Trump Defends Frequent Twitter Bickering with US Officials

WASHINGTON — 

President Donald Trump is defending his frequent bickering on Twitter with officials across the U.S. political spectrum, saying it sometimes pushes officials "to do what they're supposed to be doing."

Trump told Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo in a wide-ranging interview that aired Sunday, "Sometimes it helps, to be honest with you."

Republican lawmakers have often suggested Trump end his frequent tweets, but he said, "I doubt I would be here if it were not for social media, to be honest with you."

He said he views social media as way to present his views unfiltered by the mainstream national media, "because there is a fake media out there. I get treated very unfairly by the media. You have to keep people interested also.

"You know what I find," he said, "the ones that don't want me to [tweet] are the enemies. The people who really don't like what happened with me and winning the election and of all the things.

"I don't think I want to take any chances," Trump said. "And we do get points out there. I mean, we get tremendous points. I can express my views when somebody expresses maybe a false view that they said I gave.

"It works, it just seems to work. I mean, it is a little unconventional," he said.

On Sunday, Trump continued his attacks against a Florida congresswoman, Democrat Frederica Wilson, who quoted Trump as telling the widow of a U.S. soldier killed in Niger that he "knew what he was getting into" when he joined the military.

In a tweet, Trump said, "Wacky Congresswoman Wilson is the gift that keeps on giving for the Republican Party, a disaster for Dems. You watch her in action & vote" for Republicans.

In the interview, Trump said he wants Congress to move quickly on tax cuts and reforms.

"I will say this," Trump said, "I want to get it by the end of the year, but I'd be very disappointed if it took that long."

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