Trump On VA Pick Jackson: He Has My Support, But I Wouldn’t Do It ‘If I Were Him’
Image Credit: Politico
Article Link | Author: Paul Crookston
President Donald Trump backed his nominee to run the Department of Veterans Affairs Tuesday but also said he is "too fine a person" to have to deal with the Senate confirmation process.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he is standing behind Ronny Jackson, a Navy rear admiral who has led the White House medical staff, to be the next VA chief amid allegations of professional misconduct. The president, calling Jackson one of the "finest people" he's met, said he asked the physician whether he wants to seek confirmation given the media attention and opposition from Democrats.
"I told Admiral Jackson just a little while ago, I said, ‘What do you need this for? This is a vicious group of people that malign—and they do, and I live through it, we all live through it," Trump said. "You people [news media] are getting record ratings because of it, so congratulations. But I said, ‘What do you need it for?’"
Trump emphasized he was letting Jackson decide whether to stand for the nomination but he said he would not do it if he were Jackson, although he continued to praise him.
"If I were him—actually, in many ways I would love to be him—but the fact is, I wouldn't do it," Trump said. "What does he need it for? To be abused by a bunch of politicians that aren't thinking nicely about our country? I really don't think, personally, he should do it, but it's totally his—I would stand behind him—totally his decision."
