CNN Plays Clip of Trump Saying Obama Should Be Fired Over Shutdown

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Last updated on December 30th, 2018 at 06:33 am

In 2013 Donald Trump said that if there is a government shutdown the president should be fired. And this is one of the few times he has ever told the truth.

Tens of millions of Americans no doubt agree with this thought also, as the week-long “Trump Shutdown” of the U.S. government is still continuing.

Yesterday CNN host Don Lemon played a 2013 video of Trump saying that Barack Obama — who was then the U.S. president — should be fired because he let a government shutdown happen.

“If you say, ‘Who gets fired?’ it always has to be the top,” Trump said on Fox News at the time. Then he added:

“The problems start from the top and they have to get solved from the top. The president is the leader, he has to get everyone in a room and lead.”

After playing the video, Lemon, a very strong Trump critic, said that the comments were “priceless.”

“Donald Trump suggesting that President Barack Obama should have been fired for a government shutdown. Priceless,” Lemon opined.

The current partial government shutdown started at midnight last Friday because Trump wouldn’t sign legislation to fund the government which he had previously said he would sign. He changed his mind after being pressured by right-wing radio and television personalities.

Democratic leaders in Congress have said they will never agree to the $5 billion in funding Trump is demanding for his border wall.

Just two weeks ago Trump said he would embrace a shutdown over funding for the wall, and he didn’t mind being blamed for it. Since then he has shifted gears and is now blaming Democrats for something he caused.

Until next Thursday the entire federal government remains under control of Republicans. So the fact that there is a shutdown shows that Republicans could not agree among themselves.

After Democrats take control of the House on January 3 it is highly unlikely that there will be any legislation passed funding the government and providing Trump his $5 billion.

Yesterday both houses of Congress met briefly and took no action on the funding bill, meaning the shutdown will continue into at least next week.

Nancy Pelosi and other House Democrats have said they will immediately pass a bill funding the government — with no additional money for Trump’s wall.

A spokesman for Pelosi said that Democrats would pass a bill to reopen the government when they took power if the GOP did not act.

“Democrats have offered Republicans three options to re-open government that all include funding for strong, sensible, and effective border security — but not the President’s immoral, ineffective and expensive wall,” Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said.

“With the House Majority, Democrats will act swiftly to end the Trump Shutdown, and will fight for a strategic, robust national security policy, including strong and smart border security, and strong support for our servicemembers and veterans,” he added.

This is not the first time CNN host Lemon has used old clips of Trump which contradict actions he’s taken as president. One was a 1999 video of Trump saying that “nobody knows more about campaign finance than I do” after the president’s former attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty in August to violating campaign finance laws by paying hush money to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.

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Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.