On Monday, President Donald Trump made headlines once again by falsely denying a statement he had previously made on camera just five days earlier. This incident unfolded during a press interaction at the White House, where Trump not only refuted his own words but also launched a personal attack against ABC News reporter Rachel Scott, who accurately quoted him. This behavior is part of a broader pattern where Trump has a history of denying statements he has made publicly.
The crux of Trump’s latest false denial revolves around video footage of military operations conducted on September 2. These operations involved US military strikes against a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean. Following the initial strike, a follow-up operation was carried out to target survivors of the first strike. While the Trump administration publicly released the video of the initial attack, the footage of the follow-up strike has only been shown to members of Congress in closed-door sessions.
On December 3, during a conversation with ABC News reporter Selina Wang, Trump expressed no objection to releasing the follow-up video to the American public. In their exchange, Wang asked, “Mr. President, you released video of that first boat strike on September 2nd, but not the second video. Will you release video of that strike so that the American people can see for themselves what happened?” Trump responded, “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have we’d certainly release, no problem.” This statement would later come back to haunt him.
Fast forward to Monday, when Rachel Scott attempted to revisit this topic. She reminded Trump of his earlier commitment, stating, “Mr. President, you said you would have no problem with releasing the full video of that strike on September 2nd off the coast of Venezuela.” In a surprising turn, Trump denied ever making that statement, declaring, “I didn’t say that. That’s – you said that, I didn’t say that. This is ABC fake news.” Despite Scott’s insistence that he had indeed made that comment, Trump brushed off her correction.
During the exchange, Trump defended the military strikes, reiterating his claim that each boat destroyed saves “25,000 American lives.” He described the survivors' actions as an attempt to maneuver the boat back to a location where it could float, emphasizing the threat posed by the vessel, which he alleged was loaded with drugs. However, Scott persisted in her questioning about the video release, leading Trump to label her as “the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place” and “actually a terrible reporter.”
This incident not only highlights Trump's tendency to deny his previous statements but also raises questions about transparency regarding military actions. As the debate continues, the American public remains eager for clarity on the events surrounding the military strikes and their implications for national security.