Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Pete Marovich
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Callum Jones
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Donald Trump is on camera speaking to Americans on a near daily basis, but have you ever wondered what he says once the cameras have stopped rolling? Well, when they are meant to.
On Monday (December 8), the president announced plans to introduce a sizeable $12 million aid package intended to assist farmers hit hard by the ongoing turbulence involving trade.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, as well as others in the industry, joined Trump during a roundtable meeting in what was a discussion brought about by the government in the hope of calming concerns surrounding trade and tariffs.
Much of the internet has instead been talking what was captured on hot mic however, as Trump could be heard speaking while journalists left the event at the White House.
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The two words in questions heard on hot mic were 'blue slip'.
"You know, I can’t appoint anybody," the president was also heard saying. "I can’t appoint anybody. Everybody I’ve appointed, their time has expired. Then they’re in default, then we’re losing."
UNILAD has reached out to the White House for comment.
The comments are somewhat concerning after Trump's former lawyer, Alina Habba, confirmed on Monday that she would be stepping down as the US Attorney for New Jersey after a federal appeals court ruled the politician had been serving unlawfully.
Trump hit out at the Senate's tradition of refusing to act on nominees if they are opposed by senators, while his mention of the two-word phrase of 'blue slips' will certainly be a cause for concern giving the president's previous comments regarding the method of electing new politicians.
He said: "You've got a blue slip thing that's horrible. It’s a horrible thing. It makes it impossible to appoint a judge or a U.S. attorney. And it's a shame. And the Republicans should be ashamed of themselves that they allow this to go on."
Under the rule of Congress, a home state Senator has the option to oppose a nominee in the form of these blue slips. If they have no objections, then the slip is returned to the chairman with a positive response.
However, they can also return the slip disapproving the nominee and providing a negative response.
Congress rules state: "The chairman of the committee has the discretion to determine the extent to which a home state Senator's negative or withheld blue slip stops a President's judicial nomination from receiving consideration by the committee and, consequently, whether it reaches the Senate floor."
After Trump previously told reporters that the whole process is 'horrible', the president added: "I guess I just have to keep appointing people for three months and then just appoint another one, another one. It’s a very sad situation. We’re losing tremendous, we're losing a lot of great people.”