Things in the District of Columbia once again got quite entertaining thanks to comedian-in-chief Donald Trump, who totally roasted ABC reporter Rachel Scott in a hilarious smackdown over what he claimed was “such a stupid question” from her at an event near the Lincoln Memorial.
That came on Thursday, May 7, with the president and Scott sparring over his decision to continue working on altering the reflecting pool outside the Lincoln Memorial, and engage in beautification projects like the White House Ballroom or the triumphal arch he plans on building, claiming that such is unnecessary.
Scott indicated that she believes as much, suggesting that because America is in a conflict with Iran over the Hormuz Strait, it should be unable to focus on small beautification projects like slightly altering the reflecting pool. She asked, “You are here against the backdrop of the war in Iran. Why focus on all these projects right now?”
President Trump fired back with a vengeance, noting how gross DC has long been, in terms of crime and ugly architecture and in terms of general filth, and that he is setting about fixing it. He said, “I want to keep our country beautiful and safe. This was a disgusting place. Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and we had a terrible, disgusting… you probably don’t see dirt, but I do.”
Continuing, the president hammered Scott for the very dumb question, saying, “such a stupid question that you asked”. Still not done, he then insisted that he doesn’t allow dirt and grime to blight the spaces he is in charge of, even if people like her don’t care about it. He said, “You can understand dirt, maybe, better than I can, but I don’t allow it.”
Still not done, the president leaned into attacking Scott and her network, which is ABC News, for being totally awful. Doing so, he said, “This is one of the worst reporters. She’s with ‘ABC Fake News,’ and she’s a horror show.”
He didn’t end there. Playing to the crowd and getting in another soundbite in for his online audience, the president then turned to his side and joked, “She’s saying, ‘Why would you bother fixing this up?'” That then led him to continue discussing why cleaning up and beautifying the area was necessary.
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Explaining as much, he noted the importance of beauty and noted that the reflecting pool was full of filth that needed to be dredged, which is why he is now fixing it. He said, “Why would I bother taking 11 or 12 truck loads of filth out of the water in front of the Lincoln Monument? That’s what made our country great.”
Concluding, he reiterated hs view on the importance of beauty, and how a proper sense of aesthetic splendor and its effect on the soul helped make America great. He said, also getting in another jab at her question, “Beauty made our country… people made our country great. A question like that is a disgrace to our country.”
Watch him here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video