WASHINGTON: If Democrats win the election Joe Biden will be President for only three months before the “communist” Kamala Harris takes over, US President Donald Trump raged in course of a paranoid attack on the mainstream political establishment, including his own administration, amid growing concerns about his health following his Covid-19 treatment, early-release from hospital, and the medications he is taking.
In phone calls to pliant Fox News anchors who offer a platform for his rants, Trump also unloaded on his cabinet colleagues Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Attorney General Bill Barr, and FBI Director Christopher Wray for not doing enough to indict and imprison Democratic leaders Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden for allegedly spying on him, despite what in his mind is copious evidence to show they sought to stage a political coup.
Trump’s unhinged attacks, delivered in course of a phone-in to Fox News anchor and media confidant Sean Hannity during which his hoarse voice broke twice and he was heard coughing, alarmed medical professionals and the political class, even as Democrats moved to invoke the 25th amendment that provides the removal of the President on grounds of incapacity.
He also gave himself -- and persuaded his doctors to support -- an all-clear to hold campaign rallies as early as this weekend, even though he is yet to test negative for covid-19 following his treatment. To prove his fitness and well-being, he scheduled another Fox News interview with a doctor who shares his views on the pandemic – that it is no big deal, one can recover easily from it, and masks are basically useless.
The US President reserved his most ferocious comments for Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris, calling her a “monster” and “unlikeable” in remarks that were widely seen as sexist and racist given his record of such invective against women, particularly minority women. He has previously called Harris “nasty” and “mad woman,” and called other women “wacky” “stupid” “low IQ” and “a dog.”
He also attacked Harris on the political front, calling her a communist and suggesting she was part of a “radical left” that wanted to take over the presidency indirectly and destroy the country. “He (Biden) won’t be president for three months before the wonderful Kamala takes over. She’s not a socialist. She’s a step beyond socialism, as you know…a communist,” he said, calling her “totally unlikeable.”
Kamala Harris declined to respond to his attack aside from calling it “childish” but Biden stepped up her to defend her, saying it was despicable and beneath the office of the presidency. "This is a person who has more integrity in her little finger than most people have in their whole body,” he said.
However, it was Trump’s attack against own cabinet colleagues that rattled even Republicans amid fears that he dragging the party to defeat and uncharted territory by saying he will not accept an unfavorable result or commit to a peaceful transition.
“Unless (Attorney General) Bill Barr indicts these people for crimes, the greatest political crime in the history of our country, then we’re going to get little satisfaction unless I win and we’ll just have to go, because I won’t forget it,” Trump rambled, referring to the investigation into his 2016 campaign ties with Russia. “But these people should be indicted. This was the greatest political crime in the history of our country, and that includes Obama and it includes Biden.”
He said he was not happy with Mike Pompeo because he had not released Hillary Clinton’s emails and he was disappointed with FBI Director Christopher Wray for not pursuing the case more vigorously.
Amid the Trump meltdown, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a bill to create a Congressional panel to judge the President’s “capacity” to remain in office.
The move was seen as useless political showboating because removing the President under the 25th amendment will require support of the Senate and the vice-president, and both are in Republican hands. There are no signs that the party is ready to jettison Trump even though he is seen in some quarters as damaging GOP prospects in the November 3 polls with his erratic behavior.
In phone calls to pliant Fox News anchors who offer a platform for his rants, Trump also unloaded on his cabinet colleagues Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Attorney General Bill Barr, and FBI Director Christopher Wray for not doing enough to indict and imprison Democratic leaders Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden for allegedly spying on him, despite what in his mind is copious evidence to show they sought to stage a political coup.
Trump’s unhinged attacks, delivered in course of a phone-in to Fox News anchor and media confidant Sean Hannity during which his hoarse voice broke twice and he was heard coughing, alarmed medical professionals and the political class, even as Democrats moved to invoke the 25th amendment that provides the removal of the President on grounds of incapacity.
He also gave himself -- and persuaded his doctors to support -- an all-clear to hold campaign rallies as early as this weekend, even though he is yet to test negative for covid-19 following his treatment. To prove his fitness and well-being, he scheduled another Fox News interview with a doctor who shares his views on the pandemic – that it is no big deal, one can recover easily from it, and masks are basically useless.
The US President reserved his most ferocious comments for Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris, calling her a “monster” and “unlikeable” in remarks that were widely seen as sexist and racist given his record of such invective against women, particularly minority women. He has previously called Harris “nasty” and “mad woman,” and called other women “wacky” “stupid” “low IQ” and “a dog.”
He also attacked Harris on the political front, calling her a communist and suggesting she was part of a “radical left” that wanted to take over the presidency indirectly and destroy the country. “He (Biden) won’t be president for three months before the wonderful Kamala takes over. She’s not a socialist. She’s a step beyond socialism, as you know…a communist,” he said, calling her “totally unlikeable.”
Kamala Harris declined to respond to his attack aside from calling it “childish” but Biden stepped up her to defend her, saying it was despicable and beneath the office of the presidency. "This is a person who has more integrity in her little finger than most people have in their whole body,” he said.
However, it was Trump’s attack against own cabinet colleagues that rattled even Republicans amid fears that he dragging the party to defeat and uncharted territory by saying he will not accept an unfavorable result or commit to a peaceful transition.
“Unless (Attorney General) Bill Barr indicts these people for crimes, the greatest political crime in the history of our country, then we’re going to get little satisfaction unless I win and we’ll just have to go, because I won’t forget it,” Trump rambled, referring to the investigation into his 2016 campaign ties with Russia. “But these people should be indicted. This was the greatest political crime in the history of our country, and that includes Obama and it includes Biden.”
He said he was not happy with Mike Pompeo because he had not released Hillary Clinton’s emails and he was disappointed with FBI Director Christopher Wray for not pursuing the case more vigorously.
Amid the Trump meltdown, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a bill to create a Congressional panel to judge the President’s “capacity” to remain in office.
The move was seen as useless political showboating because removing the President under the 25th amendment will require support of the Senate and the vice-president, and both are in Republican hands. There are no signs that the party is ready to jettison Trump even though he is seen in some quarters as damaging GOP prospects in the November 3 polls with his erratic behavior.
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