Thread by @atrupar

Trump's solo news conference is set to begin at 5pm ET. Nothing would surprise me. Follow along for a video thread.

COWORKER: Is Trump still doing that news conference today?

ME:

Trump will have many, many flags behind him.

Trump tries to being his press conference by taking a shot at the press, but elicits some laughs when he just ends up grunting, "a lot of...... media!"

Trump falsely claims tariffs "have had no impact, absolutely no impact on our economy, which I said it wouldn't."

The president then lies and claims US Steel is opening "a minimum of 8 plants." (The company has announced no new plants.) thinkprogress.org/trump-us-steel…

Fox News' @johnrobertsFox begins the Q & A by asking Trump about Kavanaugh and why he won't ask the FBI to investigate assault & misconduct allegations.

"It's not going to change Democrats' minds -- they're obstructionists," Trump replies. "They know it's a big, fat con job."

Trump refuses to call the 3 Kavanaugh accusers liars, but says "these are false allegations."

He then pivots to bashing Democrats for not going public with the accusations sooner.

REPORTER: Mr president, you have daughters. Can't you understand why these accusers didn't come forward sooner?

TRUMP: I only say this. 36 years, no charge, no nothing. People are going to have to make a decision. 36 years, no charge.

Trump gets a question about Cuba policy but is unable to discuss policy, so he replies by just saying "I don't like what is happening in Cuba" repeatedly.

Trump gets upset with @Acosta after he points out that he hasn't called on any female reporters yet

Acosta asks Trump why he always seems to side with men when they're accused of sexual assault. Trump responds by pointing out that.... [checks notes] ..... women can get hit with misconduct accusations too.

Trump says he will decide if the 3 women accusing Kavanaugh of misconduct are lying after Dr Ford testifies tomorrow (but he isn't calling for the other 2 accusers to testify)

Trump claims Democrats would vote against George Washington because "he may have had a bad past."

Trump wonders why Dr Ford's parents didn't report Kavanaugh's alleged assault to police 36 years ago. (She didn't tell them.)

Trump claims he was accused of assault by "4 or 5 women" (it was actually 15), then advises a reporter that she should check with Sean Hannity, because he's the expert about the topic. #wut

The president goes on to smear his accusers as money-seekers.

Trump brusquely tells a female reporter to "sit down" as she tries to ask him about the sexual assault accusations against him. The optics aren't great.

Trump declines to cite any evidence to substantiate claim he made today that China is meddling in the midterm election against him.

The president goes on to cite a commentator who allegedly said that China "has total respect for Donald Trump's very large brain." #BeyondParody

Asked if he's going to fire Rod Rosenstein tomorrow, Trump quickly pivots to asserting "there was no collusion, there was no obstruction."

He then makes up Peter Strzok quotes to build a case that the FBI is biased against him

Trump doesn't seem to understand that the 25th amendment is something *his cabinet* could use to remove him from office (he seems to think it's something Democrats might try to use)

Trump says he wants to have a second summit with his pen pal Kim Jong Un because that's what Kim Jong Un wants to do.

The president then makes the baseless claim that Obama was about to go to war with North Korea because he took office. #gaslighting

REPORTER: How long do you think it should take North Korea to denuclearize?

TRUMP: I don't know, I don't want to get into the time game.

[hijacks question and proceeds to brag about himself and bash Obama for 2 minutes]

listen to this rant and keep in mind that the question Trump was "responding" to what about a timetable for North Korea denuclearization

Trump has a very awkward interaction with a female Sky News reporter whose smile he admired

Asked about the Russia investigation, Trump talks about Brett Kavanaugh and somehow ends up ranting, bizarrely, about how "women are so angry" because of how Democrats have treated him

Trump is unable to talk about Iraq policy, moves on as quickly as possible

Minutes after praising North Korea, Trump craps on Canada.

"We are very unhappy with the negotiations and the negotiating style of Canada. We don't like their representative very much... We think they are have taken advantage of our country for a long time."

TRUMP: "I don't like NAFTA. I've never liked it. It's been very bad for the United States. It's been great for Canada and great for Mexico. I'm not going to use the name NAFTA. I refuse to use it."

Trump is again unable to talk about his Iraq policy, then punts on a question about Syria and instead rants about China and Obama

TRUMP on IRAN: "It doesn't matter what world leaders think on Iran. Iran is going to come back to me and they're going to make a good deal, I think. Maybe not. You never know, but they are suffering greatly."

Trump mistakes a PBS reporter for a New York Times reporter and craps all over the "failing New York Times"

Trump denies that the UN was actually laughing at him yesterday, instead claims "they were laughing with me." 😂

Trump on if it's possible for him to believe Dr Ford: "I can be convinced of anything."

The president again falsely claims that all of the women who accused him of misconduct were paid to do so.

Asked about a possible peace deal in the Middle East, Trump brags about saving money on the US embassy in Israel and takes shots at the media

TRUMP on CHINA: "They are doing studies on Donald Trump, they're trying to figure it all out because this has never happened to them before. It has never happened. Think of it." #wut

Trump claims he won't brag about himself because the media would criticize him for being too "braggadocios," immediately brags about himself

REPORTER: How would you compare alleged Chinese interference in our elections with Russia?

TRUMP: [spends 5 minutes ranting about the media]

TRUMP closes by defending KAVANAUGH: "This could go on forever. Somebody could come & say, '30 years ago, 25 years ago, 10 years ago, he did a horrible thing. He did this, he did that.' Honestly, it's a dangerous period in our country &it is being perpetrated by very evil people"

Trump, who once called for the execution of black teens for a murder they did not commit, ends with this: "In [Kavanaugh's] case you are guilty until proven innocent. I think that is a very, very dangerous standard for our country."

At no point during Trump's nearly 90-minute press conference did he express an iota of sympathy for the 3 woman who have accused his Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault or misconduct