* ABC’s David Muir interviewed President Trump yesterday. Here are the relevant excerpts for our purposes. First up, Chicago violence…
DAVID MUIR: Mr. Trump, let’s talk about many of the things that have happened this week. Chicago. Last night you tweeted about the murder rate in Chicago saying, “If Chicago doesn’t fix the horrible carnage going on I will send in the feds.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Right.
DAVID MUIR: You will send in the feds? What do you mean by that?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: It’s carnage. You know, in my speech I got tremendous — from certain people the word carnage. It is carnage. It’s horrible carnage. This is Afghanistan — is not like what’s happening in Chicago. People are being shot left and right. Thousands of people over a period — over a short period of time.
This year, which has just started, is worse than last year, which was a catastrophe. They’re not doing the job. Now if they want help, I would love to help them. I will send in what we have to send in. Maybe they’re not gonna have to be so politically correct. Maybe they’re being overly political correct. Maybe there’s something going on. But you can’t have those killings going on in Chicago. Chicago is like a war zone. Chicago is worse than some of the people that you report in some of the places that you report about every night …
DAVID MUIR: So, I will send …
PRESIDENT TRUMP: … in the Middle East.
DAVID MUIR: … you mentioned federal assistance. There’s federal assistance and then there’s sending in the feds. I’m just curious would you take action on your own?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I want them to fix the problem. You can’t have thousands of people being shot in a city, in a country that I happen to be president of. Maybe it’s okay if somebody else is president. I want them to fix the problem. They have a problem that’s very easily fixable.
They’re gonna have to get tougher and stronger and smarter. But they gotta fix the problem. I don’t want to have thousands of people shot in a city where essentially I’m the president. I love Chicago. I know Chicago. And Chicago is a great city, can be a great city.
DAVID MUIR: And if they’re unable to fix it?
(OVERTALK)
PRESIDENT TRUMP: It can’t be a great city. Excuse me. It can’t be a great city if people are shot walking down the street for a loaf of bread. Can’t be a great city.
DAVID MUIR: And if they are unable to fix it, that’s when you would send in the feds?
(OVERTALK)
PRESIDENT TRUMP: But so far they have been unable. It’s been going on for years. And I wasn’t president. So, look, when President Obama was there two weeks ago making a speech, very nice speech. Two people were shot and killed during his speech. You can’t have that.
DAVID MUIR: Let me ask …
PRESIDENT TRUMP: They weren’t shot at the speech. But they were shot in the city of Chicago during his speech. What — what’s going on? So, all I’m saying is to the mayor who came up to my office recently — I say, “You have to smarten up and you have to toughen up because you can’t let that happen. That’s a war zone.”
DAVID MUIR: So, this is an “or else.” This is a warning?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I want them to straighten out the problem. It’s a big problem.
* Voting fraud…
DAVID MUIR: Mr. President, it does strike me though that we’re relitigating the presidential campaign, the election …
(OVERTALK)
PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, no. We’re looking at it for the next time. No, no, you have to understand, I had a tremendous victory, one of the great victories ever. In terms of counties I think the most ever or just about the most ever. When you look at a map it’s all red. Red meaning us, Republicans.
One of the greatest victories ever. But, again, I ran for the electoral college. I didn’t run for the popular vote. What I’m saying is if there are these problems that many people agree with me that there might be. Look, Barack Obama — if you look back — eight years ago when he first ran — he was running for office in Chicago for we needed Chicago vote.
And he was laughing at the system because he knew all of those votes were going to him. You look at Philadelphia, you look at what’s going on in Philadelphia. But take a look at the tape of Barack Obama who wrote me, by the way, a very beautiful letter in the drawer of the desk. Very beautiful. And I appreciate it. But look at what he said, it’s on tape. Look at what he said about voting in Chicago eight years ago. It’s not changed. It hasn’t changed, believe me. Chicago, look what’s going on in Chicago. It’s only gotten worse.
But he was smiling and laughing about the vote in Chicago. Now, once he became president he didn’t do that. All of a sudden it became this is the foundation of our country. So, here’s the point, you have a lot of stuff going on possibly. I say probably. But possibly. We’re gonna get to the bottom of it.
And then we’re gonna make sure it doesn’t happen again. If people are registered wrongly, if illegals are registered to vote, which they are, if dead people are registered to vote and voting, which they do. There are some. I don’t know how many. We’re gonna try finding that out and the other categories that we talk about, double states where they’re — registered in two states, we’re gonna get to the bottom of it because we have to stop it. Because I agree, so important. But the other side is trying to downplay this. Now, I’ll say this — I think that if that didn’t happen, first of all, would — would be a great thing if it didn’t happen. But I believe it did happen. And I believe a part of the vote would’ve been much different.
DAVID MUIR: And you believe millions of illegal votes …
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, we’re gonna find out.
- Jocko - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 12:49 pm:
Bluster is as bluster does.
- Nieva - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 12:50 pm:
Is this Double Speak??
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 12:52 pm:
Thanks for clearing all that up.
- IllinoisBoi - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 12:53 pm:
Trump apparently can’t accept the fact that he won.
- PublicServant - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 12:54 pm:
Huh?
- Politically Incorrect - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 12:54 pm:
Stupefying…..
- A Jack - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 12:55 pm:
He needs Melvin Purvis and the G-Men. Of course back in those days, the FBI did take out many innocent bystanders, but I am sure Trump doesn’t care about methods, just results.
- Amalia - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 12:57 pm:
“Maybe it’s okay if somebody else is president.”
um, I know you meant that some other president (guess who?) did not deal with this, but I’m a gonna take your sentence out of context, and literally….. oh heck yes!
- The Captain - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:02 pm:
Huh? I tried Google Translate but that didn’t help.
- AlfondoGonz - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:05 pm:
I’ll just leave this here…
“. I got a standing ovation. In fact, they said it was the biggest standing ovation since Peyton Manning had won the Super Bowl and they said it was equal. I got a standing ovation. It lasted for a long period of time.”
That’s of course in reference to the widely panned speech he gave to the CIA.
But let us not forget, Trump “can be the most presidential person EVER, other than, possibly, the great Abe Lincoln.”
Bigly.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:06 pm:
===In terms of counties I think the most ever or just about the most ever.===
Ask Governor Bill Brady how that works, lol.
T
- flippy - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:06 pm:
But…the e-mails!
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:08 pm:
===They have a problem that’s very easily fixable.===
A child’s grasp of the problem. Interviews like this should scare the heck out of America.
- illini - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:08 pm:
Oh come on - our President was just trying to be as succinct and precise as Sen McCarter. Or was it the opposite?
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:14 pm:
So, turns out the answer to “What do you mean by that?” is “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
- Horst Cabal - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:15 pm:
He’s absolutely right. It’s so common that it’s been a running joke in Chicago ever since Kennedy’s election.
- Xman - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:19 pm:
When is Rep. Jeanne Ives joining the Trump administration. This kind of stuff is right up her alley.
- Keyser Soze - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:19 pm:
Trumpspeak is in a form of Brooklyn-Queens shorthand that can’t be taken literally. He also seems to postulate the conclusion without laying out the steps that would lead to the conclusion. The example in this case is ….. Chicago will be safe…. you can then fill in the blanks as to how this might happen ….. send in the Feds. None of us, including POTUS, know what that actually means. My guess, reading between the words, is that it means “whatever it takes.” There may be a better explanation but that is the best I can come up with.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:21 pm:
So Democrats are smart enough to get 3 million illegals votes cast, but dumb enough not to have them cast in Michigan, Wisconsin or Iowa?
- Just Because - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:22 pm:
and our great governor is helping How?
- Norseman - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:22 pm:
Trump’s lies are disturbing enough, spending tax money to cover up the lie is a travesty.
- Big Joe - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:23 pm:
Wow!! If this guy ever had an English teacher in high school, or a rhetoric teacher in college, they sure are turning over in their grave when they heard him blabber around questions with incomplete sentences and disjointed paragraphs. Imagine The Donald in a debate club? Hilarious, yet pitiful that he is our president.
- Archiesmom - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:23 pm:
This is such an embarrassment. And he may love Chicago, but I’m not so sure Chicago loves him.
- cdog - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:26 pm:
I am disappointed with the room’s lack of respective for the imperatives he’s trying to convey.
Sanctity of life.
Sanctity of the American vote.
He is obviously less elequent than the polished political-bot owned by Whomever.
63,000,000 people agree with his intentions.
I would like to see a 21st Century Voting Act that cleans up the process and improves confidence in our voting infrastructure. Things like paper vs Corp-owned machinery, tighter citizenship proof (not just a box-check, SSN, address), reconcile to Master Death File, and on and on. (Trash the DNC super delegate bs while at it; that’s as undemocratic as can be.)
I am sure the victim class and their leaders, who make their living by keeping the victim class in that state, will have a problem with this. Whatever.
- Pundent - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:29 pm:
=None of us, including POTUS, know what that actually means.=
I think, and this is purely conjecture on my part and an attempt to unpack Trump’s message, that he’s trying to say Chicago isn’t “tough enough”.
You may remember that during the campaign he purportedly talked to someone at the CPD who said Mr. Trump I could solve this problem tomorrow if we were “tougher”. This tough guy mentality seems to permeate much of what he says. It’s sort of a we’ll show the bad guys who’s boss. In his mind “not doing the job” equates to not being tough enough. It’s also why we “never win anymore” we don’t know how to be tough or negotiate. He suggests that political correctness is standing in the way and once he removes that our problems will be solved.
From what I’ve heard so far this thread runs through much of what Trump says.
- perry noya - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:30 pm:
Obama was eloquent but did nothing.
Trump wants to do something but is inarticulate.
So, I guess you guys prefer the well-spoken nothing to the ill-spoken something.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:35 pm:
===Sanctity of the American vote.===
Hogwash. Trump is making this unfounded claim of millions of illegal votes in a ham-handed attempt to explain away the fact that he lost the popular vote. His ego won’t let his brain process that more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton than for him.
Sanctity of the American vote?!? If you believe that, you probably believe his was the most-watched inaugural ever.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:39 pm:
Here’s some friendly advice cdog - take the risk of thinking for yourself. Not everything you hear on the mega-ditto network is worth repeating.
- atbat - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:40 pm:
This is not going to end well…
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:41 pm:
==I am disappointed with the room’s lack of respective for the imperatives he’s trying to convey.
Sanctity of life.==
Who cares? “People shouldn’t get murdered” isn’t an especially laudatory message, that’s the bare minimum you should say to be considered human.
==Trump wants to do something but is inarticulate.==
Read it again, Trump doesn’t want to do a damned thing. The most specific he can get is he thinks CPD officers need to drop more N-bombs.
- Pundent - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 1:51 pm:
=I would like to see a 21st Century Voting Act that cleans up the process and improves confidence in our voting infrastructure. Things like paper vs Corp-owned machinery, tighter citizenship proof (not just a box-check, SSN, address), reconcile to Master Death File, and on and on. (Trash the DNC super delegate bs while at it; that’s as undemocratic as can be.)=
The only folks hung up on voter fraud are the ones perpetuating the myth or engaged in voter suppression.
- Mokenavince - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 2:01 pm:
Sounds like he’s going to send money “Big League”
to Chicago.
Which means nothing.
- CEA - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 2:11 pm:
>”Maybe they’re not gonna have to be so politically correct. Maybe they’re being overly political correct. Maybe there’s something going on.
Tell me that the President of the United States didn’t just attribute Chicago’s gun violence epidemic–one borne of a half century of economic decline, misguided urban renewal, failed education policies, redlining, employment discrimination, disparate sentencing, jobs lost to offshoring and automation, breakdown of the family, the effects of the drug war, easy availability of firearms, gentrification, glorification of violence by entertainment media, declining availability of social services and substance abuse treatment, poor policing strategies, inept or corrupt community leadership, political opportunism, white flight, decline of religion as a stabilizing force, and a hundred other factors–to “political correctness.”
- CLJ - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 2:11 pm:
I’m surprised Democrats haven’t taken up the voter fraud cause as their own. Investigating it further might help them understand why they hold the fewest elected seats at the state and federal levels of government in several generations.
“We agree with Trump and Senator McConnell that there is widespread voter fraud in the country. How else could McConnell win election after election in Kentucky?” says any Dem leader willing to pick a fight.
- MSIX - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 2:18 pm:
=63,000,000 people agree with his intentions.=
To paraphrase Berkeley Breathed, if 63 million people do a stupid thing, it is *still* a stupid thing.
- Because I Said So.... - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 2:20 pm:
Reading and trying to understand that just gave me a headache.
- don the legend - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 2:22 pm:
Just wait till Bill O’Reilly interviews him on Super Bowl Sunday. It will be seen by more people than any other interview ever in the history of interviews. #hugesuperbowlinterview
- Sir Reel - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 2:23 pm:
Better to keep one’s mouth shut and be thought an fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
- fed up - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 2:25 pm:
Whenever he is asked for specifics or about anything of substance he seems to word-salad-up. And does he also not project onto others his own perceived frailties? “little Marco,” “lyin’ Ted,” “crooked Hillary;” about getting “tougher and smarter…” I’d really like to know more about his early childhood.
- blue dog dem - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 2:40 pm:
This guy has done more good for the US steel industry(and widgets) in a week than the last 4 presidents combined. Go Donald!
- AlfondoGonz - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 2:42 pm:
“I am disappointed with the room’s lack of respective for the imperatives he’s trying to convey.”
The only thing about this message that we can all agree on is that he is “trying.” Boy, is he.
As a wise Jedi said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” When asking Trump to articulate a thought, I fear that’s well beyond the scope of his capabilities.
- Aldyth - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 2:49 pm:
He doesn’t like very blue cities in very blue states, especially ones that Obama called home.
- AlfondoGonz - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 2:56 pm:
Sooner or later, Trump supporters, you’re going to have a tough time defending what he is saying, because no one is going to know what, exactly, that is.
“We’re gonna do x, followed by a “how” inquiry responded to with “by doing it” means nothing; you understand that, right?
You are defending this garbled mess when it made no sense and said nothing. It’s ok to acknowledge his faults; you can still support him, or, more accurately, oppose everyone else, and recognize that he’s a buffoon.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 3:11 pm:
Re. Chicago violence, I believe we can expect that he will unleash the CPD to return to the Bad Old Days of Stop and Frisk, “saturation patrols” (unmarked) “tactical teams” and anything else they want to do (in black neighborhoods) as long as they get results. In other words, whatever works.
Next I predict that when the current DOJ review gets to the nuts and bolts of a consent decree to rein in Chicago police, they will soft-pedal any previous infractions and essentially let loose the cops to do whatever they want.
In other words, Jon Burge policing will return. Hey, maybe Trump will commute Burge’s sentence?
- Threepwood - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 3:41 pm:
CEA: I’m pretty sure you just explained Trump’s base.
Cdog: It’s precisely because I care so much about the sanctity of the electoral system that I hate this voter-fraud BS so intensely. I can think of no better way to undermine a democracy than to convince the public that their votes are meaningless. Which is aggressively being done, by people who know better, and by some who have no excuse for NOT knowing better, for raw political gain.
Your heroes are doing exactly what you think your villains are. The tribalism that blinds you to this is the same that leads you to believe it’s actually plausible that commenters here do not respect concepts like the sanctity of life or voting. When something others do seems really outrageous and insane to you, that is a warning sign. It’s telling you to think very carefully and check how you know what you think you know.
Or, you know, you could just go around FEELING at everything. That works for an awful lot of us, apparently.
- Nobody Sent - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 6:35 pm:
Genuine Frontier Gibberish…
- cdog - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 9:38 pm:
So Threepwood,
I disagree with your conclusions, bigly.
Question. Are local government voter registration bodies required to reconcile active voter rolls to a birth file, SSA, Master Death File? Without a valid reconciliation the data is garbage.
Needs to be fixed.
- Threepwood - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 10:28 pm:
Show me valid evidence of significant harm, of an actual problem that needs fixing, and I might agree with you.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jan 26, 17 @ 11:19 pm:
–Obama was eloquent but did nothing.
Trump wants to do something but is inarticulate.
So, I guess you guys prefer the well-spoken nothing to the ill-spoken something.–
Who said inarticulate? My articulate is yooge, the biggest ticulate ever. Bigger than Obama’s. If I had tried, it would have been even bigger. You’ve never seen a ticulate like mine. No problem there. Yooge.