Feeds are up. Country Club members are attending the presser as an audience, complete with beverages in hand. AP’s Jonathan Lemire reports that no one was temperature checked. Looks like it won’t start until 730pm, because he’s always late.
One of the drunks in the back needs to pipe up during this, one of whom put his hand in front of the live CSpan lens (hey, it’s Jersey fuhgeddaboudit). Trumpo starts at 732pm:
Comes out to “Hail to the Chief” and the “crowd” cheers. Trump reads boilerplate, uses eviction relief (ironic for a landlord) to blame “China Virus” “Democrats are holding relief hostage” proposes to defer payroll tax. Trump doesn’t understand what he’s reading.
Mentions Lebanon and relief en route
Trump going sing-songy (child cries out in the background)
TVA “semi-public” labor kerfuffle “we’re going to do something about that” Trump tries to suck up to labor Apparently Trump hasn’t read the text before.
(Child continues to babble)
On Latin America and COVID (US Total resembles Mexico and Brazil) Trump claims “we’re doing well” more Trump nonsense about US hot spots. “heading down very rapidly” mentions AZ and FL. It’s clear this propaganda was meant to displace national news, and the only news was that relief funding stunt.
CNN and MSNBC went away, because of Trump spin, probably the “Hail to the Chief” did it.
More Trump bafflegab on testing, same blah-blah not matching reality.
Trump pimps executive order covering all pre-existing conditions and yammers on about lowering drug prices.
Trump goes back to reading is getting bored, this has been a campaign speech. Trump doesn’t understand “favored nation” regulations (he doesn’t note that there are many exemptions in terms of domestic production)
Now trashes Biden — audience laughs
(children continue babbling) Trump tries to make joke about “middle-women” — falls flat, tries again saying he doesn’t know who those people are -which is an in-joke for the country club crowd.
Trump now yaks about Portland, usual BS lawless rioters, agitators, and anarchists, trashes Portland mayor Wheeler “who surrendered his city to the mob” (he didn’t). Trump goes blah-blah “Portland is the roadmap” “Biden is a puppet” blah-blah. Trump distorts the narrative, then goes blah-blah about Minneapolis. Campaign speech.
Trump now has put 30 minutes in on campaign speechery MSNBC and CNN are still not covering it, waiting for questions, Fox News has not cut away.
Questions
Q: negotiations with the Hill?
Trump goes blah-blah attacking Dems. Trump brags about being sued
Q: Russian meddling?
“nobody’s been tougher on Russia than me” Trump goes blah-blah on deals with Iran and DPRK, does usual campaign speech tropes on China, etc… including blah-blah about employment numbers
Q: what do you plan to do about that interference?
“we’re going to look at it very closely” tries to deflect to China and imply that foreign powers will forge ballots
Q: why weren’t you more involved with Congressional negotiations?
attacks Schumer and Pelosi Trump says he’s “totally involved”
Q: why haven’t you spoken to Pelosi?
Trump punts
Q: where are you going to get the money?
“we have the money”
Q: you say the pandemic is disappearing, what about the people in the room
crowd boos “It looks like they’re wearing masks” Trump sucks up to crowd refers to fake news,
Trump sees it’s getting out of hand — flees
not quite an hour.