May 31, 2018 | by Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy

REMINDER: Donald Trump watches a lot of 📺

Asked Thursday why he decided -- seemingly out of the blue -- to pardon conservative author Dinesh D'Souza, President Donald Trump said this (bolding is mine):

"Only because, only because of I felt from I don't know him, I never met him. I called him last night, first time I've ever spoken to him. I said I'm pardoning you. Nobody asked me to do it."

"I've always felt he was very unfairly treated. And a lot of people did, a lot of people did. What should have been a quick minor fine, like everybody else with the election stuff….what they did to him was horrible."

"I always felt that he was … I didn't know him. I read the papers. I see him on television."

That's a reminder -- not that we should need one -- of a) how much TV Trump actually watches and b) how much TV forms his views on, well, everything.

Trump's schedule has "executive time" allotted several times a week -- time in which he watches TV, taped and live, and tweets. Trump's Twitter feed -- today and almost every day -- reflects how seriously he takes that time. His feed regularly features supportive quotes he hears while watching TV.

"People close to him estimate that Mr. Trump spends at least four hours a day, and sometimes as much as twice that, in front of a television, sometimes with the volume muted, marinating in the no-holds-barred wars of cable news and eager to fire back," wrote The New York Times in December.

(Trump has denied he watches much TV at all. "I don't get to watch much television," Trump said last November. "Primarily because of documents. I'm reading documents. A lot.")

It's not just that Trump watches TV. It's that TV serves not only as the lens through which he views the world -- D'Souza being on TV made him someone Trump felt like he knew and was worthy of a presidential pardon -- but also the way he learns about issues.

This exchange between "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd and Trump during the campaign illustrates how Trump looks to TV for information.

TODD: Who do you talk to for military advice right now?

TRUMP: Well, I watch the shows. I mean, I really see a lot of great — you know, when you watch your show and all of the other shows, and you have the generals.

The Point: It is not possible to overestimate the influence cable TV has over Trump. And we should never forget that.

-- Chris

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"There is no Republican Party. There's a Trump party. The Republican Party is kind of taking a nap somewhere."

-Former House Speaker John Boehner at the Mackinac Policy Conference in Michigan on Thursday

TARIFF TIME

The White House abruptly announced it would begin imposing steel and aluminum tariffs on US allies Canada, Mexico and the European Union. And some members of Congress weren't pleased.

From CNN's Lauren Fox, Phil Mattingly and Ted Barrett: "The move Thursday came after Republicans tried to convince the administration for months to target China with tariffs rather than US trading partners, and it could trigger Republicans on Capitol Hill to consider taking action against their own President on trade.

"One Republican senator, who asked not to be identified, complained Thursday about President Donald Trump's decision to impose the tariffs, 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminum imports. "I don't like trade wars. There are no winners in trade wars. And this scares me," the senator said.

Read more in CNN's story here.

THE POINT'S GOOD READS

LA Times reporters Phil Willon and Seema Mehta wrote about a new poll that finds a volatile race for second place in the California governor's contest.

USA Today's Jessica Estepa on the one-year anniversary of "covfefe."

"I Don't Feel Superhuman. I Feel Like a Mom Who Has a Career." via The New York Times.

CNN's Gregory Krieg and David Wright on Democrats' emphasis on health care as the midterms ramp up.

Unrelated to politics but still share-worthy: WaPo's Philip Bump helps you figure out the song that defines your life (according to some random Twitter person).

MUSICAL INTERLUDE

Watch Jack White perform a surprise concert at Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington on Wednesday ahead of his concert at the Anthem venue.

INSTA POINT

Today's topic? Trump's pardons (see more on that below).

THE POWER OF THE PARDON

Dinesh D'Souza on Thursday became the latest person to receive a pardon from President Donald Trump, proving Trump really loves exercising this particular constitutional right.

As CNN's Z. Byron Wolf pointed out in his story, the past three US presidents -- Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama -- each waited more than two years after being elected to issue their first pardon. Here's a list of who Trump has pardoned so far:

Joe Arpaio, a controversial sheriff in Arizona who was convicted of criminal contempt related to his hard-line tactics going after undocumented immigrants.
Kristian Saucier, Navy submariner who was convicted of misusing classified data and then unsuccessfully used the so-called "Clinton defense" to argue his crime was no worse than her treatment of classified emails.
Scooter Libby, chief of staff to then-Vice President Dick Cheney who was convicted of perjury in 2007.
Jack Johnson, the first African-American world heavyweight boxing champion, who was convicted in 1913 under the Mann Act for taking his white girlfriend across state lines for "immoral" purposes.
D'Souza, The conservative author and filmmaker pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance laws in 2014 after he was indicted earlier that year on charges that he illegally used straw donors to contribute to Republican Senate candidate Wendy Long in New York in 2012.

And here's who may be next:

Martha Stewart and former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich: Trump floated the idea of pardoning or commuting the sentences of the two former "Apprentice" stars, hours after he pardoned D'Souza.
Alice Marie Johnson: Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West stopped by the White House on Wednesday to talk to President Trump and other White House officials, including Jared Kushner, about prison reform. Among her hopes: That Trump will "grant clemency to Ms. Alice Marie Johnson who is serving a life sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense," Kardashian West said in a statement Wednesday night. "We are optimistic about Ms. Johnson's future and hopeful that she -- and so many like her -- will get a second chance at life."

A REPORTER'S #TBT

Speaking of Rod Blagojevich (see above), CNN's Tal Kopan writes:

The resurfacing of Rod Blagojevich to national headlines today was a #TBT for me, a former Chicago-based journalist who covered his impeachment and both trials in my time in Chicago news. For those that know the famously talkative and well-coiffed former governor, it's perhaps not surprising that he and his network have found a way to get Trump's attention, including his wife appearing on Fox News this month to pitch his case to the network's most famous loyal watcher.

I distinctly remember the day Blagojevich reported to federal prison in Colorado, which happened in my last week working in Chicago before moving to the DC journalism scene. In what felt like a final classic Blagojevich flair for dramatics, we were glued to our televisions in the newsroom as the helicopter following his car from the airport followed his SUV for what felt like forever as he circled the prison, then detoured to get lunch nearby. The cameras waited as he ate, and then followed as he finally reported to prison, the end of a saga that was almost made for TV -- down to the "f***ing golden" FBI tapes.

Read more about the ostentatious Democrat, including his testimony about shampoo (really) here.

SAM BEE DROPS C-WORD, AND PEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY

From CNN's Frank Pallotta: "Samantha Bee has apologized for calling White House senior adviser and first daughter Ivanka Trump a 'feckless c***' on her TBS show Thursday.

"'I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and to my viewers for using an expletive on my show to describe her last night. It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it,' Bee said in a statement." Read more in CNN's story here.

TBS and CNN are both owned by Turner, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The White House on Thursday condemned Bee's remark. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Bee's language was "vile and vicious."

YOUR DAILY GIF

H/T Brenna

From Brenna: "Do kids fist bump anymore? This child hanging out with Education Betsy DeVos looks genuinely confused." (Read more about DeVos' school visit here). And if you want to give us a virtual fist bump, please 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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