WTF? After Lauding Lindsey Graham, Trump Rants ‘We’re Trying to Have CNN Go On a Normal Path’?

The unexpected passing of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has produced the highly expected eulogizes and criticisms that occur whenever a prominent political figure checks out. Graham was a complex character who once called Donald Trump a “jackass” and “a race-baiting bigot,” who was “unfit for office,” before becoming a devoted Trump sycophant.

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Lindsey Graham, Donald Trump

For his part, Trump wasn’t always so complimentary toward Graham either. As usual, when anyone disagrees with Trump about anything, they become his enemy. That was the case when Trump and Graham had a difference of opinion on abortion and Trump complained that “Graham should spend more time focusing on…the millions of people dying in senseless, never-ending Wars that he constantly favors and promotes.”

SEE THIS: Trump Has a Manic Meltdown Over His Sycophant Lindsey Graham Disagreeing with Him on Abortion

Now that Graham has shuffled off this mortal coil, Trump is predictably exploiting his passing for his own political benefit. During an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN, Trump expressed his desire to to reign tyrannically over the media…

Tapper: I know you don’t want to talk about any other issues out of respect for Lindsey Graham, but we would love to have you back sometime because I do have a lot of other questions for you.
Trump: Sure. We will do that. We’re trying to have CNN go on a normal path.’

TAPPER: I know you don't want to talk about any other issues out of respect for Lindsey Graham, but we would love to have you back sometime bc I do have a lot of other questionsTRUMP: Sure. We're trying to have CNN go on a normal pathT: I'm on a normal path right here, sirTRUMP: Good. You are.

Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-07-12T14:22:09.966Z

REALLY? Trump says the quiet part out loud again. His intention to “have CNN go on a normal path,” means that the network transforms into another Fox News with its pending acquisition by his billionaire pals, David and Larry Ellison. His definition of “normal” isn’t normal. And he isn’t shy about admitting his aspirations to reign over the media the way his idols in Russia and North Korea do.

However, Trump wasn’t finished “grieving” over the loss of his cult disciple. Trump had the following exchange with Tapper later In the same segment:

Tapper: The US and Iran have been engaging back in forth in strikes over the last few days and overnight. Are we back at war? And who controls the Strait of Hormuz?
Trump: Well, out of respect for Lindsey, I’m not talking about that. We hit them very hard last night. So I don’t want to talk about it. But I will say we hit them very hard last night. We had a deal with them yesterday. They were giving up everything. Then all of a sudden two hours after that they hit a ship with a drone. And I said ‘these people, there’s something wrong with them.’

Notice that Tapper asked Trump a question about Iran, a war that Lindsey Graham strongly supported and wanted to escalate. Trump says that “Out of respect for Lindsey, I’m not talking about it.” Then he just keeps talking about it anyway. So respectful. How about having some respect for the American people who oppose the war?

In addition to that, Trump also used Graham’s demise to boost his crusade for his “Save America Act,” aka the Voter Suppression Act. Trump said that…

“Where he was really becoming strong was the SAVE America Act. And I think he was gonna be there very strongly on the filibuster. He was against terminating the filibuster. And I think he was doing that because he said we have a budget coming up, and we have debt ceiling coming up. And the Democrats are deranged, and they’re not gonna be able to do it. And he was coming aboard, I think for the filibuster, terminating the filibuster.”

Notice here that Trump told Tapper that Graham “was against terminating the filibuster.” Then, 14 seconds later says that “He was coming aboard for, I think, terminating the filibuster.” Which is about as grossly exploitive of the recently departed as you can get. Trump was literally putting words into a dead man’s mouth to selfishly help himself politically.

Not to worry though. Trump just wants for CNN go on a normal path. Where normal means making everything – including the mortality of your friends and colleagues – about yourself and what you want for your own benefit. Which has been a core personality trait of Trump’s for as long as he has been in the public eye. Some things never change.

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WTF? Trump’s FCC Expected to OK Paramount’s Takeover of CNN with BILLIONS of Middle East Dollars

The state of the media business has declined precipitously during the second occupation of the White House by Donald Trump. Either they have capitulated to his threats, lied to “sanewash” his incoherent babbling, soft-pedaled his autocratic policies, or just failed to demonstrate the courage that is expected from practitioners of a free press.

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General Donald Trump on CNN

In short, the performance of much of the media amounts to simply cowardice. While there are some notable exceptions, the craven spinelessness, greed, and biases of most of the biggest media conglomerates is more than a little disturbing. And their sheepish surrender to Trump’s crybaby bullying encourages his worst totalitarian tendencies. Such as…

SEE THIS: Trump at the ‘Justice’ Department: CNN, MSNBC, and Other Media are Illegal and ‘It Has to Stop’

Trump has been carefully studying the anti-democratic tactics of his tyrannical idols Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Viktor Orbán. And the results are evident in recent interactions between the government agencies he presides over and his MAGA media pals.

For instance, Larry and David Ellison, the Trump-fluffing moguls who own Paramount Skydance, are now seeking to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. They have already gotten some preliminary approvals from Trump, his Justice Department, and his Federal Trade Commission. And now they are seeking to get a green light from the Federal Communications Commission. As reported by the Hollywood Reporter

“Paramount has asked the Federal Communications Commission to sign off on its equity investment from three prominent Middle East sovereign wealth funds that are backing the company’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.”

Paramount is making a direct appeal to Trump flunky Brendan Carr, his FCC chair, to approve the deal for the merger, including $24 billion from “Saudi Arabia’s PIF (public investment fund), L’Imad, an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, and a Qatar Investment Authority fund.” And while they say that “the sovereign funds are only acquiring non-voting equity shares,” it would still be an unprecedented arrangement wherein these foreign investors would own 49.5% of the company.

Paramount says that “the Ellison family and RedBird will…be the sole owners of Class A Common Stock, representing 100% of the voting shares.” And they think that makes things better? It actually means that these politically biased billionaire pals of Trump will be the overlords of two prominent news networks, CBS and CNN, along with all of the other assets of the combined media empire.

There are legal obstacles to foreign individuals, businesses, or governments owning U.S. media companies. The law cites national security, propaganda or political influence, and media concentration, as issues impacting approval. Under normal circumstances it would be particularly concerning for Middle Eastern entities to own such large percentages of American media.

The potential for exploiting the platforms (both news and entertainment) is obvious and worrisome. Even limited to non-voting shares, they would have significant leverage by simply threatening to sell shares, maneuvering their own competing platforms, or bailing out entirely.

Anyone who thinks that investors who own nearly half of the company wouldn’t be able to influence the company’s decisions is terminally naïve. And if those investors also happen to be tight with the U.S. administration, it just makes the potential for risk even greater.

There is literally no limit to the nefarious financial and national security mischief that they could engage in. And Trump’s Justice Department and other oversight agencies would be useless. Trump has already cleansed them of any ethical operatives. His administration, and Trump himself, would be no deterrent at all. In fact, the record shows that he would be an accomplice.

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Trump-Fluffing Media Mogul is Hosting a ‘Tribute’ Dinner for Anti-Media, Wannabe Dictator Trump

The seething animosity that Donald Trump fosters for the free press has been a defining characteristic of his warped, anti-democratic persona for as long as he has been in public life. He even published an anti-media page on the White House website. Ironically, he has also had an enduring dependency on the very same press for the constant attention he craves and that fuels his massive yet fragile ego.

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Donald Trump

In a shameless attempt to kiss the…let’s say ring…of Herr Trump, billionaire media mogul and CEO of the Paramount Skydance conglomerate (which owns CBS), David Ellison, will be hosting a dinner Friday night to pay tribute to Trump for rolling over so compliantly and approving Ellison’s bid to takeover Warner Bros. Discovery (which owns CNN). Ellison has previously “paid” tribute to Trump in the form of millions of dollars in bribes to grease the wheels of his merger bid.

SEE THIS: Paramount Caves to Trump’s Extortion, Disgraces CBS, Pays a $16M Bribe to Settle a Bogus Lawsuit

Now, on the eve of the White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual gala, Ellison is fluffing Trump and his ego once again. As reported by Variety

“David Ellison, whose Paramount Skydance is awaiting closure of its massive deal to swallow up Warner Bros. Discovery, will host an invitation-only dinner next week ‘honoring’ President Donald Trump and CBS News’ White House correspondents, Variety has confirmed.

The event will take place in Washington, D.C., on April 23, two days before the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday, April 25. The Ellison-hosted function will be held at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, which the State Department in December 2025 announced was being renamed ‘The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.'”

The optics of this tribute dinner couldn’t be more disturbing. Ellison is brazenly exhibiting his bias for Trump and his MAGA cult movement. That bias has already been evident in the reporting by CBS, where its 60 Minutes program interfered with segments that were critical of Trump. What’s more, CBS has invited Trump’s Secretary of War Crimes, Pete Hegseth, and Senior Neo-Fascist, Stephen Miller, to be their guests at the WHCA’s dinner on Saturday.

How can anyone take seriously any dedication to honest, unbiased reporting by an organization displaying this much blatant political favoritism? It is also notable that while Ellison has plenty of time to suck up to Trump with patronizing dinners, he was unable to make time to appear before a congressional hearing probing Paramount’s efforts to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, that has numerous potential anti-trust violations.

Meanwhile, Ellison’s aspirations for autocratic media dominance are not a done deal. California Attorney General Rob Bonta will be conducting a “vigorous” review of Paramount’s pending acquisition. There will be similar reviews by legal authorities in other states, as well as internationally.

So the Trump regime’s takeover of the free press will be facing significant obstacles. And in the end they will have succeeded only in severely degrading the public’s trust in the institutions that align with Trump.

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And check out my books on Amazon:

Fox Nation vs. Reality:
The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.

Thanks so much for your support.