President Trump said he was too busy to watch the first day of impeachment hearings on television, contenting himself instead with retweeting supportive comments from allies.
Much of Washington came to a standstill on Wednesday morning to hear the opening exchanges in a day of testimony that could decide Trump’s fate.
As the evidence session unfolded, the president welcomed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House.
“It’s a witch hunt, it’s a hoax,” said Trump. “I’m too busy to watch it. I have not been briefed.”
Earlier, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the president was getting on with his job.
“He’s in the Oval in meetings,” she said. “Not watching. He’s working.”
White House officials have been keen to portray an image of a president intent on delivering his promises to the American people, continuing to work on overhauling the healthcare system, striking a trade deal with China, and mulling further tax cuts even as Democrats pursue impeachment.
His Wednesday schedule included hosting Erdogan for meetings and lunch and then hold a press conference with the Turkish leader.
Even so, as a heavy consumer of TV news, White House watchers are keeping a close eye on Trump’s Twitter feed to see how he reacts to the hearings. On Wednesday morning, Trump’s Twitter page featured a string of retweets of Republican allies.
