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With the unemployment rate of 14.7 percent and over 70 thousand Americans dead from a pandemic he dismissed, President Donald Trump found time to call into his favorite show: Fox and Friends.
Similar to his previous calls in to the network, the President delivered rambling diatribes with no clear purpose.
In one notable moment, he went from railing against former Attorney General Jeff Sessions—whom he claimed he only appointed because Sessions was the first Senator to endorse him—to bragging that he learned a lot from disgraced former President Richard Nixon.
That last claim coaxed a scoff from one of the show's hosts.
Watch below.
TRUMP: "I learned a lot from Richard Nixon -- don't fire people. I learned a lot. I study history ... of course there was one big difference: Number one he may have been guilty and number two he had tapes all over the place." pic.twitter.com/wgzKCumavL
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 8, 2020
The President said:
"I learned a lot from Richard Nixon. Don't fire people. I learned a lot. I study history, and the firing of everybody — I should've in one way, but I'm glad I didn't, because look at the way it turned out. They're all a bunch of crooks and they got caught."
Ironically, the President said he learned from Nixon not to fire people.
When he was a reality television star, Trump's catch phrase on the apprentice was "You're fired." That philosophy followed him to the White House, where at least 21 administration officials were fired or pushed out, let alone the dozens of officials who resigned. Trump's administration has an 86 percent turnover rate—the highest in American history.
No wonder even Fox and Friends hosts couldn't hold back their incredulity.
He fired Comey, Sessions, and McCabe. McGahn had to talk him out of firing Mueller. Since his acquittal, he fired A… https://t.co/B1GS09Eqsz— Jeff Dufour (@Jeff Dufour) 1588945082.0
HA!!! REALLY. https://t.co/a9jkz2fXX8— Nikki Wallschlaeger (@Nikki Wallschlaeger) 1588941222.0
So how come he's fired so many people? https://t.co/uH39RdzErc— Stephanie Myles (@Stephanie Myles) 1588942529.0
People were also struck at Trump's claim that Nixon—who resigned in disgrace after his conviction for ordering a break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters became inevitable—"may" have been guilty.
That's an interesting take on Nixon. https://t.co/JlNdJ29LqM— Steve Collins (@Steve Collins) 1588945952.0
"may" have been guilty https://t.co/GbDp6UHTzI— Raju Narisetti (@Raju Narisetti) 1588942643.0
You could read "he may have been guilty" two ways here. https://t.co/JsHpkzqfoE— ryan teague beckwith (@ryan teague beckwith) 1588944262.0
As someone who studies history, Donald Trump is not sure on about whether Nixon was actually guilty. https://t.co/WFK9uFMHdh— Jay Welch DON’T DRINK BLEACH (@Jay Welch DON’T DRINK BLEACH) 1588948719.0
It sure sounded like Trump was bragging that, unlike Nixon, he didn't get caught.
"I learned how to do a better job hiding all of my corruption." https://t.co/okMYAsbffs— Steve Vladeck (@Steve Vladeck) 1588941835.0
I learned from Nixon how to destroy American democracy but cover my tracks better. An odd flex. And not clear he ac… https://t.co/JiJDCNgWOK— Jonathan Ladd (@Jonathan Ladd) 1588942913.0
Trump congratulating himself for not taping all his very legal activities https://t.co/OyjhokjVsF— Grudge of Whales (@Grudge of Whales) 1588944304.0
If only Trump would really learn from Nixon—and resign.
For a deeper look into Trump's ineptitude, check out A Very Stable Genius, available here.