“I don’t mind being criticized. I’ll never, ever complain.”
—Donald Trump on CNN, September 24, 2015.
“After this election I’m going to sue every liar who said something bad about me. There won’t be a newspaper left in this country when I’m through with them. And these lying women, these bimbos, I will destroy them.”
—Donald Trump, October 22, 2016.
Now that’s the book you need to write! Roll all of your trump quotes, and 360 degree turnarounds in one book……fictional history!
There is nothing surprising about these contradictory quotes. The second one, however, in addition to its misogyny, is a true expression of Mr. Trump’s take on freedom of the press.
Before Mr. Trump became POTUS, given the proliferation of news sources with both conservative and liberal biases, the public already had to choose which ones to believe. This was relatively harmless until President Trump and sources positively biased in his favor began to directly attack the credibility of all other sources.
In his daily briefings, President Trump continues to reinforce the position that CNN and any other news sources questioning his contradictory direct quotes like those featured here, are all purveyors of fake news. His clear message is that one should believe whichever of his statements he is pushing at the moment and to do otherwise is to be unpatriotic, or much worse.
And, guess what, it’s working. His approval ratings are at an all-time high.
I was relieved to hear several opinions about Trump’s polling bump. It is very small, compared to other presidents’ approval ratings during recent crisis and as with other crisis bumps will soon begin to dwindle. I think the highest he has been polled at is a 49 which really isn’t much to brag about. Nothing like his TV ratings for his “TV Reality Virus Press Political Rally Shows.” Those ratings are probably high because we want to hear from the professionals and keep check on his lies about his lies.
Agree Mr. Winham! Fear ignorance and prejudices, pillars of our personal ATTRIBUTES to communicate. I personally want to thank Mr. Trump and the Republicans for affirming what I have learned in the military, and more important at home, church and schools. I know, not an opinion, that Trump is a lying egomaniac and is a threat to our national security. People who still approve of him are……….shucks,(can’t use the f word) up. I am confident and optimistic that our Republic will survive, but like the poor, the ignorant will always be with us. ron thompson
In June, 2016 Dan P. McAdams, a psychology professor at Northwestern University wrote an article in The Atlantic about how Trump’s personality might shape his possible presidency. It was written in a non partisan fashion and prior to the Republican nominating convention. The article is long, but revealing and predictive.
McAdams said something that struck me: “When individuals with authoritarian proclivities fear that their way of life is being threatened, they may turn to strong leaders who promise to keep them safe—leaders like Donald Trump. In a national poll conducted recently by the political scientist Matthew MacWilliams, high levels of authoritarianism emerged as the single strongest predictor of expressing political support for Donald Trump.”
With more time on our hands than normal, it is well worth reading.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/the-mind-of-donald-trump/480771/?utm_source=atl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share
Does throwing out old quotes or tweets from the President give anyone hope through these turbulent times? I went grocery shopping for my aging neighbors yesterday. They are both retired Louisiana school teachers who, like most academics, are staunchly Democratic. After I delivered their supplies, they asked me why the President didnt stop congressional representatives from giving themselves a substantial raise as part of the coronavirus relief package. As life long Democrats, they figured that it had to be a leadership slip on Trump’s part for Congress to get a raise while everyone suffers.
What is your position on these raises? Are they Trump’s fault?
Well sir, you can tell your neighbors that congressional representatives did not give themselves a raise in the rescue package. A false Facebook posting started the rumor. But as far as your question “Does throwing out old quotes or tweets from the President give anyone hope through these turbulent times?” I can tell you there is nothing the man says that gives me hope. Certainly not his daily lies. But can you tell me if you really believe this man tells us the truth most of the time?
I see the Russian bots are busy again.
Is it better to give people false, truly false, hope or to be straight with them? Is it better to stick one’s head in the sand (I’m talking about us, the mullets) and ignore the disaster that could befall us or attempt to face it? Is it appropriate for the POTUS to expect us to accept whatever he does?
Here is something from yesterday’s Briefing/Campaign rally by the President:
“I just spoke to the prime minister of Italy,” Trump said Monday in the Rose Garden. “And we have additional capacity. We have additional product that we don’t need. We’re going to be sending approximately $100 million worth of things – of surgical and medical and hospital things – to Italy. And [Prime Minister] Giuseppe [Conte] was very, very happy. I will tell you that. They’re having a very hard time.”
Trump’s declaration that the United States has more medical products than it needs was news to many governors who have been complaining publicly that they are struggling to obtain supplies. [WaPo]
Can you, Outlaw53, defend this?
https://www.factcheck.org/2020/03/false-claim-of-congressional-pay-raises-in-stimulus-bill/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/03/29/fact-check-congressional-pay-raise-coronavirus-relief-package/2936724001/
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/mar/30/facebook-posts/congress-did-not-give-itself-raise-coronavirus-sti/
Outlaw, as a matter of consistency, I would have been outraged if members of Congress had pulled such a stunt. I would have been angry at them and I would have been angry at Trump because he could certainly veto such a move….
….IF it had been done, but it wasn’t. Please check your facts and don’t rely on Fox or Infowars or other half-baked sources for your information.