US President Donald Trump defended some of the most controversial claims of his political career.
Washington:
US President Donald Trump has defended some of the most controversial claims of his young political career in a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine. "I'm a very instinctual person, but my instinct turns out to be right... I guess I can't be doing so badly, because I'm President, and you're not," he told Time's Washington Bureau Chief, Michael Scherer on Thursday.
Offering simple and absolute defence of his methods, in the interview about his falsehoods, Mr Trump offered new ones, CNN reported. Presented with a litany of other falsehoods and mischaracterisations, Mr Trump gave this nonchalant rebuttal to his critics, "What am I going to tell you? I tend to be right... I happen to be a person that knows how life works."
The discussion for the Time cover story -- titled "Is Truth Dead?" -- covered subjects that ranged from Mr Trump's wiretap accusations to the 2016 campaign trail conspiracy theory in the National Enquirer falsely connecting Senator Ted Cruz's father and the assassination of John F Kennedy.
Mr Trump appeared unrepentant about his charge that former President Barack Obama "wiretapped" his phones at Trump Tower during the 2016 election -- an allegation soundly refuted by FBI Director James Comey.
Mr Trump defended the claim by shifting its focus, "When I said wiretapping, it was in quotes. Because a wiretapping is, you know, today it is different than wire tapping."
"It is just a good description. But wiretapping was in quotes. What I'm talking about is surveillance," he told Time.
He also pointed to a stunning news conference on Wednesday from Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, in which the congressman unilaterally revealed that communications of Mr Trump and associates may have been picked up after the election by intelligence agencies conducting surveillance of foreign targets.
He also defended his administration's controversial assertion that the British spy agency GCHQ surveilled his campaign at the request of the Obama administration.
As for evidence, Mr Trump repeatedly returned -- unprompted -- his prediction that the Brexit vote would succeed, something many predicted wouldn't happen, CNN reported.
"Brexit, I predicted Brexit, you remember that, the day before the event. I said, 'No, Brexit is going to happen,' and everybody laughed, and Brexit happened. Many many things. They turn out to be right," he said.
Offering simple and absolute defence of his methods, in the interview about his falsehoods, Mr Trump offered new ones, CNN reported. Presented with a litany of other falsehoods and mischaracterisations, Mr Trump gave this nonchalant rebuttal to his critics, "What am I going to tell you? I tend to be right... I happen to be a person that knows how life works."
The discussion for the Time cover story -- titled "Is Truth Dead?" -- covered subjects that ranged from Mr Trump's wiretap accusations to the 2016 campaign trail conspiracy theory in the National Enquirer falsely connecting Senator Ted Cruz's father and the assassination of John F Kennedy.
Mr Trump appeared unrepentant about his charge that former President Barack Obama "wiretapped" his phones at Trump Tower during the 2016 election -- an allegation soundly refuted by FBI Director James Comey.
Mr Trump defended the claim by shifting its focus, "When I said wiretapping, it was in quotes. Because a wiretapping is, you know, today it is different than wire tapping."
"It is just a good description. But wiretapping was in quotes. What I'm talking about is surveillance," he told Time.
He also pointed to a stunning news conference on Wednesday from Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, in which the congressman unilaterally revealed that communications of Mr Trump and associates may have been picked up after the election by intelligence agencies conducting surveillance of foreign targets.
He also defended his administration's controversial assertion that the British spy agency GCHQ surveilled his campaign at the request of the Obama administration.
As for evidence, Mr Trump repeatedly returned -- unprompted -- his prediction that the Brexit vote would succeed, something many predicted wouldn't happen, CNN reported.
"Brexit, I predicted Brexit, you remember that, the day before the event. I said, 'No, Brexit is going to happen,' and everybody laughed, and Brexit happened. Many many things. They turn out to be right," he said.
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