WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines
Former President Donald Trump refused in a prime-time town hall to rule out an abuse of power to go after his critics – saying he wouldn’t do it “except on the first day” – when given multiple opportunities to give up revenge plans. or seizure of power. .
Trump made the extraordinary remarks after Fox News host Sean Hannity directly questioned him about some of his critics’ worst accusations: that he planned to “abuse power,” or use the justice system to take down his political rivals, and noted that some want to call him a “dictator.”
“To be clear, do you have any plans, if you are re-elected president, to abuse power, break the law and use the government to persecute people?” Hannity asked.
—Do you mean as if they were using right now? Triumph answeredwithout answering the question directly.
‘Except the first day,’ former President Donald Trump said when Fox News host Sean Hannity asked him to rule out abuse of power.
‘So in the history of our country? What has happened to us again has never happened before. For nonsense and for nothing they invented charges,” Trump said, returning to a refrain about having been indicted more times (four) than the infamous Chicago mobster Al Capone.
After Trump moved on to other topics in the interview, Hannity returned to the topic, after earlier playing a famous clip of Trump telling his supporters, “I am your retribution.”
—Will you promise the United States tonight that you will never abuse power in retaliation? Hannity asked the former president, who leads President Joe Biden in a series of polls.
“Except the first day,” Trump responded.
“I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill,” Trump said.
Trump did not respond directly when Hannity asked him to promise “you would never abuse power.”
Hannity asked Trump about his plans after playing a clip of former House Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) calling the threat of a Trump dictatorship “a very real threat.”
Cheney, who served on the House Jan. 6 committee and is promoting a new book, said Monday that the 2024 election could “be the last election you can vote in” if Trump wins.
Hannity himself gave impetus to some of the claims Trump and his Republican allies have been making about his prosecution, posting a graphic about a “politicized and weaponized” Justice Department.
Trump faces 91 charges in four criminal indictments, and his trial in DC for his attempt to overturn the election will begin on March 4, the day before Super Tuesday.
Hannity also asked him about Biden’s comment Tuesday that “if Trump didn’t run, I’m not sure I would.”
“Someone gave him a talking point,” Trump said, dismissing the comment.
Both Trump and Hannity accused Biden of suffering from cognitive decline.
Trump also appeared to predict a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
He did so after repeating his claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he were president.
‘I used to talk to Putin about this. She was the apple of his eye: Ukraine,” Trump said.
“I said don’t do it,” Trump said, suggesting a threat.
He said Putin “believed me 10 percent,” which was enough to dissuade him.
He then turned to Chinese President Xi Jinping and told him that “they had exactly the same conversation.”
‘He is looking at Taiwan very carefully. It would never have happened. And again, for four years, that didn’t happen and it was never going to happen. “It would never have happened… And now it’s very possible that it will happen, which would be a shame,” she said.
Trump attacked Biden when Hannity asked a question about Biden “struggling cognitively.” He also played a clip with awkward pauses in Biden’s comments.
“He couldn’t lift the beach chair, which is designed for children to lift,” Trump said. ‘And mentally, I would say it’s possibly just as bad or maybe worse. I don’t know. I’ll say this: He has vicious people surrounding him in that beautiful Oval Office.’
Trump sat down with Hannity in Davenport, Iowa, and promised “we will be attacking” in the final weeks before the Iowa caucuses.
‘We are not going to take any risks. “We don’t want to take any risks,” Trump said.
It came days after Hannity hosted a debate between Trump’s main rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
“Considering he didn’t have the facts, I thought he did well,” Trump said of Hannity.
He fired a few shots at DeSantis, calling him ‘deSanctimonious.’
He tried to stir the pot by saying that Vice President Kamala Harris would be “the one, the one who would win” if Biden ended his campaign.
“They say if they didn’t give it to her, the African-American vote, the black vote, it wouldn’t be theirs,” Trump said.
The interview occurred 24 hours before the fourth Republican presidential debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Trump will not attend, although DeSantis and other rivals said he should attend.
Instead, Trump will hold a fundraiser in Miami.