President Donald Trump hasn’t taken questions from the White House press corps since May 18. That changed yesterday, Friday, June 9, when Trump held a joint press conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. In his first chance to speak to the American people former FBI director James B. Comey’s testimony, he used the opportunity to brag about winning the election, brag about convincing Muslim leaders in Saudi Arabia to fight against terrorism and lash out at Qatar.
On winning the election, President Trump said “it’s almost impossible for the Democrats to lose the Electoral College, as you know. We have to run up the whole East Coast and you have to win everything as a Republican. And that’s just what we did.” In reality, Republicans are the ones who have an advantage in the Electoral College.
On terrorism, Mr. Trump talked about his “historic trip to Europe and the Middle East” and the “summit of more than 50 Arab and Muslim leaders, a unique meeting in the history of nations, where key players in the region agreed to stop supporting terrorism.” He acknowledged that Qatar “has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level” and that he decided, along with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, that “the time had come to call on Qatar to end its funding.” Secretary Tillerson urged gulf nations to go easier on Qatar about an hour earlier.
President Trump spoke (read, technically speaking) about the common values Romania and the United States share, including “a love of freedom, proud cultures, rich traditions and a vast and storied landscape to call home.” While Mr. Trump read these words with difficulty, President Iohannis showed off his good command of English (which is his third language) while speaking freely. He reaffirmed the 20-year-old strategic partnership between the two countries and thanked the Romanian people “for everything they contribute to our common defense and to the fight against the evil menace of terrorism.” The country is the fourth-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan.
President Iohannis also agreed to increase Romania’s defense spending from 1.4 percent of GDP to over 2 percent this year.
When asked about Mr. Trump’s speech at a NATO meeting in Brussels last month where he suggested that some allies, including Romania, who had not paid 2 percent in the past, should “pay some or all of that money back.” Excluding Montenegro, which joined the alliance last week, only five of 28 members devoted at least 2 percent of their economic output to their militaries in accordance with a NATO goal. The issue doesn’t necessarily lie within that 2 percent, but rather whether the NATO members are spending enough on their own militaries. As in the past, President Trump seems to have misunderstood how NATO works. He knows no other President has ever asked that question, but he does. Perhaps “impoverished and debt-ridden country like Romania have better things to do with its money than buy more tanks,” noted columnist Gail Collins.
On Friday, Trump said he was “committing the United States to Article 5.” The NATO treaty article says an attack on one member is an attack on all members and binds the allies to come to that country’s defense. On May 25, during his speech at the NATO meeting, Trump was supposed to read a 27-word sentence that was meant to reassure that his views towards the European collective-security pact have evolved. “We face many threats, but I stand here before you with a clear message: the U.S. commitment to the NATO alliance and to Article 5 is unwavering.” was instead taken out at the last minute.
“Romania is a member of the European Union. And I think it’s the best interest of you, Mr. President, to have a strong European Union as a partner,” said President Iohannis to President Trump. “This is vital for all of us. Our relationship, the transatlantic link is vital. The transatlantic link is not about diplomacy, about policy — it’s at the basis of our Western civilization. And together, we will make it stronger,” the Romanian president continued.
“NATO and the European Union do not have to compete against each other. They have to work together. They have to work in such a manner as to produce synergetic effects. Make NATO stronger. Make European stronger. Make the United States of America stronger,” said president of Romania Klaus Iohannis.
A reporter asked whether there had been any discussions about the Visa Waiver Program for Romania and a possible time frame for including the country in the program. “We didn’t discuss it,” stated Mr. Trump. “I mentioned this issue, and I also mentioned it during other meetings I had, because this is important for us, it’s important for Romanians who want to come to the United States,” reiterated Mr. Iohannis.
Trump’s body language alone suggests he wasn’t listening or paying attention to the conversation.
Question: Were visa waivers discussed?
Pres. Trump: "We didn't discuss it."
Romanian Pres. Iohannis: "Yes … I mentioned this issue." pic.twitter.com/uxoruG2wvP
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) June 9, 2017
On the Comey matter, Mr. Trump insisted he will address it “in the very near future […] in the meantime, no collusion, no obstruction. He’s a leaker.” He accused Mr. Comey of lying under oath to Congress, adding that he would gladly provide sworn testimony. Once again, the emphasis was on the word “leaker.”
Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication…and WOW, Comey is a leaker!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2017
“Oh, you’re going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer. Don’t worry,” Trump responded when asked whether there are tapes.
Romanian journalists asked President Trump whether he thought that corruption in Romania was a problem for the U.S.-Romania partnership and how he thought it could be solved. To this, Trump said he “was given a chart just before our meeting, and we have people going over to Romania and investing.”
While Mr. Trump said there were “a lot of congratulations in store,” Romanians tend to disagree. Corruption is the biggest problem in the country, despite the anti-corruption fight Trump reportedly strongly supports. If Romania really has been such a strong ally to the United States, don’t we at least deserve for the president to hear us out?
