Trump: "I Could've Done Very Bad Things to Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Barack Hussein Obama"
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he could have taken harsh action against three of his most prominent political rivals but held back during his first term.
The remarks
"I could've done very bad things to Hillary Clinton," Trump said. "I could've done very, very bad things to Joe Biden. I could've done very bad things to Barack Hussein Obama."
Trump added that he had considered such actions inappropriate at the time out of respect for the office of the presidency, but that his two impeachments changed his thinking.
"I can do whatever I want, if I want," Trump said. "They've done some very bad things."
The reaction
The remarks were quickly circulated on social media and drew sharp responses from critics, while supporters framed them as Trump pushing back against what they see as years of unfair treatment by his political opponents.
Trump also weighed in on the economy during the same appearance, blaming the Federal Reserve for elevated borrowing costs. "You have a board that would like to see the country do badly, in my opinion, because I think interest rates should come down," he said.
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Options market and stocks to watch
Political headlines from the White House rarely move broad indexes on their own, but they can add noise on days when economic data is already in focus. With mortgage rates at multi-decade highs and the CPI report due October 14, markets are parsing every Trump comment on the Federal Reserve for clues about rate pressure ahead.
News and media names can see elevated volume on days dominated by political headlines. Watch for unusual options activity in DJT, FOXA, and NYT as the remarks circulate through the news cycle.
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