Twit in Phoenix

Yesterday:

Today: Bingo.

via GIPHY

He's not a fan of Jeff Flake because Jeff Flake is not a fan of him.

Did he tell the crowd in Phoenix that they were a much bigger crowd than the protesters outside?  Something to that effect anyway.

No, I don't know why CNN used that particular picture. But the gist of the article seems to be that the protesters were peaceful until the police started using tear gas on them.  Of course, that's from "Fake News CNN".  The Guardian says, "Police used smoke bombs and teargas on the crowds after plastic bottles were reportedly thrown."  Reportedly - by whom?  Plastic bottles.  Were they full or were they empty?

Feel free to pile on with the Godwin rule:  if this isn't Hitlerian, I don't know what is.

I would call that an incitement to violence.

Honestly, Trump holding rallies now is not just self-centered, it's dangerous and costly.

It's either a mirage in his head, or he believes it - actually sees - adoring fans in the hundreds of millions (eg. his inauguration).  I guess that might explain why he doesn't rein himself in (or maybe he simply can't).  Does he imagine that his base alone is enough to get him re-elected?  Maybe he doesn't look that far down the road.  Maybe he's just looking for adoration on a day-to-day basis.  Maybe he's actually trying to start riots in order to declare a state of emergency and attempt a take-over of the entire government.  Maybe he's incapable of thinking in plans.  Who the hell knows?

I wonder what they paid the black guy. I know some blacks are pro-Trump, but not this one. The one black in a sea of whites, sitting up front and center behind the podium in that T-shirt. You'd think they'd have enough money to pay at least two blacks to sit there.  (Update 8:20pm - The story about the black guy is as crazy as this president.  But I was wrong, he IS pro-Trump.  And crazy. And then some.)

He uses "our" to mean "your" when he's whistling up that dog.

Donald Trump has sought to portray himself as the true victim of the deadly events in Charlottesville, launching an all-out assault on the media and branding journalists who “do not like our country” as the true source of division in America.

[...]

[T]he US president attacked coverage of his response to the white supremacist violence and complained bitterly to his audience about how he had been treated.

[...]

“It’s time to expose the crooked media deceptions and to challenge the media for their role in fomenting divisions and yes, by the way, they are trying to take away our history and our heritage.” The crowd – some scowling, some laughing – turned and jeered at journalists in the media enclosure and chanted: “CNN sucks! CNN sucks!”

[...]

The rally was the latest example of Trump as a Jekyll and Hyde public performer, coming just 24 hours after a sober speech to the military setting out future strategy in Afghanistan.

On Tuesday he was back in his element, pugnacious and freewheeling, throwing red meat to an eager crowd. The arena, which has a capacity of 19,000, was mostly full.

[...]

He took his first statement on Charlottesville from his pocket and told his audience: “You know where my heart is. I’m really doing this to show you how damned dishonest these people are … I don’t want to bore you with this but it shows you how dishonest they are.”

Trump proceeded to read out the remarks to polite applause, although he failed to repeat the inflammatory words he had used when he blamed “both sides”.

  Guardian

Which is precisely what most of the media reports were focused on. So...who's the damned dishonest one?

The president also mocked the protesters outside, claiming the turnout against Tuesday’s rally was lower than expected. He returned to a theme of moral equivalence for which he was criticised in the wake of Charlottesville: “You know, they show up in the helmets and the black masks. They’ve got clubs and they’ve got everything.

In a drawn-out performance piece, Trump read out his second and third pronouncements in the aftermath of Charlottesville, while throwing in that he lives “in a bigger, more beautiful apartment” than the elites aligned against him, “and I live in the White House too”.

Matt Taibbi is right - Trump is batshit crazy.

During his sprawling 75-minute speech, the president turned to illegal immigration, a major issue for his base in Arizona.

He dropped a clear hint that he intends to pardon Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa county, over his conviction for breaking the law with immigration patrols.

He asked: “Do the people in this room like Sheriff Joe?” There was a roar from the crowd and chants of “Pardon Joe!” Arpaio was in the crowd.

Trump said: “Was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job? He should have had a jury. I’ll make a prediction. I think he’s going to be just fine. But I won’t do it tonight because I don’t want to cause any controversy.”

He doesn't want to cause any controversy.

In another startling moment, Trump, who hours earlier had visited the border at Yuma, threatened to shut down the federal government unless Congress provided funding for his promised border wall.

[...]

“If we have to close down our government, we’re building that wall,” he said. “We’re going to have our wall. The American people voted for immigration control. We’re going to get that wall.”

[...]

Trump also took swipes at Arizona’s two senators, Jeff Flake and John McCain, who have criticised him. He said that after his well-received address on Monday, he was told: “Please, please Mr President, don’t mention any names. So I won’t.”

He continued: “I will not mention any names – very presidential. And nobody wants me to mention your other senator [Flake], who’s weak on border, weak on crime. Nobody knows who the hell he is! See, I haven’t mentioned any names, so now everybody’s happy.”

If the Congressional GOP can't find it within themselves to impeach this dangerous, bile-filled son-of-a-bitch, this country will be propelled to the end of the road leading to abject failure to capitalize on the brilliance of its founders.

A UN committee charged with tackling racism has issued an “early warning” over conditions in the US and urged the Trump administration to “unequivocally and unconditionally” reject discrimination.

[...]

“We are alarmed by the racist demonstrations, with overtly racist slogans, chants and salutes by white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and the Ku Klux Klan, promoting white supremacy and inciting racial discrimination and hatred,” said Anastasia Crickley, chair of the committee.

[...]

The warning was issued on 18 August but came to light on Wednesday, the day after protests outside a rally by the president in Phoenix, Arizona.

[...]

In the past decade, the only other countries issued with an early warning were Burundi, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan and Nigeria.

[...]

In its statement, Cerd also called on the US to ensure that the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly are not exercised with the aim of destroying or denying the rights and freedoms of others, ensuring “such rights are not misused to promote racist hate speech and racist crimes”.

  Guardian

Which is a very pointed statement.

USA on the way down.