Twice on Monday, CNN White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond insisted the possibility of President Trump giving his Republican nomination acceptance speech at Gettysburg was “controversial” and “notable” seeing as how Trump “has consistently position[ed] himself as a defender of Confederate symbols and monuments to Confederate generals.”
In other words, Diamond insinuated that Trump was looking at Gettysburg since it’s where both his supposedly beloved Confederacy fought and there are a number of Confederate statues. Talk about feigning ignorance in favor of a narrative.
Diamond first dredged up this nutty implication in the 1:00 p.m. Eastern hour, deeming the option “pretty notable” because of Black Lives Matter protests, racism, and Trump’s supposed love of the Confederacy:
Of course, that would be a pretty notable pick given the fact that the President, over the last couple of months, as we have seen these protests over Black Lives Matter and racism in the United States, the President has taken to defending Confederate generals, so he would, you know, be taking — giving a speech for his accepting the nomination here at a site where the Confederates, of course, lost that battle. But we are told as of now that the White House has been the kind of primary contender for this.
Quick! Someone grab some tin foil to fashion Jeremy a hat a la Alex Jones.
Fast-forward to The Lead and Diamond was at it again:
DIAMOND: And, Pam, we've reported that President Trump is considering deliver his GOP nomination acceptance speech from the White House, but amidst some criticism of that potential venue, the President is now floating another one. This time, he's talking about the hallowed Civil War battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. But that can be controversial too, particularly because this is a President who has consistently positions [sic] himself as a defender of Confederate symbols and monuments to Confederate generals.
PAM BROWN: Yeah, that's a fair point to make.
For the sake of fairness, Diamond replied to a video tweet of this second live shot, claiming he was being misinterpreted:
@ me next time. That's not even close to what I said. I pointed out it would be a controversial pick because of the President's defense of Confederate symbols & monuments -- not that it would be his reason for picking the site.
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) August 10, 2020
It should also be noted Diamond acknowledged in the first shot that the Confederacy lost the Battle of Gettysburg, but the fact that he did so made things worse because going one step further would have led him to admit that it helped turned the tide for the Union.
As the Daily Wire’s “Godking” Jeremy Boreing said on Twitter, “nothing says, ‘I heart the Confederacy’ like speaking at the site of one of their greatest defeats. SO. MUCH. JOURNALISMING.”
Reason’s Robby Soave picked up on that theme as well, tweeting: “If Trump's aim was to position himself as a defender of the Confederacy, isn't the site of the Confederacy's most noteworthy military defeat literally the last place he would choose?”
Meanwhile, Breitbart’s Joel Pollak quipped that, using Diamond’s logic, Trump’s speeches in Normandy and Warsaw were tributes to Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, respectively.
Oh, and a basic grasp of U.S. history would have led Diamond to note what happened on November 19, 1863 at the battlefield. No big deal other than the fact that it was one of if not the most famous speech in our country’s history.
Diamond’s ignorance of history (because Orange Man Bad) was brought to you by advertisers such as Liberty Mutual, Norton Antivirus, Safelite Auto Glass, Select Quote, and WayFair. Follow the links to the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant CNN transcript from August 10, click “expand.”
CNN Newsroom
August 10, 2020
1:27 p.m. EasternBRIANNA KEILAR: This just in. The White House is closer now to deciding where president trump will accept the Republican nomination. CNN White House correspondent Jeremy diamond is joining us about this and, Jeremy, it looks like the White House is actually still in the running but it's not the only place where we could see the President deliver his speech.
JEREMY DIAMOND: That's right. The President taking to Twitter just a few moments ago to say that there are now two finalists. Of course, the President always trying to make this some what of a reality show program. There are two finalists he says for this convention speech, both the White House but also the battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Of course, that would be a pretty notable pick given the fact that the President, over the last couple of months, as we have seen these protests over Black Lives Matter and racism in the United States, the President has taken to defending Confederate generals, so he would, you know, be taking — giving a speech for his accepting the nomination here at a site where the Confederates, of course, lost that battle. But we are told as of now that the White House has been the kind of primary contender for this.
(....)
CNN’s The Lead
August 10, 2020
4:20 p.m. EasternDIAMOND: And, Pam, we've reported that President Trump is considering deliver his GOP nomination acceptance speech from the White House, but amidst some criticism of that potential venue, the President is now floating another one. This time, he's talking about the hallowed Civil War battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. But that can be controversial too, particularly because this is a President who has consistently positions [sic] himself as a defender of Confederate symbols and monuments to Confederate generals.
PAM BROWN: Yeah, that's a fair point to make.
