What the hell just happened?
President Donald Trump on Friday came completely unglued during a bonkers interview on “Fox & Friends” in which he lashed out at his own former officials, spouted Russian-backed conspiracy theories, and even cast aspersions on one of his most trusted advisers.
Below are the five craziest moments in Trump’s interview.
1.) Trump repeats the insane Crowdstrike conspiracy theory that has been pushed by Russia.
One day after former National Security Council official Fiona Hill testified that Republican lawmakers needed to stop spreading misinformation about Ukraine designed to help Russia, the president did just that by spouting off the debunked conspiracy theory about the Democratic National Committee’s server being located in Ukraine.
“They have the server from the DNC!” Trump fumed.
“Who has the server?” asked co-host Brian Kilmeade.
“They gave the server to Crowdstrike, which is a company owned by a very wealthy Ukrainian,” the president insisted.
At this point, even co-host Steve Doocy tried to get the president to walk back the conspiratorial chatter.
“Are you sure they did that?” he asked.
“Well, that’s what the word is,” Trump replied.
2.) Trump condemns former American ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch for purportedly refusing to hang up his picture in her office.
The president took particular glee in attacking Yovanovitch, the former ambassador who was ousted after a concerted smear campaign run by Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
“This ambassador that everyone says is so wonderful, she wouldn’t hang my picture in the embassy,” the president said. “This was not an angel, this woman, okay? And there were a lot of things that she did that I didn’t like.”
He also complained that Republicans didn’t attack her enough during impeachment hearings and said they only refused to do so because of her gender.
3.) Trump blames White House counselor Kellyanne Conway for her husband’s criticisms of his presidency.
Even though Kellyanne Conway has been one of Trump’s loyalest defenders, the president couldn’t help taking a dig at her over her husband George Conway, who has been a leading conservative voice in the call for impeachment.
“She must of done a number on him,” Trump said, referring to the Conways. “She must’ve done some bad things to him, because that man’s crazy.”
4.) Trump takes sole credit for China not turning Hong Kong into a nuclear wasteland.
Although the president has taken criticism for not speaking out more forcefully on the deteriorating human rights situation in Hong Kong, he insisted to “Fox & Friends” that he was the only thing stopping Chinese President Xi Jinping from massacring the entire city.
“If it weren’t for me, Hong Kong would’ve been obliterated in 14 minutes,” the president claimed, before adding, “We have to stand with Hong Kong, but I’m also standing with President Xi.”
5.) Trump bungles his own defense by making it sound like he encourages corrupt behavior.
Trump’s biggest flub came after co-host Steve Doocy said that European Union ambassador Gordon Sondland testified that there was a quid-pro-quo arrangement in which the president would only agree to a face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky if he agreed to launch investigations into purported “corruption” that just happened to involve his political opponents.
While insisting that he’s sincerely working to fight corruption at home and abroad, Trump said, “I do want, always, corruption — I say that to anybody!”
