A Complete Analysis Of Trump’s 202nd Unpresidented Week As POTUS
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 every week of his presidency. This is week 202.
“Stop the steal! Stop the steal! Fight for Trump! Fight for Trump!” the crowd chanted at President Trump’s Georgia rally on Saturday night. The cries drowned out the voices of Georgia Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler as they feebly attempted to make the case to hold their seats ahead of the runoffs. The chants didn’t relent and continued on even louder after they walked off stage, leaving Trump to bask in his cult’s praise alone.
That is the state of Trump’s diehard base in a nutshell: deluded by disinformation and consumed by the personality cult of one man who makes a living grifting them. Trump continues to feed his base shameless, dangerous, democracy-eroding lies. Not only is it sparking a Republican civil war that could cost them these Georgia Senate seats, it’s causing irreparable damage to millions of Americans’ faith in democracy itself.
President Trump started his first rally since he lost the election by blatantly lying and saying he won Georgia. President-elect Biden won Georgia, and the state has already certified the win for Biden, twice. In fact, Biden’s national popular vote lead has now risen to over 7 million. But Trump never lets the facts get in the way of his disinformation.
As expected, President Trump spent the majority of his time at that Georgia rally lying about the election being rigged instead of talking about why his base should vote for Loeffler and Perdue. Trump’s message was essentially that the presidential election was rigged and stolen (lies) but his base needs to vote in this Senate election to make sure this one isn’t stolen. Trump undermined the election process in Georgia, declaring that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger need to make sure there isn’t fraud. Trump went further, claiming Kemp doesn’t know “what the hell he’s doing.”
President Trump called out state legislators by name in an attempt to encourage them to interfere in the elector process. Even after Georgia election officials like Gabriel Sterling warned Trump to stop these attacks on the election process due to the death threats they are receiving, Trump only escalated the attacks. This was one of the most pathetic Trump rallies I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen almost all of them, so that’s saying something.
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In another event this week, pro-Trump attorneys Lin Wood and freshly-fired Sidney Powell told Georgia rallygoers they shouldn’t vote for Loeffler and Perdue unless they fight to make sure the election isn’t rigged. All of these attacks on Kemp and conspiracy theories about Georgia’s election will only suppress the GOP vote ahead of these key runoff races. Trump lost and doesn’t care who he takes down with him. This is what happens you ally yourself with a depraved narcissist. This is all just another con in the life of the biggest con man in history.
At that rally, President Trump appeared almost relieved he lost and genuinely giddy, unlike the final days of the campaign when he was deflated. Trump openly bragged about raising $200 million after the election. What he didn’t say is that the money goes to his post-presidency PAC, not the failing election legal fights. Defrauding people is his comfort zone and what truly makes him the happiest.
Earlier this week, President Trump released a 46-minute lying screed online without allowing networks or reporters into the recording. It was filled with disinformation about the election. Within the first 24 hours of its release, it had 8.3M views on Facebook, 5M views on YouTube, and 3.2M on Twitter. Trump dropped it only online for a reason. He’s now going to target viewers with fundraising ads.
Unfortunately, the unchecked disinformation is working. Just look at how Trump’s base reacted to Attorney General William Barr saying he found no widespread election fraud or Kellyanne Conway acknowledging the fact Biden won the election. Trump supporters took to social media outraged, calling both deep state agents. Fox News’ Lou Dobbs literally called Barr a deep state operative. It was quite unbelievable, given the fact Barr has been Trump’s chief tool of authoritarianism.
Everyone who sycophantically enables Trump’s corruption thinks it won’t happen to them until it does. Just look at Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen. The moment Trump no longer has any use for you or he feels you’re no longer absolutely loyal, he turns on you. Only amoral fools shill for men like Trump.
What’s become of the Republican base is the result of decades of right-wing disinformation, Trump just took advantage of it. Now, Trump has the Republican base seeing fake conspiracies behind every shadow. They want to lock up political opponents that they disagree with. They have a twisted view of democracy and distrust every elected official who isn’t Trump himself. If anyone, even those they’ve praised in the past, contradicts Trump, they are suddenly an enemy. This is not a healthy worldview and one that will continue to make achieving progress harder for the rest of us.
During the 2016 Republican Primary, and before he would go on to become President Trump’s chief Senate sycophant, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) famously tweeted: “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed…….and we will deserve it.” He was right. Let’s just hope he didn’t irreparably destroy the minds of their voters too.
Let’s dive into yet another Unpresidented week.
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Day 1,411: Monday, November 30
Monday’s top stories:
- Bloomberg: Arizona and Wisconsin Confirm Biden’s Victories Over Trump
- CNBC: Moderna says new data shows Covid vaccine is more than 94% effective, plans to ask FDA for emergency clearance later Monday
- CNN: Biden names diverse economic team with four women in top roles to help build recovery
- NBC News: Biden and Harris announce all-female communications team
- NBC News: Controversial White House coronavirus adviser Scott Atlas to resign
- CNN: Georgia Republican officials reject Trump’s calls to overturn election results
- CNN: Biden’s doctor says he has hairline fractures in his foot after slipping while playing with his dog
- NBC News: Supreme Court skeptical of Trump’s plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from census
- The Washington Post: Bracing for a ‘superimposed’ holiday surge, top health experts urge Americans to take restrictive measures
- The Verge: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will step down on January 20th
- CNN: Leaked documents reveal China’s mishandling of the early stages of Covid-19 pandemic
- The Washington Post: 20 days of fantasy and failure: Inside Trump’s quest to overturn the election
- CNN: Pennsylvania Supreme Court dismisses another election case brought by Republicans
- The Bulwark: Trump Lawyer: DHS Whistleblower Should Be Executed – The Bulwark
- AP: Source: Pa. lawmaker gets a positive test at Trump meeting
- CBS News: Fired director of U.S. cyber agency Chris Krebs explains why President Trump’s claims of election interference are false
- Forbes: Trump’s NATO Ambassador Calls Biden President-Elect, Vows ‘Seamless’ Transition
- The Hill: National Review editors bash Trump’s ‘disgraceful conduct since losing’ reelection
- Rantt Media: Trump Has Tiny Desk Tantrum During COVID Thanksgiving
- Rantt Media: How QAnon Hijacked #SaveTheChildren To Grow Their Following
Trump Ponders A Pardon Blitzkrieg
Day 1,412: Tuesday, December 1
Tuesday’s top stories:
- CNN: Justice Department investigating potential presidential pardon bribery scheme, court records reveal
- The New York Times: Trump Has Discussed With Advisers Pardons for His 3 Eldest Children and Giuliani
- AP: Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud
- CBS News: Biden introduces economic team, telling Americans “help is on the way”
- AP: Barr appoints special counsel in Russia probe investigation
- CNN: Officials worry about hospital capacity as US hits record number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized
- CBS News: Pence tells governors coronavirus vaccine distribution could begin in two weeks
- The Washington Post: Health-care workers and nursing home residents should be the first to get coronavirus vaccines, CDC advisory group says
- CNBC: McConnell shoots down bipartisan $900 billion coronavirus stimulus plan as stalemate drags on
- Bloomberg: U.S. Covid Cases Found as Early as December 2019, Says Study
- CNN: Trump sees ‘the writing on the wall’ despite what he maintains publicly about the election, advisers say
- CNN: Georgia reports more than 940,000 absentee ballot requests for Senate runoff
- The Washington Post: Trump raises more than $150 million appealing to false election claims
- CBS News: Supreme Court to mull challenge to convictions under “racist Jim Crow” jury laws
- NBC News: Trump considers 2024 campaign kickoff on Inauguration Day
- CNN: Biden transition braces for tough Senate confirmation for Neera Tanden
- USA TODAY: ‘It has to stop’: Georgia official calls on Trump to ‘stop inspiring’ death threats over election
- CNN: Vice President-elect Kamala Harris picks Tina Flournoy as her chief of staff
- BBC News: Climate change: Temperature analysis shows UN goals ‘within reach’
- CNN: Jake Tapper to interview Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in first joint interview since winning election
- Rantt Media: The GOP Is The Anti-Democracy Party
Ivanka Deposed
Day 1,413: Wednesday, December 2
Wednesday’s top stories:
- CNN: Ivanka Trump was deposed Tuesday in DC attorney general’s inauguration lawsuit
- The New York Times: True Pandemic Toll in the U.S. Reaches 345,000
- CBS News: U.S. reaches 100,000 coronavirus hospitalizations
- NBC News: Biden meets with struggling workers, small-business owners about economic crisis
- Bloomberg: Biden Endorses $908 Billion Covid Relief Plan as ‘Down Payment’
- NBC News: Pelosi, Schumer back bipartisan $908 billion Covid relief aid proposal as basis for package
- STAT: U.K. approves Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, putting pressure on FDA
- NBC News: Mark Kelly sworn in by Pence, flipping Senate seat in key battleground of Arizona blue
- NBC News: Trump threatens to veto defense bill over social media protections
- CNBC: CDC director warns the next few months could be ‘the most difficult in the public health history of this nation’
- The Washington Post: More than half of emergency small-business funds went to larger businesses, new data shows
- Business Insider: Nearly 6 million Americans — roughly equivalent to the entire population of Singapore — are threatened by eviction and foreclosure this month
- USA TODAY: Lawsuit by Trump allies challenging Pennsylvania election results reaches Supreme Court
- CNN: Expect a ‘flurry’ of pardons before Trump leaves office, source says
- The Washington Post: Trump is said to be livid at Barr, with one official suggesting termination possible
- CNN: Bill Barr bashed in right-wing media after election fraud comments: ‘He is either a liar or a fool or both’
- Reuters: Biden plans to keep Wray as FBI director: New York Times
- Mother Jones: While Kelly Loeffler opposed new COVID aid, her husband’s firm sought to profit off the pandemic
- The Bulwark: My Call With Ron Johnson: He Knows Biden Won But Won’t Admit It
- Axios: Government watchdog sues Trump, Kushner and White House to prevent records being destroyed
- Business Insider: Fired Trump attorney Sidney Powell cited a prominent QAnon figure in her lawsuit to overturn Georgia’s election results
- Yahoo News: At pro-Trump rally in Georgia, attorney Lin Wood suggests supporters shouldn’t vote for Republicans in state’s Senate runoff
- Reuters: New Zealand declares climate emergency, promises carbon neutral government by 2025
- The Independent: Opinion: Are Giuliani and Trump’s three oldest children due pardons? It would explain a lot
Bribery-For-Pardon Scheme Revealed
Day 1,414: Thursday, December 3
Thursday’s top stories:
- The New York Times: Trump Associates Said to Have Been Scrutinized in Suspected Pardon Scheme
- The Washington Post: Momentum builds for bipartisan $908 billion stimulus package as more GOP senators express support
- CNN: ‘No fake news:’ Biden and Harris sit down for a ‘very normal’ interview with Jake Tapper
- Bloomberg: Biden asks Fauci to be his chief medical adviser, will urge Americans to wear masks for 100 days
- CNN: Harris assembles staff as she builds her vice presidential portfolio
- CNN: The US reports 3,100 coronavirus deaths in one day — 20% more than previous record
- BBC News: Coronavirus: Hackers targeted Covid vaccine supply ‘cold chain’
- Business Insider: Trump is worried that he may be prosecuted in New York after he leaves office
- Reuters: U.S. Republicans balk as Trump uses defense bill for leverage on Big Tech
- Los Angeles Times: Newsom orders new limits on California businesses and activities as COVID-19 soars
- CNBC: White House refuses to say Trump has faith in Attorney General William Barr
- CNN: Trump and Barr had ‘contentious’ White House meeting this week, source says
- AP: Trump aide banned from Justice after trying to get case info
- The Daily Beast: Election Lies Help Trump and RNC Rake in Half a Billion
- CNN: White House communications director Alyssa Farah resigns
- CNN: Senate GOP warns Biden on Cabinet picks as some Democrats push for more liberal choices
- CNN: Former Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton volunteer to get coronavirus vaccine publicly to prove it’s safe
- CNN: Republicans brace for Trump rally in Georgia
- Talking Points Memo: ‘Stop The Steal’ Rallies Now Feature ‘Lock Him Up!’ Chants Aimed At Georgia Guv Brian Kemp
- NBC News: Kyle Rittenhouse, teen charged with killings at Jacob Blake protest, ordered to stand trial
- Miami Herald: Disgraced Republican lawmaker planted no-party candidate in key Senate race, sources say
- Vox: Ethiopia’s unfolding humanitarian crisis, explained by top aid official Jan Egeland
- CBS News: LeBron James’ voting rights group takes aim at pivotal Georgia Senate runoffs
- CNBC: ‘Appalling’ and ‘grim’: World leaders react to sentencing of Hong Kong activists
- CTV News: Ardern declares climate emergency, pledges carbon neutral New Zealand government
- Hollywood Reporter: Warner Bros. Smashes Box Office Windows, Will Send Entire 2021 Slate to HBO Max and Theaters
Bribery-For-Pardon Scheme Revealed
Day 1,415: Friday, December 4
Friday’s top stories:
- CBS News: Judge orders restoration of DACA, opening immigration program to new applicants for first time since 2017
- CNN: Student loan payment pause extended to January 31
- Reuters: Coronavirus claims 1.5 million lives globally with 10,000 dying each day
- Mother Jones: COVID-19 is now America’s leading cause of death
- The Atlantic: The U.S. Has Passed the Hospital Breaking Point
- The Washington Post: Pentagon blocks visits to military spy agencies by Biden transition team
- Bloomberg: Biden Clinches Electoral College Win as California Certifies
- Politico: Biden: ‘Several’ Republican senators have privately acknowledged he won
- Business Insider: Biden says the stimulus package being negotiated ‘would be better’ if it included a fresh wave of $1,200 payments — and suggests they are still in the mix
- Business Insider: Trump is holding out on supporting the $908 billion COVID-19 stimulus bill despite more lawmakers rallying round it
- The Hill: Fauci says he accepted Biden’s offer to serve as chief medical adviser ‘right on the spot’
- CNBC: Jobs report shows weakening trend heading into holidays, increasing the case for stimulus
- Politico: Trump mulls preemptive pardons for up to 20 allies, even as Republicans balk
- The Washington Post: CDC recommends people wear masks indoors when not at home
- CNN: Trump orders a near total withdrawal of US troops from Somalia
- Politico: White House fires Pentagon advisory board members, installs loyalists
- CNN: Trump Pentagon nominee spreads debunked conspiracies and tweets suggesting Trump declare martial law
- NBC News: Gregory Meeks to become first Black American to chair House Foreign Affairs Committee
- NBC News: House Dems pick openly gay lawmaker to lead campaign arm
- BuzzFeed News: ICE Is Trying To Force BuzzFeed News To Divulge Its Sources
- AP: Trump loves to win but keeps losing election lawsuits
- The Hill: Kellyanne Conway acknowledges Biden as apparent winner
- CNN: White House exodus begins even as Trump continues to baselessly claim victory
- Politico: Top Pennsylvania Republicans pressure congressional delegation to challenge Biden’s victory
- HuffPost: Bernie Sanders Vows To Oppose COVID-19 Relief Package Over Lack Of Stimulus Checks
- CNBC: Trump, RNC raise over $200M on vote fraud claims, but some big-money donors aren’t backing his fight
- The Daily Beast: Swanky NJ Restaurant Shut Down for Hosting NY Young Republicans’ Maskless Gala
- NBC News: U.S. spy chief: China has done human testing to make super soldiers
- NPR: Asian American And Pacific Islander Turnout Helped Hand Biden Georgia
- STAT: How the rich and privileged can skip the line for Covid-19 vaccines – STAT
- HuffPost: Fox News’ Juan Williams Tests Positive For COVID-19
- ABC News: Multiple US Marshals injured in Bronx shootout, 1 suspect killed
- BuzzFeed News: Inside A Xinjiang Detention Camp
- Rantt Media: How Do We Tackle Disinformation And Deprogram The Trump Cult?
- Rantt Media: How Social Media Helps Make The Radical Right More Approachable