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As it happenedended

Trump news: President sends warning to Iran after attacking AOC and Ilhan Omar in rambling presser

Follow the latest updates from Washington

Chris Riotta
New York
,Joe Sommerlad
Friday 12 July 2019 16:31 BST
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Donald Trump gives speech on citizenship and the census

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Donald Trump‘s former aide Sebastian Gorka was involved in a scuffle with members of the press in the White House Rose Garden on Thursday as a host of right-wing commentators congregated to attend the president’s Social Media Summit.

Despite not inviting any representatives from Twitter to the event, Mr Trump used the platform to attack Republican former House speaker Paul Ryan over comments he made about the president in a new book and to lay into Facebook Libra and other cryptocurrencies, which he said were “not money” but should be subjected to banking regulations.

The day unfolded against the backdrop of a major defeat for Mr Trump, who abandoned plans to add a controversial citizenship question to the 2020 census in favour of ordering federal agencies to turn over their data on the matter with a view to mining it for information.

A federal appeals court meanwhile seemed inclined Friday to side with a House committee seeking some of Mr Trump’s financial records as part of an investigation, a disclosure he is fighting.

A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard more than two hours of arguments in the case Friday, but the judges gave no indication when they would rule.

It seemed that at least two of the judges were inclined to side with the Democratic-led House committee, which in April issued a subpoena for records from Mazars USA, which has provided accounting services to Mr Trump. A lower court previously ordered the records turned over, but the president called the decision “crazy” and his lawyers appealed.

The case is one of several working its way through courts in which Mr Trump is fighting with Congress over records.

Earlier this month, the House Ways and Means Committee sued the Trump administration over access to the president’s tax returns. And in a case in New York, Trump sued to prevent Deutsche Bank and Capital One from complying with House subpoenas for banking and financial records. A judge ruled against him, and Mr Trump is appealing.

The president has argued that House Committee on Oversight and Reform seeking the records from Mazars is out to get him and lacks a legitimate “legislative purpose” for its request. His lawyers have argued that congressional investigations are valid only if there is legislation that might result from them.

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On Friday, Judge Patricia Millett told Trump lawyer William Consovoy at one point that he was suggesting that the president was “absolutely immune from any oversight.” And her colleague, Judge David Tatel, told Consovoy that what the House is seeking is “just financial disclosure which presidents for years have been doing.” Tatel was appointed by President Bill Clinton and Millett by President Barack Obama.

Additional reporting by AP. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load

Donald Trump kicked off his trip to Milwaukee by signing a women's designer shoe, which seems to sum things up quite perfectly:

Chris Riotta12 July 2019 20:26

The president has begun his remarks by touting his latest stock market and jobs numbers, as well as celebrating the military.

Chris Riotta12 July 2019 20:39

Donald Trump is celebrating how he won the state of Milwaukee during the 2016 election. 

"One of the reasons I'm here is because of you," he said.

Chris Riotta12 July 2019 20:42

"There's nobody like our American worker," the president said while addressing the crowd. He's also providing moments for applause to the local Republican politicians in the room.

Chris Riotta12 July 2019 20:43

The president is now discussing his Independence Day party in Washington, claiming he had large crowds. "It was packed and it was raining," he said. 

"It was rainy, but in a way it was a beautiful day," he said. 

Chris Riotta12 July 2019 20:45

"We have the greatest pilots in the world," Donald Trump said while discussing the US Military. 

He's pivoting between support for the military and his jobs numbers throughout the speech.

Chris Riotta12 July 2019 20:46

Donald Trump is discussing the nationwide unemployment rates, touting numbers surrounding minority demographics. 

"Right here in Wisconsin the unemployment rate is just 2.8 per cent, among the lowest in the country," he added.

Chris Riotta12 July 2019 20:48

Donald Trump said he wants to raise oil output in the US and said he intends to cut regulations preventing new pipelines from being built in Texas.

Chris Riotta12 July 2019 20:50

Donald Trump is calling on a revitalisation of the US manufacturing industry and quickly pivoting to talking about the situation on the US-Mexico border.

Chris Riotta12 July 2019 20:55

Donald Trump said the Democrats are "not sane" and said the US was losing a historic amount of jobs under the trilateral trade deal known as NAFTA.

Chris Riotta12 July 2019 20:57

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