US President Donald Trump was filmed ordering his chief of staff out of the Oval Office for coughing during a tense interview.
“He’s coughing in the middle of my answer, I don’t like that,” he is filmed snapping at his chief of staff Mick Mulvaney after being asked when he will release his financial records. “If you’re going to cough, please leave the room.
“You just can’t, you just can’t cough,” Mr Trump added, shaking his head emphatically.
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The episode came during a TV interview broadcast on Sunday, during which ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Mr Trump probing questions about his financial history, the Mueller investigation, Barack Obama and decreasing poll numbers. It was not clear whether Mr Mulvaney actually left the room.
1/20 An awkward greeting
As the Queen welcomed Trump to Buckingham Palace, he shared an awkward handshake with her.
PA
2/20 “Oi Trump”
Essex teenager Ollie Nancarrow mowed this message to Trump in a field near Stansted airport, in order that the president would be forced to see it as he came in to land.
BornEco
3/20 A warm welcome
Protesters gesture at the helicopter carrying the president as he arrives at Buckingham Palace on the first day of his visit.
Getty
4/20 Inspecting the guard
After arriving at Buckingham Palace, President Trump inspected an honour guard with Prince Charles.
Bioreports
5/20 Khan hits back
After the president insulted Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, over Twitter as he landed in Britain, Khan hit back in this video released by Elle.
PA
6/20 Mild reception on the Mall
The Mall, the road leading to Buckingham Palace, was lacking in pomp as Trump arrived after his visit to Westminster Abbey, only a very small crowd turned out to see the spectacle.
Reuters
7/20 Toast with the Queen
The president shared a toast with the Queen at the state banquet on his first night in Britain.
Reuters
8/20 Creepy kids
This picture of Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner, shared to Ivanka’s Instagram, was described variously as “terrifying”, like “nightmares” and “scarier than the shining.”
Getty
9/20 Rolling out the red carpet
A red carpet was rolled out for the president’s arrival to 10 Downing Street.
Reuters
10/20 Meeting with May
President Trump met with Prime Minister Theresa May on the second day of his visit. They did not speak privately but in a boardroom meeting.
Reuters
11/20 Spouses get along
First Lady Melania Trump and husband of the prime minister Philip May attended a garden party for the families of Downing Street staff while the two leaders were in their meeting.
Getty
12/20 Baby blimp flies again
The famous Trump baby blimp made a return in the protests against the president’s visit, after first appearing in July last year.
EPA
13/20 Crowd gathers
A large crowd of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square in London to protest the president’s visit. Notable protesters included a man selling Donald Trump toilet paper and a man dressed as Vladimir Putin controlling a Trump puppet.
PA
14/20 Protesters mix and mingle
Supporters of the president and protesters of his visit clashed by Parliament Square on the second day of Trump’s visit, with some supporters being hit by milkshakes.
Reuters
15/20 Toilet Trump
A 20ft statue of Trump tweeting while sitting on a golden toilet was placed in Trafalgar Square as protesters gather on the second day of the president’s visit.
Tom Batchelor / The Independent
16/20 Corbyn speaks
In an address to protesters, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused the president of spreading “hatred” and “racism” and expressed disappointment that Sadiq Khan had “been attacked in the way he was.”
PA
17/20 Churchill hat
During his interview with the president on Good Morning Britain, Piers Morgan gave Trump a hat of a style favoured by Winston Churchill, one of Trump’s heroes.
ITV
18/20 Bus stop baby
Activists Special Patrol Group installed this poster in to several bus stops around Portsmouth ahead of the president’s arrival for D-Day commemorations
PA
19/20 Fly-past with the queen
President Trump watched the Red Arrows fly-past with the Queen at an event in Portsmouth to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings
AFP/Getty
20/20 Commemoration speech
The president gave a speech at an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Along with Trump, the prime minister and the royal family, French president Emmanuel Macron and 300 Second World War veterans were in attendance.
AFP/Getty
1/20 An awkward greeting
As the Queen welcomed Trump to Buckingham Palace, he shared an awkward handshake with her.
PA
2/20 “Oi Trump”
Essex teenager Ollie Nancarrow mowed this message to Trump in a field near Stansted airport, in order that the president would be forced to see it as he came in to land.
BornEco
3/20 A warm welcome
Protesters gesture at the helicopter carrying the president as he arrives at Buckingham Palace on the first day of his visit.
Getty
4/20 Inspecting the guard
After arriving at Buckingham Palace, President Trump inspected an honour guard with Prince Charles.
Bioreports
5/20 Khan hits back
After the president insulted Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, over Twitter as he landed in Britain, Khan hit back in this video released by Elle.
PA
6/20 Mild reception on the Mall
The Mall, the road leading to Buckingham Palace, was lacking in pomp as Trump arrived after his visit to Westminster Abbey, only a very small crowd turned out to see the spectacle.
Reuters
7/20 Toast with the Queen
The president shared a toast with the Queen at the state banquet on his first night in Britain.
Reuters
8/20 Creepy kids
This picture of Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner, shared to Ivanka’s Instagram, was described variously as “terrifying”, like “nightmares” and “scarier than the shining.”
Getty
9/20 Rolling out the red carpet
A red carpet was rolled out for the president’s arrival to 10 Downing Street.
Reuters
10/20 Meeting with May
President Trump met with Prime Minister Theresa May on the second day of his visit. They did not speak privately but in a boardroom meeting.
Reuters
11/20 Spouses get along
First Lady Melania Trump and husband of the prime minister Philip May attended a garden party for the families of Downing Street staff while the two leaders were in their meeting.
Getty
12/20 Baby blimp flies again
The famous Trump baby blimp made a return in the protests against the president’s visit, after first appearing in July last year.
EPA
13/20 Crowd gathers
A large crowd of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square in London to protest the president’s visit. Notable protesters included a man selling Donald Trump toilet paper and a man dressed as Vladimir Putin controlling a Trump puppet.
PA
14/20 Protesters mix and mingle
Supporters of the president and protesters of his visit clashed by Parliament Square on the second day of Trump’s visit, with some supporters being hit by milkshakes.
Reuters
15/20 Toilet Trump
A 20ft statue of Trump tweeting while sitting on a golden toilet was placed in Trafalgar Square as protesters gather on the second day of the president’s visit.
Tom Batchelor / The Independent
16/20 Corbyn speaks
In an address to protesters, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused the president of spreading “hatred” and “racism” and expressed disappointment that Sadiq Khan had “been attacked in the way he was.”
PA
17/20 Churchill hat
During his interview with the president on Good Morning Britain, Piers Morgan gave Trump a hat of a style favoured by Winston Churchill, one of Trump’s heroes.
ITV
18/20 Bus stop baby
Activists Special Patrol Group installed this poster in to several bus stops around Portsmouth ahead of the president’s arrival for D-Day commemorations
PA
19/20 Fly-past with the queen
President Trump watched the Red Arrows fly-past with the Queen at an event in Portsmouth to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings
AFP/Getty
20/20 Commemoration speech
The president gave a speech at an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Along with Trump, the prime minister and the royal family, French president Emmanuel Macron and 300 Second World War veterans were in attendance.
AFP/Getty
During the interview, Mr Trump repeatedly made false claims about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which found evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 US election and suspicious links between Mr Trump’s campaign and Russian officials.
Right before the coughing episode, the interviewer asked Mr Trump whether he would release his tax returns, something Democratic opponents have been pressing for since before he became president.
Having upbraided his chief of staff for his coughing fit, Mr Trump resumed the interview, saying: “So at some point, I look forward to, frankly, I’d like to have people see my financial statement. Because it’s phenomenal.”
Mr Stephanopoulos interrupts to say: “It’s up to you.”
The president replies: “No, it’s not up to me, it’s up to lawyers, it’s up to everything else. But they’re asking for things that should never be asking for, that they’ve never asked another president for. They wanna go through every deal that I’ve ever done. They’ve, what they’re doing is a disgrace.”
The interviewer says: “But other presidents have turned over their tax returns.”
Ignoring the interruption, Mr Trump says: “They’re trying to do: step, step, step. They wanna keep it going as long as possible to try and demean and hurt as much as possible, so they can possibly win the presidential election.”
