President Donald Trump lost it on ABC News reporter Rachel Scott on Thursday for asking why he is focusing on renovations in Washington, D.C. amid the ongoing Iran war.
The war, which is currently in a ceasefire – but apparently not really – has taken a backseat at times in the president’s public appearances and social media posts. Trump has repeatedly displayed renderings of what the renovated reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial will look like, as well as – and especially – mockups of his ballroom, which is being built where the White House’s East Wing stood until he had it demolished last year. The president has also floated the construction of a triumphal arch in the nation’s capital.
Not surprisingly, Trump’s D.C. remodel has not helped his approval rating, which is being dragged down by the effects of the war. Oil and gas prices have surged since the conflict began on Feb. 28.
Trump took questions from reporters near the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday night, where Scott, a senior political correspondent for ABC News, asked the president about his fixation on aesthetics as the war continues. Trump responded by snapping at the reporter:
SCOTT: Mr. President, you are here against the backdrop of the war in a Iran. Why focus on all these projects right now with gas prices soaring?
TRUMP: You know why? Because I wanna keep our country beautiful and safe. Beautiful also. This place was a disgusting place. It was– Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and we had a terrible, disgusting– you probably don’t see dirt. But I do. And you walked down this pond. If you would’ve walked down they’ll tell you better than anybody. They had to take 11 or 12 truckloads of garbage out of that lake, out of that water. And it sat there for years like that. And that’s not what our country’s about. Our country’s about beauty, cleanliness, safety, great people. Not a filthy capital.
SCOTT: What is the status of–
TRUMP: Such a stupid question that you asked. We’re fixing up the reflecting pond to the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument. And you say, “Why are you fixing anything up?” Because you can understand dirt, maybe better than I can. But I don’t allow it. [turns to aides] This is one of the worst reporters. She’s with ABC fake news and she’s a horror show. She’s saying, “Why would you bother fixing this up?” Why would I bother taking 11 or 12 truckloads of filth out of the water in front of the Lincoln monument. That’s what made our country great. Beauty made our country. People made our country great. A question like that is a disgrace to our country.
Thursday wasn’t the first time Trump gave Scott an earful.
“By the way, this is ABC fake news, this one,” Trump said after taking a question from Scott in January. “She hasn’t asked me a good question in years. I think a nice woman, but I don’t really like her too much.”
Watch above via C-SPAN.
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