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Trump’s Rashomon Press Conference
Donald Trump’s press conference Thursday was the worst political failure in presidential history. And the presser was the most deft performance by a President ever witnessed.
Wait … which of the above sentences is true? Depends who you ask. First, let’s look at the response of Trump’s detractors.
CNN:
Trump held court during a news conference that lasted an hour and fifteen minutes, carving out a stunning moment in modern American political history. He displayed a sense of anger and grievance rarely vented by a President in public — let alone one who has been in office for just four weeks.
President Trump on Thursday aired his grievances against the news media, the intelligence community and his detractors generally in a sprawling, stream-of-consciousness news conference that alternated between claims that he had “inherited a mess” and the assertion that his fledgling administration “is running like a fine-tuned machine.”
…Yet moments later, the president seemed to acknowledge the widespread reports of turbulence and upheaval emanating out of his West Wing, only to claim that his White House — which so far has been marred by staff infighting, a controversial travel ban, false statements and myriad leaks — was operating seamlessly.
[T]he session was marked by an extraordinarily raw and angry defense the likes of which has never been seen in a modern White House. At times abrupt, often rambling, characteristically boastful yet seemingly pained at the portrayals of him, Mr. Trump seemed intent on reproducing the energy and excitement of his campaign after a month of grinding governance. He returned repeatedly to his contest with Hillary Clinton and at one point plaintively pleaded for understanding.
From these reports, it appears that a petulant, dissembling Trump ranted and raved for more than an hour and caused incalculable damage to his presidency and his agenda. But not so fast. Despite these reports by the “objective” press, let’s see how reporters not as reflexively contemptuous of Trump reported the event.
President Trump Thursday abruptly revived the aggressive, freewheeling style he exhibited during the presidential campaign — boasting, attacking and complaining his way through an hour-long East Room news conference.
As he did during the campaign, Trump singled out reporters for particular scorn, touting them as embodying of everything that he saw wrong with Washington: elitism, dishonesty and insularity.
Townhall’s Guy Benson:
With the media loudly demanding that he take questions from traditional mainstream outlets following yesterday’s kerfuffle, President Trump gave the press what they wanted: A lengthy news conference at which reporters from virtually every outlet under the sun were able to pose questions, often with multiple follow-ups.
Trump began by reading with a lengthy statement from which he characteristically departed and ad libbed at some length. It felt like a choreographed effort to talk over the heads of the news media “gatekeepers,” and communicate directly with the American people. While he frequently oversimplifies and over-applies his frustrations (dismissing all news and polls he doesn’t like as “fake,” for instance), the president is understandably frustrated with a press corps that really has seemed determined to cover his administration in a relentlessly negative light, sometimes in hysterical and unfair terms, from day one.
The president spoke and took questions for more than an hour and 15 minutes, even joking with some reporters toward the end and saying he was having fun. In a bid to preempt negative coverage of his remarks, Trump insisted he was not “ranting and raving.” But he lamented that the “tone” of coverage of his administration is one of “such hatred.”
“The public doesn’t believe you people anymore,” he said.
I missed the press conference live and, according to a brief perusal of journalist Twitter, I assumed it was a train wreck. Then I saw Ricochet member @patrickb63’s post, which was filled with positive comments by Ricochet members. Only then did I watch the event via YouTube.
(Starts just at the 1:00:38 hour point, ends at about 2:18:00)
Trump concluded his press conference with a response to a question about crime. “This isn’t Donald Trump that divided a nation,” the President said. “We went eight years with President Obama and we went many years before President Obama. We lived in a divided nation. And I am going to try — I will do everything within my power to fix that.” Just so and Godspeed.
Rashomon, a 1950 film directed by Akira Kurosawa, focused on a murder retold by four characters. The versions were radically different, each flattering the teller and confirming their own biases. As with so much news about Trump, his press conference served as its own Rashomon.
So what did you see in today’s presser: A bravura performance by Trump holding the deceptive press corps’ feet to the fire, or a lying President devastated by truth-telling journalists?
Published in General
I didn’t vote for a man of principle and integrity. I voted for a man who’s going to do more policy that I agree with than his opponent would have (or if you prefer, less policy that I disagree with).
I’m not looking for a role model. Like the old joke about the mule, I’m looking for someone to hit the government (and the press) in the head with a 2×4.
Trump talks like the legendary political uncle at Thanksgiving. And like that uncle, the nation, and the world. will learn to see the whole man. I truly don’t think he hates anyone, not for long at least. I don’t see him taking revenge against anyone who opposed him, in fact quite the opposite. He seems to court their opinions.
I didn’t vote for him. But I am starting to get him. This is what real change looks like, and we will all be better off if he has a chance to finish what he’s started.
Words matter for the right, but not the left, they can say anything, and it never counts. But they tie the right up in new word rules constantly. Trump is changing that.
Honestly, just try seeing him differently, look for the good. He meets with people he has strong public disagreements with to talk face to face. Like Mitt Romney. Like the CBC today I think. He asks them to talk, to tell him their point of view. I don’t see that as unstable at all. It’s amazing actually.
I see a strangely normal man, considering his background, working his heart out to fix the country.
This is good; having a precise list of policy positions is almost like having principles, as long as they don’t change and they comprehensively cover every aspect of the President’s ability to effect the country.
I’m no looking for a role model either, just competency. If you think principles and integrity have nothing to do with moving the country in the correct direction we have a fundamental disagreement.
Everyone saw what they wanted to see. Big surprise. As a formerly #nevertrump guy, and a currently vehement anti-anti-Trump guy, I have given myself permission to believe that I can’t judge Trump by how much he resembles the other men who have held the office. He is not like them, he promised that he wouldn’t be like them, and criticizing him for being unlike them strikes me as just a little bit silly. Judged by his own standards, I thought Trump was straightforward, funny, and even a little bit charming.
I don’t agree with a lot of Trump’s agenda, but I do support the idea of a politician who really tries to keep his campaign promises. Even the promises with which I don’t agree. But apparently the idea of actually keeping campaign promises is something that freaks out the MSM almost as much as the idea of a Republican in the White House.
Okay, but… how many Americans are like that. They say contradictory things, yet you know what they mean anyway?
That is called not being a politician who weighs each word.
He skips things he thinks are self-evident.
Like when he says Russia is a ruse, he doesn’t mean the whole Russian hack and investigation. He means as it applies to his involvement.
It’s like talking to your neighbor. You don’t insist that they place each word carefully. You give them the benefit of the doubt, that they know Russia hacked and they called for an investigation, but that they are also very clear that they were not involved and insulted that people say they are.
Trump is not trained in political speak. We are not used to that. I think we will get used to it. I don’t think it is required to be a good President.
He won. He is working harder than any President I’ve ever seen to keep his promises and to be honest.
I didn’t vote for him. I was Never Trump. But I am starting to get him. And like it or not he is here to stay.
Yah!
Actually, we are a schizophrenic nation right now! Not divided, but actually insane!
Women marching down the street with genitalia on their heads calling it feminism.
Insane.
I can’t understand at all what all the fuss is about, and I’m a woman.
I’m not learned enough to understand it, but I “Liked” it anyway. (I hope it didn’t contradict me.)
I’m far from deifying him. During the primaries, I thought his candidacy was a PR stunt. I’m aware of his foibles, and actually some of them are what I love in a president for a change. We’re just not used to plain speaking anymore, and I’m really enjoying the whole spectacle.
I was in the car too and listening to Fox Station – Rush Limbaugh kept laughing in the background – he knows Trump well – funny!
I’m not sure why I like this picture so much but somehow it captures my feelings about American politics right now. Being mostly irritated and sometimes worried by the sheer volume of “fake news” and the utter hysteria surrounding it, I admittedly find myself feeling entertained and overall rather optimistic.
Aside from the artist’s (bambi) intension, I think you can read her street art piece in multiple ways. The depiction of fake news. Or the depiction of a faker. Or both. But besides that, can’t you help smiling?
As, according to the New York Times, Trump was airing grievances, shall we call it the “Rashomon Festivus” news conference?
By the way, @jon , putting “Rashomon” in the title was brilliant.
I was surprised by Tapper’s comment as he has always seemed like a good reporter. However, he really has bought into the whole CNN narrative and just simply doesn’t get it.
That quote under my name isn’t mine but I wish I’d written it.
Competence means getting an agenda passed. Principles and integrity can also mean fulfilling campaign promises. Our country will move in the direction that the president and his people want. It may not feel correct for you but it does for me and that is not because our president is a good/kind/moral person but because he gets things done.
Am I happy that our odd president pimp slapped the media? Absolutely. I despise them. If I could get in that press conference with an industrial power sprayer full of pepper spray I would baste their breathing holes in noxious chemicals and laugh myself silly over their suffering. You may think that’s horrible but those reporters are the enemies. I have fought for my life with people who were trying to kill me and I didn’t beat them by worrying about principles and integrity, I won because I wasn’t going to let them take it from me.
Jon Gabriel, Ed. As with so much news about Trump, his press conference served as its own Rashomon.
As I commented elsewhere today, if Trump saved a family with children from a burning house by turning a fire hose on it, the headline would be “TRUMP FLOODS HOUSE, LEAVING CHILDREN HOMELESS.”
If Obama had shot a sick child, the headline would have been “OBAMA SAVES SICK CHILD FROM A LIFE OF PAIN”
Well, it would be easier for a shyster to get you off for that as opposed to wading into their midst swinging a claidheamh-mòr, but I still think my way would be more fun.
It’s important to have variety in art.
With all due respect, I find this pretty despicable, and politically quite unacceptable at the “punch a nazi” level.
I fondly remember a time when using the analogy of physical battle and/or war was the calling card of the morally bereft left, as it is has always been the excuse for expansion of power, the erasure of checks and balances, and the granting of special executive privileges “because our lives are in danger.”
I am terribly old fashioned in morality and politics. I believe in the system more than any man or any group of men. I believe in “winning” least of all, if winning means gaining more power. I see most analogies such as yours as mere excuses to do whatever we want because we’re in mortal danger and we have the power. I think they lead to a decay in order and respect for the system as it is, and I had hopes that most conservatives were above it.
I’m beginning to think they are not.
Everything the president does as part of his job is part of his competence and effects the country.
The interesting thing about the press and establishment hysteria is that so many of them do not realize that what President Trump (how sinfully delicious to write those words together) is doing exactly what tens of millions of us voted for him to do – piss off everyone in the establishment down to their very nubbins.
I know this type of thought only too well and it is not what our country wanted or needed. The systems you admire and respect have rotted beyond repair other than serving those who administrate the systems. I believe our country is in mortal danger and it seems you do not.
I don’t think you understand the extent to which American wealth and prosperity depends on the institutions you claim to despise.
I think we all agree that the principle of popular sovereignty is essential to the legitimacy of the government. So, if the people really want to tear down all of the institutions of American government, that will and should happen. That does not mean, however, that as a normative matter, conservatives should advocate for the destruction of institutions when there exist legitimate ways to correct policy failures working within the system.
The Republicans effectively control the entire government. The President does not need to attack right now. He won, and yet he keeps acting like he lost. He needs to wrangle Congress to effect legislative change and set good policy within the executive branch. I don’t see how yesterday’s press conference facilitates that end.
You are so wrong. The Got is cowering in the face of the onslaught. They were not even ready to replace ACA. No, Trump has the Whitehouse, cowards control Congress
The system I deal with every day is the health care business and I’d happily burn it down to start anew rather than tweaking the overtly defective parts for the rot spreads everywhere.
The news media is every bit the problem that the looney left, cronies and corrupt officials are. Yesterday was needed.
McCain is and has been an egomaniac for years. He gets a pass seemingly forever because he was literally tortured (not waterboarded). For example, Trump’s comment about not being captured had much more context to it than is usually reported. McCain cares about McCain, to a degree that’s astonishing even for a politician. Remember the financial crisis that hit near the end of his campaign? He suspended his campaign to stay in DC in front of the cameras because he was indispensable in saving our nation. What a hockey puck.
Today at the shelter, I listened to two Vietnam vets talk about some of the horrendous crap they endured. Hunkered down on folding chairs and smoking menthol cigarettes that they had torn the filters off of — save the clothing and location, they looked every bit the Infantrymen they reminisced about. It never fails to astound and humble me what veterans bring up to lighten the mood when discussing their time deployed. These two gentleman had gotten stuck on friends they lost, when one brought up dysentery and trench-foot to change the subject. Pretty soon they were rollicking with laughter, using events the rest of us would consider traumatic as humorous out-take. I had to leave myself when they started going into depth about gangrenous toes — while laughing themselves to tears.
These battles are trivial — they mean nothing. Absolutely zilch. In the cosmic measurement of things that matter — our exchanged opinions about how things should go in life rank 1,000 degrees below an amoeba’s fart. Yet there are people who have risked and lost life and limb so that we may continue to exchange them.
I’m not advocating for any direction in this debate — only providing perspective about actual War that I was reminded of today.
My most ardent Trump patients are a couple Vietnam vets who have been wearing their MAGA hats to my office for a year. They consider the political battles being fought as existential for the country.
When politics fails eventually our country sends her youth in to meat grinders to die or be changed forever by the baptism. I’d counter that these battles mean everything. Had Goldwater won instead of LBJ then maybe my first memories of my father wouldn’t be him screaming at night trying to save dying boys and those men you talked with today would not be worrying about the brothers they lost when our politics failed.
Our exchanged opinions do mean very little though, but they are fun.
I object to your language and obvious lack of balance. I was merely surprised that his actions at the conference could be so wildly interpreted. So, I get it, you hate Trump. OK.