Category: Normalization of Hate

Trump Jokes About Fourth Presidential Run, Third Term at Press Dinner

President Donald Trump attended the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington on Friday, July 25, 2026, where he joked about seeking a fourth presidential run to achieve a third term in office. Trump announced his intention to run for president again while wearing a “Trump 2028” red cap, framing the comment as a “scoop” for the assembled press corps. The constitutional amendment limiting presidents to two terms makes a third term legally impossible, yet Trump has repeatedly made comments hinting at extending his tenure beyond constitutional limits.

Trump delivered an hour-long speech at the event, striking a lighter tone than his typical media criticism while still attacking what he calls the “fake news media” and taking swipes at journalists and political rivals in attendance. He made crude jokes about health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., quipping that Kennedy had run over a cow with his car to provide beef for the dinner and suggested Kennedy wanted to serve roadkill as an appetizer. Trump also joked with journalists about bulletproof vests, saying they worried the protective gear made them look heavier.

The dinner, which celebrates press freedom, was relocated to the Waldorf Astoria hotel under heightened security after being suspended in April following an alleged attempted assassination on Trump. Weijia Jiang, the outgoing president of the White House Correspondants’ Association, stated the event’s return sent a message: “We are back. We will not be intimidated.” Trump later echoed this sentiment, declaring “We do not yield to political violence… No deranged loser with a gun will ever change that.”

This marked the first time Trump, who has frequently clashed with the press, attended the correspondents’ dinner. Trump’s appearance included attacks on journalists and media outlets while he made jokes that largely fell flat. His repeated references to a potential third term continue a pattern of comments normalizing the idea of extending presidential power beyond the constitutional two-term limit.



(Source: https://news.sky.com/story/donald-trump-jokes-hell-run-for-president-again-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner-13566802)

Trump Attacks LeBron James as Racist in White House Press Conference

During a Friday White House press conference, Trump responded to Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy’s question about the greatest basketball player of all time by attacking LeBron James. When asked to choose between James and Michael Jordan, Trump declared Jordan the winner while accusing James of being “maybe he’s a racist” and stating he “only like[s] people that like me,” a transparent attempt to justify his hostility toward the athlete for his political opposition.

Trump’s animosity toward James spans years of deliberate targeting. James campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016, branded Trump a “bum” in 2017, and previously faced Trump attacks over an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon about opening a free school for at-risk students in his hometown. James also opposed Trump’s criticism of players kneeling during the National Anthem and endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024, further cementing Trump’s vendetta against him.

Trump’s baseless accusation of racism against James, combined with his explicit preference for people who support him, demonstrates his use of character attacks to punish political opponents and reward loyalty. The president weaponized his platform to demean James for exercising free speech and civic engagement, behavior consistent with his pattern of dehumanizing rhetoric toward Black figures who criticize him or refuse his approval.

James’ accomplishments include four NBA titles and four MVP awards across a 23-season career with multiple teams, while Jordan won six titles and five MVPs during his era. Trump’s insistence on framing the comparison through political loyalty rather than athletic merit underscores his willingness to corrupt public discourse with personal grievance.



(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/sports/trump-attacks-lebron-james-in-oval-office-rant-maybe-hes-a-racist/)

Trump EEOC Kills 60-Year Demographic Data Collection Rule

The Trump administration’s EEOC, controlled by a Republican majority, voted Tuesday to eliminate a 60-year-old federal requirement mandating that tens of thousands of private employers submit annual workforce demographic reports. The data collection, known as the EEO-1 form, has been mandatory since 1966 for companies with at least 100 employees and covers more than 50 million workers across 73,000 employers nationwide, tracking representation of women and racial minorities across job categories from executive positions to service roles.

EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, who has promoted complaints from white men and opposed diversity initiatives, justified the elimination by falsely claiming the reporting requirement costs employers “hundreds of millions of dollars” and encourages racial discrimination. Lucas argued companies use demographic data to justify discriminatory hiring practices, despite lack of evidence supporting this claim. Former Democratic EEOC commissioners directly contradicted Lucas, stating there is “little evidence that companies are routinely using employment data to engage in quotas or race-based hiring” and calling her justification “simply inaccurate and unsupported speculation.”

The data reveals white men hold 52.7% of executive and senior management roles despite comprising one-third of the overall workforce, while Black and Hispanic women remain drastically underrepresented in senior positions. Women hold 34.5% of executive roles, up from 29.2% a decade earlier. The EEOC has used this data for 60 years to identify discrimination patterns, guide enforcement priorities, and inform investigations into the 88,000 workplace discrimination complaints it receives annually. The Trump administration did not publicly release the 2024 data it collected and has blocked collection for 2025.

The move, recommended by Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s authoritarian policy blueprint, dismantles a civil rights tool that survived 10 consecutive administrations. Democratic EEOC Commissioner Kalpana Kotagal, the sole Democrat remaining after Trump’s loyalty purges, voted against elimination, warning the commission was “turning back time to a period before the civil rights movement” and stripping the agency of its ability to protect workers. Kotagal signaled the data collection could be reinstated under future leadership.

Some large companies have already begun withdrawing their own diversity disclosures. Twenty-four companies in the S&P 100 stopped disclosing EEO-1 data in 2025 after releasing it previously, though 60 S&P 100 companies still chose transparency. Companies remain legally required under Title VII to retain demographic records subject to EEOC demand during discrimination investigations, and employment discrimination lawsuits continue regardless of federal reporting requirements.



(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/equal-employment-opportunity-commission-donald-trump-democratic-new-york-republican-b3019049.html)

FCC Investigation Halts View Political Candidate Bookings

The Federal Communications Commission under Chairman Brendan Carr launched an investigation in February into whether ABC’s daytime talk show “The View” violated the “equal time” rule, a 1930s regulation requiring broadcast programs to provide equal airtime to opposing candidates when featuring political candidates for public office. The mere threat of regulatory action has proven sufficient to alter the show’s editorial decisions without any formal FCC demands or rulings.

Since Carr’s announcement, “The View” has not booked a single political candidate running in a competitive midterm race, marking a dramatic shift from the program’s decades-long role as a premier campaign stop. The show recently rebuffed invitations for Democratic congressional nominees Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, citing caution regarding the ongoing FCC inquiry as one reason among others. While ABC’s spokesperson claims the show qualifies as a “bona fide news program” exempt from equal time rules, the network has chosen to restrict candidate appearances regardless of that legal argument.

Carr’s aggressive regulatory posture extends beyond “The View,” with his threats influencing which candidates appear on late-night talk shows across CBS, NBC, and ABC. A San Francisco radio station similarly curtailed political coverage after facing FCC scrutiny for reporting on immigration enforcement operations, demoting an anchor and discouraging reporters from pursuing stories that might attract regulatory attention. Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez denounced the agency’s conduct as a “censorship and control campaign” designed to alter media behavior through fear rather than formal rulemaking, noting that broadcasters are instructing staff to avoid triggering FCC action.

The regulatory pressure has complicated Democratic campaign access to traditional media during a critical election cycle. Multiple Democratic officials privately expressed concern that Carr’s equal time push will disadvantage their party in midterm races where Democratic candidates have historically relied on daytime television appearances. Meanwhile, tensions within the left flank emerged after host Sara Haines made inflammatory remarks about Democratic socialist candidate Avila Chevalier, prompting angry responses from allied figures questioning whether such candidates would receive future airtime on the platform.

ABC has taken the unusual step of enlisting viewers to pressure the FCC to drop its investigation, while legal experts remain skeptical of Carr’s recent attempts to expand agency oversight into streaming platforms and digital media. Despite threats that ABC could face regulatory consequences, the network ultimately opted to fight the FCC inquiry into “The View” rather than accept demands, though editorial caution has already taken hold regardless of the legal outcome.



(Source: https://www.semafor.com/article/07/05/2026/the-view-throttles-back-political-candidate-bookings-following-fcc-inquiry)

Trump posts a doctored photo portraying Obamas boarding Air Force One spray-painted with graffiti | PBS News

President Trump posted a doctored image on Truth Social Sunday depicting former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama boarding Air Force One with the aircraft spray-painted with graffiti including the phrase "Yes We Can," "Obama," "BLM," and Arabic text reading "alhamdulillah" (praise be to God). The use of graffiti as a visual device carries a long history as a coded racist message associating Black people with crime and urban decay.

This fabricated image follows Trump's February post during Black History Month depicting the Obamas as primates in a jungle setting, which was deleted after bipartisan condemnation from civil rights leaders and Republican senators. Trump refused to apologize for that post and blamed staff for its creation. The new doctored photograph represents an escalation in Trump's pattern of sustained personal attacks on the former president and first lady using incendiary and racist rhetoric.

The timing of Sunday's post is particularly inflammatory given that Trump last week took his maiden voyage on a new Air Force One, a $400 million retrofitted Boeing 747-800 gifted by Qatar, redesigned with Trump's preferred navy-blue and red and gold color scheme replacing the aircraft's historic light blue hull. Trump posted the doctored image while at his Virginia golf club after spending Saturday celebrating Independence Day and the nation's 250th anniversary at the National Mall.

The post was one of multiple Sunday messages on Truth Social including a doctored image of Obama's presidential library in Chicago depicting it as surrounded by garbage and wasteland, which Trump posted twice last month with the caption "The Obama Library ten years from now will be a 'Mecca' for those who hate America!" Trump has consistently attacked the Obama library in public remarks.

Trump's Sunday posts also included a fabricated image of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni positioned beneath him with text reading "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED," falsely suggesting she pursued him for photographs during the recent Group of Seven summit. Meloni responded by calling Trump's account "completely fabricated," stating "Italy and I never beg," while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani canceled a planned trip to Washington. Trump departs Monday for Turkey to attend a NATO summit with allied leaders.

(Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-posts-a-doctored-photo-portraying-obamas-boarding-air-force-one-spray-painted-with-graffiti?fbclid=IwdGRjcAS42OlwZG9mA2ZkaWQWUKC0BmgfJJiw6Gt0lOSLLuSnuhx2tGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4wM5o_UQRWJutaJAZWWl404hZoJ0kbaFOXKsob9042I3coDv_2sLgZv4aEZw_aem_c6YpIXQxJj_F6kzXPPQbGw)

‘They Tried to Kill Him’ Wild Trump Intro Says God Saved Him

Faith and Freedom Coalition Chairman Ralph Reed introduced President Donald Trump at the Faith and Freedom Policy Conference in Washington, DC on Friday with inflammatory rhetoric depicting Trump as a divinely protected figure under siege. Reed claimed Trump alone accomplished conservative achievements including appointing conservative Supreme Court justices, securing the border, enacting tax cuts, and directing military action against Iran, while listing a series of legal and political challenges Trump faced: “They impeached him! They indicted him! They tried to imprison him! They tried and knock him off the ballot! And then they tried to kill him!”

Reed attributed Trump’s survival of these challenges to divine intervention, stating “it all failed because God has a purpose for this man. And it is to save our nation.” This characterization mirrors earlier remarks Reed made at a leaked spring event and frames Trump’s legal jeopardy as persecution rather than accountability for conduct.

The introduction employed language consistent with authoritarian personality cults, positioning Trump as uniquely targeted and supernaturally protected while consolidating support among evangelical voters who form a crucial political base. Reed’s framing of indictments, impeachments, and assassination attempts as evidence of persecution rather than legitimate legal process normalizes rejection of institutional constraints on executive power.



(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/they-tried-to-kill-him-wild-trump-intro-goes-right-into-god-saved-him-territory/)mpts as evidence of persecution rather than legitimate legal process normalizes rejection of institutional constraints on executive power.

Trump Imagines Obama Library Will Be a Giant Dumpster

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image depicting former President Barack Obama’s presidential library as a giant dumpster surrounded by homeless encampments and tents, captioning it “The Barack Hussein Obama Library, in 10 years, when fully matured!” This marks the second time Trump has circulated dehumanizing fabricated imagery attacking Obama’s library project, which is scheduled to open June 19 in Chicago.

Trump has repeatedly attacked the Obama library’s construction, previously labeling it a “disaster” despite claiming he could have built it better as a “really good builder.” He specifically criticized the Obama Foundation’s commitment to contracting with minority-owned businesses, claiming Obama wanted “woke people” to build the facility. USA Today reported that the foundation stated approximately 35% of subcontractors would be minority-owned businesses, 15% women-owned, and 9% from the greater Chicago area.

The 19-acre Obama presidential library’s final cost reached $850 million, significantly above its initial $300 million projection. Trump’s attacks conflate the library’s legitimate cost increases with inflammatory false imagery designed to demean both Obama and unhoused people, weaponizing homelessness as a rhetorical prop.

Trump announced his own presidential library would “most likely” function as a hotel, with his son Eric unveiling designs for a Miami facility modeled after One World Trade Center in New York City. This arrangement raises direct questions about Trump’s use of presidential projects for personal commercial enrichment, contrasting sharply with traditional presidential libraries operated as nonprofit institutions.

The repeated circulation of fabricated imagery attacking Obama exemplifies Trump’s pattern of using AI-generated deepfakes to attack political opponents and marginalized populations without factual basis. Trump previously shared AI-generated mugshot imagery of Obama and other political figure(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-imagines-obama-library-will-be-a-giant-dumpster-surrounded-by-homeless-tents/)s, demonstrating an escalating reliance on synthetic media to spread dehumanizing content.

Trump Shares AI Post of Obama as a Prisoner

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social depicting former President Barack Obama in a mugshot labeled "Barack Hussein Obama" as part of a grid titled "The Shady Bunch," which included fabricated arrest imagery of former FBI Director James Comey and others. Trump captioned the post: "This is a bad (Sick!) group of people. Very destructive to our great Nation. Caused tremendous damage through Weaponization! President DJT." The image received approximately 25,000 likes and over 8,000 shares on his platform.

Trump has repeatedly used AI-generated content to depict Obama under arrest, falsely promoting unsubstantiated claims grouped under "Obamagate," which alleges improper investigation of his 2016 campaign. Multiple investigations have found no evidence Obama ordered illegal surveillance or directed any probe into Trump's campaign. Trump has previously shared AI videos showing Obama arrested in the Oval Office and imprisoned in jail cells, and in February posted a manipulated video using racist imagery that portrayed Obama as a monkey before withdrawing it under significant backlash.

Trump's post directly contradicts his own criminal record. Trump faces multiple convictions and has an official mugshot on file, whereas the individuals depicted in his fabricated grid have no such criminal records. Critics including Democrat Melanie D'Arrigo and other social media users highlighted this contradiction, with one commenter juxtaposing Trump's actual mugshot against his AI fabrications to underscore the hypocrisy.

A 2025 Emerson College poll found that 47 percent of Americans trust information from the Trump administration and 46 percent trust social media, indicating the potential real-world impact of such misinformation. Critics including author Jennifer Erin Valent and podcaster Jim Stewartson condemned Trump's use of fabricated imagery as dangerous, with Stewartson noting Trump "spends hours every day brainwashing himself on his website which is an alternate reality largely created by QAnon" and stating Trump's mind "does not distinguish between the Qniverse and the objective world."

Trump's pattern of distributing AI-generated and manipulated content extends beyond Obama. In April, he shared an AI image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure healing a sick man, which drew condemnation from religious leaders before Trump deleted it and falsely claimed it showed him as a doctor. The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the Obama mugshot post.

(Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-shares-ai-post-obama-115551679.html)

Trump Posts AI Video of Colbert in Dumpster After Show Ends

President Trump shared an AI-generated video on Truth Social depicting him throwing former late-night host Stephen Colbert into a dumpster and dancing to "YMCA," posted after Colbert's final "Late Show" episode aired Thursday. The White House account also distributed the video on X with the caption "Bye-bye," amplifying Trump's mockery of the comedian across federal platforms.

Trump celebrated Colbert's departure by attacking him personally, writing that the host was "like a dead person" with "no talent, no ratings, no life" and stating that "any person off of the street" would be better. Trump declared Colbert's exit the "beginning of the end" for other late-night hosts critical of Trump, stating "Others, of even less talent, to soon follow. May they all Rest in Peace!"

The cancellation of Colbert's 11-year run on CBS occurred after Trump championed Trump's campaign to target late-night hosts using regulatory power and publicly pressured media executives. Paramount, CBS's parent company owned by Trump allies Larry and David Ellison, cited financial reasons for the cancellation, but critics identified it as capitulation to Trump administration pressure following Paramount-Skydance merger approvals under Trump's control.

Trump has systematically weaponized his platform and regulatory authority against late-night comedians critical of his administration. His use of AI-generated violence to mock Colbert extends a documented pattern of attacking late-night hosts through Truth Social posts and direct calls for their removal, including demands that networks fire specific personalities.

In his final episode, Colbert avoided political commentary and featured celebrity appearances and a performance with Paul McCartney, who referenced democracy and freedom as enduring American values during the sign-off.

(Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5892405-trump-shares-ai-video-colbert/amp/)

Trump Targets Late-Night Hosts Using FCC Regulatory Power

President Donald Trump declared victory over Stephen Colbert's departure from CBS, stating on Truth Social that the late-night host's firing marked the "Beginning of the End" for late-night television and predicting others would follow. Trump has systematically pressured the Federal Communications Commission to strip broadcast licenses, directly called on Disney to fire ABC host Jimmy Kimmel, and demanded NBC terminate Seth Meyers, making clear his intent to eliminate critical voices from television.

CBS cancelled Colbert's top-rated show last year citing financial reasons, but the timing exposed the administration's pattern of regulatory retaliation. The cancellation occurred days after Paramount settled a $16 million lawsuit Trump filed against CBS over editing of a "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, and immediately preceded FCC approval of Paramount's $8 billion Skydance merger, leading critics to identify the decision as quid pro quo silencing of political satire in violation of First Amendment protections.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has weaponized his regulatory authority against networks that air criticism of Trump. Carr ordered an unusual early license review of ABC's eight television stations after Trump cited a Kimmel joke as grounds for his dismissal, and in September 2025 pressured broadcasters to remove Kimmel entirely after comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk. When Trump demanded Meyers' firing in November, Carr reposted the demand on X, demonstrating direct coordination between the executive branch and the FCC to suppress dissent.

Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez documented the administration's systematic assault on free speech, stating that Trump cannot tolerate critics and is deploying "every regulatory lever" to target content he dislikes, from late-night comedy to political programs. Trump has publicly attacked multiple late-night hosts as "deranged" and "untalented" while simultaneously using state power to force them from the air, treating television criticism as a threat requiring government elimination rather than democratic discourse.

Colbert responded by naming the threat directly, stating that "Donald Trump's administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV, because all Trump does is watch TV." The coordinated campaign against late-night hosts represents authoritarian suppression of political speech through regulatory capture and merger leverage, dismantling constitutional protections for satire and criticism that have defined American media since the 1950s.

(Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-says-more-night-talk-154303498.html?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=6a10cd35c6ff4c00012b7467&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQKNjYyODU2ODM3OQABHu9KHF8av5yRtOq_NNxcMcNficKGS5jg4DreLVWYgXOWETNQ-oTh8Bt-tMTj_aem_SzS3k30dy53tiPTZv2_Zcw&guccounter=1)

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