Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) — who helped President Trump in his debate preparations alongside Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani — was let down by the President’s performance during his first debate against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Continue reading “Even Christie, Who Helped With Debate Prep, Thought Trump Did Not Do Well”
Trump Entered Fugue State In Debate Whenever COVID Came Up
You’d be forgiven for thinking last night’s debate completely lacked order and was the chaotic product of a President hell-bent on destroying any lingering ether of coherence or comity.
But, given a close look, a clear pattern does emerge in President Trump’s behavior: whenever the topic of COVID-19 came up, the President went completely off the rails, hurling disconnected and vicious attacks at his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, and, at times, moderator Chris Wallace.
Continue reading “Trump Entered Fugue State In Debate Whenever COVID Came Up”
Fox News Tries To Coach Trump On How To Not Crash And Burn At Next Debate
Fox News swooped in with some advice on Wednesday morning following a catastrophic debate performance by President Donald Trump that saw him refuse to renounce white supremacists and constantly heckle Democratic rival Joe Biden.
Continue reading “Fox News Tries To Coach Trump On How To Not Crash And Burn At Next Debate”
Trump Campaign Tries To Clean Up POTUS’ Proud Boys Remark
National Press Secretary for the Trump campaign Hogan Gidley on Wednesday tried to clean up the President’s refusal to condemn white supremacy during the first presidential debates.
When asked what President Donald Trump meant when he told the Proud Boys, a known hate group that openly endorses violence to “stand by,” Gidley suggested that the President meant that he “wants them to get out of the way.”
National Press Secretary for the Trump campaign Hogan Gidley on Wednesday tried to clean up Pres. Trump's call for the Proud Boys to 'stand by' during Tuesday's debates, saying that the remark was actually telling the hate group to "get out of the way." pic.twitter.com/EZOQpsnuOC
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) September 30, 2020
“He wants them to not do the things they say they want to do,” Gidley said, adding that the Proud Boys are “a reprehensible group.”
Gidley asserted that President Trump has condemned white supremacists “many times,” even though Trump has famously defended them repeatedly. Within the first year of his presidency in 2017, in the wake of a torch-bearing white nationalist rally that turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump infamously said there were “very fine people” on both sides.
“He’s condemned white supremacy by name on many occasions,” Gidley said, adding: “This president recognizes the scourge on this community. And on this country and he calls them out for it.”
But others have suggested that the President’s comments were a clear call to his white supremacist supporters. In a CNN interview late Tuesday, vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris decried Trump’s refusal to disavow white supremacy.
“The President of the United States, in the year of our lord 2020, refuses to condemn white supremacists,” Harris said. “This is a president, you know, people talk about dog whistling. Dog whistling through a bullhorn is what he is doing.”
Even the Proud Boys celebrated Trump’s remarks. Per The New York Times, within minutes of Trump’s call for them to stand by, members of the group were posting in private social media channels, lauding Trump’s words as “historic.”
In another message, a member said the group was already welcoming a spike in “new recruits.”
In an attempt to further distract from Trump’s message to the group, Gidley said it was a boon that Trump had recently announced his intentions to label both the Ku Klux Klan and antifa as terrorist organizations — even though Trump’s own FBI director said in congressional testimony earlier this month that antifa represents an ideology and is not an organization.
The Trump campaign also shared a video clip late Tuesday, in defense of Trump, saying that the President had twice affirmed during the debate that he was willing to condemn white supremacists and militia groups.
WATCH: President Trump says TWO TIMES he's willing to condemn white supremacists and militia groups.
"Sure, I'm willing to do that." pic.twitter.com/xWTVWxITNa
— Trump War Room – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) September 30, 2020
In a separate clip, the Trump campaign cited seven examples of Trump “condemning the KKK.” Notably, four of the cited examples were taken from clips before Trump became president.
Here Are 7 Examples Of President Trump Condemning The KKK https://t.co/51MECUBMqT
— Trump War Room – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) September 30, 2020
After Trump’s Debate Tantrum, Commentators Question Whether Others Should Go Forward
A number of prominent political commentators are openly questioning whether the remaining presidential debates should even go forward, after the first round quickly devolved into President Donald Trump bullying moderator Chris Wallace, repeatedly exceeding his time limit and speaking over his Democratic rival Joe Biden.
When asked if her running mate should go forward with the debates scheduled for next month, Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris said that he would seize any chance presented to him to address the American people.
“Joe Biden is never going to refuse to talk to the American people and have any opportunity that he can to speak directly to American families and speak about the issues — speak the truth,” Harris told CNN in an interview.
Although the Biden campaign quickly pushed back on suggestions that Biden should forego debates in Miami and Nashville next month, several commentators questioned the value of a debate that quickly grew chaotic and appeared to mock any semblance of decorum.
There should not be another debate
— Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) September 30, 2020
RFK said, “It is not enough to allow dissent—we must demand it.” Presidential debates are supposed to show that here in the America we love, a challenger can criticize a President to his face. Tonight showed that yet another sacred democratic institution has now been fractured.
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) September 30, 2020
Biden won going away. And another million women decided never to vote R again. Trump was his usual unhinged bully. Truly frightful. Mostly however this was a disastrous, incoherent debate, one Wallace should be ashamed to have "moderated."
— Jennifer 'Vote Early' Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) September 30, 2020
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany swooped in late last night, suggesting that equivocating about the debates stemmed from concerns from Democrats that their candidate had performed poorly.
“Should there be anymore debates?” the Liberal, Biden-loving Fake News Media suddenly asks in unison.
That is NOT a question you ask if your candidate wins!
— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) September 30, 2020
Late last month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) appearing to predict Trump’s bullying and deliberate intent to mislead said that she wouldn’t “legitimize” a conversation with the President.
“I do not think the President of the United States has comported himself in a way that has any association with the truth, evidence, data, and facts. I wouldn’t legitimize a conversation with him, nor a debate in terms of the presidency of the United States.”
The Morning After
Having had a night to sleep on it – and sleep very soundly – I’m much closer to what I said was the downside possibility for the President: not just a missed opportunity but a self-immolation. This was truly the worst of Trump: racist, belligerent, angry, unstable. I’ll give the man his due. Trump can be if not funny then jocular, entertaining in a predatory, roguish way. Last night had none of that. It was pure id and an id under threat.
Beyond all the individual offenses one of the underrated sub-themes of anti-Trumpism is exhaustion. One of the deepest traumas of living in the home of an abuser stems not from the outbursts of physical violence, verbal abuse or manipulation but the accumulated stress of ambient tension, uncertainty, the reflexive, unshakeable hyper-vigilance. It is exhausting in a profound way. Trump is exhausting – I suspect even for some who share his dark values. This was 90 minutes jam-packed with everything that makes Trump exhausting. Living with an abuser means being trapped in close quarters with the abuse, being unable to run. In a month voters get the chance to walk away.
Fox Host Blasts Trump For Not Disavowing White Supremacists, Says He ‘Ruined Biggest Layup’ In ‘History Of Debates’
“Fox and Friends” host Brian Kilmeade slammed President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning over his non-response to debate moderator and Fox News host Chris Wallace’s question about condemning white supremacists during the first presidential debate with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday night.
Harris Calls Trump’s Refusal To Condemn White Supremacy ‘Dog Whistling Through A Bullhorn’
Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris late Tuesday condemned President Donald Trump’s refusal to disavow white supremacy during the first of three presidential debates, saying that Trump’s comments on race laid bare his courtship and signaling to white supremacists groups.
“The President of the United States, in the year of our lord 2020, refuses to condemn white supremacists,” Harris told CNN’s Jake Tapper in a post-debate interview. “This is a president, you know, people talk about dog whistling. Dog whistling through a bullhorn is what he is doing.”
Harris’ comments come after President Trump’s apparent refusal to condemn white supremacy instead telling the far-right hate group known as the Proud Boys to “stand by” while claiming that “almost everything I see is from the left wing, not from the right wing.”
The President on Tuesday also declined to say that systemic racism exists and remains an issue in the United States. Trump instead sidestepped the issue by addressing a move by his administration to bring an end to racial sensitivity training in the federal government, saying, “I ended it because it’s racist.”
“If you were a certain person, you had no status in life — it was sort of a reversal,” he added.
“Donald Trump is not pretending to be anything other than what he is — someone who will not condemn white supremacists, someone who cannot say the phrase ‘Black lives matter’, someone who is getting rid of training of federal employees around the issue of race,” Harris said in a separate interview with MSNBC’s Brian Williams late Tuesday.
The Democratic vice presidential nominee further condemned President Trump for what she called attempts to “distract” from his failures in leadership.
“Donald Trump on almost every issue that was discussed tonight has had no plan,” Harris said.
Trump Sure Seems Upset At Chris Wallace After A Disastrous Debate Night
After a presidential debate performance on Tuesday night that was by all counts a complete train wreck, President Donald Trump littered his Twitter feed with attacks against debate moderator and Fox News host Chris Wallace Wednesday morning.
Continue reading “Trump Sure Seems Upset At Chris Wallace After A Disastrous Debate Night”
Trump, Biden Face Off At First Presidential Debate
President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are set to face off in their first of three scheduled presidential debates on Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Fox News’ Chris Wallace will moderate, and the debate is scheduled to go until 10:30 p.m. ET, commercial-free.
Watch live on the sidebar and follow along with our coverage below: