President Donald Trump’s “cataclysmic” pick of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court and his act of “treason” at his Helsinki summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin prompted the media to turn up their outrage volume to 11 this month.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper was first to pounce on Trump’s July 16 summit with Putin as he immediately declared it “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president.” His colleague Don Lemon, on his July 17 show, brought up the prospect of trying Trump for “treason.” The New York Times’ Michelle Goldberg, appearing on ABC’s This Week, also questioned the President’s loyalty to the United States: “We don’t know if Putin is his handler, his hero or his co-conspirator, but it’s obviously where his loyalty lies.”
Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to replace outgoing Justice Anthony Kennedy caused such a panic on the left MSNBC’s Brian Williams brought on former Newsweek editor Jon Meacham to talk his audience through the “cataclysmic” moment. On the July 10, CBS This Morning co-anchor Norah O’Donnell seemed to be pleading with Sen. Charles Schumer as she asked: “Is there anything you can do to stop this nomination?” And CNN’s chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin had a meltdown: “It will guarantee that fewer African-American and Latino students attend elite universities. It will approve laws designed to hinder voting rights. It will sanction execution by grotesque means.”
Celebrities also got into the act with film director Michael Moore vowing that he will “join a million other people surrounding the United States Capitol” to stop Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
This month also saw liberal journalists decry Trump’s “emboldening” of racists and even one host called him the “Worst ruler in history.”
The following are the worst liberal outbursts over the last month from lefty journalists and celebrities:
CNN Trashes Trump’s Treasonous Performance in Helsinki
“You have been watching perhaps one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president at a summit in front of a Russian leader certainly that I’ve ever seen.”
— Anderson Cooper 360 host Anderson Cooper on CNN’s post-Helsinki summit coverage, July 16.
“Can we still call President Trump the leader of the free world? Can we still call him the leader of the United States? He has gone from snarling alpha dog in Brussels, blasting our allies, to Putin’s lapdog in Helsinki.”
— Host Don Lemon on CNN Tonight, July 16.
“The world witnessed a betrayal the likes of which we’ve never seen. America’s President sided with its enemy today. Shock has turned to a national shunning as America finds unity in President Trump’s perfidy.”
— Host Chris Cuomo on CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time, July 16.
“Article III in Section Three of the Constitution says this, ‘treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.’ So, no president has ever been charged with treason, Douglas. Do you believe the President’s actions fall anywhere within that definition?”
— Host Don Lemon’s question to presidential historian Douglas Brinkley on CNN Tonight, July 17.
“Con Man” Trump Owes His Presidency to “Hero” Putin
“Increasingly to believe that the President isn’t compromised requires such a leap of faith that requires so many coincidences and inexplicable behavioral choices. I think the truth is probably what is right in front of us, which is that Donald Trump was kind of a con man, a third tier failed businessman whose fortunes were rescued by Russian oligarchs....He became president with the direct intervention of Putin. He sees his fortunes as inseparable from Putin’s. We don’t know if Putin is his handler, his hero or his co-conspirator, but it’s obviously where his loyalty lies as opposed to lying with the American people.”
— New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg on ABC’s This Week, July 22.
Putin’s “Sinister” Sway Over Trump
“When historians look back on the Trump presidency they’ll say this was the week that something changed. Something really shifted in the conversations about the President....Trump’s odd behavior with Vladimir Putin is compelling so many people to ask: ‘What does Putin have on Trump? Has Trump been compromised?’ All of those people, those experts, those reporters, they are looking at the fact pattern and seeing something strange, even sinister.”
— Host Brian Stelter on CNN’s Reliable Sources, July 22.
Putin “Weaponized” Trump to Do His Bidding
“You know, in bio technologies, there’s a notion of having a virus that can go in and rip apart DNA of something and change the entire genome of an organism. It’s as if Donald Trump has been weaponized over the years by Vladimir Putin to go in and do Putin’s bidding, to change the genetic code of NATO, of the Republican Party of the United States, of democracy. And it is astonishing how he has become such an effective and destructive virus created by Vladimir Putin.”
— Former Time editor Walter Isaacson on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, July 23.
I See Your “Bad Tweet” and Raise You a Crazy Closing Comment
“This tweet was bad for you, Mr. President. Here it is. ‘The summit with Russia was a great success.’ Nobody thinks that. ‘Except with the real enemy of the people, the fake news media.’ This is ugly and it is unoriginal. But most importantly, it is an admission that you hate your country....A free press is a metaphor for what makes America great. So, you have now admitted that you are against what we are all about. And the real problem now is for you to convince people that you don’t hate what makes America truly great.”
— Host Chris Cuomo’s on CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time, July 19.
Trump “Contributes” to Climate That Murders Journalists in Russia
“Vladimir Putin and his government have jailed journalists, there even been accusations that... they’ve carried out murders of journalists critical of the Russian state....Doesn’t he [Donald Trump] kind of contribute to that authoritarian effort to undermine a free press when we hear him brand legitimate news organizations as fake, legitimate news stories as fake. Doesn’t that contribute to exactly the kind of undermining of the free press that we see out of Russia?
— Substitute host Jonathan Karl’s question to National Security Adviser John Bolton on ABC’s This Week, July 15.
Trump Administration Isn’t “Incompetent” or “Evil” It’s Both!
Host Andrea Mitchell: “You posited that it’s either incompetence or evil. I would suggest that it could be both – that there is an evil desire to deter by making an example of these people, and then it was carried out with no planning – and that is the rank incompetence that makes it even that much worse.”
MSNBC Legal Analyst Mimi Rocah: “Absolutely, and you’re right. It shouldn’t be presented as an either, or. It could be both.”
— Discussion of Trump administration immigration policy on MSNBC Live, July 10.
Offering Therapy for Liberals Grieving Over “Cataclysmic” Kavanaugh Nomination
Host Brian Williams: “You remind us so well, it’s been worse, it’s been darker. But we’re hearing from folks, especially on the political left, this is bad, this is for keeps, at least for a couple of generations. What do you say to them?”
Presidential historian and former Newsweek editor Jon Meacham: “I know it feels cataclysmic. And each of these nominations tends to feel like the thunderdome meets C-SPAN somehow....And what I would say to those who are about to set their hair on fire, at least wait until morning.”
— The 11th Hour With Brian Williams, July 9.
Norah’s Plea: Can Anything Be Done to “Stop” Kavanaugh?
“We know that if Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed, this will shift the balance of power on the Supreme Court for decades to come. Republicans control the majority. Is there anything you can do to stop this nomination?”
— Co-anchor Norah O’Donnell’s question to Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer as aired on CBS This Morning, July 10.
But Who Will Weep for Merrick Garland? For Hillary?
“Think about two people who watch tonight. Brett Kavanaugh is a judge on the D.C. Circuit. You know who the chief judge of the D.C. Circuit is? It’s Merrick Garland. How do you think he feels today?...The other person is...Hillary Clinton. I mean, Brett Kavanaugh made his name by investigating not just the Starr – not just Whitewater but the Monica Lewinsky part, the sexual details....And his, you know, making his name for himself got him on the trajectory that he is today. And Hillary Clinton has to watch yet another Supreme Court nomination that she thought she was going to get.”
— CNN Chief Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin on CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time, July 9.
“Sleazy” and “Evil” McConnell Got His Way
Host Stephanie Ruhle: “What Mitch McConnell did may have been sleazy, may have been unethical. He played the – ”
SiriusXM Progress host Mark Thompson: “Evil.”
Ruhle: “May have been evil. But he played the game and he won the game and now Trump’s got two Supreme Court justices in place.”
— MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle, July 11.
Toobin’s Tantrum
“[After Trump’s nominee is seated the Supreme Court] will overrule Roe v. Wade, allowing states to ban abortions and to criminally prosecute any physicians and nurses who perform them. It will allow shopkeepers, restaurateurs, and hotel owners to refuse service to gay customers on religious grounds. It will guarantee that fewer African-American and Latino students attend elite universities. It will approve laws designed to hinder voting rights. It will sanction execution by grotesque means. It will invoke the Second Amendment to prohibit states from engaging in gun control, including the regulation of machine guns and bump stocks.”
— CNN senior legal analyst and New Yorker staff writer in the July 9 issue of The New Yorker.
Joy Doesn’t Know How the Constitution Works
“Why would a president who is under investigation by the FBI for obstruction of justice and collusion be allowed to pick a Supreme Court Justice there. I’ll be dead, they’ll be many people in this room who will still be alive, need abortions and what have you, need healthcare. How dare he be allowed to do this when he’s under investigation?!”
— Co-host Joy Behar on ABC’s The View, July 10.
Don’t Buy Into Trump’s “False Growth From Tax Cuts”
“President Trump is gonna take a lot of credit for these good [GDP] numbers. Don’t believe him. It’s a lot of people who bought things because they’re worried about his tariffs and a lot of false growth from tax cuts juicing the economy. It’s gonna slow down. Don’t buy it.”
— Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus on MSNBC’s Hardball, July 26.
Trotting Out the Old Tea Party is Racist Line to Trash Trump Voters
“I think what they [Tea Party] were motivated [by] was anger – and you can say it was racial anger or you can say it was anger simply about losing an election, but when Donald Trump came around and gave them permission to be angry about race, to be angry about immigrants, to be angry about elites, they said, ‘Yeah, that’s what we’re really angry about.’...This is a nativist, protectionist, big government kind of wackadoodle party which is all about power – which is all about this cult of Donald Trump.”
— Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin on MSNBC’s AM Joy, July 28.
Hired Because He’s a Never-Trumper
Host Katy Tur: “Why would a Democrat listen to Bret Stephens, conservative columnist?”
New York Times columnist Bret Stephens: “Well, I know how conservatives think and I’ve seen many of these elections before. Look, one of the reasons I’m at The New York Times is I’m a never-Trumper....I do not want to see Donald Trump re-elected. I want to make America sane again. I want a president that I can respect. And I’m offering genuinely friendly advice.”
— MSNBC Live with Katy Tur, July 27.
Is Trump Just Worse Than Iranian Dictator...
“Well if anybody is issuing demented words of violence and death, I would say it’s the President of the United States. I mean it’s quite a pass we’ve come to when the leadership of a country like Iran seems more stable and rational than the President of the United States.”
— CNN global affairs analyst Max Boot discussing Trump tweet at Iranian president Hassan Rouhani as aired on CNN’s Wolf, July 23.
...Or is He “Worst Ruler In History?”
“Greetings, this is Adriana Yañez with the most relevant news of the day. And the U.S. President continues making grave errors in his foreign policy, which have made him the worst ruler in history. We hand it off to Dayanis López who has all the details.”
— Anchor Adriana Yanez on Noticiero Estrella, July 18. As translated from the original Spanish version.
“Life Sentence” of Harassment for Trump Staffers
“We’re not going to let these people go through life unscathed. Sarah Huckabee has no right to live a life of no fuss, no muss, after lying to the press – after inciting against the press. These people should be made uncomfortable, and I think that’s a life sentence frankly.”
— Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin on MSNBC’s AM Joy, July 1.
Bigots Being Emboldened By “White Supremacist Presidency”
“Then what you see with so many other viral videos [of alleged racism] – with somebody being yelled at for speaking Spanish in New York and this shooting with [Markeis] McGlockton down in Florida. That is just the emboldening of white bigotry by a white nationalist, white supremacist presidency, and his cronies like, you know, Jeff Sessions and Stephen Miller and all the other white nationalists that he has empowered....The emboldening of sort of your random white bigots and then the loosening of the grips on white terrorism in this country has raised the stakes for all of us.”
— The Root editor and MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson on MSNBC’s PoliticsNation, July 29.
“Donald Trump talks like a racist, thinks like a racist, makes statements like a racist. Conjures emotions that give succor and support to white supremacists and white nationalists....He has emboldened white supremacists to come forward. The resurge in bigotry of America has been catalyzed by this president who stands in his bully pulpit to bully people who don't agree with him.”
— New York Times Opinion Contributing Editor Michael Eric Dyson on CNN’s New Day, July 5.
Bigoted Trump Supporters “Complicit” In “Misogyny” Because They Like “Little Tax Refund”
“Aren’t people complicit when they are looking the other way at the bigotry, at the misogyny, at the messages coming out of this White House? Perhaps maybe they got a little tax refund so that tells me because you got a tax refund, you don’t care about what’s happening to my community, my children, to the country. That makes you complicit in my mind!”
— Co-host Sunny Hostin on ABC’s The View, July 26.
And They Say Conservatives Are Anti-Science?
“Is it a boy or a girl? For some parents, it doesn’t matter. Many are doing away with gender stereotypes by keeping the sex of their children a secret. They’re raising ‘theybies,’ a new trend where you let your child decide their sex.”
— Host Aaron Gilchrist on MSNBC Live, July 21.
Don’t Read This If You Just Took a Drink of Coffee, You Might Spit It Out In Laughter
“[PBS, CNN and The New York Times are] established brands who have spent decades polishing and perfecting the art of objective, truthful journalism.”
— CNN and PBS host Christiane Amanpour in July 30 USA Today article “Christiane Amanpour on threats to journalism: Pursuit of truth is ‘how we fight back’”
Kavanaugh Confirmation Catastrophe
Film director Michael Moore: “We first have to find ways to stop that vote [confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh] from happening....I’ll join a million other people surrounding the United States Capitol....This judge goes through for the rest of – at least – all of our lives it’s a right wing court. That’s it, it’s over.”
Host Bill Maher: “Combined with the White House and the Congress of course.”
Moore: “Well yes. And if this is the last American president.”
— HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, June 29.
The Handmaid’s Tale actor Bradley Whitford: “Sinclair Lewis said when fascism arrives in America, it will come wrapped in a flag carrying a cross. And that is what is going on here.”
Host Bill Maher: “Trump literally hugs the flag.”
Whitford: “Yeah he’s humping it. He’s assaulted it.”
— HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, June 29.
“Even CONSIDERING this nomination will cement the first American dictatorship #KavaNO”
— July 9 tweet on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by Avengers director Joss Whedon.
