President Donald Trump said he hadn’t thought about live-tweeting the first Democratic debates but now that the media has brought it up, he just might.
Several people close to the president told POLITICO and The Wall Street Journal that Trump's closest aides hoped the president wouldn't unleash a stream of consciousness on Twitter during the debates, but were resigned to the fact that restricting the president would be unlikely.
Fox News' Sean Hannity asked Trump on Wednesday night if he will indeed be live-tweeting the debates next week. Trump said he hadn't planned on it, but said now, he's warming to the idea.
“I wasn’t thinking about it, but maybe I will now,” Trump said during a phone interview broadcast live. “Instead of fake news, I’ll make them correct news. And that's OK.”
Hannity goaded the president further onto the idea, telling him, "I think it'll be a good idea. It'll be very interesting actually," before shifting gears to immigration.
As Democrats deal with their own internal drama over the first presidential debates leading up to 2020, Trump has been trying to drive attention toward himself. The first Democratic debates will take place Wednesday and Thursday of next week in Miami; both debates will feature 10 candidates.
Trump covered a wide range of topics during his phone interview with Hannity, attacking House Democrats for questioning former Trump confidante Hope Hicks, who was a key witness during former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the 2016 election. The president went off on Democratic lawmakers for making Hicks spend more money on legal fees ahead of her Wednesday hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.
Democratic lawmakers expressed outrage at Hicks‘ responses during the hearing, saying she failed to give thorough answers.
Trump also complained again about Mueller's investigation, repeating old accusations that it was rigged against him. He argued that he had the power to shut the operation down, but he weathered it, demonstrating his fortitude.
"Do you think Joe Biden could've handled it?" Trump said.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine