‘That’s Not Normal’ — Some Trump Aides Don’t Want To Say Ukraine Call Was ‘Perfect’ Anymore

A number of White House aides appear to be unwilling to describe President Donald Trump’s controversial phone conversation with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as “perfect,” something the president himself has done on a number of occasions on social media and in real life to reporters.

As recently as yesterday, Trump tweeted out a short snippet of his typical retort about the conversation with Zelensky, which some allege showcases his aims for a tit-for-tat investigation on Democratic candidate for president Joe Biden in exchange for military aid or a meeting between the two leaders.

“Read the Transcript” of the call, Trump wrote on Monday. “It is PERFECT!”

Read the Transcript. It is PERFECT! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2019

The call transcript, however, has not yet been released. Trump is referring to a memorandum which, in its own pages, describes itself as not being a verbatim representation of the conversation between the two leaders. Indeed, according to reporting from Axios, Trump’s top Ukraine expert on his National Security Council, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, said the memo left out key phrases that demonstrate a more disturbing call between the president and Zelensky.

According to CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta, some in the White House are getting frustrated with having to describe the call as being “perfect.”

“I just spoke with a source close to the White House a short while ago who objected to the president continuing to say that his phone call with the leader of Ukraine was ‘perfect,'” Acosta said during “Anderson Cooper 360” on Monday night, per a report from Raw Story.

"Can I just be the master of the obvious for one second?" asks @JeffreyToobin on Pres. Trump's description of his Ukraine call. "Who calls their own behavior perfect? Have you ever met anyone like that? And I know it's like 'that's how Trump talks.' That's not normal!" pic.twitter.com/FhBNeSjv8Z — Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) November 12, 2019

On that same program, the discussion later turned to whether using the phrase “perfect” was appropriate or not.

“Let me just be the master of the obvious for one second: who calls their own behavior perfect?” CNN correspondent Jeffrey Toobin said on the show. “Have you ever met anyone like that? And I know it’s like, ‘oh, that’s just how Trump talks.’ That’s not normal.”