Trump Takes Down Liberal Media: 'Hope You Had a Great Weekend at Your Convention'
You have to give it to President Donald Trump: The man is a trolling master.
On Sunday, the president hosted a media briefing at the White House. It was a few days after the Democratic National Convention ended — and Trump had a bit of fun with it.
“Thank you very much. And it’s good to see you all,” Trump began.
And then some epic shade: “[I] hope you had a great weekend at your convention.”
“[Y]our convention,” of course, is a reference to the Democratic National Convention, which ended on Thursday. Not necessarily a weekend, but you get the basic idea — it was their convention.
And oh boy, was it ever.
First, it’s worth noting that for all of the gushing over the first-ever virtual convention, the ratings were profoundly low. You would think, at least given the novelty of the whole thing, it would get some decent ratings. But no — it wasn’t just low-rated, it tanked pretty hardcore.
The establishment media, however, couldn’t help but swoon.
On MSNBC, for instance, Rachel Maddow said regarding Michelle Obama’s address that while Maddow and her convention coverage co-hosts are usually “all goofballs … then Michelle Obama starts talking, and we’re all like — none of us breathed for 18 minutes,” according to Fox News.
Nicolle Wallace, host of “Deadline: White House,” said the former first lady “delivered epic shade” by reappropriating the phrase “it is what it is,” which Trump used during his recent interview with “Axios on HBO” regarding the deaths caused by the coronavirus.
Now, this isn’t to defend Trump’s interview with Axios — which, quite frankly, was as uncomfortable to watch as the scene in “What About Bob?” where Richard Dreyfuss’ character is interviewed on “Good Morning America.”
However, I breathed quite frequently during Michelle Obama’s speech at the DNC, if only because the exhalation caused by groans usually requires an equal and opposite inhalation if one isn’t to pass out.
The biggest groan came during her use of “it is what it is,” and not just because I genuinely loathe that truistic expression more than almost any other throwaway aphorism in the English language. (Of course something “is what it is,” if just definitionally. If it wasn’t “what it is,” it wouldn’t be what “it” was. Does nobody think about this inane utterance before it escapes their mouth?)
It was also her most clanging attempt at Trump-baiting in a speech not lacking in it.
Yes, congratulations, you noticed that wasn’t the president’s finest moment. Do you want an award for recognizing it?
Alas, Wallace decided this was brilliancy. At least she didn’t say, as is her wont, that this was chicken soup for her soul.
Trump, meanwhile, pointed out something that the hosts on MSNBC weren’t going to:
….My Administration and I built the greatest economy in history, of any country, turned it off, saved millions of lives, and now am building an even greater economy than it was before. Jobs are flowing, NASDAQ is already at a record high, the rest to follow. Sit back & watch!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 18, 2020
Meanwhile, when Barack Obama was speaking, Trump tweeted this jab at the former president:
HE SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN, AND GOT CAUGHT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2020
And then there was this about former Vice President Joe Biden:
WHY DID HE REFUSE TO ENDORSE SLOW JOE UNTIL IT WAS ALL OVER, AND EVEN THEN WAS VERY LATE? WHY DID HE TRY TO GET HIM NOT TO RUN?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2020
Finally, there was this takedown of Biden during the Democratic nominee’s speech:
In 47 years, Joe did none of the things of which he now speaks. He will never change, just words!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2020
As for his moment in the spotlight this week, Trump had this to say: “We’re going to have a great convention coming up, and I look forward to it.”
Just don’t expect them to cover it or to be breathless about it. In fact, I think Rachel Maddow is going to be sighing as much as I was.
I’m not going to do anything as pathetic as declare my breathlessness for a speech, mind you — and I’m writing this after the speeches given by GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Cuban refugee Maximo Alvarez, both of which were amazing — but it’ll be good for her to know how I felt after she had fun, along with the White House correspondents for various media outlets, covering their convention.
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