Anderson Cooper Serves Trump An Ice Cold Reality Check Over 'Filthy' D.C. Claims
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CNN’s Anderson Cooper checked former President Donald Trump after he dished out claims that Washington, D.C., was “not the place” that he left at the end of his presidency.
The former president spoke to reporters at Reagan National Airport on Thursday after pleading not guilty to four charges linked to the attempted coup on Jan. 6, 2021.
“This is a very sad day for America, and it was also very sad driving through Washington, D.C., and seeing the filth and the decay and all of the broken buildings and walls and the graffiti. This is not the place that I left. It’s a very sad thing to see it,” Trump said.
Trump also took to his Truth Social platform and wrote that the city was “FILTHY, DIRTY, FALLING APART, & VERY UNSAFE.”
Cooper chimed in, reminding viewers of D.C.’s condition as Trump left office.
“We should point out that when the former president left office and left Washington, D.C., the city was on lockdown because of the attack on Jan. 6,” Cooper said.
“That is the city he left behind.”
Cooper: We should point out that when the former president left office and left Washington, D.C… The city was on lockdown because of the attack on January 6th. That is the city he left behind. pic.twitter.com/BXJ3ITVLF6
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 3, 2023
Officials beefed up security around the U.S. Capitol in measures that included road closures and “waist high” fencing around the complex on Thursday, according to D.C.’s Fox affiliate.
The Capitol riot spurred intense, unprecedented security measures in D.C. ahead of President Joe Biden’s inauguration as 25,000 members of the National Guard stayed in Washington, a 7-foot fence surrounded the Capitol and access to the National Mall was shuttered to the general public.
There were also over $2.7 million in damages caused by the Capitol riot, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia noted last year.
Several users on X (Twitter’s rebrand) noted that Trump’s route from the airport in Arlington, Virginia, to the courthouse in Washington included “none” of what he mentioned in his remarks on the city.
He flew in and was driven in a motorcade to an extremely safe part of town. He breathed the air in DC outside of a car or courtroom for about two minutes. Nor is it the case that DC has declined in any significant way since he left office. Complete BS. pic.twitter.com/oKyG6gP2bm
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 3, 2023
This is a view from Trump's motorcade via @CNN. Do you see "the filth and the decay"? 🧐
📺 @KristenhCNNhttps://t.co/e74pup7vcTpic.twitter.com/goGOhdeSYC— Bad Fox Graphics (@BadFoxGraphics) August 3, 2023
uh... I live here... that's not true
— Rebekah Jones (@GeoRebekah) August 3, 2023
Lol what route did he take from DCA? Lol
— Michael Daignault, MD (@MichaelDaignau3) August 3, 2023
There is none of that in the route he took from the airport to the courthouse. https://t.co/A2OY0hUJdI
— Brian J. Karem (@BrianKarem) August 4, 2023