Trump: “We are very much behind President el-Sisi”


Developments on Day 74 of the Trump Administration:

See also Trump-Russia Latest: Blackwater Founder’s Meeting with Putin’s Men
Podcast: Trump, China, and North Korea

Trump’s Praise for Egypt’s Authoritarian Leader

Donald Trump has effusively praised Egypt’s authoritarian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, setting aside any US policy based on concern over the 2013 military coup and crackdown on rights and dissent.

Trump said at a 7 1/2-minute joint appearance after their meeting in the White House:

We agree on so many things. I just want to let everybody know in case there was any doubt that we are very much behind President el-Sisi. He’s done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation. We are very much behind Egypt and the people of Egypt. The United States has, believe me, backing, and we have strong backing.

He added to the tribute with a spread of photographs in a tweet:

The Obama Administration had been cautious in its approach towards Sisi, who led the coup against President Mohamed Morsi, 2 1/2 years after an uprising removed the long-time authoritarian President Hosni Mubarak. Hundreds of Egyptians were killed in the crackdown after the coup, and thousands were detained.

The visit was the first by an Egyptian leader to the White House since Mubarak in 2009.

Beyond the symbolism, little of substance came out of Monday’s meeting, including the future of US economic and military aid to Cairo and Egypt’s approach to regional affairs.

Before Mubarak’s downfall, Cairo had played a role in trying to broker the Israel-Palestine dispute. It has been dependent on support from the Gulf States to bolster a fragile economy, but recently Sisi has tried to rebuild links with Syria’s President Assad despite the civil war and mass killings and displacement of civilians in that country.


Trump Maintains Access to Income and Assets From His Businesses

ProPublica reveals a document allows Donald Trump to accept the principal, income, and assets of his businesses, despite his promise to separate himself to avoid conflicts of interest.

The changes to a trust document say it “shall distribute net income or principal to Donald J. Trump at his request” or whenever his son and longtime attorney “deem appropriate”.

There is no clause requiring Trump to disclose when he takes profits from the trust, which could go directly into his bank or brokerage account.

White House press spokesman Sean Spicer responded by calling ProPublica a “left-wing blog”, prompting the investigative journalism site to post further information on Twitter.


Trump Overturns Regulations on Hunting of Bears and Wolves

Donald Trump overturns regulations on hunting in Alaska, including protections for bears hibernating and those with cubs.

The Obama-era rule of the Fish and Wildlife Service prohibited certain hunting tactics that target “predator” animals likes bears and wolves while they are inside Alaska’s national preserves. This included a ban on hunters using airplanes.

Trump overturned the rule Monday, handing control of the hunting regulations over to Alaska state officials.


EPA Head Cornered by Fox News Host Over Climate Change Denials

Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt, who has been stripping away environmental regulations, is cornered by Fox News host Chris Wallace over his denials of climate change.

Pruitt, who as Oklahoma Attorney General was involved in numerous lawsuits against the EPA, said last week that he did not believe carbon dioxide emissions were a primary contributor to climate change.

The exchange begins about 5 minutes into the interview:


State Department Ends Funding for UN Population Fund

The State Department ends funding for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

In a letter to Bob Corker, the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the State Department said it halted funding because the UNFPA “supports, or participates in the management of, a programme of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilisation”.

The UNFPA, responsible for family planning and ending deaths in childbirth in more than 150 countries, said the claim is not true:

All of [our] work promotes the human rights of individuals and couples to make their own decisions, free of coercion or discrimination. Indeed, United Nations’ member states have long described UNFPA’s work in China as a force for good.

In 2016, the US contributed $69 million (£55 million) to the UNFPA towards the agency’s core costs, as well as short-term support for projects in humanitarian settings.

The organisation is the world’s largest provider of contraceptives, providing reproductive health services to 12.5 million women in more than 46 countries.

At least 27 short-term UNFPA projects supported by the US, including those which help people fleeing violence in places such as Syria, Yemen and Iraq, are under threat.


Trump Donates Salary to National Park Service…After Proposed Cutting of Its Budget

Donald Trump donates his salary from his first 10 weeks in office to the National Park Service, but the money is a small fraction of the Service’s proposed budget cuts.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer delivered an oversized check for $78,333 to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke at the start of Monday’s briefing.

But Zinke noted, “We’re about $229 million behind in deferred maintenance on our battlefields alone,” he said.

Trump’s budget proposal for the coming fiscal year slashes the Interior Department’s budget by 12%, cutting $1.5 billion.