Freewheeling Trump was often unprepared for foreign leader calls, had to be coached by staff [View all]

[babylonsister]

More confirmation he's a moron.

Freewheeling Trump was often unprepared for foreign leader calls, had to be coached by staff
By Jamie Gangel and Maegan Vazquez, CNN
Updated 6:24 PM ET, Mon September 30, 2019


(CNN)President Donald Trump was often so unprepared for calls with foreign leaders that he was coached by several staff members and advisers as the calls took place to avoid veering off track, a source familiar with the calls through White House chief of staff John Kelly's tenure, which ended in December 2018, told CNN.

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According to the source familiar with how foreign leader calls were conducted under Kelly's watch, Trump often had to be reeled in by White House staff during calls with foreign leaders, adding that Kelly would sometimes mute the call so staffers in the room could give the President guidance or advise him against saying something he shouldn't say.

"Kelly always wanted a bunch of us to be there in the Oval (Office) ... to just babysit on these calls," the source said.

During the first year months of Trump's presidency, foreign leaders were often caught off-guard by these phone calls and the President's style.

"He would go on random tangents about the Mueller investigation with foreign leaders ... it was unnecessary and unhelpful," the source said. "And sometimes he just wouldn't have his facts straight and he would really rattle some of the foreign leaders with whom he spoke."

The source added: "Eventually they figured it out and they adjusted, but those calls were nothing like what a normal call would be between presidents."


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https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/30/politics/donald-trump-foreign-leader-calls-coaching/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0a6MQd69nj4VApAcjQArWsZ4Smn2rNfLCJ2_fdLLWD9nLpj_mt7MCt7FM