Trump rips media, mocks Pelosi at closed-door fundraiser

[DonViejo]

By ALEX ISENSTADT 06/28/2017 11:24 PM EDT

President Donald Trump, facing dimming approval ratings and a stalled legislative agenda, rolled out his greatest hits on Wednesday evening — ripping into CNN, assailing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and hailing his party’s string of special election wins.

Before a rapt audience of 300 supporters, major GOP donors and party leaders attending the first fundraiser of his 2020 reelection campaign at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., the commander in chief returned to his comfort zone.

Speaking for about 30 minutes at the closed-door event, according to two people present, the president continued to bash a favorite target — the media, and, in particular, CNN. Trump derided the network for errors and presented himself as a victim of its reporting, which he described as deeply unfair. At one point, the president turned his fire on one of the network’s liberal commentators, Van Jones.

With Republican Party benefactors in attendance, the president highlighted this year's special election victories — especially last week’s for a Georgia congressional seat. The president poked fun at the unsuccessful Democratic candidate, Jon Ossoff, for not residing in the suburban Atlanta district he was seeking to represent. Ossoff, the president joked, raised over $20 million yet couldn’t get an apartment in Atlanta.

Then there was Pelosi, who Republicans aggressively tied to Ossoff — and whose future as Democratic leader has been questioned in the wake of the Georgia race. Republicans, Trump joked, need Pelosi to stay atop her caucus.

more
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/28/trump-fundraiser-pelosi-ossoff-240078

[ehrnst]

1. He and the rest of the GOP are scared of her. (nt)