Donald Trump plans 'many big things' and lots more tweeting

January 02, 2017 11:01 am | Updated 11:57 am IST - Washington

Donald Trump will take the office of President on January 20.

Donald Trump will take the office of President on January 20.

Donald Trump is planning to do "many big things" after being sworn in as President, his communications director said on Sunday, adding that his boss has no intention to stop using Twitter.

Asked by ABC News what "one big thing" the public should expect from the president-elect once he takes office on January 20, spokesman Sean Spicer replied: "It's going to be not one big thing. It's going to be many big things."

Mr. Spicer said the Republican billionaire would immediately sign a series of executive orders to "repeal a lot of the regulations and actions that have been taken by this administration over the last eight years that have hampered both economic growth and job creation."

He also confirmed that Mr. Trump would institute a five-year ban on senior officials leaving government to become lobbyists, and a lifetime ban "on anyone who wants to serve a foreign government."

When ABC interviewer Jonathan Karl asked whether he would continue his highly unusual -- and deeply controversial -- approach of making major policy statements over Twitter, Mr. Spicer replied, "Sure, why not."

"With all due respect," he continued, "I think it freaks the mainstream media out that he has this following of over 45-plus million people that follow him on social media, that he can have a direct conversation."

Spicer added: "Business as usual is over... There's a new sheriff in town."

Mr. Karl asked the spokeperson repeatedly whether Mr. Trump might reverse President Barack Obama's steps -- including the expulsion of 35 Russian agents -- aimed at punishing Moscow for interfering in the U.S. election.

While suggesting that Barack Obama's action might have been "political retribution" and thus too harsh, Mr. Spicer would only say that Donald Trump would delay any decision until he receives an intelligence briefing on the matter.

The president-elect, still working to fill out his new administration, was to return on Sunday from his Florida resort to his Trump Tower apartment in Manhattan.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.