And then he went into another venue.
Trump: "Had I not fired James Comey, who was a disaster by the way, it's possible I wouldn't even be standing here right now."
Trump: "This is not a news conference. It's not a speech. It's not anything...it's a celebration." He says we "went through hell" even though he did nothing wrong. He says he's done some things wrong, "not purposely," in the past, but not here.
Trump holds up the Washington Post with the Trump Acquitted headline. He says to the First Lady: "You can take that home, honey, maybe we'll frame it."
Trump: "We first went through Russia Russia Russia. It was all bullshit." Scattered quiet laughter. "Evil people." "Fake dossiers." "Horrible, dirty cops." "The FISA courts should be ashamed of themselves. Uh, it's a very tough thing."
Trump is falsely claiming that the things Vindman wanted added to the rough transcript were indeed added. They weren't, though Vindman said it wasn't that big a deal and didn't see anything nefarious.
Trump is mocking Democratic lawmakers who dropped out of the presidential primary, such as Gillibrand.
Trump says of his performance at the Prayer Breakfast this morning: "That was so good it might wipe this out." He says that Pelosi was sitting nearby, and he said things a lot of people wouldn't have said about her, but "I meant every word."
Trump says Chuck Grassley has a voice that can scare people. Trump falsely claims James Comey admitted to being a leaker in a committee exchange with Chuck Grassley. Comey *flatly denied* being a leaker in that exchange.
Trump is doing the thing in which, as he gives shout-outs to Republican legislators, he muses at great length about their personalities and behavior.
Trump says he doesn't think Pelosi prays for him. In fact, he says, "I doubt she prays at all."
Trump falsely claims he "won 197 to nothing" in House impeachment votes. He *lost* all those votes. He had unanimous support from Republicans at levels around 197 votes. So he's just writing the Democratic votes out of history.
Trump says there were lots of people on his Zelensky call, including "apprentii." That is how the former host of The Apprentice refers to apprentices.
"Boy, my kids could make a fortune" if they behaved like Hunter Biden, Trump says, omitting the fact that his kids are currently involved in international business dealings.
Trump spawn international business ties.
Trump repeats his usual false claim about European countries including Germany not paying money to Ukraine. European countries have spent billions since Russia's invasion in 2014. The EU has been the largest contributor, though the US has provided more military-specific aid.
Trump complimented Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler for being "downright nasty and mean" in defending him.
The cruelty is the point, as is so often said about Trump and his cabal.
Trump is still on the portion of the speech where he reads out people's names.
Trump notes that he overwhelmingly won the Republican race in Iowa. He then notes that there are people running against him, one a former governor, Bill Weld. He adds: "I guess they consider them non-people."
Trump touts Jim Jordan as an NCAA wrestling champion. He explains that the NCAA is "the big deal," as it means "in ALL of college." Trump muses about Rep. Jim Jordan never wearing a jacket. He says Jordan is "obviously very proud of his body." He then talks about Jordan's ears.
Trump says Mark Meadows is someone who became very friendly with, he doesn't know why, although he likes Meadows' wife better than him, since she always supported Trump, including by going on a women-for-Trump tour after the Access Hollywood tape release, while Meadows didn't.
Trump said he liked Rep. Debbie Lesko's name, and her face, and that's why he picked her to be on his impeachment team.
I know.
Trump calls Rep. Devin Nunes "the most legitimate human being." Trump calls another person, Rep. John Ratcliffe, "central casting." He says "if we're doing a remake of Perry Mason," he would pick Ratcliffe to play the role.
Trump of Rep. Steve Scalise: "He got whacked." He then vividly recounts Scalife's wife's devastation after Scalise was shot. He says she was "a total mess." He says other wives wouldn't have been that upset.
I know.
Trump is recounting the shooting of Steve Scalise in great detail. He says the shooter was a "whack job." He says Scalise was shot with "a bullet that rips you apart." He does a "boom, boom, boom" with a gun-shooting hand gesture as he describes the response from armed security.
I know.
Trump is now talking about former Yankee Bobby Richardson, and his great range at second base, compared to the limited range Steve Scalise had after he was shot. Trump describes the hard-hit ground ball Steve Scalise managed to field after he was shot as...a "shot."
As was perhaps predictable, this is one of the wildest speeches of Trump's presidency -- and we haven't gotten past the part where he reads people's names and talks about them.
Lisa Page and Peter Strzok. "Two lowlives." Trump says Strzok and Page "are the crookedest" people. Trump says Bob Mueller looked like a good G-man but didn't have things other than looks. He calls FBI leaders, I think, "the top scum." He says 99% of the FBI supports him, the issue was just "top scum."
Trump has invited supporters in the crowd to stand up and say something supportive of him.I know.
Trump says the only Republican who voted against him was "a guy that can't stand the fact that he ran one of the worst campaigns in the history of the presidency."
Trump: "I want to apologize to my family for having them have to go through a phony, rotten deal by some very evil and sick people." "And that includes Barron. That includes Barron. Who's up there as a young boy."
Trump says America is respected again. He has finished.
And, I'll wager, even the Republicans are glad.
What's this with naming all these people and saying something about them? Reminds me of Molly Ivins saying even when she wrote unflattering or negative things about the bubbas in Texas politics, when she'd see them, they'd say, "Baby, you put my name in your paper!"
Is that the extent of the threat he made? "So many people have been hurt, and we can't let that go on." Or is there more? Perhaps he was referring to the Grassley/Graham investigation into Hunter Biden that was announced as soon as the impeachment trial was over? Other investigations?
Aaron Rupar's video clips make me think Daniel Dale cleaned it up quite a bit.
For instance...
And, what is going on here....
UPDATE:
UPDATE:
The main event came [...] , in the East Room of the White House, where the president* put on a performance that should have had copies of the 25th Amendment inscribed on tablets of gold falling from the sky around him.
His trolley went around the bend and off the tracks. His sanity had expired and met its maker. [...] But, alas, this is not yet an ex-administration*, and it still derives its only energy from the incredibly toxic stew of vengeful rage and inflamed victimhood that is the only sign of sentient life in the brain of its president*
[...]
And the Republicans, all of them, sitting there like brain-dead fish all schooled in one spot, applauding on cue, accepting the president*’s sourball compliments as though they were being blessed from Above.
[...]
I have resisted using the word “cult” to describe where the Republican party is at right now because I think it absolves too many of the people that made something like Trumpism inevitable. But, Lord above, we’re looking at a battalion of drill-thralls now, with no minds of their own and no souls to speak of.
Charles P Pierce
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