Trump Gets the Shaft: Today's News for August 15th

Let me preface this post by saying I am against Donald Trump.

He was not my first choice for president (I voted for Gary Johnson), nor was he my second choice (I would have skipped voting if not for the Libertarian option).

I consider Trump a poor businessman, although good at PR, which is how he managed to get elected president.

I consider Trump's political ideology as "whichever way the wind blows".

I have yet to see any signs of blatant racism from Trump, although he is clearly a misogynist (but he was elected by the American people knowing this about him). Being a "birther" doesn't make Trump a racist, just an idiot.

I consider Trump a petty man, who is second-generation money trying to live up to his father's legacy.

And yet, I find myself in the awkward position of having to defend him.

It seems the Left-wing media has decided to tar and feather him for his response to the Charlottesville incident over the weekend:

CNN:

Why Trump's ad libs mean more than his scripted response

President Donald Trump's examination on race is not over, not by a long shot.

Trump finally bent to intense pressure and called out white supremacist groups on Monday, as the fallout from rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to a woman's death rocked his administration.

But the real Donald Trump is not typically revealed in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, where he made a formal, scripted statement that attempted to manufacture the political space required to move on from the controversy.

Given that Trump's natural habitat is on Twitter or in ad-libbed sparring with reporters, the true measure of his sincerity over Charlottesville will come only when the next racial uproar erupts and the President fires off his heat-of-the-moment response.

That instinctive reflex was what got him into trouble Saturday, when he condemned violence on "many sides," appearing to draw a moral equivalence between neo-Nazis and opponents who showed up to protest their rally.

First, the "opponents" include Antifa, a radical Leftist group that promotes violence at demonstrations, and was there at Charlottesville. Giving the haters on the Left a free pass for what happened Saturday only encourages them, and CNN should be ashamed. There is moral equivalence between anyone who would promote violence in a civilized society, regardless of ideology.

As for what Trump said then, roll the tweet:

We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2017

According to CNN, this was not good enough. He didn't specify racism, or maybe it was because he didn't say "Nazi", so he gets dinged.

But it isn't just the media turning on Trump:

Fox News:

Intel CEO is third to exit Trump's manufacturing council after Charlottesville

Brian Krzanich, the CEO of Intel, is leaving President Trump’s manufacturing council, becoming the third high-profile executive to leave the council in an apparent protest over the administration’s response to the deadly Charlottesville violence.

Krzanich made the announcement Monday in an Intel blog post. He said his intention is to "call attention to the serious harm our divided political climate is causing to critical issues, including the serious need to address the decline of American manufacturing. Politics and political agendas have sidelined the important mission of rebuilding America’s manufacturing base.”

Is Trump to blame for this? Our political divide has been around for decades, and has only been made worse in recent years, with the Left getting plenty of blame for this too.

Continuing:

Krzanich’s announcement came after Merck’s CEO Kenneth Frazier and Under Armour’s Kevin Plank also announced that they were leaving the council.

“America’s leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal,” Frazier said.

What we have here is a very narrow interpretation of what must be said. Condemnation of hatred is not enough. It must also be blessed by the anti-racist powers that be, whoever they are.

Meanwhile, as everyone is watching Trump's torture by the media, this little story slipped past:

Wall Street Journal:

North Korea Backs Off Guam Missile-Attack Threat

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has decided not to launch a threatened missile attack on Guam, Pyongyang’s state media reported on Tuesday, but warned that he could change his mind “if the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions.”  

...The report, published early Tuesday, could help dial back tensions that had spiraled last week following an exchange of threats between North Korea and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Mr. Trump warned Pyongyang last week that the U.S. military was “locked and loaded” and could engulf the North in “fire and fury,” while North Korea, through its state media, had threatened to fire four missiles in a bid to surround the U.S. territory of Guam in “enveloping fire.”

North Korean state media said in its report Tuesday that Mr. Kim had made his decision not to fire on Guam after visiting a military command post and examining a military plan presented to him by his senior officers.

That report basically stated "we'll get no help from China and we get turned into a parking lot".