White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is defending President Donald Trump’s decision to deliver his acceptance speech during the Republican National Convention from the White House on Thursday night.
John Roberts, host of Fox News’ “The Daily Briefing,” noted it was not illegal for Trump to deliver his acceptance speech from the White House because the president is not subject to the Hatch Act, but some are still suggesting it was not the “right thing to do.”
Roberts asked Meadows what he has to say to those criticizing Trump for his decision.
“I can tell you that all the criticism that comes out against this president is from the normal suspects,” Meadows said.
He added, “Let’s face it; there was not a single federal dollar that was spent on the convention last night. It was paid for by the political campaign, by the Republican National Committee, and when you look at that, if we’re looking at a backdrop, and to suggest that the backdrop is not appropriate because somehow it indicates a conflict of interest, it’s just not accurate.”
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Meadows argued Trump is not the first president to accept the nomination from the White House.
According to Meadows, former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt accepted the nomination from the Oval Office.
He told Roberts critics should be focusing more on Trump’s speech rather than where he delivered it from.
“The vast majority of Americans loved the message that the president brought last night. He spoke from his heart to the heart of the American people. It was really about a message that we need to unite,” Meadows said.
His comments come just days after he backed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s move to deliver his Republican National Convention remarks during an official trip despite concerns he violated the Hatch Act, as IJR previously reported.
