| | | | Donald Trump made the Roseanne story all about him | | There were a few different ways President Donald Trump could have gone with his response to the firing of Roseanne Barr by ABC after the comedian made a racist comment about former Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett.
He could have: - Condemned Roseanne for her views
- Supported her as a victim of the liberal media and the PC police
- Made it about himself
Surprise! He went with option three -- as he so often does.
"Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that 'ABC does not tolerate comments like those' made by Roseanne Barr," Trump tweeted Wednesday afternoon. "Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didn't get the call?"
This is the second time this week Trump has taken a major national moment and made it about himself. His Memorial Day tweet focused much more on his accomplishments than it did on the troops.
None of this should be surprising. Trump is unapologetically self-centered. His first calculation is, always, "What does this mean for me?" That doesn't make Trump different from the average person -- self-interest is always near or at the top of our minds -- but it does separate his statements from how presidents have reacted publicly in the past.
Presidents prior to Trump viewed themselves as a sort of moral compass for the country. They, for the most part, tried to consider the broader message their actions sent. Trump is seemingly unconcerned about those sorts of concerns.
Therefore, the national debate over race occasioned by Roseanne's tweet translates -- to Trump -- not as an opportunity to move the country beyond her repugnant views, but rather as a chance to cast himself as the victim of a wicked media double standard.
The Point: Trump isn't a "we" president. He's a "me" president. And that is perhaps his most profound break with presidents past.
-- Chris | | "I don't think it's any different than greeting anybody else in a language that's respectful. I grew up in Montana saying 'Good Morning,' saying 'Good Afternoon.' I think it's an appropriate salute."
-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, defending his "konnichiwa" response to a Japanese-American congresswoman in March. | | | ⚽️ SPORTS & FITNESS DAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE 🏌🏽♂️ | | Wednesday marked Sports and Fitness Day at the White House, where President Donald Trump and others -- including daughter Ivanka Trump -- gathered to tout the importance of physical fitness.
CNN's Betsy Klein writes: "Trump began by thanking Health & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, state and local officials, and members of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. He also thanked Ivanka for her leadership.
"The council, Trump said, will be led by 'the greats,' including Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera, football player and Trump supporter Herschel Walker, and Olympic gold medalist volleyball player Misty May-Treanor. He said he has directed the council to develop a national strategy to increase youth fitness participation."
The White House South Lawn was set up with a variety of kids' sports activities, including flag football, golf and soccer. Trump made the rounds at some of the activity stations, including the batting cage (see Betsy's tweet documenting that moment here). | | KIM KARDASHIAN IN DC -- YES, SERIOUSLY | | White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed Wednesday that reality TV star Kim Kardashian West is in Washington to meet with officials, including senior adviser Jared Kushner, at the White House,
While Sanders didn't provide any details about the meeting, a person familiar with the plans told CNN that Kardashian West would discuss prison reform, a key issue for Kushner. Kardashian West has advocated for a pardon for a low-level drug offender named Alice Marie Johnson, who has served more than 20 years in prison. She tweeted about Johnson on Wednesday, saying "happy birthday" and "today is for you."
Read more in CNN's full story here. | | | Don't forget -- Point readers -- to ask Chris one question about the news this week that you need more clarity on. Submit your weekly question to saba.hamedy@cnn.com by Thursday at 12 p.m. ET. Chris will pick one reader's question to answer on Friday, and we'll include the response in the newsletter and on CNN Politics' Instagram story. | | | 🚨 POLL ALERT: TEXAS SENATE RACE 🚨 | | CNN's Terence Burlij writes: "A new Quinnipiac University poll of the Texas Senate race gives Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz a 50% to 39% lead over his Democratic challenger, Rep. Beto O'Rourke.
"The findings represent a significant shift from April, when Quinnipiac showed Cruz at 47% and O'Rourke at 44%. A majority of Texas voters – 52% -- approve of Cruz's job performance. In terms of favorability, 49% say they view Cruz favorably while 38% have an unfavorable view of him. O'Rourke's favorability split is 30% to 19% with half of voters saying they don't know enough to have an opinion of him."
Read more from CNN's Eric Bradner here. | | CNN's Caroline Kenny writes: Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich won't back down as a leading Republican voice advocating for immigration reform. He wrote an op-ed in USA Today, which ran on Tuesday, to urge bipartisan supporters of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in Congress to go around GOP leaders and get DACA done for DREAMers. He wrote: "As governor of a state with many DACA residents and as a grandson of immigrants who values the immense contributions each new generation of arrivals has brought to America, I am deeply concerned by congressional inaction on DACA. Also, as a former member of Congress, I believe that election to the House or Senate carries a responsibility to solve problems and keep America on course with the values that have made our nation great. ... We must tell House members to sign the discharge petition and act on DACA now. Then the Senate must do its part. Time's up. Get it done!" Read CNN's most recent reporting -- by Tal Kopan and Lauren Fox -- on DACA's fate here. | | POLL: YOUTHS PLAN TO ROCK THE MIDTERM VOTE | | From CNN's Grace Sparks: "A majority of adults who will be old enough to vote in 2018 say they are planning to, according to a poll released Wednesday conducted by AP-NORC and MTV. When asked to rate their likelihood on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being 'certain to vote'), 56% rated their likelihood at a 6 or above. Thirty-two percent said they were absolutely 'certain to vote.'
"The study, taken among people ages 15-34 (with questions about voting asked only among those who would be able to), found the group highly motivated by the political environment. Forty percent said they felt extremely or very angry about the state of the country and 36% said they felt anxious. Only 13% said they felt positive, with 9% saying they were excited about the state of the country."
Read more here. | | | From Brenna: "We could all learn something from this child, who went in for a hug during the Right to Try event at the White House. Do something that scares you every day. Even if that thing is going in to hug the most powerful man in government. Sometimes it pays off." Thanks for reading. As always, here's your daily reminder to tell people you know to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
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