President Trump took on a barrage of questions during a fiery meeting in the White House Cabinet Room Wednesday, tackling issues ranging from the ongoing government shutdown to recent comments by Sen.-elect Mitt Romney.
The President began by addressing Romney’s (R-Utah) criticisms published in a Washington Post op-ed Tuesday.
“If he fought really hard against President Obama like he does against me, he would have won the election,” Trump said of the failed 2012 presidential candidate, while calling on him to be a “team player.”
The president also defended his decision to pull troops out of Syria and a future drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Discussing border security and his long-promised border wall, Trump pointed to the Vatican as proof walls are not immoral and that they work.
He also blamed Democrat leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer for the events that have led to a 12-day government shutdown.
“How long are you willing to keep the government shut down then?” one reporter asked.
“As long as it takes,” Trump responded. “I think the people of this country think I’m right. Again, I could have done nothing. I could have had a lot easier presidency by doing nothing. But I’m here, I want to do it right.”
He also predicted Republican Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, a long-time Trump opponent, would in the future “probably go work for CNN.”
All the while, Trump had displayed on the table a poster-sized print out of a Game of Thrones meme warning sanctions against Iran are coming soon.
Very subtle pic.twitter.com/bC8tMdFcIb
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) January 2, 2019
Watch the full press conference:
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