Tag: Trump narcissism

Wall Street Journal pens a condescending reply after Trump’s attack — and explains the actual reason his briefing ratings are so high

AlterNet logoPresident Donald Trump clearly loves the spectacle of holding daily coronavirus briefings during the course of the pandemic, even when he has no actual news to deliver, but many of his allies fear they’re doing more harm than good.

One dependable defender of the president, the Wall Street Journal editorial board, made a plea this week for the president to dial back the combative and boastful performances, inspiring a rebuke on Twitter from Trump himself. And on Friday, the Journal sent out another missive in the dispute dripping with condescension.

“Thanks for reading, sir, and we agree the briefings are an excellent way to communicate directly with Americans,” the board wrote in reply to his tweet, which defended the briefings by citing their ratings. Continue reading.

Wall Street Journal slams Trump’s ‘outbursts’ as he transforms daily briefings into campaign rallies

AlterNet logoThe conservative Wall Street Journal urged readers to tune out President Donald Trump’s daily coronavirus briefings.

The newspaper’s editorial board published a column Wednesday evening lamenting that Trump had turned those news conferences into an airing of grievances instead of useful updates on the public health crisis.

“The briefings began as a good idea to educate the pu blic about the dangers of the virus, how Americans should change their behavior, and what the government is doing to combat it,” the column began. “They showed seriousness of purpose, action to mobilize public and private resources, and a sense of optimism. Mr. Trump benefitted in the polls not because he was the center of attention but because he showed he had put together a team of experts working to overcome a national health crisis.” Continue reading.

Trump berates ‘PBS NewsHour’ reporter for ‘threatening’ question, hits ‘nice’ question out of park

Washington Post logoIt’s no secret that President Trump resents tough questions but loves the ones that flatter — and Sunday’s briefing of the novel coronavirus offered perfect examples of both.

One reporter’s question was so nice, she got to ask it twice. The other question was so “threatening,” in Trump’s words, that he responded with an attempt at personal ridicule and then shut her down.

Not surprisingly, the flattering question came from Jenn Pellegrino of One America News Network, a right-wing channel favored by the president. Continue reading.

‘Don’t be a cutie pie!’: Trump gives a bizarrely tone-deaf answer when pressed on need for ventilators

AlterNet logoDuring the White House coronavirus briefing on Friday, President Donald Trump gave a bizarre and uninspiring response when a reporter pressed him on the supply of ventilators in the United States.

“Are you able to guarantee, to assure, these states, these hospitals, that everyone who needs a ventilator will get a ventilator?” asked ABC News’ Jonathan Karl.

“I think we’re in really good shape,” Trump replied. “This is a pandemic the likes of which nobody’s seen before. I think we’re in great shape.” Continue reading.

Trump’s Choice: The Economy or Human Lives

The president is running counter to public health experts – and some in his own administration – with his call to reopen the country soon.

AS A SELF-DESCRIBED wartime president, Donald Trump is choosing sides in the battle to curtail the damage from the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump is choosing the economy.

Clearly frustrated at the layoffs and stock market plunges that have occurred as result of stay-at-home directives and business shut-downs, Trump Tuesday doubled down on plans to loosen “social distancing” federal guidance meant to keep people from infecting each other. The nation, he declared in a Fox News virtual town hall, will be “open for business” by Easter, April 12. Continue reading.

‘Narcissist in charge’: Trump pummeled for admitting nationwide efforts to curve coronavirus are ‘detrimental to my election success’

AlterNet logoIn a stunning statement President Donald Trump admitted his motivation in re-opening the country is to help not the American people but his re-election chances. In a mind-blowing tweet the president blasted the “LameStream Media” for what he claimed is “trying to get me to keep our Country closed as long as possible in the hope that it will be detrimental to my election success.”

Right away Americans unloaded their anger and outrage of the president. Continue reading.

 

Trump’s rage at the media takes a dangerous new turn

Washington Post logoIt’s bad enough that President Trump has relentlessly minimized the coronavirus threat for nakedly political reasons, disastrously hampering the federal government response to the crisis, with untold consequences to come.

Determined not to be outdone by his own malice and depravity, Trump is taking new steps that threaten to make all of it worse. He’s telling millions of Americans to entirely shut out any and all correctives to his falsehoods. He’s insisting they must plug their ears to any criticism designed to hold his government accountable for the failures we’re seeing, even though such criticism could nudge the response in a more constructive direction.

Trump is now raging at the media for reporting on his botched claims about Google’s plans for a new website to steer people to testing options. Trump dramatically overpromised in this regard, forcing Google to scale down the expectations he had created. Continue reading.

Yale psychiatrist on coronavirus: Trump is ‘putting lives at risk’

AlterNet logoPresident Trump’s preoccupation with his own image amid the spread of the coronavirus is “putting lives at risk” and Vice President Pence is only “enabling” him, Yale psychiatrist Bandy X. Lee told Salon in an interview this week.

Lee is a forensic psychiatrist at the Yale School of Medicine who also teaches at Yale Law School and has spent the last three years urging Congress to respond more forcefully to the dangers posed by what she sees as the president’s deteriorating mental health. Lee, who consults widely with state and foreign governments on public health approaches to violence prevention, urged the House Judiciary Committee to include a panel of mental health experts during Trump’s impeachment and called for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to request an involuntary 72-hour psychiatric hold of the president.

Some mental health experts have pushed back on Lee’s comments. Dr. Amy Barnhost, a psychiatrist at the University of California, Davis, previously told Salon that such calls would do more harm than good. Lee argues that Congress and other government officials have enabled Trump’s worst tendencies by not acknowledging the risk posed by the president’s mental state. Continue reading.

Trump Will Hold Rally In Nevada Despite Canceled GOP Caucus

Donald Trump is heading to Nevada on Friday for a campaign rally on the eve of the state’s presidential caucuses. However, unlike his previous rallies in early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, Nevada Republicans will not be able to vote for Trump (or anyone else) the day after the rally.

That’s because Nevada is one of several states to cancel their nominating contest.

In September 2019, the Nevada Republican Party voted to cancel the state’s presidential nominating contest, becoming one of the first in a series of states to follow suit.  Continue reading.

George Conway: There is no one to stop Trump now

Washington Post logoWhen the subject of Attorney General William P. Barr comes up these days, it’s hard not to think of John S. McCain. Not the late senator, mind you, but the USS John S. McCain, the naval destroyer named after his father and grandfather.

It was an incident involving this ship that, as much as anything else, captures how the Trump administration — and its attorney general — operates. It explains Barr’s intervention into the criminal sentencing of Trump’s longtime friend and adviser, felon Roger Stone, and much, much more.

The McCain was docked at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan in May 2019, when the 7th Fleet issued a directive that had originated from conversations with the White House Military Office. The president was coming to Yokosuka on Memorial Day, and so, accordingly: “USS John McCain needs to be out of sight.” So sailors were ordered to hang a tarp over the vessel’s name, and they removed any coverings that bore the words “John S. McCain.” Continue reading.