Trump Was On 'Meet The Press' Again, It Was Gross Again
It's your special all-Trump Sunday show post, hooray.
Over a year ago, Kristen Welker succeeded Chuck Todd at the “both sides” throne of “Meet The Press.” Her inaugural guest was then-former President Donald Trump.
Because we are doomed to repeat all of our mistakes over again, in more ways than one, Welker did another full interview with Donald Trump yesterday.
It was … like this:
But much like other infamous “returns”, be they of “Oz” or “The Planet Of The Apes,” what followed was equal parts existential horror and ineptitude.
After Welker gave her intro, she asked about Trump’s “first 100 days,” like he’s some regular politician instead of a totalitarian-in-waiting. His proposed executive orders spell doom for the future:
TRUMP: Well, a lot of it will have to do with economics. A lot's going to have to do with energy. A lot's having to do with the border. We're going to immediately strengthen up the border and do a real job. And some of the basics.
So his agenda is gonna be tariffs, more oil/natural gas drilling, and his cruel ideas on immigration.
Welker pointed out that actual economists are warning his tariffs would hurt our economy and consumers. Trump dismissed this with all the gravitas he is known for.
TRUMP: I don't believe that.
Reality has a funny way of disputing Trump’s beliefs. Welker, in one of her allotted journalistic moments, pushed back on this and Trump again revealed the conman behind the overlong ties.
WELKER: Can you guarantee American families won't pay more?
TRUMP: I can't guarantee anything. I can't guarantee tomorrow.
Trump, much like any snake oil salesman, hedged his bets so he could claim to be correct no matter the consequences of his idiocy.
He then rambled on about the wonderful utopia he had pre-COVID last time he was president, and then spoke about how his tariffs are great against his new enemies: Canada and Mexico.
TRUMP: We're subsidizing Canada to the tune of over $100 billion a year. We're subsidizing Mexico for almost $300 billion. We shouldn’t be — why are we subsidizing these countries? If we're going to subsidize them, let them become a state.
Couple things:
Trump clearly does not understand how trade works or why a consumer-based economy (USA) might be importing/consuming more than they produce/export.
I guess Trump feels we got a raw deal with the USMCA trade agreement. He should find out which president signed it and kick the shit out of that guy.
Funny that for all the decades the United States has been colonially “subsidizing” my beloved Puerto Rico, it has been Republicans who have opposed its statehood. But here we have Trump talking about statehood for Canada, in his second reported statement floating the idea of annexing Canada. Wonder why Canada and not some other country, ha ha.
The conversation then moved to immigration, where Trump ranted his usual string of debunked MAGA bullshit about dangerous migrants taking over apartment complexes. Trump tried for a brief moment to feign sympathy for “Dreamers,” before Welker exposed his bullshit with this exchange.
WELKER: Let me ask you about another group of people, the estimated four million families in America who have mixed immigration status. So I'm talking about parents who might be here illegally —
TRUMP: Yeah.
WELKER: – but the kids are here legally. Your Border Czar Tom Homan –
TRUMP: You're talking about separation?
WELKER: Well, I mean there are two aspects to this. Your Border Czar Tom Homan said they can be deported together.
TRUMP: Correct.
WELKER: Is that the plan?
TRUMP: Well, that way you keep the — well, I don't want to be breaking up families, so the only way you don't break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.
TRUMP: Well, what you've got to do if they want to stay with their father …
In a healthy democracy or working press, the president-elect confirming he plans to deport US citizens with undocumented parents would make front page news.
He followed that up by saying he wants to somehow executive order away the 14th Amendment that grants birthright citizenship, which is just more evidence how those pocket Constitution-carrying GOP fuckheads always stop at the Second Amendment in their readings.
It was a long interview, so let’s quickfire the rest since he vacillated between being a moron and low-rent mobster.
Healthcare
Trump sounded like a kid who forgot to do the school project until the morning of.
WELKER: Sir, you said during the campaign you had concepts of a plan. Do you have an actual plan at this point for health care?
TRUMP: Yes. We have concepts of a plan that would be better. But –
WELKER: Still just concepts? Do you have a fully developed plan?
TRUMP: Let me explain …
Using DOJ For Retribution
Trump sounded like how Michael Cohen described him, as the guy who never gives direct orders, in order to claim deniability.
WELKER: Do you want Kash Patel to launch investigations into people on [his enemies list]?
TRUMP: No. I mean, he's going to do what he thinks is right. […]
WELKER: Well, do you think that's right?
TRUMP: -- and I will --
WELKER: Do you think that’s right, sir?
TRUMP: If they think that somebody was dishonest or crooked or a corrupt politician, I think he probably has an obligation to do it, but --
WELKER: Are you going to direct him to do it?
TRUMP: No. Not at all. Not at all. We have two great people that – we have him, and we have Pam [Bondi]. […]
WELKER: […] You wrote on Truth Social in 2023 that you're going to appoint a real special prosecutor to go after Joe Biden. Now you're saying you're not going to do that.
TRUMP: I will say this, no, I'm not doing that unless I find something that I think is reasonable, but that's not going to be my decision. That's going to be Pam Bondi's decision, and, to a different extent, Kash Patel, assuming they're both there, and I think they're both going to get approved.
So, yeah, they are gonna abuse the DOJ for retribution.
Abortion
Again, Trump was wishy-washy about restricting abortion more.
WELKER: Will you restrict the availability of abortion pills when you're in office?
TRUMP: I'll probably - I’ll probably stay with exactly what I've been saying for the last two years. And the answer is no.
WELKER: You commit to that?
TRUMP: Well, I commit. I mean, are -- things do -- things change.
There is so much more if you want to see for yourself in the extended interview.
It’s clear Trump’s only agendas are payback, self-enrichment, and a free ride for the worst Republican policies imaginable.
It’s gonna be a hard four years.
Have a week.
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>> It’s gonna be a hard four years. <<
Yeesh. That's pretty much how I finished the story I was writing last night and this morning. It's just coming from so many different directions I have no idea what to think.
"I take no responsibility whatsoever." It's the greatest hits, over and over again.