OnPolitics Today: Trump said a lot on Monday — some of it false

with Josh Hafner

OnPolitics Today: Trump said a lot on Monday - some of it false

President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

Hours after he ripped fellow Republicans over health care, President Trump cozied up alongside the Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and claimed they were "closer than ever before." (The two haven't exactly gotten along in recent months.)

Monday's afternoon Rose Garden appearance let Trump chatter on a host of topics, shifting the blame for failures during his administration onto Democratic lawmakers after blaming his own party's legislators in a morning cabinet meeting. Not responsible for Trump's failure to meet his campaign promise to repeal Obamacare was, of course, Trump, he said.

"I'm not going to blame myself, I'll be honest," Trump said in the meeting. "They are not getting the job done."

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What Trump said on sexual assault allegations

The president of the United States could be forced to comply with a subpoena tied to sexual assault allegations as early as next month. Summer Zervos, a former contestant on "The Apprentice," said Trump "ambushed" her with "unwanted sexual touching."

"All I can say is, it's totally fake news," said Trump, a man who once bragged on tape about how he "moved" on a woman "like a b---" and "did try and f---" her - the same year that Zervos' "Apprentice" season was filmed, no less.

What Trump (falsely) said about Obama

Four U.S. soldiers died in Niger this month and, until asked Monday, Trump had yet to make a public statement about it. When he did, he defended his slow response with a false claim about how often predecessor called the families of fallen service members.

"If you look at President Obama, and other presidents, most of them didn't make calls, a lot of them didn't make calls," Trump said.

That statement is false, a fact many swiftly pointed out afterward online. (Obama wrote letters, made phone calls and met with families at Dover Air Force Base, where the military mortuary is located.

Trump later backed off his claim when questioned by reporters. "President Obama I think probably did sometimes, and maybe sometimes he didn't. I don't know. That's what I was told," he said.

What Trump said about Russia

Trump called the Russia investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller "an excuse for the Democrats losing the election," saying he thinks "the American public is sick of it." Trump's campaign spent more than $1 million on legal fees from July through September around the investigation. The firm behind an infamous dossier claiming ties between Trump and Russia refused Monday to comply with a House subpoena.

What Trump said on health care

That morning, Trump claimed a short-term "fix" for health care would come this year. He blamed Democrats for being "obstructionists," despite Obamacare's repealing being due to Republican lawmakers who opposed it.

What Trump said on taxes

Trump softened expectations for a tax cut package this year, a longtime goal of his administration. It took Ronald Reagan "years to get it done" as president, he said, claiming "minor adjustments" were being made.

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