Politics & Government

Today in Trump tweets: February 2, 2017

By ELIZABETH KOH

ekoh@mcclatchy.com

February 02, 2017 06:57 AM

President Donald Trump threatened early Thursday morning to yank federal funding from the University of California, Berkeley, after violence forced the school to cancel a scheduled speaking event by Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos.

Masked protestors set fires and hurled Molotov cocktails and fireworks at police, according to the university, causing property destruction and pushing school officials to cancel Yiannopoulos’ event for public safety.

Protesters hurled smoke bombs, broke windows and sparked a massive bonfire on Wednesday night, prompting University of California at Berkeley officials to cancel a talk by a polarising editor of Breitbart News out of safety concerns. The decision

By McClatchy

“If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?” Trump wrote.

February 2, 2017
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But in a statement, the school said that the “masked agitators” were interrupting a peaceful protest by students and educators, and UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof told CNN that the violent protestors were part of an anarchist group in Oakland not connected to the school.

Trump also congratulated his new secretary of state Rex Tillerson Thursday morning on being confirmed by the Senate and sworn in.

“Congratulations to Rex Tillerson on being sworn in as our new Secretary of State. He will be a star!”

February 2, 2017
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Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon Mobil, was confirmed by a narrow majority in the upper chamber Wednesday.

Trump then acknowledged the death of a Navy SEAL who had died during a raid on al Qaeda militants over the weekend, in the first military raid of Trump’s presidency.

“Attending Chief Ryan Owens' Dignified Transfer yesterday with my daughter Ivanka was my great honor,” he wrote. “To a great and brave man - thank you!

February 2, 2017