CNN

HEY Trump Jr, Is Fox News Now Fake News Since They Nixed Daddy’s Racist Ad Too?

Posted by on November 5, 2018 at 1:35 pm. 2 Comments :

On last Saturday, Donald Trump, Jr posted a tweet that took CNN to task for declining to run a blatantly racist campaign ad for Daddy Trump. Lil’ Donnie wrote that “CNN refused to run this ad… I guess they only run fake news and won’t talk about real threats that don’t suit their agenda.”

Donald Trump Jr

Needless to say, the “real threats” to which he was referring were phony assertions that a “caravan” of poor and frightened Central American refugees were amassing to “invade” the United States to take your jobs and rape your daughters. But what Lil’ Trump was complaining about was the alleged media bias by CNN for refusing to accommodate the Racist-in-Chief by running the repulsive video. And his outrage was unambiguously expressed by condemning CNN as “fake” news with a presumably leftist agenda. But what will Trumpkin say now that Fox News has also banned the ad from both the Fox News and Fox Business networks? The announcement of this decision by Fox said that:

“Upon further review, Fox News pulled the ad yesterday and it will not appear on either Fox News Channel or Fox Business Network.”

This statement is something less than satisfying because it doesn’t bother to say what the “further review” uncovered that made the ad too objectionable to run. Also, Fox didn’t pull the ad until it had already aired fourteen times. But at least they eventually did the right thing and protected their audience from – well, from the rancid bigotry that their regular hosts disseminate every day anyway.

Trump was asked by reporters on Monday morning about the offensive ad and lied that he didn’t know anything about it. He literally tweeted it himself. Is he suffering from dementia? [Don’t bother answering that]. Elaborating, he said that:

“We have a lot of ads. They certainly are effective, based on the numbers that we’re seeing. … A lot of things are offensive. Your questions are offensive.”

So Trump is apparently conceding that he has a lot of offensive ads. But that’s alright as long as they are “effective” based on some uncorroborated (and probably fictitious) numbers. Then he goes on to play the child’s game of Rubber and Glue by calling the reporter’s questions offensive, without explaining why. Meanwhile, his child still hasn’t commented on the fact that their State TV affiliate (aka Fox News) banned the racist ad just like CNN did. I guess that news didn’t fit his wingnut, conspiracy theory agenda.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Crybaby Don Jr Whines That CNN Refused to Air a Flagrantly Racist Ad By Daddy Trump

Posted by on November 3, 2018 at 10:35 am. 3 Comments :

Apparently the crybaby gene is a dominant component of genetics. It was obviously passed on from Donald Trump to his pampered offspring who do nothing but complain about the awful fate they have suffered by being the spawn of a fake billionaire con man. The latest evidence of that genetic flaw trickling down in the Trump family is a sniveling tweet by Donnie Jr.

Donald Trump

Last Wednesday Trump posted a disgusting video on his Twitter account that accused Democrats of supporting the free access of a Mexican murderer, and others like him, to enter and reside in the U.S. It was the most brazen appeal to racism in a campaign ad since the infamous Willie Horton ad – a creation of the late Roger Ailes of Fox News. Trump received near universal condemnation for having posted the ad, even from many Republicans sickened by its barefaced bigotry.

Subsequently, a similarly repulsive ad was submitted by Trump’s campaign to CNN. The network properly declined to run it. And that act of integrity triggered Donnie Jr to run to his Twitter box and post this:

First of all, what mental sickness would cause someone to ask people to “enjoy” that clip of a nauseating killer? But more to the point, for the Trumpette to describe the contents of this ad as “real threats” demonstrates how far removed he is from reality. The main thrust of the ad is advance Trump’s fear mongering with regard to the refugees marching in Central America. It closes with a message to “Stop the Caravan” by voting Republican. But the “caravan” is at least a month away and is populated by frightened refugees – mostly women and children – fleeing violence and poverty. There is no proof that any villainous stereotypes like the one in Trump’s video are among the migrants.

What’s more, the murderer featured in the ad was actually released from custody by Trump’s pal, and pardoned felon, Sheriff Joe Arpaio. And he later re-entered the U.S. during the Bush administration. So if anything, this ad should be advocating voting for Democrats who had nothing to do with this sleazeball.

CNN appropriately declined to run the ad and said so in a direct response to Trump Jr. They called out the obvious and abhorrent racism in the ad and noted that they would not take dirty money to air it. Which raises the question as to whether Fox News was solicited to run this ad. If they were and refused, then why isn’t Donnie Jr whining about that? And if the ad wasn’t taken to Fox, then was this just a publicity stunt to malign CNN?

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Of course there is still the possibility that Fox News took the ad and is planning to run it prior to election day. Which would be entirely consistent with their racist editorial policy. Their hosts spew bigotry like this all day long, and they do it for free. Why wouldn’t they pocket some of Trump’s cash and profit from spreading more hatred and division?

Trump Accidentally Admits that Fox News Really is the State TV Division of His White House

Posted by on October 30, 2018 at 10:02 am. 1 Comments :

Continuing to demonstrate the cowardice that is an integral part of his nature, Donald Trump gave yet another interview to the only network that he isn’t afraid to be questioned by. He appeared on Fox News with the sickly sycophantic Laura Ingraham for a few minutes of fluffing interspersed with incoherent and irrelevant weaving and dodging.

Fox News, Laura Ingraham

The interview broke absolutely no news, making it the pointless waste of time that everyone expected. It was just Trump bragging (lying) about imaginary accomplishments and whining about how he is so beaten up by reporters. Seriously, this tough talking pile of unworthy conceit is actually so weak that, by his own account, those pesky, lightweight news nerds are ripping him to pieces. The only thing that can be described as a revelation from this softball fest is something Trump said that he didn’t mean to reveal (video below).

In a discussion that was ostensibly about his Stalinist references to the media as “the enemy of the people,” Trump tried to justify his reckless hyperbole by claiming that “It’s my form of telling the truth.” Because everyone needs their own “form” of the truth. Then he let this actual example of truth inadvertently slip out:

“We have a lot of supporters. You know that better than anybody. All you have to do is look at your ratings.”

What Trump is saying is that the proof of his popularity is evident in the ratings of Fox News. Really? That must mean that Fox News is an official arm of Trump’s administration and that their fortunes are inextricably intertwined. Which is true, but it’s not something you hear them confess very often.

The interview also addressed a couple of other media related matters. In the following exchange Ingraham helped Trump out by citing a harsh comment by a guest on CNN (who later apologized, which neither Ingraham or Trump acknowledged even though it happened hours before the interview):

Ingraham: There was a woman who was on CNN a short while ago saying that you have radicalized more people than ISIS — that was CNN today.
Trump: Well, that must be some kind of a sick woman. When I say “the enemy of the people,” I’m talking about the fake news and you know it better than anybody.

What Trump isn’t saying is that when he talks about the fake news he means almost all news, and probably everything other than Fox News and a few wingnut websites. Trump never gives an adequate explanation for his use of the “enemy of the people” line even after he is asked about it directly:

Ingraham: How does it help expand your base, to call them [the media] the enemy of the people? How does it help America heal?
Trump: That’s a very good question. Before we finish though – So we’ve done a great job with North Korea…”

Whereupon Trump changed the subject and Ingraham never brought it back up. Why should she when her assignment is to comply with the Fox News mission of falsely maligning Trump’s critics and defending him from any and all criticism aimed his way. She did that throughout the interview. And she even capped it off with this bit of twisted unfairness and imbalance: “You know they [the media] are going to be biased. […] They’re never going to be fair to you.” Left to the imagination is Ingraham’s unspoken elaboration that Trump can always rely on Fox News for unconditional fawning and slobbering tongue baths. Like the one she just gave him.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump’s Heinous Attack on Tom Steyer, a Jewish Democrat and Target of the MAGABomber

Posted by on October 28, 2018 at 12:07 pm. 4 Comments :

Already? It didn’t take long for Donald Trump to back off of his obviously disingenuous calls for unity and peace following the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. In fact, it took less than twenty-fours. On Sunday morning Trump could no longer contain his regnant impulses, so he let loose on Twitter in a display of rancid anti-Semitism and a heinous disregard for human life.

Donald Trump

The latest target of Trump’s hostility is billionaire Tom Steyer, a prominent Democratic donor and vocal critic of the President. Trump’s tweet was both hostile and dishonest. In other words, business as usual for our loathsome, Pathological-Liar-in-Chief. The offensive tweet ignored every moral principle that a conscientious leader would ordinarily have. It said:

Let’s break that down. First of all. Trump is admitting that he lied when he said that he doesn’t watch CNN. He often quotes from segments on CNN and criticizes their coverage of him. But in this tweet he plainly admitted that he watched the whole interview. Trump also lied about not having seen Steyer before. Almost a year ago to the day, Trump tweeted about the “Wacky & totally unhinged Tom Steyer, who has been fighting me.” Indeed, Steyer is the founder of Need To Impeach, which has already accumulated more than 6.1 million signatures of Americans seeking to remove Trump from office due to his well documented treasonous behavior and repeated violations of law.

Trump’s infantile compulsion to insult people was evident again with an absurd characterization of Steyer as “wacky,” “crazed,” and “lunatic.” Whatever you think of Steyer’s opinions, his demeanor is always composed and dignified. Trump is just projecting a description of himself onto someone for whom it is plainly unfitting. What’s more, Trump is revealing his jealousy of Steyer, who is a true self-made billionaire (unlike Trump, who got, millions from his father), with a peculiar and unsupported reference to him “running out of money.” And then, of course, Trump alludes to Steyer as being a potential rival in 2020, which Steyer has never affirmed.

In the interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union (video below), Steyer made a strong case refuting the false equivalency that conservatives allege with regard to violence against political leaders. He argued that there may have been perpetrators on both sides, but only one side has been flagrantly advocating the sort of hostilities that result in real, physical harm. And Trump is at the helm of that advocacy with his calls to assault protesters, his support for “body slamming” journalists, and his labeling political opponents, and the media, as enemies.

However, the worst part of Trump’s tweet is that he posted it just days after it was revealed that Steyer was a recipient of a mail bomb from the now infamous “MAGABomber.” Trump has not expressed any sympathies directly to any of the targets of that virulently pro-Trump domestic terrorist, including two former presidents. But now he is overtly attacking one of those targets. Additionally, Steyer is half-Jewish, which makes Trump’s tweet even more reprehensible considering the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue the day before.

It seems that every day Donald Trump exposes more of the noxious hatred and ignorance that is the core of his character, or lack thereof. And with this one tweet he has reaffirmed his relentless dishonesty, his insensitivity toward people who have suffered tragedies, and his brazen bigotry. You have to admit that he has a unique talent for being the worst human being to ever occupy a place of power in the United States. And that’s an accomplishment that surely fills him with pride.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Conspiracy-Theorist-in-Chief: Trump Floats Fake MAGABomber ‘Stuff’ as Politically Motivated

Posted by on October 26, 2018 at 11:35 am. 3 Comments :

Friday morning there was good news out of Florida regarding the MAGABomber. Authorities have confirmed that a suspect, Cesar Sayoc, Jr, is in now custody. He is described as a Florida resident with ties to New York and a criminal past. And while that sounds a little like Donald Trump, it’s actually just a like-minded supporter with pro-trump, anti-media stickers plastered over most of his van. Now who would ever have guessed that?

MAGABomber, Donald Trump

Meanwhile, Trump himself spent the morning whining profusely about the sorry state of America and how everyone in it is out to get him. His latest tweetstorm is a prime example of the narcissism fueled state of rage that he is in virtually all the time. He began with this bit of crybaby bawling:

Apparently Trump is furious that the media can criticize the President “at will.” They didn’t even have to get official permission from the White House. What do they think this is? A democratic republic with a free press, or something? And the only reason that anyone blames him for the “current spate of bombs” is because he’s demonstrably responsible. Trump’s relentless and reckless attacks on his political opponents and the press have created an atmosphere that emboldens fringe characters like Sayoc. Trump complains that he is called “unpresidential” for criticisms. But the reality is that his criticisms are overtly hostile and explicitly advocate violence.

The next tweet shows just how unhinged Trump has become with regard to how the media has been reporting this domestic terrorism. Trump believes that it’s all about him and a plot to damage his presidency and the Republican prospects in the midterm election:

Trump leads off by gaslighting the nation with phony assessments of the state of the Republican campaign. If anything, the early voting is benefiting Democrats, as is the massive fundraising advantages that Democrats are enjoying. So Trump resorts to belittling the domestic terrorism by his supporter as “this ‘Bomb’ stuff.” It’s downright sickening that Trump’s reaction to mail bombs being sent to prominent Americans is to whine about the political ramifications, rather than the threat to human lives.

Furthermore, Trump’s complaint about a news story distracting from the election is absurd and hypocritical. He’s been demagoguing about the Central American refugees for weeks now, in an effort to influence his base of cult voters. Never mind that they are not expected to reach the U.S. border until at least a month after the election. By the way, the news is still talking about politics. Even Fox News.

Finally, Trump posted a laughably conspiratorial tweet about Twitter removing his followers and making it harder for new ones to join:

This is the sort of brilliant, expert analysis you might expect from Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs, or Diamond & Silk. Which is almost certainly where he got it. And it isn’t the first time that Trump has ranted – with zero evidence – that he and other rightists were the victims of social media bias. He has even promised to stomp the boot of government down on Twitter, Google, etc., if they didn’t bend to his will.

Trump’s claim that the number of his Twitter followers has declined from a “Rocket Ship” to a “Blimp” is not supported by any documentation. Like almost everything else he says, it’s backed up by his big fat assumptions based on nothing but an overactive imagination. If anything, any declines are more likely attributable to the fact that more than half of his followers are fake (and probably Russian).

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Throughout all of this blathering idiocy, Trump is failing any test of leadership by focusing the country on unity and a determination to make our politics more civil and our people safer. He hasn’t even reached out to the victims in this matter, which include two former presidents. He only sees these things in terms of how they affect him personally. But that’s been his modus operandi since even before he was President. So don’t expect him change or “pivot” to acting presidential. Any who still thinks that’s a possibility is terminally naive.

Blaming the Victim: Trump is Still Attacking the Media One Day After Mail Bombs Were Sent

Posted by on October 25, 2018 at 11:05 am. 2 Comments :

There is one notable character trait that Donald Trump displays whenever he is confronted with criticism of any kind. He immediately dismisses it, rejects any responsibility, and points fingers at his critics and victims as the real problems. That holds true whether Trump is accused of fumbling on national security, committing sexual assault, or any other of his numerous failures.

Donald Trump

So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Trump is already blaming the media for the mail bombs sent to the media, as well as many other Trump critics. His knee-jerk response to any negative news is to fire back at those who have suffered the most. And under no circumstances apologize or accept fault in any degree. With Donald Trump the buck stops everywhere except with him. And the latest example of that is his tweet Thursday morning:

So one day after mail bombs were sent to at least nine of his critics, Trump lashes out at the victims and blames them for the attacks. What’s more, the tweet contains heinous and unsupported lies. Beginning with his estimation of the cause of the “anger we see today in our society.” There is no one more responsible for that anger than Trump. And there is no one more angry than Trump. He is perpetually enraged and screaming invectives at all the things he hates about America, its people, and its institutions.

Trump also accuses the media of “purposely false and inaccurate reporting.” Of course, he offers no evidence of that. The truth is that any reporting that reflects negatively on him, he rejects as “fake news,” no matter how well documented and verified. Nevertheless, in Trump’s diseased brain it is the media that is “hateful.”

For Trump to continue with this sort of inflammatory rhetoric just one day after the worst attempted mail bombings in American history is both reprehensible and, from him, expected. Some news reports complimented his opening remarks at the Wisconsin cult rally on Wednesday night that called for unity. But thy must have forgotten that it only takes a few hours (sometimes minutes) for Trump to return to his typical thuggery and lash out at anyone who dares to tell the truth about him. Just moments after his wholly disingenuous and call for unity, Trump accused the media of “endless hostility.”

And he isn’t alone in attacking the victims. Naturally, State TV (aka Fox News) rushes to his defense in order to protect him from the onslaught of unbridled truth tellers. For example, the sycophantic Trump-fluffers on Outnumbered made sure to charge Maxine Waters with bringing on the mail bomb attack herself. And Fox contributor Newt Gingrich told reporters that the media has “earned” the label “enemy of the people.” Ultra-Trumpist Lou Dobbs tweeted (then deleted) “Fake News – Fake Bombs.” Even Trump’s press secretary joined in the assault on the media with a particular focus on CNN.

If anyone needs a refresher course on who is most responsible for the uncivil tone and advocacy of political violence in the nation, the video below, courtesy of Mashable, does a pretty good job of compiling the documentation that exposes Trump’s horrific record of hatred and division.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

LIARS: Trump and Fox News Pretend to Be Against Political Violence and the MAGABomber

Posted by on October 24, 2018 at 2:35 pm. 2 Comments :

When an otherwise pleasant fall morning is interrupted by heinous acts of political terrorism, there is a tendence for public figures and the press to rush out statements of sympathy and determination to confront and eliminate such threats. That’s understandable and appropriate under the circumstances. But when certain people and organizations prior bad behavior is considered in the mix, it’s impossible to ignore the hypocrisy.

Fox News

That’s what we are facing with the statements released by Donald Trump and Fox News in response to the mail bombs sent to the Clintons, the Obamas, CNN, and others. We can expect fringe characters like Alex Jones to whine about “false Flag” operations (which he did – And Rush Limbaugh too). Let’s begin with the statement by Fox News that sought to empathize with the threat to CNN. Fox said that:

“We condemn all attempted acts of violence against media organizations and our thoughts are with CNN for the safety of all of their employees.”

Really? Why didn’t Fox News condemn the act of violence committed by Republican congressman Greg Gianforte, who body slammed a reporter for merely asking a question at a public event? And why didn’t Fox condemn Trump when he praised Gianforte and said that “Any guy who can do a body slam, he’s my guy”? If Fox News were sincere about their condemnation today, they would be more consistent in their expression of it.

What’s more, Fox wouldn’t tolerate their contributors making statements that dismiss the seriousness of these mail bombs. And they wouldn’t allow them to blame the victims. Like their FBI expert saying that “It could be someone who is trying to get the Democratic vote out and incur sympathy.” Or their contributor Candace Owens whose tweet (now deleted) said that:

“I’m going to go ahead and state that there is 0% chance that these ‘suspicious packages’ were sent out by conservatives. The only thing ‘suspicious’ about these packages, was their timing. Caravans, fake bomb threats – these leftists are going ALL OUT for midterms.”

As for the President, he spoke briefly at a White House affair (video below) where he said that “In these times we have to unify. We have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America.” Once again, this is the same person who heartily endorsed a candidate who pleaded guilty to assaulting a journalist. And that’s only the tip of Trump’s iceberg of incendiary hate speech.

If either Trump or Fox News really want people to believe they mean it when they condemn political violence, they will have to demonstrate that their opposition isn’t given only when it is politically convenient. Don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen. It’s a pretty safe bet that Trump will resume his toxic dialogue at his next cult rally. And it’s similarly safe to presume that Fox will defend him after the fact.

That’s because they don’t really care about toning down their inflammatory rhetoric so long as they think there is a political advantage in it. That’s the core principle of their campaign strategy. And if they think it’s working two weeks before an election, they’ll keep using it. No matter how many more people might be put in danger as result of their recklessness.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Frantic Gaslighting: Trump Accuses Lester Holt of ‘Fudging’ Interview Where He Incriminated Himself

Posted by on August 30, 2018 at 12:42 pm. 3 Comments :

Thursday morning most of the media was focused on the first public memorial service for the late Sen. John McCain. So as the nation was united in paying tribute to McCain, Donald Trump naturally took to his Twitter throne and fired off a series of frighteningly incoherent outbursts at what he regards as “the enemy of the people.” It’s his way of continuing to show contempt for a man that had the audacity to challenge him.

Donald Trump

The substance of Thursdays’ tweetstorm was typically centered on his aversion to, and fear of, the free press and the Constitution. He began by taking a swipe at a perennial foe, CNN. Trump lashed out at the network’s boss, Jeff Zucker, and called on AT&T to fire him. Think about that. The president of the United States is issuing orders to a private company in order to control their executive management. That’s pretty much the definition of fascism.

But Trump didn’t stop there. The next tweet in the tantrum was aimed at NBC and their news anchor, Lester Holt. What Trump said was obviously pulled from the recesses of a deeply disturbed mind. It was based on nothing resembling reality, but it did serve to advance his mission to Make America Stupid Again:

This is a perfect example of Trump disseminating utter bullcrap to his pathetic and glassy-eyed cult followers who will believe anything Dear Leader disgorges. The interview with Holt was not “fudged” in any way, and Trump offers no evidence to support his charge. The entire interview is posted online for all to see. Trump’s sole purpose in hurling this lie is to mitigate the fact that he incriminated himself in that interview. Trump told Holt that he fired FBI director James Comey because of the Russia investigation.

So Trump literally confessed to obstruction of justice on national television. Now he’s trying to back out of it by saying the interview was doctored. But everyone knows that he’s making that up out of pure desperation. And by doing so he only makes things worse by being so transparently dishonest and by bringing attention back to his guilt. Even Fox News was taken aback by Trump’s glaringly false allegation.

Trump continued his Twitter tirade with a more generalized attack on what he called the “totally dishonest” media. He said that “Truth doesn’t matter to them,” and that “they only have their hatred & agenda.” This is coming from the man who has been documented as telling more than 4,200 lies since his poorly attended inauguration (which he lied about). And he’s also the man whose whole presidency has been marinated in hate and bigotry. He can’t go a single day without tossing around vicious and infantile insults at anyone he perceives as insufficiently worshipful.

Finally (for the time being), Trump circled back around to CNN to reiterate some completely fake allegations about a recent story concerning his troubles with his personal attorney, Michael Cohen. Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, had told CNN that Cohen might tell special counsel Robert Mueller that the President knew about the infamous Trump Tower meeting with the Russians before it occurred. Davis later backpedaled and said that he could not actually confirm that. Note that he did not say it wasn’t true, only that he was no longer comfortable with the comment. That’s probably because it could put his client in legal jeopardy because it contradicted what Cohen told Congress.

Subsequently, Trump, Fox News, and other rightist media began accusing CNN of flubbing the story. But they actually got it right. It was Davis who admits that he made a statement that he would no longer stand by. That isn’t CNN’s fault, especially since they also had other sources corroborating their reporting. They continue stand by the story.

The fact that Trump would take this time, as the nation is still mourning the passing of John McCain, to trot out his self-serving delusions, is indicative of his utter lack of character and class. He simply isn’t able to allow anyone else to have the spotlight for a day or two. But the ludicrous charge that Lester Holt tampered with the video of his interview shows that Trump will propound any lie, no matter how outrageous and unfounded, to deceive the nation. And that sort of dishonesty has been the hallmark of his tenure so far in the White House.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump Whines (and Lies) About Imaginary Discrimination of Conservatives on Social Media

Posted by on August 18, 2018 at 11:34 am. 2 Comments :

Someone should make an official application to rename the Republican Party the Sniveling Victim Party. It seems that most of their time nowadays is spent griping about how terribly put upon they are by forces bent on destroying them. And no one exemplifies this spirit better than the party’s “Most Fabulous Whiner” (yes, he called himself that), Donald Trump.

Donald Trump

On Saturday morning’s regularly scheduled Twitter Tirade with Trump, the petulant president went on a tear over his insistence that social media is “discriminating against Republican/Conservative voices.” Never mind that he offered zero evidence of any such discrimination. In fact, all the evidence proves that this frequent complaint of carping rightists everywhere is utterly false. Nevertheless, Trump’s tweetstorm makes ludicrous allegations that were surely inspired by his Fox News viewing minutes before tweeting:


This is a totally baseless accusation that emanates from the deep recesses of paranoid minds. Trump is parroting the criticisms of wingnut icons like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and the irrepressible Demean & Sulk (aka Diamond & Silk).


Indeed, censorship is dangerous. Which is why it’s a feature of Trump’s White House where they have denied access to journalists and they refuse to release documents of critical importance to the public like his tax returns. Even his tiresome charges of “fake news” directed at CNN, MSNBC, and every other news outlet that isn’t sufficiently adoring, borders on censorship becaise its purpose is to deny an audience to those he disapproves of. As for Trump’s assertion that he doesn’t “ask that their sick behavior be removed,” that’s another lie:


Trump also banned a CNN reporter from an otherwise public event at the White House. Kaitlan Collins of CNN was told that she could not attend because she had the audacity to ask Trump some question earlier that day. It flies in the face of his latest comments about letting everybody participate:


This has a familiar ring to it. Trump is saying, once again, that there are “fine people” on all sides, just like he did when he defended neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville. What he is likely responding to is the recent banning of his buddy with the “amazing reputation,” Alex Jones, from Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter. To be clear, that isn’t censorship because private companies have a right to monitor the content on their own platforms. And Jones wasn’t banned for his political views, but for inciting violence.

There is a certain irony about Trump posting his complaints about discrimination on social media, on social media. But he is just extending his campaign against media in general to new platforms. And as always, they are all aligned against him. What’s more, he knows about this because he obviously pays attention, particularly to television. Contrary to assertion that he doesn’t watch much TV, he is known to spend as much as eight hours a day doing so. And while much of that is spent hate-watching CNN and MSNBC, most of it is devoted to Fox News, Trump’s shadow cabinet and national security advisors.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Hey Ivanka: Trump’s Press Sec Sarah Sanders Refused to Deny that the Press is the Enemy of the People

Posted by on August 2, 2018 at 12:53 pm. 2 Comments :

The crusade by Donald Trump and his administration to malign and endanger journalists continues in full force Thursday morning with what might otherwise have been a routine daily press briefing. What needs to be noted first, however, is that the White House press briefings are never really routine anymore, and they certainly are not daily. They held five briefings during the month of June, and only three in July.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump

During Thursday briefing, CNN’s Jim Acosta had to interrupt in order to be recognized because Trump’s censorious communications office has virtually blacklisted him. But he managed to get a question out that has particular significance to the media. Earlier in the day press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was interviewed by NPR. She was told about Ivanka Trump’s statement, in direct disagreement with her father, that she did not think that the media is “the enemy of the American people.” Sanders was asked to state her own position on the matter, but she conspicuously dodged the question with whining about how she and Trump were subject to criticism, poor things. So Acosta gave her another chance to provide a clear answer (video below):

Acosta: “I think that it would be a good thing if you were to say right here at this briefing that the press, the people that are gathered in this room right now doing their jobs every day, asking questions of officials like the ones you brought forward earlier, are not the enemy of the people. I think we deserve that.”
Sanders: I think that the President has made his position known. I also think it’s ironic … that not only you and the media attack the President for his rhetoric when they frequently lower the level of conversation in this country. Repeatedly the media resorts to personal attacks without any content other than to incite anger. The media has attacked me personally on a number of occasions.

So it’s the media that is lowering the level of conversation, not Trump’s infantile insults and boorish hostility? Sanders was merely repeating her dodge with the same laments about how she has been the victim all along. She then rattled off a series of examples of the media being mean. The problem is that none of them were examples of media behavior. She said that ICE officials were not welcome at their churches; that a comedian (Michelle Wolf) made some jokes about her; that she required Secret Service protection. The media didn’t do any of that. But regardless, she blamed the media for those inconveniences and slithered out of answering the question. So Acosta followed up:

Acosta: Sarah, if I may follow up. You did not say in the course of those remarks that you just made that the press is not the enemy of the people. Are we to take it, from what you just said – we all get put through the ringer, we all get put through the meat grinder in this town, and you’re no exception, and I’m sorry that happened to you. I wish that that had not happened. But for the sake of this room, the people who are in this room, this democracy, this country, all the people around the world are watching what you’re saying, Sarah. And the White House of the United States of America, the president of the United States should not refer to us as the enemy of the people. His own daughter acknowledges that and all I’m asking you to do, Sarah is to acknowledge that right now and right here.
Sanders: I appreciate your passion. I share it. I addressed this question. I addressed my personal feelings. I’m here to speak on behalf of the President. He’s made his comments clear.

So there you have it. She brushed off the question again, leaving the world to conclude that she repudiates Ivanka’s statement and remains aligned with Daddy’s Stalinist opposition to the First Amendment of the Constitution. What’s more, she asserts that the prior statements against the press by Trump and company were “clear” and still his policy toward journalists who are just doing their jobs. And it will remain his position until some reporter gets killed by a StormTrumper who thinks he’s carrying out the orders of Dear Leader to eliminate the enemy.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

UPDATE: Trump’ latest tweet on the subject:

So he still thinks a “large percentage” of the media is the enemy. And that includes any media that doesn’t suck up to him (i.e. Fox News). So what’s the difference?