Maine Gov. Paul LePage had a relatively rare press conference on Wednesday, where he claimed he misspoke when he said that the United States needs an "authoritarian" leader like Donald Trump. He also called President Obama a dictator, and spoke in front of a set of Russian nesting dolls depicting former President Bill Clinton and his accusers.
#DEVELOPING Gov. LePage: ‘I believe Barack Obama is a dictator’ >https://t.co/AAJTgy4uLh pic.twitter.com/iEwgfFf8SQ
— CBS 13 News (@WGME) October 12, 2016
.@Governor_LePage used these Russian nesting dolls he got as a gift in Russia to show "what they think of our leaders." pic.twitter.com/pA1TikO9xa
— Kattey Ortiz #34 (@KatteyOrtizTV) October 12, 2016
LePage said he meant to use the word "authoritative" instead of "authoritarian" to describe Trump's leadership style. He explained that he purchased the Clinton nesting dolls while on a trip to Russia in 2008, and said that he bought the dolls as a symbol of what Russians think about the United States.
In what's been somewhat of a common theme of the past few weeks, LePage then turned critical of the press, saying that they thought he was a "dumbass."
.@Governor_LePage: "according to the press, I'm the biggest dumbass on earth."
— Jana Barnello (@JanaWGME) October 12, 2016
LePage had earlier sworn that he would never do another press conference for the remainder of his governorship, but clearly he has reneged on that promise.