Trump: Nobody Heard of Juneteenth Before Me

President Trump sat down for a wide-ranging interview with the Wall Street Journal, covering everything from systemic racism and Juneteenth to John Bolton and the coronavirus. Some highlights:

• Juneteenth: “I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous,” Trump said, a reference to his decision to postpone a campaign rally from June 19 to June 20. He said a black Secret Service agent told him about the day's significance: a celebration of the end of slavery. “It’s actually an important event, an important time. But nobody had ever heard of it.” Trump was surprised when informed his own White House has previously marked the occasion. Sen. Kamala Harris was among those ridiculing Trump's assertion, notes USA Today.

• Systemic racism: “I’d like to think there is not, but unfortunately, there probably is some. I would also say it’s very substantially less than it used to be.”
• COVID-19: "There's a chance it was intentional," he said, referring to China and the theory that Beijing unleashed the virus to destabilize rival economies. “I don’t think they would do that,” Trump said. “But you never know. But it has had an impact.”
• John Bolton: “The only thing I liked about Bolton was that everybody thought he was crazy. When you walk into the room with him, you’re in a good negotiating position, because they figure you’re going to war if John Bolton was there.” Bolton's new book delivers a scathing critique of Trump as president.

(Read the full interview.)