Grandpa Rantypants called in to talk with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo this morning, and the “interview” was such a nonsensical rant that it was the verbal equivalent of the FW: FW: FW: FW: FW: FW: FW emails of yesteryear that you once got from your angry Tea Party uncle. In fact, it was so bad that Bartiromo repeatedly tried to put the audience out of its misery by ending the interview. But Grandpa Rantypants just kept going.
This is painful, but take a listen and then jump below for a bit more discussion.
Now that you’ve heard the insaneness of that interview, let’s take a brief look at the transcript, because it isn’t just Trump who is problematic here. Trump began shouting that people have been asking him to find out, “Where did all this corruption start?” He’s trying to flip the script. He’s the head of the most glaringly corrupt administration in U.S. history and he’s trying to paint the investigators, most of whom are lifelong Republicans, as corrupt. This is gaslighting.
But that isn’t the only troubling part. Read below and ask yourself: Why is Bartiromo going along with all of this? She’s nodding in agreement, verbally signaling agreement, while Trump is flat-out lying to the audience. This is not acceptable!
Donald Trump is using Fox News to spread lies and propaganda, and he is being assisted by nearly every on-air personality on the network, day after day and night after night. This has to end. Bartiromo has a civic and ethical duty to draw the line and call out his bullshit lies. For her to nod and verbally agree while he is talking about “coups” and demonizing law enforcement officials who were doing their jobs isn’t just an ethical failure; it is endangering people, because Trump is inspiring people to violence. People who believe these lies about a coup and a “deep state” trying to take out Trump are taking action on these lies. Bartiromo and other Fox News journalists have an ethical duty to push back when Trump is lying.
Investigating lawbreakers isn’t a coup; it’s the rule of law. It’s time for Fox News to stop being complicit, before even more people get hurt.
