President-elect Donald Trump used his Twitter account yesterday to denounce reports of problems in his transition team, singling out the New York Times for saying world leaders have had trouble getting in touch with him.
Trump, whose aggressive use of Twitter against rivals was a key element of his presidential campaign, tweeted a list of several world leaders he had spoken with since his upset victory in the November 8 presidential election.
“I have recieved and taken calls from many foreign leaders despite what the failing @nytimes said.
Russia, UK, China, Saudi Arabia, Japan,” the Republican real estate magnate wrote in a morning Twitter post, misspelling the word “received”.
“Australia, New Zealand, and more.
I am always available to them.@nytimes is just upset that they looked like fools in their coverage of me,” Trump continued.
He focused on the Times, a frequent Twitter target for Trump, because it said US allies were “scrambling to figure out how and when to contact Mr Trump”.
“The failing @nytimes story is so totally wrong on transition,” he tweeted. “It is going so smoothly. Also, I have spoken to many foreign leaders.”
On Tuesday night, Trump had defended his transition team amid reports the team is in disarray, behind schedule and marked by infighting.
“Very organised process taking place as I decide on Cabinet and many other positions,” Trump said on Twitter. “I am the only one who knows who the finalists are!”
Entering Trump Tower in New York yesterday morning, Trump’s son, Eric Trump, was asked by reporters if any positions would be named.
He responded, “Likely.”
Trump tweeting about contacts with foreign leaders on such a public forum drew immediate criticism, with conservative political commentator David Frum questioning the wisdom of such posts.
“Vladimir Putin reading Trump Twitter feed this AM. ‘So Merkel has not yet called him? Hmm. That’s useful to know,’” Frum said on Twitter.
“When does president Trump compromise an important secret?”
Longtime Trump supporter US representative Chris Collins, the transition team’s congressional liaison, brushed off the morning Twitter storm, saying Trump was under a lot of pressure and needed to blow off steam.
“If this is his way of relaxing, God bless him,” Collins told CNN. “You don’t want this stuff all bottled up.
During his campaign, Trump has attacked media reports he found unfavourable to him, often targeting the Times by referring to it as “failing” while regularly granting its reporters interviews.
The Times reported yesterday that the presidents of Egypt and Israel got through to Trump quickly but British Prime Minister Theresa May had to wait 24 hours before reaching him.
Since his upset win over Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump also has talked with the leaders of other countries, including Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Australia.
He spoke last week with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will today be the first foreign leader Trump meets with as president-elect.
Trump, whose aggressive use of Twitter reportedly led to calls for restraint from his inner circle, said in a CBS 60 Minutes interview broadcast on Sunday that he would be “very restrained” on Twitter as president, if he used it at all.
Several US news outlets have reported that former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is tipped for secretary of state.
Hawkish former UN ambassador John Bolton and retired general Michael Flynn reportedly are also among those shortlisted for top jobs.
Other sightings at the iconic Trump-branded skyscraper included Ted Cruz – the arch-conservative Texas senator who Trump belittled as “Lyin’ Ted” during the Republican primaries.
Trump also dismissed press reports that he was trying to get family members cleared to attend high-level briefings.
“I am not trying to get “top level security clearance” for my children.
This was a typically false news story,” he tweeted yesterday.
Media said Trump has requested top-secret clearance for his son-in-law Jared Kushner – husband to his daughter Ivanka – so he can join the daily presidential briefings.
The Washington Post reported that Kushner purged several transition team members allegedly linked to New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who was demoted Friday when Trump reshuffled his transition team and placed Pence in charge.
Kushner is a real estate developer with no political experience other than his role as a Trump confidant on the campaign trail.