During a rambling Wednesday morning, June 18 press conference, President Donald Trump covered a lot of ground — from the deepening Iran/Israel conflict to his mass deportations. Trump railed against his usual targets, including former President Joe Biden and U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. But at times, he sort of defended Biden by claiming that he didn't know what legislation Democrats were urging him to sign.
Here are five of the wildest moments from Trump's presser.
1. Trump wants to "appoint myself to the Fed."
Trump reiterated his desire for Powell to lower interest rates — something Powell is holding off on, maintaining that he won't be swayed by the president. And Trump told reporters, "Am I allowed to appoint myself to the Fed? I'd do a much better job than these people."
Trump said of Powell, "He's not a smart person…. I think he hates me…. I've been so nice to him….. I do it every way in the book. I'm nasty, I'm nice…. He's a stupid person."
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2. Trump claimed Democrats wanted criminals to illegally enter the U.S.
Trump claimed that during Biden's presidency, record numbers of criminals illegally entered the U.S. from Venezuela and other countries — although he had no evidence to back it up. And he said they did so with Democrats' blessings.
Trump told reporters, "He let them into our country.... They emptied out the jails…. Liberal politicians are destroying our country."
3. Trump claimed Biden didn't understand legislation he signed.
During the presser, Trump claimed that because Biden's mental state was in decline, other Democrats manipulated him into signing legislation that encouraged "open borders."
Trump told reporters, "(Biden) had no idea what was going on…. All the scum that was around the Oval Office…. Say what you want about Biden, he wasn't for open borders…. They said, 'This guy has no clue. He'll do whatever we tell him.'"
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4. Trump claimed tariffs are bringing record profits to America.
Countless economists, both left and right, are warning that Trump's steep new tariffs will cause prices to soar and resort in major shortages at retail — as retailers rely on imported goods from a long list of countries.
But Trump, during the press conference, insisted that his tariffs are bringing in huge profits.
"I got a call from Congress last night: Sir, there's a problem," Trump told reporters. "I said, 'What is it?' Money is pouring in, we don't know how to account for it. I said, 'Check the tariffs. 88 billion dollars came in from tariffs. No inflation.'"
5. Trump claimed Iran is "totally defenseless."
With the conflict between Iran and Israel escalating, some foreign policy experts fear the war will spread to other countries in the Middle East. Trump, however, described Iran was "defenseless."
Trump told reporters, "They're totally defenseless. They have no air defense whatsoever…. I know a lot of people from Iran…. They are incredible people. They're smart, they're energetic… And those people are getting the hell beat out of them. And it's really a shame. It's so stupid."
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Watch the full CNN videos below or at this link.