Trump is hate-watching every Jan. 6 hearing and almost screams at the TV because he feels nobody is defending him, report says
- Trump is avidly and angrily watching the January 6 hearings, The Washington Post reported.
- The outlet said Trump feels like the GOP is doing too little to defend him.
Former President Donald Trump is hate-watching the January 6 committee hearings, incensed because he believes nobody is defending him, according to The Washington Post.
Trump is at "the point of about to scream at the TV" as he tunes in to each hearing, one unnamed close advisor told the paper.
Another in his circle, also unnamed, told the paper that Trump continually complains that "there's no one to defend me" at the hearings, which have attracted huge amounts of media coverage.
A person familiar with the situation denied this to Insider, saying: "This is not true. He has barely watched any of the hearings at all."
Per the Post, Trump's advisors also spoke of the frustration that they have no insight into the committee's processes and don't get advance notice of what is coming.
There are two Republicans on the panel — Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger — but both represent the anti-Trump wing of the party and have been forthright in criticizing him.
Per The Post, Trump's anger centers on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who boycotted the committee at its formation, passing up the chance to put pro-Trump figures on the panel.
Trump this week made that argument in public as well, terming it a mistake, though he stopped short of directly attacking McCarthy for it.
In recent days, McCarthy has been encouraging Republicans not to talk about the committee at all, the Post reported.
He has adopted the tactic of deflecting questions about the committee's findings, trying to shift the topic to high inflating and record gas prices, which the GOP blames on President Joe Biden.
McCarthy's approach differs sharply from that of Trump, who wants a vocal counter-attack. On June 16, he demanded a TV platform to make his own claims about the election, long after they have been debunked.
He wrote on his social media network Truth Social: "I am hereby demanding EQUAL TIME to spell out the massive Voter Fraud & Dem Security Breach!"
Trump is known as an avid watcher of TV news, seeking signals on how his press conferences and speeches are perceived. During his presidency, he was reported to watch around seven hours of TV a day, setting aside his entire morning for it.
A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.