On victory lap, few signs Trump focusing on unified nation
ASSOCIATED PRESS
President-elect Donald Trump responds to cheering supporters, in front of a backdrop of Christmas trees, at a rally in Orlando, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 16, 2016.
PALM BEACH, Fla. >> President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday was wrapping up his postelection victory tour, showing few signs of turning the page from his blustery campaign to focus on uniting a divided nation a month before his inauguration.
At each stop, the Republican has gloatingly recapped his Election Night triumph, reignited some old political feuds while starting some new ones, and done little to quiet the hate-filled chants of “Lock her up!” directed at Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Trump planned the tour’s finale at the same football stadium in Mobile, Alabama, that hosted the biggest rally of his campaign. Also Saturday, he announced the nomination of South Carolina Rep. Mick Mulvaney to be his budget director, choosing a tea partyer and fiscal conservative with no experience assembling a government spending plan.
The raucous rallies, a hallmark of his campaign, are meant to salute supporters who lifted him to the presidency. But these appearances also have been his primary form of communication since the Nov. 8 election.
Trump has eschewed the traditional news conference held by a president-elect within days of winning. He’s done few interviews, announced his Cabinet picks via news release and continues to rely on Twitter to broadcast his thoughts and make public pronouncements.
That continued Saturday morning when Trump turned to social media to weigh in on China’s seizure of a U.S. Navy research drone from international waters, misspelling “unprecedented” when he wrote “China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters – rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act.”
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!
He later corrected the tweet. China said Saturday it intended to return the drone to the U.S.
Within days of beating Clinton, Trump suggested to aides that he resume his campaign-style barnstorming. Though he agreed to hold off until he assembled part of his Cabinet, Trump has repeatedly spoken of his fondness for being on the road. Aides are considering more rallies after he takes office, to help press his agenda with the public.
In Pennsylvania, he launched into a 20-minute recap of his Election Night win. The crowd cheered as the president-elect slowly ticked off his victories state by state. He mixed in rambling criticisms of pundits and politicians from both parties.
Trump also thanked African-Americans who didn’t vote, saying “They didn’t come out to vote for Hillary. They didn’t come out. And that was a big — so thank you to the African-American community.” Such rhetoric raised new questions about his ability to unify the country.
In Ohio, he took veiled swipes at fellow Republicans, including the state’s governor John Kasich and independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin, whom he solely refers to as “that guy.” McMullin competed chiefly in Utah.
In Florida, Trump remembered his general election foe by joking, “We had fun fighting Hillary, didn’t we?” He said his supporters were “vicious, violent, screaming, ‘Where’s the wall? We want the wall!’
But Trump has also sounded some notes of unity on the tour. In North Carolina, he said, “We will heal our divisions and unify our country. When Americans are unified there is nothing we cannot do — nothing!”
After the Alabama rally, Trump planned to return to Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate. Aides said the president-elect probably would spend Christmas week there and could remain at the coastal resort until New Year’s.
The president-elect’s choice to head the Office of Management and Budget — a job requiring Senate confirmation — is a founder of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus. In a statement, Trump called him a “very high-energy leader with deep convictions for how to responsibly manage our nation’s finances and save our country from drowning in red ink.”
Mulvaney is one of the more hard-charging members among House conservatives. Lawmakers in the House Freedom Caucus helped push former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio., from power and have caused heartburn for current Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Mulvaney has taken a hard line on budget matters, routinely voting against increasing the government’s borrowing cap and pressing for major cuts to benefit programs as the path to balancing the budget.
Actually balancing the federal budget requires deeper spending cuts than the GOP-controlled Congress can probably deliver on, especially if Trump prevails on revenue-losing tax cuts and a big infrastructure package next year.
100 responses to “On victory lap, few signs Trump focusing on unified nation”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
He is a total shibai. He wants the country divided so he keeps his power. Divide and rule dude.
Q: So what are DEMS & Liberals doing to unify this country since the election?
A: Nothing
You’re part of the pot calling the kettle black, allie. In fact, DEMS & Libs are all back pedaling and trying to make things worse than ever. Go burn a flag.
IRT latenight: So your point to allie is he/she is CORRECT tha Trump wants to keep America DIVIDED and Rule it…You’re just pointing out that the Dems & Liberals are ALSO doing the same thing…Finally an admission on your part…#MAGA
Trump says he wants to unify the country. How is he going to do it, after he and the Republican Alt-Right fascists have divided the country completely in half. HYPOCRISY TO THE MAX
You seem to have added a lot of false context to his comment.
As soon as you republicans pass a pinko commie law outlawing flag burning, i will then burn one.
Since you’ve already ridiculed our military, it would be right in character for you to burn our flag as well..
I double dare you to do it. Then I’ll put my size 10 boots so far up your a$$, it’ll be coming out your mouth
Allie…exact description of Obama and his Democrat party.
Windward_Side: You’re witnessing the psychological defense mechanism known as projection. You accuse your opponent of the very behavior you engage in to assuage your guilt. Barry Hussein as a self-described community organizer specializes in divide and conquer politics. Hence his bitter clinger remark, his promotion of the violent racist BLM organization, his embrace of bigoted identity politics, his IRS attacks on conservative groups and disdain for traditional moral values just to name a few.
Well said.
AGREED!!!
KaBoom!
IRT CEI: Great diagnosis…But you are aware that it also applies to Trumpers…or are you guys immune to it…#MAGA
Time will tell. Under Obama the country was dragged out of the grand recession. I suspect the Donald will put us back into one.
Come on Bootsie stop whining. Mr Trump is doing just fine and the people who voted for him want to see him in person. Say hi to crooked HiLIARy. Loser.
He’s not whining. He’s predicting.
Like he “predicted” a Hillary win?
Hawaiikone everyone knows that you are a Gary Johnson supporter so why don’t you take his lead and just disappear. To me this commentary is for people who made a solid commitment which you clearly did. Your choice was clearly not the Chump so for you to make comments after the fact is chicken sh-t so fu-k off.
keau, I see you haven’t changed at all. Still spouting nonsense. I’ll comment whenever I want, and to whomever I choose, despite your laughable suggestion otherwise…
Allie, you apparently were not paying attention during the past eight when divide and rule was the hallmark of the Obama administration.
Yet you cannot see it in Trumps words??? Be critical of your God Trump…Not being critical of the God Obama is what you see in Obama supporters and what got us here…Blindness in the Giddess Clinton is what you despise, so beware of the blind support of Trump…You Trumpers are our only HOPE…#MAGA
Perhaps you can give a few examples Ron?
Yo have it all wrong. It is the Democrats who divide by race, economic status, religion, etc. Trump has openly talked about unifying the country. He doesn’t call half the country deplorable. I wonfder where you get your news from.
Cayjaybird, liar, Trump and the Tea Party have done their best to obstruct Obama the last 8 years. Sow confusion, spew false conspiracy theories about Benghazi, Pizzagate, Birthers, Hillary’s private server, nothing but disinformation and false news to spread confusion amongst us. Putin and the KGB are thanking people like you for doing their work
Wrong. How do you explain that in the last eight years Democrats lost both houses of congress, the Presidency, a bunch of governors, and about a thousands State seats. Members of Congress voted the way their constituencies wanted them to vote. There is no disinformation on low growth, low wages, increased health care premiums, increase in welfare, on and on. Your candidate lost..badly. Get over it.
Fake News!!!!! 318.9 million people in America…63 millions voted for Trump…it was said HALF of Trump voters are deplorable, so that’s about 31.5 million voters…31.5 million deplorable voters comes out to about 10% of the population……So to be FACTUAL it was said about 10%of the population is Deplorable and NOt the 50% that you are selling…Fake News and you didn’t even know it or you did know but didn’t care…#MAGA
If we want to just count ELIGBLE voters that’s 231,556,622…or about 13% still not HALF…or you can use actual voters 135,657,507…about 23% still not HALF…#MAGA
Like I said before, allie… if you had enough confidence in yourself, in your abilities, in your skills to make your way in the world, and THRIVE, not just survive, it wouldn’t matter one bit who is sitting in the Oval Office. Don’t be looking to any politician to make your world better.
KaBoom II !
Titagirl, the German people probably said the same thing to people who objected to Hitler and the Nazis, or sent them to concentration camps for extermination
Titagirl, you are also part of the problem of hate propaganda and disinformation
So now we have the ridiculous comparisons to Hitler. How weak minded and bereft of logic. That would be like comparing Obama to the the Antichrist.
Where is the hate and propaganda? We are responsible for ourselves. Comparing what is going on now to Nazi Germany is a stretch.
IRT Tita Girl: Hahaha!!! You comment also applies to you and your Trumpers that are complaining and blaming Obama the last 8 years and how he held you guys down and was the worst and on and on…”it wouldn’t matter one bit who is sitting in the Ival Office”…The blindness we ALL suffer from…#MAGA
I’ve never said Barry held me down. The only thing Barry can hold is his golf club.
Lespark, you are the problem, a KGB Putin mole
Call the “waaaa..bulance” 🙂
The country cannot be unified : Too much diversity to many different cultures. One population is irresponsible, another solid citizen.
Obama made the very public comment shortly after his 2012 election win, “Elections have consequences. You lost” Now all you whining liberals feel slighted when somebody tells you the same thing? Grow up.
There are a lot of examples throughout history where a leader continued to “barnstorm” through their countries to get their agenda pushed through by inciting the people.
True. Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Allendre, Pinojet, Franco. We all know how that ended, a lot of human suffering, deaths and destruction.
IRT Vector: Yes but they were ALL trying to Make Their Country Great Again…So it’s OK…#MAGA
You kicked out Tulsi and all those that ‘feel the Bern’ by going all in with Hillary and now Hillary is a two time LOSER, once to Obama and now to Trump. What you goin’ to do in 4 years; manipulate the voting so that Biden is the Demo candidate to challenge Trump? Whether it was Russian hacking is irrelevant, the Demos like Podesta and Debbie Wasserman Shulz got caught with emails proving they manipulated the Demo party process and delegates so that Hillary would be the Demo nominee. After he Trump win, just like the win of Bush2 over Gore the electoral college has been proven to give a clear advantage to Caucasian American voters who live in key swing states who can win the presidential election for the Repub candidate, even if the popular vote is greater for the Demo candidate. Maybe you might have juice in the local Demo party put at the national level in Congress and the Whitehouse, going all in with Hillary and then losing to Trump has rendered you guys im potent making it difficult to recover.
Wow great post but I didn’t see anyone mention Clinton prior to your post…Trumpers seem to have Clinton stuck in their mind…#MAGA
PS: Cause and effect. Obama wanted to singlehandedly even the racial playing field at the expense of often being overtly biased to the minority side, such as in law enforcement matters, regardless of how the FACTS supported the situation. That awoke a sleeping giant of Caucasian voters in key swing states that was tailored for the electoral college to give them a very big controlling voice. As a result these voters have given Trump a mandate to swing things back the other way from what Obama tried to do as a community organizer with immense power. Like Obama, Trump can and will use the power of the executive order to erase the Obama legacy.
What’s funny is these republican commentors really felt that trump was going to lose. So prior to the election, they were crickets. All thos”grab by the P” and fumbles by trumpf went off like crickets. Now they are sounding off. Lol. Hypocratics.
Bernie won Hawaii, bro.
The progressive dictionary defines unity as being in total agreement with them. To paraphrase Barry Hussein “we won; you lost, get over it. And I love how the AP has to editorialize by labeling “lock her up” chants as “hate-filled”. I’d like to see Waldo locked up after a fair trial of course. But it’s not because I hate her, I just think she should answer for using her position in Barry’s administration to enrich the Clinton Crime Family.
CRI I agree with you and I wonder, if the stories, investigations and it seems like accurate data, show the Clinton Foundation being a pay to play bribe scheme–why hasn’t there been a probe, a independent prosecutor assigned??? The American people deserve transparency!!!
Serious, would you like to say something about the Trump foundation? Would you like to compare it with the Clinton Foundation?
No comparison. Hillary used her giverment position to get money for her foundation/personal slush fund. Whatever you may think Trump fir (no examples) at least he wasn’t paid by the taxpayer to enrich himself.
@ nalogirl
KaBoom!
Trumpers never acknowledged a Trump short coming yet…They are all over the Obama/ Clinton supporter for their “blind” support but fail to see their own “blind” support…Both sides are incapable of a critical comment on their Gods…#MAGA
And Juris hates everyone.
IRT Waterman2: Why would you say that? Because I think that we ALL have good and bad qualities? Lets hear someone qualities that we would like to improve on our God Politicians, that’s how you know who is telling the trying to tell the truth…The rest is just hopeful Bull@@@t… #MAGA
You and the “party” should keep the pressure on Trump to do what he promised. He’s backing off the statement he made that if elected he will prosecute Clinton and put her in jail. So far, he’s just laughing at the thought.
Ironically, Trump is being “nice” to Hillary because he’s trying to unify the country.
In my opinion, not putting Hillary in jail was Trump’s olive branch towards the Democrats to help unite the country. However because of all what’s been going on by these Democrats, I feel that all bets are off. Put her in jail.
That’s the BIGGEST problem so far, anti-Trumpers who voice worries about Trump will always be viewed as just being negative and sour and on and on…It’s the same thing that Obama/ Clinton supporters say to the Republicans that are critical of their Gods…Both sides aren’t capable of objectively looking at their Gods and see problems in them…They are like the parents who think their kid who just struck out 20 times in a row is being unfairly treated by the coach because he gets benched…What we need is his Trumpers to hold him accountable for his actions not just come up with justifications for the things that he did…#MAGA
CEI, I and a lot of people hate you, traitor to our country, it’s people and it’s values. Scumbag
Dear Vector: Don’t you know hate clouds your judgement? It interferes with critical thinking and can contribute to a shortened life span. My advice is to make yourself a cup of non-caffeinated tea and try to relax for the rest of the weekend. First thing Monday morning contact your therapist or enroll in a 12 step anger management program. Then try to come to terms with the fact that neither Barry Hussein nor Waldo Clinton will be occupying the oval office come Jan 20th.
The whole article is an editorial. It belongs on the editorial page. And newspapers wonder why they are going out of business.
Terrible AP article. SA should publish an opposing viewpoint.
Like the SA could come up with one!
IRT cajaybird: We’ll all be very old waiting for that to happen. The SA is a textbook progressive one-sided news outlet. For the last 8 years the 1st of their 10 commandments commandment was: “Thou shalt not publish any story that reflects poorly on Barry Hussein”.
Agree, one of the most tendentious articles yet from AP.
Have you noticed the “fact checkers” “fakebook” is going to use are all financed indirectly by George Soros through his various appendages, and a couple of them are tied to the Clinton crime famiglia?
No joke, the other SA story about Trump’s cabinet picks, almost every comment that was perceived to be negative to Obama was purged. They figure after he finishes his round of golf with Bobby T and Greg, they want to make sure if he goes to the SA online he will read how the entire poplulation of Hawaii thinks he can do no wrong and the SA is the ‘best’ news org in Hawaii.
That is exactly why WE are here cajaybird!
For fake news? Fake comments?
by the mainstream media, of course!
Distract
Some comics/funnies section of a Newspaper doesn’t necessarily comes with pictures!
What a biased article. Why don’t you write about M. Obama saying “America has no hope”, her husband blaming the Russians for taking the election. They have absolutely no class nor do they love thiscountry. Don’t tell me and my family that there is no hope, talk about making Americans.seem like these last * years have been so wi ferrule. Thank goodness they are leaving, to me, this statement from her just how much she wants our country to fail. If Trump fails, America fails. It sure seems like she can’t wait for American people to suffer. I am so irritated with this statement. What does she think the young fragile millennials feel now?
Excellent point!
KaBoooom!!
That was yesterday.
You have no response so you say it is from the other day. You know I’m right.
It’s all about Trump’s insatiable ego and Making Russia Great Again.
IRT bsartist: Didn’t you get the memo? The Russian thing has run out of gas. The MSM has moved on and is looking for something a bit more believable to discredit PE Trump. I’m told they focus grouped the old blame Bush meme but that too seems to have run it’s course. My guess is the MSM will conclude that Martians hacked the voting machines in states that Barry won and Waldo was unable to carry.
the real reason the press is so angry at trump:
” . . . these appearances also have been his primary form of communication since the Nov. 8 election. Trump has eschewed the traditional news conference held by a president-elect within days of winning. He’s done few interviews, announced his Cabinet picks via news release and continues to rely on Twitter to broadcast his thoughts and make public pronouncements.”
being put aside on the irrelevant shelf the press has only one recourse: to attack trump, every day, with highly editorialized news stories. trump has mastered getting his brand and message out to americans without the interference of the biased media.
meanwhile, the media attempts to portray cllinton and the obamas as victims of some world wide conspiracy rather than their own hubris and blatant disregard for middle america.
Who’s to blame? In my opinion, the progressive left.
You may be right, the blind support of the left could’ve been the problem, incapable of being critical of their God Obama and Goddess Clinton…We appear to be headed for a repeat now, Trumpers need to be critical of Trump but it doesn’t look like that will happen based on this board, only justifications being offered…Blind support of the Gods…#MAGA
The headline is a fine example of MSM spin. PE Trump has termed his post victory speaking engagements as his “Thank You Tour” not a “victory lap” as the AP terms it. The intent is to make Trump look like as if he is gloating – and he probably is but it’s well deserved after all of the personal attacks leveled by the supposed objective MSM – but it’s much more than that. He is spreading a positive message to all Americans, not just the elites and their low information foot soldiers as Barry Hussein frequently did.
“Trump to visit North Carolina as part of victory tour” | Fox News Video
CEI nailed it. “The intent is to make Trump to look as if he’s gloating-and he probaby is,but it’s well deserved”. You just explained and justified a trumpie. You sound like a hypocritical fool. Lol.
How do you united a Nation when Obama keeps making hateful remarks to stir up the left?
How do you united a Nation when Trump keeps making hateful remarks to stir up the right?
The reason Trump doesn’t use the press is because , just like this AP article , that slander and and twist reality every chance they get. Why put out your statements thru liars ?
Waterman,because fools like you believe the news is from Trump tweets. Gestopo first order is to demonize the press then totally get rid of it. He will.try to abolish the Freedom of the Press watch,I betcha.
More “fake news” from AP…nothings changed.
This IDIOT is our President? What a shame.
So many estates so many penthouses. So much $$$$. How can he even feel the middle class pain? Has he every eaten can goods?
Interesting
Many of you talk about DT as being bad for the country–let me ask you DT haters/doubters: are you invested in stock market?? or have you recently invested in the stock market–if you are really a DT hater/doubter–sell off as the DOW climbs to the 20,000. Since DT has taken has become the PE the business community has shown confidence in him. What has the “Dems” given this country over the last 8 yrs–more taxes, more spending/waste, sending more jobs over seas, weaker military, neglect of our veterans, a larger divide between whites and black — the only thing i see BO doing is knocking off OBL but then he did leave our people to get butchered in Benghazi and tried to cover up
Now Obama is responsible for Benghazi? Lol. As for the stock market, it’s for the rich. The average person probably are only invested on 401k. As for the DOW, investors see DT as spending BIG on infrastructure. Yup, your tax money. Under Obama the market has gradually gained on all sectors.
What has the current administration done the last 8 years to unify this country ? Are you on drugs ? Race relations and confidence in the Government has been going downhill since Obama took office in 08. How dare you call out Mulvaney as not having experience ! Obama appointed so many people that had ZERO experience EVER doing the particular job they were to take the reins of. You can go pound sand AP with your liberal non sense.
IRT Shotzy: So your point is that Obama made the same mistakes that Trump is making???
Trump’s victory tour: Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin to give thanks.
Obama’s victory tour: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and France to apologize for America.
Snotty article. Try to lose with some class
The media, SA included, don’t like the new approach from PE Trump. His appraoch makes sense when needing to bypass an obviously biased media who has no intention of allowing the nation to unify or heal. He’s the PE and we need to support our country instead of trying to tear it apart. For those on the far left who can’t do that, just keep quite and wait for your next chance for “hope and change” in four years.
Obama Out.