WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2026
The normalization of everything: We're going to spend this one last day discussing the president's conduct on Sunday's Meet the Press—rather, discussing the way the New York Times disappeared his remarkable conduct.
Inevitably, he was soon back on his favorite topic. At one point, here's what he said to NBC's Kristen Welker:
The election was rigged. It was a dirty election.
He was talking about the 2020 presidential election. But then, what else is never new?
By now, the president has had more than five years to produce some sort of "white paper" offering evidence in support of that poisonous claim. He hasn't done so, presumably for the obvious reason.
Concerning his general relationship to the concept of evidence, here's something he said to Welker moments later:
TRUMP (continuing directly from above): And it’s happening again right now in California.
WELKER: You’ve never presented evidence that the 2020 election was rigged.
TRUMP: It’s happening right now in California. Right now, it’s look at what’s happening in California.
WELKER: Where’s the evidence to that? The Republicans are doing well in California.
TRUMP It’s four days. In California, it’s— No they’re not! They’re dropping fast because it’s a rigged election. Let me tell you, it’s four days and they aren’t even close to coming up with the –
WELKER: That’s how they count the votes in California.
TRUMP: Do you know why they’re doing that? Because they’re cheating on the election.
WELKER: There’s— What? Do you have evidence to support that?
TRUMP: It’s— All I have to do is look. All I have to do is look.
There and elsewhere, Welker kept asking for evidence. In the end, the president said that he only needs to look.
Welker kept asking for "evidence" in support of Trump's endless claims. She said the word fourteen times in the course of the interview.
The president kept using his own favorite words—crooked and dirty and rigged and fake, with stupid thrown in several times. Inevitably, he ended up insulting Welker, again and again, as the interview neared its premature end.
By now, his face was getting red with anger as Welker asked him to justify his claims. His face got red and he raised his voice. Finally, after the typical welter of insults, he angrily (and prematurely) rose up and walked off the set.
We feel that the president has an excuse. We're inclined to think his niece is right when she says he's experiencing an "obvious" cognitive decline, layered atop decades of untreated mental illness.
We're inclined to assume that her assessment is accurate; we regard that as a tragic but dangerous state of affairs. At any rate, that would be the president's excuse for his peculiar, dimwitted behavior. But what's the excuse for the way the New York Times reported that high-profile interview?
In its news report in Monday's print editions, the Times completely disappeared the most striking part of the interview—the endless repetition of the endless claims, followed by the typical insults, the growing anger, and the refusal to continue. Below, you see the only hint the Times provided of the session's most striking aspect:
Trump Says He Never Promised No New Wars, and Defends Compensation Fund
President Trump, who campaigned on a central promise to keep the United States out of overseas wars, denied in an interview aired on Sunday that he’d ever made the pledge.
“I didn’t guarantee no war,” Mr. Trump said in a lengthy interview with Kristen Welker, the host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” taped during his trip to Wisconsin on Friday. “Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?”
[...]
Mr. Trump eventually ended the wide-ranging interview after being repeatedly pressed by Ms. Welker about claiming, without evidence, that recent elections in California were rigged.
That's it! He "ended the interview," the Times reported. Welcome to an offshore island belonging to North Korea!
It went unmentioned by the New York Times. Unlike in the Washington Post, the disorder was all disappeared.
The Times has been playing it this way forever. We'd guess that the president is mentally ill, but what is the Times' excuse?
TFNYT editorial today is saying getting as many people's votes counted as possible in CA is bad for Democracy and they should work to exclude voters. This is not based on cheating, or anything of the sort. Just the repetition of bullshit by a demented old man. What a rancid publication for the plutocrats. Geez, who could of guessed 70%+ California would end up there when all votes are counted? Fuck all y'all Nazi pricks and your fucking bullshit
ReplyDeleteWelker did a good job of making it clear that Trump had no evidence for his claims that the election was rigged.
ReplyDeleteThe NY Times summarized that as:
"Mr. Trump eventually ended the wide-ranging interview after being repeatedly pressed by Ms. Welker about claiming, without evidence, that recent elections in California were rigged."
This is factually correct without making any assumptions about Trump's mental health or his reasons for stopping the interview, or anything else beyond the facts of the situation.
Somerby clear wants the NY Times to report what he himself believes, but that is not the job of a reporter in a newspaper article (not an editorial). If Welker reported facts not in evidence, she would be biased and no better than any MAGA, or Trump himself.
I don't know what Somerby thinks will happen when the NY Times eventually does report that Trump has dementia, but it isn't going to magically end our problems with Trump. The Congress needs to act to do that. I don't see Somerby calling for action by Congress, when it is their job to do something about Trump.
Why do you suppose Somerby can do nothing but accuse the press and blue America for inaction? Why have Republicans never been his target for criticism? After all, Republicans elected Trump and are thus responsible for whatever he has been doing in office.
Somerby is a pos right winger, that is why.
DeleteThere is no evidence that the CA mayor election was rigged, but it sure is screwy. One would expect any two large samples of votes to have roughly similar percentage results. That's why commentators can predict final results with considerably less than 100% of the votes counted. So, it's strange when a very large bunch of late votes appear with highly different results. It's enough to make me suspicious.
ReplyDeleteThere are demographic reasons why late votes come from different groups of people than early votes do. It isn't screwy when you understand that there are reasons for why people vote early, in person or by mail. Some of those reasons are why it is unfair and presents an obstacle to specific groups of people when you eliminate voting by mail (for example). California believes that everyone should have the ability to cast their vote.
DeleteThere is no evidence that the CA mayor election was rigged, but my dear leader needs me to project his bullshit so there
DeleteThe Felon votes by mail. Fucking asshole.
DeleteYou're using Pornhub Johnson's troll to troll us Dickhead. At least be an original troll you fucking loser troll.
DeleteDavid - you of all people know the blahs and youngs are shiftless and lazy and Dems, and thus prone to voting at the last instance. Its long been called the blue mail in vote wave; but for trolls like you it's whatever some other idiot told you to grunt out your ass. Fucking idiot trolls anyway. Fuck all you all.
DeleteThe NY Times doesn't need an excuse. Neither does Welker. I want to know what Trump's excuse is for behaving like a toddler and throwing a temper tantrum. It is wrong for someone to agree to an interview and then walk out midway through, after refusing to answer questions. Trump is the only person in this situation who needs to explain himself, but we all know that cannot do it.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what the fuck Welker thought she was doing, but it sure as fuck wasn’t journalism. Every time I’ve seen Trump speak to America, he’s lied his corrupt ass off. For 10 fucking years straight without interruption. Did Welker think she was going to be different??? lol
DeleteOnly women and foreign journalists offer the slightest pushback to the pants shitter.
DeleteThe disorder was disappeared?
ReplyDeleteTrump has been this way for decades.
Who is Somerby trying to fool?
I'll give Somerby a tiny amount of credit for calling out the anti-Biden, pro-Trump NY Times.
Somerby agreed with the NYTimes that Biden was too old, so now we have Trump. No thanks to Somerby.
Delete