the Oval Office, before departing the White House from the South Lawn in Marine One at 1pm.
He will fly Air Force One to Atlanta, arriving just before 3pm to will deliver remarks at the UPS Hapeville Airport Hub — 'Rebuilding America's Infrastructure: Faster, Better, Stronger'.
A fleeting visit, the president will depart Atlanta at 4.25pm, arriving back on the South Lawn of the White House at 6.15pm.
One full Scaramucci
According to a report in Intelligencer, Kanye West has dropped his 2020 presidential run.
Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, whose time in that role was famously brief, tweeted: "According to my calculations @kanyewest ’s presidential aspirations lasted one full Scaramucci".
Kanye announced his run on the Fourth of July.
More on this morning's law enforcement briefing
From Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere via the pool report:
Today, President Donald J Trump will receive an update on the progress that Department of Justice and United States law enforcement agencies have made in their effort to dismantle, defeat, and destroy MS-13 in the United States. President Trump’s Administration has undertaken serious efforts to bring the violent criminals of MS-13 to justice.
As early as February 2017, President Trump signed Executive Order 13773 to direct a whole-of-government approach to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and restore safety in American communities. Under the direction of President Trump in October 2017, the Department of Justice designated MS-13 as a priority for their Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces. On August 16, 2019, Attorney General Barr created “Joint Task Force Vulcan” to lead DOJ and US law enforcement agencies in their efforts to destroy the MS-13.
More response on the Navarro op-ed
When the White House pool was called to the Oval Office regarding the law enforcement meeting, reporters asked about the Peter Navarro op-ed criticising Dr Anthony Fauci.
Q: Are you OK with the op-ed Peter Navarro wrote on Dr. Fauci?
Trump: "I get along very well with Dr. Fauci."
Q: Are you OK with the op-ed Peter Navarro wrote?
Trump: "That's Peter Navarro, but I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci."
CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang shed more light on Twitter.
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