Trump news: Lawsuit alleging president profits from White House moves forward, as he rages over impeachment in furious tweets
All the news from Trump's day
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
Donald Trump has lashed out at moves towards his impeachment in a series of angry tweets claiming he has “done more than any president”.
“You don’t impeach presidents for doing a good (great!) job,” he insisted, before accusing his rivals of “treasonous crimes”.
It followed his frequently incoherent speech to Republican members of Congress about the Clean Waters Act, in which he suggested the US was uninhabited until 25 years ago.
Please wait a moment for the live blog to load
“By the way today we have the cleanest air, we have the cleanest water that we’ve ever had in the history of our country,” he said.
Mr Trump then appeared to suggest that the history of the US was merely 25 years long.
“Let’s say the history of our country over the last 25 years, I would say that the first few years they probably had cleaner air and cleaner water because there was nobody here.”
The president was speaking in Baltimore, a city which he attacked repeatedly last summer.
He also celebrated a "historic milestone" when the senate approved his 150th federal judge, and sent out some rogue tweets about vaping.
Donald Trump delivered a rambling and at times incoherent speech to a group of House Republicans in Baltimore on Thursday night.
He promised tax cuts for the middle class before mocking Xi Jinping, Joe Biden and the late John McCain, before telling the room that if Democrats won the election the country would "go to hell".
The president was a guest at an annual Republican retreat in Baltimore.
At one point in his speech the president suggested that the US was first inhabited 25 years ago.
He was speaking about the Clean Waters Act at the time.
“Let’s say the history of our country over the last 25 years, I would say that the first few years they probably had cleaner air and cleaner water because there was nobody here," the president said.
Elsewhere, China has announced that it will suspend tariffs on goods to the US.
The country, which is currently locked in a trade war with the US, suspended tariffs on soybeans and pork.
The gesture is a conciliatory one, ahead of negotiations.
While the president spoke in Baltimore, Democratic presidential hopefuls faced off in a televised debate.
"True to a night of televised prime time debate, they sparred in dramatic fashion, with Joe Biden defending his decades of experience in Washington, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders hoping to stand out with bold new visions for the country, and the others on stage hoping for a breakout moment," reports Clark Mindock.
"For Mr Biden, the front-runner who has been dogged throughout the campaigns with attacks over his perceived gaffes and past support of policies that have since been seen as out-of-date, the night was a strong performance."
The president imitated Xi Jinping in remarks at Baltimore on Thursday.
"He is tough, oh boy...furious kind of a guy. He wants Sleepy Joe! Can you imagine those guys in a room?"
In a riff on anti-environmentalism, he also blamed energy efficient light bulbs for making him "look orange."
"The light's no good! I always look orange," he joked.
"And so do you. The light is the worst."
Mr Trump also returned to his familiar Pocahontas insult, aimed at Elizabeth Warren.
"I thought she was gone! Now it looks like she could beat sleepy Joe," he said.
Joe Biden is still considered the Democratic front runner but his poll lead has fallen in recent days.
Impeachment proceedings came ever closer yesterday, after the House Judiciary Committee passed a vote to set the rules for possible hearings.
"The resolution passed on Thursday is a technical step, and the committee would still have to introduce impeachment articles against Mr Trump and win approval from the House to bring charges against him," reports Chris Riotta.
Read more here:
Beto O'Rourke has said a state republican lawmaker sent him a "death threat" after he tweeted about banning assault rifles in the US.
“Hell yeah, we’re going to take your AR-15,” the 46-year-old presidential hopeful said to applause during Thursday's Democratic debates.
"My AR is ready for you Robert Francis," Briscoe Cain, a Texas politician responded on Twitter.
Mr O’Rourke’s full name is Robert Francis O’Rourke. “Beto” is a childhood nickname which he is known by.
“This is a death threat, representative,” Mr O’Rourke said. “Clearly, you shouldn’t own an AR-15—and neither should anyone else.”
Fellow Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, spoke out in support of Mr O'Rourke following the incident.
Donald Trump has begun his day on Twitter by questioning why anyone would want him impeached.
"You don’t impeach Presidents for doing a good job," says the US president, before ending with his traditional exclamation: "Sad!"
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies