Donald Trump's off-again,??? ?? ?? ??? on-again trip to the New York Timesfinally happened on Tuesday morning. And it was exactly the surreal circus you might expect, to say nothing of the contents of the actual meeting.
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump will wield the biggest media operation in the history of the U.S. presidencyThe confab between Trump and the Timeswas reportedly one in which the president-elect took a blunt tone to the paper he's lobbed legal threats and insults at over Twitter, a meeting which comes on the heels of his (reportedly, wildly-combative) meeting with a cadre of other big names in media the night before.
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After Tuesday morning's tussle over whether or not he would even attend the planned meeting, Trump made his way to the Timesshortly after 12:30. The Timesitself reported that some nefarious words from GOP chair and incoming-chief-of-staff Reince Priebus was responsible for the earlier drama.
A packed Timesbuilding awaited Trump's arrival but not all got a look at the formal sit-down which happened in the Times' 16th floor boardroom. That's because Trump decided to forego the big crowd and came in, reportedly, through the building's loading dock.
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A disappointed crowd of Times employees were forced to disperse after learning the president-elect had given them the slip.
As for the interview itself, it lasted a little over an hour and was wide-ranging, from the alt-right to Syria, and though many answers were typically vague, Trump did drop some specific surprises in the chat.
Making nice
Right away, Trump aired his grievances but it came with a side of contrition, especially when put up against all the nasty things Trump has previously said about the Times.
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Popular Vote and the Alt-Right
Among the early bombshells: Trump doesn'tlike the Electoral College after all (and thinks president should be chosen by popular vote) and he finally began to distance himself from the "alt-right" movement.
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Trump also disavowed the Nazis who took part in a D.C. conference over the weekend, sparking a widely-circulated -- and widely criticized -- video of the group chanting their support of Trump.
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Despite this, though, he stood beside his top adviser, Steve Bannon, who has been a prominent part of the alt-right movement while he ran Breitbart, and defended that publication, as well.
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Backing down from Clinton threat
Trump also elaborated a bit on the announcement Tuesday morning that he wouldn't seek additional charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server. He's not completely backing down, he says, but it sure sounds like this is one campaign pledge that's gone by the wayside.
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Change on climate
Trump has long been an opponent of the recent Paris climate agreement and denier of climate change. Not much new was uncovered in the meeting as to his thoughts on the matter as Trump responded to questions about climate change with vague notions rather than definitive answers.
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What conflicts of interest?
Trump also downplayed accusations of conflicts of interest with his businesses, saying he was focused on the job of the presidency and admitted his D.C. hotel is "hotter" than before, but didn't mention reports that he's lobbied foreign leaders to stay there.
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