Even President Donald Trump’s closest advisers aren’t reliably on his side.
The Hill reports that White House economics adviser Stephen Moore suggested in a recent interview that Trump “talks too much” and needs to learn to stick to the facts.
“I think when Trump says things that are false, that does undermine his presidential authority and I wish he wouldn’t do it,” Moore said. “He should stop saying things that are untrue.”
“Trump is an exaggerator”
Moore’s remarks came on an episode of Al Jazeera’s Head to Head, where the Trump adviser spoke with host Mehdi Hasan.
Hasan pressed Moore on whether his comments — that Trump says things that are “untrue” — mean that Trump is a liar. But Moore wouldn’t go that far.
“I’m never going to say that,” he said. “I think Trump is an exaggerator and I think it gets him in trouble.” The White House adviser added that while Trump “can be a jerk in public,” the president is “actually a really nice guy in private.”
“I mean, I like Donald Trump a lot,” Moore said. “I’ve come to admire him. I think people underestimate his intelligence. I bet his IQ — some of you are going to laugh at this — I think he’s probably got about a 180 IQ. The guy is amazing, his breadth of knowledge about the world affairs.”
“I want a guy who says it like is,” Moore added. “And sometimes does he stick his foot in his mouth? Yeah, but people kind of like his authenticity.”
Stephen Moore, Trump adviser: “He should stop saying things that are untrue.”
Me: “But he does say things that are untrue.”
Moore: “He does.”
Me: “So he’s a liar?”
Moore: [laughs] I’m never gonna say that.”*NEW* highlight from my @AJHeadtoHead interview:pic.twitter.com/X2Yo5rXQw9
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) October 7, 2019
“He talks too much”
Hasan conceded that many American voters are fans of Trump’s unconventional methods, but noted that Trump has missed the mark in the past. For his part, Moore said it’s not his job “to defend everything that Donald Trump says.”
“I think one of the flaws of Donald Trump is that he talks too much,” Moore said. “I think, actually, Donald Trump would be better off to stop talking so much and let his record speak for itself.”
But whatever any of these “pundits” think, President Trump is doing just fine as it is. Even Moore himself admitted that he admires the president — and with Trump’s approval rating on the up-and-up, it looks like the GOP is headed for another White House victory come 2020.