Mr. Rogers vs. Your Crazy UnclePlus: Sasse Breaks Bad on Trump
President Trump: “I’ll put it out there. People can decide for themselves. I don’t take a position.
Savannah Guthrie: I don’t get that, you’re the President. You’re not like, someone’s crazy uncle who can just-
President Trump: No, no. No, no.
Yes, yes, yes, yes. Once again last night, Donald Trump was our national crazy uncle.
If you had a remote control, you could toggle back and forth between two alternative universe’s last night. In Politico, David Siders and Anita Jumar wrote that the dueling townhalls “came off less like a split screen than a breach in the political universe – ‘Die Hard’ versus ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’”
Or, if you are looking for a different cultural analogy, Biff Tannen versus… Mr. Rogers. That first reference (To Back the Future Part II) is from me:
The Mr. Rogers reference (complete with misspelling) is from Trump flack Mercedes Schlapp:
...........
Searching for a new way to diss “Sleepy Joe,” the better half of the oleaginous Schlapp couple settled on comparing Biden to Fred Rogers, one of the most beloved figures of American popular culture. So, this didn’t have quite the impact that Mercedes thought it would have.
 April @ReignOfApril
This may be the worst self-own I’ve seen this political season, especially since the universally beloved Mr. Rogers was from Pennsylvania, where Biden was tonight. #BidenTownHall
Mercedes Schlapp @mercedesschlapp
Well @JoeBiden @ABCPolitics townhall feels like I am watching an episode of Mister Rodgers Neighborhood. t.co
Let’s talk about the crazy uncle. Two moments stood out last out night. The first was Savannah Guthrie’s question about QAnon.
Here’s how that exchange went (with Trump’s constant interruptions somewhat edited out):
Savannah Guthrie: ( 18:15)
All right, while we’re denouncing, let me ask you about QAnon. It is this theory that Democrats are a satanic pedophile ring and that you are the savior, of that. Now can you just, once and for all, state that that is completely not true, and-….
President Trump: ( 18:37)
I know nothing about QAnon.
Savannah Guthrie: ( 18:39)
I just told you.
President Trump: ( 18:41)
I know very little. You told me, but what you tell me, doesn’t necessarily make it fact. I hate to say that. I know nothing about it. I do know they are very much against pedophilia. They fight it very hard. But I know nothing about it. If you’d like me to-
Savannah Guthrie: ( 18:54)
They believe that it is a Satanic cult run by the deep state.
President Trump: ( 18:57)
… study the subject. I’ll tell you what I do know about. I know about Antifa,….
You’ll notice the usual Trumpian dodges: (1) He claims he knows nothing, (2) he throws out a token disavowal, (3) but then he circles back to praise the movement’s goals. And then, of course, he immediately changes the subject.
And QAnon? Trump’s answer had to exceed their wildest and craziest expectations.
Then it got worse.
Guthrie asked Trump about his retweet of a bizarre Seal Team Six conspiracy theory. His answer followed a similar pattern.
Savannah Guthrie: ( 20:20) Just this week, you retweeted to your 87 million followers, a conspiracy theory that Joe Biden orchestrated to have SEAL Team Six, the Navy SEAL Team Six, killed to cover up the fake death of Bin Laden. Now, why would you send a lie like that to your followers?
President Trump: ( 20:35)
I know nothing about it, can I [crosstalk 00:20:36]-
Savannah Guthrie: ( 20:35)
You retweeted it.
President Trump: ( 20:38)
That was a retweet. That was an opinion of somebody-
Savannah Guthrie: ( 20:40)
But-
President Trump: ( 20:41)
…. and that was a retweet. I’ll put it out there. People can decide for themselves. I don’t take a position.
Savannah Guthrie: ( 20:46)
I don’t get that, you’re the President. You’re not like, someone’s crazy uncle who can just-
President Trump: ( 20:47)
No, no. No, no.
At this late date, do we really need a national debate over why it is profoundly abnormal for the President of the United States to use his position to peddle toxic conspiracy theories?
Do we really need to have a discussion about why the excuse “I’ll just put it out there,” is reckless, dangerous, and disingenuous?
(But, Hunter’s laptop.)
Unfortunately, this may not have been Trump’s worst moment. Check out this fact check of his performance, from CNN”s heroic fact-checker Daniel Dale: “Competing town halls highlight Trump's dishonesty.”
And how did Biden do?
 Charlie Sykes @SykesCharlie
In contrast with Trump, Biden is pretty boring. And I am sooooo there for it.
Pete Buttigieg @PeteButtigieg
Just imagine turning on the TV, seeing your president, and feeling your blood pressure go down instead of up.
thebulwark |
