Here is the transcript and video of the Trump press conference.
Trump needs a scapegoat. The Hillary scapegoat is old, though not exhausted.
Now the scapegoat is the media.
He said the leaks are real but the stories reporting them are fake. Huh?
The goal: change the subject from the headlines about Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian operatives.
Things are going great. He inherited a mess. He is a genius. He is a Demi-God. He will fix the inner cities, which are far, far worse than impoverished foreign cities.
Let Trump be Trump. He will never change. He lies without shame.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
After today’s “press conference,” is it possible that Drumpf is really Captain Queeg?
For those of you who haven’t read the book or seen the film The Caine Mutiny, the story takes place during World War ll and is about a nutty ship’s captain who rolls two steel ball bearings in his hand whenever he feels he is being disrespected or his authority is being challenged–which, unfortunately, happens on a daily basis. As a result, he is always unfairly berating his men, making poor judgments in moments of crises, and drawing illogical conclusions based on his own paranoia instead of the actual facts. Sound familiar?
Eventually his ship, the USS Caine, is caught in a typhoon and Captain Queeg cracks up. His hands freeze on the tiller and he can no longer command the ship, which is about to capsize. His second in command, Lieutenant Steve Maryk, takes control of the ship, and with the help of Ensign Willis Keith, they prevent the ship from capsizing and steer it to safety.
When they get back to port Captain Queeg denies he acted irrationally and files a charge of mutiny on Maryk and Keith, who in turn hire an attorney to defend them in court. It is up to their attorney to prove to the court that Queeg is mentally unbalanced and his defendants were left no choice but to take charge of the ship during the typhoon.
If life often imitates art, we might want to start asking ourselves the question: Is President Trump following the same path as Captain Queeg? And what would happen to our country if it becomes clear to everyone that Trump is too nutty to handle the job as president, especially in a crisis?
LikeLike
Scapegoat – I think the left needs a scapegoat because the lost the election – the Russians – the Russians are coming – and the Putin Putin complex – still no facts to support that insanity except the plethora of “fake news” that even the NY TIMES twice in 2 articles has pointed out they have no support for it…
But continue hyperventilating and going to the sewer for your adjectives and diving into your pocketbook of psychology.
LikeLike
That is so funny! Are you trying out material for the John Birch comedy tour?
LikeLike
GregB,
The sad thing is the humor is a reflection of the left – and the left don’t get the fact that they are the joke – the echo chamber here provides a security blanket – the narrative at times is pathetic but at least it is an outlet for the disillusioned individuals who can’t come to the reality of losing and that their candidate was the reason – so keep searching for someone to say they have facts to support the link of the Russian election and Trump – You now have to deal with the FBI report that they haven’t found evidence – CNN.
LikeLike
Interesting that new trolls are appearing here who are defenders, and lovers, of Drumpf.
When you watch the press conference, be sure to have some wine or a martini first.
LikeLike
Try watching without throwing a shoe at your TV
LikeLike
Ellen Lubic,dianeravitch
The news clips are more than enough.
Soon I might stop watching them altogether. Can he really say anything of interest. Wake me when he says I resign. I will watch the rerun over and over.
LikeLike
Ellen,
I have been on this blog for quite a while and have responded numerous times – even to you – but I will note that wine and a martini arenot my choice – I enjoy a Rusty Nail – Scotch – drambui
LikeLike
Hoping that was sarcasm. If not, please stop with the “Trump won” stuff. We are well aware of the outcome. Now he has to do the job he auditioned for last year. And it isn’t quite going very well.
I’m done living in the past on this. The present matters more. And presently, I have no faith that a thin-skinned person has the temperament to handle an incredibly demanding job that includes tons of criticism no matter who has it.
That was as polite as I can be.
LikeLike
Name one republic and/or democracy that elects its leader, not with the popular vote, but with an Electoral College that was compromise with slave owners in the 18th century.
Hillary had more votes than any president who lost an election in the history of this country. She lost but had almost 3 million more votes than Littlefingers.
Putin’s interference and manipulation in the election was but one element.
There was also the unprecedented press conferences by the FBI director, a life-long conservative, who talked about an ongoing investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private server and e-mails.
It is standard procedure in law enforcement not to talk about investigation until they are over.
And in the end, Comey said there wasn’t enough evidence to take the case to court, but by the time he said that, it was too late.
And not a squeak out of the GOP about all the e-mails that the malignant narcissist in the White House erased over the decades in defiance of court orders in more than one trial.
Then there is the fact that after the election Littlefingers refuses to give up his own phone and stop using his own server, but not only him, but the deplorable members of his cabinet.
Next, voter suppression tactics in several states dominated by the GOP blocked thousands and possibly hundreds of thousands from voting by closing hundreds of places to vote in areas where there were high minority populations with many registered democrats.
The 2016 election was the first election since the voting rights act was repealed by the Supreme Court and as soon as that voting protection was lifted the racists came swarming out of their hives to do all they could to manipulate the vote.
There’s more for anyone willing to fact check from reliable sources instead of the Alt Right Lying, hate mongering media giant that relies on alternative facts.
The evidence is overweening that the malignant narcissist Littlefingers Donald Trump won the White House through a rigged election and he even said it was rigged repeatedly but that wouldn’t’ count if he won.
LikeLike
Transcript is fascinating. Brief analysis of word counts. 175 “very,” “often very, very.” Many words with a “dis”– disaster, disservice. “Fake” is used 22 times. Someone should do a wordle.
LikeLike
Here is a wonderful history lesson on the first amendment. And the power of dissent.
https://www.authorsguild.org/the-writing-life/dissent-shall-set-free/
LikeLike
Thanks Laura…this is a really fine history lesson. Learned so much.
LikeLike
I tried to watch….5 minutes……turned it off…..He is disgusting and I will not give him any credence….not even to watch his lies and his narcissistic mania.
LikeLike
healthier in less than five minute doses.
LikeLike
Joel,
It was interesting to see what he did at this press conference. He used it to throw red meat to his base. Media-bashing. Scapegoating. His campaign tactics all over again. Read this:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/02/16/donald-trump-delivers-a-series-of-raw-and-wild-attacks-on-the-media-in-a-press-conference-for-the-ages/
LikeLike
I got the highlights on 5 different shows.
Between the the media rant and the narcissism, Brian Williams put it together almost into a comedy skit.
His base is already delusional. Soon they will be disillusioned.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/319913-poll-trumps-approval-rating-drops-to-39-percent
LikeLike
Again. thank you, Diane. I look forward to your posts and never get tired of them.
LikeLike
⚙️ a finely tuned machine ⚙️
LikeLike
Donald — I inherited a mess
Ivanka — 🎻
LikeLike
YESTERDAY He responds to a question about anti-semitism with a recap of the electoral college. HUH?
1) why is he so obsessed with hilliary
2) he cannot get past losing the popular vote
3) every comment about any topic has a shot at someone else
this is NOT NORMAL and he has the LAUNCH CODES
AND – in the transcript from this blog post
An African-American reporter asks about the Black Caucus and he treats her like his personal assistant (wonder if the are any people of color in any of his business offices) AND assuming all African-Americans know each other -“Are they friends of yours?”
he suggests she could set up the meeting.
Then his demeaning “I think it’s great, the Congressional Black Caucus”
WHAT?
Maybe John Lewis (how has that gotten lost, too) should take MORE action (Yes pres, Mr. Lewis is all talk ANd all action
LikeLike
I’ve started to watch the opening monologues on The Late Show w/Stephen Colbert (going along w/the idea of getting some good laughs in these more-than-trying times). If you didn’t catch it tonight, try to get it on YouTube or OnDemand, if you have it.
As funny as Melissa McCarthy’s Sean Spicer.
LikeLike
Check off another box on Masha Gessen’s list: http://crooksandliars.com/2017/02/members-congressional-hispanic-caucus
LikeLike
Listen Diane, I am a playwright at heart. I see the behavior and dialogue as revealing the plot and the character… and holy cow… this is beyond anything.
LikeLike
You forgot one reliable scapegoat: President Obama… after all it was he who left “the mess” #45 inherited…
LikeLike
Lying Only Matters If We Dislike You – Hatred and anger blinds peoples memories….
If I remember Obama complained he inherited a mess from Bush – wow this country is in a mess and maybe that swamp does need to be vacuumed. He wasn’t ranting and raving he just “punched them back”
People want a change and different things coming out of Washington.
History is troubling thing when your guy was a problem –
Judicial Watch’s release of newly obtained State Department documents related to the Benghazi terrorist attack on September 11, 2012 for instance. One email confirms—again—that the Obama administration knew the day after the attack it was not a random act of violence stemming from an anti-Muslim video. That was the excuse shamefully propagated by top Obama administration officials (including the president himself) and swallowed whole by a media establishment desperate to help Obama win re-election six weeks later. <But I didn’t hear any complaints from any one here about the lie – or the fact that the guy who produced the movie was put in jail – and how many times did they repeat that alt left message – –
According to the summary of a call on September 12, 2012 between State Department Under-Secretary Patrick Kennedy and several congressional staffers, Kennedy was asked if the attack came under cover of protest: “No this was a direct breaching attack,” he answered. Kennedy also denied the attack was coordinated with the protests in Cairo over the video: “Attack in Cairo was a demonstration. There were no weapons shown or used. A few cans of spray paint.”
the media gave a great big pass to another national security advisor in the days after four Americans, including an ambassador, were murdered in Libya by Islamic terrorists under her watch.
BIAS Fun fact: While Trump press secretary Sean Spicer fielded 55 questions on February 14 related to the Flynn debacle, Obama’s press secretary Jay Carney received only 13 questions from reporters on September 12, 2012, three of which were set-ups to blast Mitt Romney’s criticism of the administration after the attack. 55 to 13.
So as we now suffer through yet another patch of media mania, conspiracy theories, and unsubstantiated claims about how Trump hearts Russia, as well as the daily beatings endured by Spicer, let’s reminisce to when the media and Obama’s press flaks spun, deflected—even joked about golf and “Saturday Night Live!”—less than a week after Benghazi.
The day after Hillary Clinton’s deputy had that call with key Capitol Hill staffers, including advisors to senators Durbin, Feinstein, and McGaskill, to dispute the notion the attack was about an anti-Muslim video, here’s what Carney said: “I think it’s important to note with regards to that protest that there are protests taking place in different countries across the world that are responding to the movie that has circulated on the Internet. As Secretary Clinton said today, the United States government had nothing to do with this movie. We reject its message and its contents. We find it disgusting and reprehensible.”
On September 14, hours before the remains of the Benghazi victims would arrive at Andrews Air Force Base, Carney was still blaming the video. Just steps from the Oval Office, Carney opened his briefing with this: “First of all, we are obviously closely monitoring developments in the region today. You saw that following the incidents in response to this video, the president directed the administration to take a number of steps to prepare for continued unrest.”
And for the word counters on the blog consider this item — Carney went on to mention the video/film/movie another 30 times during his briefing. He stuck with his story even after some reporters pushed back, citing other sources who said it was indeed a pre-mediated attack. One reporter said several senators admitted the “attack on Benghazi was a terrorist attack organized and carried out by terrorists, that it was premeditated, a calculated act of terror,” and asked Carney, “is there anything more you can — now that the administration is briefing senators on this, is there anything more you can tell us?”
Carney: “Again, it’s actively under investigation, both the Benghazi attack and incidents elsewhere. And my point was that we don’t have and did not have concrete evidence to suggest that this was not in reaction to the film. But we’re obviously investigating the matter…” Who cares, Sean Spicer called Justin Trudeau Joe, OMG!
And now for the Sunday alt news – Fake news by non other than -Susan Rice’s
But of course nothing matches the audacity of trope by Obama’s National Security Advisor Susan Rice on September 16, 2012. Rice went on several Sunday shows to peddle a story she knew was completely phony, one that was already quickly unraveling even as most in the media and administration tried to keep it intact.
Rice repeats the line that Benghazi attack was not premediated and was connected to the demonstrations in Cairo over the video (a document obtained by Judicial Watch last year shows Hillary Clinton met with Rice a few days before her television appearances). Which presidential administration is fact-challenged, again?
In a press gaggle on Air Force One the next day, guess how many times Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest was asked about Rice’s comments? Ten? Five? One? Not once. Let me repeat that. The day after Obama’s national security advisor was on five news programs to blame a terrorist attack on a YouTube video, not one reporter asked the White House about it. I actually had to re-read the transcripts several times, even checking the date over and over, to make sure this was accurate. Her name did not even come up.
Wow – history….
LikeLike
Fyi,
Obama inherited a genuine mess from George W Bush. The market collapsed. Millions of people lost their homes. We were on the verge of a worldwide depression.
LikeLike
I recommend you watch Charles Ferguson’s “InsideJob,” which won the Oscar as Best Documentary of 2010. Best explanation of financial collapse of 2008.
LikeLike
Diane
I believe I said that Obama complained about the mess he got
LikeLike
The mess Obama walked into was far larger than whatever Trump’s inherited. Not a mess.
LikeLike
In an op-ed piece in the 2/17 New York Times, Timothy Egan made this observation regarding Trumpty’s rants and raves at his press conference:
“Through it all, he did manage one truth:
“I don’t think there’s ever been a president elected who in this short period of time has done what we’ve done.””
LikeLike