CIA agents were not applauding Donald Trump’s speech. He brought his own cheering section.
Numerous Americans expressed concern across social media yesterday when Donald Trump’s televised speech at the CIA headquarters in Langley gave the appearance that the CIA agents and/or CIA officials in the audience were applauding when Trump accused the media of being dishonest. But as it turns out, that was a staged moment for television which was set up by the Trump campaign in advance, and the CIA people in the audience weren’t even the ones clapping.
Pool reporters were in the room during Trump’s speech at the CIA, and as leading British newspaper The Independent is now confirming about the event, “Pool reports later clarified that the attendants who were cheering and clapping when Mr Trump spoke were not CIA staffers but people who accompanied Mr Trump to the briefing.”
So if you were disturbed by the idea of CIA agents applauding Trump’s attacks on the media, don’t worry, it wasn’t them. It’s just that your “president” is so dishonest that he trying to trick you into believing it happened, which may not be any more comforting.
Bill Palmer is the publisher of the political news outlet Palmer Report