Reuters U.S. President Trump tours Apple Computer plant in Austin, Texas
- US President Donald Trump appeared to misspeak during an interview with Fox News Friday morning, telling the network: "I do want corruption, always," while discussing the ongoing impeachment inquiry.
- Speaking on "Fox and Friends," Trump was discussing testimony from Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union.
- Sondland alleged a "quid pro quo" exchange between Trump and Ukraine: military aid for an investigation of Joe Biden. Trump has denied this repeatedly.
- Reporters and Democratic operatives were quick to jump on Trump's mistake, which some termed a Freudian slip.
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US President Donald Trump appeared to misspeak during an interview with Fox News Friday morning, telling the network: "I do want corruption, always," while discussing the ongoing impeachment inquiry.
Speaking on "Fox and Friends," Trump was discussing testimony from Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union.
He made the slip while attempting to lay out his defense for seeking an investigation by Ukrainian authorities into Joe Biden: what he says is his genuine desire to root out domestic corruption in Ukraine.
During testimony Sondland alleged that Trump wanted to dangle a high-profile White House visit for Ukraine's newly elected president, Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid in exchange for the investigation.
Trump has consistently maintained that in seeking a Biden probe he was simply asking Ukraine to tackle longstanding corruption, and the decision to freeze the military aid was a "quid pro quo" to pressure Ukraine to meet his demands.
Twitter users were quick to seize on the mistake, suggesting a Freudian slip from the president.
One was Danny Wessel, a comms expert for the Democratic National Committee:
Others joined in, either to read into the president remarks, or simply observe the apparent mistake:
Trump: "I do want corruption" pic.twitter.com/51Iidwj4AP
- Roland Scahill (@rolandscahill) November 22, 2019Trump with the Freudian slip on Fox just now: "I do want always corruption -- I say that to anybody."
- Daniel Wessel (@da_wessel) November 22, 2019You heard it, straight from Trump's mouth - he always wants corruption. https://t.co/d2MOy5GWnm
- Adrienne Cobb (@ImagineWorldas1) November 22, 2019Trump trying to say he's always concerned about corruption: "I do want, always, corruption."
- Daniel Dale (@ddale8) November 22, 2019