Following President Trump’s Monday press conference with Vladimir Putin, CNN had worked themselves into a maddening rage. So much so, that by the time they got deep into their prime-time lineup hours later, their programming resembled a DNC campaign planning session or telethon rather than an objective news organization.
On CNN Tonight, the melodramatic Don Lemon questioned if the American people could continue to identify Trump as the President. “Can we still call President Trump the leader of the free world? Can we still call him the leader of the United States,” he angrily asked. “He has gone from snarling alpha dog in Brussels, blasting our allies, to Putin's lapdog in Helsinki.”
He lauded Tuesday’s cover of the New York Daily News which depicted PRESIDENT Trump (yes, emphasis mine) shooting Uncle Sam in the head with the words “Open Treason” emblazoned above. “There have been so many moments over the past year and a half where we all thought that “this is madness.” But this time is different. This is not just Trump-being-Trump. This is something no president in repeat memory has done,” Lemon decried.
It's quite disturbing that the liberal media was so easily willing and eager to throw around accusations of treason, especially since it carries the possibility of the death penalty.
“Why? Why? You have to ask yourself why. In the wake of all of this, you've also got to wonder what Trump and Putin said to each other behind closed doors,” Lemon wondered, alluding to the worst possibilities. “But one thing is for sure. What we all saw and heard from President Trump today was shameful, and it demeans the honor it is to be the leader of a free world. Can we still call him that?”
Meanwhile, during the hour prior to Lemon, a raging Chris Cuomo kicked off the show by appearing to amp up his cohorts in the Democratic base ahead of the midterms by asserting the President had betrayed America. “I never realized that it could be anything but sunny in Helsinki at this time of year, until today. As you see behind me, there's a little bit of a gloom right now. It set in right after the world witnessed a betrayal the likes of which we've never seen,” he opined.
In introducing his lineup of guests for the night, Cuomo touted how he had former Obama intelligence official Leon Panetta to answer, “what does it mean when a president betrays his own country?” Exposing his electoral intentions, he welcomed on “a man who could try to unseat him in 2020, Ohio Governor John Kasich.”
“Now, whatever died today, something may have been born as well. For all the emotion of the moment, the most powerful force is fact, and we're going to lay out an absolutely truthful account of a day that is unprecedented in world history. My friends, let's get after it,” Cuomo proclaimed as the title sequence commenced.
As Cuomo began questioning Panetta, he turned the drama up to 11. Sounding as though they just had witnessed a nuclear war, Cuomo asked: “What we lived through today, you ever see anything else like it?” Completely skipping over presidential-approved atrocities like the Trail of Tears and the internment of Japanese-Americans, Panetta suggested: “[T]his is probably the most tragic day in the history of the presidency”.
Yes, it’s true that Trump’s actions during the press conference were problematic and troubling. But the media’s reaction has been completely over the top and out of control. Such examples included a CNN analyst calling for a “shadow government” to rise up and while major outlets pushed the accusation of treason. This was not journalism, it was activism. This is CNN.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
CNN Tonight
July 16, 2018
10:01:27 PM EasternDON LEMON: This is CNN Tonight. I'm don lemon. And what we all saw and heard in Helsinki today is really frightening. An absolutely shameful display by an American president with the whole world watching.
(…)
LEMON: That was stunning to watch. President Trump caving to Vladimir Putin, refusing to side with his own country. His own country. Against an attack by a foreign foe.
(…)
LEMON: Wow. That was deflection. That was President Trump trying to deflect, more interested in talking about the Democrat's server than about what Russia actually did. It is pure capitulation for him to stand next to Vladimir Putin and say he doesn't see any reason why Russia would attack our democracy.
“All I can do is ask the question,” that's not true. He can do a lot more than ask the question. He can stand up for the truth and condemn what we all know Putin did, instead of siding with Russia. He could be a strong, tough leader, the person he thinks he is instead of quailing beside the Russian strongman.
His own director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, saying this today: “We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and they're ongoing persuasive efforts to undermine our democracy. And we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security.”
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. Just take a look at the front page, this is the New York Daily News, that's tomorrow. Accusing the President of showing him shooting Uncle Sam in the middle of Fifth Avenue, accusing him of treason I should say and shooting uncle Sam in the middle of Fifth Avenue.
There have been so many moments over the past year and a half where we all thought that “this is madness.” But this time is different. This is not just Trump-being-Trump. This is something no president in repeat memory has done.
(…)
LEMON: That needs to be fact-checked. Putin knows exactly what he's doing there though, standing next to Trump and not quite denying he has kompromat. But tonight, telling Chris Wallace of Fox News that he doesn't have anything on the President and at the same time managing to sneak in an insult.
(…)
LEMON: Vladimir Putin out-foxing President Trump at every turn. And remember Putin is the man who supports Bashar Al Assad's bloody regime, annexed Crimea, who is meddling in Ukraine, who has been blamed for a chemical weapons attack on British soil. This is the man President Trump says he trusts over his own intelligence people. Why? Why? You have to ask yourself why.
In the wake of all of this, you've also got to wonder what Trump and Putin said to each other behind closed doors. But one thing is for sure. What we all saw and heard from President Trump today was shameful, and it demeans the honor it is to be the leader of a free world. Can we still call him that?
(…)
CNN's Cuomo Prime Time
July 16, 2018
9:00:38 PM EasternCHRIS CUOMO: I am Chris Cuomo and I never realized that it could be anything but sunny in Helsinki at this time of year, until today. As you see behind me, there's a little bit of a gloom right now. It set in right after 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.
First up tonight, we have former U.S. intelligence chief Leon Panetta on what does it mean when a president betrays his own country? And what does this mean for the GOP and efforts to oppose Trump? We have a man who could try to unseat him in 2020, Ohio Governor John Kasich. Now, whatever died today, something may have been born as well. For all the emotion of the moment, the most powerful force is fact, and we're going to lay out an absolutely truthful account of a day that is unprecedented in world history. My friends, let's get after it.
(…)
CUOMO: What we lived through today, you ever see anything else like it?
LEON PANETTA: This is -- this is probably the most tragic day in the history of the presidency because a United States president who’s elected to defend and protect the United States of America against our adversaries stood up next to our adversary and said he trusts the Russians more than he trusts our own intelligence and law enforcement officials.
(…)
CUOMO: So what do we do now? I mean what is the rule book for when a president betrays his own country and sides with an enemy?
(…)
