ABC: Trump Looked ‘Smaller’ & ‘More Insecure’ at ‘Bizarre’ Presser (Only to these morons)

NewsBusters.org ^ | February 16, 2017 | Kyle Drennen

[Kaslin]

During ABC News special report coverage following President Trump’s press conference on Thursday, anchor George Stephanopoulos seemed to be in a state of shock over the commander-in-chief’s hostility to the liberal media: “What a remarkable window into the state of mind of the President of the United States right there....lashed out at the press, made it very clear he thinks the press is dishonest....never seen anything like that.”

Special correspondent Matthew Dowd agreed: “No, that was the most amazing press conference by a president I have ever seen and I've been watching it since the mid-70s. And I don't mean amazing in great, I mean amazing in spectacular insight into Donald Trump and his state of mind today.” The political analyst noted how presidents usually “are empowered and get bigger” after they take office, but argued that Trump “looked smaller and actually more insecure in his position...”

ABC: Trump Looked ‘Smaller’ & ‘More Insecure’ at ‘Bizarre’ Presser

During ABC News special report coverage following President Trump’s press conference on Thursday, anchor George Stephanopoulos seemed to be in a state of shock over the commander-in-chief’s hostility to the liberal media: “What a remarkable window into the state of mind of the President of the United States right there....lashed out at the press, made it very clear he thinks the press is dishonest....never seen anything like that.”

Special correspondent Matthew Dowd agreed: “No, that was the most amazing press conference by a president I have ever seen and I've been watching it since the mid-70s. And I don't mean amazing in great, I mean amazing in spectacular insight into Donald Trump and his state of mind today.” The political analyst noted how presidents usually “are empowered and get bigger” after they take office, but argued that Trump “looked smaller and actually more insecure in his position...”

Dowd then compared the President to a paranoid and delusional movie character: “...it was reminiscent of Captain Queeg in a Caine Mutiny and somebody saying, ‘I’m going to search for their strawberries.’ He's in full-on conflict with the intelligence community and he’s in full-on conflict with the media.”

IMDB describes the plot of the 1954 film that Dowd referenced: “When a U.S. Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardizes the ship, the first officer relieves him of command and faces court martial for mutiny.”

White House correspondent Cecilia Vega chimed in:

I mean, just a couple of the words that I jotted down over the course of the last hour and a half, “bizarre,” “contentious,” if we’re looking – we’re getting insight into the mind of our president, that he is just obsessed with coverage. He's clearly watching television at all hours, talking about late-night programming on cable. He shouted down reporters, he told people to sit down. It seemed as if this is something he had been wanting to do, to get off of his chest for the last few weeks...

Later in coverage, Stephanopoulos wondered: “...it's clearly clear that the President likes having the press as a foil, we see that right there. It worked for him in the campaign, does it work as president?” Dowd replied: “...he walked in there with a hornet's nest of the press. What he did coming out of there was poke it even more. And so, I don’t think he calmed that media down...He actually stirred it up more. So there's going to be a hundred more stories that are going to come out of this.”

Here are excerpts of the February 16 special coverage:

2:13 PM ET

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: What a remarkable window into the state of mind of the President of the United States right there. About an hour and 15 minutes, an hour and 20 minutes, the President, after an opening statement, telling the country where he thinks his presidency is going, right now what he thinks they've accomplished. The President taking a lot of questions from the press, give him credit for that. [Coughs] Excuse me. He took questions from the front line, he took tough questions.

He took questions about his relationship with Russia. He said Russia is fake news. And after several questions trying to clarify this blockbuster report over the last couple of days, he said he knew of no contacts between his campaign and Russians during the campaign.

Also lashed out at the press, made it very clear he thinks the press is dishonest. Lashed out at the situation he inherited, saying he inherited a mess when he came to this office less than a month ago. Remember that, it's not even four weeks that the President has been in office. And takes issue with those who say right now the White House is in chaos. He says it is a finely tuned machine.

Matthew Dowd, we say this a lot, never seen anything like that.

DOWD: No, that was the most amazing press conference by a president I have ever seen and I've been watching it since the mid-70s. And I don't mean amazing in great, I mean amazing in spectacular insight into Donald Trump and his state of mind today. To me, when you have presidents take office, many of them are empowered and get bigger. I think you have a president in that press conference that looked smaller and actually more insecure in his position, as opposed to secure in his position.

And on one specific, George, on one fact he said – when he said, “Jobs were pouring out of the country when I came into office.” Well, there were 75 straight months of job growth and 11.3 million jobs created in the previous presidency.

And the other thing, I’ll just make a slight comment on it – it was reminiscent of Captain Queeg in a Caine Mutiny and somebody saying, “I’m going to search for their strawberries.” He's in full-on conflict with the intelligence community and he’s in full-on conflict with the media.

STEPHANOPOULOS: He still seemed to be running against Hillary Clinton as well.

CECILIA VEGA: It was a campaign greatest hits list, that’s how he started, going over his victories. Let's talk about the Electoral College comment that he made, that he had more Electoral College votes than anyone in history, which is blatantly –

STEPHANOPOULOS: Since Reagan, yeah.

VEGA: Since Reagan, which is blatantly not true. I mean, just a couple of the words that I jotted down over the course of the last hour and a half, “bizarre,” “contentious,” if we’re looking – we’re getting insight into the mind of our president, that he is just obsessed with coverage. He's clearly watching television at all hours, talking about late-night programming on cable. He shouted down reporters, he told people to sit down. It seemed as if this is something he had been wanting to do, to get off of his chest for the last few weeks, George.

(...)

2:18 PM ET

STEPHANOPOULOS: Matthew Dowd, it's clearly clear that the President likes having the press as a foil, we see that right there. It worked for him in the campaign, does it work as president?

DOWD: I think he’s in a much more difficult spot. And again, let's give him credit, for all of the criticism that we’ve given him over last few days about only taking friendly questions, he stood there for a long period of time and took it all, he took all the most – the hardest questions. He has a – he walked in there with a hornet's nest of the press. What he did coming out of there was poke it even more. And so, I don’t think he calmed that media down in saying, “I’m giving you the answers, you don’t need to focus on this.” He actually stirred it up more. So there's going to be a hundred more stories that are going to come out of this.

(...)

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Dinner for Schmucks? But they didn’t get any food.

[sargon]

Dowd then compared the President to a paranoid and delusional movie character: “...it was reminiscent of Captain Queeg in a Caine Mutiny and somebody saying, ‘I’m going to search for their strawberries.’ He's in full-on conflict with the intelligence community and he’s in full-on conflict with the media.”

Somebody has been reading FR, and thought they'd take a witty quip made here (regarding the media's hysteria regarding Flynn) and turn it around.

On FR yesterday, the comment was apropos, but ABC news using it just sounded awkward.

The Establishment and Media (but I repeat myself) are really grasping at straws. They have no clue how to deal with President Trump, and it shows.

Surely, in their hearts, the MSM must know that it just got totally pwned today. The comments the President made about the obviously open hatred and total lack of balance in the MSM—especially CNN and the broadcast networks—really do ring true.

You can almost hear them gnashing their teeth during these events, because they know that the President is able to connect directly with the People, and very effectively, and they also know that when they try to spin things afterwards—tell the People what they really heard, what they're supposed to think about it, and not to believe their lying eyes—the People just aren't buying what the Media is selling.

The President reminded the Media that they're approval ratings are even less than Congress.

This was a tour-de-force by the President, and the Democrats and Establishment are eating their hearts out as their power steadily continues to wane, and there's notghing they can do about it, except to accelerate the process by doubling down on their open hatred and knee-jerk opposition.

The Revolution is strong, and growing stronger, my fellow Americans, and more and more minorities are joining the movement. By the end of President Trump's first term, the Media will have fully melted down, and he'll have them eating out of his hand.

Those Media organizations that learn to adapt will survive and prosper. Those outlets who insist on clinging to the old, repudiated patterns—carrying water for the corrupt Enemy, and fomenting nothing but hatred, lies, and division—will be consigned to irrelevance and commercial failure...

[Ray76]

Swamp media.

[Luke21]

ABC had the biggest collection of idiots I’ve ever seen gathered on election night. When Trump concluded his victory speech they started shouting that Trump has raped a 13 year old girl. Not kidding.

[Chode]

yeah, right...

[dynoman]

This is why their approval rating is at 32%. They just don’t get it.

[Parley Baer]

Trump looked larger and more secure after the press conference. You can take that to the bank.

[FlingWingFlyer]

LOL! Come on abc (small letters), he ate your lunch and took your milk money too.

[ronnie raygun]

Scummedia and the dwarf stephdacoccus

[Fu-fu2]

Used to watch the local ABC news affiliate faithfully until they took their lead from the network. Never watch them anymore. They are fake news.

[Logical me]

You talk about exposing the press, President Trump did it today. I have never seen such rotten communists things they call journalists. What a bunch of clowns.

[VRWC For Truth]

Stephie, the rat’s,butt hurt ....

[Pining_4_TX]

We moved to Iowa recently and I can’t believe how leftist the local newspaper and TV stations are. I don’t watch their fake news nor do I read the local rag. I can’t imagine who does.

[bray]

They talk to each other and have no idea who the people are.

[Kickass Conservative]

>>>CECILIA VEGA: It was a campaign greatest hits list, that’s how he started, going over his victories. Let’s talk about the Electoral College comment that he made, that he had more Electoral College votes than anyone in history, which is blatantly –
STEPHANOPOULOS: Since Reagan, yeah.<<<

He clarified when asked later in the News Conference, the most EC Votes for a Republican since Reagan.

Lying Liars Lying...

[Kaslin]

That high? Wow

[Lady Heron]

That is an amazing assessment of that press conference.....they are hoping that 90% of Americans do not take time to go look at it on youtube, so they can label it and get away with that label, because you could not watch it and not think he destroyed the press, at least the parts I saw!

[timestax]

pic host

[cpdiii]

The area hospitals have called in all their surgeons for emergency work. Many reporters walked into ER with their butts in a bag and requesting it be reattached. A few conservative surgeons were unable to work due to rolling on the floor and laughing their asses off. The other surgeons graciously put their fellow surgeons at the top of the list for detached butt syndrome surgery.

In all seriousness that press conference was amazing. Trump had total control and put the media in their place. They needed it. He should do this often.

[Boomer]

The MSM is public enemy #1.