Trump news: President faces new sexual misconduct lawsuit and attacks Spike Lee as ‘racist’

Live updates from the kickoff to a consequential week for Donald Trump's White House

Oscar 2019: 'Make the moral choice between love versus hate', says Spike Lee

Donald Trump kicked off a consequential week of domestic and international developments on Monday by attacking a film director’s Oscars speech as “racist” and becoming the subject of another sexual assault lawsuit.

The president went after Spike Lee — who used his Oscar acceptance speech to urge mobilisation for the 2020 election — in a tweet, claiming the filmmaker did a “racist hit on your President.” Mr Trump then claimed that he had “done more for African Americans” than “almost” any other president.

Mr Lee did not directly name Trump. He spoke about black history and his family history, saying his grandmother’s mother was a slave, before stressing the presidential election next year.

“Let’s all be on the right side of history,” Mr Lee said on Sunday night’s awards show. “Make the moral choice between love versus hate.”

The controversial tweets arrived the same day Mr Trump faced a lawsuit alleging he abruptly grabbed a former campaign staffer’s hand and planted an unwanted kiss on her face during a Florida meeting with staff and volunteers.

Alva Johnson wrote in the federal lawsuit that Mr Trump made the nonconsensual advance in August 2016 in Tampa, Florida. She said he “grasped her hand and did not let go” and kissed her on the corner of her mouth as she turned slightly away.

“The forced and unwanted kiss was deeply offensive to Ms Johnson,” the lawsuit says, adding that she suffered “emotional distress, psychological trauma, humiliation, embarrassment, loss of dignity, invasion of privacy and other damages.”

The lawsuit, first reported by Washington Post, seeks unspecified money damages and an order preventing the president from “grabbing, kissing or otherwise assaulting or harassing women without prior express consent.”

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders called Johnson’s allegations fabricated and said other people who were there say it did not take place. “This accusation is absurd on its face. This never happened and is directly contradicted by multiple highly credible eye witness accounts,” Sanders said.

The president departed on Air Force One by Monday afternoon for his upcoming second summit with North Korean regime leader Kim Jong Un. Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence visited Colombia to discuss the Venezuela crisis with the president of Colombia and Venezuela’s opposition leader, Juan Guaido. Both Mr Trump and his vice president will be outside of the US this week — a rarity in American politics for national security reasons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. See The Independent’s live coverage below.

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Key Points

• President attacks filmmaker for 'racist hit' in Oscars speech
• Trump jetting out for second North Korea summit in Vietnam
• Ex-campaign aide sues president over non-consensual kiss

[25 February 2019 14:15 · Joe Sommerlad]

The president appears to be anxious about leaving his domestic interests behind while he's away in Asia, tweeting twice this morning about the Mexico border wall.

[25 February 2019 14:30 · Joe Sommerlad]

It's possible the real reason Donald Trump was so annoyed with Spike Lee is because he disagreed with the filmmaker about the merits of Best Picture winner Green Book.

Lee - resplendent in purple suit and gold high-tops - appeared disgusted by the film's victory, reportedly heading for the exit during the speeches and telling American interviewers afterwards, "The ref made a bad call", and a man from the BBC it was "not his cup of tea".

"If things don't work out a certain way, black Twitter is going to be on fire", he had warned CNN from the red carpet before the ceremony even started.

[25 February 2019 14:45 · Joe Sommerlad]

The markets have responded well to the news the US will delay its increase to tariffs on Chinese goods.

The president said on Sunday his negotiations with Chinese vice-premier Liu He had resulted in "substantial progress" on trade.

Here's Cailtin Morrison.

[25 February 2019 15:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

The president was mocked over the weekend for announcing that Washington would stage a firework display to celebrate Independence Day on 4 July.

"If this goes well, I think we should follow it with a big party in Times Square the night before New Year’s Day," Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell responded dryly on Twitter. 

[25 February 2019 15:02 · Joe Sommerlad]

Sigh. He's watching Fox again.

[25 February 2019 15:15 · Joe Sommerlad]

President Trump is being sued by a former campaign worker who claims he kissed her without her consent.

The White House denies the allegation made by Alva Johnson concerning an incident said to have taken place in Tampa, Florida, in August 2016.

Here's Chris Riotta in New York.

[25 February 2019 15:25 · Joe Sommerlad]

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough not mincing his words here, branding Donald Trump "the most racist president in modern American history" in response to his comment on Spike Lee.

[25 February 2019 15:40 · Joe Sommerlad]

A little background on Howard X, the Kim Jong-un lookalike being deported from Vietnam, courtesy of Adam Forrest.

[25 February 2019 15:50 · Joe Sommerlad]

South Korea's top diplomat has said an end to North Korea's nuclear and missile tests would be good, but "just the beginning," after President Trump said he would be "happy" as long as no testing takes place. 

Foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha said South Korea hopes for tangible results from this week's summit between Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi. 

Mr Kang said she was hopeful for "a substantial outcome" on issues of denuclearisation and "corresponding measures from the United States." 

Speaking to the UN-backed Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland,Mr  Kang insisted complete denuclearisation "requires many more concrete steps."

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres later told the 65-member body that he hoped the US and North Korean leaders would agree on "concrete steps for sustainable, peaceful, and complete and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula."

[25 February 2019 16:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

If you happen to be in Hanoi this week and need a haircut, here's a reminder that the city's Tuan Duong Beauty Academy is offering free trims to those prepared to go for a "Donald" or a "Kim" in honour of the summit.