Trump news: President 'crying out' for impeachment as he insists he is 'stable genius' in White House rant
Democrats calling on leadership to launch measure in response to administration's obstruction of probes
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Your support makes all the difference.Pressure is intensifying on Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi to launch impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.
An increasing number of Democrats - and even a Republican congressman - are openly calling for the measure in response to the Mueller report's findings and the Trump administration's refusal to submit documents to congressional investigations.
Mr Trump on Wednesday sabotaged a planned White House meeting with Ms Pelosi on infrastructure, and said he would not work with Democrats until all probes into him were closed.
Meanwhile, the president announced a massive $16bn (£12.6bn) aid package for farmers on Thursday, amid an intensifying confrontation with China on trade. US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said that the first of three payments is likely to be made in July or August and suggested that the US and China were unlikely to have settled their differences by then.
“The package we’re announcing today ensures that farmers do not bear the brunt of unfair retaliatory tariffs imposed by China and other trading partners,” Mr Perdue said.
The latest bailout comes atop $11bn (£8.7bn) in aid Mr Trump provided farmers last year.
“We will ensure our farmers get the relief they need and very, very quickly,” Mr Trump said in an unwieldy press conference on Thursday in which he insisted is a "very stable genius."
Seeking to reduce America’s trade deficit with the rest of the world and with China in particular, the president has imposed import taxes on foreign steel, aluminium, solar panels and dishwashers and on thousands of Chinese products.
US trading partners have lashed back with retaliatory tariffs of their own, focusing on U.S. agricultural products in a direct shot at the American heartland, where support for Trump runs high.
Financial markets slumped Thursday on heightened tensions between the US and China. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 286 points, or 1 per cent, to 25,490. It had been down 448 points earlier in the day.
Additional reporting by AP. Check out live updates as the came in below.
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Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said earlier on Thursday: “While farmers themselves will tell you they'd rather than trade than aid, without the trade that has been possible, they're going to need some support.”
"Frankly," he said, "all of this would have been moot if China would have acted appropriately and fairly in many of the areas regarding intellectual property theft and nontariff barriers that they have put up for many years."
Donald Trump is thanking Sonny Perdue and saying China “is giving us billions, and some of that money will go to farmers.”
Donald Trump said “if it’s a war, we’re winning it really big,” referring to the US-China trade confrontation that has resulted in massive tariffs on both sides.
Donald Trump is now saying Nancy Pelosi released a “nasty-type” statement when she said she prays for the president.
Donald Trump has asked Kellyanne Conway whether he was calm during yesterday’s meeting he abruptly ended with Democrats.
“Very calm, no temper tantrum,” she responded.
The president is now asking others who were in the room to discuss whether he was calm when speaking with Democrats at the White House yesterday. He’s moving on to Larry Kudlow.
“Kellyanne’s right, you were very calm,” Mr Kudlow has responded. “While you were there, they didn’t say anything, the speaker didn’t say anything.”
Kellyanne Conway is now adding in an additional attack on Nancy Pelosi.
Donald Trump is now asking Sarah Huckabee Sanders about the narrative that he was “screaming,” before calling Nancy Pelosi “crazy” and saying she reminded him of Beto O’Rourke, “with the hands.”
“I don’t want to say Crazy Nancy because if I say that you’re going to say it’s a copy of Crazy Bernie, and that’s no good, because Bernie is definitely crazy,” Donald Trump said.
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