President Trump did not mince words Thursday morning in response to his former attorney Michael Cohen pleading guilty to Special Counsel charges on lying to Congress. The charges stem from false statements Cohen made to the Senate Select Intelligence Committee last year about plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow during the 2016 presidential election.
"He's a weak person and by weak unlike other people you watch, he's a weak person and what he's trying to do is get a reduced sentence. So, he's lying about a project that everybody knew about," Trump said from the South Lawn of the White House. "A weak person and not a very smart person."
President Trump also said he isn't worried about Cohen or his cooperation with the Special Counsel. He also argued he didn't follow through with the Moscow project because he was running for the White House.
JUST IN: Pres. Trump responds to Michael Cohen plea deal: "He's a weak person, and what he's trying to do is get a reduced sentence." https://t.co/k9UDqstW41 pic.twitter.com/Vj34xgzfoK
— ABC News (@ABC) November 29, 2018
After his comments on Cohen, President Trump said he still plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G20 Summit in Argentina. A meeting with Chinese President Xi is also on the agenda and Trump said he is "very close" to striking a new deal, but also that he likes the "current deal."
"I probably will be meeting with Pres. Putin" at G20 summit, Pres. Trump says. "I think it's a very good time to have the meeting." https://t.co/aH8wj7uqXq pic.twitter.com/pjxxOLmT7A
— ABC News (@ABC) November 29, 2018
At the White House earlier this week, White House Senior Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow announced there may be a deal with China in the works on trade and that administration is hopeful G20 negotiations will go well.
"In terms of the much-discussed meeting -- it’s going to be a dinner meeting between President Trump and President Xi and representatives from both sides. It will be a bilateral. I want to just mention what the President told us a short while ago and that is, in his view, there’s a good possibility that a deal can be made and that he is open to that. He is open to that," Kudlow said. "But having said that -- some caveats, as always -- certain conditions have to be met with respect to fairness and reciprocities. We’ve said many times, for example, issues of intellectual property theft must be solved. Forced technology transfers must be solved. Significant tariffs and non-tariff barriers must be solved. Issues of ownership have to be solved."
"The President will probably reiterate his view: We want a world, ideally, of zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsidies," he continued.
First Lady Melania Trump, along with Senior Advisors Ivanka Trump and Jaren Kushner, are traveling with the President to the G20 Summit.
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