Donald Trump’s Fake Steaks

Earlier this week, Donald Trump attempted to quash the idea that any of his business ventures have been failures.

The idea has been trotted out by GOP opponent Sen. Marco Rubio on the campaign trail the last couple of weeks.

At a celebration/press event Tuesday night, the Trumpster showed off many of his “products.” Among them were several “Trump Steaks” – even though the public was under the impression the venture closed up shop years ago.

It turns out the trademark for Trump Steaks lapsed over a year ago.

From NBC:

The trademark the Republican presidential front-runner took on Trump Steaks in August 2006 was canceled eight years later, in December 2014, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The supposed Trump Steaks that the GOP front runner trotted out Tuesday after notching primary victories in Mississippi and Michigan are actually from Bush Brothers Provisions, a longtime West Palm Beach meat purveyor, according to the company. (It’s not connected to Trump’s ousted rival Jeb Bush.)

It is not unusual for meat to be purchased wholesale and rebranded, but that did not appear to be the case with the meat presented Tuesday. In fact, some of the meat on the butcher board was still wrapped in Bush Brothers packaging. None of the meat appeared to be in Trump Steaks packaging.

“We do supply his properties in Palm Beach County with beef,” a company spokesman told NBC News, referring to Trump. “He’s a customer.”

So, basically, Trump is attempting some double-talk here. In a sense, he does sell steaks – in his restaurants of his hotels for diners to enjoy.

BUT – the business named “Trump Steaks” does not sell any product and is out of business.

Do we really want a president who’s ego is so fragile that he has to parse things so minutely so as to not admit a failure?

Trump Fan Who Punched Protester: “Next Time We See Him, We Might Have To Kill Him”

Update regarding the Donald Trump supporter who sucker-punched a protester at the Trumpster’s North Carolina rally:

The man charged with assault and battery for punching the protester, 78 year old John McGraw, says, “The next time we see him, we might have to kill him.”

“You bet I liked it. Knocking the hell out of that big mouth.

“We don’t know if he’s ISIS. We don’t know who he is, but we know he’s not acting like an American, cussing me. If he wants it laid out, I laid it out.”

“He deserved it. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We don’t know who he is. He might be with a terrorist.”

As Right Wing Watch reminds us, The Donald has offered to pay the legal fees for supporters who punch protesters. We’ll see if he’s a man of his word now.

Watch the video below from Inside Edition:

Finally! Trump Fan Charged For Assault At Rally

Many across the internet were outraged over a video of a Trump supporter sucker-punching a protester who was being escorted out of a Trump rally in North Carolina.

In the video, it appeared that the protester was nabbed by the police, but the actual attacker was not addressed nor held accountable for the violent attack.

That seems to have been rectified.

From The Daily Beast:

The 78-year-old pony-tailed assailant, identified as John McGraw, was charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct.

The protester, Rakeem Jones, 26, was being led out of the rally by sheriff’s officials when McGraw, who is seen on video wearing a cowboy hat, clearly reached out and punched him in the face. Jones was then detained and handcuffed by police.

At one point, someone in the crowd allegedly shouted: “Go home, n*ggers.” Local media reports that there were a total of 17 interruptions at the campaign event.

ABC News/Washington Post Poll: Donald Trump Would Lost To Hillary Clinton

Donald Trump loves to talk about how he leads in polls.

But he’s not going to like the news today.

Earlier I posted results from the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton beating Trump in a hypothetical head-to-head match-up 51%-38%.

Now, ABC News/Washington Post poll echoes those results showing Clinton would beat Trump by 9 points,  50%-41%. This marks Clinton’s widest lead in this poll since September.

Additionally, only 30% of Americans see Trump favorably versus 67% unfavorably.

While Clinton is also underwater by that metric, she is in better shape with 46% favorable / 52% unfavorable numbers.

No wonder the GOP establishment is walking into walls over the Donald’s prospective candidacy.

More from the poll below:

New Poll Shows Hillary Clinton & Bernie Sanders Both Would Beat Donald Trump In General Election

The latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows both Democratic contenders for president, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, would beat GOP front-runner Donald Trump in hypothetical head to head match ups.

Clinton clocks The Donald by 13 points (51%-38%), and Sanders does even better besting Trump by 18 points (55%-38%).

Ted Cruz pulls the race tighter but Clinton still would win today by 2 points (47%-45%).

In fact, it’s Sen. Marco Rubio who has the strongest showing in a head-to-head against Clinton – a tie at 46%-46%.

But with talk of Rubio’s campaign on life support, I’m not seeing that scenario happen.

Also from the poll:

• 61% of Americans think Trump is “harmful” to the Republican party

• 55% of Americans disapprove of Senate Republican’s plan to block the nomination of a replacement for recently deceased Antonin Scalia.

• If the GOP candidates were in a two man race, Trump would lose in every scenario:

Trump – 40%
Cruz – 57%

Trump – 43%
Rubio – 56%

Trump – 40%
Kasich – 57%

Super PAC Runs Attack Ad On Donald Trump: “The Best Words”

By this point, we all have recognized that Donald Trump’s use of language on the campaign trail has been unorthodox, to say the least.

Now, the American Future Fund Super PAC, which describes itself as “a voice for conservative principles that sustains free market ideals focused on bolstering America’s global competitiveness across the country,” has begun airing this attack spot against Trump with a budget in the six figures.

Instead of a voice-over narration talking on why Trump might be bad for the country, the spot uses Trump’s own words. The vulgar ones.

Could this impact Trump’s momentum? We shall see.

Donald Trump Doubles Down On Asking Supporters To “Pledge” Themselves To Him

Over the weekend I posted about a “pledge” Republican front-runner Donald Trump has begun asking his supporters at rallies to speak aloud while raising their right hands.

Despite comments that this all looks eerily like a “Heil Hitler” salute, Trump continued this at campaign stops today.

Abe Foxman, former director of the Anti-Defamation League, gave a statement to the Times of Israel explaining why he found this “pledge of allegiance” to Trump is so disturbing:

“As a Jew who survived the Holocaust, to see an audience of thousands of people raising their hands in what looks like the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute is about as offensive, obnoxious and disgusting as anything I thought I would ever witness in the United States of America,” he told The Times of Israel.

“We’ve seen this sort of thing at rallies of neo-Nazis. We’ve seen it at rallies of white supremacists. But to see it at a rally for a legitimate candidate for the presidency of the United States is outrageous.”

“It is a fascist gesture,” Foxman said. “He is smart enough — he always tells us how smart he is — to know the images that this evokes. Instead of asking his audience to pledge allegiance to the United States of America, which in itself would be a little bizarre, he’s asking them to swear allegiance to him.”

Donald Trump Dismisses Reporter With Same-Sex Marriage Question: “Sit Down!”

As he did after Super Tuesday, Republican front-runner Donald Trump held a press conference of sorts after the Super Saturday contests where he pontificated on beating his rivals, predicting Sen. Marco Rubio getting out of the race and more.

One moment that stood out for me was when he was asked to clarify his position on same-sex marriage by a reporter from the Daily Mail. Trump has gone from saying the ruling is the law of the land to admitting he would pick SCOTUS  nominees that would vote to overturn the Obergefell ruling.

After hearing the question, not only did Trump not offer an answer, he dismissed the reporter telling him to “sit down.”

From the Advocate:

After Trump’s wins on Saturday in Kentucky and Louisiana, he held a news conference in Florida and took questions from reporters even though “the press is among the most dishonest people created by God.”

David Martosko of the Daily Mail asked Trump to clarify his position on same-sex marriage.

“We have policy on it, and I’ve said it very, very strongly, and I think you know it,” Trump shot back at Martosko. “And it’s all done and, you know, how many times do I have to say it?”

Trump has never supported marriage equality, calling himself a believer in “traditional” marriage.

Trump has said it’s impossible for Congress to overturn the law, and, most recently, he told Fox News that he would work to reverse the Obergefell ruling by selecting conservative nominees to the Supreme Court. That comment, made in January, was the first time he’d backed any path toward repealing marriage equality.

But Trump insisted he’d given an answer about same-sex marriage before. “I’ve said it 150 times,” he told the reporter. “We’re not here for discussing that. But everybody knows how I feel on it.”

Martosko tried to explain that Trump hadn’t clarified whether he wants to overturn the ruling because he disagrees with its premise that discrimination against same-sex couples who want to get married is a violation of the Constitution.

“David, sit down please,” he repeated while moving onto another question. “David, David, sit down, you know my position.”

Louis C.K. On Donald Trump: “It Was Funny For A While But The Guy Is Hitler”

Louis C.K.

Comedy superstar Louis C.K. has penned a devastatingly honest email to his fans regarding the current election cycle.

I won’t preface it except to say it’s spot on. He doesn’t advocate for any one candidate, but he does implore folks to actually think about who they are voting for.

Please stop it with voting for Trump. It was funny for a little while. But the guy is Hitler. And by that I mean that we are being Germany in the 30s. Do you think they saw the shit coming? Hitler was just some hilarious and refreshing dude with a weird comb over who would say anything at all.

And I’m not advocating for Hillary or Bernie. I like them both but frankly I wish the next president was a conservative only because we had Obama for eight years and we need balance. And not because I particularly enjoy the conservative agenda. I just think the government should reflect the people. And we are about 40 percent conservative and 40 percent liberal. When I was growing up and when I was a younger man, liberals and conservatives were friends with differences. They weren’t enemies. And it always made sense that everyone gets a president they like for a while and then hates the president for a while. But it only works if the conservatives put up a good candidate. A good smart conservative to face the liberal candidate so they can have a good argument and the country can decide which way to go this time.

Trump is not that. He’s an insane bigot. He is dangerous.

He already said he would expand libel laws to sue anyone who “writes a negative hit piece” about him. He says “I would open up the libel laws so we can sue them and win lots of money. Not like now. These guys are totally protected.” He said that. He has promised to decimate the first amendment. (If you think he’s going to keep the second amendment intact you’re delusional.) And he said that Paul Ryan, speaker of the house will “pay” for criticizing him. So I’m saying this now because if he gets in there we won’t be able to criticize him anymore.

Please pick someone else. Like John Kasich. I mean that guy seems okay. I don’t like any of them myself but if you’re that kind of voter please go for a guy like that. It feels like between him and either democrat we’d have a decent choice. It feels like a healthier choice. We shouldn’t have to vote for someone because they’re not a shocking cunt billionaire liar.

We should choose based on what direction the country should go.

I get that all these people sound like bullshit soft criminal opportunists. The whole game feels rigged and it’s not going anywhere but down anymore. I feel that way sometimes.

And that voting for Trump is a way of saying “fuck it. Fuck them all”. I really get it. It’s a version of national Suicide. Or it’s like a big hit off of a crack pipe. Somehow we can’t help it. Or we know that if we vote for Trump our phones will be a reliable source of dopamine for the next four years. I mean I can’t wait to read about Trump every day. It’s a rush. But you have to know this is not healthy.

If you are a true conservative. Don’t vote for Trump. He is not one of you. He is one of him. Everything you have heard him say that you liked, if you look hard enough you will see that he one day said the exact opposite. He is playing you.

In fact, if you do vote for Trump, at least look at him very carefully first. You owe that to the rest of us. Know and understand who he is. Spend one hour on google and just read it all. I don’t mean listen to me or listen to liberals who put him down. Listen to your own people. Listen to John Mccain. Go look at what he just said about Trump. “At a time when our world has never been more complex or more in danger… I want Republican voters to pay close attention to what our party’s most respected and knowledgeable leaders and national security experts are saying about Mr. Trump, and to think long and hard about who they want to be our next Commander-in-Chief and leader of the free world.”

When Trump was told what he said, Trump said “Oh, he did? Well, that’s not nice,” he told CBS News’ chief White House correspondent Major Garrett. “He has to be very careful.”

When pressed on why, Trump tacked on: “He’ll find out.”

(I cut and pasted that from CBS news)

Do you really want a guy to be president who threatens John McCain? Because John McCain cautiously and intelligently asked for people to be thoughtful before voting for him? He didn’t even insult Trump. He just asked you to take a good look. And Trump told him to look out.

Remember that Trump entered this race by saying that McCain is not a war hero. A guy who was shot down, body broken and kept in a POW camp for years. Trump said “I prefer the guys who don’t get caught.” Why did he say that? Not because he meant it or because it was important to say. He said it because he’s a bully and every bully knows that when you enter a new school yard, you go to the toughest most respected guy on the yard and you punch him in the nose. If you are still standing after, you’re the new boss. If Trump is president, he’s not going to change. He’s not going to do anything for you. He’s going to do everything for himself and leave you in the dust.

So please listen to fellow conservatives. But more importantly, listen to Trump. Listen to all of it. Everything he says. If you liked when he said that “torture works” then go look at where he took it back the next day. He’s a fucking liar.

A vote for Trump is so clearly a gut-vote, and again I get it. But add a little brain to it and look the guy up. Because if you vote for him because of how you feel right now, the minute he’s president, you’re going to regret it. You’re going to regret it even more when he gives the job to his son. Because American democracy is broken enough that a guy like that could really fuck things up. That’s how Hitler got there. He was voted into power by a fatigued nation and when he got inside, he did all his Hitler things and no one could stop him.

Again, I’m not saying vote democrat or vote for anyone else. If Hilary ends up president it should be because she faced the best person you have and you and I both chose her or him or whoever. Trump is not your best. He’s the worst of all of us. He’s a symptom to a problem that is very real. But don’t vote for your own cancer. You’re better than that.

That’s just my view. At least right now. I know I’m not qualified or particularly educated and I’m not right instead of you. I’m an idiot and I’m sure a bunch of you are very annoyed by this. Fucking celebrity with an opinion. I swear this isn’t really a political opinion. You don’t want to know my political opinions. (And I know that I’m only bringing myself trouble with this shit.) Trump has nothing to do with politics or ideology. He has to do with himself. And really I don’t mean to insult anyone. Except Trump. I mean to insult him very much. And really I’m not saying he’s evil or a monster. In fact I don’t think Hitler was. The problem with saying that guys like that are monsters is that we don’t see them coming when they turn out to be human, which they all are. Everyone is. Trump is a messed up guy with a hole in his heart that he tries to fill with money and attention. He can never ever have enough of either and he’ll never stop trying. He’s sick. Which makes him really really interesting. And he pulls you towards him which somehow feels good or fascinatingly bad. He’s not a monster. He’s a sad man. But all this makes him horribly dangerous if he becomes president. Give him another TV show. Let him pay to put his name on buildings. But please stop voting for him.

And please watch Horace and Pete.