Standing under an umbrella and bellowing over the sound of chopper blades, Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he is refusing to send a lawyer to his impeachment hearings because it is a “hoax” and a “disgrace.”

According to the president, complaining about the hearings that are ongoing as he departs for London for NATO talks, “It’s a disgrace for our country … The whole thing is a hoax.”

Twitter commenters were quick to jump on the president — who was remarkably silent on the social media platform over the holiday weekend — for not understanding that he is hurting his own case.

As one commenter noted, “That’s not how it works.”

You can see a sampling below:

President Trump on impeachment inquiry: "It's a disgrace for our country…The whole thing is a hoax." pic.twitter.com/YCzAcBvk0u

— CSPAN (@cspan) December 2, 2019

Tiny little cowardly worm.

— StupiditySucks (@SucksStupidity) December 2, 2019

If he won’t participate and defend himself, tell him to shut up.

— mizelaineous (@mizelaineous) December 2, 2019

Who REALLY CARES what Trump says……

— Teresa Myers (@TeresaM88614471) December 2, 2019

Translation: "If we agree to participate, we can't keep calling it a hoax which continues to be our only strategy."

— Leigh Clark (@LeighClark16) December 2, 2019

"disgrace" is Trump's big boy last resort word.

It's the "final judgement" word he uses.

I doubt that he has any idea of its literal meaning

— Joe Delmonaco (@JoeDelmonaco) December 2, 2019

I also ignore subpoenas and hearings when I'm given a chance to prove my innocence

— A is for Amy, who fell down the stairs (@Amyisverybusy) December 2, 2019

We should hear no more complaints about lack of representation hereafter.

— Donald Bouchard (@donaldbouchard) December 2, 2019

FYI…he lies he lies he lies he lies…conclusion He’s a liar…

— Tink the resistor (@ResistorTink) December 2, 2019

But his spokespeople have been all over the air decrying the fact that he hadn’t been able to present witnesses or have his attorney present 🤔
I guess we’re supposed to erase the past two weeks of punditry and reset to “hoax”.

— Cynthia…..just Cynthia (@Ab_Synthia2) December 2, 2019

His whole life this guy has used projection skills to accuse his perceived enemies of the exact same offenses he has committed. Knowing that, it's easy to see that Trump is the true hoax and disgrace.

— Modello Especial (@GreatWordsmith) December 2, 2019

Awesome and that’s not how this works. Imagine being on trial for murder and just saying it’s a hoax and I’m not showing up🙄

— Feral Shouting Yam (@pamboy712) December 2, 2019

Enjoy this piece?

… then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Unhinged from billionaires and corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

We need your support to deepen our investigative reporting. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.

Enjoy this piece?

… then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

We need your support to keep producing quality journalism and deepen our investigative reporting. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.