Thursday, January 12, 2017

What did Donald Trump do today?

He tweeted a very different account of a phone call with outgoing Director of National Intelligence James Clapper than Clapper himself had already given to the media.

Trump's tweet said that Clapper had "denounce[d] the false and fictitious report that was illegally circulated" and that it contained "Made up, phony facts."

Clapper's own account of the call stressed that he did not believe the US intelligence community to have been the source of the leaks--contrary to Trump's claims--and that they have not made a determination as to its reliability.

Trump may be anxious for support from the intelligence community. Less than two days before revising Clapper's statement, Trump compared the leak he thought came from them to "Nazi Germany."

Why is this a problem?

  • It's not good if a president hears only what he wants to hear.
  • Presidents shouldn't gratuitously compare Americans to Nazis.