Donald Trump: Germany ‘owes vast sums’ to NATO, US for defence

DONALD Trump’s adviser Kellyanne Conway has expanded on her view of alternative-fact critics, with a foul-mouthed tirade in a magazine.

WHITE House adviser Kellyanne Conway produced a more expansive definition of her much-mocked notion of “alternative facts” in an interview published Saturday.

“Additional facts and alternative information,” she told New York Magazine — like “Two plus two is four. Three plus one is four. Partly cloudy, partly sunny. Glass half full, glass half empty.”

Conway used the phrase in January as a defence of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, the day after he scolded the press for its reporting on the size of President Trump’s inauguration crowds.

She also explained her “Bowling Green massacre” gaffe, a reference to a supposed terrorist attack on the Kentucky city that never actually happened, as a simple slip of the tongue.

Conway had intended, she said, to talk about the “Bowling Green masterminds,” a pair of Iraqi al-Qaeda supporters who were arrested in 2011 after attempting to send weapons to overseas terrorists.

“Excuse me, I’ve spoken 1.2 million words on TV, okay?” Conway said.

“You wanna focus on two here and two there, it’s on you, you’re a f — ing miserable person, P.S., just whoever you are.”

Kellyanne Conway’s husband, George, has been selected to head the civil division of the Justice Dept. Picture: AP/Matt Rourke

CONWAY’S HUSBAND GIVEN KEY ROLE

Meantime, President Donald Trump has picked Conway’s husband to head the civil division of the Justice Department, The Wall Street Journal reported.

George Conway was chosen to head the office that has responsibility for defending the administration’s proposed travel ban and defending lawsuits filed against the administration, the newspaper reported.

Conway is a partner at the New York law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. The law firm’s website says Conway has extensive experience in litigation involving securities, mergers and acquisitions, contracts and antitrust cases. He graduated from Harvard and then Yale Law School. He joined the law firm in 1988, soon after his graduation from law school The White House and the Justice Department would not confirm the pick Saturday. George Conway declined to comment.

TRUMP’S AWKWARD MEETING WITH ANGELA MERKEL

US President Donald Trump said he had a “great” meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, contrary to some media reports.

However, Mr Trump then followed up by stating that Germany owes more money to NATO, and that the US must be compensated for providing a defence blanket to Germany.

Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017

Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017

Funding for the European military alliance has been a sore spot for Mr Trump, who frequently complained on the campaign trail that Germany and other members have not paid their promised contributions.

Mr Trump demanded on Friday that America’s NATO allies pay back “vast sums of money from past years” and vowed that the US would no longer be out-negotiated on trade deals by Germany.

“Right now, I would say that the negotiators for Germany have done a far better job than the negotiators for the US,” Mr. Trump said. “But hopefully we can even it out.”

TRUMP’S BORDER WALL TO BE 9M HIGH

The Trump administration wants to make their proposed Mexico border wall 9.14 metres high and make sure it is difficult to climb or cut through, according to a pair of contract notices posted to a government website.

The notices were made public late on Friday by Customs and Border Protection, the Homeland Security Department agency that will oversee the project and eventually patrol and maintain the wall. The proposals are due to the government by March 29.