President Trump said Thursday that he’s done a great service by firing former FBI Director James B. Comey, calling him a “rotten apple.”
“I think a thing that I’ve done for the country, the firing of James Comey, is going to go down as a very good thing. FBI is great. I know so many people in the FBI. The FBI is a fantastic institution, but some of the people at the top were rotten apples, and James Comey was one of them. I’ve done a great service for this country by getting rid of him, by firing him,” Mr. Trump said on Fox News.
Mr. Comey called out Mr. Trump on Wednesday for accusing the intelligence agencies of spying on his campaign. He said the president was “lying” about the work of the FBI and asked how Republicans will explain defending these accusations to their grandchildren.
The president also commented on the ongoing immigration debate, saying that there’s a lot of pressure on Democrats to change immigration laws.
“We have the worst immigration laws in the entire world by far,” Mr. Trump said.
He added that he was disappointed the budget did not include funding for the entire wall, but he said that the administration is working with the current funding to make some changes.
“I’m disappointed, but we do have $1.6 billion. We started the wall. We’re also fixing many miles of wall, making it very brand new. We’re essentially making it brand new,” he said.
The president was also asked about the issue of standing for the national anthem after the National Football League issued a new policy requiring all players to either stand or remain in the locker room. Mr. Trump was asked if he believed he brought the issue to the forefront of the national debate.
“I think the people pushed it forward. This was not me. I brought it out. The people pushed it forward. This country is very smart,” he said.
Mr. Trump also said that players who did not want to stand shouldn’t be playing football in the first place, even suggesting they shouldn’t be in the country.
“You have to stand proudly for the national anthem, or you shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there. Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country,” he said.
The president added that he wishes the NFL would’ve taken this stance right when the issue started last season rather than drag it out for so long.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.