Donald Trump’s town hall with ABC News was an unqualified disaster. Fox News leaped into the breach to play the blame game. It was all the fault of “Clintonite” George Stephanopoulos, opined Laura Ingraham. Very simply, it was a disaster because it was outside the MAGA rally bubble. Trump only does well in front of an adoring crowd, taking his cues to chant “Lock Her Up!” In front of a crowd such as Stephanopoulos depicted, “some of these people voted for you and some for Hillary Clinton,” and asking normal questions on topics of the day, Trump can’t function.
Fox News is calling the ABC Town Hall an “ambush” pic.twitter.com/dGMtCkxct8
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) September 16, 2020
We’re 8 minutes into this town hall and Trump has already lied to the audience repeatedly about Covid, about masks, about his praise for China, about the travel ban, about Fauci, about Biden, and more. It’s an avalanche of lies. Period. So much of this is recycled lies.
— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) September 16, 2020
Whoever in the White House agreed to have Trump do this town hall session live on ABC should probably start packing up their office.
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) September 16, 2020
As a non-partisan observation, I will say that this town hall is showing that doing nothing but being surrounded by sycophants and going to rallies is a bad idea. He does not react well to normal human beings asking him normal human questions. He was better at this in 2016.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) September 16, 2020
A voter, crying, asks Trump a question her Mom wanted to ask, but she died of cancer.
Trump repeatedly mentions her Mom dying of covid.
Trump: Did you have Covid? You didn't have it, right? You didn't have it? Your mother. Uh, we’ll have it taken care of.
Outrageous.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) September 16, 2020
In the first 15 minutes of this ABC town hall, Trump:
– Criticized Biden (who isn't POTUS) for not implementing a national mask mandate
– Claimed the virus will "disappear," even without a vaccine, because of "herd mentality"
– Said WAITERS are urging Americans not to wear masks— Ian Sams (@IanSams) September 16, 2020
Goodness. Trump says Churchill was dishonest but still a great leader because he went on rooftops during Nazi bombing and said "everything's going to be good."
Churchill did not speak from rooftops. He did not say "everything's going to be good." https://t.co/V10FobBwEC
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 16, 2020
Asked about what he’ll do to win back waning support from military families, Trump attacks John McCain (former POW), Jim Mattis (retired general), John Kelly (retired general), John Bolton (veteran), and Joe Biden (military dad).
— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) September 16, 2020
If this is Trump’s idea of a town hall meeting with undecided voters in a swing state, I hope he does one every night and in every state
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) September 16, 2020
Amen to that. Double amen. Frankly, I’m surprised that Laura Ingraham is even bothering to try to defend this. She was the one who interviewed Trump the night he was raving about “dark shadows” and “thugs” with “lots of gear” on airplanes. It’s not like she doesn’t see him disintegrating before her eyes.
Anyone watching it would see he’s an idiot. I hope lot’s of people were watching.
As before, the liberal plot to undermine Trump, called ‘Let him speak’, continues splendidly.
How long before staffers are let go over this in the name of cutting payroll?
Nicely put. Kudos.
Bail out the baby Trump of any responsibility. He is only 73, after all. How cool, President Biden will be able to ignore every Republican. Quite a precedent Trump has set here.
It is really hard communicating with Republicans. You have to determine what their conspiracy theories are currently and in the past then play them up as if they are something other than lies. Trump attempts to keep all this Qanon type stuff in his head and then has to talk to normal people. He can’t do it.
Sherlock Holmes’ “brain attic” monologue in “A Study In Scarlet” has never been more apt.
I’m reminded of a 1990s story about Rush as told by Al Franken. See, Rush tried going outside the RWNJ bubble a few times too and his first attempt was Pat Sajak’s failing talk show as guest host. It didn’t go well. Someone in the audience called him on the carpet for making fun of AIDS patients and he panicked to the point where they had to clear the studio. He apparently walked with an economy-sized amount of Nixonian flop sweat.
That’s pretty much what happened to Trump here.
Always scared bullies, cowards. Can’t cut it in reality.
F*ck Fox. Just f*ck Fox. I’m so damned angry right now (and drained.) This was 45 showing exactly who he’s been and who he will always be – a malignant narcissist who is incompetent at best. I was in a f*cking christian cult for 15 years. I see that exact cultic mentality in 45 followers and Fox promotes the b.s. they want to hear. We’re walking away from our chiropractor because he has TWO HUGE F*CKING 45 SIGNS in his front yard. Our payments are not going to support him supporting 45. Eventually the truth will hit them right between the eyes, like it did me. It took me two more years to leave and then a shi*load of therapy. He will wake up some day. But right now – I’m so f*cking angry and last night 45 showed his ineptness and Fox said it was an ambush. F*ck Fox. (Venting – much needed – PTSD.)
I get it, Bead. This man’s maladministration has provoked all kinds of ugly flashbacks from everybody outside the cult. But the Parole Board is still meeting regardless and our chances of early release still look good. I only hope your chiro is given the CHANCE to wake up someday. Current events being what they are, he may be among the hundreds of thousands who aren’t waking up at the next morning because of a bad case of COVID.
I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself. You’re angry because you care & it’s hard to watch evil prosper.
Two houses on my block have huge red banners under their front windows—Trump 2020 Vote, etc.—. There are a lot of Republicans in my county. It’s hard living here.
Same with mine and the surrounding counties. And that’s before you get into how ruby red TN is just acting like COVID 19 is already gone…
I haven’t heard anything recently about the Covid 19 stats for your state, but then they are likely being swept under the carpet anyway.
Cannot even imagine what that is like for you. We’re in a deep blue county, bumped up against DC, and where there are few to no Trump signs. Even the ones we sometimes catch are enough to raise blood pressure.
I went to the store today and I must be the only Democrat on my road. Out of 15 houses, 10 had Trump signs. On Face Book a former friend scolded me and some of my friends because I post Riden with Biden. I have to calm down before I respond.
FWIW, I live in deep red Texas in the most conservative part of San Antonio and see almost only Biden signs. There are even a couple Republicans for Biden signs up as well. I know how tough it can be, but there are signs 🙂 everywhere that things are about to change.
Being ex military I don’t really think being held accountable by members of the press/media is an ambush by any stretch of the imagination. Maybe it could be called a “soft media quasi ambush” at best…
Maybe “being on the carpet by your superior officers” is a little closer to what happened?
A “meeting without tea” as the British put it.
I cannot watch him. But I can deal with short clips of events–the one I saw early today about the woman asking him I thought pretty politely about pre-existing conditions being removed from health care insurance was powerful. And she directly said to him, “I’m not finished. Let me finish speaking. ” And what do you know? He shut up. Thinking he is afraid of no-nonsense black women. Speaking of whom, wouldn’t it be grand altogether if Trump had to debate Kamala too? As it is, Pence is going to be a grey marshmallow melting on the floor when she debates him.
You bet it would. He doesn’t know handle strong women of any color, or for that matter, anyone who gives him a hardball question that he hasn’t been prepped for at least 3 seconds on. djtRUMP does not do well with unexpected questions. I think Joe should set up every debate he can from now to Nov 3rd. Joe needs to pound on fascism, defunding social security, climate change and, of course, the most recent djtRUMP lies…
4k Ingraham. She’s a shrill, soulless hack/mouthpiece for these POS. As for waiters, I’ve had them thank me for leaving my mask on till after they’ve served my food. And herd mentality? That aptly describes the MAGAT morons who run around without masks because Dear Leader says to.
I wouldn’t say Trump “does well in front of an adoring crowd.” He doesn’t do any better, but the adoring crowd cheers for responses normal people greet with stony silence.
There is no one so blind as one who refuses to see!