Later, during a press call that was arranged at the last minute on the topic of “Chinese interference,” a senior administration official backed up the president’s claims with . . . zero examples, other than the fact that China has “hurt farmers and workers in states and districts that voted for the president because he stood up to the ways China has taken advantage of our country economically.” That’s actually true! China has hit soybean farmers with tariffs that are cutting into their profits, a direct result of Trump‘s decision to hit Beijing in an increasingly escalating trade war that seems to have no end in sight. It clearly did so to put pressure on Trump to back off from his trade policies that are hurting both nations, knowing that squeezing his base would put him in a tough position politically. (The European Union, Canada, and Mexico have taken similar tacks, retaliating with levies affecting products from Wisconsin and Kentucky.) You know what that doesn’t constitute? Election meddling. “China has all along followed the principle of non-interference in other countries’ domestic affairs,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the U.N. following Trump’s declaration. “We did not and will not interfere in any country’s domestic affairs. We refuse to accept any unwarranted accusations against China.”

While most of the insane things that come out of Trump’s mouth seem to tumble randomly and without pre-meditation, the claim that China is actively interfering in midterm elections may actually be part of a strategy the administration has been cooking up for some time. Sources told Axios late last week that the West Wing had plans to “launch a major, ‘administration-wide’ broadside against China,” and that it’s “not just going to let Russia be the bogeyman.” In which case, you might think that the White House would’ve come up with some talking points for Trump to use at his press conference later that day, other than, basically, “I hear things” and “I have evidence but I can’t tell you,” which is exactly what he said, in addition to telling reporters that Beijing is allegedly in awe of his formidable intellect.

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Just to close the loop on that press conference . . .

In addition to China, President Big Brain covered a wide range of topics, including but not limited to his bromance with Kim Jong Un, the true victims of the #MeToo movement (men like him, the various ways he likes to model his pressers after Elton John concerts), and how Democrats would pull the same s--t they’re pulling with Brett Kavanaugh if the Founding Father was also accused of sexual assault, which Trump is pretty sure was in fact the case:

Ford: Trump tariffs would cost us $1 billion, with a ‘b’