Trump news: President rails at Joe Biden as 2020 announcement looms, after New Zealand terror complaint and angry attack on John McCain

The president is ramping up his attacks on Twitter

Donald Trump denies white nationalism is a 'rising threat' after Christchurch mosque attack

Donald Trump has targeted Joe Biden after the former vice president made a verbal slip about a potential 2020 presidential bid.

Mr Trump, who has eagerly followed the 2020 Democratic field, tweeted Monday: “Joe Biden got tongue tied over the weekend when he was unable to properly deliver a very simple line about his decision to run for President.”

He added, “Get used to it, another low I.Q. individual!”

At a dinner over the weekend, Mr Biden said he had “the most progressive record of anybody running.” But Mr Biden hasn’t announced whether he will launch a third run for the White House.

He quickly corrected himself, but the comment prompted frenzied speculation.

The president has previously labelled California Congresswoman Maxine Waters and actor Robert De Niro as being “low I.Q.”

Meanwhile, Mr Trump faced controversy on Monday after denying white nationalism was an increasing threat just days after a suspected gunman launched a terror attack against two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The House Judiciary Committee has revealed its intention to conduct hearings into the rise of white nationalism under Mr Trump, in which it will probe the administration’s response to FBI findings that the issue has become an increasing threat.

Monday also marked the deadline for the White House to respond to the committee’s request for documents — a move the Trump administration has seemingly avoided.

It remains unclear whether Democrats will now issue a subpoena against Mr Trump or the White House.

Additional reporting by AP. Check out The Independent’s live coverage below.

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Key Points

• Trump urges Fox to withdraw Jeanine Pirro suspension over Islamophobia
• President attacks the late John McCain over Steele Dossier
• Attacks media after being named in terrorist manifesto
• Beto O'Rourke 2020 campaign raises $6.1m in donations on first day

[18 March 2019 10:45 · Joe Sommerlad]

Among those leaping to the defence of John McCain is his long-time friend Lindsey Graham, Republican senator for South Carolina:

[18 March 2019 11:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

In other Trump news this morning, Washington State is threatening to leave the president's name off 2020 ballot papers unless he finally reveals his tax returns.

Very much the sort of blackmail tactic the man himself would be tempted to employ, an irony that will no doubt annoy him all the more.

[18 March 2019 11:15 · Joe Sommerlad]

The president may have vetoed a motion to overturn the resolution opposing his national emergency declaration on Friday after it passed muster in the House of Representatives and Senate but two-thirds of Americans do not support him on the matter, according to a new poll.

[18 March 2019 11:30 · Joe Sommerlad]

President Trump's weak response to the mass shooting in Christchurch has won him few admirers, with some seeing it as a repeat of his failure to condemn neo-Nazis at Charlottesville in August 2017.

"The president is not a white supremacist," says acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, which you would certainly hope was a given.

Here's Chris Baynes.

[18 March 2019 11:40 · Joe Sommerlad]

The president is awake and resuming his attack on General Motors and the UAW union.

"Close a plant in China or Mexico", he says, casually.

[18 March 2019 11:56 · Joe Sommerlad]

More self-congratulation, presented without citation:

[18 March 2019 12:10 · Joe Sommerlad]

The Democrats are currently lining up to disagree with former vice-president Joe Biden that his successor, Mike Pence, is "a decent guy".

Fellow Indianan and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg's description of Mr Pence as "the cheerleader of the porn star presidency" has yet to be bettered despite the best efforts of Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris et al.

His toadying response to the president over the veto - "I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud to be standing next to your desk than I am today" - certainly deserves to be mocked.

[18 March 2019 12:15 · Joe Sommerlad]

But the mudslinging goes both ways.

Since announcing his 2020 candidacy, Beto O'Rourke's opponents have been working overtime to dig up dirt on the Democrats' new golden boy.

The Republicans used St Patrick's Day to mock his arrest for driving under the influence more than 20 years ago - an amazingly callous tweet to come from the party's official account.

Many also leaped on a Reuters report over the weekend saying the the former punk rocker, 46, wrote some fairly wild poetry in his youth and was part of the early hacktivist group Cult of the Dead Cow under the pseudonym "Psychedelic Warlord".

Whatever you make of all that, he's clearly caught the imagination of voters:

[18 March 2019 12:17 · Joe Sommerlad]

Hahaha!

[18 March 2019 12:25 · Joe Sommerlad]

Here's Tom Embury-Dennis on the president's apparent endorsement of the fan theory the Steele Dossier was a piece of good old-fashioned British Cold War intrigue straight out of John Le Carre.