President Donald Trump is insisting he “was extremely calm” on Wednesday as he refused to meet with Democrats to discuss infrastructure, instead gathering reporters for a press conference to bash special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in a letter to Congressional colleagues Wednesday night said Trump walked out of infrastructure talks with party leaders over Democrats’ continued investigations into his administration.
“Sadly, the only job the president seems to be concerned with is his own,” Pelosi wrote. “He threatened to stop working with Democrats on all legislation unless we end oversight of his administration and he had a temper tantrum for us all to see.”
Trump countered Pelosi’s account in tweets on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.
“I was purposely very polite and calm, much as I was minutes later with the press in the Rose Garden,” he wrote in one tweet.
In another tweet Thursday morning, the president accused the press of using “the rage narrative” to describe his actions the day prior.
“I was extremely calm yesterday with my meeting with Pelosi and Schumer, knowing that they would say I was raging, which they always do, along with their partner, the Fake News Media,” Trump wrote.
At a White House event Thursday afternoon, Trump turned it back on Pelosi, calling her “crazy Nancy” and “a mess.”
The president also called on aides ― including press secretary Sarah Sanders, White House strategic communications adviser Mercedes Schlapp, and presidential adviser Kellyanne Conway and economic adviser Larry Kudlow ― to vouch for his calm temperament on Wednesday.
“Very calm. No temper tantrum,” Conway said.
Democrats waited 15 minutes Wednesday for Trump to arrive to an infrastructure meeting. When he did, the president walked into the room, refused to acknowledge anyone or shake any hands and said he wouldn’t discuss infrastructure, trade or farm assistance until congressional investigations are done, according to a source familiar with the meeting. He then walked out and gathered media for a previously unannounced press conference.
Trump proceeded to blast Democrats for 12 minutes, accusing them of a “witch hunt” and claiming he is “the most transparent president in history.”