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This Donald Trump Interview With TIME Magazine Is Insane.

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‘I Can’t Be Doing So Badly, Because I’m President, and You’re Not.’

President Donald Trump sat down with TIME magazine Washington Bureau Chief Michael Scherer to discuss “the way he has handled truth and falsehood in his career.” The interview was preparation for a TIME story, “Can President Trump Handle the Truth?” and TIME’s cover story by managing editor Nancy Gibbs, “When a President Can’t Be Taken at His Word.”

But TIME also published the raw transcript. It’s insane.

Not only does Trump lie, it’s the way he lies. Worse, look at the way he frames events so he always comes out the winner, and how he rambles and jumps around from topic to topic. Instead of admitting he is wrong, he claims his false statements are predictions of things that came to pass.

For example, Trump made an entirely false statement about a terror attack that never happened in Sweden, based on his misunderstanding of a Fox News segment. That, he now says, was a prediction. Or Brexit, which he didn’t even know what it was weeks before the vote, he now says he predicted.

I predicted a lot of things, Michael. Some things that came to you a little bit later. But, you know, we just rolled out a list. Sweden. I make the statement, everyone goes crazy. The next day they have a massive riot, and death, and problems. Huma [Abedin] and Anthony [Weiner], you know, what I tweeted about that whole deal, and then it turned out he had it, all of Hillary’s email on his thing. NATO, obsolete, because it doesn’t cover terrorism. They fixed that, and I said that the allies must pay. Nobody knew that they weren’t paying. I did. I figured it. Brexit, I was totally right about that. You were over there I think, when I predicted that, right, the day before. Brussels, I said, Brussels is not Brussels. I mean many other things, the election’s rigged against Bernie Sanders. We have a lot of things. 

Then there’s Trump’s insistence that if a story is in a newspaper, even those he claims are “fake news,” it’s perfectly acceptable for him to cite it.

Bold type is TIME’s Michael Scherer:

But you would agree also that some of the things you have said haven’t been true. You say that Ted Cruz’s father was with Lee Harvey Oswald. 

Well that was in a newspaper. No, no, I like Ted Cruz, he’s a friend of mine. But that was in the newspaper. I wasn’t, I didn’t say that. I was referring to a newspaper. A Ted Cruz article referred to a newspaper story with, had a picture of Ted Cruz, his father, and Lee Harvey Oswald, having breakfast.

Trump continues:

I’m just quoting the newspaper, just like I quoted the judge the other day, Judge Napolitano, I quoted Judge Napolitano, just like I quoted Bret Baier, I mean Bret Baier mentioned the word wiretap. Now he can now deny it, or whatever he is doing, you know. But I watched Bret Baier, and he used that term. I have a lot of respect for Judge Napolitano, and he said that three sources have told him things that would make me right. I don’t know where he has gone with it since then. But I’m quoting highly respected people from highly respected television networks.

But traditionally people in your position in the Oval Office have not said things unless they can verify they are true.

Well, I’m not, well, I think, I’m not saying, I’m quoting, Michael, I’m quoting highly respected people and sources from major television networks.

I don’t even know what to say to this:

But isn’t there, it strikes me there is still an issue of credibility. If the intelligence community came out and said, we have determined that so and so is the leaker here, but you are saying to me now, that you don’t believe the intelligence community when they say your tweet was wrong. 

I’m not saying—no, I’m not blaming. First of all, I put Mike Pompeo in. I put Senator Dan Coats in. These are great people. I think they are great people and they are going to, I have a lot of confidence in them. So hopefully things will straighten out. But I inherited a mess, I inherited a mess in so many ways. I inherited a mess in the Middle East, and a mess with North Korea, I inherited a mess with jobs, despite the statistics, you know, my statistics are even better, but they are not the real statistics because you have millions of people that can’t get a job, ok. And I inherited a mess on trade. I mean we have many, you can go up and down the ladder. But that’s the story. Hey look, in the mean time, I guess, I can’t be doing so badly, because I’m president, and you’re not. You know. Say hello to everybody OK?

And let’s just end with this:

TIME magazine, which treats me horribly, but obviously I sell, I assume this is going to be a cover too, have I set the record? I guess, right? Covers, nobody’s had more covers.

I think Richard Nixon still has you beat. But he was in office for longer, so give yourself time.

Ok good. I’m sure I’ll win.

I’m sure you will “win” just like Richard Nixon, Mr. President. I’m sure you will.

 

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News

Harris Goes All in With Fox News, Charlamagne, and Possibly Rogan Interviews

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October 15, 2024

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Vice President Kamala Harris is pulling out all the stops with just three weeks until Election Day and early voting currently underway in dozens of states. As the polls show the race between the Democratic presidential nominee and Donald Trump tightening, Harris is heading into less-friendly territory this week, sitting down for an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Charlemagne the God Tuesday afternoon, and possibly even Joe Rogan.

Harris reportedly is looking to make gains with male voters, and she will instantly gain access to millions of them—many of whom may not be current supporters— with these interviews.

“Charlamagne, a Black comedian and author who hosts radio program ‘The Breakfast Club,’ is known for his blunt interviews of celebrities,” Reuters reports. “A Harris supporter, he has been critical of her and President Joe Biden in the past and called Democrats ‘cowards’ for ineffectively prosecuting a case against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.”

READ MORE: ‘Petulant Toddler’ Trump Smacked Down by British Journalist at Chicago Economic Club

Tuesday’s show will be a town hall style event, “recorded live in Detroit, Michigan, a key swing state in this year’s race. It comes amid a busy week for Harris, who is campaigning in the Great Lake State, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin,” USA Today adds. “The radio personality and comedian asked Michigan residents to submit questions before his chat with Harris.”

Charlamagne has eight million monthly listeners. Tuesday’s interview, “We the People: An Audio Town Hall with Kamala Harris” can be heard at 5:00 PM ET on iHeartRadio.

“The interview will offer Harris an opportunity to make her case to his followers, as she works to shore up support with male voters and Black men in particular. Numerous public polls suggest Republican nominee Donald Trump could outperform among young men of all races,” Reuters adds. “On Monday, the vice president released a new set of policy proposals to appeal to Black male voters and her campaign is ramping up outreach to the typically Democratic voting group.”

The Harris campaign is also currently in talks with Joe Rogan, the nation’s number one podcaster whose show, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” has 14.5 million followers.

READ MORE: ‘He’s Not Ok’: Questions of Trump’s ‘Cognitive Decline’ Explode Amid ‘Bizarre Behavior’

Some Harris supporters are wary of her Fox News and possible Rogan interviews, but some say the Vice President should do them.

“Fox News and Rogan in the closing weeks,” notes Adam Carlson, a market researcher and former pollster. “It’s almost as if she was waiting until voters were the most tuned in to do these types of interviews. It’s almost as if her campaign knows what it’s doing.”

“If you hate Fox News & Joe Rogan (as I do), then good,” Carlson also says, “These interviews aren’t for you. You’re already voting for her.”

“Fox News is targeting the small but important block of Rs that don’t like Trump,” he adds. “Rogan is for men & less engaged/low info voters.”

“The goal is to win not placate.”

Matthew Sheffield, a self-described former right-wing operative turned progressive podcaster, adds: “Kamala Harris going on Joe Rogan is a long overdue for a major Dem. He and Alex Cooper occupy similar cultural niches. Rogan is conservative, but he’s not a Fox hack. This group needs to be addressed rather than ceded to Trump. She’s got the facts his audience needs.”

READ MORE: Trump Campaign Furious Walz Using Trump’s Own ‘Reckless, Dangerous Rhetoric’ Against Him

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News

‘Petulant Toddler’ Trump Smacked Down by British Journalist at Chicago Economic Club

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4 hours ago

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October 15, 2024

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Donald Trump sat down for a live interview with the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News Tuesday afternoon at the Economic Club of Chicago, and quickly grew defensive when questioned about his economic policies as the journalist explained to him how they will harm the American economy.

At one point Trump sat back in his chair and folded his arms in a defensive posture before telling his host,”You’ve been wrong, you’ve been wrong all your life.”

John Micklethwait has served as Bloomberg’s editor-in-chief since 2015 and previously in the same role at The Economist, starting in 2006.

“President Trump,” Micklethwait said, “the markets are looking at the facts. You are making all these promises—latest one was car loans—you’re flooding the thing with giveaways.”

READ MORE: ‘He’s Not Ok’: Questions of Trump’s ‘Cognitive Decline’ Explode Amid ‘Bizarre Behavior’

“I was actually quite kind to you,” Micklethwait continued as Trump tried to interrupt. “I used seven trillion, the upper estimate is 15 trillion,” he said of the debt Trump’s policies could create. “People like The Wall Street Journal, who is hardly a communist organization, have criticized you on this as well.”

Trump interjected, “Yeah, but you don’t know.”

“You are running up enormous debt,” Micklethwait told him.

“What is The Wall Street Journal know? I’m meeting with them tomorrow,” Trump said.

“What does The Wall Street Journal know, they’ve been wrong about everything,” the ex-president, in defensive mode, continued. “So have you, by the way. You are wrong, by the way.”

“You’re trying to turn this, you’re trying to turn this —” Micklethwait interjected before Trump again attacked by saying, “You’ve been wrong.”

“You’re trying to turn you’re trying to turn this into a debate,” the journalist countered. “There are business people —” he added, pointing to the audience.

READ MORE: Trump Abruptly Cancels Another Interview, This Time With a Trump-Friendly CNBC Host

“But you’ve been wrong,” Trump argued. “You’ve been wrong, you’ve been wrong all your life on this stuff.”

Mother Jones’ David Corn responded to the video (below), writing: “This is a man incapable of listening to others. His aides have said that for years. He cannot absorb information that challenges anything in his big brain. It’s hyper-narcissism. And the business class ought to worry about this and not just drool over tax cuts.”

Former Lincoln Project executive director Fred Wellman, also responding to the video, said, “Look how he crosses his arms like a petulant toddler.”

Watch below or at this link.

READ MORE: Trump Campaign Furious Walz Using Trump’s Own ‘Reckless, Dangerous Rhetoric’ Against Him

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OPINION

‘He’s Not Ok’: Questions of Trump’s ‘Cognitive Decline’ Explode Amid ‘Bizarre Behavior’

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5 hours ago

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October 15, 2024

By

Nobel Prize-winning economist, professor, and popular New York Times opinion writer Paul Krugman on Monday published, “Trump Has Become Unmoored in Time.” In it he closes by asking, “what would Trump say about an opponent who, like him, seems stuck in the past, who routinely describes America in ways that suggest that he doesn’t know what year it is?”

On Tuesday Krugman posted a link to his piece on the social media platform X, and wrote: “This was filed before Trump’s bizarre behavior at his latest rallies. Maybe I was too polite in describing one aspect of his cognitive decline.”

Krugman is not alone in calling out what some are calling Donald Trump’s apparent cognitive decline, which seems to have become increasingly obvious over the past few days, and especially since Monday evening.

At a town hall in the suburbs of Philadelphia last night, two medical issues among audience members led the Republican presidential nominee to decide he would no longer take questions (he had taken just a handful) and declare the Q&A over. Instead, Trump said, he would like to play some music. The “impromptu D.J. session,” as The New York Times generously called it, and a “bizarre musical event,” according to NPR, went on for 30 to 40 minutes.

“Let’s not do any more questions. Let’s just listen to music,” Trump told supporters at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. “Let’s make it into a music ——. Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?”

RELATED: Trump Abruptly Cancels Another Interview, This Time With a Trump-Friendly CNBC Host

South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem, who was acting as the town hall’s host, asked Trump, “Well sir, do you want to play your song and then greet a few people?” After the ex-president, apparently not understanding, questioned her, she explained, “Well, you had said you wanted to close with a specific song.”

The GOP presidential nominee spent the rest of the evening on stage listening to music and occasionally dancing (photo.)

Trump on social media described the evening: “I had a Town Hall in Pennsylvania last night. It was amazing! The Q and A was almost finished when people began fainting from the excitement and heat. We started playing music while we waited, and just kept it going. So different, but it ended up being a GREAT EVENING!”

He also called those who suffered medical emergencies “patriots,” as ABC News reported, which he has done before under similar circumstances.

“‘Would anybody else like to faint?’ Trump said as the second person made their way out of the Expo Center.”

Former Trump White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci remarked, “The October surprise is that Trump has completely lost his marbles.”

Even a Fox News reporter found the event “very strange.”

“That thing Trump did last night is not explainable and it is not small,” an apparently concerned U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) wrote. “It shows that he’s increasingly detached from reality. Everyone knows if Biden or Harris did that it would be media mayhem. He’s not ok, and you can’t ignore it anymore.”

READ MORE: Trump Campaign Furious Walz Using Trump’s Own ‘Reckless, Dangerous Rhetoric’ Against Him

Filmmaker and podcaster Andy Ostroy called it, “the craziest shit I’ve ever seen in politics.”

While only a qualified medical professional can make diagnoses, more than a few commenters on social media suggested Trump was “sundowning,” a term the Mayo Clinic describes as “a group of symptoms that occurs at a specific time of the day. These symptoms may affect people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.”

Professor of Politics Jack Pitney, who left the Republican Party when Trump was elected in 2016, is the author of several books including, “Un-American: the Fake Patriotism of Donald J. Trump.”

He writes: “Kristi Noem’s face during Trump’s sundowning episode gives a whole new meaning to Raymond Chandler’s phrase: “that plastic smile people wear when they are trying not to scream.”

Political scientist and professor David Darmofal adds, “I know the symptoms of dementia extremely well from being a caregiver for 7 years. 78-year-old Trump’s father had Alzheimer’s & now he’s showing undeniable symptoms of cognitive decline. I’m begging our national media to address this issue.”

“Donald Trump’s dementia is NOT a political issue,” declared SiriusXM host Dean Obeidallah, “it’s a national security issue. Trump could be easily controlled/manipulated by top aides and foreign leaders to do what they want. This DEMANDS coverage from the corporate media!”

“There is something profoundly broken in our national press corps. Trump clearly had some kind of a mental break last night – those of us who have family members with dementia recognize it. He didn’t know where he was. And they’re pretending it was nothing,” Democratic strategist Laura Chapin said.

Trump’s night did not end with his town hall music event.

In the early morning hours of Tuesday, the ex-president, who remains a convicted felon awaiting sentencing on November 26, lashed out at his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris—while defending his mental health and attacking her recently-released and very-detailed physician’s report.

“Harris ‘remains in excellent health,’ her physician, Dr. Joshua Simmons, said in a letter on Saturday,” ABC News reported. The report also stated: “She possesses the physical and mental resilience required to successfully execute the duties of the presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief.”

“The doctor pointed to seasonal allergies and hives (urticaria) as a ‘notable’ part of her health history,” ABC added. “He also listed a number of over-the-counter medications used to improve her symptoms, which he said have never been ‘severe.'”

Trump, on his Truth Social platform, proceeded to falsely characterize the details of Harris’s medical report.

“As to her completely desperate request for my Medical Statements, she is dying to see my Cholesterol (which is 180!), I have already provided them, many times, including quite recently, and they were flawless,” Trump claimed. He has never released a thoroughly-detailed medical report.

“However, I have just seen Kamala’s Report, and it is not good. According to her Doctor’s Report, she suffers from ‘urticaria,’ defined as ‘a rash of round, red welts on the skin that itch intensely, sometimes with dangerous swelling.’ She also has ‘allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis,’ a very messy and dangerous situation. These are deeply serious conditions that clearly impact her functioning. Maybe that is why she can’t answer even the simplest of questions asked by 60 Minutes, and others. What is this all about? I don’t have these problems…”

“…I’ve put out more Medical Exams than any other President in History, and aced two Cognitive Exams (the Doctor stated that my ‘cognitive exams were exceptional!’),” Trump continued. “I am far healthier than Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden, but especially, Kamala. Also, I am far too busy campaigning to take time, from the 22 days left, as I am using every hour, of every day, campaigning, because we have to take back our Country from the Radical Left people that are destroying it. MAGA2024!”

Right now, “dementia” is trending on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Watch the videos and social media posts above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Is He OK?’: Trump’s Dark of Night Rage Posting Backfires

 

 

 

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