RICHFIELD, Ohio — President Trump flew here Thursday to promote his infrastructure plan, but after a week of seclusion as he has been besieged by an adult-film star’s allegations of an affair and by news on the Russia probe, he delivered his thoughts on a variety of topics, from the midterm elections to his North Korea talks.
Trump threatened to delay finalizing his renegotiated trade deal with South Korea until after he meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and resolves the nuclear confrontation with Kim’s rogue nation.
‘‘I may hold it up until after a deal is made with North Korea,’’ Trump said. ‘‘You know why? Because it’s a very strong card and I want to make sure everyone is treated fairly and we’re moving along very nicely with North Korea.’’
Regarding his still-unscheduled upcoming meeting with Kim, Trump said, ‘‘If it’s no good, we’re walking, and if it’s good, we will embrace it.’’
Trump’s speech felt at times like a stream of consciousness commentary reminiscent of his signature campaign rallies from 2016, as he zigzagged from his prepared text on infrastructure policy to his thoughts on issues of the day, like this week’s debut of the remake of ‘‘Roseanne.’’
‘‘Look at her ratings!’’ the president said of Roseanne Barr, the Trump supporter who is the show’s star. Its two-episode premiere drew 18.2 million viewers.
Rallying union engineers and maintenance workers inside a chilly and dirt-floored industrial barn here in Richfield, on the outskirts of Cleveland, Trump used his official, taxpayer-funded visit to warn his political supporters against complacency in the fall midterm elections.
As Trump told it, the country was headed in the wrong direction — until he took office. ‘‘There’s never been an economy like this,’’ he boasted. ‘‘We can’t lose that by getting hurt in the midterms, so we can’t be complacent.’’
Trump promised to repair the nation’s ailing roads, bridges, and other infrastructure ‘‘from a source of endless frustration into a source of absolutely incredible pride.’’
‘‘And we’re going to do it all under budget and ahead of schedule,’’ the president promised, seeming to look past the reality that his $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan has little apparent momentum on Capitol Hill. The plan has received only tepid support from Congress since the administration unveiled it earlier this year.
Chief among the infrastructure projects Trump promoted here was his long-promised wall at the US-Mexico border.
‘‘We’re getting that sucker built!’’ Trump said. ‘‘That’s what I do. I build. I was always very good at building. It was my best thing. I think better than being president, I was always very good at building.’’
Trump has not been seen in public since porn actress Stormy Daniels appeared last Sunday night on ‘‘60 Minutes,’’ detailing her allegations of a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006.
An estimated 22 million Americans watched the CBS broadcast — including the president, aides said, who fumed about it privately but withheld any public comments or counterattacks. White House spokesmen said Trump categorically denied all the allegations made by Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
As is typical for Trump, the president appeared at several times to veer off his prepared remarks on infrastructure policy to interject with comments perhaps designed to appeal to his audience.
As he left the Oval Office on Thursday morning to begin his trip to Ohio, Trump bade farewell to Hope Hicks, one of his longest-serving and closest aides. Hicks is leaving her post as White House communications director.
Washington Post
Judge denies porn actress’s bid for expedited jury trial
A federal judge Thursday denied a request from Stormy Daniels, who says she was paid to remain silent about an affair with President Trump, to expedite a jury trial in her lawsuit against the president.
The request for an expedited jury trial and limited discovery — including a deposition of Trump and his personal attorney, Michael Cohen — was deemed ‘‘premature and must be denied’’ because some questions may wind up being answered by a future petition from Trump and Cohen, wrote Judge S. James Otero of the US District Court for the Central District of California. The ruling is a setback for Daniels’s case and it remains unclear how the high-profile lawsuit will proceed.
Washington Post
