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Those of you who are regular readers of this blog know that we are not of one mind concerning Donald J. Trump. Some are solid MAGA, through and through. There are also those who shake their heads and wonder what the f***, dude whenever he opens his mouth.
I am one of the latter group. And Trump’s statements about Netanyahu upon the barbaric attacks on Israel only reinforced my disgust with this man.
In case anyone missed it, here’s what Trump said.
You know, Hezbollah is very smart. They’re all very smart.
Could you imagine FDR making a similar statement during the Battle of Britain in 1940?
You know that Luftwaffe — their pilots are top notch. They’re strong. Best of the best.
Trump also blamed Joe Biden and the “stollen” election for Hamas’s attack on Israel. In all caps, of course.
Donald Trump blames Joe Biden and the "stollen" election for Hamas's attack on Israel pic.twitter.com/VnXb94mO7z
— Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) October 13, 2023
Stollen? This is “stollen.” It’s a German holiday sweetbread. My mother would make it at Christmas time.
“”Stollen” by Akane86 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Too much covfefe, maybe?
Naturally Trump’s faithful followers ran amuck on the internet trying to explain away his statements. As Charles Cooke of National Review wrote:
Donald Trump said something stupid and grotesque about the attacks in Israel, and so, today, of course, his acolytes are running around the Internet either explaining what Trump really meant, or explaining why Trump is actually right after all, or, if they’re particularly shameless, trying to combine the two approaches.
When Donald Trump runs his mouth, backlash always follows.
In Israel, communications minister Shlomo Karhi told an Israeli news channel:
It is shameful that a man like that, a former U.S. president, abets propaganda and disseminates things that wound the spirit of Israel’s fighters and its citizens.
We don’t have to bother with him and the nonsense he spouts.
Meanwhile, FL Gov. Ron DeSantis said that Trump was “throwing grenades” at Israel. On Thursday, DeSantis wrote at X:
Terrorists have murdered at least 1,200 Israelis and 22 Americans and are holding more hostage, so it is absurd that anyone, much less someone running for President, would choose now to attack our friend and ally, Israel, much less praise Hezbollah terrorists as ‘very smart.
Even if Trump can’t understand why his comments were a disaster, his campaign does. So he released a statement on Thursday to expand on his earlier takes.
Did he apologize? Oh, hell no. He just doubled down on his adroitness in foreign policy:
There was no better friend or ally of Israel than President Donald J. Trump. Under my leadership, the United States stood in complete solidarity with Israel, and as a result, Israel was safe, America was safe, and for the first time in decades, we made historic strides for Peace in the Middle East. As an example, all of the experts said that the Abraham Accords couldn’t be done, but we got them done, and were able to set the Middle East in a new and positive direction.
His “War Room” also fired back at his critics, Ron DeSantis in particular:
President Trump was clearly pointing out how incompetent Biden and his administration were by telegraphing to the terrorists an area that is susceptible to an attack. Smart does not equal good. It just proves Biden is stupid. And now you look stupid, Ron.
Stupid? You know what DeSantis is doing about Floridians who are stuck in Israel?
He’s sending planes to rescue them.
On Thursday, Gov. DeSantis issued an executive order authorizing rescue operations:
There are more than 20,000 Americans, including many Floridians, in Israel who wish to return home but have been prevented from doing so because of commercial flight cancellation and other travel and logistics disruptions due to the ongoing war in the region.
Today I signed an executive order authorizing rescue operations in Israel to bring Floridians home and transport supplies to our allies. We will not leave our residents behind. To the many Floridians who are stuck in Israel, trying to get home — help is on the way.
Today I signed an executive order authorizing rescue operations in Israel to bring Floridians home and transport supplies to our allies.
We will not leave our residents behind.
To the many Floridians who are stuck in Israel, trying to get home — help is on the way.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 12, 2023
That’s leadership. That’s being presidential.
Jeffrey Blehar at National Review asserts that while critics are getting upset about Trump’s Hezbollah comments, they should focus more on his attacks on Bibi Netanyahu. Those reveal yet again how Trump operates: everything must be about him and his ego:
The narcissistic and quintessentially Trumpian insult is implying that Israel getting surprise-massacred was somehow related to Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal insult of getting antsy about participating with the Trump administration in a targeted assassination. Trump treats it like a personal offense from Netanyahu to his strongman dignity, rather than (right or wrong) a matter of the utmost geopolitical calculation for Israel…
The only thing that matters is loyalty to him, and since he feels that Netanyahu “let him down,” well that just means he’s fair game to be insulted, even when he’s leading his nation through war.
Megyn Kelly also called pointed out Trump’s narcissism relating to Netanyahu in her Thursday podcast:
“The problem is, everything is about him,” @megynkelly reacts to Trump bizarrely attacking Israel the last few days. pic.twitter.com/6xhEVsnpje
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) October 13, 2023
A Republican friend of mine — very active locally and president of a state GOP group — told me that “Trump doesn’t really love America.”
That was shocking to hear, but she’s right.
Everything Donald Trump does is to magnify his standing among his loyal followers, she told me. So as president he did things they wanted.
Appoint conservative Supreme Court justices? Check. Say he’s pro-life? Check. Claim to be an evangelical Christian? Check. Move the US Embassy to Jerusalem? Check again.
So Trump accomplished some positive goals because he’s most adept at publicity and promotion. It’s not because he has any ideological core. It’s because his operating system is programmed for the fulfillment of his massive ego. And his recent tasteless remarks on the disaster in Israel and its prime minister are just more evidence of that.
Featured image: The White House is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. Cropped.
Ann in L.A. says: I always said when people questioned Obama’s religious affiliation: Obama doesn’t believe in anything higher than himself. Same, now, seems to be true of Trump/
Taking advantage when your enemy does something stupid is smart. ASSUMING that they are going to do something stupid is a recipe for swift defeat.
Hamas and Hezbollah did do something stupid here – but they were only reading the signals that Biden and Kerry were sending to them.
And the Israelis did NOT exhibit a great deal of intelligence here, either. The military should have been on high alert for SOMETHING to happen as the Biden Junta crawled even further into bed with the terrorists – and they were obviously not.
John Shepherd says: The guy who failed high school civics moves on to show his ignorance of military affairs.
John Shepherd says: Most people carry over their point of view in the domestic sphere to foreign affairs. Trump is attacking Netanyahu because he thanks the President for American support. Trump does not understand that you show respect to the office, not to the man. Just as Trump attacks Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley for disloyalty he feels Netanyahu is showing disloyalty because he thanked the sitting President for his support. Trump has not lessened his support for Israel. He is throwing a temper tantrum because Netanyahu is doing what world leaders do when another nation gives Israel support in a crisis.
“You salute the rank, not the man.”
https://youtu.be/41FPh_QYWAc?si=HyEdn_AMXM5hFiqF
Kevin says: “I am one of the latter group. And Trump’s statements about Netanyahu upon the barbaric attacks on Israel only reinforced my disgust with this man.”
The 280 pound Malignant Tumor is beyond disgusting. He is repulsive in every way. Everything he touches dies. He doesn’t think twice about stabbing anyone in the back and turning on them. Loyalty to him is a one-way street. The day he slithered down that escalator (I had never watched him make executive decisions like firing the crew who sold the least lemonade so had not opinion of him before that) I understood what a cancer this pig would be on our nation.
Want to understand the chaos in the republican party? Having managed/directed large organizations, the agency takes on the demeanor of the executive team. If they’re respectful to one another, listen to employees, treat people fairly, then that “trickles” down to the rest of the organization. When you’re only goal is yourself and hurting others, you see what’s happening in the republican party today. The distrust of one another is cataclysmic. It’s not rocket science to anyone with an IQ of 83 or higher but for the MAGA base they just can’t make that connection … they are blinded by their cult leader and will follow him to the death … which will not be that much longer.
You’re in a cult. Get help before it’s too late.
John Shepherd says: The Democrat Party is filled with 280lb malignant tumors who support Hamas. I bet you are one of them.
Cameron says: Like most liberals in this nation, he thinks that if only the Jews had died off in the 40s, we’d have peace on Earth.
John Shepherd says: He should be banned for misinformation. Even the Atlantic called BS on the Scalise at the KKK rally lie that he keeps repeating. Make them live by their own rules.
Cameron says: The only vile malignant tumor is you, bitter gay man.
Scott says: Day drinking again I see Kevin… you speak of low IQ’s, somehow I doubt yours is above room temp. Your overinflated sense of worth and intelligence is very telling, as is your obsession with Trump.. it all speaks of a very little, angry man..
Doug Brady says: Every day Trump is above ground and breathing air is a good day for Democrats, and only Democrats. Trump is the best thing to happen to the Democrat Party in decades. Since (barely) beating Hillary seven years ago he and his handpicked candidates down ballot, chosen solely for their loyalty to Trump as opposed to their electability, have lost winnable election after winnable election. If the 2024 election was about Biden’s failed policies, defunding the police, wokeness, the alphabet cult, etc., etc., Republicans would win a historic victory. But that is not what Trump and his cult want. They want to keep the clown show alive for yet another election cycle so that Republicans lose another winnable election. Brilliant.
BJ says: The election was stollen? How waffle!
Liz says: Good to see someone rise to the occasion.
Levity is appreciated, and kneaded.
BJ says: LOL! That’s sweet of you, Liz. I was afraid that the punch line might come off as half baked.
Eli Silas says: Too much cofveve, maybe?
BTW Dearie, its COVFEFE, not Cofveve.
So you have “stollen” Trump’s thunder and made yourself look foolish!
If you must steal from the Boss steal more than chicken feed
Bob Wray says: Trump says Hamas is smart. Looks like he is right again. They fooled the hell out of the two most capable intelligence agencies in the world.
And commenting on a misspelling? How about the substance of what he said? :Your anti-trump attitude is plain to see.
John Shepherd says: How much time have you spent working in an OPINTEL or command center? Just asking for a friend.
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