As we discussed earlier this week, David Lynch gave a terrible interview to the Guardian. I never realized that Lynch was (and perhaps is?) a Bernie Bro. Through the course of the Guardian interview, Lynch seemed befuddled by the current political landscape. He admitted to supporting Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary, and then he vaguely remembered possibly voting for the Libertarian candidate in the general election. When asked about Donald Trump, Lynch said:
“He could go down as one of the greatest presidents in history because he has disrupted the thing so much. No one is able to counter this guy in an intelligent way.” While Trump may not be doing a good job himself, Lynch thinks, he is opening up a space where other outsiders might. “Our so-called leaders can’t take the country forward, can’t get anything done. Like children, they are. Trump has shown all this.”
In context, it’s not really a compliment, but it’s not a disavowal of white supremacy, fascism and authoritarianism either. Lynch just fits that demographic – older white man – which can treat these life-and-death issues like far-removed intellectual exercises which are up for debate. Like, point/counterpoint: should babies be ripped from their mothers’ arms by the state? Lynch is so far-removed from it, he could sit there and do a both-sideism debate about it.
Anyway, because Trump is illiterate, he thought Lynch’s words were an endorsement. Trump tweeted this Breitbart coverage of Lynch’s interview:
“Director David Lynch: Trump Could Go Down as One of the Greatest Presidents” https://t.co/AcgnIZNh6e
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 25, 2018
Trump also name-checked Lynch at his South Carolina rally for Deplorables on Monday night, saying that Lynch “is a Hollywood guy… The reason I do this is, you know, you don’t hear this. And plenty of ’em voted for me.” Then Trump mangled up Lynch’s words to make it sound like Lynch had given him a full-throated endorsement. So on Tuesday, Lynch issued a new statement, directed to Trump:
Dear Mr. President,
This is David Lynch writing. I saw that you re-tweeted the Breitbart article with the heading – Director David Lynch: Trump ‘Could Go Down as One of the Greatest Presidents in History.’ I wish you and I could sit down and have a talk. This quote which has traveled around was taken a bit out of context and would need some explaining.
Unfortunately, if you continue as you have been, you will not have a chance to go down in history as a great president. This would be very sad it seems for you – and for the country. You are causing suffering and division.
It’s not too late to turn the ship around. Point our ship toward a bright future for all. You can unite the country. Your soul will sing. Under great loving leadership, no one loses – everybody wins. It’s something I hope you think about and take to heart. All you need to do is treat all the people as you would like to be treated.
Sincerely, David Lynch
David Lynch, master of understatement. “You can causing suffering and division.” I would add that Trump is also directly causing thousands of children to be traumatized (perhaps permanently), and that he’s also inciting violence, treason and widespread crime. “Unfortunately, if you continue as you have been, you will not have a chance to go down in history as a great president.” I beg to differ – the dye was already cast on this one long ago. Trump never had the chance to be a great president, because he was always Putin’s Puppet.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Good grief he sure goes out of his way to be nice to Fat Nazi, eh? That was the most light-handed response I have ever seen. He’s falling all over himself trying to not be offensive in any way.
His vague platitudes give me the feeling that he truly doesn’t know much about what Trump and his goons are doing. He seems really out of touch.
Pompous ass..thinks if he could meet with trump, HE could just turn his lifetime of lying, cheating, bullying, hating around with his magic words..70 something year old guy with string of exes and huge ego..ah hah!..two of a kind
Just announced yesterday is that Smokey Eyes is receiving Secret Service protection around the clock.
Is this due to the Red Hen Incident?
Nice to know where some of our tax money is going. Again.
Next, Stephen “Goebbels” Miller will need SS protection.
Dear David Lynch,
Trump never had a chance to go down as the greatest because he lost by millions of votes due to his lack of fitness as a candidate. And the fact that he has disrupted the thing is what makes him so awful. Because he has disrupted it with criminal behavior, racist behavior, sexist behavior, juvenile behavior, and lies. And people are capable of countering him in an intelligent way. Hillary Rodham Clinton was one of those people. It’s just 30 somethIng% of the population is too stupid to listen to intelligent countering. They have been brainwashed by fox news and info wars and Breitbart.
And we didn’t need Trump to show us how childish politicians are. We learned that when the Republicans were accusing Obama of being a foreign-born terrorist. And obstructing his Supreme Court pick and other rulings. We also learned from Bernie Bros like you who got petulant as f*ck when Hillary beat your precious Savior for the Democratic spot as candidate.
Signed, everyone who sees through your transparent backpedaling
Well done.
So in other words, Trump was spreading fake news. It amazes me how his followers just buy his b.s., but everybody else is “FAKE news.” Do you hear a judge ruled families have to be reunited within so many days? I think it’s 20, if kid is under 5, 15? I could be wrong on the time. I am so glad to hear this.
Between Lynch’s comments and Bernie refusing to denounce ICE, my favorite part in all of this is watching the Bernie/Lynch “bros” twist themselves into pretzels with excuses. Just totally shocking.
Just kidding. It’s not shocking at all.
Ugh. They’re still at it? What about the last one and a half years hasn’t seemed like it was the worst option? I hate this timeline.
Of course, how many of those Bernie Bros are Russians or Russian agents whipping susceptible Americans into a frenzy. We know they’re doing it.
How did you feel about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s win in New York? It made my day.
It was a ray of sunshine on a terrible day.
Although I consider myself pretty far left, I cannot stand Bernie. But Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the kind of person I want to get behind. I hope the Democratic party is listening. It’s time to move past the Nancy, Chuck, Bernie, Joe Biden, ect. and look to a young and diverse candidates.
I’m a bit over all of this name calling. We have to beat Trump and his followers at the polls not at who can lob the best insults. I can see a 2nd term for Trump because we are not utilizing our anger in the right way. We need candidates that spur people to the polls much like Obama did. Trump and his people have the momentum at this point. What besides insults are we going to do to change that?
Please with the disingenuous calls for civility. I don’t know what you’re doing but I (and plenty of people I know) am phone banking and canvassing for candidates. I am doing a training to become a registrar so I can register people to vote. If you think Democrats are just “name calling” you’re not paying attention.
I’m as real as it gets in not liking what is going on with Trump and the current political landscape. I also feel that keeping our head in the sand is not going to get us where we need to be. I’m not trying to see another Hillary situation where so many thought we had it in the bag. His followers are getting more and more emboldened, the Supreme Court is ruling in his favor at every turn. We need to do something different. That’s my opinion and I am sticking to it.
I think he’s backtracking poorly. Dammit, David.
Perhaps for another occasion, a conversation about how so many democrats couldn’t side with Hillary Clinton in the post Bernie period because of subconscious bias that could not let them endorse a woman? America has now had a black man as president which was a huge step forward, but no females. Between a politically unqualified oumpa loumpa and politically seasoned (hardened, whatever) woman – the oumpa loumpa won because so many couldn’t get over their general dislike of being steered by a woman. Yeah she made a few mistakes, but I see male politicans getting handed political reprieve over and over again.
Blah. David Lynch needs to take his old man pompadour and go home and have a bottle of Ensure and a nice afternoon nap.
My vibe is that he’s kind of trying to couch the truth in trump’s language in the hopes of bridging the dissonance between trump and humanity.
“This would be very sad it seems for you— and the country.” Sad in this context feels very Trumpian. Also putting the stakes in that order is very Trumpian.
Who knows, man. Trump responds well to Hollywood folk. Maybe he’ll read David lynch’s response and leave office.
(Just dreaming big, y’all)
Hahaha! But yes, this. I think he actually is speaking to Trump. I hope he hears him (he won’t).
Exactly. It literally sounds like he is SPEAKING TO TRUMP in his language, so he will hear. I doubt it’ll make a difference, but it sounds like he knows that he has Trump’s ear for a millisecond via his favorite social media platforms so he made the most of it.
He’s a fool in every sense of the word.
How can a person go from Bernie Sanders to voting Libertarian? David Lynch is an idiot.
“do a both-sideism debate about it.” Unpopular opinion: Being able to intelligently critique ANY subject from both sides is not an unfavorable trait.
Unless you do a false equivalency. The point is are you trying to be insightful about each side or trying to overly simplify? Sometimes people don’t really want to engage with an issue and use both-sides as a way of being dismissive.
Think of zero tolerance for violence in schools. If a bully assaults a victim and the victim hits back -isn’t it misleading to just sum it up as there was violence on both sides?
Am I the only one here intrigued by how the tyrant will respond? I am sure this niceness yet criticism is something very uncommon to deal with. Having said that, the tyrant does not deserve to be treated this ….politely. Lynch just seems out of touch