| | | | 1 Trump Russia tweet, translated | | On Tuesday afternoon, the President of the United States tweeted about his most/least favorite subject: Russia. It went like this:
"I'm very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming Election. Based on the fact that no President has been tougher on Russia than me, they will be pushing very hard for the Democrats. They definitely don't want Trump!"
Following the logic and facts (such as they are) in a Trump tweet is no easy feat. So let's break down what Trump said -- and what he meant, sentence by sentence.
1. "I'm very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming Election.
Translation: It's been nine days since my summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. I'll never admit this but I botched it totally when I didn't tell Putin that Russia meddled in the election and that he needs to stop now or face serious consequences. I also screwed up my attempts to clarify what I said and what I meant once I got back from Finland. As a result, my own party is really not happy with me. And my staff is perplexed. So I just want them all to know I am back on it! I am "very concerned" about the Russia threat. There, I said it!
2. "Based on the fact that no President has been tougher on Russia than me, they will be pushing very hard for the Democrats."
Translation: Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help me and hurt Hillary Clinton. The intelligence community and everyone this side of Devin Nunes says it. But I can't admit that Russia meddled because it would mean I colluded. Or I lost. Or something bad. Sooooooo, I'll turn it on its head! Since I am so tough on Russia, then any attempts by Russia to interfere in the 2018 election must be to help Democrats. Even though I am still not convinced Russia meddled in the 2016 election. Could have been some 400-pound kid.
3. "They definitely don't want Trump!"
Translation: Sure, sure Putin said last week in Helsinki that he wanted me to win. But that was last week! And as I mentioned in the last sentence, no one has been tougher on Russia than me. So why would Putin want to meddle in an election -- if he did it at all! -- to help someone he knows will be so tough on him? The logic is airtight!
The Point: What Trump says and what he means are two very different things. Always.
-- Chris | | "I think he's trolling people, honestly."
-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, regarding President Trump's recent threat to revoke security clearances of former national security officials. | | | President Trump spoke at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday. Here are some of the things he said that you might have missed. - On potential #2020 Democratic opponents: "If you want to know who's running, just look at Wilkie's score," Trump said, referring to the senators who voted against Robert Wilkie's confirmation to become VA secretary. "There will probably be quite a few more." FYI: The senators who voted against Wilkie included Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
- On duck boat accident victims: "I have to tell you, the whole world was watching that. We lost 17 beautiful souls, including nine members of one family and babies for whom life was just beginning. Their lives were cut short, but they and their loved ones will never, ever be forgotten."
- On the Iran deal: "We'll see what happens. We're ready to make a real deal, not the deal done by the previous administration, which was a real disaster." This comes two days after Trump issued a furious, all-caps challenge to the Iranian regime.
- On North Korea: Trump confirmed reports indicating that North Korea has begun to dismantle a missile site. "New images just today show that North Korea has begun the process of dismantling a key missile site, and we appreciate that," he said.
Read more in CNN's full story by Jeremy Diamond. | | | Gregory Alan Isakov has a new song: "Chemicals." | | | Today's topic: There's a difference between being a surrogate for a candidate and the attorney general of the United States. Jeff Sessions should know it. | | CNN's Kate Bennett -- the #FLOTUS beat -- reported that first lady Melania Trump hit the road Tuesday to spread her "Be Best" message, this time at a children's hospital in Nashville. From Kate's story:
"Trump's trip is part of 'Be Best,' the official platform she launched in May, one week before a kidney procedure kept her out of the public eye for several weeks.
"Trump's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN.'One of the three pillars of "Be Best" centers around opioid abuse and its effects on children.' "In Nashville, Trump spent time at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital, participating in a round table session with medical experts and hospital staff about neonatal abstinence syndrome and the effect of the nation's opioid crisis on babies." Read more here. | | 'LOCK HER UP' CHANT RETURNS | | "Lock her up," the chant popularized by Republicans during the 2016 presidential election to taunt Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, has made a comeback. Kind of. On Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the top law enforcement officer in the country, responded to a chant of "lock her up" by saying the phrase himself, reviving a rallying cry from Donald Trump campaign events calling to jail Clinton.
Per CNN's story by Veronica Stracqualursi: "Sessions was addressing a conservative group's high school leadership summit in Washington, where he promoted free speech and conservative principles. Chants of 'Lock her up' broke out during his speech. 'Lock her up,' Sessions said, chuckling at the brief interruption from the audience as the chant then grew louder.
"'I heard that a long time over the last campaign,' he said before continuing with his prepared speech." Read more here. And check out Chris' analysis on why Sessions said "lock her up" -- and why it matters. | | ORRIN HATCH CONFIRMS HE IS ALIVE, DESPITE GOOGLE FLUKE | | | Don't worry, everyone: Sen. Orrin Hatch is alive, he confirmed. The Utah Republican's office has launched a campaign on Twitter to prove Hatch is alive after the discovery that Google falsely shows he died in 2017. Hatch's office posted a screenshot of the auto-generated search result, writing "Hi.. @Google? We might need to talk." Since the discovery, his Twitter account has posted several photos of Hatch reading the newspaper and of the senator attending his birthday party in March. Read more in CNN's story here. | | IVANKA & JARED & JOSH & KARLIE | | There was some big news from the Kushner-Trump fam today.
First: Ivanka Trump has decided to shut down her fashion company, CNN reported Tuesday. From the article: "Trump's clothing and accessory business has been operating with limitations to reduce potential violations of ethics laws and the perceptions she's profiteering off her White House role. Given those restrictions, Ivanka, who serves as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, decided it didn't make sense to keep the company running if she's not returning after her father's presidency, two people with knowledge of her decision-making process told CNN."
In other news, Ivanka's brother-in-law Josh Kushner, is engaged to longtime girlfriend and supermodel Karlie Kloss, who has also made a name for herself in the tech world with her coding camp. Kloss tweeted about the news on Tuesday, writing: "I love you more than I have words to express. Josh, you're my best friend and my soulmate. I can't wait for forever together. Yes a million times over 💍." Check out this #tbt from September 2016 of Kloss with Trump and the Kushners posing at the US Open. | | | From Brenna: "This was President Trump speaking to veterans today. It was also me when I realized today is only Tuesday. Help your friends get through the week by sharing The Point with them." Tell people you know to subscribe. | | 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.
Sign up to get updates on your favorite CNN Original Series, special CNN news coverage and other newsletters. | | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment