Donald Trump schlepped across town on Tuesday to meet with the publisher of The New York Times and some editors, columnists and reporters at the paper.
As The Times reported, Trump actually seemed to soften some of his positions:
He seemed to indicate that he wouldn’t seek to prosecute Hillary Clinton. But he should never have said that he was going to do that in the first place.
He seemed to indicate that he wouldn’t encourage the military to use torture. But he should never have said that he would do that in the first place.
He said that he would have an “open mind” on climate change. But that should always have been his position.
You don’t get a pat on the back for ratcheting down from rabid after exploiting that very radicalism to your advantage. Unrepentant opportunism belies a staggering lack of character and caring that can’t simply be vanquished from memory. You did real harm to this country and many of its citizens, and I will never — never — forget that.
As I read the transcript and then listened to the audio, the slime factor was overwhelming.
After a campaign of bashing The Times relentlessly, in the face of the actual journalists, he tempered his whining with flattery.
At one point he said:
“I just appreciate the meeting and I have great respect for The New York Times. Tremendous respect. It’s very special. Always has been very special.”
He ended the meeting by saying:
“I will say, The Times is, it’s a great, great American jewel. A world jewel. And I hope we can all get along well.”
I will say proudly and happily that I was not present at this meeting. The very idea of sitting across the table from a demagogue who preyed on racial, ethnic and religious hostilities and treating him with decorum and social grace fills me with disgust, to the point of overflowing. Let me tell you here where I stand on your “I hope we can all get along” plea: Never.
You are an aberration and abomination who is willing to do and say anything — no matter whom it aligns you with and whom it hurts — to satisfy your ambitions.
I don’t believe you care much at all about this country or your party or the American people. I believe that the only thing you care about is self-aggrandizement and self-enrichment. Your strongest allegiance is to your own cupidity.
I also believe that much of your campaign was an act of psychological projection, as we are now learning that many of the things you slammed Clinton for are things of which you may actually be guilty.
You slammed Clinton for destroying emails, then Newsweek reported last month that your companies “destroyed emails in defiance of court orders.” You slammed Clinton and the Clinton Foundation for paid speeches and conflicts of interest, then it turned out that, as BuzzFeed reported, the Trump Foundation received a $150,000 donation in exchange for your giving a 2015 speech made by video to a conference in Ukraine. You slammed Clinton about conflicts of interest while she was secretary of state, and now your possible conflicts of interest are popping up like mushrooms in a marsh.
You are a fraud and a charlatan. Yes, you will be president, but you will not get any breaks just because one branch of your forked tongue is silver.
I am not easily duped by dopes.
I have not only an ethical and professional duty to call out how obscene your very existence is at the top of American government; I have a moral obligation to do so.
I’m not trying to convince anyone of anything, but rather to speak up for truth and honor and inclusion. This isn’t just about you, but also about the moral compass of those who see you for who and what you are, and know the darkness you herald is only held at bay by the lights of truth.
It’s not that I don’t believe that people can change and grow. They can. But real growth comes from the accepting of responsibility and repenting of culpability. Expedient reversal isn’t growth; it’s gross.
So let me say this on Thanksgiving: I’m thankful to have this platform because as long as there are ink and pixels, you will be the focus of my withering gaze.
I’m thankful that I have the endurance and can assume a posture that will never allow what you represent to ever be seen as everyday and ordinary.
No, Mr. Trump, we will not all just get along. For as long as a threat to the state is the head of state, all citizens of good faith and national fidelity — and certainly this columnist — have an absolute obligation to meet you and your agenda with resistance at every turn.
I know this in my bones, and for that I am thankful.
I invite you to join me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter (@CharlesMBlow), or email me at [email protected].
Him tink him smart after threatening to have the 2nd amendment more flexible in the libel laws so that he can easily sue newspapers and columnist he wants to suck up to them so they can print favorable articles about him, please yuh have foxx news fi dat. Keep going back in your promises so ur followers xan turn on you.
maybe I missed something but did he name a press secretary yet? if not I wonder who its going to be, whomever it is sure gonna try in earnest to supress the media from “white” house coverage and thats where the war gonna start, hey MET did you see that “JOHN-TOM” that looks like he rode a donkey from way down in mongoose hole to chump’s residence in jersey for a interview to be in chump’s cabinet? clutching his dulceminia grip looking like “buckwheat” :ngakak I wonder what cabinet post he’s gonna get in that white supremacist government? only in america you’ll find them, alwys want to fit in thinking that based on their brainwashed views they’re accepted, just like chump’s butler and shoe-shine “Dat Mi Seh” :ngakak if david duke was to be elected president right now they would be the first in line for a post in his cabinet #UncleThomas #AuntieJane speaking of auntie-jane where is condie rice?
On a different note, but in a similar vein, batteyman Elton John say him nah go perform a Trump inauguration because “de White House don’t need a barbarian, it needs a humanitarian”. Also, Michelle Obama’s fashion designer lady say dat she will not be de one to design Melania’s clothes, because she (the lady) came to America as an immigrant, and Donnie Trumpie don’t support anything positive wid immigrants, so she nuh inna nutten wid Melania needa. BINGO!
People really believe trump can change? This man is a big wicked con dog who will do n say anything that works for him. People let us constantly pray!
Some brilliant and talented people such as (Kanye) and wealthy and powerful people such as (Trump) are mentally ill. I am not joking as I take mental illness seriously…a mad mad man has been elected to lead an entire nation…..was Hiltler not mad????? Donal Trump is bipolar.
Shut up and stop diss the man, yes he can prosecute Hillary if he wants, yes he knows the New York Times worked against him when they suppose to be a neutral media outlets. .. But you know instead he wants to unite all Americans, even his enemies and move forward but some of you just do not want to give him a chance to see what he wants to do… Everything what you accuse him of is just what the others have been doing to you for years.. I told you your on the wrong side….
Chumpup can do wha? :ngakak
Go juuce you madda is all you deserve as attention round here.
This is one a dem negro whey use to help sea captains fling slaves overboard reincarnated. We never short a dem
MARIE, MARIE AN ALL THE ABOVE, THE ARTICLE BY CHARLES BLOW IS WELL WRITTEN AND HE IS SPEAKING FOR MOST OF US, U SPIT IN MY FACE AND NOW ITS LIFE AS USUAL, NOT A RASS, THE NEWS REPORTED, ALL HIS MESS BUT A HILARY AFTERBIRTH THEY WANTED, ALLL SOME JAMAICAN A CALL THE WOMAN CRIMINAL DEM NAW OR CANT READ JUST LIKE HIM AND JUMP ON BANDWAGGON CAN U IMAGINE, FOR A SET A RASS THAT GOT ZINC THEY NEVER NEED AND SELL IT, THEY HAD THE BALLS, HE DID SAME AND WORSE THAN HER SMH, ANY ASSAULT ON ONE BLACK PERSON IS AN ASSAULT ON ALL, AN THE TANNING MACHINE JANKRO A TALK BOUT 8 YRS
ANONY@3:38you cratches go email Charles or n,y, times, who a diss him? u dead dawg u no see the man destroy emails more than hilary u no read the article above destroy court documents and emails sell speech via video to Ukraine at least she is known to help lots with H.I.V all the time you come here tek set to provoke us on this site we don’t mek up stories, this man has lots a skeletons that’s coming out his closet u are conveniently blind, go help him grind his wife for u seem to be looking a position oriole coconut uncle tom dumb ass whatever’s is your sex twin pussy
@anon 3:38 wtf u dummy no he can’t lol poor u please go do some research and come back yaw
Damn dummy dumdum
Operation ‘steal the election’ is GO !
everything a come out re the false news that affected the election was partly from Russian interference, and a him call dem, seet deh tax payers a pay 1m a day fi guard wife an the hitler looking pickney
Bwaay Met mi seh, all now it nuh sink in seh Trump win. Mi deh yah a read everyday and just fine mi voice pan dis yah subject and even now a don’t know wah fi seh how mi greeve. Every morning mi git up mi pinch miself – and when mi memba mi vex suh till mi black face tun red and it just mess mi day up especially when mi realize this a weh mi pickney dem deh, bwaay mi just a keep mi finga cross seh him nuh reach di WH, caz God know I can’t stand di man nor a strand of him orange hair…smh
I see that the Heil Trump movement is gaining momentum right here in Canada..racists groups are letting their presence be known……this is a scary era for black and other non-white people!!!!!!!!! We need to cling to God now more than ever before. Critical times bah bah.
We been suspecting that there will be another race war sometime soon but they dont know that black people ready now more than ever
marie u in Toronto also, u see that jancro judge who wear the trump hat to work the ***r do it cause more like him deh bout, go before him and a str88 prison or if a immigration str88 home, dem jump from unda the stone
Maddaready no mi nuh hear bout da 1 dey…..mi a talk the story wey dem say canadians funding the Heil Trump movement…..as im sure u know Canada hides racism so for them to be this bold it is scary….all up a Yorku dem a post up posters bout white supremacy…..girl im honestly scaredd. Have a gn hun…blessinngs
tinan you are not alone, you have lots a company they have messed us up an telling us to back to life as usual naw mek it, u see the man a west Virginia kill the black youth still showing no remorse calling him a piece a trash, mi live a Toronto see marie note its rearing it head bout ya. smaddy say what that have to do with us over here, told her she selfish, mek she tan deh
MET IS 4 GUNS TO ONE SMADDY US IS A GUN COUNTRY, FROM BARAK WIN GUN NO TAP SELL
AT LEAST 6 CREDIBLE NEWSPAPERS WARNED OF THIS MAN, NEVER BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF ELECTIONS HAS THIS HAPPENED, YES PEOPLE LISTENED BUT THERE WAS FALSE RUMOUR MACHINE FROM OUTSIDE AND THAT PIECE A SHIT (DAT MI SEH) BOUT DEM A TEL LIE PON THE MAN, MI ANGRY MI A BAWL OUT, THUS TYPING IN CAPS with him mismatch cabinet of evils, fasten you seatbelts the president sure a mash up the resident
Mi want Chumpup fi shame
for those who have yes, thought something odd about Donald chump behaviour and sniffing WAS questionable a member of the kennedy clan came out and said don’t call him mad that’s an insult to the mentally Ill, dwll u neva see it
Dat Mi Seh deh ya, In the building.
Not much more I can say the main media and big corporations who sponsored Hillary are mad they gave here all that money for her campaign in return for favors and she lost, haha all that money eye gone down the drain…
The same thing she done to Bernie Sanders SHE ROBBED BERNIE SANDERS A DAY EVERYONE ELSE KNOW OWSTON IT EXCEPT FOR YOU IDIOTS. What goes around during comes around, Bernie was leading her by far and they stole it from Bernie, now this is the price she must pay…
Trump is a better choice than her and the majority of people realise that by the way she robbed Bernie (f)ucked her up… So don’t blame Trump you sore lovers
I don’t understand why people support hillary when she was the one who stopped the real choice bernie from getting through. do people have no memory of that or are they choosing to ignore it?