Trump Draws Fire for Claiming Too Busy to Hold Press Conference on Business Conflicts While Meeting With Kanye West
Don’t Be Distracted by the Meeting – Be Outraged He Lied About the Press Conference He Canceled, the Cabinet Picks He’s Made,Â
Donald Trump Monday night canceled his long-scheduled press conference during which he had promised he would tell the American people how he would avoid conflicts of interest his businesses automatically create for him as president. The reason? “Busy times!” he tweeted, pointing to “Cabinet picks and all other topics of interest” as his reason.Â
Apparently those “other topics of interest” include meeting privately with rapper, producer, and entrepreneur Kanye West. West, often the subject of controversy, recently told an audience he did not vote in the November election but had he, he would have voted for Trump.
Kanye (and entourage) arrives for a meeting at Trump Tower. Real life. pic.twitter.com/W9PQDgfQmg
— Tal Kopan (@TalKopan) December 13, 2016
West did not tell reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower why he met with the president-elect, but standing with Trump he said, “I just want to take a picture right now.â€
this is the most awkward video of all time https://t.co/0PFGUgTmY0
— azy (@azymanzur) December 13, 2016
But E! News reports the “rapper met with Trump to discuss becoming an ‘ambassador of sorts,’ a source close to West tells E! News. The source adds that Trump is interested in getting West involved in an “entrepreneurial leadership role.”
Remember, Trump is also too busy – and wholly not interested in receiving daily presidential briefings on national security.
Many note that this move is typical Trump: distraction.
“Naturally, it would make sense that Trump wanted to hand the press a shiny object to distract from all this,” referring to his canceling his important press conference, Vox reports. “The meeting with Kanye soon ensued.”
Former NBC News reporter Luke Russert offered this view in a series of 10 tweets. An excerpt:
1. Remember, in media, “we’re better than this” doesn’t exist. Trump masterfully exploits this so Kanye happens on rough headline day for DT
— Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) December 13, 2016
6. Absurdity has become normal and the more absurd, the more normal. In essence, reward comes to those who push the hyper absurd.
— Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) December 13, 2016
8. So it’s unlikely to change unless those who control cable/network/local TV & FB can get past the car wreck bait. Not gonna happen
— Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) December 13, 2016
More responses to Trump’s attempt to distract:
Newsweek reporter Kurt Eichenwald today published a new story stating: “The president-elect is issuing statements to world leaders that radically depart from U.S. foreign policy, and benefit his family’s corporate empire.” He drew a very clear line as to why Kanye showed today:
Trump knew this story coming today. Canceled conflicts announce, sent tweets on biz, invited Kanye. Media falls 4 it https://t.co/Fg94tsBA1e
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) December 13, 2016
Environmental organization Sierra Club didn’t hold back:
Don’t let Trump’s meeting with Kanye distract you from all the climate-denying fossil fuel lovers Trump is naming to cabinet positions. pic.twitter.com/ScM6i5Cdd0
— Sierra Club (@sierraclub) December 13, 2016
Others:
Guessing they dreamed up the Kanye West appearance to distract from Eichenwald’s new story about Turkey and Trump. Seems to have worked.
— Pat120 (@Pat120) December 13, 2016
Buffoon Elect #Trump denies daily INTEL BRIEFINGS, but he’ll have a meeting with Kanye West, who just had a mental breakdown? La La Land.
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) December 13, 2016
Trump picks a Sec of State with ties to Russia and a global warming skeptic as Sec of Energy
Kanye is a stunt to distract us
Dont be played— Cole Ledford (@ColeLedford11) December 13, 2016
“This is Kanye West. Great guy. He’s here today to distract you from my unprecedented conflicts of interest and ties to Russia.” pic.twitter.com/CfBmJG2Ko2
— phil â„ï¸ (@AmericanMerman) December 13, 2016
2 ways to look at Trump/Kanye:
1. This celeb is wrong
2. Our president-elect is taking advantage of a mentally ill person to distract us
— happy holidays 🎅🾠(@dagotron) December 13, 2016
Hamilton was a distraction from Trump’s fraud settlement. Kanye meeting won’t distract from Exxon, climate, civil rights, ACA #Resist
— Jessica B-R (@JessGBR) December 13, 2016
Trump distract folks with shiny object “A” when he is doing bad thing “B”. What does it mean that Kanye is being paraded around?
— Nathaniel McNamara (@NathanielMc) December 13, 2016
Trump and Kanye meeting meant to distract us from his horrendous cabinet picks; Exxon CEO Sec. of State, Scott Pruitt EPA, R. Perry for DOE.
— Dylan Zhang (@_DylanZhang) December 13, 2016
UPDATE: 3:21 PM EST:
Also today:
NFL stars Jim Brown, Ray Lewis meet with Donald Trump https://t.co/uOJFTAXmJk pic.twitter.com/AAKVY9OTRM
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 13, 2016
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