Jake Tapper shocked CNN viewers by defending a claim made by president Donald Trump during his congressional address on Tuesday.
Tapper interrupted his colleague Daniel Dale as he was fact-checking Trump’s false assertion that the US has spent more money in Ukraine‘s defense than Europe has.
Trump had also noted that ‘Europe has sadly spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine’ – a claim that Tapper, surprisingly, deemed ‘fair.’
‘One thing, though, that you didn’t correct there that President Trump suggested, I did see a study from a European think tank that did suggest that Europeans do buy, or at least last year, bought more Russian oil and gas in terms of the cost than they provided aid to Ukraine,’ Tapper interjected.
‘That part of it, I think is fair, but you weren’t taking issue with that. But that is an interesting thing for viewers to know.’
Trump used his speech to congress to address his proposals for fostering peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, where he has unceremoniously upended the policies of the Biden administration in a matter of just weeks.
On Monday, Trump ordered a freeze to U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, ending years of staunch American support for the country in fending off Russia’s invasion.
Tapper, one of Trump’s fiercest critics during his first term, appears to be taking a less confrontational approach this time around.
CNN’s Jake Tapper uncharacteristically defended one of Donald Trump claims on Tuesday as his colleague Daniel Dale was fact-checking the president
Tapper said Trump’s claim in congress about Europe buying Russian oil and gas was ‘fair’
Further reacting to Trump’s speech, the anchor said Democrats are currently ‘in disarray.’
‘I have to say, you can really sense Republicans with a pep in their step and Democrats rather demoralized,’ Tapper said on Tuesday.
Tapper has an upcoming book on the Democrats’ attempt to cover-up former President Joe Biden’s ailing health, with the party in for another drubbing from the anchor when he begins promotion for that.
Trump’s 1 hour and 39 minute speech was the longest annual address a president has ever delivered to Congress, breaking Bill Clinton’s record of 1 hour and 28 minutes.
The Republican vowed to keep up his campaign of ‘swift and unrelenting action’ to boost America’s economy.
He also vowed to continue his America-first crackdown on immigration and foreign policy that saw Democrat observers protest with circular cardboard placards.
Emboldened after surviving two impeachment attempts and 34 felony convictions, Trump is also set on dismantling large swathes of the federal government.
He has taken a tough stance on nations usually considered allies too, slapping tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico that have sparked a trade war.
He said he is working to ‘reclaim democracy from this unaccountable bureaucracy’ and threatened federal workers anew with firings if they resist his agenda.
Trump wrongly suggested that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments, prompting some Democrats to shout, ‘Not true!’ and ‘Those are lies!’
He spoke at a critical juncture in his presidency, as voters who returned him to the White House on his promise to fix inflation are instead finding economic chaos.
All the gains the S&P 500 have made since Election Day are now gone, while consumer sentiment surveys show the public sees inflation as worsening.
Trump seemed prepared to double down on his trade policies, which experts have warned will raise prices for consumers.
‘Whatever they tariff us, we tariff them. Whatever they tax us, we tax them,’ Trump said. At the same time, he tried to ease concerns about the resulting price increases, saying, ‘There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re okay with that. It won’t be much.’
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