A High Ground Maneuver - Trump vs. Wilson - Why I think a statement could have cleared it all up

(Note - If you can't read the whole thing, the key section about the high ground maneuver is separated.)

In analyzing back and forth regarding the fallen Green Beret La David Johnson, it's almost unbelievable that this phone call to a grieving widow became a controversy that has spanned into it's second week I feel it could have been nipped in the bud very quickly.

I didn't have access to a computer, and I was watching CNN to see what the left was angry over the night this came out, and I saw Breaking News. The news said that Trump said to the widow of a fallen soldier "He knew what he signed up for." This was the Don Lemon show, and his hatred of the President is visceral. His show is often a two hour hit piece, with most of the guests and analysts being people who also dislike the President. That said, when I read this, I initially thought, well, what's wrong with that? Isn't that a common phrase used with respect to our soldiers to connote bravery? I thought people knew that. However, I knew immediately what CNN/the left was about to do. I felt a sick feeling in my stomach. I knew they were going to spin those words into a glib remark to say that Trump didn't care about this man, to say that Trump didn't care about his sacrifice and his family, and possibly even bring race into it (which they since have). I then sat there and watched it play out. Guest after guest joined Don in the pile on. It sickened me to see because in a world unburdened with the extreme weight of political correctness, in a world where everything isn't politicized in order to score political brownie points, and in a world where there are lows too low or things too sacred, this story would not be run in such a manner. I knew the media was going to use this in their quest against the President and would ride this story until they ran out of road or another "controversy" erupted.

That night, the White House responded by saying, "The President’s conversations with the families of American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice are private.” I knew that such a statement would do little to quell the narrative the media was preparing.

Sure enough, it was lead news the next morning. Trump via Twitter responded by saying, "Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!" The media immediately thought there was some transcript or recording, but that was not to be. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said there were several people in the room who heard the call, though, and one of those people happened to be General Kelly. Congresswoman Wilson rebuked Trump's denials saying, "I stand my account of the call with @realDonaldTrump and was not the only one who heard and was dismayed by his insensitive remarks."

His mother (his aunt who raised him) came out and said she was in the car and backed up Congresswoman Wilson (who is a friend of the family). (Quotes from USA Today) She said, "President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband." Congresswoman Wilson continued and said Myesha Johnson, the widow, was very upset after speaking to Trump, “To me that is something that you can say in a conversation, but you shouldn't say that to a grieving widow. Everyone knows when you go to war you could possibly not come back alive. But you don't remind a grieving widow of that. It's so insensitive." She said her press aide and other family members were in the car and doubled down - "So the president evidently is lying, because what I said is true," she said. "I have no reason to lie on the president of the United States with a dead soldier in my community." She also called Trump a "a sick man" and said, "He's cold-hearted and he feels no pity or sympathy for anyone." Trump continued to stand his ground, and she tripled down tweeting, "I still stand by my account of the call b/t @realDonaldTrump and Myesha Johnson. That is her name, Mr. Trump. Not 'the woman' or 'the wife.'"

This entire thing had turned into a back and forth with the media undoubtedly 100% on the Congresswoman's side. The controversy showed no signs of ending the next day, but Trump was about to produce his proof, and his proof came in the form of no better witness. General John Kelly himself came out and spoke. After sharing how the bodies of the fallen are preserved and transported after they are killed, Kelly went on to say that the President didn't have to call, in fact, he at first recommended he not as President Obama didn't call him. However, he thought it nice to do. He said he was dismayed when he saw the Congresswoman's comments. It upset him so much he went to Arlington for a hour to collect his thoughts - a place where his son lies. He then proceeded to clarify the President's remarks:

"So he called four people the other day and expressed his condolences in the best way that he could. And he said to me, what do I say? I said to him, sir, there's nothing you can do to lighten the burden on these families.

Well, let me tell you what I told him. Let me tell you what my best friend, Joe Dunford, told me -- because he was my casualty officer. He said, Kel, he was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed. He knew what he was getting into by joining that 1 percent. He knew what the possibilities were because we're at war. And when he died, in the four cases we're talking about, Niger, and my son's case in Afghanistan -- when he died, he was surrounded by the best men on this Earth: his friends.

That's what the President tried to say to four families the other day. I was stunned when I came to work yesterday morning, and broken-hearted at what I saw a member of Congress doing. A member of Congress who listened in on a phone call from the President of the United States to a young wife, and in his way tried to express that opinion -- that he's a brave man, a fallen hero, he knew what he was getting himself into because he enlisted. There's no reason to enlist; he enlisted. And he was where he wanted to be, exactly where he wanted to be, with exactly the people he wanted to be with when his life was taken.

General Kelly then remarked that he was at an FBI field office dedication in April of 2015, an office dedicated to two men killed in a firefight with drug traffickers in 1986. Three FBI agents who were wounded were there who had retired. He said this of Congresswoman Wilson:

And a congresswoman stood up, and in the long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise, stood up there and all of that and talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building, and how she took care of her constituents because she got the money, and she just called up President Obama, and on that phone call he gave the money -- the $20 million -- to build the building. And she sat down, and we were stunned. Stunned that she had done it. Even for someone that is that empty a barrel, we were stunned.

But, you know, none of us went to the press and criticized. None of us stood up and were appalled. We just said, okay, fine.

Did it end there? Unfortunately not. The Congresswoman fired back at General Kelly:

"John Kelly's trying to keep his job. He will say anything," says @RepWilson in response to Trump's staff chief who ripped her for disclosing details of controversial call with soldier's widow. "There were other people who heard what I heard." http://politi.co/2xRl4xw

She accused him of lying about her speech, and she wasn't the only one. The media, who once claimed when Trump responded to Khizr Kahn at the convention that one can not respond to/attack a Gold Star family, thought nothing of going after him.

Brian Fallon who was from the Clinton Campaign and is a CNN contributor (big surprise) tweeted that General Kelly is "odious". For example:

Kelly isnt just an enabler of Trump. He's a believer in him. That makes him as odious as the rest. Dont be distracted by the uniform. 3:48 PM - Oct 19, 2017

https://twitter.com/brianefallon/status/921100806539145216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fpolitics%2F2017%2F10%2F20%2Fclinton-pitbull-media-attack-kelly-after-gold-star-general-defends-trump-condolence-call.html

I am stunned by John Kelley's lies about a black woman who he called an 'empty barrel.' http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/lawrence-stunned-by-john-kelly-s-attack-on-rep-wilson-1077490243772 … via @msnbc 1:47 AM - Oct 20, 2017

https://twitter.com/Lawrence/status/921251559870214144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fpolitics%2F2017%2F10%2F20%2Fclinton-pitbull-media-attack-kelly-after-gold-star-general-defends-trump-condolence-call.html

Rep. Wilson, reveling in the newfound attention on the national stage, proclaimed herself to be a "rock star" now:

Rep. Frederica Wilson is laughing off criticism lobbed at her from White House chief of staff John Kelly, saying his comments show "I'm a rock star now."

The Florida Democrat made the comment to Miami Fox affiliate WSVN-TV Thursday in response to Kelly.

"You mean to tell me that I have become so important that the White House is following me and my words?" Wilson said. "This is amazing. It's amazing, that is absolutely phenomenal. I have to tell my kids that I'm a rock star now."

The next day, The Sun was able to obtain some video of her speech which seems to line up with her account:

Wilson, again pointing to Kelly's comments from the past day, called his comment that she was an "empty barrel" a "racist term."

A bombshell would drop soon after. As The Sun Sentinel found, Kelly's characterization of Wilson's comments at that FBI building dedication was false. The publication published a more-than nine minute video of her speech that day, which backed up Wilson's claim that she had only taken credit for working across the aisle to name the building after two FBI agents who were killed in the line of duty. She effusively praised the two fallen agents in her speech.

"Gen. Kelly said he was 'stunned' that Rep. Wilson made comments at a building dedication honoring slain FBI agents about her own actions in Congress, including lobbying former President Obama on legislation," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. "As Gen. Kelly pointed out, if you're able to make a sacred act like honoring American heroes about yourself, you're an empty barrel."

But the statement was carefully worded, and did not mention anything about securing funding for the building, which Kelly had initially called Wilson out for allegedly boasting about.

Then at Friday's press briefing, amid getting grilled by a reporter over Kelly's mischaracterization, Sanders said, "If you want to go after General Kelly that's up to you but I think that if you want to get into a debate with a four-star Marine general, I think that's something highly inappropriate."

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-frederica-wilson-gold-star-la-david-johnson-2017-10/#sunday-october-22-7

As it turns out, Wilson didn’t generate the funding for the building. She wasn’t in Congress when the funding was approved. But Kelly’s larger point was that Wilson had given a self-aggrandizing speech inappropriately at a memorial service.

You be the judge. Here’s what she said about her own contributions to naming the building:

Consider this scenario. The brand new federal buiding that will house the FBI has been built, and the FBI approaches my office. “Congresswoman Wilson, the ribbon-cutting has been scheduled in four short weeks. The dedication is on the government’s calendar and cannot be changed. One problem: the FBI wants to name this gorgeous edifice at the same time in four weeks.” Everyone said, ‘That’s impossible. It takes at least eight months to a year to complete the process through the House, the Senate, and the president’s office.” I said, “I’m a school principal,” and I said, excuse my French, “Aw hell no. We’re gonna get this done.” Immediately, I went into attack mode. I went to the Speaker, Speaker Boehner, and I said, “Mr. Speaker, I need your help. The FBI needs your help, and our country needs your help. And we have no time to waste.” He went into attack mode and in two days pulled it out of committee, brought it to the floor for a vote. … We all voted and I dashed it over to the Senate, and put our Senators on notice, “Put it on your radar.” Senator Nelson and Senator Rubio, who have representatives here today, they hotlined it to the Senate floor in just two days. And guess what, the president signed it into law this past Tuesday, April 7, 2015 with a BANG, BANG, BANG!

You know what, I will be presenting a copy of the bill that was signed into law to the FBI and also the pen that the president used to sign that hallowed document. It is a miracle to say the least, but it speaks to the respect that our Congress has for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the men and women who put their lives on the line every single day. …

Does that sound self-aggrandizing? Does it sound as though Wilson made herself the hero of the story? Does it sound more like a campaign speech than like a somber dedication of a building to two fallen FBI heroes?

http://www.dailywire.com/news/22556/did-john-kelly-lie-about-frederica-wilsons-fbi-ben-shapiro

The back and forth continued for the next couple of days in a series of back and forth Tweets wherein Trump called her "wacky", said he hopes the fake news keeps talking about her, and said she's killing the Democrat Party. She called Niger his Benghazi (which makes little sense because the Democrats have always maintained Benghazi was a witch hunt and Clinton and Obama did nothing wrong) and said an adult was needed for the investigation.

That leads us to Monday - The war of words with Congresswoman Wilson and President Trump over the phone call to grieving widow, Myeshia Johnson, came to a head today when Myeshia Johnson herself came out and backed the Congresswoman's account of what happened. This should surprise no one as his aunt who raised him said she also heard the call and backed the account. There was no chance they would not stick up for the Congresswoman as she had known him since he was young child (note this excerpt is from an article from the always negative Joy Ann Reid who is proclaiming racism but this has the background of how the family knows her):

Frederica Wilson has known the Johnson family since the late La David Johnson was a child. Members of Johnson’s family attended the school named for Frederica Wilson, who in 1993 founded the 5000 Role Models of Excellence—a nonprofit that focuses on helping black boys become outstanding black men. La David Johnson was a Role Models alumnus. Both of his brothers participated in the program, including one who is training to be a firefighter. Miamians have come to recognize the boys in the program by their signature red neckties and impeccable manners. They are literal golden boys, who go on to become doctors and lawyers and leaders across Florida and the country.

“I mentored this young man from a little boy in elementary school through high school,” she told the ABC hosts, when challenged by Meghan McCain on why she released the details of that call, which Wilson added she did so simply because she was asked by reporters what Trump said. “We sent him to college… These are people that I have known since they were little children. His uncle went to my elementary school. I was his principal.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/frederica-wilson-vs-trump-and-now-john-kelly-easygo-with-wilson

There was no way the family was not going to back up her account, and this is something I knew immediately. While I believe the Congresswoman's motives were not fully pure, and she motivated in part by Trump's remarks about President Obama not calling all of the families of the fallen and of her vehement dislike for Trump (wouldn't even go to the Inauguration), I also think the White House could have ended this controversy nearly immediately, and it was frustrating to me to watch all of this back and forth play out.

First, we all know, including the Congresswoman, that the President didn't call up this widow in order to hurt her. He called to comfort her, and that is manifest in the testimonies and the audio release from people who have spoken to Trump after they lost a loved one. It's manifest in the fact he sought guidance from General Kelly as to the proper thing to say. The Congresswoman knew what he was trying to say (as "he knew what he signed up for" is a common term which is used to connote bravery and heroism), but rather than explain that to a grieving widow, she ran to the press and immediately took words that he meant for comfort, and then she attacked him, saying he sounded like he was "half joking", didn't even bother to learn La David's name, and spun the comments into a context so they would be seen as glib and dismissive. She went to the press so she could use this attack the President. I don't see how any of this helped this widow, even if she is close to the Congresswoman. She could have explained what Trump meant if the words were misconstrued, OR if she really was upset and the widow was upset, she, as a Congresswoman, had the unique ability to get ahold of the White House and talk to the President. She did neither but rather celebrated her newfound fame in the press, and that's sad.

However, I thought the White House could have put this to bed very quickly. Look, we know the Congresswoman didn't have to throw this into the media and political sphere, but that's what happened. Trump denied saying what the claim was, but it seems based on the comments of General Kelly and Sarah Huckabee Sanders that he made comments along those lines. Now Trump believes the words were taken out of context and assigned a meaning completely different from his intention, so he denied saying those words because, to him, he never said them in the way reported. However, since his comments, even out of context, were along those lines, it didn't help to deny saying them, especially now that the widow has affirmed them. The writing was on the wall - we all knew the widow was going to speak out at some point, and logic proclaimed she would back up the Congresswoman's story. She was not going to in any way contradict the family friend. Therefore, the media has ammo to question his honesty, and the controversy stretches on.

That is why I would have proposed a high ground maneuver. I would have taken a dig at the Congresswoman which would have put her on the defensive and clarified the statement. I would released a statement such as this:

"When I learned my call to the widow of La David Johnson was misunderstood, I felt terrible, as this was intended to comfort her, not upset her further. That is why I wished that the Congresswoman would have contacted me personally instead of going to the press - causing more grief. When one is speaking to another, particularly one who is grieving a loss and one is speaking many miles away over a telephone as opposed to in person, one sometimes fails to articulate the right words or words can often get misconstrued, misinterpreted, or misunderstood. I apologize for the misunderstanding. This was what I was trying to say: When a young man or woman goes into the military, he or she knows the sacrifice that he/she is making. All members of the military sacrifice some, and some, sadly, sacrifice all. They don't do it for the money, they don't do it for fame, and they don't do it for comfort. They do it because they love their country, believe in it, and strive to preserve it for themselves and the next generation. They do it for fellow Americans, Americans they have never met but believe they are worth fighting for anyway. They do it for their families, who they want to ensure grow up in a free, prosperous, and safe country. They know the possibility they will make the ultimate sacrifice, and they choose to sign up anyway. That is a testament to their character and bravery, and that is what makes them heroes. We owe a debt of gratitude to every man and woman who puts his or her life on the line for us everyday and a particular debt of gratitude for those who sacrificed all so that we can rise everyday in this free country.

I would have recommended he make a donation to the widow's Go Fund Me page. Then, I would have had General Kelly share his story because his speech was phenomenal and beautiful. I feel things would have ended at that point. The Congresswoman's criticism would have been nullified, and the media would have looked ridiculous for hyping a simple communication error. Comfort would have gone to the grieving widow, and she could have moved forward.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe she and the press would have doubled down, attacked him more, and it would have gone on, but I have seen many liberal analysts saying if he made such a statement, it would end it (this is after I thought of this - thought of it the night it happened). It's interesting a simple statement wasn't what General Kelly advised - with him making a statement, and there is no reason to believe if General Kelly told him to call the widow back, he wouldn't have done it, so that's interesting.

I know Trump's mentality is to always fight back - The Congresswoman knew what she was doing when she took this to the press - she wanted a story out of it and got it. I get it when you are under attack from all sides, particularly the press. I don't believe fighting back is always necessary when a simple statement like the one above would actually be much more beneficial to him with the sort of voters he will need in 2020 (the moderates/liberal Republicans/swing voters). Just like with the NFL choosing to fight against standing for the national anthem/flag, some fights are not wise. This is one of them because a simple statement could have ended a controversy that went into two weeks.

In all of this, though, I hope we look to remember La David and the other three men who passed away. They are the REAL story, and it is sad that La David's name will be thought of in conjunction with this fight.

So on Oct 4 we had 4 service members killed in Niger. 12 days later the press hounded Trump about why he hadn’t made an official statement about it. He said that he had written letters to the families of the fallen that were either sent out over the weekend or would be sent out that day (Mon, Oct 16) and that he planned to call the families. He said some Presidents have chosen not to call or write but he wanted to do both. When pressed later in the conference he said he didn’t know if Obama called some of the time or not; he could only go by what his generals told him (and later John Kelly said that Obama had NOT called him when his son was killed).

The media was outraged and Obama’s people called Trump nasty names. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-call-service-members-families_us_59e4f6ace4b0ca9f4839b525

By 12:06pm that day, Joy Reid tweeted that Trump had reached a new low by saying Obama didn’t call the families of fallen soldiers.

At 10:45am Eastern time the next day Frederica Wilson spoke on the floor of the US House to commend Johnson. Then Wilson tweeted a response to Reid’s tweet, saying that it wasn’t the worst Trump would do - adding that LaDavid Johnson was her constituent and linking to the C-Span clip of her speaking in Congress.

According to https://www.local10.com/video/trump-faces-controversy-as-us-army-sgt-la-david-johnsons-remains-return-to-miami it was known that Trump was scheduled to call Johnson that afternoon.

Trump called at 4:45pm Eastern time that same day (Tues, Oct 17), and by that time Wilson had flown to Miami and was with Myesha Johnson en route to meet her husband’s casket. By 11:03pm Eastern CNN had the breaking story of their pre-recorded phone call with Frederica Wilson, claiming that the call was so bad that she asked to speak on the phone with Trump to cuss him out.

Even before the Don Lemon CNN clip at 11:03pm, Wilson was interviewed by the local Miami CNN affiliate and made her claims. (see http://ktla.com/2017/10/17/trump-told-fallen-soldiers-widow-that-he-knew-what-he-signed-up-for-florida-congresswoman-says/ ). The timestamps on the postings aren’t clear on time zones so it’s hard to say exactly when Wilson first spoke to the media, but it seems likely that she spoke to the local CNN affiliate while they were there to cover the story of the body being flown in. In the local CNN article at https://www.local10.com/news/florida/miami-dade/remains-of-u-s-army-sgt-la-david-johnson-return-to-miami Wilson had obviously been interviewed. That was originally posted at 4:25pm and updated at 12:39pm the next day. 4:25pm is before the casket even arrived so I think the timestamps must be for a different time zone. For LA’s CNN affiliate to know that the local affiliate had interviewed Frederica Wilson before the Don Lemon broadcast, it must have been published before the update on the 18th, so the original posting must have had Wilson’s claims at “4:25” - whatever time zone that was. probably Pacific time, which would make the original posting maybe 8:25pm Eastern.

Within about 2 hours of Johnson’s body arriving in Miami. Most likely the press interviewed Wilson at the airport right after filming the arrival of the casket. Classy, eh?

This does seem like a set-up to me. These seem to be people who are looking for reasons to hate Trump, and when he indicated that he was going to call they sprung into action - as a response to Trump saying that Obama may not have called all the families - a fact Trump knew to be true because General Kelly had told him so. Trump gave notice a day ahead of time that he was going to call, and the media knew that the call was expected to be that afternoon.

What stands out to me, also, is that Wilson in her House speech and almost every one of the reporters all stumbled over LaDavid’s name. And we don’t even know the names of the other three. In the one media report they spoke to the brother of one of the fallen but they didn’t give the name of the brother or the name of the fallen. I guess names are only important if you’re reporting on something that hurts Trump.

This does seem like a set-up, and it is truly sad that the lives of all our fallen military personnel seem like cheap props for political purposes.

This was the transcript from the Oct 16th press conference where this all started. When you see the whole context Trump’s comments don’t seem as braggadocious/political as they were made to appear:

QUESTION: Why haven’t we heard anything from you so far about the soldiers that were killed in Niger and what do you have to say about (INAUDIBLE)?

TRUMP: I’ve written them personal letters. They’ve been sent or they’re going out tonight. But they were during the weekend. I will, at some point during the — the period of time call the parents and the families, because I have done that traditionally.

I felt very, very badly about that. I always feel bad. It’s the toughest — the toughest calls I have to make are the calls where this happens, soldiers are killed. It’s a very difficult thing. Now it gets to a point where, you know, you make four or five of them in one day, it’s a very, very tough day. For me that’s by far the toughest.

So the traditional way, if you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn’t make calls. A lot of them didn’t make calls. I like to call when it’s appropriate, when I think I am able to do it.

They have made the ultimate sacrifice. So generally I would say that I like to call. I’m going to be calling them. I want a little time to pass. I’m going to be calling them. I have, as you know, since I’ve been president, I have. But in addition, I actually wrote letters individually to the soldiers

we’re talking about and they’re going to be going out either today or tomorrow.

(CROSS TALK)

QUESTION: Why did it take so long (ph)?

(CROSS TALK)

....... (and then later>):

TRUMP: Peter. Go ahead, Peter.

QUESTION: Just a quick question. Earlier you said that President Obama never called the families of fallen soldiers. How can you make that claim?

TRUMP: I don’t know if he did. No, no, no. I was — I was told that he didn’t often. And a lot of presidents don’t. They write letters. I do — excuse me, Peter. I do a combination of both. Sometimes it’s a very difficult thing to do, but I do a combination of both. President Obama, I think probably did sometimes and maybe sometimes he didn’t. I don’t know. That’s what I was told. All I can do — all I can do is ask my generals. Other presidents did not call. They’d write letters. And some presidents didn’t do anything. But I like — I like the combination of — I like, when I can, the combination of a call and also a letter.

(CROSS TALK)

QUESTION: Mr. President, thank you.

I don’t disagree with you that they don’t like Trump. As I noted, the Congresswoman refused to even attend his Inauguration and was likely angry over Trump’s comments regarding Obama and phone calls which were still fresh. I think based on the comments of Kelly and Huckabee Sanders, Trump did say something along those lines with the best of intentions to connote his bravery and heroism. I think the Congresswoman assumed the worst and as opposed to comforting the widow and explaining the context or calling the President, she went to the press - which was wrong and likely politically motivated.

I guess my point is that the Congresswoman knew Trump would get hit in the media, and perception is everything. While conservatives/Trump supporters might brush this off, I look to the general public who hears these stories, and what they hear is that Trump hurt the feelings of a grieving widow. It doesn’t matter if you are correct in saying it was a set up, if it was a misunderstanding, etc. What matters is the perception out there.

Reaching out to this woman helps her in grieving, it looks good politically, and it may have ended the news cycle that he was cruel. What could the Congresswoman or widow say in an interview if Trump had reached out, clarified, and made a donation?

Here's why she was with Wilson:

That made sense to me why she was there. As far as the speaker, his aunt and uncle who raised him were also in the car listening in. I don't have a problem with the speaker.

I don't question Trump's motives. Trump wouldn't call her up to upset her. His intentions were to comfort, and his words were words intended to comfort and connote heroism and bravery. This is what I posted to someone else:

” Reaching out to this woman helps her in grieving, it looks good politically, and it may have ended the news cycle that he was cruel.” >>>

Trump knew the same as I did that it was the Black Widow who set this up and provided her gal pal, Crazy Wilson, with the dynamite to blow Trump up. Every step of the way, the Black Widow laid the tools for Wilson to use.

The widow provided the stage for this fuse to be lit, for the fireworks to go off, and light up the media world with their malicious, flaming attack against Trump.

The widow stayed silent, and let Crazy Wilson stalk every network to smear and slander Trump.

Why would Trump want to play stroke the kitty a second time, with the Black Widow? This fanged cat wasn’t going to be given a second opportunity to jack him around.

No one cares about the stinking backstory of Wilson and the Johnsons. The point is they were both equally TRUMP HATERS from the get-go, grifters, after money, and media applause from their like-minded communist friends and thrilled to take him down.

I do worry about the extent of your naivete and your over analyzing of their cute friendship. Trying to play around with your scenarios which are fine for little kiddies, but are deadly errors in a political fire fight to save our country.

Forgive me for being so blunt. Possibly you are very young or inexperienced in political combat.

Our country is at stake and Trump is not Mr. Rogers. There will be no apologies, or patty fingers played for the camera, or apple pie delivered to Trump’s enemies so it looks better politically. No, that is not someone we elected. Trump hits hard. Thanks be to God.

Perhaps I have a different tactic. There are two ways to deal with this:

1) Deny it and try to fight back
2) Apologize if comments were misunderstood, clarify, make a comment about the heroism and bravery of our troops and make a donation - a high ground maneuver.

If he does number 2, he kills her entire argument. Her argument is that Trump was insensitive, didn’t care, and so forth. Trump comes out the next day, clarifies the statement, shows he is compassionate, and shows he cares - that all the reports and the Congresswoman’s remarks were a hullaballoo about nothing. It helps the widow, and Trump looks good. It ends the media story in a day.

I look at this in terms of the casual American out there who sees this story on the news and doesn’t follow it in depth. I think doing option two is going to appeal more to them and help Trump from a political standpoint a lot more than an 8 day feud culminating in the widow coming forth.

General Kelly and Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed Trump said something along those lines, but obviously the context the Congresswoman portrayed it in was false. He wasn’t being glib. She assigned a sinister meaning to his words. Now, I’ll give the widow the benefit of the doubt. She’s 24 years old, pregnant, has 2 kids, is grieving, and is in the car to pick up her husband’s remains (which she said they won’t let her see), and sometimes words can be misunderstood when you are speaking to someone you haven’t met over the phone states away - someone that you already don’t like. The Congresswoman could have cleared this up by explaining what those words mean or by contacting the President directly. He didn’t have to apologize, though, he just had to clarify. I think there’s an important distinction because he did absolutely nothing wrong in that call. His intentions were good, the meaning of the words just got misunderstood by the widow, imo.

I just saw a clip of Infowars out on the streets of NYC. The guy was interviewing a couple, and they brought up the widow’s interview and said she was crying. That’s what your average American is going to see. I just think it makes more sense from a practical standpoint to reach out to clarify the words, make a donation, and put the whole thing to bed immediately. By doing so, he looks good to the American people and prevents this 8 day feud. The Congresswoman wouldn’t have been able to say another word. She has gotten the attention she craves (rock star comments), and now General Kelly is being called a racist, a liar, the Congressional Black Caucus is after him, etc. All unnecessary with no political gain to boot.

There is a Twitter account called Trump Regrets. It’s people who voted for Trump that regret voting for him now. I go through the accounts to see if the people are genuine. Some are not. Some are just conservatives angry for a minute that aren’t going anywhere. Others are suspicious and questionable. However, some are legit. The people who regret voting for him now are the moderates/more liberal Republicans who voted for him but who he will need in the next election. He can’t afford to lose voters. It’s situations like this, for example, where I notice drops in the polls and Tweets where people say they regret voting for him. I want him to gain support, not lose it.

There are two ways to fight - sometimes it’s a fight in the mud like with Hillary (you have no choice). Othertimes, it’s by taking a higher ground.

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