Officials Say President Trump Feeling ‘Exhausted’ by International Diplomacy Tour
President Trump has completed stage one of his first international tour, and it would seem that he is getting a good taste of how demanding these diplomatic visits can be.
During his speech today in Saudi Arabia, Trump spoke about the need for peace and cooperation with Middle Eastern nations in order to stomp out terrorism. Indications suggested that Trump would steer clear of the rhetoric he has used about Muslims before, but Trump deviated from his planned remarks by mentioning “Islamic extremism” as he blasted terrorism throughout the region.
Trump was expected to say “Islamist extremism” during his speech, and because of the different connotations between the two words, the deviation caught the attention of reporters covering the trip. When asked about this, officials told journalists that the slip-up came about because Trump was feeling “exhausted.”
Asked about line in speech today when Trump said Islamic instead of Islamist, a senior White House official said: “He’s an exhausted guy."
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) May 21, 2017
Trump said "Islamic" rather than "Islamist." Senior admin official just told us it was not on purpose. Just “an exhausted guy.” https://t.co/V0j6texTbV
— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) May 21, 2017
Per several White House reporters in Saudi Arabia, senior official said Trump made a mistake today because he was "exhausted." Whoo boy.
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) May 21, 2017
For clarification, “Islamic” terrorism presumes that extremism is a fundamental aspect of the Muslim faith. “Islamist” terrorism, on the other hand, refers to the extremist movement that tries to connect with and draw support from the rest of the Muslim world.
You will recall that Trump often ripped Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election by suggesting that she didn’t have the stamina to withstand the duties of the presidency. Once Trump leaves Saudi Arabia, he is expected to continue on to Israel, the Vatican, Belgium and Italy.
[Image via screengrab]
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