The media is once again freaking out about some words that came out of Donald Trump’s mouth. He said President Obama was the “founder” of the terrorist group ISIS, and Hillary Clinton was the “co-founder.” He’s not even trying to clarify what he meant.
We need to find a new phrase for doubling or tripling down or pivot for that matter pic.twitter.com/qJOE9YXBKF
— Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) August 11, 2016
Needless to say, the media is horrified, especially about the part when he emphasized the president’s middle name, Hussein.
Donald Trump said "Barack HUSSEIN Obama" was a "founder of ISIS" four times last night: https://t.co/DuMT3wOg5u pic.twitter.com/69dbV9DQ8X
— Jack Holmes (@jackholmes0) August 11, 2016
One is tempted to feel sorry for Trump. He seems unable to resist the urge to pander to his most loyal supporters — anything to maximize the applause at his rallies and the favorable mentions from egg accounts on Twitter. As Trump told Hugh Hewitt, “Everyone’s liking it.”
It’s not like Republican haven’t been arguing for more than a year that President Obama and Hillary Clinton, his former Secretary of State, helped ISIS gain strength by pulling troops out of Iraq. They have, but their rhetoric has been more nuanced, and they have avoided using the word “founded.” As far as Trump is concerned, either he doesn’t understand the concept of nuance, or he rejects it as a sign of “weakness.”
Since the Republican primary ended, the media has grown increasingly shocked every time Trump says something dumb, or something insufficiently nuanced that a normal politician isn’t supposed say.
This, for example, is very dumb.
CNN hits Trump with on-screen fact-check of claim that Obama founded ISIS: https://t.co/KuGI6aZGBc pic.twitter.com/7SD1zQ90OM
— The Hill (@thehill) August 11, 2016
The media did not react this way when Hillary Clinton was accusing Donald Trump of helping ISIS.
“He is becoming ISIS’s best recruiter,” Hillary said of Trump in December 2015. Was she literally saying that Donald Trump spends his spare time actively scouting potential ISIS recruits and helping them join the terrorist group? No, and the media saw no need to hyperventilate.
Hillary went even further in an April 2016 interview, labeling Trump the “recruiting sergeant for ISIS.” Was she literally saying that Donald Trump was an enlisted member of the ISIS, which had given him an official title of “recruiting sergeant” within the organization? No, and everyone kept their cool and moved on without “fact-checking” the claim.
It’s almost like the media get better ratings when they talk about Trump.
