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As it happenedended

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Trump press conference: President claims women were paid to accuse him of sexual misconduct in rambling briefing

News conference follows Mr Trump chairing a meeting of the UN Security Council

Chris Stevenson

New York

,Mythili Sampathkumar

Wednesday 26 September 2018 23:24 BST

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Trump claims women were paid to accuse him in press conference

Donald Trump has acknowledged that past accusations of sexual misconduct against him mean that he sees accusations against his Supreme Court nominee - Brett Kavanaugh - "differently" than others.

At a rare news conference at the United Nations building in New York, Mr Trump said "had a lot of false charges made against me".

The comments come day before Judge Kavanaugh is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee amid multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. Mr Kavanaugh denies all the allegations against him.

While Mr Trump pledged to listen to the testimony of Mr Kavanaugh's accuser and even said he was open to changing his mind about his nominee, he made clear that he was deeply sceptical of these types of accusations.

"It's happened to me many times," he said, claiming he had been accused - falsely - by "four or five women".

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

Show all 16

1/16President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"You are fake news!"

Then President-elect Trump directed this insult to CNN's Jim Acosta while refusing him a question at a press conference on January 11 2017. The President-elect's anger was due to the publishing by Buzzfeed of unverified memos that implicated Michael Cohen in Russian collusion. CNN had reported on a briefing of Obama and Trump on the memos by US intelligence chiefs, but knowing the content to be unverified had not revealed it

AFP/Getty

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"They are among the most dishonest human beings on earth"

President Trump said this of journalists during a visit to the CIA on the the day following his inauguration. His claim of having the largest crowd of any inauguration ceremony in history had been debunked and he clearly wasn't happy

Reuters

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"Failing New York Times"

President Trump commonly addresses the New York Times in this way, contrary to its increasing profit margins and expanding global readership. He is pictured here in the midtown Manhattan office of the paper

Getty

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"Enemy of the American People"

President Trump has since repeated the claim that such news outlets are the enemy of the people, often after they break negative stories about him

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"They have no sources"

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 24 2017, President Trump suggested that a Washington Post article with 9 sources was "made up". The article in question exposed how then National Security Advisor Michael Flynn had misled Vice President Mike Pence over a phone call to a Russian ambassador. That the article was "made up", while highly doubtful at the time, seems even less likely since Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the same phone call

Reuters

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

Access denied for major publications

Protesters gathered outside of the New York Times office after Trump's White House barred a number of publications from attending a press briefing on February 24 2017. Just hours after the President had again denounced the media, then Press Secretary Sean Spicer denied access to news outlets such as CNN and the New York Times, while permitting Breitbart News, CBS, Fox and others

AFP/Getty

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"#FNN"

On July 2 2017, President Trump tweeted an edited clip from his Wrestlemania XXIII appearance in which the CNN logo had been imposed onto the face of his wrestling opponent Vince McMahon. CNN is a common target for President Trump and here he suggests that he is getting the better of the network through his repeated attacks

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"The most powerful TV show in America"

On July 27 2017, President Trump quoted a New York Times article about Fox & Friends. The President is known to watch Fox & Friends every morning, often tweeting about matters discussed on the show, leading to speculation over its influence on his outlook and policies

Getty

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"It's frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write"

In a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on October 11 2017, President Trump suggested that the press ought not to be allowed their constitutionally secured freedom. He added "people should look into it", suggesting that he also doesn't respect the protection of sources. At the time, he was angry at an NBC report claiming that the President had expressed a desire to return the size of the US' nuclear arsenal to its 1960s height, a claim that he and others in his administration dismissed as fake news

AFP/Getty

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"negative (Fake)"

In a tweet on 9 May 2018, President Trump conflated negative reporting about him with fake news

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"I didn't criticise the Prime Minister"

In a press conference with the Prime Minister on his visit to Britain, President Trump disputed claims published in the Sun that he had criticised Mrs May's Brexit strategy

Reuters

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"Horrible, horrendous people"

At a Republican rally in Pennsylvania on August 3 2018, President Trump deemed all journalists in attendance "horrible, horrendous people". He later denounced the "fake, fake, disgusting news" for falsely reporting that he was late to his meeting with the Queen when visiting Britain

AFP/Getty

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

Trump's rhetoric "very close to inciting violence"

In an interview with the Guardian on 13 August 2018, the outgoing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein suggested that President Trump's attacks on the press are "very close to inciting violence". Zeid singles out the President's repeated claim that the fake news (negative coverage) media is the "enemy of the people" as dangerous

Reuters

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"anonymous source" = fiction

President Trump claimed that any report citing anonymous sources is fiction. The protection of sources is a vital matter of press freedom, without it a potential source's fear of repercussions could lead them to withhold important information

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"You are a rude, terrible person"

At a press conference in the wake of the midterms, President Trump clashed with CNN's Jim Acosta when he asked about the President's use of language during the campaign

Reuters

President Trump's most shocking attacks on the media

"I would never kill Journalists"

For any journalists frightened by President Trump's attacks on the press, perhaps you can take solace in his words from a campaign rally in Grand Rapids on December 21 2015. Responding to remarks over Vladimir Putin's handling of journalists, Trump stated: "I hate some of these people, but I'd never kill them... I'll be honest - I would never kill them. Uhhh lets see.. no, I never would"

Getty

In fact, more than a dozen women came forward during the 2016 campaign, claiming they were assaulted, groped or kissed without consent by Mr Trump. He was also caught on tape in 2005 boasting of grabbing women by their genitals and kissing them without permission.

During the free-wheeling news conference, Mr Trump continued to lash out at Democrats and label the allegations against Mr Kavanaugh politically motivated.

Please allow a few moments for the live blog to load

Press Association

Still on the topic of other world leaders laughing at him, the president has gone from denouncing it as "fake news", to saying they were "all in it together." Let's hope we're not in for a High School Musical number anytime soon.

Lucy Anna Gray26 September 2018 23:01

We have returned to the topic of Brett Kavanaugh and tomorrow's hearing. Praising his nominee as a "genius", the president denies speaking earlier of a kinship between the two men because of the numerous accusations against them. Feel free to scroll back through our liveblog to read whether the president is telling the truth there...

Lucy Anna Gray26 September 2018 23:04

The president is now being grilled on a "deal" with Israel. He says the US embassy will open in four months time.

Lucy Anna Gray26 September 2018 23:06

Mr Trump says he is "okay" with either "one state or two state" solution with regards to Israel and the Palestinians.

Lucy Anna Gray26 September 2018 23:11

Mr Trump has been asked how allegations of Chinese election meddling compares with that of Russia.

His response has focused on farmers and tariffs, but ultimately has avoided answering it.

Lucy Anna Gray26 September 2018 23:15

If you want to read more about the accusations Trump made against China, check out this article:

Trump accuses China of meddling in 2018 midterm elections

Lucy Anna Gray26 September 2018 23:15

We have once again returned to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Each time the subject comes up, Mr Trump appears to defend Judge Kavanaugh less and less. He has commented on the seriousness of the allegations made against his nominee and says he "looks forward to hearing what she [Christine Blasey Ford] has to say]".

However he reiterates the "innocent until proven guilty" argument.

Lucy Anna Gray26 September 2018 23:20

And with that final monologue on Brett Kavanaugh, tonight's press conference has officially drawn to a close.

Lucy Anna Gray26 September 2018 23:21

Thank you for following the press conference along with us. Feel free to go back through the posts to catch up on anything you might have missed.

Lucy Anna Gray26 September 2018 23:24

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