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| Donald Trump suggests he wants US law to limit free speech in wake of publication of explosive new book | Donald Trump suggests he wants US law to limit free speech in wake of publication of explosive new book |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| President Donald Trump has hit out at "very weak" libel laws in the US as he branded an explosive new book detailing the inner workings White House as a piece of "fiction". | President Donald Trump has hit out at "very weak" libel laws in the US as he branded an explosive new book detailing the inner workings White House as a piece of "fiction". |
| Suggesting that he would like to see tougher laws over free speech, Mr Trump said that if libel laws "were strong... you wouldn't have things like that happen where you can say whatever comes into your head" - referring to Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. | Suggesting that he would like to see tougher laws over free speech, Mr Trump said that if libel laws "were strong... you wouldn't have things like that happen where you can say whatever comes into your head" - referring to Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. |
| The book has caused a storm of controversy and has left the president facing questions about his mental state, with quotes in Fire and Fury suggesting that even those close to Mr Trump had questioned his capability. Early on Saturday, Mr Trump wrote a string of messages on Twitter where he rejected such claims, saying he was a "very stable genius" whose two greatest assets are his "mental stability and being, like, really smart". | The book has caused a storm of controversy and has left the president facing questions about his mental state, with quotes in Fire and Fury suggesting that even those close to Mr Trump had questioned his capability. Early on Saturday, Mr Trump wrote a string of messages on Twitter where he rejected such claims, saying he was a "very stable genius" whose two greatest assets are his "mental stability and being, like, really smart". |
| Mr Wolff's new book, which has shot to the top of the best seller list on Amazon after being released four days early, has clearly riled the president and he used a rare news conference during a retreat with Republican leadership to reinforce what he sees as a stellar list of life achievements. | Mr Wolff's new book, which has shot to the top of the best seller list on Amazon after being released four days early, has clearly riled the president and he used a rare news conference during a retreat with Republican leadership to reinforce what he sees as a stellar list of life achievements. |
| Answering a question about why he saw the need to tweet about his mental state, Mr Trump said that he had attended "the best college" and was an "excellent" student. He added that he came out of college and "made billions and billions of dollars... [and] became one of the best business people" before touting his "tremendous success" over a decade on television. He went on to add that he "ran for president one time, and won". | Answering a question about why he saw the need to tweet about his mental state, Mr Trump said that he had attended "the best college" and was an "excellent" student. He added that he came out of college and "made billions and billions of dollars... [and] became one of the best business people" before touting his "tremendous success" over a decade on television. He went on to add that he "ran for president one time, and won". |
| Mr Trump also called Mr Wolff a "fraud" and the book "a complete work of fiction", saying that "he doesn't know me at all" and said that he had not been interviewed in the White House as Mr Wolff has said. He later admitted that he had spoken to Mr Wolff during his presidential campaign. | Mr Trump also called Mr Wolff a "fraud" and the book "a complete work of fiction", saying that "he doesn't know me at all" and said that he had not been interviewed in the White House as Mr Wolff has said. He later admitted that he had spoken to Mr Wolff during his presidential campaign. |
| The gathering at Camp David, with a number of members of his cabinet, is supposed to be a weekend for Mr Trump to concentrate on their agenda for 2018. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan were also present for the two days of talks, with the Republican party facing a year where they will also battle to keep control of the US Congress in November elections. | |
| At the beginning of his remarks, Mr Trump described having some “incredible meetings” with Republicans, saying the party were ready their 2018 legislative agenda. | |
| He said the group, 10 of whom were on stage with him, the only woman being Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, discussed a variety of topics, from national security and infrastructure to the military and the budget. | |
| Mr Trump said: “We are very well prepared for the coming year." He added that his administration "finished very strong,” referring to the passing of a tax reform bill in December that marked the biggest overhaul of the tax code in nearly there decades. | |
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