BEAT THE PRESS
Embattled Don’s tirade against media
A defensive P resident Trump fired up his supporters at a raucous, campaign-style rally in Phoenix last night, relitigating his controversial response to the Charlottesville hate fest by pinning the blame for the heat he’s been taking on his favorite scapegoat — “the crooked media.”
President Trump spent 20 minutes during a raucous rally in Phoenix Tuesday night reframing his response to the violence in Charlottesville by attacking the media — then launched a stream of invective at the state’s two Republican US senators and even hinted at pardoning convicted Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Trump blamed “the crooked media” for the backlash he suffered after claiming “many sides” were responsible for the Aug. 12 Unite the Right rally, which turned deadly when a white supremacist plowed his car into counterprotesters, killing one and injuring 19.
“If you want to discover the source of division in our country, look no further than the fake news and the crooked media,” he said. “The only people giving a platform to these hate groups is the media itself and the fake news.
“They don’t want to report the facts — just like they don’t want to report that I spoke out forcefully against hatred and condemned the white supremacists.”
Trump on Tuesday night, in reading his previous comments, omitted his controversial remarks that there was violence “on many sides” and that there were “very fine people on both sides” of the hate fest protest, but focused on his condemnation of racist groups two days later.
“There were two statements and one news conference. I hit ’em with neo-Nazi, I hit ’em with everything . . . KKK? We have KKK. I got ’em all,” he said. “The words were perfect — and for the most part, all they [the media] do is complain. They don’t put on those words.
“If I didn’t have social media, I wouldn’t be able to get the word out. I probably would not be standing here right now,” he said, later adding, “I don’t do Twitter storms.”
Trump apologized to the crowd for devoting such an outsized chunk of his nearly 80-minute speech to defending himself.
“I didn’t want to bore you because you understand where I’m coming from,” he said.
He went on to address two other sensitive areas: His criticism of Arizona’s Republican senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, and his plans to pardon controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
“One vote away [from advancing the ObamaCare repeal bill], and I will not mention any names —
TheyT don’t want to report the facts — just like they don’t want to report that I spoke out forcefully against hatred and condemned white supremacists.
that’s very presidential isn’t it?” he said, in an apparent reference to McCain, who’s battling cancer and whose vote killed the bill.
“And nobody wants me to talk about your other senator whose weak on borders, he’s weak on crime,” Trump said in a dig at Flake. “Nobody wants me to talk about him — nobody knows who the hell he is.
“I haven’t mentioned any names, so now everybody’s happy.”
Neither McCain or Flake attended the rally.
Trump demanded that Congress get rid of the filibuster so Senate Republicans can more easily exe- cute their agenda, and he threatened to shut down the government over the federal debt limit if lawmakers do not approve money for his long-promised border wall.
“Now the obstructionist Democrats would like us to not do it, but believe me, if we have to close down our government, we are building that wall,” he said, later arguing that it’s “time to pass tax cut for middle-class families.”
Trump also indicated he would pardon Arpaio — the Maricopa County, Ariz., lawman convicted in July of contempt of court for ignoring a 2011 order that he stop racial profiling in his efforts to com- bat illegal immigration.
“I’m just curious. Do the people in this room like Sheriff Joe? So was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job?” Trump said.
“He should have had a jury, but I’m gonna make a prediction: I think he’s gonna be just fine, OK? But I won’t do it tonight because I don’t want to cause any controversy. Is that all right? OK. But Sheriff Joe can feel good.”
Trump had previously said he was “seriously considering” pardoning Arpaio, but White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Tuesday afternoon that Trump would not bring it up at the rally.
Trump had to deal with a heckler once during his address.
“How did he get in here?” Trump said. “He’s supposed to be with the few people outside.”
Protests outside were relatively mild until Trump’s speech wrapped, when cops and demonstrators clashed in the streets in front of the convention center.
After Trump left the stage, protesters “began fighting and throwing rocks and bottles at police,” according to a statement from the Phoenix Police Department, prompting cops to use pepper spray and tear gas.