Category: Attack the Press

Donald Trump Conducted Poll To Skip Fox News’ Debate

Donald Trump is polling his followers to figure out whether he should participate in Thursday’s Fox News debate.

Trump shared a Twitter poll with his followers asking if he should participate in the debate — considering that Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly will be one of the moderators.

In a corresponding Instagram video, Trump reiterated his criticism of Kelly’s supposed bias against him.

“Megyn Kelly is really biased against me. She knows that, I know that, everybody knows that,” Trump said. “Do you really think that she could be fair at a debate?”

Trump has participated in an on-again, off-again feud with Fox News and Kelly after she asked him a pointed question during the first GOP debate in August about his past comments directed at women. Trump suggested in a CNN interview Monday that he was unsure whether he would participate.

“I don’t think she can treat me fairly, actually. I think she’s very biased. And I don’t think she can treat me fairly. But that doesn’t mean I don’t do the debates. I like doing the debate. I’ve won every single debate, according to every poll,” he said.

Fox has brushed off Trump’s concerns, mocking the reality television star for his reluctance to participate in a debate moderated by Kelly.

In a statement to Business Insider, the network pointed out that the president needs to meet with world leaders who often do not treat the US fairly.

“We learned from a secret back channel that the Ayatollah and Putin both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes president,” a Fox News spokesperson said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. “A nefarious source tells us that Trump has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings.”

On Monday, the network said it was “surprised” that the outspoken Republican front-runner appeared threatened by Kelly.

“Sooner or later Donald Trump, even if he’s president, is going to have to learn that he doesn’t get to pick the journalists — we’re very surprised he’s willing to show that much fear about being questioned by Megyn Kelly,” the Fox representative told Business Insider in a statement.

Reality

With 157,864 votes a majority of 56% said ‘yes’ to attending the GOP debate. Trump skipped the debate and lost Iowa to Ted Cruz.

Media

Should I do the #GOPdebate?

A post shared by President Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on

 

Donald Trump is Scared of Megyn Kelly

Trump has been accusing Megyn Kelly of unfair treatment ever since he stepped off stage at the first Fox News debate in August.

But he’s ratcheted up those attacks in recent days in an apparent attempt to influence the Fox News moderators ahead of Thursday’s debate.

“I don’t like her. She doesn’t treat me fairly. I’m not a big fan of hers at all,” Trump said during Monday’s interview.

He also claimed that he “might be the best thing that ever happened to her,” because no one had ever heard of her before the August debate.

Trump also suggested he might skip the debate unless he was confident Kelly would treat him fairly, but then walked back those remarks:

“I’ll see. If I think I’ll be treated unfairly, I’ll do something else,” he said. “I think she’s very biased and I don’t think she can treat me fairly, but that doesn’t mean I don’t do the debate. I like doing the debates.”

And last week, Trump tweeted that Kelly “should not be allowed” to moderate the debate because of her “conflict of interest and bias.”

(h/t CNN)

Reality

Fox responded, “Sooner or later Donald Trump, even if he’s president, is going to have to learn that he doesn’t get to pick the journalists — we’re very surprised he’s willing to show that much fear about being questioned by Megyn Kelly.”

Trump’s indecision was echoed by Lewandowski, who told New York, “We haven’t said he’ll be there, and we haven’t said he won’t be there. The bottom line is Megyn Kelly shouldn’t be rewarded for her media bias.”

Media

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkIvptFT1mM

Trump Tweets Disappointment Megyn Kelly Will Moderate Debate

Twitter

Donald Trump retweeted several attacks on Megyn Kelly as a moderator of the Fox News/Google debate a few days before the event on Twitter.

“@Sharp_Trident: A huge disappointment to see @megynkelly constantly attack DonaldTrump. It has become almost unbearable to watch her show.”

Reality

Trump has had an issue with Kelly since she moderated a Republican presidential debate in August. He accused her of being unfairly harsh on him by asking him valid questions about past sexist and misogynist comments. Fox News is standing by its anchor, calling the attacks on her “sexist verbal assaults.”

 

Trump Retweets Megyn Kelly Can’t Contain Bias

Twitter

Donald Trump retweeted several attacks on Megyn Kelly as a moderator of the Fox News/Google debate a few days before the event on Twitter. This one had the added bonus of the debunked conspiracy theory that a Saudi Prince that Megyn Kelly is friends with owns Fox news.

“@Crusade4Honesty: @BornToBeGOP @megynkelly Megan can not contain her bias, it’s in every show, Fox owners Saudi Prince agnstT”

Reality

I’m not going to defend Megyn Kelly too hard here. Crusade4Honesty may have a point.

Trump has had an issue with Kelly since she moderated a Republican presidential debate in August. He accused her of being unfairly harsh on him by asking him valid questions about past sexist and misogynist comments. Fox News is standing by its anchor, calling the attacks on her “sexist verbal assaults.”

Trump Tweets Fox Would Drop Megyn Kelly Over Him

Twitter

Donald Trump retweeted several attacks on Megyn Kelly as a moderator of the Fox News/Google debate a few days before the event on Twitter.

“@Belizediver88: @CNNSitRoom @CNN @megynkelly It will never happen. Fox will drop Kelly if it means no Trump. Nobody will watch w/o Trump.”

Reality

Trump has had an issue with Kelly since she moderated a Republican presidential debate in August. He accused her of being unfairly harsh on him by asking him valid questions about past sexist and misogynist comments.

Contrary to Trump’s statements, Fox News is standing by its anchor, calling the attacks on her “sexist verbal assaults.”

Trump Rekindles Feud With Megyn Kelly Ahead of Fox News Debate

Trump’s feud with Megan Kelly has been one of the most memorable storylines of this raucous GOP primary. In recent weeks, it has heated up. In a lengthy Vanity Fair profile this month, Kelly boasted of writing the now-famous debate question about Trump’s history of misogynistic comments, which ignited the feud this summer. And last week, Kelly sarcastically brought up Sarah Palin’s Trump endorsement, as well as hosted National Review editor Rich Lowry to promote the National Review’s anti-Trump issue.

Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, indicated that Trump could walk away from the debate if Fox won’t exclude Kelly. “Let’s see what happens,” he told me. “It’s fair to say Mr. Trump is a significant ratings driver for these debates. If we aren’t on stage for some reason, they wouldn’t have the record 24 million viewers and would be back with 1-2 million people.”

In the past, the Republican National Committee has banned media it deems unfair. It canceled a debate on NBC, and excluded the Manchester Union Leader and National Review after both outlets attacked Trump. But in this case, the RNC won’t be getting involved. “It’s up to Fox,” Sean Spicer, the Republican National Committee chief strategist, told me.

In a statement to reporters, Fox News spokesperson Irena Briganti said: “Megyn Kelly has no conflict of interest. Donald Trump is just trying to build up the audience for Thursday’s debate, for which we thank him.”

For Fox News chief Roger Ailes, Trump’s threat of a debate boycott raises the stakes in a war that Ailes has struggled to develop a playbook for. Historically, Ailes’s strategy in situations where his stars are attacked is to follow a version of the Powell Doctrine: Apply overwhelming force. But Trump’s popularity with the GOP base — that is, Fox viewers — has forced Ailes to make a choice between his audience and Kelly. In the wake of the first debate, Ailes was said to be rattled by the volume of anti-Kelly emails Fox News received from Trump supporters. Kelly told people she was receiving death threats, and Fox did not have a ready response. Ailes, who is less of a presence at Fox, now has to make another choice, which could result in the GOP front runner walking away.

Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign manager, told me Trump could stage his own televised town hall on Thursday night and let Fox’s rivals air it. “That would be a great idea,” he said.

Trump Tweets Megyn Kelly Should Not Moderate Debates

Twitter

Donald Trump voiced his disapproval of Megyn Kelly as a moderator of the Fox News/Google debate a few days before the event on Twitter. Trump made similar comments in a campaign rally in Iowa the same day.

Based on @MegynKelly’s conflict of interest and bias she should not be allowed to be a moderator of the next debate.

(h/t Politifact)

Reality

Trump has had an issue with Kelly since she moderated a Republican presidential debate in August. He accused her of being unfairly harsh on him by asking him valid questions about past sexist and misogynist comments.

Fox responded, “Megyn Kelly has no conflict of interest. Donald Trump is just trying to build up the audience for Thursday’s debate, for which we thank him.”

Trump repeated his position that Kelly “should recuse herself from the upcoming Fox News debate,” according to Boston Globe reporter James Pindell.

Trump Ejects New York Times Journalist

New York Times journalist Trip Gabriel was ejected from a Donal Trump event.

I was late to Donald J. Trump’s unannounced visit to a Pizza Ranch on Friday, his first drop-by of this ubiquitous Iowa chain that is standard stop for candidates, but which Mr. Trump has avoided in favor of boisterous crowds in big halls.

I opened my briefcase and extended my arms for a Secret Service screening, then entered the restaurant crowded with Trump supporters in campaign T-shirts. There was a knot of TV cameras and still photographers, who had been bused to the location.  Mr. Trump was already speaking in a back room.

Barely a minute later, I was ejected from the restaurant by a Trump staff member and a local police officer.

“It’s a private event, you have to go,’’ the officer said, even though the 20 or so other journalists continued to cover the event.

A Trump campaign aide walking beside the officer said I was being excluded on orders from “Chuck and Stephanie,’’ an apparent reference to Mr. Trump’s Iowa state director, Chuck Laudner, and his wife, Stephanie, also a staff member.

In a text message later, Mr. Laudner said, “I didn’t even know you were there.’’

Links

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/15/donald-trump/?_r=0

Protesters Disrupt Donald Trump Speech at NYC Luncheon

Hundreds of activists rallied on Thursday in front of Donald Trump’s hotel in midtown New York City to condemn the Republican 2016 presidential candidate’s call to bar Muslims temporarily from entering the United States.

Chanting “Dump Trump” and “refugees welcome,” the protesters castigated Trump’s comments.

“We are not asking for any favors,” Linda Sarsour of the Arab American Association of New York told the crowd. “We are asking for the basic respect and dignity that we all deserve here in the United States of America.”

Four protesters chanting “Trump is trying to bring us down, targeting people black and brown,” tried to storm a side entrance into the speech at Manhattan’s The Plaza Hotel as security staff pushed them away.

The protesters were affiliated with various Arab-American and Muslim-American groups, as well as groups for racial equality.

One of those protesters, Jorge Gonzalez, fell down a flight of stairs after a hotel security worker pushed him. He said he was uninjured. Another was thrown to the ground in the hotel lobby.

Two reporters from The Associated Press, Jake Pearson and Warren Levinson, were also forcibly removed from the lobby by hotel security. The event, sponsored by the Commonwealth Club, a Pennsylvania Republican group, was closed to the press.

Later in Trump’s speech, about nine other protesters from various advocacy groups stood up to denounce his recent comments to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the U.S., protesters said.

“I’m really frightened by that kind of rhetoric,” said Martha Acklesberg, 69, a member of the group Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, who along with Judith Plaskow, 68, paid to hear Trump speech and then disrupted it in protest.

Trump, said Acklesberg, briefly stopped his speech during their protests and quipped, “when you’re the front runner you get a lot of attention.”

(h/t Associated Press, Reuters)

Reality

Violence has no place in our political process and should be condemned from all sides.

Donald Trump says a lot of divisive and hateful statements, escalation of tensions may only seem natural. However as a protester, engaging in violence only plays into the hands of Donald Trump and his supporters. It gives them justification for their false sense of being victimized and allows them to paint the opposition as “thugs” and side-step our real and valid arguments.

Media

http://bcove.me/hqzadmzh

Donald Trump: Most of The Media Are ‘Absolute Scum’

At a campaign speech in  Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Trump first went after the media, again.

“The mainstream media wants to surrender the constitution. These people back here,” said Trump motioning to the camera crews in the back of the room, “are the worst. They are so dishonest … 70 to 75 percent are absolutely dishonest. Absolute scum. Remember that. Scum. Scum. Totally dishonest people.”

Trump singled out NBC’s Katy Tur, referring to her as “little Katy” and calling her a “third-rate reporter” all because of how she reported on a recent Trump rally.

“What a lie it was. What a lie. What a lie it was from NBC to have written that … A third-rate reporter. Remember that. Third rate.”

Katy Tur responded gracefully on Twitter.

Links

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/262400-trump-media-is-scum

http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/donald-trump-most-of-the-media-are-absolute-scum/279109

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