Donald Trump delivered a rare televised address on Wednesday evening, and according to a report from the Daily Beast, the president made it clear when the cameras were not rolling who was really responsible for the "bizarre" primetime stunt.
Trump first made the announcement that he would address the nation on Tuesday afternoon, prompting widespread speculation that he would use the platform to announce an invasion of Venezuela. In reality, he spent the roughly 18-minute address attempting to convince the public that his handling of the economy was good, as poll after poll finds that voters disagree. The president claimed, despite available evidence, that he inherited a bad economy roughly a year ago and blamed the current problems on Joe Biden.
The "double-speed diatribe," as the Daily Beast described it, left an odd impression, with many labeling Trump's delivery "manic" and some wondering why he was "screaming" at them. Some even suggested that his demeanor was a bad sign for his physical health. Fact-checkers also criticized the address as full of "total fiction" and "wild exaggerations."
According to journalists on the scene, Trump was told by staffers present for the address, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, communications director Steven Cheung, press secretary Karoline Leavitt and executive assistant Natalie Harp, that his effort was "very good." He also admitted which White House official had actually made him give the address.
"He then said [Susie Wiles] told him he had... to give an address to [the ] nation," Politico's Julia Manchester said in a post to X.
Freelance reporter Laura Rozen confirmed this in one of her own posts, adding that Wiles seemed pleased with the effort.
“He... said (not exact) ‘Susie told me I have to give an address to [the] nation,’” Rozen wrote. “They went back and forth on length, and he said ‘how did I do?’ Wiles said ‘I told you 20 minutes and you were 20 minutes on the dot.’ The president then thanked the press and walked out.”
White House insiders speaking to Zeteo gave a much less flattering reaction, telling the outlet that "it was shocking — or at least puzzling — that anyone in the White House would think that this speech was a wise idea."
"The speech didn’t refocus the national conversation," sources told Zeteo. "It wouldn’t move the needle. And it did not look like the strategic move of somebody operating from a position of strength."