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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBored while declaring emergency
By Olivia Nuzzi
... On Friday morning, the press was in the Rose Garden for a scheduled 10:00 a.m. announcement ...
As 10:00 came and went, Trump remained in the Oval Office, which I know because there are French doors connecting it to the Rose Garden ...
When the president finally made it outside, around 10:40, he was reluctant to address the reason anyone was even there. ...
... He moved seamlessly from Chairman Kim into the critical actions he was taking to confront a problem that we have right here at home. He said that he did not need to declare a national emergency, he just wanted to construct the border wall on a faster timeline than he would be able to otherwise, a statement that undercuts the entire premise that there is an emergency ...
Before it was even really possible to absorb what he was saying about the emergency, he was gone again, a puppy chasing after the squirrel of a new topic ...
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/02/trump-seemed-bored-while-declaring-a-national-emergency.html
struggle4progress
(118,490 posts)Christal Hayes, USA TODAY
Published 11:41 a.m. ET Feb. 16, 2019
... The protests are being planned from New York and North Dakota to California and Texas all to counter the order Trump signed Friday, which freed up billions to construct a wall along the southern U.S. border with Mexico.
The national emergency and other measures will free up $8 billion far more than the $5.7 billion he initially demanded to garner funds for 234 miles of wall, the White House said. It's a move that is almost guaranteed to draw the White House into a lengthy legal battle over the president's ability to use his executive powers for that purpose.
Already, the move has further divided Congress, including some within the Republican party, several lawsuits have been filed and now dozens of protests are being planned to show dissatisfaction with Trump's move ...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/16/trumps-national-emergency-order-nationwide-protests/2886436002/
struggle4progress
(118,490 posts)By Dan Balz
February 16 at 11:36 AM
Though he expects loyalty from Republicans, President Trump has never demonstrated much fidelity to the party that he leads, and on Friday he proved it again. In declaring a national emergency to fund his border wall, the president reminded Republican lawmakers that he feels free to trample on them whenever it suits him.
Trump was a solitary, and unscripted, figure when he spoke on Friday in the Rose Garden. His presentation was rambling and unfocused. He talked about trade with China and Great Britain, negotiations with North Korea, and the economy and the stock market before getting to the prime topic. Though he cast many of those things in upbeat terms, it was not a performance by a president who believes he is winning.
This was, however, a more authentic Trump than the politician the nation saw two weeks ago, when he gave his State of the Union address. In that setting, Trumps speech was laced with appeals for bipartisanship, tributes to genuine American heroes and initiatives that seemed unusual to this president and designed to attract voters outside his core coalition who arent with him but might be needed for his reelection campaign ...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-declaring-a-national-emergency-trump-reminds-republicans-its-all-about-him/2019/02/16/6f070eb2-3175-11e9-813a-0ab2f17e305b_story.html?utm_term=.5515ca0cca03