President Donald Trump has told Fox News he believes former President Barack Obama is behind a wave of protests against Republican lawmakers, and national security leaks.
He said: “I think President Obama’s behind it because his people are certainly behind it”, but added: “I also think it’s just politics.”
President Trump offered no evidence for his claims and his predecessor in the White House has not commented.
He also spoke about his budget plans and other issues.
The president’s interview was broadcast hours before he is due to give his first address to a joint session of Congress.
In the speech he is expected to set out in greater detail his plans to cut spending and boost the economy.
Image source AP
Donald Trump has said his proposal to increase the defense budget by $54 billion would be paid for by a “revved up economy”.
The foreign aid purse and the environmental department face a squeeze to pay for it, but analysts are doubtful the spending promises can be kept without increasing the deficit.
President Trump said he would get “more product for our buck” in terms of buying military hardware and would ask for a “form of reimbursement” from countries making use of the US military.
In the Fox News interview, President Trump was asked about the protests faced by some Republican politicians at town hall meetings across the country.
The president said he was certain Obama loyalists were behind both those protests and White House leaks.
“In terms of him being behind things, that’s politics. And it will probably continue,” Donald Trump added.
The president was asked for more detail on how he would find the money for the 10% increase in military spending he has proposed for 2018. Proposed cuts elsewhere are unlikely to cover the proposed increase.
The White House sent Donald Trump’s 2018 budget blueprint, which begins on October 1, to federal agencies on February 27.
The agencies will then review the plan and propose changes to the cuts as the White House prepares for negotiations with Congress.
The Republican-controlled Congress must approve any federal spending.
Donald Trump’s plan is expected to face a backlash from Democrats and some Republicans over the planned cuts to domestic programs.
Millions of anti-Trump demonstrators have taken to the streets of major cities in the United States and around the world to rally against the new president.
There were more than 600 rallies worldwide just one day after Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The protest’s aim was principally to highlight women’s rights, which activists believe to be under threat from the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump used his first full day in office to visit the CIA headquarter.
President Trump said he was “1,000%” behind the CIA’s employees and also accused the media of being dishonest in its reporting of the size of the crowd at his inauguration.
He did not refer to today’s protests.
The biggest US rally was in Washington DC, which city officials estimated to be more than 500,000-strong.
This far exceeded the 200,000 that had originally been expected by organizers of the Women’s March on Washington.
By most estimates, the Washington rally also surpassed the crowd at yesterday’s presidential inauguration.
The protesters in Washington heard speeches from Scarlett Johansson, America Ferrera, Ashley Judd, Gloria Steinem and Michael Moore among others.
A planned march to the White House proved impossible as the entire route was filled with demonstrators.
Interim DC Police Chief Peter Newsham told Associated Press: “The crowd stretches so far that there’s no room left to march.”
Image source ABC7
During his speech, Michael Moore ripped up a copy of the Washington Post, saying: “The headline was <<Trump takes power>>. I don’t think so. Here’s the power. Here’s the majority of America right here. We are the majority.”
Madonna also made an appearance, swearing several times in a speech carried live by major TV networks.
She said: “Yes, I am outraged. Yes, I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.”
America Ferrera told the crowd: “We march today for the moral core of this nation, against which our new president is waging a war.”
Huge crowds were reported at other protests across the US.
In Chicago, some 150,000 turned out that a planned march had to be called off and the event declared a rally. Streets were also overflowing in LA.
Huge crowds were also reported in New York, Miami, Seattle and Boston, some of the venues for about 300 nationwide protests.
Many women wore knitted pink “pussy hats” – a reference to a recording that emerged during the election campaign in which Donald Trump talked about groping women.
In London, between 80,000 and 100,000 people had taken part at the rally, the organizers say. Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Bristol were among the other UK cities holding protests.
Anti-Trump marches took place earlier in Australia, New Zealand and in several Asian cities.
Several thousand women and men joined a rally in central Sydney, with a similar number in Melbourne.
Women’s March Sydney co-founder Mindy Freiband told the crowd: “Hatred, hate speech, bigotry, discrimination, prejudicial policies – these are not American problems, these are global problems.”
In Europe, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam, Geneva, Budapest, Prague and Berlin were among the cities that took part.
Donald Trump’s first full day in office began with an inter-faith service at Washington National Cathedral before visiting the CIA’s HQ in Langley, Virginia.
In a speech there, President Trump told about 400 employees: “There is nobody who feels stronger about the intelligence community and the CIA than me.”
During the election campaign, Donald Trump had sharply criticized the intelligence agencies over their stance on alleged Russian involvement.
Donald Trump also talked up his yet-to-be-confirmed nominee for CIA chief, Mike Pompeo.
In one of his first steps, President Trump ordered government agencies to ease the “economic burden” of the Affordable Act, known as ObamaCare.
His team also quickly overhauled the White House website. The revamp replaces Barack Obama’s policies with Donald Trump’s new agenda.
The new administration lists only six issues on the website – energy, foreign policy, jobs and growth, military, law enforcement and trade deals.
Critics complained that it made no mention of civil rights, healthcare, climate change or LGBT rights.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has blamed her surprise election loss on interventions by the FBI director, James Comey.
James Comey had revived the inquiry into her use of email while secretary of state shortly before Election Day had stopped her campaign’s momentum, Hillary Clinton said.
She was speaking to top party donors in a phone call, which was leaked to the media.
Protests are continuing against Donald Trump’s win.
In New York, about 2,000 marchers headed for the skyscraper where the president-elect lives, shouting “not my president”.
Anti-Trump activists have held daily protests in US cities since his election victory was confirmed on Wednesday.
Donald Trump seems to be rowing back on some of his campaign pledges. Having promised to scrap President Barack Obama’s Affordable Act – ObamaCare – he now says he is open to leaving intact key parts of the act.
The Republican is due to be sworn in on January 20, taking over from President Obama, who will have completed two terms in office.
Hillary Clinton, who served as Barack Obama’s secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, has been keeping a low profile since conceding victory.
On October 28, James Comey informed Congress that the FBI was examining newly discovered emails sent or received by Hillary Clinton, thus reviving an investigation which had been completed in July.
Then, on November 6, two days before the election, James Comey announced in a second letter that he was standing by his original assessment – that Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges.
“There are lots of reasons why an election like this is not successful,” Hillary Clinton told the donors on a farewell conference call on November 12.
“But our analysis is that Comey’s letter raising doubts that were groundless, baseless, proven to be, stopped our momentum. We dropped, and we had to keep really pushing ahead to regain our advantage.”
Hillary Clinton added that James Comey’s later recommendation that she should face no charges had energized Donald Trump’s supporters.
Her campaign team said that despite Hillary Clinton being cleared of criminal behavior, the move only revived Donald Trump’s claim that the Democratic candidate was being protected by a rigged system.
Donald Trump has praised protesters’ “passion” after a new night of demonstrations against his election victory that included rioting in Portland, Oregon.
The president-elect tweeted: “Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country.
“We will all come together and be proud!”
Donald Trump had previously blamed the unrest on “professional protesters”.
He is in New York, believed to be discussing his future cabinet.
“Busy day planned in New York,” he tweeted.
Image source U.S. Marine Corps
“Will soon be making some very important decisions on the people who will be running our government.”
Donald Trump is due to be inaugurated on January 20, taking over the White House from Democrat Barack Obama, who served two terms.
President Barack Obama, one of Donald Trump’s most withering critics during the election campaign, said his priority was to “facilitate a transition that ensures our president-elect is successful”.
However, Harry Reid, the Democrats’ outgoing leader in the Senate, said Donald Trump’s victory had “emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry”. It “does not feel like America”, he added.
Protests have taken place across the US on both nights since the result of the election, which Hillary Clinton lost for the Democrats despite enjoying a lead in most opinion polls.
Only on November 10, Donald Trump had tweeted: “Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!”
About 4,000 demonstrators gathered in the centre of Portland, the largest city in Oregon, which voted in favor of Hillary Clinton.
Some protesters smashed shop and car windows, threw firecrackers and set rubbish alight. Objects were thrown at the police, who responded with pepper spray and rubber baton rounds.
Police declared a riot and made 26 arrests.
In Oakland, California, police made 11 arrests after anti-Trump protesters lit fires on streets and in rubbish bins, smashed windows and sprayed graffiti.
Anti-Trump protests have been held in several cities for a second night, but with smaller crowds.
They were mainly young people saying a Trump presidency would create deep divisions along racial and gender lines.
However, police in Portland said they were dealing with vandalism and aggressive behaviour.
In response, President-elect Donald Trump tweeted that the protests were “very unfair”.
Image source Daily Pakistan
Earlier, Donald Trump met President Barack Obama at the White House and described him as a good man.
However, despite their cordiality, Donald Trump is intent on dismantling much of President Obama’s legacy. That includes ObamaCare, the act extending medical insurance to more Americans than ever before.
Crowds of protesters gathered in cities across the country on November 10.
Police in Portland, Oregon said the protest there should be considered a riot, with shop windows being broken, some demonstrators carrying bats and others arming themselves with rocks.
There were no reports of violence at the other protests, although demonstrators in Minneapolis briefly blocked an interstate highway in both directions.
In Philadelphia, crowds gathered near City Hall holding placards bearing slogans such as “Not Our President”, “Trans Against Trump” and “Make America Safe For All”.
In Baltimore, police said a peaceful crowd of 600 people marched through the city, blocking traffic. In San Francisco, high school students waved rainbow banners and Mexican flags.
A small crowd also gathered outside Trump Tower in Chicago, a day after thousands marched through the city centre. Some passers-by cheered them but at least one driver shouted that they should “shut up and accept democracy”, the AP reported.
Protesters also returned to Trump Tower in New York for a second night.
In his tweet, Donald Trump described them as “professional protesters” and said they had been “incited by the media”.
Meanwhile Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto said he was optimistic his country could have a positive relationship with the US under President Donald Trump, despite his anti-Mexican rhetoric during the campaign.
Enrique Pena Nieto said he and Donald Trump had agreed to meet, possibly during the transition period before President Trump’s inauguration in January.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said Donald Trump and the Russian president were “very much alike” in how they see the world.
Dmitry Peskov said Russian experts had been in contact with some members of Donald Trump’s staff during the campaign.
However, he said the Russian government had nothing to do with the theft of emails from the Democratic campaign that were later published by WikiLeaks.
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
