If Trump loses, the media will be celebrating for years

 

Caution: This is in no way a forecast that President Trump will lose or is likely to lose. In fact, the race has, predictably, tightened somewhat and he has a clear shot at victory. Instead, it is a rumination on the media and political world if that were to be the outcome.

On the day--whatever day that is--that Donald Trump loses his reelection bid, the winner will be clear.

The media.

The victory lap will begin immediately. Many journalists and commentators will be patting themselves on the back for exposing what they see as Trump’s fatal flaws, and exulting that the country has finally come to its senses.

Oh sure, Joe Biden will get some credit, and the traditional honeymoon will be even more festive because he’ll be seen as having rescued the world from certain destruction. But the pundits will point to polls showing that a sizable portion of Biden voters were primarily interested in evicting the incumbent.

And privately they will say that Biden wasn’t all that inspiring, that the election was a referendum on Trump and they essentially disqualified him.

The primary emotion, by far, will be one of vindication. It’s been a depressing six years for most of the mainstream media, which blew the 2016 election, saw their warnings about Trump ignored and then found themselves constantly denounced and derided as fake news.

Some liberal commentators openly blamed Trump voters, unable to understand how they could support such a man unless they were racist, sexist and xenophobic themselves. This disdain further alienated their profession from perhaps 40 percent of the country.

Endless stories will be written, for years, about how the coronavirus defeated Trump, the wrecked economy defeated Trump, the racial protests defeated Trump, and most of all how Trump defeated Trump. This effort will extend to the entertainment business, and to the culture itself, which will paint the Trump term as a dark era that should forever be vilified by historians.

To be sure, media organizations did dig up important information about Trump's shortcomings and administration failures. But the Russia probe and the Ukraine impeachment will be recast as flashing red lights on the way to autocracy. By the fall campaign, major news organizations were dispensing with the caveats and the fig leaves, openly describing Trump as incompetent, racist and a divisive liar.

The media will depict Republicans who supported Trump as cowards. And some GOP lawmakers and leaders will be more openly critical as they attempt to push their party in a different direction and keep conducting autopsies. Some NeverTrumpers will try to reclaim their role, a tough hill to climb after supporting the Democratic ticket.

Trump himself will remain a powerful force with a strong following. Assuming he doesn’t contest the results, he will still use his massive social media following--and perhaps new media ventures--to push his views and become a thorn in Biden’s side. He’s not exactly the type to retire quietly to Mar-a-Lago.

While news outlets aren’t going to collapse without the Trump presidency, as he’s often predicted, they will take a hit. With a low-key Biden administration that lacks Trumpian drama, cable news ratings will probably decline from their lofty heights. With less addiction to the daily soap opera, newspaper digital subscriptions will likely drop as well. Twitter is all but certain to lose traffic. Maybe Bob Woodward will hang it up.

In the Trump era, all kinds of beat reporters got cable news contracts and book deals beyond their wildest imaginations. Many of these opportunities will also fade.

In short, the media world that heaped so much negative coverage on Donald Trump will wind up missing him--that is, once they’re done burying him and his reputation.

Victor Davis Hanson argues Biden is being ‘held hostage’ by his own party

 

Presidential nominee Joe Biden is being held hostage by the Democrats as a political strategy, Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hanson told “The Ingraham Angle.”

Hanson said it seems  Biden is unable to speak freely on his own terms and that "screen image we see" during Zoom meetings is akin to "The Wizard of Oz."

“It’s a false illusion. There’s somebody manipulating it,” he said.

Hanson said the Biden campaign had to make a "calculated decision" that running a virtual campaign is a safer option than "letting him be out and be a regular candidate."

Biden also has to walk a fine line when it comes to condemning police violence so he does not compromise his base, Hanson said.

Biden campaigns on the idea that America’s troubles, including protest violence, the coronavirus pandemic and the economic recession will all “magically disappear” upon his election, Hanson said.

“He may be right about that because I think a lot of the agents of that chaos and anarchy are subordinate,” Hanson said.

Kamala Harris accidentally touts plans under a 'Harris administration' during virtual roundtable

 

Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's running mate in the 2020 election, raised eyebrows on Monday evening after she accidentally touted economic plans under a "Harris administration."

Speaking during a virtual roundtable with small business owners in Arizona, Harris vowed that they will have an ally in the White House with the campaign's "Build Back Better" initiative.

However, the California senator appeared to briefly suggest that she was at the top of the Democratic ticket.

"A Harris administration, together with Joe Biden as the president of the United States," she said. She quickly clarified, "The Biden-Harris administration will provide access to $100 billion in low-interest loans and investments from minority business owners."

Many on social media questioned whether Harris' misstatement was a "Freudian slip" as critics of the Biden candidacy insist that former VP is a placeholder for the liberal senator.

"Joe better hire a food taster," Richochet editor-in-chief Jon Gabriel quipped.

"Uh oh, Kamala. You weren't supposed to say that part out loud!!" Daily Caller's Greg Price exclaimed.

The Trump campaign quickly seized on Harris' gaffe with the Trump War Room tweeting that Biden's running mate "lets the truth slip."

President Trump and his supporters have repeatedly attacked Joe Biden as being a "Trojan Horse for the radical left" while other critics have predicted that the former VP is serving as a "placeholder" until Harris is sworn in as president.

Trump says if ‘weak’ Biden can vote in person, ‘any American can do it’

 

President Trump took to Twitter late Monday to call out Joe Biden, for voting in person for the Delaware primary and said if the former vice president can cast a ballot at a voting center, it is clearly not too difficult for the average American.

“Did you see where Joe  Biden—as Weak, Tired, and Sleepy as he is, went to a Polling Place today in Delaware (of course!) to VOTE? If Biden can do it, any American can do it!” Trump tweeted.

Trump and Republicans have clashed with Democrats over mail-in voting. Trump has insisted that mail-in voting is rife with fraud. Biden has promoted the option and has said “voting by mail is safe and secure." Biden has even called out Trump for requesting a mail-in ballot for the Florida primary back in August.

Ken Farnaso, the Trump 2020 Campaign deputy national press secretary, said at the time that Biden is “disingenuously misleading millions of Americans on universal vote-by-mail and absentee voting -- they are not the same thing. Fundamentally changing how Americans vote 81 days before Election Day is inviting chaos into our election system.”

Trump has been encouraging voters to vote both in person and by mail because he said if the system that is as effective as Democrats say it is, there shouldn't be a problem.

Trump recently told voters in North Carolina to “make sure your Ballot COUNTS, sign & send it in EARLY. When Polls open, go to your Polling Place to see if it was COUNTED. IF NOT, VOTE! Your signed Ballot will not count because your vote has been posted. Don’t let them illegally take  your vote away from you.”

Twitter flagged the Trump tweet as in violation of its “Civic Integrity Policy” and said voting in the state twice is illegal.

Fox News' Marissa Schultz

Trump issues stark warning to Iran after reports country is considering plot to assassinate US ambassador

 

President Trump took to Twitter late Monday to issue a stern warning to Iran that an assassination attempt or attack against the U.S. in retaliation of the airstrike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani earlier this year will be met with a counterattack that “will be 1,000 times greater in magnitude.”

Trump cited recent reports that claim Tehran is considering an assassination attempt on Lana Marks, the United States’ ambassador to South Africa. U.S. officials have been aware of threats against the ambassador since the spring, but intelligence suggests those threats have become more specific in recent weeks.

An intelligence source told Fox News the intel community is taking the threat against the ambassador seriously and believe the Iranian regime potentially has the ability to act on an assassination plot. She is just one of several U.S. officials that American intelligence agencies believe Tehran is considering for retaliation for the killing of Soleimani. Iran has denied the reports.

The Pentagon said Soleimani “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”

Late last year, after approving the raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Trump said the U.S. will hunt down its enemies anywhere in the world.

Fox News' Andrew O'Reilly,  Gillian Turner, Frank Miles and the Associated Press contributed to this report

Joe Biden in the basement Cartoons

 

2 L.A. County sheriff’s deputies expected to survive after shooting

 

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies guard the entrance to St. Francis Medical Center early Monday, Sept. 13, 2020, after two deputies were shot late Saturday, Sept. 12, while sitting inside their patrol vehicle guarding a Metro station in Compton, Calif. (AP Photo/Jintak Han)

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UPDATED 3:15 PM PT – Sunday, September 13, 2020

Two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, who were shot point blank in their patrol car Saturday night, are expected to survive. Officials announced the news on Sunday afternoon and called it “a double miracle.”

One of the law enforcement victims is a 31-year-old mother, who was shot in the jaw and arms. The other has been identified as her 24-year-old partner, who suffered wounds to his forehead, arms and one of his hands.

Both remain in critical, but stable condition following surgeries.

According to reports, a lone gunman approached the deputies in their patrol car and opened fire before fleeing the scene.

“The two deputies were doing their job, minding their business (and) watching out for the safety of the people on the train,” stated Sheriff Alex Villanueva. “To see somebody just walk up and just start shooting on them, it pisses me off and it amazes me at the same time.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva speaks at a news conference in Los Angeles Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The suspect has been described as a 28 to 30-year-old Black male, who was wearing dark clothing. He was last seen driving a black four-door sedan.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has since announced a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the suspect. Homicide detectives have asked anyone with information about him to call their bureau or contact Crime Stoppers.

President Trump demanded action following the shooting. On Twitter, he called for a fast trial and the death penalty for the man responsible.

Donald Trump Jr. also called attention to the attack and asked Americans to pray for the deputies.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has said, despite the hatred directed at law enforcement, officers will never stop doing their job.

“Our job doesn’t get any easier because people don’t like law enforcement, it’s going to be a challenge day after day,” explained Sheriff Villanueva. “However, the sheriff’s department will never be deterred in keeping our passengers safe on the MTA lines and keeping our communities safe, we are committed to that.”

Kushner says it’s ‘disgusting’ that politicians are trying to politicize the coronavirus pandemic

 

Jared Kushner, the senior adviser to President Trump, told Fox News’ “The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton” Sunday that it is “absolutely disgusting” to see politicians trying to use the coronavirus to score political points in an election year.

Kushner, who is also Trump’s son in law, pointed to the recent anniversary of the attacks on 9/11 and recalled how--in the immediate aftermath-- Americans didn’t “politicize that crisis.”

“We came together as a country,” he said. “President Trump has continued to lead, continued to do the right thing. But it’s very sad for me to see how a lot of these politicians have tried to politicize this. But that’s what they do.”

The election season is in full swing and both Trump and Joe Biden are trying to present themselves as the leader who will keep Americans safe amid the deadly pandemic. Biden’s team has tried to describe Trump as someone who failed to rise to the occasion. Democrats have claimed that Trump did not take the virus seriously enough in its early stages and has been playing catchup ever since.

Biden has also appeared to struggle to make clear distinctions in how he would have approached the virus back in March.

Jake Sullivan, a senior policy adviser for Biden, was asked by Chris Wallace, the host of “Fox News Sunday” about the former vice president’s decision to hold rallies in March and played a video clip of Biden’s reaction to Trump’s decision to restrict travel from China.

“This is no time for Donald Trump's record of hysteria, xenophobia, hysterical xenophobia to -- and fearmongering, to lead the way instead of science,” Biden said.

Wallace asked Sullivan why it took Biden two months to publically approve the restrictions. Sullivan denied the time frame and Bidden said in a speech on March 12 that travel restrictions can slow the virus.

“But they can't stop the virus,” Sullivan said, regarding the restrictions. “His [Biden's] whole point was, the only way long-term for us to get this virus under control is for the president to stand up and do his job here at home where the virus was circulating”

Kushner told Steve Hilton, the host of the program, that Trump took the virus seriously from the start.

“They said we would have shortages on the frontline workers PPE; they said that we were going to have people dying because they weren’t in ventilators,” Kushner said.“That didn’t happen.”

Kushner also credited Trump for his leadership in the push for a vaccine. He said there are several vaccines that are now in Phase Three trials, which is “faster than anyone thought possible.”

Kushner said the coronavirus has brought a lot of heartbreak to Americans and has been challenging. But he said Trump is the man for the job and prevented the country from being in a “much worse position."