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| CPAC 2017 live: Steve Bannon taunts media and vows 'every day will be a fight' | CPAC 2017 live: Steve Bannon taunts media and vows 'every day will be a fight' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 10.38pm GMT | |
| 22:38 | |
| David Smith | |
| David Burgess, 62, who runs a nonprofit organisation in Seattle, said it was “too early too tell” how Trump was doing so far. | |
| “There is obviously a lot of organised opposition. They need to deliver on their priorities and whether they can remains to be seen,” he said. | |
| He thought the role of the alt right in conservatism was “overblown”. | |
| “There’s a lot of political jockeying back and forth. Liberals like to label the right extremists and conservatives like the label the left extremists. Some of the ideas of the Trump people like Bannon may not be traditional, but I think the antisemitism charges are over the top. It’s political posturing; it’s the game they play.” | |
| He said Trump and co “seem to enjoy prodding the media and the media takes the bait. The media would be better sticking to their jobs and reporting fairly. If you read headlines and watch CNN, you just can’t be outraged by every single thing. They need to take a pill, have a glass of wine and just do their jobs. If everyone stuck to their jobs, America would be a better place.” | |
| Deborah Aldrich, 60, a political activist from Salt Lake City, said Trump was doing “great” so far. | |
| “There may have been a few little hiccups at the beginning but he’s not a professional politician, he’s a successful businessman. He’s keeping the promises he made.” | |
| She said she considered herself “in the middle of the road”. | |
| “We are a party of inclusivity. We don’t want to discriminate against people. The alt-right doesn’t really have a platform here.” | |
| She agreed with Bannon about the media. “It’s almost impossible to turn on MSNBC, CNN or the liberal media, or pick up a newspaper because most of them are liberal, and get an honest view. That’s why I went to many of Trump’s rallies: I wanted to see for myself the message he was giving, the people who were there.” | |
| Joseph Enders, 22, a student from Chicago now living in New York, who was wearing a red USA baseball cap and a parody Bernie Sanders T-shirt that says, said Trump was “holding up on a lot of his campaign promises” and “doing a really good job”. | |
| He added: “I keep up on the news, and not fake news ... I stand with Bannon because I stand for honest reporting. Where are all the Walter Cronkites?” | |
| Of the alt right, he said: “It’s growing but I don’t think the race wing of it is growing. Nationalism is part of the alt right but doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.” | |
| Updated | |
| at 10.38pm GMT | |
| 10.23pm GMT | |
| 22:23 | |
| George Longobardi of Marlboro, NJ, said he thought Trump was doing “a pretty good job so far”. | |
| He said he thought the president was a “pragmatic person … a businessman”, rather than a conservative. | |
| The wall between the US and Mexico would not necessarily be “a stone and brick wall”, he predicted, and he felt it would be paid for through “lowering taxes [that] will create more revenue for the government in the long run”; Trump would also save money through cutting waste, he felt. | |
| Longobardi had been to CPAC last year for the first time, but this year “the spirit is different, the energy is different. People feel the country is back on the right track … And more well-attended this year. More people I guess here looking for jobs, too.” | |
| What was his view of the alt right, the far right group which has become increasingly influential? “Well, they had a talk about it today and they said it was a hijacked slogan of the Republican conservative party,” said Longobardi. “I think that labels both ways, labels against Muslims or labels against conservatives, are wrong. You continue to do the right thing, all of that falls away.” | |
| He added: “If they’re all back to work, if the areas are safer, if minority children get a better education, if all these things happen, all that fades away.” | |
| He felt the Democrats were “doing themselves a disservice” by “screaming about everything”. “They need to pick their battles, for a real reason that they can win, not just to be obstructionist.” | |
| He added: “The media has taken over from them now because they’ve left a vacuum. They’re doing nothing. They’re promoting nobody to run for president in four years … They have to get their act together and until they can the media is picking up the slack for them. All they do is cry and moan – not that I can blame them; they’re pretty disappointed.” | |
| But he didn’t agree with White House aide Steve Bannon’s description of the media as “the opposition party”. “I do think the media does lean left of centre … He’s from a conservative background, Breitbart, so that’s his prejudice, that;s his bias. Do I believe all of it? No. But I do think, again, his point, they do lean left of centre.” | |
| 10.03pm GMT | 10.03pm GMT |
| 22:03 | 22:03 |
| Emily Larsen, from Boise, Idaho, said she thought Donald Trump “has been doing a really good job of keeping his promises that he campaigned on – the perspective of whether or not that’s a good thing that’s something that I’m personally trying to come to a conclusion on.” | Emily Larsen, from Boise, Idaho, said she thought Donald Trump “has been doing a really good job of keeping his promises that he campaigned on – the perspective of whether or not that’s a good thing that’s something that I’m personally trying to come to a conclusion on.” |
| She said Trump should have consulted with Congress before implementing the travel ban. “I think it kind of showed a lack of communication between the executive and legislative branches with that.” | She said Trump should have consulted with Congress before implementing the travel ban. “I think it kind of showed a lack of communication between the executive and legislative branches with that.” |
| She had supported Florida senator Marco Rubio in the Republican primary and described herself as a “very moderate kind of Republican”. “I’m still coming to terms with the decision to have Trump as president … It’s kind of getting past that shock. If I were to say that there’s anything positive coming out of Trump’s presidency it’s that I think this is the most engaged this country’s ever been in politics, at least in recent history. People are coming out and they’re marching or they’re in support or against things. They’re paying attention and that’s been really awesome.” | She had supported Florida senator Marco Rubio in the Republican primary and described herself as a “very moderate kind of Republican”. “I’m still coming to terms with the decision to have Trump as president … It’s kind of getting past that shock. If I were to say that there’s anything positive coming out of Trump’s presidency it’s that I think this is the most engaged this country’s ever been in politics, at least in recent history. People are coming out and they’re marching or they’re in support or against things. They’re paying attention and that’s been really awesome.” |
| A lot of Trump’s proposals – the wall with Mexico, for example – would lead to a lot of public spending. Did Larssen think he was a real conservative? “Based on the definition of conservative, not using the executive branch for every decision that you make, or being very careful about expansive government. At this point I haven’t necessarily seen that – I’ve seen more of a unitary approach.” | A lot of Trump’s proposals – the wall with Mexico, for example – would lead to a lot of public spending. Did Larssen think he was a real conservative? “Based on the definition of conservative, not using the executive branch for every decision that you make, or being very careful about expansive government. At this point I haven’t necessarily seen that – I’ve seen more of a unitary approach.” |
| 9.19pm GMT | 9.19pm GMT |
| 21:19 | 21:19 |
| Since you’re here … | Since you’re here … |
| … we’ve got a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever, but far fewer are paying for it. Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike some other news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism open to all. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too. | … we’ve got a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever, but far fewer are paying for it. Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike some other news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism open to all. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too. |
| If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps to support it, our future would be much more secure. Become a Supporter or make a contribution. | If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps to support it, our future would be much more secure. Become a Supporter or make a contribution. |
| 9.06pm GMT | 9.06pm GMT |
| 21:06 | 21:06 |
| Trump repeats nuclear expansion threat | Trump repeats nuclear expansion threat |
| Meanwhile Trump has given an interview to Reuters in which he has said he wants to expand the US nuclear arsenal to ensure it is “top of the pack”. | Meanwhile Trump has given an interview to Reuters in which he has said he wants to expand the US nuclear arsenal to ensure it is “top of the pack”. |
| The president also told the news agency he felt the US had fallen behind in its atomic weapons capacity. | The president also told the news agency he felt the US had fallen behind in its atomic weapons capacity. |
| He complained about Russian deployment of a cruise missile in violation of an arms control treaty and said he would raise the issue with Russian president Vladimir Putin when and if they meet. | He complained about Russian deployment of a cruise missile in violation of an arms control treaty and said he would raise the issue with Russian president Vladimir Putin when and if they meet. |
| On another front, Trump said China could solve the national security challenge posed by North Korea “very easily if they want to”, ratcheting up pressure on Beijing to exert more influence to rein in Pyongyang’s increasingly bellicose actions. | On another front, Trump said China could solve the national security challenge posed by North Korea “very easily if they want to”, ratcheting up pressure on Beijing to exert more influence to rein in Pyongyang’s increasingly bellicose actions. |
| Speaking from behind his desk in the Oval Office, Trump also declared himself “very angry” at North Korea’s ballistic missile tests and said accelerating a missile defense system for US allies Japan and South Korea was among many options available. | Speaking from behind his desk in the Oval Office, Trump also declared himself “very angry” at North Korea’s ballistic missile tests and said accelerating a missile defense system for US allies Japan and South Korea was among many options available. |
| Trump made similar comments about nuclear weapons in December, when he tweeted: “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes,” and told MSNBC’s Morning Joe: “Let it be an arms race … We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all.” | Trump made similar comments about nuclear weapons in December, when he tweeted: “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes,” and told MSNBC’s Morning Joe: “Let it be an arms race … We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all.” |
| Then and now, the remarks flew in the face of 35 years of bipartisan US policy geared towards reducing the number of nuclear weapons around the world. | Then and now, the remarks flew in the face of 35 years of bipartisan US policy geared towards reducing the number of nuclear weapons around the world. |
| A 2013 US review found that the country already had a third more strategic weapons than were necessary to ensure nuclear deterrence. | A 2013 US review found that the country already had a third more strategic weapons than were necessary to ensure nuclear deterrence. |
| 8.52pm GMT | 8.52pm GMT |
| 20:52 | 20:52 |
| Trump supports a border adjustment tax – won’t it just be passed on to consumers? | Trump supports a border adjustment tax – won’t it just be passed on to consumers? |
| When a company choses to leave our country and shed American jobs there is a big cost to our workers, he says. | When a company choses to leave our country and shed American jobs there is a big cost to our workers, he says. |
| With that he calls it a day. | With that he calls it a day. |
| 8.51pm GMT | 8.51pm GMT |
| 20:51 | 20:51 |
| Does Steve Bannon really believe the media is the “opposition party”? Yes he does. | Does Steve Bannon really believe the media is the “opposition party”? Yes he does. |
| 8.50pm GMT | 8.50pm GMT |
| 20:50 | 20:50 |
| Will the administration hold people like former labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder to account when they employ undocumented immigrants? | Will the administration hold people like former labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder to account when they employ undocumented immigrants? |
| Spicer says they will. Puzder did the right thing when he found out. | Spicer says they will. Puzder did the right thing when he found out. |
| 8.47pm GMT | 8.47pm GMT |
| 20:47 | 20:47 |
| Trump has said he has given permission for the US to sell two countries military equipment. Which countries? Spicer says they’ll reveal that at some point. | Trump has said he has given permission for the US to sell two countries military equipment. Which countries? Spicer says they’ll reveal that at some point. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.58pm GMT | at 8.58pm GMT |
| 8.46pm GMT | 8.46pm GMT |
| 20:46 | 20:46 |
| Where is the travel ban legal fight up to? | Where is the travel ban legal fight up to? |
| Spicer says it is being fought in “10 or so” courts and they continue to deal with it “in all of those venues”. And there is an “additional executive order” about to come out. | Spicer says it is being fought in “10 or so” courts and they continue to deal with it “in all of those venues”. And there is an “additional executive order” about to come out. |
| He repeats his pledge that they will “prevail” in court on the merits of the case. | He repeats his pledge that they will “prevail” in court on the merits of the case. |
| 8.45pm GMT | 8.45pm GMT |
| 20:45 | 20:45 |
| Is Trump still committed to pulling out of the Paris climate change deal? | Is Trump still committed to pulling out of the Paris climate change deal? |
| That’s a conversation he is having with secretary of state Rex Tillerson, Spicer says. | That’s a conversation he is having with secretary of state Rex Tillerson, Spicer says. |
| 8.44pm GMT | 8.44pm GMT |
| 20:44 | 20:44 |
| The media just got thrown out of the main hall so that it can be searched by law enforcement in preparation for Mike Pence’s speech here later, so I missed the last couple of questions. | The media just got thrown out of the main hall so that it can be searched by law enforcement in preparation for Mike Pence’s speech here later, so I missed the last couple of questions. |
| What is the president’s thinking on Syria and the future of Bashar al-Assad? | What is the president’s thinking on Syria and the future of Bashar al-Assad? |
| Spicer refers that one to the State Department. | Spicer refers that one to the State Department. |
| What about safe zones? Trump’s goal is to get commitments from other world leaders on that, Spicer says. | What about safe zones? Trump’s goal is to get commitments from other world leaders on that, Spicer says. |