Kim Jong-Un

Plead the 25th: Trump Disgorges an Insane Tweetstorm About an Imaginary Michael Cohen Book

Posted by on March 1, 2019 at 10:46 am. 4 Comments :

Like Clockwork. Whenever Donald Trump is the most fearful about his snowballing legal peril, he lashes out from his Twitter throne with the most deranged and groundless spasms of utter nonsense he can contrive given his obviously advanced mental infirmity. And on Friday morning he didn’t disappoint. The fury that he unleashed only affirms just how recent events have driven him to near incapacitation.

Donald Trump

Trump just returned from Vietnam where he engineered an historic failure to achieve any of the progress that he promised prior to his meeting with his girlfriend (“We fell in love”), Kim Jong Un. As Jimmy Kimmel put it, “Trump literally got more done in his summit with Kim Kardashian.” And while Trump was embarrassing America abroad, his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was dishing on him in a hearing before the House Oversight Committee. His testimony was so damaging that even the senior judicial analyst at Fox News recognized that Trump could be liable for as many as four felonies.

It’s at times like these that Trump totally freaks out and decides to go public with his delusions and make things even worse. The following tweets are some of the best arguments that Trump is suffering from senile dementia and needs to be evaluated for a possible invocation of the 25th Amendment. He starts off with this pile of blathering falsehoods:

First of all, nothing about this was either “new” or “just released.” In fact, the Daily Beast reported on a proposal for a book by Cohen last May. It was tentatively titled “Trump Revolution: From The Tower to The White House, Understanding Donald J. Trump.” But it was scrapped due to his legal problems that were beginning to spin out of control. Also, why is Trump always so obsessed with people writing him “love letters,” ala Kim Jong Un? And then Trump tweets that:

Congress cannot demand something that doesn’t exist. There was never a book published or even submitted to the publisher. So it’s impossible to figure out what Trump is referring to that is so head spinning. But it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the pitch for the book featured a vastly different characterization of Trump than the one that Cohen is presenting now. A year ago he was still shilling for the President and telling what he now concedes were lies. The difference between his statements then and now is that now he’s making them under oath. Nevertheless, Trump continues:

No – It’s clear that Trump does not see. The case for his conspiracy with Russia is stronger than ever. And there is still no evidence of any wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton, even after thousands of hours of investigations by a Republican congress. If there were, Trump’s Justice Department would have brought indictments. What’s more, the only reason Trump’s finances are being scrutinized is that there is so much evidence of criminal activity. If this is a “Witch Hunt” then it’s already found a vast coven of witches. And finally:

How does Trump know what Cohen’s book manuscript shows? Does he have a copy? Why doesn’t he just release that to the public? Perhaps because it doesn’t exist. Even the prospective publisher said that he never received a manuscript. And Trump shouldn’t be portraying others as lying “on a scale not seen before,” considering the documentation of his lies since taking office that now exceed over 8,000. As for Lanny Davis (who is not Hillary Clinton’s lawyer), why does Trump care what he has to say? He is representing Cohen and will surely take positions that advance Cohen’s interest. And he’ll probably be more effective than Trump’s legal team headed by the always entertaining Rudy Giuliani.

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

So Trump is once again displaying the signs of a man consumed by fear who has no idea how to respond to the numerous and legitimate allegations swirling around him. So he posts incoherent tirades on Twitter that are filled with lies and slander. And for some reason he thinks this will be helpful. Well, he’s kind of right. It will be very helpful to special counsel Robert Mueller and the prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.

Stuperbowl Interview: Dotard Trump Talking About ‘Intelligence’ is Downright Frightening

Posted by on February 3, 2019 at 12:33 pm. 1 Comments :

It’s Superbowl Sunday and the annual tradition of having the president give an interview to the network broadcasting the game is one of the few that Trump isn’t scrapping. Never mind that he recently told his press secretary “not to bother” with holding daily press briefings anymore. Trump agreed to sit down with Margaret Brennan of CBS News for a few minutes of lying and casting insults.

Donald Trump, Padded Cell

Among the atrocious outbursts in this interview were Trump’s remarks about what he had learned from negotiating with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. His unresponsive reply was that she “doesn’t mind human trafficking,” and that “people [are] dying all over the country because of” her. Apparently he learned nothing as he stuck to his routinely hostile behavior of slandering his perceived enemies. But his childish acting out is evidence that he learned what he feels like to get beat to a pulp by a smarter, more experienced political opponent.

Trump also made some ludicrous assertions like claiming that the report by special counsel Robert Mueller exonerated him (Mueller has not published any report). And he admitted that stories about Secretary of State Pompeo talking to Mitch McConnell about running the Senate were true just seconds after calling them “fake news.” Then he characterized the fact that much of his cabinet consists of people serving in an “acting” capacity as a good thing because it gives him more flexibility. It also gives the nation a bunch of hacks who have never been vetted or confirmed by the Senate as the law requires. And he said that his indicted pal Roger Stone never worked for his campaign except for the time that he did.

There were a great many more examples of Trump’s deranged take on a variety of subjects. But perhaps the most disconcerting were those related to national security and his relationship with his own Intelligence team. When asked if reads the reports they prepare for him, Trump said that he did. But his responses revealed that that wasn’t true. Brennan asked him what he found wrong with those reports, and Trump gave this disjointed word salad of a reply: “I think- let me just say it wasn’t so much a report. It was the questions and answers as the report was submitted and they were asked questions and answers.”

HUH? They were asked questions AND answers in this report that wasn’t a report? He went on to provide provably false information about the presence of ISIS in Syria, saying they were ninety-nine percent gone. When Brennan pointed out that Republicans in Congress had just voted to repudiate his positions on abruptly withdrawing from Syria, Trump’s answer reached back to the GOP primary in 2016, where he bragged about beating the Republicans who ran against him. That, of course, had nothing to do with the question.

Shortly thereafter Brennan asked Trump if he is “going to trust the intelligence that you receive?” He gave a qualified “yes,” adding that “if they said in fact that Iran is a wonderful kindergarten, I disagree with them 100 percent.” No one ever said anything remotely like that. And in a direct rebuke of his Intelligence team, Trump said that:

“I have intel people, but that doesn’t mean I have to agree. President Bush had intel people that said Saddam Hussein in Iraq had nuclear weapons – had all sorts of weapons of mass destruction. Guess what? Those intel people didn’t know what the hell they were doing.”

Bush’s intel people told Bush exactly what he told them to say. They didn’t get it wrong. They lied at Bush’s direction. However, Trump is correct that he doesn’t have to agree with this Intel staff. But you have to wonder what the basis is for his disagreement. If he isn’t getting advice from them, from whom is he getting it? All we know is what he said next: “When my intelligence people tell me how wonderful Iran is – if you don’t mind, I’m going to just go by my own counsel.” So far as anyone can tell, Trump’s counsel is either Vladimir Putin or Fox News – or both.

Finally, Trump also dismissed the advice of his Intel team when they told him that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is unlikely to give up his nuclear capabilities. Trump disagreed on the basis of their personal relationship:

“I like him. I get along with him great. We have a fantastic chemistry. We have had tremendous correspondence that some people have seen and can’t even believe it. They think it’s historic. And we’ll see what happens.”

Seriously? Kim is a brutal dictator who murders his foes – even family members – and oppresses his people. But Trump gleefully brags about having “fantastic chemistry” with this tyrant? And this opinion comes long after their summit wherein Kim totally played Trump and has failed to deliver on anything they discussed at the time. In fact, Kim has actually expanded his nuclear facilities and arsenal.

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

The one thing that Kim has that Trump truly envies is the blind adulation of his people. And on that Trump openly expressed his desire for the same sort of cult worship from the American people. He isn’t going to get that. At the moment he is the most unpopular president of all time. And judging from recent events like his government shutdown and the arrest and indictment of his closest associates, that isn’t going to show much improvement any time soon.

Trump Threatens Americans Who Disagree with Him in Slobbering Fox News Interview

Posted by on July 1, 2018 at 10:54 am. 3 Comments :

On Sunday morning Fox News aired another in its long-running series, “Everybody Loves Donald,” wherein the the lead character, Donald Trump, is slathered in a tsunami of wet kisses by a hopelessly infatuated State TV hostess. It was as embarrassing an episode of propaganda as has ever been broadcast on American television. And it can hardly be called an interview since there wasn’t a single question that didn’t lavish praise on the President or lambaste his critics.

Fox News, Donald Trump, Maria Bartiromo

The love interest in this story is Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, who used to be a financial reporter, but has fully transformed into a Class A Trump-fluffer. Her dialog with Trump could not have been more obsequious (look it up Donnie), as she endeavored to canonize the President and adoringly agree with every lie told. See if you can figure out why Trump loves Bartiromo so much.

During this tongue bath Trump said that “The European Union is possibly as bad as China.” And that “Everybody who bought a Harley-Davidson voted for Trump.” Really? Even the Hell’s Angels and the Mongols? He said that he believes Kim Jong Un’s promise to denuclearize North Korea, even though evidence shows he’s ramping up. When Trump says “There’s no Russia with me,” Bartiromo subserviently replies “I know.” When Trump, lying about the Democratic National Committee, says they “threw them [the FBI] out of the office,” Bartiromo dociley agrees. And she affirms Trump’s oft-repeated lie that Hillary Clinton disposed of subpoenaed emails.

But that was nothing. At one point during the love-fest, Trump and Bartiromo engaged in a conversation wherein Trump made an overt threat to any American citizen who dares to disagree with him (video below):

Bartiromo: Here we see your lovely press secretary getting asked to leave a restaurant. We see Peter Fonda, Robert De Niro having ‘Trump Syndrome.’ They’re going crazy. All of this vitriol in this country. As the commander-in-chief, as the President of this great country, what can you do to bring us together?

Oh, the poor beleaguered (and lovely) Sarah Sanders, an unabashed lie dispenser, has been the victim of naughty Hollywood actors going crazy. Bartiromo completely ignores the fact that Trump himself is the source of more vitriol than anyone currently in public life. The chat continues, but note that Trump never answers the question about how he would bring the country together. In fact, he goes the other way entirely with a not-so-subtle threat:

Trump: Well some of them do it for publicity, I hate to say it. Some of them do it for publicity. Now the Hen [It’s the Red Hen] restaurant I thought was terrible with Sarah, I thought it was terrible.
Bartiromo: It was awful.
Trump: I think some of the things that are said are terrible. And our people are so incredible. You know, there’s probably never been a base, in the history of politics in this country, a base like my base. I hope the other side realizes that they better just take it easy. They better just take it easy because some of the language used, some of the words used, even some of the radical ideas, I really think they are very bad for the country. I think they’re actually very dangerous for the country.
Bartiromo: And all the while you’re creating economic growth and you’re creating job opportunity.

Thanks, Maria, for inserting that non sequitur lie about the economy in response to Trump’s political intimidation. For Trump to imply that “the other side…better take it easy” blatantly suggests that there will be consequences if they don’t. And those consequences will be mete out by his historically unprecedented base. In fact, there are historical parallels to Trump’s base. They are often referred to as Brown Shirts, Storm Troopers, and now Republicans.

And thanks also to Donald Trump who, in response to a question about bringing people together, managed to send an undisguised message of hostility and potential violence. His battle warning to anyone who opposes him should make decent Americans cringe. But it should also make them mobilize for the upcoming election in November in order to insure a massive renunciation of Trump’s anti-American regime and his transparent aspirations for a brutal, totalitarian tyranny.

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

Trump: I Want ‘My People’ To Worship Me Like North Koreans Worship Kim Jong Un

Posted by on June 15, 2018 at 10:01 am. 6 Comments :

Donald Trump spoke briefly to reporters at the White House Friday morning and revealed something about himself that is both frightening and consistent with his past displays of tyrannical aspirations.

Donald Trump Tyrant Dictator

While engaged in his morning ritual of “Executive Time” (aka sitting on the toilet and disgorging himself via Twitter), Trump noticed the scrum of media outside and wondered aloud if he should go out and visit with the hosts of his favorite Fox News show, Fox and Friends. So, unsurprisingly, he did just that. But when he got there he managed to blurt out something that surely represents his most inner, and most despicable thoughts. Speaking enviously of Kim Jong Un’s unquestioned adulation by the oppressed people of North Korea, Trump said that:

“He speaks and his people sit up in attention. I want my people to do the same.”

And there you have it. Donald Trump is now openly lusting for the sort of obedience that only dictators can muster. It’s a thoroughly repugnant and un-American notion. He needs to be told that the citizens of America are not HIS people. They are his bosses. He works for us and is not entitled to blind devotion.

That’s especially true of a president who is under investigation for traitorous collusion with Russia for stealing an election. Also for criminal fraud with regard to his phony charity. Also for paying hush money to an adult film star who he had an affair with just months after his wife gave birth to his son. Also for breaching the emoluments clause of the Constitution by receiving money from hostile foreign agents. Also for obstruction of justice.

Americans are, in fact, sitting up and paying attention – to the criminality, dishonesty, bigotry, and ignorance of the grotesque perversion that is (temporarily) occupying the White House. He will never have the admiration of the vast majority of citizens who are justifiably ashamed that he is representing this nation. But not for much longer.

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

The 12 Most Dumbfounding Things Trump Said in His Post-Singapore Press Gathering

Posted by on June 12, 2018 at 12:23 pm. 2 Comments :

It’s the morning after Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice: Singapore Fling. And the consequences of sending an ill-informed man-child to conference with an international thug are beginning to sink in. The accomplishments that Trump predictably brags are the greatest of any human endeavor in the history of mankind are clearly a bundle of unconfirmed promises by two unreliable and notoriously dishonest leaders.

Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un

There will be an enormous amount of analysis of the event and its eventual repercussions. Fox News will hail Trump as the Second Coming and push for a Nobel Prize. Less biased news outlets will likely explore the complicated nature of international relations and the difficulties of implementing and certifying long-term agreements. So for the time being, News Corpse will simply provide a record of some of the dumbfounding (with an emphasis on the “dumb”) remarks that Trump made during a media event following the summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. So without further ado, here are. . . . .

The 12 Most Dumbfounding Things Trump Said in His Post-Singapore Press Gathering

“This is a big gathering of media, I will say. Makes me feel very uncomfortable.”
Of course it does. Any exposure to the free press threatens to reveal your innate deceit and corruption.

“Kim wants to do what’s right.”
Naturally, That’s the first inclination of all murderous tyrants.

“We signed a very, very comprehensive document and I believe he will live up to that document.”
Actually, the document specifies nothing, contains no details for implementation, and merely indicates an intention to talk more in the future. Still, your confidence in Kim’s utterly unproven sincerity is so sweet.

“We got to know each other well in a very confined period of time.”
Kind of reminds me of when George W. Bush “looked [Putin] in the eye” and got “a sense of his soul.” That worked out well.

“Chairman Kim has an opportunity like no other. To be remembered as the leader who ushered in a glorious new era.”
Which is much better than being remembered for committing human rights abuses on hundreds of thousands of your own people.

“We have 32,000 soldiers in South Korea. I would like to be able to bring them back home.”
Something tells me that the people of South Korea and Japan, as well as Americans concerned about world security, wouldn’t like that very much.

“We will stop the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money.”
And also insure that we’re unprepared in the event that North Korea doesn’t comply with their promise to work toward denuclearization. (p.s. It aint that much money and South Korea pays much of it).

“What did they do to justify this meeting? Secured commitment for complete denuclearization. That’s the big thing.”
That would be a big thing – if they had actually done it.

“Seoul has 28 million people. Think of that. It is right next to the border. It is right next to the DMZ [demilitarized zone]. It’s right there. If this would have happened — I have heard 100,000 people. I think you could have lost 20 million people or 30 million people. This is really an honor for me to do this. I think potentially you could have lost 30 million or 40 million people. The city of Seoul. It is right next to the border.”
In one short paragraph the potential loss of life went from 100,000 to 20 million to 30 million to 40 million. For a city of 28 million.

“We have a tremendous, tremendous deficit in trade. Commonly known as a trade deficit.”
Thanks for that explanation, Einstein.

“Are there recordings of [the Trump-Kim meeting]? […] I have one of the great memories of all time. I don’t have to do that.
Except that Trump couldn’t even remember saying that he has “the world’s greatest memory.”

“I may be wrong. I may stand before you in six months and say, hey, I was wrong. I don’t know I’ll ever admit that. I’ll find some excuse.”
Really? Here we have the President saying explicitly that he will lie and that he will never take responsibility for his failures. Of course, we already knew that about him, but this is the first time he’s admitted it himself, in public.

It’s hard to comprehend that the person making these statements is the sitting President of the United States. And it’s even harder to imagine the potential harm that he’s capable of doing if left to his devices. Many politicians and pundits are now calling for the country to unite behind Trump and hope for his success in these endeavors. And of course, all Americans want to see a lasting peace in the world and a reduction in the threats that nuclear arms represent.

Unfortunately, Trump provides little confidence that he’s someone who’s capable of achieving those goals. His record consists mainly of antagonizing our allies and cozying up to our enemies. And that’s when he isn’t colluding with them to steal our elections or pocketing cash from his corrupt business enterprises.

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

America’s Crybaby: Trump Responds to Trudeau Like a Petulant Wimp Who’s Incapable of Governing

Posted by on June 10, 2018 at 8:59 am. 2 Comments :

Everyday Donald Trump burdens America with more reasons to be embarrassed by his infantile behavior. This would be disturbing if he were just a real estate investor or a TV game show host. But as the President of the United States it’s downright terrifying. Trump’s emotional immaturity is a national security risk that needs to be addressed before he does some lasting harm to the nation or the world.

Donald Trump, Angela Merkel

The latest example of Trump’s ill-mannered peevishness came at the conclusion of the G7 meetings in Canada. Trump held a mini press briefing to give his summary of the conference before jetting off to Singapore for a summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. He spent much of that time whining about how the U.S., in his opinion, was treated unfairly by the world (which he blamed on his predecessors in the White House) and how dishonest the media is (always the victim). Nevertheless, Trump hailed the results overall saying that “We’ve concluded a really tremendously successful G7.” And when asked about his relationship with the other members he rated it as a “ten” on a scale of zero to ten.

That era of good feelings, however, didn’t last long. A few short hours later, Trump demonstrated that he is thoroughly unstable and untrustworthy as a national leader. His reaction to comments by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed his fatally flawed mental state and inability to grasp or deal with international relations. What rankled Trump was Trudeau’s remarks that Canada would respond in kind to Trump’s threats of tariffs on Canadian goods and services. Trudeau said that:

“It would be with regret, but it would be with absolute certainty and firmness that we that we move forward with retaliatory measures on July first applying equivalent tariffs to the ones that Americans have unjustly applied to us. I have made it very clear to the President that it is not something we relish doing, but it is something that we absolutely will do. Canadians: we’re polite, we’re reasonable, but we also will not be pushed around.”

This was not a new position on Trudeau’s part. It was exactly what he told Trump during the G7 meeting. But Trump seemed to have taken the public pronouncement in a bizarrely personal way. He almost immediately tweeted:

Trump didn’t bother to specify which statements by Trudeau he considered false. But that hardly matters, he never does. What really stands out as an erratic reaction is Trump’s decision not to sign onto the G7’s concluding communique. He appears to think that because the G7 meeting was held in Canada this year, that it is a Canadian enterprise and, by not signing, he is punishing Trudeau who he is mad at right now. In fact, he is insulting all six other members of the allied organization who the communique represents.

Also notable is that Trump liked Trudeau when he thought he was “meek and mild.” But now that Trudeau is standing up to him, Trump is throwing a tantrum and refusing to play nicely. Trump inexplicably considers Trudeau’s determination to represent the best interests of his country as “dishonest and weak.” Clearly the only problem Trump really has with Trudeau is that he is not capitulating to the wannabe dictator of America.

This spectacle of juvenile vengefulness is a bad omen for Trump’s next meeting (which he doesn’t think he needs to prepare for). Unlike Trudeau, Kim Jong Un is not an American ally. Nor can Kim be expected to be nearly as genteel and cooperative as Trudeau. Trump has already gone off half-cocked with Kim by manically scheduling, then canceling, then rescheduling this summit. And now he’s going to meet with Kim in a foul mood due to his perception of having been disrespected by Trudeau. It certainly can’t help matters with Trump going into this like a colicky infant. In fact, it will only exacerbate his notoriously ineffective negotiating skills that are further weakened by his willful ignorance. If we get through the next week without giving away Hawaii or launching any nuclear missile we should consider ourselves fortunate.

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

Trump Says He Believes in the Free Press – That He Says is ‘The Enemy of the American People’

Posted by on June 8, 2018 at 3:07 pm. 1 Comments :

On Thursday Donald Trump participated in a press avail with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Reporters asked him about how he was preparing for the (allegedly) upcoming summit meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Trump replied “I think I’m very well prepared. I don’t think I have to prepare very much. It’s about attitude.” That, besides being a frightening glimpse into Trump’s diseased mindset, is typical of his notorious aversion to learning anything or knowing what the fudge he’s talking about. A responsible leader would study vigorously for weeks prior to a meeting as important as the one with Kim.

Donald Trump

On Friday Trump took a few minutes to answer some questions on his way the G7 meeting in Canada. When reporters sought to confirm his troubling statement about preparation, Trump lied and said that he never said it. He then went on to say that his unedited remarks specified that he had been preparing his whole life for this meeting. However, he didn’t say anything of the kind. And even if he had, that would only exacerbate the idiocy of his thinking. You can’t prepare for a specific diplomatic encounter with a lifetime of greed, lust, and ego gratification. Clearly he had not been preparing for such a meeting his whole life. Trump’s life could only be considered preparation for becoming a dishonest, morally and financially bankrupt, reality TV game show host and treasonous tool of America’s enemies.

In refuting the accurate reports of his inability and contempt for preparation, Trump once again blamed the whole thing on “fake news.” Which makes what he said immediately after all the more ironic. The subject had segued to leakers in government. So Trump wanted to make sure that everyone knew about his commitment to the free press. He said that:

“I believe strongly in freedom of press. I’m a big, big believer in freedom of press. But I’m also a believer in classified information.”

The evidence of Trump’s belief in freedom of the press is somewhere between thin and nonexistent. This is the president who has repeatedly referred to the press in Stalinist terms as “the enemy of the American people.” And his insistence on adding the prefix “fake” whenever he refers to the news is a deliberate attempt to discredit all of the media, as well as the Constitution that protects it. His all too obvious purpose is to lay a foundation of distrust so that he can dismiss any reporting that is critical of him. He has literally called for the jailing of reporters and for prohibiting media sources he doesn’t like from covering him. That’s his idea of a strong belief in freedom of the press.

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

Trump is going to cut his G7 visit short because he’s too scared of spending time with the American allies he’s alienated. And since his pal Vladimir Putin won’t be there, it couldn’t be much fun for him. Trump said that Russia should be readmitted to the G7. But why would that be necessary since he is there to do whatever Putin would want? Then he’s off to hang out with Kim in Singapore, where his life of preparation will likely result in him giving Hawaii to North Korea. And if he gets his way, there will be no media there (except for Fox News) to report it.

Giuliani Accidentally Confirms that Trump is a Weakling Who Caved In to Kim Jong Un

Posted by on June 6, 2018 at 11:57 am. 1 Comments :

For several weeks there has been a tug of war (literally) between North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Moscow’s Donald Trump. The President has demonstrated severe inconsistency on the subject of whether he would meet with Kim. The announcements and reversals have been head-spinning. But they have also been embarrassing and detrimental to the foreign policies of the United States.

Rudy Giuliani

Naturally, Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s TV lawyer – and apparently new State Department spokesman – emerged from beneath the rock he calls home to confuse matters even more. You might think that Giuliani’s time would be consumed with efforts to prevent the President from being impeached and/or imprisoned. But Rudy has other priorities to focus on. Like the PR surrounding Trump’s still unrealized sit-down with Kim. Remember, Giuliani considered himself a candidate to be Trump’s Secretary of State, even if Trump didn’t.

So now Giuliani is weighing in on the subject of the Trump/Kim affair with a comment that puts Trump in a distinctly unflattering light. Which is something that Giuliani has shown a remarkable aptitude for. In response to inquiries regarding the on-again, off-again talks, he told reporters that:

“Kim Jong Un got back on his hands and knees and begged for it, which is exactly the position you want to put him in.”

Really? Never mind that there is absolutely zero evidence that this account is true. And forget that he was nowhere near the negotiations where one might have had access to this information. This is a meaningless remark that is the sort of worshipful praise espoused by the cult followers of Trump. Giuliani’s intended message is that Trump is a strong leader who has Kim in the palm of his tiny hands.

The only problem with that is that Giuliani’s glassy-eyed praise actually has the exact opposite meaning of his intent. What he’s saying is that Kim wanted this meeting very badly and that Trump didn’t have the guts to say no, or to insist on preconditions that advanced U.S. foreign policy goals. In other words, if Giuliani is correct, then Trump caved merely because Kim asked him to. That’s weakness writ large.

The whole question of whether Trump should meet with Kim has been about Trump’s political impotence from the beginning. For decades North Korean leaders have tried to get the United States to recognize their nation and grant them the legitimacy of diplomatic parity. They have tried to coax prior presidents to the table with the same sort of chain rattling that they did for Trump. The difference is that every previous American leader was strong enough to say no. Trump folded.

As a result, North Korea is getting the only thing they wanted all along: recognition and legitimacy, as well as the elimination of sanctions and a reduction in foreign troop presence. These are all things that Trump is willing to negotiate away without any preconditions on the part of North Korea. And much of the media is missing that fact that this has not been a story of Trump getting Kim to come to the table. It’s about how Kim got Trump to the table without so much as a promise to stop calling him a dotard.

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

When Trump first said that he would meet with Kim it was as a result of his misunderstanding of an offhand remark by a North Korean diplomat. Republicans went wild with praise for Trump and some nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize. When the meeting was called off, the same Republicans insisted that Trump showed courage for backing out. When the meeting was rescheduled, the same Republicans now say the President is a brilliant tactician. What will they say if the meeting is canceled again? It seems that he can do no wrong. In their eyes he is right to meet or not meet or just call in to Fox and Friends with recipes for lasagna or to divulge state secrets.

Crybaby Trump Throws Tantrum, Cancels Summit with North Korea Because His Feelings Got Hurt

Posted by on May 24, 2018 at 11:42 am. 5 Comments :

It’s official: The President of the United States has the emotional maturity of a four year old. Donald Trump’s infantile, punitive and reckless behavior has long been a source of unnecessary risk to the nation. And on Thursday morning he demonstrated one of the reasons why he cannot be trusted to lead a marching band, much less a country.

Donald Trump

The background: Vice-President Mike Pence was interviewed on Fox News by Martha MacCallum on Monday. During that softball suck-up Pence managed to start an international incident. He told MacCallum that the U.S. could end up pursuing the “Libya model” in North Korea. By which he was inferring, deliberately or otherwise, that if Kim Jong Un gave up his nuclear weapons program he might still be assassinated like Muammar Gaddafi. Choe Son Hui, a vice minister in North Korea’s foreign ministry, responded by calling Pence a “political dummy” and, elaborating, said that:

“As a person involved in the U.S. affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice president.”

The most peculiar part of that statement is that Choe was surprised by Pence’s ignorance and stupidity. A seasoned diplomat ought to have been aware that this is the standard state of affairs in the Trump administration. Nevertheless, this exchange resulted in Trump throwing another of his juvenile tantrums and taking the extraordinary step of canceling his much anticipated summit with Kim.

This was the summit meeting that Trump has been bragging about for weeks. He considered it a monumental achievement that his predecessors were incapable of pulling off. In reality, every previous American president knew that North Korea was trying to manipulate the U.S. into granting them recognition and legitimacy they did not deserve. While past presidents were strong enough to avoid that trap, Trump caved.

It was also the summit meeting that Trump’s sycophants in Congress and the media praised as so historically profound that Trump should be given the Nobel Peace Prize. Members of the Republican Freedom Caucus in the House officially sent a letter to the Nobel nominating committee seeking to place Trump’s name into consideration. Under the circumstances, they must be pretty embarrassed now.

But even more embarrassing is Trump’s letter Kim Jong Un. He began by expressing his appreciation for Kim’s cooperation in setting up the June 12, meeting in Singapore. And as an attempt to imply that it was North Korea’s weakness that initiated the discussions, Trump added “We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant.” If it was totally irrelevant then why did he mention it this letter? To normal, non-narcissists the measure of something’s irrelevance is that it doesn’t get mentioned. But that wasn’t even the worst part of Trump’s painfully self-serving letter. He also wrote that:

“Based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.”

Trump failed to note that it was the “anger and open hostility” of Pence that generated the response from North Korea. But more to the point, Trump is virtually admitting that he is retaliating out of spite by saying that this cancellation would come at “the detriment of the world.” No responsible leader would take such an action if he believed that the whole world would suffer. He would set aside his personal animus for the sake of the greater good. The intelligent, diplomatic response would be to take up whatever differences he had when the two leaders met. But that would require Trump to have some intelligence and diplomacy.

Additionally, Trump’s letter escalated the tensions between the U.S. and North Korea with a thinly veiled threat of war:

“You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.”

And this is the man that Republicans (and Trump himself) think is worthy of consideration for a Nobel Peace Prize? Trump later spoke at the White to explain his his decision to cancel the meeting. In that address he provided no new details or rational justification for his decision. However he did add a bizarre comment asserting that South Korea and Japan…

“…are willing to shoulder much of the costs of any financial burden – any of the costs associated – by the United States in operations if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us.”

Really? Will that come before or after Mexico pays for his idiotic border wall? These are precisely the sort of comments and actions that should prevent North Korea (or any other country) from being surprised by Trump’s ignorance and stupidity. He is an egocentric imbecile who puts his own interests before those of the country, or even the world. Hopefully the foreign diplomats who have to deal with this nonsense are prepared to be bigger than Trump and act accordingly. Otherwise we are all in big trouble.

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

Fox News Host Sympathizes With Poor Kim Jong Un Having To ‘Murder His People All Day Long’

Posted by on May 23, 2018 at 11:24 am. 1 Comments :

The spectacle of a major cable “news” network flagrantly acting as the PR agent for the President of the United States is a frightening sign of America’s drift to totalitarianism. But that’s what has been happening for the past year as State TV (aka Fox News) has shamelessly shilled for Donald Trump 24/7. You know it’s bad when Bret Baier, the principle news anchor on Fox, concedes that the network’s hosts cause problems for him by acting as mouthpieces for Donald Trump.

Fox News, Pete Hegseth

This embarrassing display of sycophancy, however, took a sharp turn into the absurd on Wednesday morning during an episode of Trump’s favorite TV show, Fox and Friends. The “Curvy Couch” potatoes were engaged in their customary Trump-fluffing when co-host Pete Hegseth replied to a question about why North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, would agree to meet with Trump. His first response was that Kim “wants a picture with the American president.” And if you think that was about as idiotic as this program can get, you aren’t giving them enough credit. Hegseth continued to speculate as to Kim’s innermost thoughts (video below):

“The guy who wants to meet with Dennis Rodman and loves NBA basketball and loves western pop culture, probably doesn’t love being the guy that has to murder his people all day long. Probably wants some normalization.”

So there you have it. Kim is just a misunderstood pop culture fan who revers human rights but has been forced into being a homicidal madman by circumstances out side of his control. We’ve all been there. Kim really doesn’t enjoy being a murderous dictator and he’s just been waiting for someone like Donald Trump to come along and free him from this nightmare. Leave it to Fox and Friends to figure this out while the rest of the “fake News” is distracted by Trump’s treasonous criminality and the failures and corruption of his administration.

For the record, Hegseth is close to the President, who reportedly calls him during White House meetings to get his opinion. Trump even considered appointing him to lead the Veterans Administration, a job for which Hegseth has zero experience. However, he and Trump share a fondness for sexual misconduct over which they would surely bond.

Believe it or not, it’s possible to be a partisanly biased news network without justifying oppressive tyrants. But Fox News is so bent over backwards for Trump that they will actually soft-pedal assassinations of political opponents (see Vladimir Putin). Their determination to find something positive for Trump, no matter how repulsive the situation, is the undisputed priority for these fawning bootlickers. It’s how they can forgive Trump for his innumerable affairs and sexual harassment and abuse. It’s why they are comfortable with his pathological lying. And it’s their way of sustaining their adoration of a vulgar ignoramus who seeks his own authoritarian kingdom over which he can rule.

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