Donald Trump said Wednesday that as the Republican presidential candidate he will not receive intelligence briefings for fear of being accused of leaking classified information.
U.S. intelligence agencies offer briefings to presidential candidates once they secure their party’s nomination, preparing them for life as commander in chief.
But after the FBI found government documents, including classified documents, at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, critics questioned whether Trump could be trusted with sensitive information.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, the former president said he could have the briefings now if he wanted, but that he felt a trap.
“I don’t want them because, first of all, I know what’s happening. It’s very easy to see what’s happening,” he said, before attacking President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, his new election opponent.
As the official presidential candidate of the Republican Party, Donald Trump is entitled to intelligence briefings. He told DailyMail.com that he does not want them
“We have one incompetent leader, and we have two incompetent leaders.
“We have a Marxist who wants to be president, but this country is not ready for a Marxist or communist president, and that’s it.”
She destroyed San Francisco, she Californiaand this country is not ready for it yet.
‘I don’t want that, because as soon as I get that, they’ll say I leaked it.
‘So the best way to deal with that situation is, I don’t need that briefing. They come in, they give you a briefing, and then two days later they leak it, and then they say, You leaked it.
“So the only way to solve that problem is not to take it. I don’t want it to be understood. I’ll have plenty when I come in.”
Trump made his comments after a major speech in Asheboro, North Carolina, in which he outlined his national security priorities, including demanding the resignation of officials involved in the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Intelligence letters have been given to presidential candidates since President Harry Truman introduced them in the early 1950s.
They are intended to prepare candidates for office and ensure a smooth transition of power.
The briefings are provided by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Trump spoke to DailyMail.com on Wednesday at the North Carolina Aviation Museum
On Monday, Trump talked about the economy, on Tuesday he talked about law and order, and on Wednesday he delivered his national security message: ‘peace through strength’
And unlike the president’s daily briefing, in which the commander in chief is updated each morning on threats to the country and other developments, these are typically one-off sessions that depend on the circumstances.
Former presidents are also typically invited to briefings to keep abreast of national security developments.
However, in 2021, Biden said he had barred his successor from briefings due to his “erratic behavior.”
“I just don’t think he needs the intelligence briefings,” he said, weeks after taking office.
This led to a firestorm of accusations that Trump was applying double standards, while Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter were all receiving briefings at the time.
Two years later, Trump was charged with mishandling government documents after an FBI search of his home. The charges were dismissed last month by a Florida court,
By then, the allegations had raised new questions about whether Trump, as the Republican presidential candidate, should receive briefings.
Thousands of people waited for hours to hear Trump speak on Wednesday as he toured the states hardest hit as Democrats hold their party convention in Chicago, Illinois
Trump faced 40 charges of intentionally withholding documents after leaving office, but the case was dropped last month, though prosecutors have appealed that decision.
And the issue took on added urgency earlier this year when Trump won his party’s primaries. Intelligence officials were quick to say that he would receive regular briefings after the conventions, regardless of whether he was convicted of mishandling documents.
According to Mike Morrell, former deputy director of the CIA and the person who delivered the daily intelligence briefing to President George W. Bush, the goal is more complicated than preparing candidates for office.
“The goal is to protect national security during the campaign by giving candidates a deep understanding of the national security landscape,” he told the Short code.
“Let me explain: Our adversaries as well as our allies and partners will be listening very closely, extremely closely, to what the candidates say on the issues during the campaign. If we say the wrong thing, it could harm our national security.
‘The briefings should help prevent that.’