Trump's Hot Mess Of A Press Conference
Well, that was an hour and a half of my life that I surely would have enjoyed doing just about anything else during... sigh.... Chalk it up as another instance of: "I watch these things so you don't have to," I guess.
Donald Trump gave a marathon press conference today, but didn't actually take a single question until more than 45 minutes into it. He then answered questions for roughly 40 minutes before walking off camera to give someone an autograph.
The presser was held at Trump's New Jersey golf resort, and his aides had set up two long tables on either side of the podium, which were packed with lots of props, mostly food. Two items of things like milk, eggs, and Cheerios (more on that in a moment) were set up, assumably with a price tag on each for what they cost under Trump versus what they cost now. This is all a concerted effort to get Trump to talk about the issues (the economy, today) more, and stop all the whining about the unfairness of the universe quite so much.
Trump didn't even notice the prop tables until 45 minutes in, right before he started taking questions. He seemed astonished at the box of Cheerios, saying he hadn't seen them "in a long time" -- and that he might just take them back to his cottage to "have some fun with them." [Editorial Note: I am not 100 percent sure of the wording of that quote, but he definitely used the term "have fun with" in there somewhere.] Personally, I can't wait to see what the late-night comedians do with that line, but perhaps the presser was so late in the day that the jokes might have to wait until Monday.
Today was pretty obviously Trump's staff desperately trying to get him on-subject and focused, instead of just wildly insulting and whining about Kamala Harris. There was a certain hostage-video quality to it, as there often is when Trump's staff forces him to speak about things (or in a certain style) that he really doesn't enjoy. True to form, he diverged from his prepared speech constantly (which was pretty obvious since he was reading it from papers in front of him instead of a TelePrompTer) and spun off on various tangents and flights of fancy. When he did return to the prepared speech, Trump sounded like a reluctant schoolboy reading a book report someone else had written for him. He used his most boring monotone and was not capable of putting emphasis on any of the lines he was supposed to. He even, to keep up his morale, had a little cheering section off to the right of the screen, who would occasionally burst into applause just to bolster his spirits.
If Trump had one consistent message about Kamala Harris, it was that she was a "communist." This hyperbole is intentional, since Trump knows using the term (together with "socialist") can effectively frighten Latino voters from Central and South America into supporting him. So Trump called Harris a communist every chance he could. At one point this even got pretty blatant, as Trump accused Harris of "running on the Maduro plan."
Team Trump was trying to get out in front of Harris, who is scheduled to give a major speech on the economy at a rally in North Carolina tomorrow. Trump held a rally in the same state yesterday, but (as many commented) his crowd was kind of pathetic. The rally was held in an auditorium with a capacity of under 2,500 people, so the whole thing had a "high school auditorium" feel to it. Harris will (no doubt) pull in a much larger crowd at her rally, which is sure to get under Trump's skin (the whole thing seems like an unforced error on the part of Team Trump, really).
In any case, Harris is expected to introduce a plan to fight price-gouging, particularly for food. So today Trump darkly warned that her plan was not just "communist," but will lead to "food shortages, rationing, [and] hunger." Trump predicted (as he did in 2020, to no avail) that the stock market was going to crash worse than 1929 if Harris wins the election, just for good measure.
Trump being Trump, some gaffes were made. He swore that "150 Americans rely on private health insurance," which is... um... a bit low? Off by factor of... I don't know... a million? He said that local cops know "the name, the serial number" of "every single bad guy" who needs deporting. Serial number? I don't even have any idea what he was trying to say there....
Eventually, Trump's rambling (and quite boring) speech wrapped up (with him finally noticing the props), and we moved on to the rambling question-and-answer period.
After answering a question on Israel and a cease-fire (which I have to admit I didn't hear, as I was taking a quick break then), Trump got two softball questions lobbed at him from (obviously) friendly outlets. Think "softball" is overstating it? The first question was about whether Trump thought "God saved your life... and why?" during the assassination attempt. Trump being Trump, however, he kind of flubbed it, riffing on the whole event once again and praising the Secret Service and then almost incidentally sticking in a comment about how maybe "God had something to do with it," but never fully giving the kind of easy-layup answer the questioner was hoping to provoke.
Eventually, a few actual journalists were allowed to ask questions. When asked whether he was trying to change his strategy and ease up on the personal attacks on Kamala Harris, Trump responded: "I think I'm entitled to personal attacks," before trotting out every grievance going back to (no lie) Hillary Clinton. He tossed out a line that is just bizarre, about how "nobody knows the last name of Kamala," then helpfully informed the nation's media: "It's Harris." He also showed his petulant resentment that Harris not only made the cover of Time magazine, but that they used a beautiful drawing of her instead of a photo. Yes, Trump is still that thin-skinned about such things.
Trump was then asked about Nikki Haley also saying he needed to stop whining so much, so Trump had to brag about how much he had beaten her in her home state during the primaries. He finally channelled his inner Frank Sinatra and answered the basic question with: "I have to do it my way."
Trump's answers to pretty much every question just rambled all over the map. He usually just flat-out ignored the questions and used the opportunity to launch into whatever he felt like talking about. The only question he didn't use as a filibuster opportunity was one about how he wasn't polling as well as he was against Biden, where Trump set the stage to deny all future bad polls with: "I tend to poll low" (meaning the polls aren't accurately portraying his actual voter support). Look to hear that one more and more, as the polls get worse and worse for him.
The whole thing, from beginning to end, was just a hot mess. But then, that's pretty much par for the Trump course. Reviewing it all, I cannot find a single newsworthy thing that Trump said. He offered no new programs or policy proposals, most of the time was spent regurgitating his standard stump-speech complaints and dire warnings, and generally going off on tangents at the drop of a hat. It was Trump being Trump, in other words. The same old schtick, with the same old lines, mostly delivered in a monotone designed to put people to sleep.
If you didn't see Trump's press conference, then thank your lucky stars -- because whatever you were doing was a far more productive use of your time.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
OK So, what's the take away...
President Trump actually DID have a press conference... One of many..
And President Trump DID take questions.. For FORTY MINUTES President Trump took questions..
So, in other words, President Trump answered MORE questions in 40 MINUTES than Token DEI-HIRE Headboard Harris has answered in OVER THREE WEEKS..
One has to wonder, given these FACTS....
What is Token DEI-HIRE Headboard Harris and NO-BALLZ Walz so afraid of??
"People who believe in truth and transparency should not be afraid of the press."
-Odumbo's Ambassador To Russia Michael McFaul, 2019
Apparently, Token DEI-HIRE Headboard Harris and NO-BALLZ Walz don't believe in "truth and transparency"...
:eyeroll:
Trump has taken 81 questions at press conferences, interviews compared to Harris' 14 since Walz joined ticket
Trump held second press conference in a week at Bedminster on Thursday
Former President Trump has answered at least 81 questions from reporters since Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz emerged as the Democratic ticket, compared to only a handful for Harris and none for Walz.
Harris hasn't taken on-record reporter questions aside from a tossed-out question about debates by an MSNBC reporter and a pair of press gaggles in Michigan and Arizona, amounting to just 14 total, Fox News Digital has found. She has not given a formal interview, either, although she claimed she hopes to schedule one before the end of the month.
Neither has her running mate Walz, while Trump's running mate JD Vance has taken dozens of questions in three national interviews and multiple press conferences in that same period.
What is Token DEI-HIRE Headboard Harris and NO-BALLZ Walz so afraid of??
Why are they so afraid of having press conferences and talking to the press ON THE RECORD...
I am betting that Token DEI-HIRE Headboard Harris is trying to replicate Basement Biden's 2020 campaign by figuratively hiding in the basement and ignoring the press..
GREAT strategy, Token DEI-HIRE Headboard Harris... Please continue with that strategy!! :D :D :D
Ya'all better get used to the idea of President Trump returning to the Oval Office in Jan of 2025... :D
Hey cho’mo, you going to last all the way until trump gets swamped in November?
No one will be surprised when you pull your customary disappearing for two years because Repugs got killed again as the bad news for fascist MAGAts is only going to get worse and worse. And you can’t lose any respect in Weigantia because we’re already laughing at you.
Dipshit Donald claimed that more than 100% of new jobs are going to migrants... probably because 100% of his gray matter is effing deteriorated. *laughs*
The rally was held in an auditorium with a capacity of under 2,500 people, so the whole thing had a "high school auditorium" feel to it.
The City of Asheville made Trump pay $82,247.60 in advance for the rally because he's a known deadbeat who still owes multiple cities all across America where he's stiffed the bill... going back years.
https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-08-13/city-confirms-that-trump-campaign-paid-82-000-for-thomas-wolfe-auditorium
It was Trump being Trump, in other words. The same old schtick, with the same old lines, mostly delivered in a monotone designed to put people to sleep.
I too thought it was infinitely boring and so summoned a fly to land on the idiot's face because the last time I smote a MAGAt with a fly like that, I put on curse on him and the rest is history. :)
Michale,
Petty insults and counting questions is all you got? Pathetic.
the best headline this morning:
With Froot Loops by his side, Trump gives another cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs performance.
You can't teach an OLD dog new tricks.
I am impressed that more than 100% of sentient adults hate JD Whatshisname. He dreams of Sarah Palin level unpopularity.Setting aside Big Orange's terrible record picking winners, he has to be regretting his choice to attach himself to this sinking ship. Imagine the humiliation of being out-hated by an empty-headed girl!
Sarah Palin at least had the MILF thing going and even though she got roasted by Tina Fey, the roast gave her some personality. JD is just a slimy flip flopping weasel that you would not only not want a beer with, you would check for your wallet if he past by too close.
You know it's bad when it's toss up in who you would trust more: JD or George Santos...
Trump won’t choke against a weak Kamala Harris..
The one thing people should know about Donald Trump is that he doesn’t choke.
Not on the golf course and not in life.
That much was obvious when he rose to his feet in Butler, Pa., after almost being assassinated and raised his fist in defiance.
Even champion golfers choke.
But not Trump.
Self-doubt is not part of his DNA, and he’s proud of the fact that when the going gets tough, he’s at his best.
So when the bedwetters and Monday morning quarterbacks freak out over Kamala Harris’ honeymoon polls and start leaking stories about “Donald in meltdown,” they’re probably mistaking his real-time retooling and war-gaming for panic.
Case in point: At Trump’s rally Wednesday in Asheville, NC, a liberal enclave in the battleground state, he was razor-focused on the economy, showing an ability to stay on message that some allies had feared he was incapable of doing.
It's funny that Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris is following President Trump around the country.. I guess Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris is accepting the sloppy seconds in North Carolina... :D :D :D
First Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris steals President Trump's awesome ideas because Harris doesn't have any ideas of her own..
Then Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris follows President Trump into the same state that President Trump has already been to! :D :D :D
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.. And Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris and the Demcorats are flattering President Trump constantly by stealing President Trump's ideas..
Ya see, here are the facts..
Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris is trying to distance herself from Basement Biden and his disastrous policies..
How do we know this?? Because Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris' campaign has TOLD us.
Vice President Kamala Harris, hoping to distance herself from President Biden's unpopularity on the economy, plans a new focus on middle-class worries and woes.
Harris won't say it this bluntly in public, but her advisers do so privately: She wants to break with Biden on issues on which he's unpopular.
But Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris can't do that because those are DEMCORAT disastrous policies..
And Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris is inextricably LINKED to those policies because she was Basement Biden's partner when those policies were created.
Again, how do we know this? Because Demcorats TOLD us.. Administration officials have crowed often how Basement Biden and Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris were "partners" in creating these policies.
Basement Biden's policies are Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris policies. This is documented FACT..
Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris is going to go down in flames.. Just like she did in 2019..
Seriously, people. You need to prepare yourselves to see President Trump back in the Oval Office come Jan 2025.
And I'll be here to help ya'all thru your grieving process.. Every step of the way.. :D :D :D
An opinion from the NY Post? Scraping the bottom of the barrel with that one. We already know Trump doesn't choke on the golf course, he cheats...
Holy crap, Michael, your posts are more disjointed and harder to read than a Trump tweet. Following your dear leader in to mental decline?
According to the polls we are more likely to see Trump in Venezuela than the Oval Office or was he lying about that one too?
Tulsi Gabbard who took down Headboard Harris' POTUS campaign in 2019 has some choice words to say about Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris.. :D
I think she revealed in that [July 2019] debate the same thing that I think her campaign handlers are worried about right now... Kamala Harris is an empty suit. They are trying to create this new version of Kamala Harris to match what their pollsters are telling them, so she can say whatever she needs to say to try to win over voters, which is the most offensive thing, I think, because they think we're so stupid as to forget what her record actually is. In 2019, very simply, I confronted her with her hypocrisy of how what she said was very different than what she actually did, and she had no answer for it. She had no explanation. She didn't even try to own or justify what her actions were. And that's going to be the key thing here for voters as we head into this election is Kamala Harris will say whatever she thinks she needs to say. We have to pay attention to her actions, because on every single major issue, you will see that same kind of hypocrisy that I pointed out in 2019 where she'll say one thing, but her record tells a very, very different story.
-Tulsi Gabbard
And, of course, there is this little FACT that Demcorats here in Weigantia and elsewhere are ignoring..
"Senator Harris says she's proud of her record as a prosecutor... but she put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations, and then laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana.
The bottom line is, Senator Harris, when you are in a position to make a difference and an impact in these people's lives, you did not... And the people who suffered under your reign as prosecutor, you owe them an apology."
-Tulsi Gabbard
Weigantia is sooo pro-marijuana and yet, ya'all are gaa gaa over a woman who LAUGHED when asked about putting thousands of people away for marijuana...
Hypocrisy. It's not a bug in Demcorat programming. It's a feature.
I mean, if ya'all can throw your principles and your integrity in the toilet over marijuana one has to ask.
What WILL you fight for??
The choice in November could not be possibly clearer...
http://mfccfl.us/choice.jpg
Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris = Economic ruin for all Americans
President Trump = $1 and some change gas and grocery prices back down way low..
The intelligent choice is obvious..
Of course Demcorats are not known for their intelligence.. :eyeroll:
"Harris has just declared that tackling inflation will be a ‘Day One priority’ for her. But Day One for Kamala was three and a half years ago. Where has she been and why hasn't she done it? Why hasn't she done it?"
-President Donald Trump
That, Mr President, is a VERY good question..
What EXACTLY has Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris done as VP???
NOTHING.. Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris was given MANY tasks by Basement Biden and she has FAILED at each and every one of them..
EPICALLY FAILED
It's no wonder she is afraid of press conferences and media interviews..
Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris has absolutely NO RECORD to crow about.
Her **ONLY** claim to fame is sleeping her way to the CA AG spot and running a disastrous POTUS campaign that crashed and burned even before the first vote was cast.
Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris is absolutely USELESS and her press honeymoon is over...
Grab some popcorn and watch the 2nd Crash & Burn of Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris.. :D :D :D
It's really REALLY funny... :D
For the first few days, all every Weigantian wanted to talk about was Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris and NO-BALLZ Walz...
It was Harris and Walz 24/7..
Now that the shiny has become very VERY tarnished, now it's back to 3rd grade playground antics against President Trump.. :D
I get it.. I really do.. Ya'all are finding out it's the same old Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris.. The one who crashed and burned in 2019 and is well on her way to crashing and burning in 2024..
I actually feel a bit sorry for ya'all..
You had your hopes so high with Basement Biden and then they plummeted to the depths of despair..
And then ya'all got yer hopes up AGAIN so high and now they are plummeting again..
I feel for ya, people.. But you can't say you weren't warned..
ALL the facts were there to show you it would happen..
You only have yerselves to blame..
But don't worry.. I'll be here with ya'all all the way to Election Day to help ease your pain.. :D
Cho’mo won’t last until November — hope he has his bugout bag ready for the impending blue tsunami. I don’t bother with the boldified cut and paste Foxaganda crap and I skim the “original” content and even that is going down the tubes as fast as donOLD.
Speaking of whom, I tried to watch trump yesterday and this time my civic duty to pay attention was overwhelmed by how boring he has become . I mean boooring — absolutely nothing new — and I just couldn’t hang.
Yup, he is getting repetitive. The 'old bla bla bla scroll scroll scroll...
Token DEI-Hire Headboard Harris released her first "economic plan" today..
REAL Economists are STILL laughing at it!! :D
Harris proposes $25,000 down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers — is it a good idea?
Some experts say the Democratic presidential nominee's plan would only make the affordable housing crisis worse
"Providing this benefit from the government would increase demand for houses at a time when there is already a shortage of homes available for sale," Fiorillo said, arguing that the incentive would create higher demand, thereby lowering the supply of available homes even further.
Billionaire Elon Musk agrees. When Harris' plan was first reported Thursday evening, Whole Mars Catalog wrote on X, "[W]on’t that just increase the price of all homes by $25,000 while also increasing the deficit," to which the Tesla CEO replied, "Yes."
"This is a terrible policy," said Cody Moore, a partner and wealth adviser at Wealth E&P in Alpharetta, Georgia. "In my opinion, it is just an attempt to garner more votes for the upcoming election by utilizing handouts."
Moore added, "This plan would just further inflate the real estate market, put the U.S. further into a financial deficit, and ultimately be another reason for the government to increase taxes."
It's pathetic pandering for votes that will actually do more harm than good..
Typical of Demcorats, this is not a serious plan..
A reminder to Weigantians who may still be hand-wringing,
Let’s be clear, 2016 was a fluke. Trump needed help from Russia, the media, 25 years of Republican smears, the alt-left, a corrupt FBI, and a disinterested public to “win” over Hillary Clinton.
Case in point: At Trump’s rally Wednesday in Asheville, NC, a liberal enclave in the battleground state, he was razor-focused on the economy, showing an ability to stay on message that some allies had feared he was incapable of doing.
You gotta be kidding! Trump told the crowd multiple times that he was there to talk about the economy and his plans for the economy if elected, but mentioning that was what he was there to talk about was ALL he said about it!
Trump cannot discuss what his administration would do to help the economy if he is elected because TRUMP DOES NOT CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT!!! Trump is not running for President for that reason! Trump is only focused on avoiding going to prison for his many, many crimes! That is the ONLY REASON HE IS IN THIS ELECTION…TRUMP KNOWS HE IS GOING TO PRISON IF HE CANNOT FORCE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO DROP THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM!
Trump could not accept losing the 2020 election to Biden because Trump believed they had rigged the election so that it was impossible that he would NOT win! I get uncomfortable with Democrats responding to Trump saying that the election was rigged by claiming that the elections were NOT RIGGED. They were rigged, but not enough to change the overall results as Trump had wanted. Trump knew that he would face criminal charges if he could not control the DOJ. Trump cannot be expected to concern himself with anything other than staying out of prison.
@russ,
do you have any evidence to support the reverse rigging claim?
Listen
24
I have supervised a polling precinct pushing twenty times and one cannot ballot stuff or otherwise rig the results. The checks are like the double-entry accounting — quite certain.
@caddy,
not all states are equal in that respect. some have serious security issues, and have for decades.