Just 48 hours after the second attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, the Regime Media are back to leveraging the rhetoric regarding Springfield, Ohio: this time, as a whatabout device with which to justify future insightful rhetoric against Trump.
Watch as CBS News, in an item filed by correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns, posits a weird tu quoque when discussing campaign rhetoric:
CAITLIN HUEY-BURNS: Just about 48 hours since the second apparent attempt on his life, Donald Trump supporters in Flint lined up for his return to the stage. Running mate JD Vance already here in Michigan this afternoon sounded off on Democrats, blaming Vice President Kamala Harris for what happened Sunday.
JD VANCE: Don't lecture Donald Trump about softening his rhetoric after two people tried to kill him. It's ridiculous. Tell Kamala Harris, tell Joe Biden, tell all of her surrogates who are saying things like “Donald Trump needs to be eliminated”, they need to cut that crap out or they're going to get somebody hurt.
BURNS: Both Vance and Trump have a record of attacking their opponents.
DONALD TRUMP: Comrade Kamala Harris, you're fired! You're fired, get out!
Notice that Huey-Burns runs reel of JD Vance citing Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), the source of that “Trump needs to be eliminated” quote, as opposed to the actual video of Goldman himself. Likewise, there is no footage of all the times Democrats referred to Trump as a “threat to democracy”, a phrase mirrored by the failed Trump shooter on social media.
What Trump discourse does Huey-Burns offer as evidence of an attack record? Trump bellowing “you’re fired?” The whole thing is just bizarre. Burns made a brief mention of Springfield here as a means with which to showcase Harris:
BURNS: In Philadelphia today, Harris said Trump is stoking fear in Springfield Ohio.
HARRIS: It's a crying shame.
BURNS: With his false claims about Haitian migrants there, including that they are stealing and eating pets. Republican governor Mike DeWine said the city has since faced at least 33 bomb threats.
HARRIS: When you have that kind of microphone in front of you, you really ought to understand at a very deep level how much your words have meaning.
Note that Burns mentions the bomb threats without ever mentioning that Ohio Governor Mike DeWine disclosed them to be hoaxes originating from a hostile country to be disclosed later.
ABC’s David Muir and Rachel Scott also mention the bomb threats as proof evident of inciteful rhetoric. But the hoax disclosure, a very weak and vague one at that, doesn’t come until the very end of the report- detached from the previous mentions of bomb threats:
RACHEL SCOTT: Governor DeWine says many of those threats to Springfield are coming from overseas.
Over at NBC, Springfield was more of a narrative device in service of Vice President Harris’s appearance before a panel at the National Association of Black Journalists.
LESTER HOLT: Meantime, Vice President Harris condemning Mr. Trump's own rhetoric as hateful, and after he pushed debunked claims about Haitian immigrants in Ohio. She sat down today for a rare interview. We get more from Gabe Gutierrez.
Long story short: the post-attempt grace period is over, and the Regime Media are back to demonizing Donald Trump.
Our exit question comes via Fox News’ Peter Doocy, at the White House press briefing:
DOOCY TIME: “It's been only two days since somebody allegedly tried to kill Donald Trump again and you're here at the podium in the White House Briefing Room calling him a threat. How many more assassination attempts on Donald Trump until the President and the Vice President and… pic.twitter.com/FeVOOD84Vx
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 17, 2024
Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective evening newscasts on Tuesday, September 17th, 2024:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
9/17/24
6:41 PM
DAVID MUIR: Next here this evening, to the fear gripping an Ohio community. And now Ohio's popular Republican governor traveling to Springfield, Ohio, to push back against false claims that had been spread by Donald Trump and JD Vance, targeting Haitian immigrants in the city. What the Republican governor said while in that community today amid bomb threats now that have shut down hospitals, schools, and city hall. Here's Rachel Scott.
RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, Ohio's popular Republican governor traveling to the city of Springfield…
MIKE DEWINE: Crazy time, huh?
SCOTT: A show of support for a community on edge ever since former President Donald Trump amplified a false conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants were eating neighborhood pets. Governor Mike DeWine has called the story "simply not true."
DONALD TRUMP: In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating -- they're eating the pets of the people that live there.
SCOTT: Local authorities say there's no evidence that iHaitian immigrants in Springfield are eating cats and dogs. The governor called the claim, quote: "a piece of garbage." But in the week since the debate, Springfield has had at least 33 bomb threats, including to City Hall. Two hospitals went into lockdown. Today, DeWine visiting one of several schools that were evacuated.
DEWINE: Have your kids come back to school. It's a great environment, a great place. We're doing everything we can. Your kids are going to be safe.
SCOTT: Trump's running mate, Senator JD Vance, who represents Ohio, was among the first to spread the false story. And said this when he was pressed about it.
JD VANCE: If I have to…
DANA BASH: It wasn’t just a meme.
VANCE: …create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do.
SCOTT: But today, Ohio's Republican governor defended Haitian immigrants, most of whom are in the country legally, as key to Springfield's economic revival.
DEWINE: We had one person who told me, "I'm not even sure my business would be here but for the Haitians."
SCOTT: Today, Vice President Kamala Harris says Trump's words have left a whole community in fear.
KAMALA HARRIS: It's a crying shame. We've got to say that you cannot be entrusted with standing behind the Seal of the President of the United States of America, engaging in that hateful rhetoric that, as usual, is designed to divide us as a country.
SCOTT: Governor DeWine says many of those threats to Springfield are coming from overseas. The Republican governor also said today he has not heard from former president Donald Trump or Senator JD Vance, who represents Ohio. Vance says he does not have any scheduled or plans visits to bring- or visit Springfield. Trump says that he could go there soon, David.
CBS EVENING NEWS
9/17/24
6:39 PM
NORAH O’DONNELL: Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail tonight for the first time since that second apparent assassination attempt. The former president and his running mate have been blaming heated political rhetoric, but today Vice President Kamala Harris reached out to Trump in a gesture of campaign civility. CBS's Caitlin Huey-Burns reports from a Trump event in Michigan.
CAITLIN HUEY-BURNS: Just about 48 hours since the second apparent attempt on his life, Donald Trump supporters in Flint lined up for his return to the stage. Running mate JD Vance already here in Michigan this afternoon sounded off on Democrats, blaming Vice President Kamala Harris for what happened Sunday.
JD VANCE: Don't lecture Donald Trump about softening his rhetoric after two people tried to kill him. It's ridiculous. Tell Kamala Harris, tell Joe Biden, tell all of her surrogates who are saying things like “Donald Trump needs to be eliminated”, they need to cut that crap out or they're going to get somebody hurt.
BURNS: Both Vance and Trump have a record of attacking their opponents.
DONALD TRUMP: Comrade Kamala Harris, you're fired! You're fired, get out!
BURNS: Harris today called the former president a day after he said Harris and President Biden's rhetoric “is causing me to be shot at”.
KAMALA HARRIS: I checked on him to see if he was okay. And I told him what I have said publicly, there is no place for political violence in our country.
BURNS: In Philadelphia today, Harris said Trump is stoking fear in Springfield Ohio.
HARRIS: It's a crying shame.
BURNS: With his false claims about Haitian migrants there, including that they are stealing and eating pets. Republican governor Mike DeWine said the city has since faced at least 33 bomb threats.
HARRIS: When you have that kind of microphone in front of you, you really ought to understand at a very deep level how much your words have meaning.
BURNS: In the battleground state of Michigan, Trump and Harris are neck and neck in the latest CBS News poll. Both campaigns are targeting union workers here in a state synonymous with the auto industry. The United Auto Workers union endorsed Harris, but support from the Teamsters, which represents over 1 million members, is up for grabs. And all eyes are on that Teamsters endorsement. The union’s president said a decision about who or if to endorse could come as soon as tomorrow. Harris will be here in Michigan on Thursday. Norah.
O’DONNELL: Caitlin Huey-Burns on the trail tonight. Thank you.
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
9/17/24
6:40 PM
LESTER HOLT: Meantime, Vice President Harris condemning Mr. Trump's own rhetoric as hateful, and after he pushed debunked claims about Haitian immigrants in Ohio. She sat down today for a rare interview. We get more from Gabe Gutierrez.
GABE GUTIERREZ: Vice President Harris with her first extensive public comments on the false claims being made about Springfield, Ohio.
KAMALA HARRIS: It's a crying shame. I mean, my heart breaks for this community.
GUTIERREZ: She says former President Trump and JD Vance are amplifying hateful rhetoric that Haitian immigrants are abusing pets, which local officials say is not true.
HARRIS: And I think most people in our country, regardless of their race, are starting to see through this nonsense. When you are bestowed with a microphone that is that big, there is a profound responsibility that comes with that.
GUTIERREZ: Harris speaking to the National Association of Black Journalists, which held a contentious session with former President Trump in July where he falsely questioned the vice president's racial identity.
DONALD TRUMP: I didn't know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black.
GUTIERREZ: Harris also responding to criticism from Republicans that she caused the problems she is now vowing to fix.
JD VANCE: It's like Kamala, day one was 1400 days ago. What the hell have you been doing the whole time? Why don't you stop talking and get to work?
GUTIERREZ: And she was pressed: are Americans better off now than they were four years ago?
HARRIS: We had then a lot of work to do to clean up a mess. As of today we have created over 16 million new jobs. Is the price of groceries still too high? Yes. Do we have more work to do? Yes.
GUTIERREZ: She never directly answered the question yes or no, and also gave an indirect answer when pressed about whether she would continue the Biden administration's policies in Gaza, only saying the war has to end by getting a ceasefire deal done. Lester?
HOLT: All right, Gabe Gutierrez, thank you.
