Thursday on Fox News Channel’s “Your World,” host Neil Cavuto went through a list that he compiled of President Donald Trump’s possible inconsistencies and contradictions, which he suggested was giving the media “ammunition” to use against him.
According to Cavuto, some of those and the timing were detracting from Trump’s positive accomplishments.
Transcript as follows:
President Trump is fond of calling out the media on fake news. But is he the one giving them very real ammunition? Maybe not intentionally. I will even give you the benefit of the doubt, Mr. President, and say, maybe not deliberately, but consistently, way too consistently.
So, let me be real clear, Mr. President. How can you drain the swamp if you’re the one who keeps muddying the waters? You didn’t know about that $130,000 payment to a porn star, until you did.
Said you knew nothing about how your former lawyer Michael Cohen handled this, until acknowledging today you were the guy behind the retainer payment that took care of this.
You insist that money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no role in this transaction. Of that, you’re sure. The thing is, not even 24 hours ago, sir, you couldn’t recall any of this, and you seemed very sure.
Now, I’m not saying you’re a liar. You’re president. You’re busy. I’m just having a devil of a time figuring out which news is fake. Let’s just say your own words on lots of stuff give me, shall I say, lots of pause.
Like the time you said the Russians didn’t interfere in the 2016 election, until a lot of Republicans had to remind you they did. Came back months later and you said, well, I never said that Russia didn’t meddle in the election, when, in fact, you had a lot.
Now, none of this makes me a never-Trumper, just always confused. Like when you claimed your tax plan was the biggest in U.S. history, when it wasn’t. Or that the bill you signed to make it all happen would cost you a fortune, when it turns out it’s going to help make you a bigger fortune. Or that your job approval numbers aren’t really that bad relative to other presidents at this stage, when they’re actually worse than most presidents at this stage.
That can change. But what’s weird is, this pattern does not. Like the time that you said rumors of Rex Tillerson’s departure at the State Department were false, until they weren’t. Or that your former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus wasn’t going anywhere, until he was.
Or your economic adviser Gary Cohn was doing a great job, until he wasn’t. When you absolutely loved Steve Bannon, until you didn’t. Swore by Jeff Sessions, until you started swearing at Jeff Sessions.
Had your legal team locked in place, until it wasn’t. Denied reports you were ever thinking about firing Robert Mueller, even as you now threaten getting involved at the Department of Justice.
Now, none of this makes you evil, but I’m sure you can understand why even your friends say these inconsistencies don’t make you look good, or do anything to help advance your policies, many of which are very good. Or the prospects for peace with North Korea, that is remarkably good.
All this stuff you keep blurting out, remarkably bad, and remarkably bad timing.
It’s not that these exaggerations and omissions and misstatements are now and then, more like now and then something else, always something else.
Like the time you claimed you signed more bills than any president ever, neglecting to mention the four other presidents, FDR, Truman, Carter and Clinton, who all signed more, or bragged about the national debt going down by $12 billion after your first month in office, even though it’s soared by nearly a trillion bucks now that you’re 15 months in office.
But it’s not what you’re omitting, Mr. President. It’s what you keep stating and never correcting, like when you said there was serious voter fraud in New Hampshire, and there wasn’t. Said the same about repeated claims of voter fraud in Virginia, and there weren’t. Or that millions of illegals voted in the last election, but they didn’t.
Or the time you talked up your massive landslide in the Electoral College, even though three out of four presidents before you had bigger electoral vote landslides in their elections.
Again, none of this makes what you say fake. Just calling out the press for being so, a bit of a stretch.
You’re right to say some of them are out to get you, but, oftentimes, they’re using your own words to bash you.
Your base probably might not care, but you should. I guess you have been too busy draining the swamp to ever stop and smell the stink you’re creating.
That’s your doing. That’s your stink. Mr. President, that’s your swamp.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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