The normally spotlight-loving President Donald Trump has kept a rather low profile around his surprise firing of FBI Director James Comey.
Leading up to the bombshell announcement, Trump had not opened an event to reporters in several days and offered few details on how he was spending his time. He passed the weekend at his New Jersey golf club although aides declined to say whether he was playing golf.
The president let reporters briefly into the Oval Office Wednesday morning after he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, but he had few words on the firing. Comey, he said simply, “was not doing a good job.”
Trump has maintained an active presence on Twitter, his preferred means of communication. On Wednesday morning, Trump unleased a flurry of tweets, assailing critics and saying that Comey “will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job.” He also tweeted directly in response to reports he saw on television news.
James Comey will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
Asked about what the president has been up to this week, spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said he was doing meetings “in preparation for the foreign trip.” Asked if Trump was trying to stay out of public view, she said it was just the “nature of the calendar this week.”
Trump spent the weekend at his New Jersey golf club, where aides said he had meetings and made calls. The White House refused to say if he was playing golf, even after a photo of him golfing surfaced on social media Saturday.
As a candidate, Trump excoriated President Barack Obama for frequently playing golf. Obama’s aides readily acknowledged that he was playing golf and regularly named the members of his foursome.
Trump is expected to do an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt on Thursday.