Trump Draws Fire for Claiming Too Busy to Hold Press Conference on Business Conflicts While Meeting With Kanye West

Don’t Be Distracted by the Meeting – Be Outraged He Lied About the Press Conference He Canceled, the Cabinet Picks He’s Made, 

Donald Trump Monday night canceled his long-scheduled press conference during which he had promised he would tell the American people how he would avoid conflicts of interest his businesses automatically create for him as president. The reason? “Busy times!” he tweeted, pointing to “Cabinet picks and all other topics of interest” as his reason. 

Apparently those “other topics of interest” include meeting privately with rapper, producer, and entrepreneur Kanye West. West, often the subject of controversy, recently told an audience he did not vote in the November election but had he, he would have voted for Trump.

West did not tell reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower why he met with the president-elect, but standing with Trump he said, “I just want to take a picture right now.”

But E! News reports the “rapper met with Trump to discuss becoming an ‘ambassador of sorts,’ a source close to West tells E! News. The source adds that Trump is interested in getting West involved in an “entrepreneurial leadership role.”

Remember, Trump is also too busy – and wholly not interested in receiving daily presidential briefings on national security.

Many note that this move is typical Trump: distraction.

“Naturally, it would make sense that Trump wanted to hand the press a shiny object to distract from all this,” referring to his canceling his important press conference, Vox reports. “The meeting with Kanye soon ensued.”

Former NBC News reporter Luke Russert offered this view in a series of 10 tweets. An excerpt:

More responses to Trump’s attempt to distract:

Newsweek reporter Kurt Eichenwald today published a new story stating: “The president-elect is issuing statements to world leaders that radically depart from U.S. foreign policy, and benefit his family’s corporate empire.” He drew a very clear line as to why Kanye showed today:

Environmental organization Sierra Club didn’t hold back:

Others:

UPDATE: 3:21 PM EST:
Also today: