Donald Trump responded to wild theories from ‘sleazebag’ critics regarding a hot mic moment between himself and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts before his address to Congress.
The commander-in-chief and the Bush-appointed jurist briefly exchanged a few words while greeting one another before Trump spoke to the nation.
A carefully placed microphone caught Trump’s message to Roberts as he shook his hand and tapped him on his arm.
‘Thank you again. Thank you again. Won’t forget it,’ Trump can be heard saying.
Left-leaning outlets, including The Daily Beast, MSNBC, The Atlantic and Huffington Post, suggested or even published outright conspiracy theories about the moment.
‘It was not immediately unclear what, exactly, Trump was thanking him for—though have been more than a few instances over the past few years of Supreme Court intervention in favor of the president,’ The Daily Beast wrote, before pointing out Roberts granted Trump immunity from prosecution last year.
Meanwhile, HuffPo used the headline: ‘Donald Trump Rips The Mask Off Of John Roberts’ Court In One Sentence’
‘Roberts gave Trump a get-out-of-jail-free card, and Trump is grateful,’ author Paul Blumenthal wrote. ‘Whatever decisions are forthcoming from the court on Trump’s unlawful administration are now tainted by Trump’s gratitude to Roberts. He ripped the mask off the court’s pretensions to fairness and independence and revealed his most vital accomplice.’
Donald Trump responded to wild theories regarding a hot mic moment between himself and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts before the president’s address to Congress
The commander-in-chief and the Bush-appointed Roberts briefly greeted one another before Trump spoke to the nation
The president, in his trademark fashion, took to social media to slam the ‘play the ref’ media and revealed what actually happened.
He said his critics were trying to ‘create a divide between me and our great U.S. Supreme Court.’
‘Like most people, I don’t watch Fake News CNN or MSDNC, but I understand they are going ‘crazy’ asking what is it that I was thanking Justice Roberts for?’
He shamed the press for having ‘never called my office to ask’ and calling them ‘sleazebags.’
‘If they had I would have told these sleazebag ‘journalists’ that I thanked him for SWEARING ME IN ON INAUGURATION DAY, AND DOING A REALLY GOOD JOB IN SO DOING! The Fake News never quits!’
It comes after a great night for the president which riled up his base and antagonized Democrats to the point of embarrassment.
His 99-minute victory lap in front of Congress on Tuesday night was a hit with the watching American public, according to an exclusive snap poll for DailyMail.com.
Trump may have included taunts and boasts but some 57 percent of respondents gave the speech a thumbs up.
A carefully placed microphone caught Trump sending a brief message to Roberts as he shook his hand and tapped him on his arm
Left-leaning outlets, including The Daily Beast , MSNBC , The Atlantic and Huffington Post , suggested or outright published conspiracy theories about the moment
Only 32 percent said they disapproved, according to an online survey of 774 viewers conducted by J.L. Partners.
And some 58 percent said they thought it struck a generally optimistic tone, after Trump announced that the ‘American Dream is surging bigger and better than ever before.’
‘This was a knockout speech for Trump,’ said pollster James Johnson. ‘Viewers felt he was confident, optimistic, and strong – and they left feeling more positive about the future of America than when they left.’
Trump used the address to take a victory lap six weeks after taking office, laying out a string of achievements and listing objectives for the next four years.
‘It has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action,’ he said. ‘The people elected me to do the job, and I am doing it.’
The prime-time speech was his first to Congress since returning to power. And it highlighted another extraordinary facet of Trump’s political comeback in Washington, where his allies hold the House and Senate, allowing him almost unfettered power.
The night bore all the hallmarks of a Trump rally, with bold exaggerations, multiple attacks on his predecessor, protests and walkouts, plus a string of made-for-television moments.
At 99 minutes, it was the longest presidential address to Congress in history.
To test reactions, J.L. Partners ran an online poll of viewers.
And the overwhelming reaction was that they got what they expected.
Three quarters said the speech showed the Trump they knew, compared with 20 percent who said it showed another side of Trump.
Some 62 percent said it was a ‘strong’ speech. But at the same time 53 percent said it was ‘caring’ (only 38 percent said it was uncaring), packed as it was with shout-outs to families in the audience who had been victims to violent crime or other hardships.
And there was good news for a president who has set out to entertain his public.
Almost two thirds (65 percent) said the speech was interesting while 27 percent said it was boring.