Donald Trump’s campaign insists Trump didn’t deploy tear-gas. They’re lying.

President Donald Trump and First lady Melania Trump visit Saint John Paul II National Shrine

Donald Trump is a pathetic fool and we’ll get to all of that in a moment. But first, let’s talk about how Melania Trump came out of her Louis Vuitton bubble to make an appearance alongside the man she hates the most. That man apparently told her to smile for the cameras and she couldn’t do it:

Real talk: did he tell her to smile? I was trying to lip read and I don’t think he said “smile.” But sure, whatever. I won’t analyze it that much. Melania hates him.

Meanwhile, as I’m sure everyone remembers, Donald Trump ordered entirely peaceful protesters to be tear-gassed, flash-banged and assaulted on Monday. The images and videos were horrendous, and he did it all for a campaign photo-op at a church. He didn’t go inside the church, he just stood outside, holding a Bible upside down like a moron. In the 24 hours after that stunt, a steady stream of clergy, religious scholars, preachers and regular people came out against Trump and his actions. Turns out, seeing kids gassed live on television as part of Trump’s Nazi agit-prop will spur a lot of people to come out and make this their fight. There were even bigger demonstrations and protests in Washington, New York, LA and hundreds of other cities on Tuesday. There are now Black Lives Matter protests in all 50 states. And it’s happening globally too. That’s what Trump’s stunt did.

A few more things. This piece includes a first-hand account of the violent government assault on peaceful protesters on Monday. That first-hand account is from a reverend, a member of the DC Episcopal clergy, who was in Lafayette Park passing out snacks, hand sanitizer and water to the protesters. The reverend says she and the other clergy and church volunteers there were tear-gassed and pushed off church property by the armed thugs with badges.

Meanwhile, there were several different versions about who ordered what and when on Monday. Bill Barr says he ordered the assault and gassing, Trump’s people said he ordered it because he hated the way the media reported on his cowardice and how he hid in the White House bunker. Some government officials tried to gaslight the public and say of course they didn’t tear-gas or assault anyone, despite the mountain of evidence and first-hard experiences. Now the Trump campaign is lying specifically about the tear-gas. They say it wasn’t tear-gas. It was.

Donald Trump Visits St. John's Church

Donald Trump Visits St. John's Church

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.

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66 Responses to “Donald Trump’s campaign insists Trump didn’t deploy tear-gas. They’re lying.”

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  1. Joanna says:

    He’s such a POS

    • HashtagNo says:

      Yamiche Alcindor, CNN WH correspondent said in PBS news that she could hear and see gas and that – her own eyes were stinging. Come. One. Don the con =Lying POS I’ll add

    • Mrs.Krabapple says:

      Trump was humiliated because the whole world knew about him hiding in a bunker, like the coward he is. To counter his humiliation and distract from his cowardice, the “Bunker Bitch” did something even more vicious than usual. “POS” is correct.

    • tback says:

      Tear-gas gas lighting.

  2. Bryn says:

    Is he seriously holding the bible upside down? WTF is going on in the US…my hearts are with you all. Love from canada. Stay strong!

    • Deanne says:

      And backwards.

      • phaedra7 says:

        Some other news blogs mentioned that he called the book of Second Corinthians: “Two Corinthians” and “Corinthians Two”. Figures, this heathen would not know a thing about God’s Word!

    • Christin says:

      I watched this as it happened, and it was even more bizarre than the photos illustrate.

      He never opened the Bible as he juggled it and held it up high at one point. It was simply a prop that he was handed (by his daughter, as Lightpurple indicated yesterday). He paid no attention to whether it was upside down.

      • Lightpurple says:

        A prop carried over in the giant $1,200 MaxMara bag she brought with her. The Bible probably has “Property of Trump International Hotel, Washington DC” stamped inside.

    • snappyfish says:

      It is amazing to me that someone (Trump aka bunker baby) who claims to be so media savvy simply doesn’t seem to understand how video works. He is lying. I watched it live. Today he is saying he didn’t know anyone was in the park. This is beyond outrageous. He is also mansplaining about “I wasn’t really hiding in the bunker, I was inspecting it”. He is very upset that we know he was hiding in the bunker like a bitch. I can’t even explain how much I loathe, abhor, detest this poor excuse of a human.

    • Holly hobby says:

      Because he is the devil incarnate. I really think he was put here to end the world that xxx bastard

  3. Tx_mom says:

    He’s looking at that Bible like he’s never seen a book before.

    • Allie says:

      That’s because he didn’t.

    • Chrissy says:

      Just what I thought. He’s looking at it like it’s an alien being that just dropped out of the sky. What a moron, to say the least.

    • bananapanda says:

      Reporter: Is that your bible?
      Trump: It’s a bible.

      So someone scrambled to find a bible in the WH that he could hold in front of a church he doesn’t go to, didn’t even pray, and walked away within 5 minutes.

      CNN (maybe others too) have cameras on the roof of the Hay-Adams Hotel (across from St. Johns church on 16th/H/Lafayette Park). Tear gas and concussion grenade were caught by ~5,000 cameras/phones at the time. Heck you could hear the noise from the Rose Garden.

  4. Yuzu says:

    I hate this man so much.

  5. Lightpurple says:

    The Trump campaign has no authority to order anyone to do anything.

    The Arlington police confirmed it was tear gas.

    James Miller, undersecretary of Defense resigned because the military was involved in tear gas, helicopters, horses, and batons being used against US citizens.

    Numerous religious affiliations have spoken out against what was done at St John and the Catholic archbishop is livid about yesterday’s stunt at the shrine.

    Barr had no legal authority to give that order.

    This whole fiasco was the brilliant idea of Ivanka, who is now trying to pin it all on Mark Meadows and Hope Hicks.

    • Agirlandherdog says:

      I find it interesting that his campaign would call for a retraction. Saying things that aren’t true as if they’re gospel is one of trump’s most effective tricks. If they want the media to issue retractions, trump should have to fess up to all the sh*t he’s said that isn’t correct. I mean, if we’re fact checking…

      • Lightpurple says:

        They got The Federaist to write an article claiming that tear gas wasn’t used and nothing was done to the protesters in Lafayette Park before the church stunt. They have all the right-wing pundits and Trump himself linking to the Fedralist article.

        But there’s video. CNN and others had cameras on the crowd while they were waiting for Trump to make his speech. They caught Barr walking around the back of it and pointing at things and they wondered on air why he was there. And the police all lined up in position and started tossing the tear gas, marching forward with the batons, while wearing gas masks, and then bringing the horses in. They did a split screen of the chaos while Trump was making his speech about domination. Ivanka wore a damn mask going across the street because the tear gas was still lingering. She took it off for the walk back.

    • Christin says:

      The media who had reporters on scene will have to keep pushing back on this.

      I was watching MSNBC as the press briefing and church takeover were happening. Garrett Haake(sp?) was reporting live from the street and he was clearly shaken by what was happening, before curfew. He is adamant that chemical agents were used, as are others who were there.

      The backpedaling has already started. Esper claims he didn’t know they were going to the church. He thought they were going to check out some graffiti on a restroom???

      There are so many “sure Jans” to award for this horrible stunt.

      • Lightpurple says:

        And the protesters had been told they had until 7 PM to stay there but they started forcing them out 45 minutes early.

      • Christin says:

        Yes, it was before the curfew time plus everything had been very peaceful. A completely blindsiding.

        Another thing being reported is that Guard members were believed to be “taking a knee” with the crowd, when they were actually bowing their heads to put on gas masks.

    • Holly hobby says:

      Why a retraction? We all know that xxx bastard would sue at the drop of a hat. Yep because he’s lying and he knows he’ll lose if he was stupid enough to file a lawsuit. The press should challenge him to sue.

  6. lemonylips says:

    About Melania – I don’t for one second feel sorry for her. She’s a grown up woman who knew what she was getting into and is a vapid person who’s been supporting him from the start. Yes, she’s not fit for this position and probably never wanted it, but I can’t help myself not empathising with her. I feel like this situation right now needs to be resolved by having actual cops who are siding with people deciding to stand with people other then listening to all the orders. I know it sounds like na utopistic idea, but I trully hope the spark that changes everything comes from their ranks. If true that Trump is looking into sending army tanks and such…. people in the police force need to wake up now and stand with the people they are supposed to be guarding, confirm that yes there horrible behaviours that need to be faced and acknowledge what is happening and why.

    • Marianne says:

      I dont feel sorry for her either….but Im sure she probably has some sort of contract with him and stays for her son. I wouldnt be totally surprised if she left Donald once her son is 18.

    • Veronica S. says:

      I’ve no doubt he abuses her as he’s rumored to do all of his family. I also think she had no problem striking that devil’s deal for his money and is now facing the consequences for it. I’ll save my sympathy for others.

      • Digital Unicorn says:

        He was physically abusive to Ivanna (marital rape) and was emotionally abusive to Marla – then there are the stories about how he treated his sons. I won’t go into what I’ve read elsewhere about what has been written about his relationship with Ivanka. We’ve all seen how he paws at her and heard the things he has said about her.

    • Christin says:

      With her Einstein visa, architecture degree, etc., I am sure she can be a highly contributing citizen once everything ends. She’s so independent, you know.

  7. AnnaKist says:

    Oh, gawd. Just keep this loony under lockdown, away from other living things. Strap him in his high chair and settle him down with a barrel of his favourite burgers and a couple of the biggest buckets of fried chicken you can find. Hr can even have two scoops. 🍔 🍗 🍨

    • phaedra7 says:

      😂 🤣 😂 🤣 😂 🤣 😂 🤣 😂 🤣 😂 🤣 THIS/EXCELLENT!!!! 😈

    • Holly hobby says:

      They should look him in the bunker until the change of power on January

    • nb says:

      Ha ha, my friends and I were just talking about him in terms of a baby this past weekend. Like that his toy used to be Fox News but now they’re fighting so we need to find him something else to focus on while real adults take care of real problems. We recommend throwing Big Macs into a golf cart and letting him golf and eat for as long as he wants.

  8. OriginalLala says:

    Canadians are protesting in solidarity (and also because we have our own deep issues with racism and police brutality) – there is a protest Friday here in Ottawa. I’m masking up and going.

    also, F*&k Trump.

  9. BLERG says:

    I am in awe of the mental gymnastics people are using to blame the media and support Trump. If they want to argue that it wasn’t *exactly* tear gas, it doesn’t change the fact that chemical agents, flash bangs, and rubber bullets were used against citizens.

  10. Sean says:

    One year ago, Bill Barr lied to Congress about the findings of the Mueller Report. He then refused to appear before the House Judiciary Committee. Nancy Pelosi stated he’d “committed a crime” yet refused to impeach him.

    I wonder if she’ll reconsider that now.

  11. Summergirl says:

    I think what he said is “Why aren’t you smiling?” I hate him so much I can barely stand to look at him.

  12. KellyRyan says:

    Tell a lie, take an action which hurts others, tell a cover-up lie. Consistent behavior of a malignant sociopath. It’s going to be a long five months.

    • KellyRyan says:

      Correction: Malignant narcissist.

    • Carisel says:

      Even George Will said in an interview today that both Trump and the Republicans are going to lose. He says the majority of voters are looking to punish both for the last four years, but more so, the past 3 months.

  13. ME says:

    I can’t stand him. What is scary is there are millions of Americans just like Trump. They love him. This dude is allergic to the truth.

  14. Joanna says:

    OMG A SLEEVELESS DRESS

  15. Jerusha says:

    I’m not able to post it here, but google the links about exposure to tear gas and risks of contracting Covid-19.

    • Lightpurple says:

      Pretty high.

    • laura-j says:

      Honestly that’s why I haven’t gone to the protests here. They all end up in tear gas, if it wasn’t pandemic time I’d be there. Instead using my money, keyboard and phone to do what I can from home. The protestors are heroes in my book, they are actually putting their lives at risk with every march.

  16. 10KTurtle says:

    I am not a lip-reader by any means, but when he turns his head toward her, it looks like he says “would you please “ and then I can’t see his lips any more, and then the Melania-bot short circuits when it tries to move its face.

  17. goofpuff says:

    What’s sad is that all the years of brainwashing the MAGAs into the whole fake news thing means they’ll believe it. Like we’ve seen with the whole pandemic hoax thing. They will believe anything he says even if there is no proof just because he said it. And any real proof is just written off as fake.

  18. Morele says:

    Zero sympathy for this wanna be dictator and fake Melania. Everybody around him is complicit in tear gassing peaceful protesters and journalists.

  19. Michelle says:

    I am still so confused by this, Trump’s latest craziness. I watched it while it was happening on TV and reading it about it after, I’m so confused. He didn’t he even pretend to go into the church, pray, or do anything that he could show off to his overly conservative deplorable. He just…Uncomfortably stood in front of a church with a Bible. It isn’t even natural-looking? What was the point of this stunt? Besides to hurt and gas peaceful protestors?

    • Prayer Warrior says:

      That was the point @Michelle: he wanted to hurt and gas peaceful protesters…..

    • SandyBay says:

      Well, he couldn’t very well risk going into the church. He probably would have burst into flames.

      • Holly hobby says:

        I was hoping God or Zeus would strike him with a thunder bolt where he stood with the upside down bible

  20. Aimee says:

    Please VOTE.

  21. Valerie says:

    That’s the first big-boy book without pictures that he’s ever held! Maybe one day he’ll open it.

    • Lucky Charm says:

      He’ll have to figure out which way it opens first, since he’s holding it upside down and backwards.

  22. Bananas says:

    Melania attempting to smile was really scary.

    I just watched the R Kelly series on Netflix and wonder if perhaps Melania has been gaslighted, manipulated, abused, brainwashed and broken down just like R Kelly does with his captives?

    He tells them what to wear, when they can eat and go to the bathroom, what to say, and precisely how to behave at all times.

    Something in Melania’s trance like state, Trump muttering orders to her, and her robotic attempt at a smile reminded me of this.

    Never thought I’d say it, but I’m actually worried for her.

    Let’s be honest, we know Trump is deranged and just as bad a R Kelly and he’d never let her walk out of the marriage or White House on her own free will.

    Someone needs to do a welfare check.

  23. Emily says:

    It’s semantics. I still believe it was tear gas but even if it was smoke bombs and pepper balls which create the same effect, the result is the same. It’s like arguing that someone is lying because they accused you of setting their house on fire with gasoline and they actually used kerosene. It’s so disgusting. No matter the means, we all watched on live TV as police used force against peaceful protesters before curfew so Trump could take a photo of himself brandishing a bible he’s never read.

    Some of the people Trump’s enablers are calling liars include priests from the church he desecrated. I am so happy they are calling him out.

    And, because if it could get any worse, they did this to journalists who are supposed to be protected. This includes foreign journalists.

  24. MsDiMeanOur says:

    I only have to comment that this orange make up scares the SH!T out of me 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

  25. shanaynay says:

    Vote!!! People we have to vote this POS out of office. If anybody even thinks about voting for this POS, should be ashamed of themselves!!