Trump fumes at ‘ABC fake news’ reporter for pressing him on pricey Qatar plane gift: ‘You should be embarrassed!’

Donald Trump lashed retired astatine ABC News analogous Rachel Scott connected Monday for pressing him connected the $400 cardinal “palace successful the sky” that helium is poised to judge from the Qatari royal family.

Asked however helium would respond to concerns from the American nationalist that the luxury pitchy could beryllium seen arsenic a idiosyncratic gift, the president called Scott “fake news” and said that she “should beryllium embarrassed” earlier going connected a golf-related tangent astir accepting a “gimme” putt.

The president’s caller choler towards ABC News, whose genitor institution precocious paid Trump $15 cardinal to settee a defamation suit implicit a George Stephanopoulos interview, apt stems from the web being the archetypal to study connected Qatar’s projected acquisition to the medication – an connection that could tally afoul of the emoluments clause.

During a White House property league to denote his enforcement bid aimed astatine cutting cause prices, Trump was repeatedly asked by Scott astir the medication receiving a ace luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo pitchy from Qatari royals. The acquisition was initially expected to beryllium announced this week erstwhile Trump visits Qatar during his archetypal overseas travel of this administration.

The plane, which is expected to beryllium utilized arsenic the caller Air Force One for overmuch of the remainder of Trump’s term, volition past beryllium fixed to the Trump statesmanlike room adjacent the extremity of the president’s clip successful office.

“I deliberation that was a precise bully gesture. I could beryllium a anserine idiosyncratic and accidental we don’t privation a escaped plane. We springiness escaped things out. We’ll instrumentality 1 too. It helps america out,” Trump said erstwhile archetypal asked however the American radical could beryllium definite that Qatar won’t inquire for thing successful instrumentality for the gift.

As helium was preparing to motion his enforcement order, Scott erstwhile again wondered astir the anticipation that the jumbo pitchy from Qatar could beryllium seen arsenic a bribe, prompting the president to seethe implicit the implication.

“You are ABC fake news, right?!” Trump exclaimed. “Let maine archer you, you should beryllium embarrassed asking that question. They are giving america a escaped jet. I could accidental no, don’t springiness us, I privation to wage you a cardinal oregon $400 cardinal oregon immoderate it is. Or I tin accidental convey you precise much.” The president went connected to notation golfing fable Sam Snead, saying that “he had a motto” astir however golfers should conscionable accidental convey you and “pick up your shot and locomotion to the adjacent hole” whenever idiosyncratic “gives you a putt.”

“A batch of radical are anserine and accidental no, I importune connected putting, and they miss it and their spouse gets aggravated astatine them,” helium added. “Remember that. Sam Snead, erstwhile they springiness you a putt, you locomotion to the adjacent spread and accidental convey you precise much.”

Undeterred by the president’s insults, Scott followed up by asking whether the president had received a acquisition worthy millions of dollars and the giftor not asking for thing successful return, causing Trump to importune that he’s not the idiosyncratic recipient of the plane.

“It’s not a acquisition to me, but a acquisition to the Department of Defense,” helium groused. “You should cognize better. You person been embarrassed enough. ABC is simply a disaster.”

Anticipating these questions of legality, particularly since the emoluments clause prohibits explicitly immoderate American authorities authoritative from accepting gifts “from immoderate King, Prince oregon overseas State,” the Justice Department and Trump's apical White House lawyer deemed it “legally permissible” arsenic agelong arsenic the donation of the craft is conditioned connected ownership being transferred to the statesmanlike room by the extremity of the term.

Of course, it wasn’t mislaid connected critics that Attorney General Pam Bondi was erstwhile a overseas lobbyist for Qatar, earning $115,000 a period successful the relation that she held off-and-on starting successful 2019.

It isn’t conscionable the wide oregon mainstream media that is hammering Trump implicit the cognition that he’s accepting overseas bribes portion attempting to nett from his office. The editors of The Free Press, the “anti-woke” centrist outlet, slammed the president for accepting the luxury pitchy from Qatar, adding that the GOP and right-wing media spent the past fewer years blasting the Biden household implicit the aforesaid concerns.

“The Hunter Biden matter truly was a scandal. But these days, it seems similar tiny potatoes,” they noted, adding: “The Qatari level is not an objection but the regularisation for the 2nd Trump medication truthful far. Both overseas friends and foes are present treating this arsenic a pay-to-play presidency.”

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt, meanwhile, attempted to reassure the hosts of Trump’s favourite greeting speech amusement that determination was thing amiss with the lavish acquisition and cipher should beryllium bothered by it.

“Do you interest that if they springiness america thing similar this, they privation thing successful return?” Fox & Friends co-anchor Brian Kilmeade wondered.

“Absolutely not, due to the fact that they cognize President Trump and they cognize helium lone works with the interests of the American nationalist successful mind,” Leavitt proclaimed.