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Wannabe Dictator Trump Promises to Prosecute the ‘Country Threatening Treason’ of the Media

Posted by on September 25, 2023 at 1:47 pm. 4 Comments :

Donald Trump’s campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination for president has focused almost entirely on his personal vendetta against Democrats in general, President Biden in particular, and the media that he repeatedly maligns in Stalinist terms as “the enemy of the people.” He has replaced his “MAGA” mantra with “I am your retribution.”

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Donald Trump Tyrant Dictator

Ever since he lost the election in 2020, Trump has been obsessed with trying to persuade people that the election was “rigged and stolen.” He has had no success with that “Big Lie” propaganda outside of the tiny confines of his glassy-eyed cult following. But that hasn’t stopped him from dispensing his perverse and paranoid perception of a world in which he is a victim bearing the cross of an imaginary cabal of persecutors.

RELATED: Trump is Flush With Fear Over His Dreadful Future and the Deluge of Justice That’s Coming

On Sunday Trump posted a flurry of bizarre ravings on his failing social media scam, Truth Social, that are striking confirmations of his declining mental state. They all made ample use of the caps lock key that Trump abuses to accentuate his mood disorders. But the most disturbing post was an extended tirade wherein he accused the media of treason and pledged to punish them for daring to commit journalism.

“They are almost all dishonest and corrupt, but Comcast, with its one-side and vicious coverage by NBC NEWS, and in particular MSNBC, often and correctly referred to as MSDNC (Democrat National Committee!), should be investigated for its ‘Country Threatening Treason.’ Their endless coverage of the now fully debunked SCAM known as Russia, Russia, Russia, and much else, is one big Campaign Contribution to the Radical Left Democrat Party. I say up front, openly, and proudly, that when I WIN the Presidency of the United States, they and others of the LameStream Media will be thoroughly scrutinized for their knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage of people, things, and events. Why should NBC, or any other of the corrupt & dishonest media companies, be entitled to use the very valuable Airwaves of the USA, FREE? They are a true threat to Democracy and are, in fact, THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! The Fake News Media should pay a big price for what they have done to our once great Country!”

In Trump’s demented mind, NBC’s reporting constitutes “treason” and is a “threat to Democracy.” And if he is reelected he will see to it that they, and the rest of the media, “pay a big price.” That sort of talk is not new for Trump. He is a virulent opponent of the press and will shut them all down if given the opportunity. He says so explicitly with his promise to “investigate” his media critics and even remove them from the airwaves should they fail to comply. Except for those who cater to his dreams of tyranny. That’s what aspiring authoritarians do.

The only example of any wrongdoing by the press that Trump mentions is what he calls the “fully debunked SCAM known as Russia, Russia, Russia.” For the record, Trump’s unsavory relationships with Russia have not only never been debunked, they have been verified and documented by the courts, by the Mueller Report, and even by the Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee Report.

MORE HERE: GEEZ! Trump is STILL Obsessed With the ‘Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax’ that is NOT a Hoax

What appears to have triggered this Trump tantrum is the fallout from his recent appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He was interviewed by Kristen Welker who actually let him get away with several glaring whoppers about everything from abortion to the January 6th insurrection that he incited. However, he also managed to sabotage himself with his reckless chatter that conceded his responsibility for illegal efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

SEE ALSO: Trump Bombs on Meet the Press, Behaving Like a Petulant Toddler Who Couldn’t Stop Lying

In addition to undermining the Constitution and the First Amendment, Trump posted a comment that ordered his GOP confederates in Congress to push for a costly and harmful government shutdown, saying “UNLESS YOU GET EVERYTHING, SHUT IT DOWN!” He also demanded that “Senate Democrats should all resign” due to the indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez. If that’s the criteria that he’s resting his case on, then all Republicans should resign nationwide due to Trump’s four criminal indictments on 91 felony charges.

With each new day Trump seems to validate the worst characteristics of his malignant narcissistic psychosis. His totalitarian tendencies become more prominent. And his disregard for the Constitution and the welfare of the nation grows deeper and more darkly ominous. And what’s worse is that there appears to be no bottom to his deplorable and dystopian dreams.

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Trump Bombs on Meet the Press, Behaving Like a Petulant Toddler Who Couldn’t Stop Lying

Posted by on September 17, 2023 at 3:00 pm. 3 Comments :

In what will come as a surprise to virtually nobody with a functioning brain, Donald Trump humiliated himself in another interview wherein he tried desperately to defend his twisted perceptions of a world that only a severely malignant narcissist could manufacture.

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Donald Trump

On Sunday morning Trump’s interview with Kristen Welker of Meet the Press aired. It was an abbreviated version of the full encounter that was rife with lies, paranoia, and wholly undue self-exaltation. Trump behaved throughout like an obstinate child who didn’t get his way. He couldn’t answer a single question without diverting – over and over again – to tangential matters. He incessantly repeated his delusional distortions of reality as if in a broken loop. Welker had to keep dragging him back to the subject of her question as if he were a mental patient who refused to pay attention.

SEE ALSO: Wannabe Messiah Trump Claims to Be Standing Up to the ‘Demonic Forces’ Destroying Our Country

The failure of Trump to coherently express himself was not a result Welker’s masterful interviewing skills, She struggled to keep him track, missed opportunities to correct his blatant dishonesty, and showed him a measure of respect that is entirely inappropriate for a disgraced former leader who is under multiple criminal indictments on dozens of felony charges.

Nevertheless, Welker’s shortcomings didn’t prevent the real deficiencies of Trump from coming through. Anyone who has the time to waste should scan through the transcript to see how pitifully bereft Trump is of intelligence and integrity. He misrepresented the truth on every issue that was discussed. And NBC News only bothered to fact-check him in a separate article that was published only online. A few examples include…

On Immigration:
Trump: I saw some statistics and it said in 2019, there were no terrorists. They caught no terrorists. And now this year, it’s a record number like they’ve never seen before.
Fact: 216 people on the terrorist watchlist were apprehended this year. There were 280 in 2019 during the Trump administration.

On Pardoning January 6th Insurrectionists:
Trump: These people on Jan. 6. Some of them never even went into the building, and they’re being given sentences of many years.
Fact: Those who received the longest sentences were leaders of the insurrection, including Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes. And others who didn’t enter the Capitol had committed assaults on police officers outside.

On Election Fraud:
Trump: If this were ever before a court, we would win so easy. There is so much evidence that the election was rigged.
Fact: There were over 60 court cases that Trump and his allies lost for lack of evidence. And he hasn’t bothered to produced any in three years.

On Abortion:
Trump: The radical people on [abortion] are really the Democrat that say after five months, six months, seven months, eight months, nine months, and even after birth, you are allowed to terminate the baby.
Fact: No Democrats have ever advocated for abortion after birth. And late term abortions are extremely rare and only performed under dire circumstances.

On Ukraine:
Trump: They don’t report about the war [in Ukraine] anymore. You don’t find much reporting. That means that Ukraine’s losing. Okay?
Fact: HUH? Trump must only be watching Newsmax and reruns of The Apprentice.

One especially disturbing part of the interview was when Trump went on an extended rant about election fraud, alleging falsely that tens of thousands of ballots were stuffed into ballot boxes. Welker repeatedly told him that that wasn’t true and that those assertions – including the bogus “2,000 Mules” crocumentary – were all thoroughly debunked. But Trump was determined to persist with his lies even after Welker tried to move on to another subject ten times.

SEE THIS: Trump Hypes Convicted Election Fraud Felon’s Crocumentary About Election Fraud

Another feature of the interview was Trump’s uncharacteristic reticence when discussing the January 6th insurrection that he incited. He made a few preposterous assertions such as his attempt to blame it all on former Speaker Pelosi. He told Welker that “They (the January 6th Committee) destroyed all the evidence about Nancy Pelosi.” That, of course, is a provable lie. But on several occasions he simply refused to answer direct questions…

Welker: Tell me how you watched this all unfold. Were you in the dining room watching TV?
Trump: I’m not going to tell you. I’ll tell people later at an appropriate time.

Welker: I want to know who you called on that day.
Trump: I don’t have — why would I tell you that?

Welker: Did you call military or law enforcement at the moment the Capitol was under attack?
Trump: I’m not going to tell you anything.

However, later in the interview, Trump may have said too much. Welker asked him about his personal responsibility and decision making with regard to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. And while he frequently tries to shift any wrongdoing to others, on this occasion he seemed to confess, placing the blame on himself, where it actually belongs. Welker inquired as to who Trump took advice from on the matter. He replied…

Trump: You know who I listen to? Myself. I saw what happened. I watched that election, and I thought the election was over at 10 o’clock in the evening. […] I was listening to different people. And when I added it all up, the election was rigged. [NOTE: at 10:00pm ET polls weren’t even closed in the western U.S. Also, mail-in and military ballots in many states are not counted until after the in-person votes]
Welker: Were you calling the shots, ultimately?
Trump: As to whether or not I believed it was rigged? Oh, sure. It was my decision.

To top things off, Trump made a pitch for his reelection next year saying saying that “In six months to a year, many of the problems, almost all of the problems that you and I have just spoken about, will be solved.” Which makes you wonder, if it’s so easy, why he didn’t solve all of these problems in the four years he already had? And why would any sane person believe that he can solve them now?

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Rittenhouse Judge Schroeder Bans MSNBC from Courtroom in Violation of the First Amendment

Posted by on November 18, 2021 at 3:40 pm. 1 Comments :

The trial of teen vigilante Kyle Rittenhouse has produced some bizarre and legally questionable moments. Many of those moments relate directly to the behavior of Judge Bruce Schroeder whose rulings have overwhelming favored the defense and been openly hostile to the prosecution.

Kyle Rittenhouse, Judge Bruce Schroeder

On Thursday this tendency of Schroeder to put his right-wing prejudices on display crossed another line of propriety for a jurist. Responding to a report that a reporter allegedly working for MSNBC News was following a bus that was transporting the jurors, Schroeder interrupted the proceedings to make this alarming declaration:

“I have instructed that no one from MSNBC news will be permitted in this building for the duration of this trial. This is a very serious matter and I don’t know what the ultimate truth of it is, but absolutely it would go without much thinking that someone who is following a jury bus, that is an extremely serious matter will be referred to the proper authorities for further action.”

This is indeed a “very serious matter,” but not for the reasons that Schroeder suggests. There are several problems with how the Judge reacted to this report. First of all, in his statement he admits that he “I don’t know what the ultimate truth of it is.” But he issues his prohibition against MSNBC News anyway. What if the truth is that the reporter was not from MSNBC? What if there was nothing untoward taking place? Then Schroeder punished the network despite it having done nothing to warrant it. That is the definition of government censorship and violates the First Amendment of the Constitution.

What’s more, Schroeder may have gotten the network wrong. Reports variously describe the reporter as having been associated with MSNBC or NBC, two different networks. So it’s pretty sloppy of the Judge to impose such severe penalties when he doesn’t even know who the suspected offender is affiliated with. In addition to that, it is ridiculous to ban MSNBC from the courtroom when reporters from NBC, who were not covered by the order, are still permitted to cover the trial. They can then appear on MSNBC to give their account of the proceedings.

Finally, Schroeder took the extreme measure of banning the entire MSNBC network, rather than just the alleged offender. At best he could have argued that the reporter who was involved should have his courtroom privileges suspended, not for the duration of the trial, but until the facts were ascertained. But Schroeder didn’t take that rational step. Instead he punished everyone at MSNBC, despite the fact that none of them had done anything wrong. It also needs to be remembered that the reporter in question wasn’t found to have done anything wrong either. NBC News released a statement saying that…

“Last night, a freelancer received a traffic citation. While the traffic violation took place near the jury van, the freelancer never contacted or intended to contact the jurors during deliberations, and never photographed or intended to photograph them”

Rittenhouse’s defense attorney has already filed a motion for a mistrial, which Schroeder has yet to rule on. But if anyone is entitled to a mistrial, it’s the prosecution. And Schroeder should be cited for judicial misconduct. He has shown bias throughout this trial. And his disrespect for the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of the press makes his malfeasance on the bench all the more reprehensible.

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How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
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Fox News and the GOP are Obsessively Attacking Kamala Harris for Doing Her Job

Posted by on June 8, 2021 at 5:21 pm. 1 Comments :

You really have to feel sorry for Fox News these days. They are having a terribly difficult time fabricating any phony “scandals” about President Biden. They try pathetically to peddle nonsense like whether or not he wears a face mask, or blaming him for a sauce shortage at Chick-fil-A, or mocking the romance in his marriage. But they just can’t seem to shake his broad-based popularity.

Fox News, Kamala Harris

Consequently, Fox has lashed out at Vice-President Kamala Harris as a surrogate for Biden. But they haven’t had any better luck as their petulant attacks consisted mainly of petty and fake contrivances like the time she allegedly disrespected Memorial Day, or the time she supposedly caused an international incident, or the time she allegedly profited off of selling her books to migrant children. None of those contained a shred of truth (something Fox couldn’t care less about).

On Tuesday Fox News latched unto something they surely thought would bring down the Biden/Harris administration. While in Guatemala, Harris was interviewed by Lester Holt of NBC News. The segment contained the following exchange:

Holt: Do you have any plans to visit the border?
Harris: At some point we are going to the border. We’ve been to the border.
Holt: YOU haven’t been to the border.
Harris: And I haven’t been to Europe. I don’t understand the point that you’re making. I’m not discounting the importance of the border.
Holt: I mention this because I know that Republicans have certainly come at you on this.

OMG! Harris had the audacity to point out that her assignment has nothing to do with the physical border or staging meaningless photo-ops. She is in Central America to have discussions with the leaders there – political and civil – about the root causes of migration from that region to the United States. And by articulating that, Fox News insinuates that she is failing to resolve what they call a border “crisis.” Which, once again, was not her job. And neither is responding to what Republicans are coming at her with.

Tuesday morning Fox News published an article on their website aimed at disparaging Harris. The starkly negative hit piece consisted almost entirely of tweets by Republicans and conservative pundits commenting on the interview. There were twenty-one of them in all (21!), by the likes of Ted Cruz, Katie Pavlich (Fox News), Steve Scalise, Tom Cotton, Kevin McCarthy, Meghan McCain, and Mark Meadows.

There wasn’t a single supportive tweet by a democrat, nor any quotes or comments that Fox could have used to pretend the article was fair and balanced. Although, the second to last paragraph in the article contained a bit commentary:

“Harris visited Guatemala and Mexico Monday to address concerns over illegal immigration, holding her first press conference addressing the border since taking over management of the crisis 75 days prior.”

Fox News has been posting daily the number of days since Harris held a press conference. It’s been a fetish that they’ve been unable to control. So it’s interesting that when Harris did hold a press conference on Monday, Fox News didn’t bother to cover it. The same thing happened on Tuesday when Harris held another press conference and Fox chose not to air that one either.

The tweet-filled article on the Harris interview was reminiscent of another article published a few days earlier when Harris passed out cookies with her likeness on them to the press during the flight to Guatemala. In that piece there were nine tweets castigating Harris for her sugary generosity. They accused her of being a narcissist and wasting taxpayer dollars on an egocentric stunt. Naturally, the truth was far removed from Fox’s whining. The cookies were actually a gift to Harris from a black-owned bakery in Washington. They cost taxpayers nothing. She was thoughtfully sharing them with the reporters on the plane.

These pitiful examples of deceitful and hostile bias are what Fox News considers to be journalism. But all it proves is that Fox is not only incompetent at reporting, they are also embarrassingly bad at malicious fiction. You might think that after all the years of practice they would be better at it.

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How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
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Trump’s Nightmare: Biden Takes the Ratings Crown in Dueling Town Halls

Posted by on October 16, 2020 at 10:14 am. 3 Comments :

Friday is going to be another Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day for Donald Trump, whose days of late are mostly filled with disappointment, bitterness, anger, jealousy, and fear. With every new poll Trump is falling farther behind Joe Biden, both nationally and in the critical battleground states. Even his favorite pollster, the rabidly biased, right-wing Rasmussen, has Trump facing near certain defeat.

Donald Trump, Joe Biden

After chickening out of the second presidential debate, Trump plotted with NBC to schedule a town hall that would directly compete with the one previously scheduled with Joe Biden on ABC. There was a lot wrong with that decision on NBC’s part, and their poor judgement is not validated by this good news in the aftermath of both town halls (via Variety):

“Biden drew 12.7 million total viewers on the Disney-owned network, while Trump drew 10.4 million in the same 9-10 p.m. time slot on NBC. Across the entire runtime, the Biden town hall averaged 12.3 million viewers. In terms of the fast national 18-49 demographic, Biden is comfortably on top with a 2.6 rating to Trump’s 1.7.” [See updated numbers below]

Biden’s audience exceeded Trump’s by more than two million – 20%. [Note: these are preliminary ratings that will be updated later in the day]. That’s a significant victory that parallels Biden’s lead in both polling and fundraising. Biden pulled in a record $383 million in September, compared to Trump’s haul of only $247.8 million. But best of all, ratings are what Trump cares about more than anything else, and he has utterly failed in that arena. This will surely drive the Narcissist-In-Chief CRAZY(er).

[UPDATE: The total is now in for Trump’s town hall, including MSNBC and CNBC. The three networks combined drew 13.1 million viewers. So Biden’s town hall on ABC, whose final numbers are 14.1 million, still beat Trump by a million viewers]

There were additional differences between the the Trump and Biden town halls that are more substantive than ratings. While Biden made a couple of mistakes, Trump lied frequently in his town hall. He was also challenged – and failed – on issues like…

  • Refusing to renounce the QAnon domestic terrorists
  • Deliberate distortions of data concerning the coronavirus
  • His inability to recall whether he had taken a COVID-19 test prior to the first debate
  • His miniscule tax payments and to whom he owes more than $400 million
  • Disseminating conspiracy theories such as one about Biden killing SEAL Team 6

On that last matter Trump attempted to excuse himself by saying that “it was a retweet,” as if that makes any difference. It’s still Trump passing along a preposterous and dangerous lie. NBC’s moderator, Savannah Guthrie, called him out saying that “You’re not like someone’s crazy uncle that can just retweet whatever.”

All told, the night was a huge defeat for Trump. He embarrassed himself in his own town hall. He likely alienated even more voters. And worst of all, he was beaten up in the ratings by someone he says is a mentally deficient socialist. If Trump can’t even win against that sort of an opponent, what does that make him?

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

NBC Joins Trump PR Team By Staging Town Hall Opposite Biden

Posted by on October 14, 2020 at 12:06 pm. 4 Comments :

Two weeks ago Donald Trump and Joe Biden faced off in their first presidential debate. However, Trump managed to succeed only in thoroughly embarrassing himself by repeatedly interrupting with incoherent and hostile remarks. So it came as no surprise that Trump subsequently chickened out of the second debate when the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) announced that it would be held remotely in the interest of health and safety.

Donald Trump TV Set

Trump undoubtedly noticed that every post-debate poll showed him falling even farther behind Biden after the first debate, including the one by his favorite pollster, Rasmussen. So Trump jumped at the chance to use the CPD’s remote format as an excuse to bail out.

Shortly after Trump’s cowardice forced the cancelation of the second debate, Biden quickly accepted an offer by ABC News to have a town hall at the time the debate was originally scheduled. That has been promoted extensively and will air Thursday. Unfortunately, Biden is not being given the courtesy of speaking to the American people without Trump once again interrupting, this time with the help of NBC.

NBC has announced that they will be hosting a town hall at the same time and date as ABC’s Biden program. NBC had plenty of time to find another time slot, but appears to have made a deliberate decision to compete directly with Biden’s broadcast. This is a dreadful disservice to viewers and the American people as it forces them to choose between the two programs, rather being able to see both in order to make an informed judgment.

There are only two possible explanations for NBC’s abhorrent programming decision. They are either acting out of pure greed and self interest, or they have joined the Trump campaign’s PR team and are acting on their behalf. Or, of course, a combination of both. Either way, it exposes their utter disregard for the fair conduct of the election, the welfare of the nation, and the best interests of voters.

It’s worse than just the obvious gift that NBC is presenting to Trump as he uses them for his nefarious purposes. They are actually rewarding Trump for being a wimp and fearfully fleeing the Commission’s debate. NBC couldn’t be advancing Trump’s campaign objectives any better if they were on his payroll. And this should make people wonder if they are.

Every television news enterprise that uses public airwaves has a legal obligation to serve the public interest. NBC is affirmatively harming the public interest in order to boost Trump along with their bottom line. The American people should be appalled by this partisan counterprogramming. There are reports that even insiders at the network are angry and ashamed by their employer. As any journalist with an ounce of integrity should be.

The result will likely be that more television viewers will tune in to the Trump Hour of Lies and miss the more substantive discussion with Biden. That’s not because they support Trump, but because it holds the promise of a melodramatic meltdown that is the meat and potatoes of TV entertainment. It’s why people watch police car chases. It’s why more people watch the Kardashians than C-SPAN! And this is happening at a time when even Fox News has shown some restraint in declining to air Trump’s rallies live and uninterrupted as has been their practice in the past. Brian Stelter of CNN reports that…

“The president held a campaign rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania Tuesday night, but Fox News only showed small portions of it. Fox took the same approach on Monday. So, for the second night in a row, Trump urged his Twitter followers to watch on OANN, Newsmax or C-SPAN – which indicates that he is aware of Fox’s snub.”

And now Trump can point his glassy-eyed cult disciples to NBC as well. NBC is taking it’s place alongside the ultra-rightist conspiracy crackpots of OANN and Newsmax. Is that really the company they want to keep? It’s despicable, unethical, and contrary to the principles of professional journalism.

The American people should loudly object to this media manipulation. And those of us who are offended by this programming stunt should boycott the Trump show on NBC Thursday and get their friends and families, and even strangers online, to join the boycott of NBC’s cynical, self-serving assault on journalistic integrity. Trump must not be rewarded for his cowardice. And NBC must not be rewarded for their partisanship and greed.

UPDATE: Rachel Maddow brought up this subject during an interview with Kamala Harris and indicated that a lot of people were mad.

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

Trump ‘Loves’ Him Some Whiffleball Questions From Radical Right-Wing ‘Reporter’

Posted by on March 21, 2020 at 2:17 pm. 5 Comments :

Another day, another White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing. These daily events serve no purpose other than to provide Trump with a forum to repeat his lies and disinform the public. And there is no plausible reason for him to be there except to satisfy his craving for ego-strokes now that he can no longer hold his traveling cult rallies.

Donald Trump

Saturday’s briefing was just a rehash of previous episodes where Trump leads a chorus of hallelujahs by sycophants paying tribute to his heroic awesomeness. In the course of his remarks Trump describes every alleged achievement as a never before seen breakthrough in human endeavors. Suffice to say that none of his barely coherent ramblings provide useful, factual information. The entirety of his presentation is an exercise in glassy-eyed happy-talk that painstakingly avoids the unsettling realities that the American people know all too well. After listening to Trump one might think that there was no pandemic crisis going on at all. Everything is fine and getting better.

In order to promulgate that deceit, Trump made a point of calling on Jenn Pellegrino, a “reporter” from the far-right, conspiracy factory, One America News Network (OANN). Her question, and Trump’s response, did nothing to advance the public’s well-being. physically or mentally. But it give Trump another opportunity to attack his perennial foes in the media (video below):

Pellegrino: This morning the Washington Post ran a story suggesting that you delayed taking action on the virus in January and February. Dr. Fauci has indicated that your action in the Chinese travel ban helped America immensely. What do you say to the Washington Post?
Trump: I love whoever you’re with. Cuz I think that’s such a nice question. I think the Washington Post covers us very inaccurately, covers me very inaccurately. I saw the story. I think it’s a disgrace. But it’s the Washington Post and I guess we have to live with it.

The story that they are obliquely referencing is one wherein the Post revealed that U.S. intelligence had warned him as early as January about the coronavirus and it’s potential risks, but that he disregarded the warnings. The Post reported that even though Trump’s advisers told him that “the system was blinking red […] they just couldn’t get him to do anything about it.”

So without putting the question into context, Trump complimented the Trump-fluffing reporter and her flagrantly biased network. Then went on to insult the Post without ever citing anything in their story that was inaccurate. Trump later noted that China had ejected the Post from the country, which he seems to think bolsters his position. Is that because he thinks China is so well regarded as a beacon of press freedom? And let’s not forget that Trump ejected the Post from the White House and other government offices.

Trump’s response to this question is especially notable considering how different it was from his response to a question he received the day before. Peter Alexander of NBC asked Trump “What do you say to Americans who are watching right now who are scared?” Whereupon, Trump jumped on him like a rabid jackal, calling Alexander a “terrible reporter” and the question “nasty.” But Pellegrino’s question asking “What do you say to the Washington Post,” drew Trump’s “love” for “such a nice question.”

The lesson here is that reporters are safer asking Trump what he has to say to news organizations that everyone knows he hates, than they are asking what he has to say to the American people. That’s because he cares more about attacking those who dare to tell the truth about him, than he does about the citizens of this country, a majority of whom voted against him. And it’s his indifference – and even hostility – to the people he is supposed to be serving, that has resulted in the disastrous way he has bungled the nation’s response to the worst pandemic in generations.

Trump Lashes Out at Reporter Who Made the Mistake of Telling Him the Truth

Posted by on March 20, 2020 at 3:22 pm. 10 Comments :

The media has an abysmal record for the way it has covered Donald Trump. From the very beginning of his campaign in 2015, to the present, the press has given Trump far too much latitude to lie and paid way too much attention to his reality show style hype. They really need to remember that their obligation is to the public, and to keeping them informed. Their mission is to present the truth, not an artificial facade of balance. Reporters are not stenographers.

Donald Trump

Trump is a confirmed self-promoter and a pathological liar. His words cannot be relied upon for anything other than evidence of his mammoth ego and infantile obsession with maligning those he regards as enemies. And considering his severe paranoia, there almost everyone is an enemy. Even under ordinary circumstances, these traits would require special treatment by the press to unravel the intentions of such a person in a position of power. But these are not normal times. The presence of a viral pandemic that is putting the lives of millions at risk makes these times unique and perilous.

On Friday morning Trump provided an outstanding example of what makes him such a difficult character to cover. It occurred at the daily press briefing from the White House. Trump actually should not even be attending these briefings. Presumably he would have more important work to do during this crisis, which is why he assigned his Vice-President, Mike Pence, to head the Coronavirus Task Force. But Trump has been showing up every day because it has replaced the ego-stroking cult rallies that he can’t hold anymore due to the risk of them becoming breeding grounds for the virus.

During the briefing, NBC reporter Peter Alexander was called on to ask a question. It all started off fairly mild, but Trump quickly changed his tone into one of reflexive defensiveness and overt hostility. Alexander began by asking Trump if it was possible that his “impulse to put a positive spin on things might be giving Americans a false sense of hope?” That led to this exchange:

Alexander: What do you say to American who are scared though? Nearly 200 dead. 14,000 who are sick. Millions, as you witnessed, who are scared right now. What do you say to Americans who are watching right now who are scared?
Trump: I say that you are a terrible reporter. That is what I say. I think that’s a nasty question. And I think it’s a very bad signal that you’re putting out to the America people.

Seriously? What Trump has to say to scared Americans is that Alexander is bad reporter? That should make the nation feel better (see Alexander’s response below). Ironically, Trump inadvertently confirmed the premise of Alexander’s questions: that Trump is fixated on blanketing the media with his phony rosy scenarios. As a consequence of his tunnel-blindness, Trump simply cannot abide any discussion of the real-world hardships that the American people are enduring. That’s why he lashed out at Alexander’s reference to sicknesses and fatalities. And he rejected the opportunity to send a message of hope to worried citizens.

Trump cultists are fond of disparaging progressives as “snowflakes.” But what is more representative of that label than Trump’s pitiful inability to deal with the facts about the coronavirus crisis, and the reality that people are fearful for themselves and their families? Trump is only concerned about himself and his public image. And the only reason he wants to see this matter resolved is so that it doesn’t affect his prospects for reelection. Consequently, Trump is really the one who has something realistic to fear. And the sort of childish behavior he exhibited at this briefing will only make it more likely that his fears will come true. That’s the good news.

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

Attorney Genuflect Bill Barr has Fully Morphed Into a Fox News Trump-Fluffer

Posted by on December 10, 2019 at 1:20 pm. 5 Comments :

On Monday the Inspector General of the Justice Department released his report on the origins of the Russia probe. The top-line conclusion was that it “did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that political bias or improper motivation influenced the FBI.” Yet somehow Trump embraced the report with delusional glee. He even boasted that it was “one of our great achievements.”

William Barr, Donald Trump

Now Trump’s Attorney Genuflect, Bill Barr, is disputing the very same IG Report that a deranged Trump said was a victory for him. This is the sequel to the aftermath of the report by special counsel Robert Mueller, when Trump insisted that it “totally exonerated” him, while simultaneously disparaging it as a hoax and a witch hunt. It takes a mind that is either brazenly dishonest or severely dysfunctional to attack a report that you also claim vindicates you. But that is what Trump did then, and is reprising now.

Barr was interviewed by NBC’s Pete Williams on Tuesday morning (video below). The whole interview was a bizarre affair that exposed Barr’s flagrant biases and his abandonment of principle, integrity, and honesty. He demonstrated that he is not the Attorney General for the people of the United States, but a shill for private citizen Trump. His remarks reflected the glassy-eyed devotion of a cult follower whose adoration for Dear Leader is unflappable. Barr began by dismissing three years of criminality by Trump and Company:

“I think our nation was turned on its head for three years based on a completely bogus narrative that was largely fanned and hyped by a completely irresponsible press.”

Barr is forgetting that in the past three years many of Trump’s closest associates have been indicted and convicted, including Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, George Papadopoulos, Micheal Cohen, and Roger Stone. And there were dozens of other indictments that are still pending. Plus, Mueller’s report found at least 270 contacts between the Trump team and Russia-linked operatives. That is hardly the result of a “bogus narrative.”

By blaming his slanderous criticisms on the press, Barr is just parroting his White House Overlord and the glassy-eyed sycophants on Fox News. The AG continued in this vein sounding more like Sean Hannity and Alex Jones than the chief law enforcement officer of the nation. Barr made the ludicrous and unsupported assertion that Trump “was clearly spied upon” by the FBI. Then he continued saying that…

“From a civil liberties standpoint, the greatest danger to our free system is that the incumbent government use the apparatus of the state … both to spy on political opponents but also to use them in a way that could affect the outcome of an election.”

First of all, Trump was not spied on, he was investigated. Barr is using language that is deliberately prejudicial. No police officer engaged in collecting evidence would ever say that they were “spying” on a murder suspect. What’s more, the FBI wasn’t even investigating Trump. They were legitimately probing the suspicious activities of individuals connected to his campaign.

It’s also troubling that Barr refers to valid and justified FBI investigations as “the greatest danger” to our system of government. Apparently he thinks it’s worse than Russians hacking our elections and launching massive campaigns of propaganda in support of Trump. Barr also doesn’t seem concerned that Trump “used the apparatus” – not of the state – but of a foreign state “in a way that could affect the outcome of an election.’ This was evidently not a problem for Barr. In fact, he appears to think it’s commonplace and acceptable:

“Presidential campaigns are frequently in contact with foreign persons. And indeed, in most campaigns there are signs of illegal foreign money coming in.”

WHAT? That’s not only false, it’s insane. No campaign professional would agree that such contact occurs “frequently,” if ever. And if Barr has proof that “most campaigns” are receiving “illegal foreign money,” why on Earth isn’t he prosecuting anyone?

He went on to falsely state that “there was and never has been any evidence of collusion” with Russia. In fact, the Mueller Report said that, while he could not unequivocally establish such collusion, there was actual evidence. Just not enough to indict. What’s more, Mueller affirmed that Trump “welcomed and encouraged” Russian interference in the 2016 election, and then sought to cover it up. That alone should warrant his impeachment.

On Tuesday morning Trump relaunched his attack on the FBI. This time against Christopher Wray, the FBI Director that Trump himself appointed. Wray’s offense was to affirm the findings of the independent Inspector General. The one Barr that is discrediting and publicly humiliating. Bill Barr is a disgrace to the office of Attorney General. He deserves to be impeached and removed from office every bit as much as Trump does. He is purposefully reorganizing the Justice Department as the defense team and PR operation for a corrupt president. And isn’t that Fox News’ job?

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

Trump Goes Off (His Meds) on a Crazed Anti-Media Tweet Tantrum Against – Fox News?

Posted by on July 8, 2019 at 9:10 am. 5 Comments :

It must be extraordinarily difficult for the President of the United States to get through every weekend without being fawned over by his most devoted supporters and promoters: the weekday primetime hosts on Fox News (aka State TV). Donald Trump’s notoriously fragile ego needs constant stroking or it erupts in an explosion of nonsensical ravings and unbound hostility from his Twitter stronghold.

Donald Trump, Fox News, Strange

That’s the sensitive psychological condition that Trump found himself in on Sunday night when he unleashed a torrent of tweets bursting with self pity and anger at an unfair world that wasn’t sufficiently adoring. This hissy twit included an unexpected barrage of animus aimed squarely at Trump’s media confederates at Fox News. It’s not the first time, but it’s one of the most extended and shrill. And it’s a warning to Fox that if you dare to stray from Trumpian orthodoxy, you are officially guilty of betraying the cause of white-wing nationalism, and Trump personally. It’s Trump’s admission that he regards Fox News as his personal publicity shop. The substance of this tweetstorm is so profoundly disturbing that we can just let it speak for itself.

Poor Trump is suffering the brutal symptoms of withdrawal due to the lack of his weekday Trump-fluffers: Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson, and the “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends. Apparently Jeanine Pirro and Mark Levin aren’t sufficient to get him through these lonely weekends. But does he have to be so cruel as to call the Fox weekenders worse than CNN? That’s a low blow coming from Trump.

Deprived of his State TV babysitters, Trump whines about the brass at Comcast. He’s referring to Chairman and CEO of Comcast Brian Roberts and NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke. And he apparently believes that they tell everyone on NBC what to say. That must be because that’s the way the propaganda machine at Fox News operates, so he thinks real news organizations do the same.

He also unloads on what he says was a boring Democratic primary debate. Never mind that it was the most watched Democratic debate in history and drew more viewers on the second night than the first, which is not generally an indicator that the viewers were bored. Then Trump takes an odd, leftfield swipe at the New York Times because, well, what anti-media Trump rant would be complete without it?

Next, Trump takes aim directly at Fox News again, this time accusing them of having “forgot the people who got them there!” As if the network is obligated to behave in the manner that Trump demands or it’s being disloyal. That sentiment is extended with Trump’s complaint that Fox hired Donna Brazile, a former Democratic Party official. He lies about her having given Hillary Clinton debate questions during the 2016 Democratic primary. In fact, Brazile never had any actual debate questions. She only gave Clinton a list of topics and questions that she assumed would be covered. That’s still improper for a CNN contributor who was supposed to be unaffiliated, but it isn’t the same as stealing actual questions and handing them over to a candidate. Ironically, that’s an accusation that was levelled at Fox News for tipping off Trump before a GOP debate.

Finally, Trump insults all of the dayside Fox anchors as “terrible” and takes a swing at Fox’s chief news anchor and managing editor of breaking news, Shepard Smith. Considering how often Smith debunks Trump’s lies, that isn’t surprising. Take, for instance, this brutal fact check on Trump’s lies about Russian collusion. But then he closes this manic episode by proclaiming that he knows what the Fox News audience wants and that Fox is failing in its duty to be a staunchly partisan right-wing mouthpiece by not bending obediently to the bias that Trump thinks is required of them.

It’s difficult to be certain exactly what triggered this meltdown, but it doesn’t take much to set Trump off these days. He is becoming more frightened and unstable with each new poll that shows him losing in 2020, and each new revelation of his rampant criminal activity, including the arrest of his pal Jeffrey Epstein for sex trafficking.

However, there was an entertaining bit of “news” made on Fox Sunday when reporter Greg Palkot was covering reaction to the U.S. winning the World Cup. He was live from a sports bar in Lyon, France when the crowd began chanting “F*** Trump.” Then Palkot interviewed an American patron who cheered the U.S. team’s victory and then proudly exclaimed “Now we need to win in 2020, Democrats. Get that racist out of the White House.” That’s surely something that would gnaw at Trump if he saw it. But it warms the hearts of every truly patriotic American who can’t wait for Trump to booted from office whether by losing an election or well deserved impeachment.

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