Donald Trump did a press conference yesterday, and he only announced it a few hours beforehand. It’s actually pretty traditional, for the (NotMy)President to speak and/or answer questions the day after the midterms. This time, it felt a lot different though. It felt like Trump wanted it to be a victory lap and preview of all the things he’s going to threaten to do to Congressional Democrats. It felt like Trump wanted attention, so he acted extra unhinged. And of course, it’s always awful when he interacts with journalists. This is what happened when Jim Acosta – the White House correspondent from CNN – got up and asked him about the group of migrants (mostly women and children) making their way North from Central America. The whole exchange is… infuriating. But props to Peter Alexander for having Acosta’s back.
Yes, you just watched Trump throwing a tantrum about “rude, horrible” Jim Acosta, who merely asked him a couple of mildly tough questions. Donald Trump is a sexual assailant, a racist, a white supremacist, a white nationalist, a jingoist, a nativist and a moron. HE is rude and horrible. Oh, and Trump also yelled at April Ryan to “sit down” when she tried to ask a question too. Much rude and horrible.
Here’s CNN’s statement on what went down:
CNN’s response to @realDonaldTrump’s press conference today: pic.twitter.com/tJ3nZDnYwO
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) November 7, 2018
As for the young woman – let’s call her Becky – who tried to forcefully grab the microphone out of Acosta’s hand mid-question, she’s an intern and her job is to simper and lie and get physical with reporters, apparently. And when Acosta merely put his left arm out to block her from getting into his space, apparently Becky felt like SHE was being assaulted.
This conduct is absolutely unacceptable. It is also completely disrespectful to the reporter’s colleagues not to allow them an opportunity to ask a question. President Trump has given the press more access than any President in history.
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) November 8, 2018
Sarah Sanders used this fake story – reporter puts his hand on Becky!! – to cancel Acosta’s press credentials in the White House. Other reporters are like “that didn’t happen” though:
This is a complete lie. The woman grabbed Jim's arm repeatedly. He never once touched her. In fact at one point @Acosta tells her politely "pardon me, mam" as she's yanking on his arm. https://t.co/Mfh3Ol5Q46
— Allie Malloy (@AlliemalCNN) November 8, 2018
This is a lie. https://t.co/FastFfWych
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) November 8, 2018
Sarah Sanders:
Trump will never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on someone just trying to do their jobFact check:
In Oct 2018, Trump praised Greg Gianforte for body slamming Ben Jacobs "Any guy that can do a body slam he's my kind of guy"#Acostapic.twitter.com/hqlsIUbe7n— The Hummingbird 🐦 (@SaysHummingbird) November 8, 2018
Photos courtesy of Getty.
This is so disturbing. The exchange was awful to watch – and while Peter Alexander did stand up for Acosta, I thought he could have been stronger about it. I think when Trump ignores a question they should all just keep asking it until he answers it or walks away.
But in general I’m not sure what the press should do. Not attend these briefings/press conferences/whatever they are? Not report on them? I’m not sure.
Also I will add that the interesting part of this to me is that Trump was clearly rattled after the results on Tuesday night, tweets about how great the victory was aside.
I thought they should ban together and just keep asking the same question as well. Probably eventually Trump would stop holding press conferences, but since he’s not really answering any questions anyway I don’t know that that would make much of a difference.
Every question should begin with “Jim Acosta asks……”
@Aang great idea.
When somebody hasn’t got anything worthwhile to say anyway, Why show up? 🤔
Excelent pont! There îs an entire articole o this at The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/08/us-press-corps-trump-journalists-press-conferences?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
You could see the tension building in Trump as the press “conference” commenced. He doesn’t like being scripted, and when he is it sounds so fake it isn’t funny. So, it came as no surprise that he finally exploded, odd that it didn’t happen earlier. Trump clearly is not pleased with how the election went and he’s such a terrible actor he can’t even hide that during a brief speech. His performance just demonstrates his mental illness, and the fact that he has so much power to boot is so scary for this country. He’s like a caged animal.
And now the White House has put put doctored video to support their lie. I am sorry Americans. What’s happening in your country is terrifying.
This whole situation is beyond ridiculous. I had to wish Ill on anybody but I hope to whatever God anybody worships that this man drops dead. He is ruining America.
A doctored video posted on an official White House account to deliberately frame a journalist for a crime he did not commit, when there were a hundred witnesses in the room, photos from multiple angles and actual raw footage available for the world to see.
I hope Jim Acosta sues Sarah Slanders straight back to Arkansas.
It’s so infuriating! And, of course, Trump had to throw in his usual fascist rhetoric of how CNN, not just Mr. Acosta, but apparently the entire network is the “enemy of the people.” January cannot get here fast enough so the Democrat-lead House can finally start putting his ass in check. Gah! If he isn’t run out of office please, please, pleeeaaaasssse don’t let him get re-elected!
This twitter thread shows exactly what was doctored (and where it came from):
https://twitter.com/rafaelshimunov/status/1060450557817708544
leyla, thanks for sharing. And omg even the doctored video doesn’t show an assault or “chop,” just a firm block as she tries to wrench the mic away from him. He was polite af, too. I cannot, cannot, believe how they are demonizing him. I actually worry that someone will try to kill him.
It’s so much more than merely “infuriating”, it is straight-up horrific.
Fascism, guys. Some of us on the left have been saying it for a couple years now. We need to call it what it is every time we see it. FASCISM.
@smcollins leyla (thanks for the link) esmom and Kitten you all said it. Especially Kitten it’s FASCISM. #PresidentMiller is so scared.
No, don’t send her back to Arkansas, send her to North Korea or something.
Government spokespeople spreading misinformation is a very serious matter. It is fascism.
I just watched side by side video and even in the doctored one, I’m not sure what I’m missing? He is incredibly civil in the face of Nazi Stacy entering his personal space and making it physical, which he resists as professionally as possible.
Anyway, this whole press conference was disgusting nonsense. But using this as pretense for revoking a press pass is a really bad sign of things to come. (How is that even possible, that things might get worse?)
I know, I agree with everything you say. I can’t believe we are at the point where they will lie about what can be refuted by anyone with eyes — and that the deplorables are going right along with the lie. It’s disgusting and frightening.
The video is a joke because he’s clearly not being rude. If anything, it would be read as an accidental movement.
What should scare you is the implications of a government framing free press as assaulting women and editing content to verify a false claim. That is straight up fascist dictator shit, like somebody is using 1984 as a “how-to” guide. Don’t underestimate the power of propaganda. The GW Bush administration managed to reframe the entire narrative of the Iraqi war after they failed to find WMDs as a “anti-terrorist” measure, and people have bought it hook, line, and sinker.
I see the same Veronica. He’s not even looking at her. It’s like he’s someone who speaks with his hands, and he’s gesturing, and she walks into it. Not at all the same thing as say intentionally grabbing a woman’s p***y.
The defamatory comments as well as the fake video should be enough for CNN to Sue Sarah Sanders on behalf of Acosta. The right wing nuts are claiming he assaulted her and it’s nuts. Such evil people in the WH right now. It’s scary to watch.
It will never cease to amaze me that they will lie about things we watched with our own eyes.
“I’m sorry what you just watched was a lie, dont believe your eyes, believe us!”
Get them out of here.
Gaslighting 101. Convincing people that they are the ones who are wrong.
he’s such a piece of shit. it’s infuriating.
I’m getting real tired of the Trump vs. CNN game.
In no way do I support what Trump is doing or saying. It’s dangerous. But it’s also the kind of crap he craves and a distraction. And Acosta plays right into it sometimes(not in this situation, but the dude is always whining on Twitter).
Meanwhile, this is all over my Twitter feed when the Jeff Session sh*tshow was going down and it’s still all over my feed this morning when there was yet another mass shooting. Trump is never going to change. Stop feeding into his drama and focus on the real issues.
It was a planned distraction, no doubt. One of the reporters described how Zero was pacing at one point – just loaded for a fight.
It made someone I know very upset that the live broadcast of this circus interrupted the start of the showcase showdown of the Price is Right, which they like to DVR and play along with. “I didn’t even get to see the prizes!”
OMG! Priorities!
Well, the person’s point was that programming was suddenly interrupted for “that idiot”. Supposedly Orange went on for an hour or longer, which interrupted local news (Eastern time) and possibly some soap operas. Don’t mess with people’s daytime programs! 😁
Do NOT mess with The Price is Right crowd. Do so at your own political peril. Same with the General Hospital crowd. Trump may finally have gone a tantrum too far.
Christin – your Price is Right fan has the proper priorities. I would feel the same way. Well, not for Price is Right. But I’d be ticked if I were recording a new episode of, say, The Fairly Oddparents and President Tweeter barged onto my tv. Or an old episode I’ve seen ten times before, actually. Or a new Friskies commercial. Or a test pattern.
That intern trying to grab the mic away could have been planned. They are saying Acosta shoved her now even though what we saw was her being the aggressor trying to grab the mic away and him blocking her.
I hear you but IMO I think part of it is Acosta trying to show how much of a threat the 1A is under during this administration.
CNN coverage annoys me because they are clearly profiting from it, but at the same time – THAT’S HIS JOB. He’s supposed to ask those questions! If they won’t, who will? The moment you stop challenging that authority is when you let it walk all over you.
I listened to the press conference on NPR as it was happening and can only reiterate everyone’s sentiments. It was infuriating and I have no idea what members of the media should do. Not only did Trump attack Acosta, but he then berated Peter Alexander for defending the CNN journalist. And while DJT accuses everyone of being rude and disrespectful, he cannot even check that his own behavior is rude and disrespectful. (And completely bereft of any intellectual substance, but that’s another matter.)
I was listening, too, and was just appalled at Trump’s tone, even before the Acosta madness. As Jon Favreau said “he’s talking like a mob boss.” Not even a fraction of an ounce of unity, or reassurance. Just pure divisiveness and spite.
James Comey, the FBI Director Trump fired because he wouldn’t stop investigating the Russia thing, said the same thing long ago about Trump, that he talks like a mob boss. And Comey has gone after mob bosses, so he knows the species well.
If it talks like a mob boss and walks like a mob boss and looks like a mob boss —- just maybe it’s a mob boss. Not a terribly smart one, though. He can’t keep quiet about his evil plans but just blurts them out when the cameras are on.
He talks like a mob boss because he isn’t one, but has been a useful idiot for the mob since the 70s. This is what he’s been around and all he knows.
Wow. That’s all I could say yesterday and still all I can say this morning.
I would loved to have seen all of the other reporters ask the same question after his orangeness refused to answer. In fact, I would love to see them do it every day. The only thing with that is he would probably pull all of the press passes and then it would all be screwed.
He’s too much of a narcissist to pull all the press passses. He needs them to get on TV. More likely he will just play them against each other choosing favorites that are nicer to him. I’m still stunned he called a Black journalist racist for asking why he calls himself a Nationalist as in the White Nationalists who hate Blacks and Jews!!
Because it’s not about CNN or the press. He is ignorant to all of them but he repeatedly singles out reporters of color and women bc he can’t stand being question by people he sees as inferior. He’s a racist. He’s a nazi. I sincerely hope CNN provides Jim Acosta (handsome, brilliant MF that he is) with security at work and at home.
You are dead on. People who posture as mob bosses are usually the opposite. He is a pawn. Putin is the boss.
Acosta also got his press pass taken from him after this so he can’t attend the press conferences now! Trump is stifling freedom of the press!
i thought south africa was bad. america! WTF man! Trump is living true to his disgusting quote because he literally has grabbed America by the pu**y. i am absolutely shocked and terrified that these openly unhinged people are running around with such absolute power. it’s crazy, it’s like America is now a cracked out First World meth head, playing Russian roulette in the dark, surrounded by hidden land mines.
Holy cow, this. I have a meth head living in my basement and no one knows what to do about it!!!!
I have to head to DC in January for policy meetings and I am super curious as to what it’s going to be like. I’ve only been there once before for meetings like this, but that was back in 2014, so the vibe was pretty calm.
That’s the best analogy I’ve heard in a while. Sigh.
I’m starting to get images of Mueller as the Road Runner and Trump as Wile E. coyote.
Beep, beep!
Welcome to Trump Nationalist America.
Where the terrifying occurs daily.
I want to believe in an escalation. I truly want to hold on to one major tipping point and that the ship this administration is on is going down, but they keep taping all the tiny holes and manage to stay afloat. Something feels different though. Is it just me or does anyone feel like something is on the horizon? Something bigger than daily tweet taunting and lies. Perhaps it’s simply wishful thinking, but I swear I think, I FEEL, like a major happening is coming.
I kinda feel that too, but I’m trying to be cool because I dont want to be too upset if nothing happens. I feel like Mueller is about to drop bombshells. Imo, the fact that we haven’t heard anything means it’s huge. People have been warned not to leak.
I think Junior might be indicted in the near future, and Daddy feels the walls closing in on him
Mabs – well, Trump is trying to follow the Nixon Watergate playbook. He just did his version of Nixon’s Saturday Night Massacre and that pretty much doomed Nixon. I assume Trump will fire Rosenstein next.
Instead of just working his way down the hierarchy as Nixon did to find someone compliant enough to fire his Mueller, Trump fired the Attorney General (just for recusing himself from that pesky Russia thing) and installed his puppet Whitaker as Acting AG, who has been blustering about the investigation in print and on video, including the neat idea of starving the investigation by defunding it. Plus the Trumpies secretly got the next person in line after Rosenstein (the Solicitor General) a special dispensation months ago to not have to recuse himself despite Trumpy ties. They never included that guy on the list of ethics waivers that is supposed to be public and kept updated.
So my GoFundMe idea is still on the table. Although the budget is already set until next September, so maybe starving Mueller won’t be very effective.
I’m reasonably sure that Mueller is ready for this and has done what government scientists did after the election. They transferred copies of their data to non-government servers in case the Trumplings deleted everything about climate change, healthcare results, etc. Mueller might be ready to roll anyway with indictments and his report, although Trump keeps adding to the evidence for obstruction. I’m sure Whitaker is also supposed to try blocking release of Mueller’s report to anywhere but the White House, but there seem to be some legal problems with that.
Nobody would ever believe all this if somebody submitted a movie script. Too wild and unrealistic.
I know jwool, nobody could make this shit up. I screamed about him throughout the election year and being fed up with people ready to give him a chance, like he would do a 180 once elected. I literally lost my shit on a regular basis. And ever since then, those I yelled at see only a mute in me. They know exactly what I’m thinking cuz it’s all over my frakking face. A few have even offered apologies at various points since, but I took his election so hard I walk out of rooms when his name defiles my ears. I need him gone.
My husband is a writer and I keep on telling him, if you would try to shop the storyline of this administration anywhere in the real world, nobody would take it because it is just toooo crazy.
If 45 is acting like this because of the Democrat’s big gains in the house. What will he be like once the Democrats start flexing their muscle regarding committees and also the Mueller investigation ?
Orange Dotard couldn’t graciously let Nancy Pelosi have her victory lap. She had a press conference scheduled for 2:30 PM. Knowing that, he scheduled this circus for earlier in the day, pulled this stunt so he would get the most coverage and then fired Sessions later in the day when Nancy should have been getting coverage. So, Pelosi’s statement got little to no coverage and he was all over the news during the day and night.
The California shooting i taking attention away from him this morning so expect something outrageous today to put him in the spotlight again.
What he did yesterday was completely predictable, and suggests he knows the game is changing (and not to his favor).
That he could not wait even 24 hours to start the mega-distractions is very telling.
Scared. Bigly scared.
Distract and capture the news cycle. That’s Trump’s goal, and he achieved it. His blatant attacks on the press in that room (including Yamiche Alcindor and April Ryan), were designed to bludgeon us all into forgetting Democrats had just won the House. He’s a criminal. He knows he’s going down.
becky hahahahaha
thanks for making me chuckle.
Trump called on him so he could start this fight with Jim, and take his pass. He never even let Jim finish asking a question before he started ranting and raving. I watched this yesterday live, and never for a second thought Jim was assaulting the woman, she reached at the mic, and banged his arm, and he said “pardon me,ma’am” and held the mic with both hands. Shame on Suckabee for posting a doctored video to try and make an innocent man, just doing his job,look guilty of assault
It was planned. Trump was giving hand signals to the specially selected intern. I think Trump intended to frame Acosta from the very beginning and to lift his press privileges. Sarah Sanders must have been in on it.
I agree 100%..he has this CNN feud to feed his base their basic anti-freedom hate diet. He picked them because his followers have never read NYT or WaPo. Have you ever noticed an intern planted in the room before? Too bad she won’t be subpoenaed and asked who told you to put on that little show?
I loved his “Becky block”. It was justified and Becky was continually yanking on his arm…..bless her heart.
Each time a racist nationalist lies to
my face about something I can see with my own two eyes, I get deeply sad and reflective. I think of Eric Garner being strangled to death on video, and all of the victims of violence and false accusations before we all had recording devices in our pockets. Remember the flashing of the white power sign during the Kavanaugh hearing? I’m so tired of the lies and gaslighting and I am so sad for the victims.
This was a pre-planned ambush on Acosta, it’s so glaringly obvious. They found the most doe-eyed looking female intern and staged her grabbing the mic. She goes from crouching next to Acosta while he’s speaking to handing the mic to Pete Alexander and retreating to her seat towards the back. Her little smirk as she looks back to receive further direction while crouching next to him is so obvious. I
There was nothing, absolutely nothing, about him “assaulting” her but the second they suspended his pass the bots came crawling out making the absurd allegation and then within 10 minutes SHS is releasing a statement touting the exact same line. Apparently guests on Lou Dobbs’ Fox News show called for Jim to be banned because he “assaulted” her only moments before, too. He should sue the little doe-eyed Nazi for battery and hit SHS for libel and slander. Unfortunately he won’t because he’s too classy. They are seriously trying to destroy his life.
RBG fell and broke her ribs? It’s like hell gets a new, deeper, more horrifying level everyday.
Whaaat????!!!!
No!
lol, I wanted to reply to Sarah yesterday, “As if you care about anything that happens to women.”
Right,?!?! Now it matters if you assault women. Only now. Not yesterday and not tomorrow
I loved how Acosta held onto the mike! It was just delightful.
I swear, if hear one more Trump supporter call Acosta an “activist instead of a journalist” I’m going break something. This is straight up Nazi thuggery. And Acosta was literally prevented from doing his constitutionally protected job.
Becky the Microphone Nazi was the aggressor here.
She is unprofessional and should be fired or at least reprimanded for that type of physically aggressive behavior in the work place.
Also, you don’t have a right to use physical force to protect your personal property (only your life) so Becky didn’t have a right to get physical with Jim over a microphone (that WASNT EVEN HER PROPERTY!) in the first place. She is way out of line in my opinion.
Our president is a Gaslighting, Malignant Narcissistic Personality Disordered human being. We are in big big trouble.
I agree she was acting psycho
“you don’t have a right to use physical force to protect your personal property ”
Great point.
Journalists should not feed the troll. We should all stop feeding the troll. Focus on policy, taxes, health care, trade wars. Focus on what he’s not doing, instead of letting his message of hate get out.
In fact, stop attending the briefings. Make them irrelevant. He won’t change, she won’t change, they should change.
Any HR people here?
Donald Trump’s verbal abuse towards other people in a place of business and government is so shameful. How can he get away with his intimidation, harassment and clear retaliation against Jeff Sessions in the work place?
Do employment laws not apply to the president? He should be sued for harrassment and unlawful termination for what he did to Jeff Sessions (who I don’t even like!)
You make a real good point. It seems insane to me that Trump can continually get away with behavior that wouldn’t be tolerated anywhere else. He’s been doing this for two years and any of us would be fired after just one of a rage like his.
Where are magnolia rose and why ? Miss you
Yes! The guy who bragged about grabbing women without their consent, who’s been accused of harassment, assault, and rape-who enjoyed news about someone running for office body slamming a reporter SUDDENLY cares about protecting people’s well being and boundaries. Does he really think anyone is falling for this? This is like when NO ONE would perform at his inauguration ball and he went on twitter and tried to say, ‘we have so many people dying to participate we’re having to turn people away!’ seriously dude?
I love when people try to hide behind women as ‘oh I just want to protect women.’ no you’re using women as a shield to distract people from noticing that you really just don’t want journalists holding you accountable for your actions so you want them to have no access to you but you don’t want to admit that so you hide behind women. the shooter of the church who posted pictures of himself with the confederate flag, he said something similar as an excuse for why he killed those people. that they ‘rape our women’. you don’t care about women dude.
Microphone Becky is clearly the aggressor. I wanted to punch her in the face watching this.
Acosta should be commended for his restraint and civility.
Unrealistic but highly entertaining scenario: Becky makes a statement saying she was not assaulted and does not support the Trump administration using this embarassing moment in her career as political fodder. And then apologizes to Acosta.
Reality tv person with 0 knowledge or experience in politics becomes Americans president . Pathetic ..Did u guys run out of actual intelligent people there
Now these evil bastards are putting doctored videos out as truth?? Lord help us all. I am so afraid for us. Well except for any deplorable mutant MAGAT who voted for this POS. They can rot in hell.
An angry mob showed up outside Tucker Carlson’s house. Those absolute idiots terrorized his wife while chanting that they knew where he lived. This is ridiculous. It feels like the whole country is in a dysfunctional, codependent relationship with Trump and his minions. They act and the country reacts and things get steadily more out of control. Trump is picking fights with journalists, cheering on violence against them and posting doctored videos and a mob is harassing the family of a Fox anchor.
Honestly, thank goodness for Mueller keeping his head down, staying out of the fray and just doing his job.
Call me crazy, but with all the shit they’re pulling I find it hard to believe this wasn’t set up too. Justifies them calling democrats an angry mob.
Tucker’s wife called 911 so unless I have evidence to believe it’s not real, I’m not going to believe that she made it up.
I think what Steff’s saying isn’t that she made it up but that the mob was set up by the right. A “false flag” like the right likes to fantasize about. I don’t know about that, the right will continue to demonize the left as an angry mob no matter what.
The White House just suspended Jim Acosta’s press pass. Fascism prevails.
he’s nothing but a giant pissbaby. a giant orange pissbaby. so embarrassing and gross as an american. how do people even like this guy?
I just can’t. I really can’t anymore. He fired his AG, he banned a reporter from the WH for simply doing his job, they’re putting out doctored videos (too late–most people had already seen the original).
Y’all. We are teetering on the knife’s edge of a Constitutional crisis, and it makes me sick, literally sick to my stomach. I can’t with Trump and his cronies anymore–my feelings are so far beyond just dislike or disagreement–I’ve actually never felt this way before. I’ve never felt before that the people at the very top are totally out of control. NO ONE IN THE WHITE HOUSE KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND FURTHERMORE, THEY DO NOT CARE. It’s not just Trump, it’s all of them.
And it kills me.
Its interesting that trump mentions that he wants immigrants to come into the country the right way. Because all the companies are coming back to the states and they need people to work in them…. I thought he was bringing jobs back for the American ppl..? This guy is something else for sure
So freaking thin skinned and using his trademark playground bully techniques – trying to make himself look like the victim because someone asked him a question that offended him. I just wish we could get an adult back in the White House instead of this overgrown baby and his vapid wife. I have concerns that we won’t be rid of this scourge in 2020 and that the mid terms were just the Republicans testing out new techniques to keep a stranglehold on the government. Scary times indeed.
Every day I feel crazier than the day before. I didn’t know I could feel this crazy and still be alive.
Are we gonna be okay, do you think? I cant imagine ever being okay again. Is it just me, or….. ?
What revolts me about watching these videos isnt so much what he’s saying, but knowing he won because of this. That people buy into this playground bully techniques, that they think he’s being “honest”. That there’s people in this country who think he “owned” Acosta.
Just… Why him. Why a mentally unstable reality TV host. The Republicans have always been racist and mysoginist, but couldnt they at least get a president who behaves like an adult? Why must he be an awful human being AND more immature than your average 13 year old?
The damage this Administration has done will take so long to repair… Im ashamed of being American now. I hate my country. Even if the wokest of presidents won the next election, I wont be calm knowing Trump supporters still exist and make a sizeable part of this nation.