Can we say Trump is utterly out of control? I believe so. Even some of his people think so. On Saturday night he posted a “truth” on Truth Social that he possibly didn’t intend to be public. It appears to have been a private message to Pam Bondi. But it was a public post. It has since been deleted, but lots of people saved it. I got this from Daily Beast:
One suspects that at least some of the “30 statements and posts” exist only in his head. He likes to claim doing things he wants to do is just him bowing to popular demand.
Many observers wondered whether Trump’s initial post, which capped off a wildly authoritarian week, was meant to be a private directive to Bondi. Top officials in his administration had the same question. According to three sources familiar with the situation, several senior officials at the Justice Department, and also at the White House, were blindsided by Trump’s message on Saturday night.
Some in the Justice Department were left scratching their heads because the Truth Social post directed at “Pam” read so much like a text message or direct message from the president.
“Yeah, he texts like that,” one Trump adviser says. “It’s a lot like what the president writes online.”
Some administration officials, the sources say, determined that even though it was likely this was another instance of the president accidentally posting a private message publicly, it was best to just carry on, and act like it was a written demand that was always meant for public consumption.
Demanding that the Attorney General take charge of prosecuting his political enemies is an impeachable offense, seems to me. Although Trump may not realize that. He doesn’t seem to grasp what “free speech” is and thinks commentary that is overly critical of him should be illegal. Peter Baker, New York Times (as republished in the Seattle Times):
He has suggested that a clutch of protesters who yelled at him in a restaurant be prosecuted under laws targeting mobsters. He demanded that multiple late-night comics who mocked him be taken off air. He threatened to shutter television broadcasters that he deemed unfair to him. He sued The New York Times for allegedly damaging his reputation. And that was just last week.
When threatening government action against those who anger him, Trump can be strikingly transparent about what is driving him. He talks regularly about how journalists, commentators and political actors should not be “allowed” to be so harsh toward him. Having installed a partisan ally to run the FBI, he muses openly about which political critics he would like to see investigated.
Trump is not the only president to bristle at opposition or news coverage, nor the first to try to punish those who angered him. But in modern times, no president has gone so far in using his power to pressure media figures and political opponents, historians say.
At the end of a week dominated by a fraught national debate over free speech that followed the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Trump summed up his view Friday in a remark that would have been shocking if made by any previous president.
“They’ll take a great story and they’ll make it bad,” he told reporters in the Oval Office, referring to network newscasts. “See, I think that’s really illegal.”
I want to know why these remarks were not shocking when made by this president? Any other president, such remarks would have been treat4ed as a major scandal for days. When Trump does it, media shrug it off. He has no idea how good he really has it with media.
But the larger point is that AG Bondi and FCC Chair Brendan Carr are framing their censorship arguments as protecting the public from inaccurate reporting. But Trump doesn’t bother, In his mind, if reporting makes him look bad, it’s illegal.
I haven’t bothe4red to look it up and read it, but by all accounts Trump’s recent $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times was inadvertently hilarious. Steve Benen wrote at MSNBC,
Right off the bat, it’s important to note that describing the court filing as a “lawsuit” is itself generous. As writer Jesse Berney summarized, the lawsuit is “like an 85-page Trump Truth Social post. It’s hilarious.”
That characterization is more than fair. Reading it, I felt a little embarrassed for the lawyers who were responsible for producing it, especially after seeing random Trump-related images that seemed to have been included in this dreadfully silly document for no apparent reason.
U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday, the judge who tossed the suit, ruled that Trump’s 85-page lawsuit was way too long and full of “tedious and burdensome” language that had no bearing on the legal case. PBS:
“A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally,” Merryday wrote in a four-page order. “This action will begin, will continue, and will end in accord with the rules of procedure and in a professional and dignified manner.”
The judge gave Trump has 28 days to file an amended complaint that should not exceed 40 pages. …
… Merryday noted that the lawsuit did not get to the first defamation count until page 80. The lawsuit delves into Trump’s work on “The Apprentice” TV show and an “extensive list” of Trump’s other media appearances.
“As every lawyer knows (or is presumed to know), a complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective — not a protected platform to rage against an adversary,” Merryday wrote. “Although lawyers receive a modicum of expressive latitude in pleading the claim of a client, the complaint in this action extends far beyond the outer bound of that latitude.”
You know that Trump dictated all the stuff about the Apprentice and his media appearances and insisted his lawyers include it. Probably in his mind this makes him an expert on all things media and adds to his credibility. Like his orange face paint, he has no idea how it really makes him look.
Update: Steve Benen, Why Trump’s directive to AG Bondi should be seen as an impeachment-level scandal
If it was deleted, I'm guessing it was supposed to be private, or someone convinced Trump he needs to claim it was private. In a sane world, Trump would be facing impeachment for the tweet, public or private. Bondi got the message – she has to get some butts in court, with or without a case. I'm guessing some charges won't get past a Grand Jury. Trump does not get that he was charged with real crimes because he committed real crimes. The USSC will have to completely upend the judicial system for Trump to get enemies who have not committed crimes. There won't be a full jury of twelve people who are not dubious of evidence that smells fabricated. The media will run with the story and the results will discredit Trump and the DOJ for bringing false charges.
It's early but it looks like the Ag industry is poised to take a hit. I do not think Trump has the funds to bail out the farmers in the BB bill. Spending was stripped to try to offset the tax cuts. Taxpayers paid for the losses farmers suffered in Trump One. We're not far from finding out how bad it is gonna be but I feel no sympathy. They backed Trump blindly, knowing what Trump was gonna do with tariffs. If teh GOP wants to bail out the farmers, the Democrats should demand it's paid for with taxes on the rich, where the cuts were.
It looks like we are on the way to a federal shutdown in ten days. The Democrats are demanding the GOP undo the cuts to the health care system that the BB bill did. That's a good hill to stand on. I'm waiting to see what happens to Disney stock next week.
Newsome signed some legislation I agree with that requires all police show their faces and show ID. I don't know if state cops will stand up to federal cops in violation but I want the case before the USSC. Will we have unaccountable secret police in America?
I've been advertising the method for pirating Disney content for free. This is a kick in the crotch. A huge factor in the US War for Independence was the attacks on British shipping all through the Atlantic and Caribbean. Once the war was over, England wanted normalized relations ASAP to get the US to call off the pirates. Disney is the biggest – force them to support the First Amendment and others will follow suit. They have no principles, so we have to hit them in the wallet.
I'm reading there is a devastating farming crisis throughout the U.S. and that a lot of farmers are on the edge of just plain going out of business. I don't believe Trump has even addressed this situation. It doesn't seem to be on his radar. Possibly his plan to stay in power after 2028 doesn't involve voting, so he doesn't care what happens to the farmers. But one would think members of Congress who represent farming districts would be putting forward some remedies, and I haven't heard about that, either. These would mostly be Republicans, I assume, so maybe they are afraid to push for any kind of spending without Trump's explicit approval.
Also, I'm guessing that Trump genuinely believed all he had to do was establish a bunch of tariffs, and all of our economic problems would just vanish. (Because he's an idiot and he likes simple, magic bullet solutions, as idiots do.) Right now I'm not sure he knows that prices actually haven't gone down.
I'm not sure he knows that prices actually haven't gone down.
It's all fake news. He thinks his words become reality, and he's arranged his world so it seems that way to him.
So fearless leader wrote urgently before going to shouting in all caps that it is ruining our reputation and credibility. What a laugh. Those two were ruined beyond repair, beyond FUBAR long ago. Now he is worried about reputation and credibility. Now it is urgent and getting dirt on his political rivals is going to fix the unrepairable. Not a chance.
Most farmers now know they have been conned or are getting there. As for the great American consumer, they are on to the problem. As Elizabeth Warren said from a NYT piece today:
Yes, he writes checks his ass can't cash said the wise critic. Now people are catching on.
He still thinks he can get by not dealing with his growing opposition. He refuses to let Rs talk too much less compromise with the Ds on any issue. He thinks he does not need to.
We will see how this shutdown works for him. I think most Americans will know who to blame. The one with the bad reputation and no credibility with no chance of redemption by any con job anyone could pull off for him. EVEN IF HE SHOUTS!!!!
The first sentence says it all: "I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts…………"
This fucking guy is the president of these United States and he his directing his AG to undertake multiple prosecutions based on "statements and posts". I've said for a long time that diaper don, his cabinet and indeed the entire GOP is run by the Breitbart comment section. These fucking people don't really have a plan or a strategy they just react to the mouth breathing dullards what post their racist hate on Breitbart. And for some reason our side doesn't seem to be able to mount a credible and or effective defense. What dumb fuck Stump did with this post is ensure that any charge (against the three people named) would be thrown out before a trial could even begin. Unless he was somehow able to get all the cases in loose Cannon's court room!
Watched some of the coverage of whats his names "memorial". What a load of crap, that wife of his is real piece of work, I couldn't defect much sincerity in her declaration that she forgives the shooter, seem like something a PR guru would have written? I predict she will have a long prosperous career in the wing-nut media universe, she definitely has what it takes! Really disappointed that msnbc and cnn decided to carry diaper don's "remarks" live.
I am not sure which owner of Tik Tok would be better China or the friends of fearless leader he has lined up. Who is the least trustworthy? Who would you trust more with your child's data?