Donald Trump exalts in Senate acquittal, rips Mitt Romney and Nancy Pelosi

In his first remarks since being acquitted in the impeachment trial, Donald Trump blasted his rivals, calling them “dirty” and “vicious”.

Celebrating his impeachment acquittal, US President Donald Trump took a scorched-earth victory lap on Thursday, unleashing his fury against those who tried to remove him from office while looking ahead to his re-election campaign.

Mr Trump, speaking to a room full of supporters who honoured him with a standing ovation at the White House, declared the impeachment proceedings a “disgrace” and complained anew that it was “a very unfair situation”, echoing his comments hours earlier that stunned the crowd at an annual prayer breakfast.

President Donald Trump holds up a newspaper with the headline that reads ‘Trump acquitted’ as he speaks at the White House in Washington. Picture: AP

US President Donald Trump hugs his daughter and senior advisor Ivanka Trump as he speaks about his Senate impeachment trial at the White House. Picture: AFP

President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks at the White House, as first lady Melania Trump looks on. Picture: AP

“We were treated unbelievably unfairly. You have to understand, we first went through ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’. It was all bulls***,” Mr Trump declared at the White House.

“It was evil, it was corrupt. It was leakers and liars. This should never ever happen to another president, ever.”

As Mr Trump spoke, nearly every inch of the White House’s East Room was packed with supporters. Among them were Republican senators who cast some of the votes to acquit him, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Representative Chuck Grassley, several Cabinet members, including Attorney-General William Barr and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and staunch House allies including Jim Jordan, Devin Nunes and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

His comments were a clear sign the post-impeachment Trump was emboldened like never before as he barrels ahead in his reelection fight with a united Republican Party behind him.

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President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Picture: AP

Trump holds up a newspaper that displays a headline ‘Acquitted’ as he arrives to speak at the 68th annual National Prayer Breakfast. Picture: AFP

PRAYERS ANSWERED

Earlier, speaking from a stage at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington where he was joined by congressional leaders, including Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who led the impeachment charge against him, Mr Trump shattered the usual veneer of bipartisanship.

“As everybody knows, my family, our great country and your president have been put through a terrible ordeal by some very dishonest and corrupt people,” Mr Trump said at the annual event.

“They have done everything possible to destroy us and by so doing very badly hurt our nation,” said Mr Trump, who triumphantly held up copies of two newspapers with banner “ACQUITTED” headlines as he took the stage.

“It was the only good headline I’ve ever had in The Washington Post,” he joked.

His remarks were especially jarring coming after a keynote address by Arthur Brooks, a Harvard professor and president of a conservative think tank, who had bemoaned a “crisis of contempt and polarisation” in the nation and urged those gathered to “love your enemies”.

“I don’t know if I agree with you,” Mr Trump said as he took the microphone.

TRUMP RIPS ROMNEY, PELOSI, OTHER ENEMIES

At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump blasted Republican Senator Mitt Romney, the only Republican senator who voted in favour of convicting him for abuse of power.

Without using his name Mr Trump referred to Romney, the GOP presidential nominee in 2012, as “a failed presidential candidate”.

“I don’t like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong,” he said in an apparent reference to the Utah senator a longtime Trump critic, who cited his faith in becoming the only Republican to vote for Trump’s removal.

Republican senator Mitt Romney speaks on the Senate floor about the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump. Picture: AP

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds a news conference the morning after the impeachment of President Donald Trump ended in acquittal. Picture: AP

“Nor do I like people who say ‘I pray for you’ when you know that is not so,”’ he said, in a reference to Ms Pelosi, who has offered that message for the president when the two leaders have sparred publicly.

He also took a shot at James Comey, calling the former FBI Director a “sleazebag”.

“Had I not fired James Comey — who was a disaster, by the way,” Mr Trump said, “it’s possible I may not have even been standing here right now.

“When I fired that sleazebag, all hell broke out.”