Today was a big day for Donald Trump, as the USA’s biggest brains in the intelligence community prepared to brief him on Russian interference in the US election.
Just a day previously the president-elect was vexed over the issue and continued to make clear his disdain for the likes of the CIA.
The remarks prompted Vice-President Joe Biden, who will leave office alongside President Barack Obama on 20th January, to say that Trump’s position made it appear as though he believed he knew more than American intelligence agencies.
He said: “For a president not to have confidence in, not to be prepared to listen to, the myriad intelligence agencies, from defence intelligence to the CIA, is absolutely mindless.”
LATEST: President-elect Donald Trump said after a meeting with intelligence officials that alleged hacking by Russia had “absolutely no effect” on the outcome of the US election.
By Friday Trump, instead of worrying about the cyber-security of the country he is about to lead, decided to take a cheap shot at none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Over TV ratings.
For background, Schwarzenegger replaced Trump behind the desk on The Apprentice.
Commendably, Arnie showed great restraint in his reply.
He then quoted Abraham Lincoln for good measure.
Just for a second, put your 2015 head on and have a think about this.
The world’s soon-to-be most powerful man who won an election in which the Russians are allegedly implicated in electronically interfering with is gloating about getting higher TV ratings than Arnie.
Here’s how that gif translates into words.
The latest startling incident comes after Trump blasted American network NBC when channel appeared to obtain an “exclusive” look at an intelligence briefing - the day before he was due to receive it.
”How did NBC get ‘an exclusive look into the top secret report he (Obama) was presented?’ Trump tweeted late on Thursday evening. “Who gave them this report and why? Politics!”
The DNC was subject to a hack in 2015 of hundreds of emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta.
WikiLeaks ultimately published the cache of messages, dubbed the Podesta Files, during the final months of the US election.
The leak of the emails was said by Democrats to have been coordinated to benefit Trump.
Trump’s incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told former Obama aide David Axelrod there was “deep strategy” behind the President Elect’s tweets.
Stay tuned for more inevitable Trump shenanigans.