After verbal missteps, Trump blames others
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Friday.
ERIE, Pa. >> It’s the media’s fault. That’s out of context. Never said it in the first place.
Donald Trump’s claim Friday that he was merely being “sarcastic” in accusing President Barack Obama of establishing a terrorist group was his latest attempt to blame others for the uproar over what he says. It’s an instinct that Trump’s opponents say a president can’t possess. Some Republicans seem to have the same concern.
This time, it followed two days of critical headlines and Democratic outrage over Trump’s claim that Obama was the “founder” of the Islamic State group. As Trump repeated the claim more than a dozen times, interviewers sought to ensure Trump wasn’t being misconstrued. Surely, they offered, he meant Obama’s policies had enabled the extremist group’s rise.
“No, I meant he’s the founder of ISIS. I do,” Trump said, using one acronym for the group.
Then an about-face Friday. “THEY DON’T GET SARCASM?” he tweeted.
Or was he being sarcastic about the sarcasm? Hours later, he told a rally in Pennsylvania he was “obviously being sarcastic — but not that sarcastic, to be honest with you.”
Don't miss out on what's happening!
Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
That it took Trump two days to walk back his widely debunked remark — and then walk back the walk-back — was worrying for Republicans who see such missteps as playing to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s advantage. Equally worrying for some was the fact that he again would not take responsibility for his words.
Ryan Williams, a Republican strategist who advised Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign, said there’s a common-sense playbook for dealing with political slip-ups: “Stop the bleeding and put it behind you by apologizing.
“That’s what normal candidates do,” he went on. “However, normal candidates don’t careen from one self-inflicted wound to another on an hourly basis.”
It was only two days earlier that Trump blamed the media for making much ado about nothing after he suggested during a rally that gun rights enthusiasts might find a way to stop Clinton if elected.
Clinton, whose lead over Trump has widened in recent polls of the most competitive states, has seized on those and other eyebrow-raising comments to portray the reality TV star as lacking the temperament to run the nation — Trump has his own argument for why she’s unfit to do so. She’s hammered him for avoiding accountability for his actions.
To that end, Clinton’s campaign on Friday intensified pressure on Trump to release his tax returns, while disclosing her 2015 filings and a decade of returns from her running mate. The filing shows that the Clintons earned $10.6 million and paid a federal tax rate of 34.2 percent last year.
Trump has refused to make his filings public, saying they’re under audit by the Internal Revenue Service and he’ll release them only once that review is complete. All major U.S. presidential candidates in modern history have released their returns.
Minutes after releasing her returns, Clinton tweeted that it’s possible Trump paid no tax at all.
Trump worked to profit on the fuss over his Islamic State remark. In an email to supporters asking them to donate, Trump accused the “liberal media” of telling “outrageous lies about me.”
It’s no surprise that the media are Trump’s go-to scapegoat. Just 6 percent of Americans said they have a great deal of confidence in the media in a Media Insight Project poll earlier this year.
Almost never does Trump admit error. One exception came this month when he acknowledged a video he said showed a plane carrying U.S. cash to Iran was actually a plane carrying U.S. hostages who were being released.
Most of the time, Trump casts blame elsewhere:
———
STAR OF DAVID: In July, Trump’s campaign tweeted an anti-Clinton message that seemed to show the Star of David atop a pile of cash, raising questions about anti-Semitism. When Clinton’s campaign cried foul, Trump blamed her for trying to “divert attention from the dishonest behavior of herself and her husband.” Also, the media.
———
PAGING MOSCOW: Last month Trump caused a stir in a news conference by saying “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails” missing from Clinton. Even some Republicans questioned whether he was encouraging a foreign government to interfere in the election. Trump’s response later? “Of course, I’m being sarcastic.”
———
CRIMEA RIVER: Heads spun in the foreign policy world when Trump said this month that Russia wouldn’t enter Ukraine, seemingly unaware it already had. When an interviewer pointed out Russia had annexed Crimea, Trump said he meant Russia wouldn’t dare go farther if he were president. He insisted he’d said nothing incorrect.
———
ABOUT SADDAM: In July, Trump said former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was “so good” at killing terrorists. He also suggested the Mideast would be more stable were Saddam still in power. He took offence that his comments were interpreted as praise for Saddam.
70 responses to “After verbal missteps, Trump blames others”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I can’t wait till the debates. Hillary will eat him alive. Trump has given her so much material to work with he’d be luck to still have his underwear on after he gets undressed.
Hah, Hillary undressing Trump. Sounds good…unless you try to visualize it…don’t!
HiLIARy undressing Bill for Monica is more appropriate if you want to go there. Another Clinton president, no way.
sarge22 You are a sick puppy
Mrs. Clinton is going to expose Mr. Trump as an ignoramus in the debates. That assumes, of course, that Mr. Trump can muster the courage to debate Mrs. Clinton one on one. That’s very doubtful.
He may blame his inability to walk onto a debate stage with Mrs. Clinton on his phantom heel spurs. The same heel spurs he used to dodge the draft.
And you, yourself?
You served?
When, where and with what outfit?
Or are you one of those who assumes Freedom is free and grandly presumes to criticize OTHERS for not serving?
I was a U.S. Army JAG Officer. I did not serve in combat.
It doesn’t take military service to recognize a coward and a draft dodger.
Stuff it.
What happened. You got disbarred like Bill? You must be a pretty lousy lawyer. No attorney I know would waste as much time as obviously you do defending a corrupt politician and not get paid for it.
Thank you for serving in the Judge Advocate General Corps. The effectiveness of the UCMJ depends on those like you.
That said, did you harbor a similarly bitter resentment of Slick Willie~~who famously dodged the draft by lying and “loathing” the military~~when he presented himself for high office 24 years ago?
In any event I see nothing in Don Trump that would justify the appellation “coward”. And the rating 4F was indeed correctly applied to those physically unable to serve.
Bill Clinton lashed out at the accusations his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, lied about mishandling classified emails while secretary of state, describing some of the FBI’s response as “the biggest load of bull I ever heard.”
Slick has the DOJ in his pocket. America has to put an end to Clinton/Obama.
trump language and speech reflects a person brought up from the gutters.
The debates with Hillary will quickly show which side of the tracks he comes from. Not only that, his mental make up.
Come on, debates.
IRT klastri: not every military personnel will serve in combat, however, every MOS is a strong link to our military. Thank you for serving!
I can understand if some conservative people like some of the concepts Trump is selling. But anyone who’s not intellectually damaged has to see that he doesn’t have the temperament, sense of responsibility, or the grip on reality to be mayor of a small town—never mind the USA.
Any intellectually challenged people here?
I wonder if the hacked DNC e-mails will show that Trump is the Democrats’ secret weapon against the Republicans? Or to paraphrase The Donald himself: “The Trump campaign’s self destruction continues. So sad.” Seems like Donald Trump is suffering from hoof-in-mouth disease….
Am watching CNN right now. The host is talking to two women, one a Hillary supporter, the other a Trump supporter. The topic is the tax returns, but the Trump supporter answers minimally or not at all, just constantly tries to change the subject to Hillary’s emails. Hmm…what is the Trumpzi woman trying to hide???
My new nickname for the Chump is the Master of Disaster and his supporters are still the Archie Bunker fan club.
Admiral Mike Mullen, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: The national debt is the biggest threat to our nation’s security. Every child born today is already tens of thousands of dollars in debt thanks to career politicians who can’t say no.
The Donald has been successful at certain endeavors (e.g., Miss Universe, reality TV, making money–not the good way–with Trump University, etc.). Those do NOT translate to presidential skills that can help solve economic issues.
It’s a mistake to believe that a person ignorant of fundamental economic and financial concepts can “Make America Work Again.” It’s also a mistake to give a guy with that temperament the keys to nuclear bombs.
If common sense doesn’t get your attention, think about how badly he WILL lose on election day. What do all the informed voters know???
On a day in which Clinton was hoping to inflict considerable damage on Donald Trump — this time, by ripping into his economic agenda — her campaign was on the defensive, scurrying to clean up the latest damaging revelations in years-old messages that were sent by Clinton and her staff and released as the result of a lawsuit.
Sarge is still on emails. Keep beating a dead horse.
The horse is just a colt. A long life is ahead.
More like a dead jackass.
Looks like Keaukaha ate his Wheaties. Didn’t help, once a loser.
isn’t that what the Trump supporters on the Star Advertiser comments section do? Just change the subject to Hillary’s emails or some supposedly shady thing in her past while never directly acknowledging any actual question about Trump policy or behavior.
Just as Hillary supporters mimic the identical behavior whenever her problems are discussed, preferring to focus on Trump’s shortcomings rather than acknowledge those of their own candidate. What’s your point? “She lies, but he lies more” is a pitiful way to select a president.
HiLIARy’s classified emails and the Clinton Foundation will be the story until November. If Trump supporters didn’t provide comments on lying crooked HiLIARy no one would know the real story. SA has nothing but attack stories on Mr Trump as does the MSM. As more emails are released we will see how long the Clintons last. Slick Willy lying again. Of course the sheep believe him.
They gonna save the best for last.
Crooked Trump caught lying again. Honestly you are giving the Archie Bunker fan club way too much credit. Even Archie would acknowledge that ISIS was founded in 2004 when the Bush administration left Iraq a complete mess.
This is the Media hard at work. This article belongs in the classifieds under smear. Here is the real story.
Everybody knows Trump says what’s on his mind. That’s his character. No big deal.
This is a big deal. Who’s Soros and why is he giving advice to Crooked Hillary? Clinton Cash.
More leaked e-mails from Hillary Clinton’s time as Secretary of State prove that she was taking foreign policy advice from left-wing billionaire activist George Soros.
An e-mail provided by WikiLeaks showed Soros reaching out to Secretary Clinton over a foreign policy dispute in Albania.
“A serious situation has arisen in Albania which needs urgent attention at senior levels of the US government. You may know that an opposition demonstration in Tirana on Friday resulted in the deaths of three people and the destruction of property.
“There are serious concerns about further unrest connected to a counter-demonstration to be organized by the governing party on Wednesday and a follow-up event by the opposition two days later to memorialize the victims.
“The prospect of tens of thousands of people entering the streets in an already inflamed political environment bodes ill for the return of public order and the country’s fragile democratic process.”
“The prospect of tens of thousands of people entering the streets in an already inflamed political environment bodes ill for the return of public order and the country’s fragile democratic process.”
Soros advises the then Secretary of State get the international community involved and pressure the Prime Minister to “forestall further demonstrations” and “tone down public pronouncements” as well appointing a senior European official to act as the mediator.
The left wing billionaire also gave Clinton a list of potential nominees to appoint as mediator: Carl Bildt, Martti Ahtisaari and Miroslav Lajcak.
The e-mail was sent from Soros’ aide to Richard Verma, then the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs who forwarded it to several of Clinton’s top aides including Huma Abedin, Jacob Sullivan, and Philip Gordon. Sullivan forwarded it to Clinton.
Just three days after Clinton received the e-mail from Soros the EU ended up sending Soros’ suggested nominee Lajcak to mediate the civil unrest, the BBC reported.
It’s over. Trump is sadly like his followers in that they know absolutely nothing about domestic or foreign policy. Zero.
He will be humiliated on stage during the debates. He was able to mask his incompetence during the primaries, but he knows that’s not possible anymore. His campaign is already a total disaster – Mrs. Clinton is now ahead by 15 points in Virginia and more than 10 in Pennsylvania, but the debates will hopefully cause the House to switch to Democratic control as well.
You can continue to write your right wing nutcase talking points here all day and night, but it won’t help one bit. Virtually all polling organizations, including Fox News, are not forecasting a landslide. Trump is an imbecile.
SETH RICH DESTROYS DEMOCRATIC PARTY THEN GETS MURDERED
3 days ago by stfn25
The Seth Rich case has just exploded back into the headlines with Julian Assange’s assertion that Seth Rich was the “wiki leak” responsible for bringing down the DNC chair and exposing the rigged Democratic primary… that makes two murders in recent weeks that have been directly linked to events at DNC headquarters in (brain)Washing-ton, D.C.
Not only that but we now know that Seth Rich wasn’t just a staff member at the DNC, as was widely reported, he was the director of voter expansion data. Which means he had the electronic keys to the entire Democratic party.
As for motives of his leak, it would seem that Seth Rich was a Bernie supporter who felt betrayed by the rigged primary and so he leaked what he could to show that Hillary stole the nomination.
This video https://www.facebook.com/stfnews/videos/1113955812014861/ shows Seth Rich at the crime scene, and for the record he was only a few blocks away from a trauma center… As you will see in the video they had time to string crime scene tape around his body but didn’t have the time to travel 3 blocks to the emergency room. How many crimes does Hillary have to commit before the doj does its job?
The Burrocrats blame the Russians but it’s been a Rat in their Pack all along. They should apologize to Putin in person. They should send Klastri , Keaukaha and Ikefromeli to Russia via N. Korea.
It’s over.
Our so called “news” media are waging a full-on, no holds barred Psy-Ops propaganda campaign to convince a critical mass of Trump supporters that the election is in fact all over, that there is no point even bothering to vote in November. And, deliciously, it ain’t working.
They are doing this because they are badly frightened and do not know what else to do, so they amp up what they DO know how to do: personally attack and if possible destroy the targeted person ~~ as they so successfully did to Sarah Palin eight years ago (thanks in large measure to the raw stupidity and rash impulsiveness of McCain and his political handlers who tamely allowed the media to convert the gold of an enthusiastic conservative victory into excrement and ashes).
Their fear grows daily as these tactics clearly are not working: Trump supporters are, if anything, even more determined to do what they can to see that this iconoclast becomes our next President.
Not since the attacks by Spiro Agnew 47 years ago have the media mavens and gurus had their authenticity challenged. They are at once furious and soiling their dainty undies as they see their efforts to skewer Trump becoming more and more futile.
Trump sees this and is savoring the spectacle of his media adversaries destroying their own credibility day after day after day with these wild, unsubstantiated fairy tales. Not since FDR have we seen a candidate take such pleasure in barnstorming the country and terrifying his opponents in the media and in the Democrat Party.
We lucky ones now find ourselves at ringside seats from which to observe the ongoing drama of a game changing election.
Don Trump, you are playing your media adversaries like a violin and sweet music it is indeed!
Klastri, read your last sentence. You finally are getting it right.
If you say so. Last sentence: “Trump is an imbecile.”
You’re right again lespark. When you have a lame brain it’s best not to speak.
If that is the case why are you here?
Too bad Obama gave $400,000,000 to Iran plus 1.3 billion in interest plus 150 billion to improve Iran. We could have used the money to build the rail, fix broken water mains, green energy, cure cancer.
Too bad Obama was cooking the books in the Middle East. He promised if elected he would not politicize the military.
He will say anything and change nothing. Him and Crooked Hillary play out of the same dirty playbook.
Democrats should be ashamed of these rank career politicians.
This again illustrates your ignorance. That money belongs now, and always belonged, to the people of Iran. It was on deposit in the United States. You refuse to learn anything, ever. You are pridefully ignorant, which is a sad condition for an adult.
Like Trump, you are suggesting that the United States can steal the money of another sovereign nation. Sad and pathetic – even by your low standard.
Iran changes leaders like you change your underwear, at least once a week on Saturdays, providing you can find a hose bib that’s working.
Why in heaven’s name would The US honor an agreement with the Shah. He’s gone. Reagan should have said no. That is why Countries around the World consider us a paper tiger. That money is a small payback for the brave US soldiers who got killed protecting Iran’s own people. As a result we have veterans and homeless who need to be cared for. We will be 20 trillion in debt. We need Trump to negotiate our bankruptcy. But then again you knew all that.
This is why I feel sorry for you. You think that when a country changes leaders, debts and obligations disappear with that person. Obviously, that isn’t so.
The United States cannot steal money from sovereign nations.
And you don’t understand the national debt either. You can’t learn. Period.
Since you are the self proclaimed expert. What are you going to do about the national debt?..http://www.usdebtclock.org/
What’s the State Department hiding from the American People?
In June 2016, in response to the Republican National Committee’s complaints filed on March 2016, the State Department estimates it will take 75 years to complete the review of documents which are responsive to the complaints.[235] It has been observed that a delay of this nature would cause the documents to remain out of public view longer than the vast majority of classified documents which must be declassified after 25 years.
Everyday Trump is showing that he got through school with his father’s money. How someone this ignorant can matriculate through college is bewildering. I guessing he paid people to take his exams for him and do his projects in college. The Wharton School should be ashamed that they have someone as dimwitted as him as an alumnus. Clinton has no morals and has poor character, but Trump is all that plus dumb.
How many dumb billionaires do you know?
He is a billionaire only in his own mind. If he has as much money as he claims to why is his campaign so understaffed? Only sixty people? Grossly understaffed. Also the ultimate proof of his wealth would be his tax returns. Show us the money.
Its people like you and others that believe what you hear in the one sided press is correct. That alright wait until November and you will see the true facts and like Hillary will wonder what went wrong and can have a beer with the Iranian lover Klastri and lick each other wounds.
Classified emails and the Clinton Foundation need more discussion but you won’t see that until more wiki wiki. Trumps taxes no big thing as we await release of more devastating HiLIARy emails. It’s still early in the game.
Look at the polls raiderdog. The Chump is trailing in all of them some by double digits. Which means people like me are on the winning team and people like you are the losers by a rout. I will have more than one beer to celebrate in November when we kick the Chumps as-!
raiderDogs – I’m an “Iranian lover?” This shows how unfit you are to debate.
If you don’t know anything, you can’t discuss current events. It’s really that simple.
Mr. Trump is going to lose in a landslide. Anyone should be able to see that now. He cannot recover because he’s mentally ill. He’s unable to control himself.
Drump is probably “smart” at certain things (self-promotion, not being afraid to jump on interesting new investment opportunities, getting attention on reality TV, etc.). He is also obviously NOT smart at a bunch of things, including seeing the nation’s economy as a massive whole. Even if you think his being a promotional “billionaire” somehow gives him a substantial advantage over intelligent people who paid attention and got A’s in Finance and Economics courses, he simply will not be able to apply whatever it is he “knows.”
For one thing, he has horrible communication and collaborative skills. More importantly, he will not win the election, because he is not smart enough to control his own foot.
Personally, about 7-8, but what’s the point of the question?
It is rare that a man can encompass so many descriptions simultaneously: arrogant, simp, unread, undisciplined, unempathetic, unmodulated, simplistic, opaque, lazy, opportunist, git, effete, pedantic, bafoon, buck passer, blame shifter, misogynist, racist, elitist, pillock, liar, embellisheder, egotistic, callous, and ugly.
SA.wassup?
How astute of you as you’ve just described Obama.
Hmmmn, what’s your education level?
Us sixth graders are doing pretty good against the over educated high priced lawyers. Still in the game. Usually when someone asks about ones level of education it’s a set up so they can brag about their own high level of education. Like when a golfer asks you what did you shoot? He then tells you hole by hole how he did. It’s not over until November.
2 graduate degrees but level of education is largely irrelevant as can have less formal education but still know how to critically think and analyze information.
Nope. Wanted to see if the person fits the profile of a trump proponent–undereducated, underemployed, isolated and angry?!
Your “profile” is entirely subjective and serves no objective or useful purpose as it labels people and skirts a discussion of the issues which only serves to obfuscate matters.
read this on the web describing Trump: malignant narcissism. look it up.
I looked up butter. That says it all.
sarge22, you speak like drumpf.
Suffers from foot-in-mouth disease.
Come on debate(s).
HiLIARy better load up on her pain pills.
And the spokes-morons who shill for Trump on TV can’t help committing what this article’s headlines charitably calls “verbal missteps” either. Katrina Pierson, who is dumber than Hannity, if that’s possible, stated that Obama invaded Afghanistan, forgetting that Illinois State Senators actually don’t have the power to lead the U.S. into wars.
The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, insisted that all prisoners be released. Thus Mohammad Atta was freed and eventually thanked us by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center. This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified. It was censored in the US from all, pass this on!
Now he’s saying that if he loses the election, he’ll return to “a very good life.” He’s not even serious about the Presidency and is taking y’all for a ride.
Multiple FBI investigations are underway involving potential corruption charges against the Clinton Foundation, according to a former senior law enforcement official.
The investigation centers on New York City where the Clinton Foundation has its main offices, according to the former official who has direct knowledge of the activities.
Prosecutorial support will come from various U.S. Attorneys Offices — a major departure from other centralized FBI investigations.
The New York-based probe is being led by Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Bharara’s prosecutorial aggressiveness has resulted in a large number of convictions of banks, hedge funds and Wall Street insiders.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/08/11/exclusive-joint-fbi-us-attorney-probe-of-clinton-foundation-is-underway/#ixzz4HHRMtJea