Former House Speaker John Boehner denies he criticized President Donald Trump's first weeks in office as a "complete disaster," saying the "interpretation" of his remarks got "a little carried away."
In a video posted by Politico, the Ohio Republican told the audience he wanted to "correct the record."
"Donald Trump is my friend," he said. "He was my supporter, I play golf with him and, frankly, I like the president. I voted for him. I want him to succeed. I want the whole country to succeed."
"It seems people . . . have gotten a little carried away with their interpretation of what I said," he added about his remarks at a KPMG Global Energy Conference.
"I did not say the president's policies were a disaster. I did not say the president's agenda was a disaster. What I was referring to was the execution of the president's agenda and policies."
"There were a number of missteps and unforced errors," Boehner continued, "and I think the White House would agree they've had their share of mistakes as the president learns to be the president."
Boehner said there has been great successes too.
"I also said that on the foreign policy side, I think the president's done a marvelous job, and our allies around the world could not be more thrilled," he said. "I think his effort to get [Justice] Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court was a giant step . . . his deregulatory policies have been very successful as well."
"I hope this corrects the record," he told the audience.
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