Donald Trump called moves to impeach him in Congress for a second time "absolutely ridiculous" in his first public appearance since the deadly riots on Capitol Hill last week.

Mr Trump said his likely impeachment in the House of Representatives on Wednesday was causing "tremendous anger" among voters as he left the White house for a trip to Texas. 

It is the first time Mr Trump has taken questions from reporters since a violent mob swarmed the Capitol last week after the US president urged supporters to "fight like hell" against the certification of Joe Biden's victory in Congress.

Mr Trump insisted his words were perfectly appropriate and did not respond when asked if he planned to resign. “I want no violence,” he said.

Speaking as he boarded Marine One at the White House, Mr Trump called the second impeachment proceedings a "continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics."

It comes after Mike Pence, the US vice president, met with Mr Trump on Monday for the first time since rioters stormed the US Capitol last week, signaling a united front as Democratic efforts to impeach Trump gain momentum.

First, the House of Representatives will vote Tuesday on a longshot bid to get Mr Pence and the cabinet to invoke the US Constitution's 25th Amendment, which would declare Trump unfit to perform his duties and install Mr Pence as acting president. Democrats will then follow up with impeachment proceedings, including a House vote expected Wednesday.

05:00 PM

Sheldon Adelson, a major Republican donor and big Trump backer, has died

American casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who built lavish gambling palaces that made him one of the world's richest men and became a potent supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has died at age 87.

Mr Adelson died on Monday night from complications related to treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to Las Vegas Sands Corp, which he turned into the world's largest casino company.

He was a prominent supporter of Israel and Jewish causes. With a net worth of $33.4 billion as of this week, he ranked as the world's 38th richest person on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Mr Adelson and his Israeli-born physician wife Miriam donated more money than anybody else in the 2020 U.S. elections, giving $218 million to Republican candidates and conservative causes, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group.

The Adelsons were prolific backers of Trump's 2016 presidential bid and remained supportive during his tumultuous presidency. The casino magnate was in regular contact with Trump after he took office and saw some of his cherished goals come to fruition, including the moving of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in a break with decades of American policy. Mr Adelson attended the embassy dedication ceremony in May 2018.

"He crafted the course of nations," his widow, Miriam, said in a statement.

"He was a wonderful friend to us personally and an incredible champion of the Jewish people, the Jewish state and the alliance between Israel and America," Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

04:48 PM

Mike Pompeo alleges Iran new 'home base' of al-Qaeda

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged Tuesday that arch-enemy Iran has become a new "home base" for al-Qaeda worse than Afghanistan, an assertion questioned by experts.

In a speech a week before leaving office, Mr Pompeo confirmed a New York Times report that al-Qaeda's second-in-command was killed last year in Tehran, although he did not say that Israel carried it out.

"Al-Qaeda has a new home base. It is the Islamic Republic of Iran," Mr Pompeo said in a speech at the National Press Club. "I would say Iran is indeed the new Afghanistan - as the key geographic hub for al-Qaeda - but it's actually worse." 

"Unlike in Afghanistan, when al-Qaeda was hiding in the mountains, al-Qaeda today is operating under the hard shell of the Iranian regime's protection."

"Tehran has allowed al-Qaeda to fund-raise, to freely communicate with other al-Qaeda members around the world and perform many other functions that were previously directed from Afghanistan and Pakistan."

Mr Pompeo urged more international pressure, calling the alleged alliance a "massive force for evil all over the world."

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed the allegations, tweeting: "No one is fooled. All 9/11 terrorists came" from Pompeo's "favourite" Middle East "destinations" he added. "NONE from Iran."

The majority of the perpetrators of the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York came from US-ally Saudi Arabia.

04:31 PM

Mexico border wall has made a 'tremendous difference' says Trump

President Trump has spoken of the reason for his trip down to Texas this afternoon, saying he is going to inspect his "tremendously successful" border wall.

"As you know we've completed the wall. They may want to expand it. We have the expansion underway. It's been tremendously successful, far beyond what anyone thought," he told reporters as he boarded Marine One. 

"We're stopping in large numbers the drugs coming into the country for many, many years and decades. We're stopping a lot of illegal immigration. Our numbers have been very good," he added.

The border wall was a key campaign promise in 2016 and a central pillar in Trump's anti-immigration strategy. 

"There does seem to be a surge now because people are coming up. Some caravans are starting to form because they think there's going to be a lot in it for them if they're able to get through, but we're able to stop it. The wall has made a tremendous difference," the President concluded.

04:12 PM

Trump takes aim at 'big tech'

President Trump has told reporters that 'big tech' is making a "terrible mistake" during his first comments to the press since the storming of the US Capitol building last week.

He said that big technological companies are "doing a horrible thing to the United States" and that he has "never seen such anger as he sees now" after the decision to ban him from major platforms.

"They are making a catastrophic mistake... They're dividing and divisive and they're showing something that I've been predicting for a long time," he said. 

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have all banned the 45th President from their platforms for varying lengths of time.

Facebook and Instagram have suspended his accounts until after the inauguration of Joe Biden, while Twitter have permanently banned him from their platform, citing "the risk of further incitement of violence."

04:00 PM

Trump: 'I want no violence'

The soon to be former President said there was tremendous anger about moves to impeach him but added he did not want violence.

"I want no violence," Trump told reporters as he left for a trip to the border wall in Alamo, Texas.

In his first remarks to reporters since Dec. 8, the embattled Republican president did not answer a question about whether he would resign.

He criticised impeachment moves by Democratic lawmakers.

"This impeachment is causing tremendous anger and they're doing it, and it's really a terrible thing that they're doing," Trump said. He added that the move to impeach him, on a charge of inciting insurrection over the Capitol attack, was a continuation of the "witch hunt" against him.

Trump would become the first U.S. president to be impeached twice if the House of Representatives votes in favor of impeachment on Wednesday.

03:53 PM

My speech was totally appropriate, says Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday disavowed any responsibility for his supporters' violent siege on the U.S. Capitol last week, saying his remarks at the time were appropriate.

"If you read my speech ... what I said was totally appropriate," he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews when asked about any personal responsibility he had regarding the Jan. 6 attack when his supporters stormed the Capitol with members of Congress and his own Vice President Mike Pence inside.

https://uk.yahoo.com/