President Trump today: Live updates | CNN Politics

President Trump today

President Donald Trump walks to an interview on the North Lawn of the White House, Friday, June 15, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump blames Dems for family separations
01:38 - Source: CNN

What we covered here

Trump speaks: The President spoke to reporters this morning on a wide range of issues, including the new IG report on the handling of the Clinton email investigation.

16 Posts

Our live coverage has ended. Scroll through the posts below to see how the day unfolded.

Here’s what Trump said about Paul Manafort — hours before he was sent to jail

Two weeks after special counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecutors dropped new accusations of witness tampering on him, a federal judge revoked Manafort’s current bail, which had him on house arrest. 

Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s order Friday marks an end to months of attempts by Manafort to lighten his house arrest restrictions after he was charged and pleaded not guilty to foreign lobbying violations.

What Trump said about Manafort today: This morning, the President Trump said he feels bad for his former colleagues who are facing charges in Mueller’s investigation, including Manafort.

Here’s that moment:

Trump could stop family separation policy with a phone call, senior Republican says

Sen. Lindsay Graham told CNN’s Kate Bolduan that President Trump could stop the Department of Homeland Security from separating young, undocumented children from their parents when families are detained for illegally crossing the southern border.

Earlier today, President Trump falsely blamed Democrats for the thousands of migrant children who have been separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border. His administration’s zero-tolerance policy to refer anyone caught crossing the border illegally for federal prosecution has led to a notable uptick in the number of children taken from their parents since the change was announced in May.

However, Graham added that the separation policy discourages illegal immigration.

“I’m sure that people are going to be less likely to bring their kids to America if they get separated than if they lived together and get released into the country. I’m real sure about that,” Graham said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham wants to challenge the inspector general on his report findings

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham told CNN that he plans to challenge Inspector General Michael Horowitz at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Monday about his report findings on the handling of Hillary Clinton’s emails.

Graham wants to ask Horowitz why he found no evidence of bias on the part of the FBI and Department of Justice in the Clinton email investigation.

“I think he’ll be challenged about his conclusion,” the South Carolina lawmaker said. “I think he’s a good guy. And we’ll see what happens. I’ll tell you better after I hear him explain why he got to where he did.”

Trump: "I feel badly" for Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn

President Trump wants people to know that he feels bad for his former colleagues who are facing charges in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Trump mentioned former campaign manager Paul Manafort, who’s in court today on new witness tampering and conspiracy charges.

“Manafort has nothing to do with our campaign,” Trump said. “But I tell you, I feel a little badly about it. They went back 12 years to get things that he did 12 years ago. Paul Manafort worked for me for a very short period of time.”

He also expressed distress for former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations with Russia’s ambassador. 

“I feel badly for General Flynn. He’s lost his house, he’s lost his life. And some people say, ‘he lied’ and some people say, ‘he didn’t lie.’ Really it turned out maybe he didn’t lie,” he told reporters.

Trump declined to say whether he would offer up a pardon for his former colleagues.

“I do want to see people treated fairly,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Trump says Michael Cohen isn't his personal lawyer anymore

President Trump told reporters that Michael Cohen is no longer his personal lawyer.

“I haven’t spoken to Michael in a long time,” Trump said. “But I always liked Michael. And he’s a good person.”

Cohen has not been charged with a crime, but the FBI raid of his home, hotel room and office in early April revealed that prosecutors had zeroed in on his personal financial dealings, including the payment he made to porn star Stormy Daniels on Trump’s behalf before the election.

This week, Rudy Giuliani, one of President Trump’s lawyers in the Russia investigation, said Cohen is not cutting a deal with federal prosecutors.

Watch more:

Trump falsely blames Democrats for separation of immigrant children from parents at the border

President Trump, speaking moments ago to reporters on the White House lawn, falsely blamed Democrats for the thousands of migrant children who have been separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border.

“The children, the children can be taken care of quickly, beautifully and immediately,” Trump said.

Trump said the “Democrats’ law” forced that action at the border.

“The Democrats can come to us as they actually are in all fairness. We are talking to them, and they can change the whole border security,” the President said.

Trump rejects Republicans' compromise immigration bill, effectively dooming it

President Trump on Friday morning delivered a potentially fatal blow to a compromise immigration bill under development in the House.

Trump said on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” that he is not planning to sign the negotiated measure.

The compromise is effectively doomed: Without Trump’s support, and with a pledge to veto the legislation, it would be almost impossible to pass the legislation in the House, as members across the ideological spectrum are already hesitant to back the legislation on the political third-rail issue and many lawmakers have said they are only interested in a bill that can become law.

The draft bill is the product of weeks of negotiations behind closed doors between Republican moderates and conservatives, convened by leadership after dueling rebellions by both flanks.

Trump: I was joking about wishing people would "sit up at attention" like North Koreans do for Kim Jong Un

President Donald Trump said Friday he wants “my people” to sit up at attention as North Koreans do for dictator Kim Jong Un, later adding that he was joking.

“He’s the head of the country,” Trump said of Kim Friday during a live interview on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.”

“And I mean he’s the strong head. Don’t let anyone think anything different.”

“He speaks and his people sit up at attention,” the President added. “I want my people to do the same.”

Later Friday, Trump told reporters at the White House his remark was a joke. “I was kidding,” he said. “You don’t understand sarcasm.”

Trump says "it's possible" he'll meet with Putin

President Trump said “it’s possible that we’ll meet” when asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump again said Russia should be reinstated as a member of the G8. “I think it’s better to have Russia in than to have Russia out,” he said.

He then added that it was President Obama who lost Crimea — which is what triggered Russia being booted from the annual meeting of countries — because Putin didn’t respect him.

“This was long before I got there,” Trump said.

Trump says Trump Jr. statement about Russia meeting is "irrelevant"

President Trump called Don Jr.’s misleading statement about his controversial 2016 meeting with Russians at Trump Tower “irrelevant,” because it was given to the New York Times and not a “high tribunal of judge.”

About that statement: The New York Times initially reported in July 2017 that Trump Jr. met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya along with Jared Kushner, the President’s son-in-law who has a senior role in the White House, and Paul Manafort, who was campaign chair at the time, in Trump Tower in June 2016.

Trump Jr. responded with a statement saying the meeting was “primarily” about adoption and its relation to US sanctions on Russia under the Magnitsky Act.

But shortly after that first report, it was shown the initial statement was misleading. The Times reported that Trump Jr. accepted the meeting in hopes that it would yield damaging information on Hillary Clinton, and Trump Jr. said it had not. After the Times obtained an email chain showing an acquaintance, Rob Goldstone, offered Trump Jr. a meeting where he could obtain information as part of a Russian government effort to help his father’s campaign, Trump Jr. posted the emails online.

Trump: The top people at the FBI were plotting against my election

President Trump told “Fox & Friends” this morning that the FBI looked “very bad” in a report released yesterday by the inspector general, which detailed the handling of Hillary Clinton’s emails.

Trump put the blame squarely on former FBI Director James Comey, whose actions in the Clinton email investigation were criticized in the IG report.

“The top people were horrible,” Trump said. “You look at what happened, they were plotting against my election, probably has never happened like that, in terms of intelligence, in terms of anything else. But they were actually plotting against my election.”

Trump says he "can't speak" to Kim Jong Un's history of executing his own people

President Trump was asked how Kim Jong Un could love his people if he’s killing them. The President said he couldn’t speak to that.

“I can’t speak to that. I can only speak to the fact that we signed an incredible agreement. It’s great,” Trump said.

Trump: Scott Pruitt "has done a fantastic job at EPA"

A steady stream of negative headlines involving Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has official Washington wondering whether the embattled agency chief can hold onto his job.

However, President Trump says he has done “fantastic” work.

“I’m looking at Scott, and Scott has done a fantastic job at EPA,” Trump told reporters.

White House legislative affairs director is leaving

A White House aide tells CNN that Marc Short told the legislative affairs team this morning during their daily staff meeting that he plans to leave the White House. His departure will come sometime this summer, the aide said.

Short led the White House’s efforts to repeal Obamacare, which failed, and to pass tax cuts, which succeeded.

Trump: The IG report "exonerates me"

President Trump, speaking to reporters moments ago, said the new Inspector General report on the handling of the Clinton email investigation “exonerates” him.

What's happening at the border

She says federal officials took her daughter while she breastfed the child in a detention center
Catholic leader calls separating mothers and children at border ‘immoral’
US reckons with Trump’s war on immigration
Texas port of entry chosen as temporary shelter for unaccompanied children
Rallies protesting immigrant family separations taking place across US
Key moments from the Trump-Kim summit
Trump says Kim ‘trusts me, and I trust him’
What just happened? Experts break it down
10 headlines that will make you wonder how Scott Pruitt still has a job
Scott Pruitt did what now?
The Scott Pruitt spending scandals keep coming
The 5 key lines from the Justice Department IG report
FBI director vows to ‘hold employees accountable’ after watchdog report
6 takeaways from the Justice watchdog report on the Clinton email investigation

What's happening at the border

She says federal officials took her daughter while she breastfed the child in a detention center
Catholic leader calls separating mothers and children at border ‘immoral’
US reckons with Trump’s war on immigration
Texas port of entry chosen as temporary shelter for unaccompanied children
Rallies protesting immigrant family separations taking place across US
Key moments from the Trump-Kim summit
Trump says Kim ‘trusts me, and I trust him’
What just happened? Experts break it down
10 headlines that will make you wonder how Scott Pruitt still has a job
Scott Pruitt did what now?
The Scott Pruitt spending scandals keep coming
The 5 key lines from the Justice Department IG report
FBI director vows to ‘hold employees accountable’ after watchdog report
6 takeaways from the Justice watchdog report on the Clinton email investigation