Trump news: President gives rambling speech at UN after Ukraine call memo released, as Senate receives whistleblower complaint
Document shows president asked Ukrainian leader to talk to Giuliani about investigation
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Donald Trump’s tumultuous day began with the release of a memo describing a phone call which could end his presidency, and ended with a weary rambling speech characterised by boasts, false claims and self pity.
If the president thought releasing the partial transcript would silence his critics, as he seemed to hope, he could not have been more wrong.
While his supporters claimed the memo exonerated him, his opponents insisted that it was even more damning than they had feared.
The call showed him asking his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate Joe Biden, who could face Mr Trump in next year’s presidential election, immediately after discussing the military aid Kiev needs to protect itself against a Russian-backed insurgency.
They also talked disparagingly about the former US ambassador to Ukraine who was recalled after apparently falling foul of the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Mr Trump apparently told the Ukrainian president: “Well, she’s going to go through some things.”
After appearing at an awkward media conference with the Ukrainian president himself on the edges of the UN general assembly, Mr Trump addressed the press himself.
In a low-energy performance, he insisted that the accusations against him were a Democrat “hoax” timed to embarrass him in front of the world’s leaders, boasted about his accomplishments, accused Mr Biden and his son of being corrupt and assured a Venezuelan journalist that he was watching developments in her country closely.
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It's important to note that while the president is delivering this press conference Democrats and others on the House Intelligence Committee are reviewing the whistle-blower complaint that was delivered just moments ago.
“The sad part is that with all the tremendous work we’ve done … the press doesn’t even cover it,” Donald Trump said.
He claimed the Democrats “created a hoax” during the United Nations summit as part of a “planned” effort to create a “witch hunt” and distract from the work he’s doing.
The president is now going back to slamming the Democratic Party.
Donald Trump is saying San Diego, California "was begging me for a wall" but "once it was built they said, 'We don't want a wall!'"
He suggested possibly taking the wall out of the area and putting it somewhere else. Yes, really.
Donald Trump is now recalling the migrants caravans, claiming he stopped them from happening when in fact they are a seasonal, annual occurrence.
He has now returned to discussing his meetings at the United Nations, describing his interactions as “fruitful”.
He is now about to take questions.
Donald Trump was asked about the Ukrainian scandal as his first question. “There’s a lot of corruption going on” in Ukraine, the president said, and he’s now claiming the Democrats pressured the country’s leaders into following their orders. There is no evidence of that.
The president is saying he believes he “may do even better” in the 2020 election because of his impeachment.
“I can’t help it that my opponent didn’t go to Wisconsin,” Donald Trump says, recalling his 2016 victory to Hillary Clinton while slamming the Russia investigation that clouded the first years of his presidency.
The secretary of state is now delivering a few remarks, opening with the latest developments surrounding Iran and the attacks on oil sites in Saudi Arabia.
A weary looking Donald Trump has used the setting of the United Nations to attack his critics during a rambling speech in which he had insisted he had done nothing that merited impeachment.
The Independent's Andrew Buncombe has more:
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has delivered short remarks discussing new investments in the US and trade.
Here's video of Donald Trump attacking the Democrats over impeachment:
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