Tag: Donald Trump
John McCain’s brutal rejoinder to Sean Spicer
The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website February 9, 2017:
Donald Trump took on Sen. John McCain’s status as a war hero and won the GOP nomination anyway.
Sean Spicer took on John McCain’s expertise on military matters and got this:
John McCain vs. Sean Spicer. Watch.
Continue reading “John McCain’s brutal rejoinder to Sean Spicer”
Is Trump Really Running The White House?
The following article by Froma Harrop was posted on the National Memo website February 9, 2017:

Last Saturday night, Donald Trump attended the Red Cross Ball at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. On Sunday, he watched the Super Bowl at his West Palm Beach golf course. As he left Florida on Monday, news emerged that he will probably return this weekend for golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Two questions. Does Trump think being president is a part-time job? And is Trump the one doing the job? Continue reading “Is Trump Really Running The White House?”
Trump’s Dangerous Terrorism Blame Game
The following article by Ken Gude, Corey Ciorciari and Anna Perina was posted on the Center for American Progress Action Fund website February 8, 2017:

Three weeks into the most erratic and reckless start to a presidency in modern American history, a dangerous theme is beginning to emerge: While emboldening terrorists with his dangerous policies and divisive rhetoric, President Donald Trump is seemingly laying the groundwork to blame a future attack on the very American institutions that attempt to check his power. The question needs to be asked: To what end? Continue reading “Trump’s Dangerous Terrorism Blame Game”
Trump Issues Terrifying Threat to All Who Cross His Allies During Sheriff Summit
The following article by Alexandra Rosenmann was posted on the AlterNet website February 7, 2017:
On Tuesday, President Trump held a White House meeting with sheriffs from around the country, cementing a new feud and baring his authoritarianism for all to see. Continue reading “Trump Issues Terrifying Threat to All Who Cross His Allies During Sheriff Summit”
Trump’s claim Ivanka is being ‘treated so unfairly’ by Nordstrom
The following fact check article by Michelle Ye Hee Lee was posted on the Washington Post website February 8, 2017:
“My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!”
— President Trump, post on Twitter, Feb. 8
“I think there’s clearly a targeting of her brand, and it’s her name still out there. So she’s not directly running the company, it’s still her name on it. And there’s clearly efforts to undermine that name based on her father’s positions on particular policies that he’s taken. This is a direct attack on his policies and her name.”
— White House press secretary Sean Spicer, news briefing, Feb. 8
President Trump took to Twitter to bash Nordstrom over the retailer’s decision to stop carrying Ivanka Trump products. Trump even retweeted himself using the official presidential @POTUS Twitter account. In a news briefing, Spicer defended Trump’s tweets, saying the president had a right to stand up for his family. Ivanka is being “maligned” because Nordstrom has “a problem with his policies,” he added.
There’s no question the president has the right to defend his family. In 1950, President Harry S. Truman blasted The Washington Post’s music critic, Paul Hume, for a negative review of his daughter Margaret’s singing performance.
“I’ve just read your lousy review of Margaret’s concert. I’ve come to the conclusion that you are an ‘eight ulcer man on four ulcer pay,’” Truman wrote. “Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you’ll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below!”
But Truman didn’t charge that Hume’s review was politically motivated. In contrast, Trump and his White House claim the president’s daughter was treated unfairly and maligned because of politics. Is that the case?
The Facts
A national “Grab Your Wallet” boycott of retailers carrying products by Trump and his family began in October, in the wake of The Washington Post’s report of a 2005 “Access Hollywood” video that captured Trump making lewd comments about women.
In a Nov. 21 internal email obtained by Fortune Magazine, the company’s co-president, Pete Nordstrom, said the company planned to carry the brand as long as sales were profitable. He wrote that the company “strive[s] to be agnostic about politics and to treat all our customers with respect.” The company confirmed the legitimacy of the email to the Fact Checker.
Excerpts from the email:
“We’ve heard from customers, including some who are long time loyal customers, threatening a boycott of Nordstrom if we continue to carry the line. Similarly, we’ve heard from customers who say they will boycott Nordstrom if we stop carrying the brand. This is a sharply divisive subject. No matter what we do, we are going to end up disappointing some of our customers.”
“Every single brand we offer is evaluated on their results — if people don’t buy it, we won’t sell it,” and the Ivanka Trump brand “has grown to be a sizable and successful business.”
Fortune Magazine reported that the company’s neutral stance may end up divisive for its employees, who want the company to take a political stand.
The company had already ordered the spring collection of Ivanka Trump clothing. The spring order probably was placed in late summer or early fall, before the Grab Your Wallet boycott began in October or the November election, according to Racked.com.
On Feb. 2, Nordstrom announced it will stop carrying Ivanka Trump, due to poor sales. The company said it evaluates sales each season. Racked.com found there was a dramatic decline in Ivanka Trump products on the retailer’s website from Dec. 2 to Dec. 27. The company said on Feb. 2:
“We’ve got thousands of brands — more than 2,000 offered on the site alone. Reviewing their merit and making edits is part of the regular rhythm of our business. Each year we cut about 10 percent and refresh our assortment with about the same amount. In this case, based on the brand’s performance we’ve decided not to buy it for this season.”
The White House did not respond to our request for evidence that Nordstrom’s move was politically motivated. In response to Trump’s tweet and Spicer’s comment, Nordstrom said on Feb. 8:
“To reiterate what we’ve already shared when asked, we made this decision based on performance. Over the past year, and particularly in the last half of 2016, sales of the brand have steadily declined to the point where it didn’t make good business sense for us to continue with the line for now. We’ve had a great relationship with the Ivanka Trump team. We’ve had open conversations with them over the past year to share what we’ve seen and Ivanka was personally informed of our decision in early January.”
Ivanka Trump herself announced she would leave her eponymous brand, after her husband was appointed senior adviser to the White House. The Ivanka Trump brand did not respond to our inquiry, but issued a statement on Feb. 3 that read, in part: “We believe that the strength of a brand is measured not only by the profits it generates, but the integrity it maintains.”
The Pinocchio Test
While Trump and Spicer paint this issue as a political move targeting Ivanka Trump and the president’s policies, the company has maintained for months that it will base its decisions on sales performance.
The Nov. 21 internal email shows the company faced threats of boycotts from both sides of the issue. Customers were sharply divided, the email said: Some wanted Nordstrom to continue selling Ivanka Trump apparel, others wanted the company to discontinue sales. Nordstrom told its employees it would be “agnostic about politics and to treat all our customers with respect,” and it anticipated that whatever decision it made would be based on sales, and would disappoint some of its customers.
Somewhere between the end of November and end of January, the company decided it would no longer carry Ivanka Trump apparel next season. Based on the information at hand, Nordstrom consistently has said its decisions are made based on sales performance. It has not taken a stance for or against Trump’s policies, the president’s daughter or her brand. (For instance, an internal email on the immigration executive order took no specific stand.) The evidence is stacked against Trump and Spicer, and we award them Four Pinocchios.
Four Pinocchios

Three Reasons Why Trump’s Tweet About Nordstrom Is Alarming
The following article was posted on the TrumpAccountability February 9, 2017:

On Wednesday President Donald Trump took to Twitter to slam department store Nordstrom for dropping Ivanka’s line of clothing. So to be clear: The President of the United States has singled out a major US retailer and characterized its decision to drop his daughter’s clothing line as unfair. Continue reading “Three Reasons Why Trump’s Tweet About Nordstrom Is Alarming”
Trump’s claim that friends ‘can’t borrow money’ because of Dodd-Frank
The following article by Glenn Kessler was posted on the Washington Post website February 9, 2017:
“Frankly, I have so many people, friends of mine that have nice businesses that can’t borrow money, they just can’t get any money because the banks just won’t let them borrow because of the rules and regulations in Dodd-Frank.”
— President Trump, remarks at strategy and policy forum, Feb. 3, 2017 Continue reading “Trump’s claim that friends ‘can’t borrow money’ because of Dodd-Frank”
Trump suggests only politics could lead court to rule against his immigration order
The following article by Matt Zapotosky and Robert Barnes was posted on the Washington Post website February 8, 2017:
President Trump denounced arguments against his immigration order as “disgraceful” on Wednesday — a day after three federal appellate judges lobbed critical inquiries at those challenging and defending the plan — and suggested a ruling against his administration would be based on politics and not a fair reading of the law.
In a speech to law enforcement officials in Washington, Trump argued his executive action is clearly legal and read aloud the relevant part of the law, which he called “so simple and so beautifully written and so perfectly written.” Continue reading “Trump suggests only politics could lead court to rule against his immigration order”
The DeVos vote is a bad case study for the power of campaign contributions
The following article by Philip Bump was posted on the Washington Post website February 7, 2017:

After the Senate narrowly — historically narrowly — voted to approve the Cabinet nomination of Betsy DeVos, opponents of her nomination presented a theoretical rationale: money.
Toomey, Cochran, Capito, and Tillis have all voted ‘yes’ to confirm DeVos as Secretary of Education #DeVosVote#NoOnDeVos #DumpDeVos
Here’s how much they received from DeVos: #DeVosVote#NoOnDeVos #DumpDeVos pic.twitter.com/Fhm6R9awbf
Continue reading “The DeVos vote is a bad case study for the power of campaign contributions”