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.

Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load

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 14:31 · Chris Riotta]

Donald Trump has angrily complained he is being blamed for the far-right terror attack in Christchurch, which has claimed the lives of 50 people.

“The Fake News Media is working overtime to blame me for the horrible attack in New Zealand. They will have to work very hard to prove that one. So Ridiculous!” Mr Trump tweeted.

The US president was criticised following the shootings at two mosques in New Zealand last week, after he initially tweeted a link to Breitbart, a far-right website with a history of anti-Muslim rhetoric, to direct followers to its coverage of the incident.

[18 March 2019 15:07 · Chris Riotta]

Here’s a quick fact-check from the AP on Donald Trump’s claims that white nationalism isn’t a rising threat in the US:

According to data released this month by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League, for instance, white supremacist propaganda efforts nearly tripled last year from 2017. Reports of the propaganda — which can include fliers, stickers, banners and posters that promote hateful ideology — rose 182 percent to 1,187 cases. That’s up from the 421 reported in 2017.

The number of racist rallies and demonstrations also rose last year, according to the group. At least 91 white supremacist rallies or other public events attended by white supremacists were held in 2018, up from 76 the previous year.

The Anti-Defamation League in January said domestic extremists killed at least 50 people in the U.S. in 2018, up from 37 in 2017, and noted that “white supremacists were responsible for the great majority of the killings, which is typically the case.”

[18 March 2019 15:20 · Chris Riotta]

White House Senior Adviser Kellyanne Conway has taken to Fox News to urge audiences to “read the entire” manifesto an apparent white supremacist released before allegedly killing at least 50 people during a terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

The plea for viewers to view the full manifesto is already receiving criticism online.

[18 March 2019 15:35 · Chris Riotta]

The president is now attacking Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference, openly pondering whether “we will soon find out” whether the probe is indeed a “witch hunt” as he has repeatedly claimed. 

Donald Trump responded to a new poll on the special counsel investigation, writing, “Wow! A Suffolk/USA Today Poll, just out, states, ’50% of Americans AGREE that Robert Mueller’s investigation is a Witch Hunt.’”

The erosion in trust for the special counsel arrives as the president has spent the last two years attacking the probe on Twitter and numerous media appearances.

[18 March 2019 15:50 · Chris Riotta]

Fallout continues after Donald Trump’s longtime adviser Kellyanne Conway urges audiences on Fox News to read the full manifesto released by the suspected terrorist behind the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Susan Hennessey, the executive editor of Lawfare, had this to say on Twitter: “As the rest of the national security and law enforcement community works to limit distribution of this manifesto, the White House is unconcerned with the risks of spreading virulent ideology, because all that really matters is whether Trump gets blamed.”

[18 March 2019 16:05 · Chris Riotta]

Meghan McCain, a conservative news analyst and daughter to the later Senator John McCain, has responded to Donald Trump’s series of attacks against her father during a Monday morning live episode of ABC’s The View.

“He spends his weekend obsessing over great men because he knows it and I know it and all of you know it — he will never be a great man,” she said.

Watch her takedown of the president’s tweets below:

[18 March 2019 16:20 · Chris Riotta]

As Donald Trump continues attacking his critics online, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly approved a new slate of Internet laws that will greatly restrictive digital freedoms across country. 

[18 March 2019 16:35 · Chris Riotta]

Joe Biden is preparing to launch a massive Democratic campaign, according to a new report — which may explain the reason why Donald Trump has taken to attacking him on Twitter.

The former vice president is readying a slate of endorsements from black lawmakers, prepping his rollout and securing top staff members. 

"Our elections are drowning in money, and every dark dollar chips away at our faith in the system. You're going to hear a lot about this before it's all over, I'm not in a position to tell you now," Mr Biden said this weekend.

[18 March 2019 16:50 · Chris Riotta]

Donald Trump’s White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway is calling on Fox News viewers to “read the entire” manifesto released by the suspected terrorist behind an attack on two mosques in New Zealand, as part of an attempt to cast the media as falsely connecting the president to the attack. The manifesto cites Mr Trump as a “symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.” 

Meanwhile, the prime minister of New Zealand has announced historic and swift common sense gun reform legislation. Here’s the latest:

[18 March 2019 17:05 · Chris Riotta]

A judge has directed prosecutors to publicly release documents related to the search warrant that authorized last year’s FBI raids on the home and office of Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

US District Judge William H. Pauley III said redacted versions of the documents should be released Tuesday. Media organizations had requested access to the records.

The judge sentenced Cohen to prison in December for crimes including lying to Congress and paying two women to stay silent about affairs they claimed to have had with Mr Trump.

AP