Donald Trump Jr. defends sharing whistleblower's alleged identity

Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr. defended publicly sharing the Ukraine whistleblower's alleged identity on ABC's "The View" Thursday, and he said Joe Biden "doesn't know what state he's in" when a host commented on how President Trump views Biden as a leading 2020 competitor.

Why it matters: The president has said the whistleblower's identity "must" be determined after details of the complaint have been examined in an impeachment inquiry. House impeachment committee members have accused Trump of withholding military aid to Ukraine to pressure its government to investigate the Bidens.

On the whistleblower:
  • Trump Jr. defended himself against criticism for tweeting the whistleblower's alleged identity, which has been promoted among some media outlets, saying he has no control over whether an outlet decides to put the whistleblower's name in an article headline.
On who should run against President Trump in 2020:
  • Trump Jr: "It doesn't matter that much to me. ... I do spend a lot of time in middle America, I spend a lot of time there and honestly, people are happy."
  • Joy Behar prodded Trump Jr. on how the president views Biden as a 2020 competitor, saying Trump "seems to be petrified of Joe Biden." Trump Jr. retorted by saying "Joe Biden doesn't know what state he's in 50% of the time."

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