The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local) :
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local) : 3: 20 p.m. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer claims that “a small group of people know exactly” what President Donald Trump meant when Trump posted a seemingly unintelligible tweet early Wednesday morning. Trump tweeted shortly before 1 a.m. that “Despite the constant negative press covfefe.” The tweet ended there. The president seemed to make a joke about the incident several hours later, tweeting: “Who can figure out the true meaning of “covfefe”??? Enjoy!” Spicer tells reporters when asked about the tweet: “I think the president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant.” ___ 12: 05 p.m. Melania Trump says it was “simply wrong” for celebrity Kathy Griffin to appear in a video holding what looked like President Donald Trump’s bloody, severed head. In a statement released Wednesday, the first lady says that “as a mother, a wife and a human being, that photo is very disturbing.” She adds: “When you consider some of the atrocities happening in the world today, a photo opportunity like this is simply wrong and makes you wonder about the mental health of the person who did it.” Griffin has apologized, saying that the brief video was “too disturbing” and wasn’t funny. “I went too far, ” she said in a second video. “I sincerely apologize.” Griffin is a stand-up comedian who co-hosted CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage. ___ 9: 30 a.m. President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager says he’d be willing to join the White House staff if “the right role is there.” But Corey Lewandowski is declined to say whether he’s been contacted by Trump or anyone else about a return engagement as the president considers an overhaul of his communications team. Trump wants to respond more aggressively to allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and questions about investigations of possible ties between Trump’s campaign and Moscow. Lewandowski tells “Fox & Friends” that he wants to help promote Trump’s agenda whether he’s inside the White House or not. He says Trump is best served by having staff around him who know him well. ___ 7: 15 a.m. President Donald Trump says celebrity Kathy Griffin “should be ashamed of herself” for appearing in a video holding what looked like Trump’s bloody, severed head. In a post on his Twitter account Wednesday morning, Trump said, “My children, especially my 11-year-old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!” Griffin, who helped with CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage, has apologized, saying that the brief video was “too disturbing” and wasn’t funny. “I went too far, ” she said in a second video. “I sincerely apologize.” Many people online called for Griffin to be jailed. ___ 6: 30 a.m. A midnight tweet from President Donald Trump has social media trying to find a meaning in the mysterious term “covfefe.” Trump tweeted just after midnight Eastern time on Wednesday: “Despite the constant negative press covfefe.” The tweet immediately went viral and became one of the president’s more popular posts. Trump poked fun at the typo, tweeting around 6 a.m., “Who can figure out the true meaning of “covfefe”??? Enjoy!” Many on Twitter have supplied tongue-in-cheek meanings. One user joked that “covfefe” is already a popular name for babies in states that voted for Trump. Dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster checked in with an eye-rolling tweet about people looking up “covfefe” on its website. Dozens of definitions have been submitted to the Urban Dictionary website, which crowdsources meanings for slang terms. ___ 3: 16 a.m. A top communications aide to President Donald Trump has resigned, in what many inside and outside the White House see as the first shoe to drop before a wider overhaul. Fresh off Trump’s first official trip abroad, his administration is looking for ways to respond more aggressively to allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and revelations of possible ties between Trump’s campaign and Moscow. White House communications director Michael Dubke announced his resignation Tuesday, saying it had been an honor to serve Trump. However, Trump has privately and publicly pinned much of the blame for his administration’s woes on the communications effort. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
