President says he’s ‘saddened’ by John Lewis’ death after Barack Obama led heartfelt tributes for the civil rights hero

Donald Trump said he was "saddened" to hear the news of Congressman John Lewis' death after the civil rights leader died on Friday. Earlier on Saturday, Congresswoman Karen Bass, the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, told the president he should not issue a statement so people could "mourn in peace".

The president ordered earlier for the flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and other public buildings for the remainder of the day.

Many prominent politicians and leaders like Barack Obama, Bernice King, Vice President Mike Pence, and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany have also honoured Mr Lewis in a statements.

Mr Trump waited to issue a statement until later. Instead, he wrote and retweeted more than 40 tweets from Friday night into Saturday about topics like Joe Biden and his niece, who just released a scathing book about the president.

An interview with the president and Fox News' Chris Wallace is scheduled to air on Sunday. In a sneak peak of the interview, Mr Trump gets angry when the Fox News host challenged him about a false claim he made about Mr Biden. Mr Trump claimed Mr Biden supports defunding the police in a new policy he released with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, but that is not true.

Portland protests have continued following the death of George Floyd. But what has angered Portland officials, including the mayor, is federal agents being brought in by the Trump administration to control the protesters. The Portland mayor called for Mr Trump to get his "troops" out of the city.

All of this comes as coronavirus cases continue to surge across the United States. In response to the pandemic, Mr Trump held his first "tele-rally" for Wisconsin on Friday evening. He said these tele-rallies would replace in-person rallies until the coronavirus pandemic is controlled.