A Complete Analysis Of Trump’s 132nd Unpresidented Week As POTUS

Trump is fueling the white supremacist threat while his party is enabling their ability to obtain assault weapons by blocking gun control legislation.
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by: Ahmed Baba on August 4, 2019

President Donald Trump speaks at the North Side Gymnasium in Elkhart, Ind., Thursday, May 10, 2018, during a campaign rally. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Donald Trump speaks at the North Side Gymnasium in Elkhart, Ind., Thursday, May 10, 2018, during a campaign rally. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Trump’s first major typo after winning the election was spelling Unprecedented incorrectly. He infamously tweeted “Unpresidented.” This typo is emblematic of his administration: An impulsive, frantically thrown together group of characters with virtually no oversight. After Trump was sworn in, I started writing the weekly “Unpresidented” column, analyzing his every move. This is week 132.

Here we are again, in the midst of a national tragedy. This weekend, over the course of 13 hours, 29 lives were lost and dozens were injured in two mass shootings. We have now had 250 mass shootings in the first 215 days of 2019.

On Saturday, a 21-year-old suspected white supremacist terrorist killed 20 people and injured 26 at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. Before he launched the assault with a semi-automatic weapon, he published a white supremacist, anti-immigrant essay on 8chan (which we won’t link to). Early Sunday morning, there was another shooting in Dayton, Ohio that killed 9 people, and injured 27 – we don’t yet know the motive of that shooter.

We won’t post much of what was said in the El Paso terrorist’s essay, but it began with this statement: “…I support the Christchurch shooter and his manifesto. This is a response to the Hispanic invasion in Texas.” The terrorist went on to tout European identity, repeatedly cite an invasion of Hispanics over the southern border, claim his future job opportunities were being automated away, and spoke about how white culture is being replaced. Sound familiar?

If you look at President Trump’s Twitter feed or the evening programming on Fox News, you’ll see this exact same white supremacist language. They’ve dehumanized and fear-mongered about a migrant “invasion” and “infestation” in which these migrants seek to replace white American culture. All of this is occurring while the Trump Administration detains migrant families in inhumane conditions.

We’ve highlighted the fact Trump’s presidency led to a spike in hate crimes and discussed his white nationalist rhetoric on many occasions. But we need the rest of the media and Democratic lawmakers to be brutally honest about what is happening here. President Trump’s rhetoric is radicalizing terrorists while he cuts programs that combat white supremacy and the Republican Party blocks any legislation that would make it more difficult for them to obtain assault weapons.

Meanwhile, President Trump and Republicans claim it’s all a mental health issue while not only trying to take healthcare away from millions, they are labeling any efforts to expand healthcare coverage as “socialism.”

No more mincing words. Trump and the Republican Party have blood on their hands and they must be held accountable in the next election. In the meantime, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) must end the Senate’s August recess and call an emergency session to pass the House’s gun control legislation they passed months ago.

President Trump is set to speak about the shooting on Monday morning. Trump must not have another “very fine people” moment like he did after the neo-Nazi protests in Charlottesville. Trump must stop using his white supremacist language of an “invasion” or “infestation” and needs to stop downplaying the threat of white supremacist terrorism.

I end this intro with a question: How many white supremacist terrorists have to be radicalized by Donald Trump’s rhetoric, and how many people have to die, until his occupation of the presidency is considered a national security threat?

Let’s dive into yet another Unpresidented week.

This comprehensive column sources great reporting from top news organizations, but it’s also built on brilliant analysis from my team at Rantt Media. We are independently-owned, completely ad-free, and take pride in being reader-funded so that we are beholden to you, not corporate interests. If you like the work we do, please consider supporting us by signing up for a monthly subscription. Below, you’ll see daily breakdowns that are derived from our exclusive Rantt Rundown newsletter. If you like the work we do, please consider supporting us by signing up for our newsletter or joining our community chatroom where you can talk news with our team and other like-minded individuals:

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Debate Pre-Game

Day 921: Monday, July 29

From top left: Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders

From top left: Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders

We were heading into another two night, 20 candidate bonanza, and after the Mueller testimony and a bevy of racism from President Trump, it promised to be just as chaotic and out of control as the last time around.

We waited until the dust settled on the June debates to update our standings, and did so for a few reasons. First, we wanted the post-debate pundit storm of useless hot takes to die down. Second, we wanted to see new polls and fundraising numbers from Q2 to see how voters are feeling heading into these second round of debates and how campaigns are capitalizing (or not) on their candidates’ performances.

Here Is Where The Democratic Candidates Stood Ahead Of The 2nd Round Of Debates

In other news…

Where Do House Democrats Stand On Impeachment?

Day 922: Tuesday, July 30

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY), and President Donald Trump (AP and Wikimedia Commons)

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY), and President Donald Trump (AP and Wikimedia Commons)

There were 114 members of the House of Representatives calling for an impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s corrupt conduct. 113 are Democrats and 1 is an Independent – Rep. Justin Amash (MI-03). While the House Judiciary Committee has said they have launched an impeachment investigation, they have yet to formally open an impeachment inquiry.

To begin an impeachment inquiry, the House Judiciary Committee must vote on a resolution to open one, and then the full House must vote on it. Once passed, the House Judiciary Committee would then be endowed with grand jury powers which would strengthen their ability to compel witness testimony and documents currently being withheld by the Trump Administration. In order to launch the inquiry, House Democrats will need to reach the 218 vote threshold.

This is why it’s so important to track what members of Congress support launching an impeachment inquiry. After former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s July 24 testimony highlighting President Trump’s potential obstruction of justice, the number of Democrats calling for impeachment increased.

Below we have compiled a list of every House Democrats, and Rep. Amash, and whether they are for or against launching an impeachment inquiry into President Trump. We use ActBlue as a reference. We’ve also listed the phone numbers of your lawmakers so you can contact them and let them know how you feel about their position.

If you’re not sure who your representative is, you can look them up using your address and then check back here to see where they stand on impeachment.

Read The Full Article

In other news…

Debunking The GOP’s “Socialism” Fear Mongering

Day 923: Wednesday, July 31

Pro-Trump Super PAC ad that fear mongers about socialism

Pro-Trump Super PAC ad that fear mongers about socialism

One of the several narratives you’ve likely heard pushed by the right, and perpetuated by the mainstream media, is that Democrats are moving too far to the left. And you’ll definitely hear more of it at the debate tonight. The reality is quite different.

Democrats are offering proposals that guarantee healthcare as a human right, make education accessible, tackle climate change, and cut taxes for the middle class.

The GOP attacks those policies that help people as socialism while serving the 1%. They’ve destroyed countless attempts to fix the problems they’re exacerbating.

Read Rantt Politech Editor Greg Fish’s Full Analysis

In other news…

Voters Were The Biggest Losers Of CNN’s Democratic Debates

Day 924: Thursday, August 1

Source: Shutterstock

Source: Shutterstock

CNN headed into this week with an agenda, and it wasn’t to inform the American people. The two-night Democratic debates on Tuesday and Wednesday were clearly organized with the objective of obtaining soundbites and to depict a divide within the Democratic Party. While some candidates were deemed winners and losers, a real disservice was done to serious voters who were seeking nuanced discussions on the issues they care about.

The debate format incentivized candidates to launch personal attacks and didn’t leave much room for substantive debates. The candidates had 60 seconds to respond to questions from the CNN moderators (Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, and Don Lemon), 30 seconds to respond to another candidates’ remarks, and 15 seconds to clarify their statements if asked. While it’s arguable that this format may have been necessary in order to compensate for the 10 candidates on stage each night, the questions did nothing to make the most of that time.

CNN moderators, especially Jake Tapper, framed multiple questions with GOP talking points. Night one’s questions included “Do you believe Medicare for All is political suicide?” and one to Senator Amy Klobuchar trying to spark a personal attack: “Who are you referring to when you say candidates are making promises just to get elected?” It also included questions about whether their immigration plans would encourage illegal immigration, essentially trying to validate Trump’s false “open borders” attack line.

In night one, CNN moderators repeatedly questioned John Delaney and Montana Governor Steve Bullock, who are polling at 1%, about Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) plans in order to try and showcase a stark divide in the party between moderates and progressive. It became hard to recognize that Democrats are actually on the same page on a lot of goals and merely differ on how to get there.

Night one really tried to push the idea that Democrats are moving too far to the left, another GOP talking point. When you poll most progressive policies on their own merit, Americans love them. Can we, for once, talk about how far-right the nationalist Republicans have moved?

We didn’t really get a very substantive debate until the first part of night two, where former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) began to get into the weeds of their healthcare plans. Both nights, CNN moderators continued to press the candidates into personal attacks rather than letting them unfold naturally, unfortunately, the candidates played into it. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Joe Biden got into it over criminal justice. While the CNN moderators seemed prepped with research on most candidates, none seemed to question the Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D) on her defense of the murderous Syrian despot Assad when asking her about foreign policy.

During night two, bolstered by New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio (D), a few of the Democratic candidates leaned into critiques of President Barak Obama’s legacy after a CNN question about his deportations. The candidates spent far too much time critiquing the policies of the most popular Democrat alive rather than pivoting to the threats the Trump Administration poses today with their inhumane immigration policies, which are far worse than Obama’s. When pressed by former Obama HUD Secretary Julian Castro about Obama’s immigration policies, Biden failed to mention that Obama prioritized deporting criminals and signed the DACA executive order.

When it comes to the biggest issue humanity is facing, CNN moderators peppered Democrats with questions on how realistic their plans were to fight climate change rather than highlighting the threat itself.

Both Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Cory Booker pointed to the bigger picture and broader threat of the GOP’s efforts to repeal healthcare from tens of millions of Americans when discussing the topic. The other candidates also launched some here and there, but there weren’t as many attacks on the Republican Party and President Trump as there should’ve been.

Moving forward, one can only hope the field of candidates dwindles down so we can have more time allotted to real debate, and one can also hope that the Democratic candidates themselves maintain focus. This is only the friendly battle ahead of a war with much higher stakes.

In other news…

Voters Were The Biggest Losers Of CNN’s Democratic Debates

Day 925: Friday, August 2

President Donald Trump looks to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a joint new conference in the East Room of the White House, in Washington, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Donald Trump looks to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a joint new conference in the East Room of the White House, in Washington, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

There are now 121 members of the House of Representatives calling for an impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s corrupt conduct. 120 are Democrats and 1 is an Independent – Rep. Justin Amash (MI-03).

There is now a majority of House Democrats who support impeachment. House Democrats will need to reach the 218 vote threshold in order to officially launch an impeachment inquiry.

Read Our Running List Of Where Each House Democrat Stands On Impeachment

In other news…

Over the weekend…

On Saturday, a 21-year-old suspected white supremacist terrorist has killed at least 20 people and injured 26 at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. Before he launched the assault with a semi-automatic weapon, he reportedly published a white supremacist, anti-immigrant essay on 8chan (which we won’t link to). Early Sunday morning, there was another shooting in Dayton, Ohio that killed 9 people. It’s unclear whether that was white supremacy related.

Rantt Media’s comprehensive articles source reporting from top news organizations, but they’re also built on brilliant analysis from our team. We are independently-owned and completely ad-free. We strive for quality, not clicks. We take pride in being reader-funded so that we are beholden to you, not corporate interests. If you like the work we do, please consider supporting us by signing up for our newsletter or joining our community chatroom where you can talk news with our team and other like-minded individuals:

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Unpresidented // Donald Trump / Gun Control / Gun Violence / White Supremacy
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by: Ahmed Baba

Ahmed Baba is the Co-Founder and President of Rantt. Writer of Unpresidented, Ahmed documented and analyzed every day of the Trump presidency. He's also a columnist at The Independent and his work has been cited in The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, Rolling Stone, BuzzFeed, The New York Post, The Huffington Post, Yahoo News, Blavity, Newsweek, The Telegraph, and more. He can be reached at [email protected] or found on Twitter @AhmedBaba_.

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