You’ve seen the list – President Trump’s “Highly-Anticipated 2017 Fake News Awards.” They skewer news outlets for 11 separate outlandish reports.
Yet those honors barely scratch the surface of 365 days-worth of media mania. President Trump’s first year had round-the-clock journalistic insanity – from the president having more ice cream than guests to bogus press claims that a pecan pie was fake news. There were even widespread press calls to depose Trump using either impeachment or the Constitution’s 25th Amendment.
CNN became both headquarters of the resistance and a home for some of the most-idiotic moments of modern TV history. Its staff repeated the unedited version of term “s---hole” 195 times on air in one day. That doesn’t count the numerous times they showed the unedited word on screen.
This from the network that created the hilarious apple vs. banana video to claim its news wasn’t fake. (Four of Trump’s 11 fake news awards were to CNN.)
Here are seven more examples of media insanity from President Trump’s first year. And the winners are:
President Trump's first year in office: A look back
January 20, 2018 marks the one year anniversary of President Trump taking office. Here is a look back at the ups and downs of 365 days unlike any other in American politics.
1. They All Scream for Ice Cream Award: Since Trump’s alleged girth weighs heavily on the media these days, it’s good to remember how childish they can be discussing his diet. A Time Magazine article described the horror: “At the dessert course, he (Trump) gets two scoops of vanilla ice cream with his chocolate cream pie, instead of the single scoop for everyone else."
Rather than laugh that off, it spawned actual commentary from people other than Ben and Jerry. The Washington Post’s pretend conservative columnist Jen Rubin gave it a cool reception, saying he was “a man unable to restrain his urges.”
CNN dished up hefty servings of bias, claiming: “President Donald Trump is living every child's dream: More ice cream.” Anchor Brooke Baldwin even added “and no word if there were sprinkles.”
That was in May. Journalism actually went downhill from there.
2. Would You Like Some Pie? Award: CNN hired April Ryan as a contributor after her minor dust-up with former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. She followed that up with a pie fight against new Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Sanders posted a beautiful picture of a pecan pie, along with the line: “I don’t cook much these days, but managed this Chocolate Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving at the family farm!” Liberals immediately challenged it.
Sarah Sanders says she'll bake pies for reporters.
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By the next day, Ryan had chimed in, saying: “Show it to us on a table.” She followed up citing the hashtags “#piegate” and “#fakepie” like she was denying the moon landing. Sanders won the round by baking more pies and tweeting out the process of baking.
3. Media’s Girther Movement Award: With all this focus on ice cream and pie, it was only natural the media would obsess about Trump’s weight. Journalists who downplayed every medical warning from Hillary Clinton have done the opposite with Trump. (As shown in this fantastic Washington Free Beacon video.)
Watching journalists grill Navy Rear Adm. Dr. Ronny Jackson was bad enough, since he was appointed by President Barack Obama and is still beloved by Democrats. Seeing them dredge up every height-weight-health conspiracy they could find afterward was worse.
CNN’s pro-Democratic Dr. Sanjay Gupta declared that Dr. Jackson was wrong about Trump. “So the President has heart disease,” Gupta argued, even though Dr. Jackson said otherwise. Remember our nice, neutral Dr. Gupta was almost surgeon general for Obama.
Every idiot on TV chimed in, claiming Trump’s medical results weren’t true. That naturally included the “Morning Joe” team on MSNBC, especially its namesake pretend conservative Joe Scarborough. He refused to believe the results, adding, “If that's what 239 pounds looked like, I would weigh 170 pounds.” Believe the 170 pounds. Scarborough is definitely a political lightweight.
4. Media Claim Trump Isn’t Just Fat Award: Claiming Trump is fat just doesn’t get it done for journalists who think of Trump as evil incarnate. Since he disagrees with them on many topics he must be … crazy.
I’m not sure the internet is big enough to hold a column that would address all these claims. But unlike the Ice Creamgate and Piegate, this one isn’t new or creative. The Soviets made a habit of treating their political opponents as insane so they could lock them up. And the media have been claiming Republican politicians are evil, racist, crazy or stupid (or all four) for years.
Journalists and their lefty partners in slime are running that game on Trump more aggressively than they ever tried with President Ronald Reagan. None more than CNN. The network’s “Reliable Sources” Host Brian Stelter was freaking out about his view of Trump’s mental health back in August. “Is the President of the United States a racist? Is he suffering from some kind of illness? Is he fit for office? And if he's unfit, then what?” He began 2018 with a claim the year was starting off with “madness.”
The “Situation Room” spent 20 minutes on it, giving prime attention to lefty Yale psychologist Bandy Lee who claims Trump is dangerous and whines about his “mental fitness.” Lee argues Trump must be examined, “by force if necessary.” (Pretty sure that’s known by other names like kidnapping or treason.)
5. Unhinged CNN Award: Comedian Kathy Griffin spent several years as a New Year’s Eve embarrassment for CNN. In one notable incident, she knelt in front of Anchor Anderson Cooper and kissed his crotch on national TV. She later told David Letterman she was not going to apologize “for trying to go down on Anderson Cooper.” She wasn’t fired.
Then in May, she did a photo shoot where she held up a fake bloodied Trump head like she had decapitated the president. The image, reminiscent of ISIS terrorists, was finally too much for CNN. It fired her from the New Year’s Eve show. Because kissing Cooper’s crotch wasn’t too far for a news network.
Even though Griffin was gone, she was infused with the CNN spirit. She created a “Laugh Your Head Off” show. By November, she had recanted her previous apology “1,000 percent.”
6. CNN’s Cannibalism Award: In 2016, CNN promoted several new shows including “Believer.” Here’s the press release write-up: “Internationally renowned author and scholar of religious studies Reza Aslan hosts ‘Believer’ (working title), a new spiritual adventure series on CNN. In each episode, Aslan will immerse himself into one of the world’s most fascinating faith-based groups to experience life as a true believer.”
“Internationally renowned author and scholar of religious studies.” Pretty heady stuff. Until it’s revealed that he’s really just another foul-mouthed, anti-Trump resister. Aslan, who also ate human brains during his program, was found bashing Trump on Twitter. He wrote in one tweet: “This piece of s--t is not just an embarrassment to America and a stain on the presidency. He's an embarrassment to humankind.” And he used the full word.
CNN cut ties with him in June. Because cannibalism wasn’t enough to cost him his job.
7. They Haven’t Fired Acosta … Yet Award: Despite those high-profile disasters, CNN's Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta is consistently the biggest network embarrassment.
Acosta acted out so much he needed two seats in the press room, one just for his ego. When the lights went on, he hammed for cameras in an apparent quest to get a permanent show. Always attacking Trump.
White House adviser Stephen Miller slapped down the headline hunter in one ridiculous exchange where Acosta pretended the words on the Statue of Liberty were immigration policy. When Miller didn’t respond the way Acosta wanted, he accused the administration of “trying to engineer the racial and ethnic flow of people into this country.”
Miller slammed the theoretical journalist: “Jim, that is one of the most outrageous, insulting, ignorant and foolish things you've ever said and for you that's still a really …” before he trailed off.
It was typical of Acosta’s antics. He’s been thrown out of a White House meeting and shut down by the press secretary. He claims the result is “speaking truth to power” as opposed to acting like a 2-year-old.
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