Donald Trump and British PM Theresa May conducted a joint press appearance on Friday outside May’s country home. In between embroidering lies about his prediction of how the Brexit vote would win—Trump never made such a prediction—he also answered some questions concerning the interview he did with The Sun tabloid, an interview in which he savaged May’s handling of Brexit, promoted his fellow blowhard Boris Johnson for prime minister, and adopted language straight of neo-Nazi disinformation to attack not just illegal immigration, but the whole idea of immigration.
When it came to the interview itself, Trump handled it quickly. He called the interview “fake news”—even though the entire interview was taped.
When an NBC reporter asked a question about arguments at the just-past NATO gathering, Trump repeated his fake news charges, stating that NBC may be even worse than CNN, before going on to rattle off a series of claims about NATO that other leaders have already denied.
However, Trump apparently doesn’t believe that NBC is worse than CNN. Because when a CNN reporter tried to ask Trump a question, Trump kept his reply brief.
Trump: CNN is fake news. I don't take questions from CNN. John Roberts of Fox.
It’s so much easier to answer questions when you can pick and choose the questioners. And, of course, Fox is happy to crow about the incident.
Through all his statements, Theresa May remained by Trump’s side. One thing that Donald Trump has learned over the last year, and the reason that he’s so willing to do these joint press appearances but reluctant to stand and take questions on his own—is that having a foreign leader at his side is perfect. They’re almost guaranteed to be cowed into silence by a combination of diplomatic traditions and fear over retribution by Trump. And saying something while the British PM, or French president, or Japanese PM stands by and smiles adds gravitas to the fact-free Trump.
In ten minutes, Trump repeated his talk about how Boris Johnson would be a great prime minister, how May is doing Brexit wrong, and how immigration is ruining “European culture.” All the things he had just claimed were “fake news” in that Sun interview. With Theresa May right at his elbow. Trump came. He bullied. Bullying won. Again.