Trump calls Russia investigation ‘bull****’ and hugs American flag in off-script CPAC speech

Donald Trump went off-script in a two-hour long speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), accusing FBI special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of attempting to pin him with “bull****”.

The president began his appearance by hugging the American flag before walking to the podium to the sound of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA”.

Revelling at the adulation he received from CPAC attendees, Mr Trump announced: “You know I’m totally off script right now and this is how I got elected, by being off script.

“And if we don’t go off script, our country’s in big trouble, folks, because we have to get it back.”

Mr Trump accused some of his political opponents tied to the Mueller probe of having "perhaps the worst reputation of any human being I have ever seen".

The attack came as Mr Mueller begins preparing to file his report on alleged foreign interference in the 2016 election.

“Unfortunately you put the wrong people in a couple of positions and they leave people for a long time that shouldn't be there and all of a sudden they're trying to take you out with bull****,” Mr Trump said. He name-called the allegation as “the collusion delusion".

Mr Trump then went on to poke jabs at Democratic lawmakers who are calling for a Green New Deal, a progressive climate change proposal aiming for the US to reach 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030, for being too expensive and logically unsound.

“I think the new green deal, or whatever the hell they call it. The Green New Deal, right? I encourage it,” the president said sarcastically. “I think it’s really something that they should promote.”

“No planes. No energy,” the president continued. “When the wind stops blowing, that’s the end of your electric. ‘Let’s hurry up. Darling, darling, is the wind blowing today? I’d like to watch television, darling.’”

Mr Trump also claimed some lawmakers in Congress hated the US.

“Right now we have people in Congress that hate our country and you know that,” he said. “And we can name every one of ’em if they want. They hate our country. Sad. It’s very sad. When I see some of the things being made, the statements being made, it’s very, very sad.”

The president also made inflammatory and apparently xenophobic remarks targeted at foreign-born congressional members.

“Find out how did they do in their country? Just ask ’em, how did they do? Did they do well, were they succeeding? Just ask that question,” he said. “Somebody would say, ‘Oh, that’s terrible that he brings that up.’ But that’s OK, I don’t mind, I’ll bring it up. How did they do in their country? Not so good, not so good.”

It is not clear who or how many lawmakers he was referring to with the comment, but speculation pointed to Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali refugee, and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who is the daughter of working-class Palestinian immigrants. Both Ms Omar and Ms Tlaib recently signed a “Pledge to Impeach Trump”.