Trump replays his own rallies on White House dining room TV to show 'evidence of his brilliance', report says

'They don't realise, it's a lot of work. It's not easy,' Donald Trump reportedly says about speaking at his rallies

Chris Riotta
New York
Monday 06 August 2018 18:16 BST
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Donald Trump revels in watching moments from his rallies on a television screen situated in the White House dining room, a new report claims.

The president’s affinity for television is well-documented, with multiple screens at his bedside reportedly playing major networks simultaneously throughout the night. But new reporting says Mr Trump's TV watching doesn't stop in the bedroom: he and his associates watch his nationwide rallies in a dining room attached to the Oval Office.

"Wait for it," Mr Trump reportedly says as he watches special moments from his recent rallies that are preloaded onto a TiVo device. "See what I did there?"

In one occasion, the president compared himself to PT Barnum, an American politician and businessman known as the "the greatest showman", according to Axios.

"People think it’s easy," Mr Trump said, according to one source who spoke anonymously. "I've been doing this a long time now and people are used to it, every rally, it's like, people have said PT Barnum. People have said that before. And they think that's easy, because hey, PT Barnum, he does the circus."

"They don’t realise, it’s a lot of work," Mr Trump reportedly added. "It's not easy."

Mr Trump has also enjoyed watching a moment from the 2016 presidential debate against Hillary Clinton in which he suggested he'd put the former Democratic candidate in jail if he were elected, the report goes on to add.

It is not uncommon for politicians to replay their televised speeches and other moments from their rallies in an effort to improve strategic communications and political messaging.

However, rather than using the TV screening moments for research and assessment, the president reportedly "luxuriates in the moments he believes are evidence of his brilliance."

The White House did not respond to enquiries, though Mr Trump has repeatedly blasted the media for its coverage of his presidency on Twitter in recent days, while sharing footage from his Ohio rally over the weekend.

Mr Trump described the media as "dangerous and sick" just after sharing a video from his speech, writing: "The Fake News hates me saying that they are the Enemy of the People only because they know it’s TRUE."

"I am providing a great service by explaining this to the American People. They purposely cause great division & distrust."

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