TRUMP CALLS MOVE TO IMPEACH ‘ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS’

Tue 12 January 2021:

President Trump, speaking to reporters for the first time since his supporters breached the US Capitol last week, decried House Democrats move to impeach him as “absolutely ridiculous”.

The president said there was a “tremendous anger” over the move, which could happen as soon as Wednesday, called it a “continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics”, but added “I want no violence”.

Trump spoke as he left the White House for a trip to the border wall in Alamo, Texas.

Trump: ‘People thought that what I said was totally appropriate’

President Trump, in more comments to reporters on Monday, said that “people thought” his speech to supporters before the US Capitol riot, which critics allege incited the ensuing violence, “was totally appropriate”.

“If you read my speech and many people have done it. And I’ve seen it both in the papers and in the media, on television. It’s been analysed. And people thought that what I said was totally appropriate,” Trump said at Joint Base Andrews as he prepared to travel to Texas.

Trump made the comment when asked if he felt he bore any responsibility for the Capitol Hill riot, which left five dead. Trump addressed supporters before the riot, urging them to march on the Capitol has Congress met to certify the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. He later released a video message telling the rioters to go home, saying “we love you” and repeating his baseless claim that the election was “stolen”.