Trump news: President endorses man who openly avows white nationalism, collects Nazi relics and called Sandy Hook 'a hoax'

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Donald Trump spreads bogus wind energy claim in front of energy workers

Donald Trump has endorsed the political ambitions of ex-Arizona Diamondbacks baseball star Curt Schilling, an outspoken conservative and Breitbart podcast host known for espousing conspiracy theories and white nationalist rhetoric and collecting Nazi memorabilia.

The development comes after the president addressed energy workers in Pennsylvania on Tuesday and joked about calling off the 2020 election and serving a third term, attacking his political opponents including Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren, despite the event not being earmarked for campaigning.

Speaking to staff after touring the Shell Pennsylvania Petrochemicals Complex in Monaca, Mr Trump also spread misinformation about wind power (“All of the sudden it stops – the wind and the televisions go off”) after defending his retweeting of baseless rumours about the death of billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Mr Trump's comments at the Shell Plant also sought to take credit for the whole place, even though it was actually green lit and started in 2012 when Barack Obama was president.

As Mr Trump rested from that trip, the White House was relatively quiet on Wednesday.

But, vice president Mike Pence announced he would be visiting Ireland soon, adding gravity to previous statements that Congress would not ratify a trade deal with the UK if the post-Brexit landscape did not honour the Good Friday Agreement.

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Key Points

• President endorses white nationalist ex-baseball star for Arizona Congress
• Trump lies about wind power to energy workers
• Defends retweeting Epstein conspiracy theories as 'fine'
• Dismisses farmer's concerns about China trade war
• 21 states sue administration over power plant rollbacks

[14 August 2019 19:15 · Clark Mindock]

Donald Trump has no regrets:

[14 August 2019 19:30 · Clark Mindock]

Here's some more on the Jeffrey Epstein beat, which Donald Trump has repeatedly weighed in on:

[14 August 2019 19:45 · Clark Mindock]

[14 August 2019 20:00 · Clark Mindock]

Things are fairly quiet in the White House today.

The last pool report we've received came just before 10am eastern, and notified the media that the White House had called "a lid" for the day already — meaning, they didn't have much planned.

In the meantime, the White House has released a couple of memos noting that emergency powers were extended.

[14 August 2019 20:15 · Clark Mindock]

The president did his best to help a friend out, but...

[14 August 2019 20:30 · Clark Mindock]

China is calling its protesters terrorists, as Donald Trump accuses that government of building up troops in mainland China.

[14 August 2019 20:45 · Clark Mindock]

From our Voices team, regarding John Bolton's visit to the UK:

[14 August 2019 21:00 · Clark Mindock]

When you're famous, they just let you do it:

[14 August 2019 22:04 · Clark Mindock]

Vice president Mike Pence is headed to Ireland, as the US and UK negotiate a potential trade deal — and as the UK marches towards an actual distancing from the European Union.

The move is significant in part because House speaker Nancy Pelosi has warned that a trade deal with the UK would not be ratified by Congress if the UK does not honour the Good Friday Agreement.