Tag: Donald Trump

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AIPAC Apologizes For Donald Trump’s Attacks On President Obama During Speech

Donald Trump

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has issued an apology to President Obama for Donald Trump’s attack on him from the AIPAC stage yesterday.

Lillian Pinkus, the new president of AIPAC, said in a statement, “While we may have policy differences, we deeply respect the office of the President of the United States and our President Barack Obama.”

More from Jewish Telegraphic Agency:

“There are people in our AIPAC family who were deeply hurt last night and for that we are deeply sorry,” Pinkus said, her voice choking. “We are deeply disappointed that so many people applauded a sentiment that we neither agree with or condone.”

Launching a critique of Obama’s U.N. policy, Trump, a real estate magnate, started a sentence Monday evening, “With President Obama in his final year –“ Then he stopped himself and said “Yay!”

Cheers, laughter and applause arose from the crowd packed into the Verizon Center, a sports arena used by the lobby for the first time to accommodate record-breaking numbers.

“He may be the worst thing to ever happen to Israel, believe me, believe me,” Trump said. “And you know it and you know it better than anybody.”

Pinkus said AIPAC does not “countenance ad hominem attacks.”

“We take great offense at those that are levied against the president of the United States of America from our stage,” she said.

According to reports, hundreds walked out during Trump’s speech at the packed Verizon Center.

To be very honest, I was a bit impressed that Trump pulled himself together, for the most part, in giving this speech (until the snark creeped in). Had he been more of this Donald Trump the entire campaign, I think he’d be much more of a threat. But he just couldn’t help himself….

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Donald Trump Tells Washington Post U.S. Needs To Downsize NATO Involvement

Speaking to the Washington Post editorial board today, Donald Trump suggested that the United States’ reduce our involvement in NATO:

“Ukraine is a country that affects us far less than it affects other countries in NATO, and yet we’re doing all of the lifting,” Trump said. “They’re not doing anything. And I say: ‘Why is it that Germany’s not dealing with NATO on Ukraine? Why is it that other countries that are in the vicinity of Ukraine, why aren’t they dealing? Why are we always the one that’s leading, potentially the third world war with Russia.’ “

Trump declared U.S. involvement in NATO may need to be significantly diminished in the coming years, breaking with nearly seven decades of consensus in Washington. “We certainly can’t afford to do this anymore,” Trump said, adding later, “NATO is costing us a fortune, and yes, we’re protecting Europe with NATO, but we’re spending a lot of money.”

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HIllary Clinton On Donald Trump’s Israel Waffling: “Israel’s Security Is Non-Negotiable”

Democratic front-runner criticized Republican Donald Trump today in a speech at the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee saying his changing positions on Israel are more than disconcerting.

This is the kind of solidarity talk Israel wants to see coming from an American president.

Via the New York Times:

In a rock-ribbed speech in Washington that previewed how she might confront Mr. Trump on foreign policy in a general-election campaign, Mrs. Clinton said, “We need steady hands, not a president who says he’s neutral on Monday, pro-Israel on Tuesday, and who-knows-what on Wednesday.”

“America can’t ever be neutral when it comes to Israel’s security and survival,” Mrs. Clinton said, speaking to the annual policy meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the nation’s most influential pro-Israel lobbying group. “My friends, Israel’s security is nonnegotiable.”

Mr. Trump has said in recent weeks he would be “neutral” when it came to negotiating a peace accord between Israelis and Palestinians. The remark, in substance, did not stray far from traditional American policy. But his blunt language rattled some Israelis, who worry that it might mean a less supportive United States.

Clinton also invoked Tel Aviv’s huge LGBT pride parade as an example of both countries continuing histories of self-determination and liberty.

“We cannot be neutral about Israel and Israel’s future because in Israel’s story, we see our own and the story of all people who struggle for freedom and self-determination,” Clinton said. “There’s so many examples. We look at the Pride parade in Tel Aviv, one of the biggest and most prominent in the world, and we marvel that such a bastion of liberty exists in a region so plagued by intolerance.”

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren: “Donald Trump Is A Loser”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Progressive lioness Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts calls GOP front-runner Donald Trump as a loser in a Facebook posting that has gone viral within minutes.

Let’s be honest – Donald Trump is a loser. Count all his failed businesses. See how he kept his father’s empire afloat by cheating people with scams like Trump University and by using strategic corporate bankruptcy (excuse me, bankruptcies) to skip out on debt. Listen to the experts who’ve concluded he’s so bad at business that he might have more money today if he’d put his entire inheritance into an index fund and just left it alone.

Trump seems to know he’s a loser. His embarrassing insecurities are on parade: petty bullying, attacks on women, cheap racism, and flagrant narcissism. But just because Trump is a loser everywhere else doesn’t mean he’ll lose this election. People have been underestimating his campaign for nearly a year – and it’s time to wake up.

People talk about how “this is the most important election” in our lifetime every four years, and it gets stale. But consider what hangs in the balance. Affordable college. Accountability for Wall Street. Healthcare for millions of Americans. The Supreme Court. Big corporations and billionaires paying their fair share of taxes. Expanded Social Security. Investments in infrastructure and medical research and jobs right here in America. The chance to turn our back on the ugliness of hatred, sexism, racism and xenophobia. The chance to be a better people.

More than anyone we’ve seen before come within reach of the presidency, Donald Trump stands ready to tear apart an America that was built on values like decency, community, and concern for our neighbors. Many of history’s worst authoritarians started out as losers – and Trump is a serious threat. The way I see it, it’s our job to make sure he ends this campaign every bit the loser that he started it.

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Arizona: More Violence At Trump Campaign Rally

Photo credit: Sam Mircovich/Reuters

Donald Trump rallies continue to produce rage and violence as another protester was attacked during a campaign stop in Arizona yesterday.

From the New York Daily News:

With the GOP frontrunner on stage, a Trump supporter at a rally in Tucson viciously assaulted a protester who was being led away.

The disturbing melee pitted a kicking, punch-throwing Trump loyalist against Bryan Sanders, 33, a protester kicked out of the rally at 3 p.m. Saturday for chanting “liar” amid a rabid crowd. It was yet one more slice of mayhem following Trump and his screwball campaign across the country.

“I feel great that I’m not dead, but I am definitely in physical pain,” Sanders told the Daily News.

The Tucson resident is nursing a swollen jaw and bruised ribcage after his alleged attacker, Tony Pettway, 32, landed a brutal sucker punch to Sanders’ right jaw.

Pettway continued with a flurry of five to six punches before kicking and stomping on Sanders in a Tucson Arena stairwell.

“I have nothing against the guy that attacked me,” said Sanders, who was waving a picture of Trump overlaid with the Confederate flag when Pettway walloped him. “I don’t know him. He’s just an angry person and his anger is being accentuated by the political movement.”

The assault was caught on video from at least two angles, showing a swarm of cops weaving through a crowd of Trump supporters to grab Pettway. He faces a misdemeanor assault charge in suspicion of beating up Sanders.

You can see the sucker-punch caught on video below:

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Harvey Fierstein: “Why Are We Doing The Republican’s Job For Them?”

Broadway luminary and LGBT activist Harvey Fierstein shared an essay via Facebook explaining why America should stop protesting Donald Trump campaign rallies.

And he’s very, very right.

Watching our people protesting Trump today I have to say that I don’t understand what we’re doing. I understand that we must always speak out against intolerance and bigotry and anyone who would destroy American values to ensure their own profits but, at this moment…

WHY ARE WE DOING THE REPUBLICANS’ JOB FOR THEM?

They created Trump. They earned him. As if their hateful rhetoric wasn’t enough, just in how they treated our President, they earned Trump! With every racist slight, with every homophobic slander, with every manufactured semi-automatic weapon and oil spill and fracking disaster and shuttered women’s clinic and attack on affordable health care, the Republican leadership built this Frankenstein monster. Let the monster they created and nurtured destroy them!

What do you think they’ll do if we manage to Dump Trump? They’ll only turn around and give us the next horror from their arsenal of selfish intolerance. Look who they have to offer America. Next up is Cruz. CRUZ!!!!! Someone who has done nothing in his career but self promote, obstruct progress, and lie. Don’t you see that Trump is the radical that makes the dangerous Cruz look reasonable? Even THEY loathe Cruz. But they are willing to back him to the White House.

And even if it’s not Cruz, who do else do they have? Romney? We already said no to that vacuous man. Jeb? Why not run Neil Bush? America has already bailed him out. He’s been bought and paid for, so let’s have him? And since no one has ever taken Kasich seriously he’s avoided the lens of the microscope, but trust me, you don’t want him either. AND WHY IS IT OUR JOB TO GUIDE THE REPUBLICANS TOWARD A LESSER EVIL? They’ve already all said that they’d back Trump if he gets the nomination. Does anyone really think they have America’s welfare at heart????

My friends… This is the time for us to work FOR OUR PARTY and not for the Republicans. They poisoned their garden and can now only grow weeds and briers like Trump and Cruz. They need to make things right in their own world or, trust me, they will poison us all. They need to clean up the toxic waste dump that has become their party. We can’t do that for them.

Meanwhile, WE have our own work to do. We have our own candidates to support. We have America’s future to worry about. Let’s do our job. Let’s use our energy to work FOR SOMETHING. Not against it.

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New York City: “Crush Trump” Rally Today In Front Of Trump Tower

A rally in front of Trump Tower in New York City drew thousands of protesters opposing the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.

Waving signs and banging drums, the protesters told reporters that Trump’s often heated rhetoric is divisive and racist.

From the organizer’s Facebook page:

Donald J. Trump has made headlines in recent months with his divisive rhetoric, hate speech, and extremist plans to “make America great again”. We, in fact, believe this will do the opposite to this nation. Trump’s policies threaten many of us in the Black, Latino, LGBTQIA+, Muslim, and other communities. These policies and type of speech has no place in this country, and certainly does not have a place in the city that Trump grew his empire in–a city known as a melting pot and home for many of the same people Trump continues to wage war on. Join us at Columbus Circle as we march to Trump Tower and say NO to hate, NO to divisiveness, NO to fascist policies, and most importantly, NO to Donald J. Trump.

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Fox News Calls Donald Trump Out For “Vitriolic Attacks” On Megyn Kelly

After months of Donald Trump’s ugly attacks on Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, her network has decided ‘enough is enough.’

Fox News issued a statement today calling out Trump’s “sick obsession” and “vitriolic attacks” on Kelly.

Via Talking Points Memo:

Donald Trump’s vitriolic attacks against Megyn Kelly and his extreme, sick obsession with her is beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate who wants to occupy the highest office in the land. Megyn is an exemplary journalist and one of the leading anchors in America — we’re extremely proud of her phenomenal work and continue to fully support her throughout every day of Trump’s endless barrage of crude and sexist verbal assaults. As the mother of three young children, with a successful law career and the second highest rated show in cable news, it’s especially deplorable for her to be repeatedly abused just for doing her job

Considering Fox News is the leading conservative news source for most Americans, this should make for an interesting election cycle.

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Mitt Romney: Vote For Ted Cruz To Screw With Donald Trump

2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney took to his Facebook today to encourage folks to vote for Sen. Ted Cruz in the upcoming Utah GOP primary.

Not necessarily because he’s a Cruz guy, but just to screw with Donald Trump’s delegate count.

This week, in the Utah nominating caucus, I will vote for Senator Ted Cruz.

Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism. Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these.

The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Mr. Trump is to have an open convention. At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible.

I like Governor John Kasich. I have campaigned with him. He has a solid record as governor. I would have voted for him in Ohio. But a vote for Governor Kasich in future contests makes it extremely likely that Trumpism would prevail.

I will vote for Senator Cruz and I encourage others to do so as well, so that we can have an open convention and nominate a Republican.

The Donald noticed the post. His Twitter response?

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Donald Trump Senior Adviser: Riots Aren’t Violence

Team Trump is now writing the definitions of words in the English language.

On Friday morning’s New Day, CNN’s Alisyn Camerota asked Trump senior campaign adviser SamClovis to respond to Speaker Paul Ryan‘s scolding of Trump for the riots remark, and Clovis decided up was down, and down was up.

Camerota: “What do you think about the idea that he was suggesting that there would be violence? Threatening that there would be violence?”

Clovis: “I don’t think he said violence, he said riots.”

Camerota:”Riots are violence, by definition.”

Clovis: “I don’t accept that.”

Clovis went on to say if Donald Trump isn’t named the Republican nominee at the party convention in July, he will leave the GOP forever.