On Monday in Nebraska, President Trump referenced Los Angeles and San Diego while talking about the Iran war, and the liberal media has had a field day falsely spinning it into Trump giving permission for our enemy to wipe those cities out. Despite the fact that their anti-Trump 'fact checker' Daniel Dale took issue with the narrative, CNN has pushed the hoax, but early Thursday morning on The Story Is with Elex Michaelson, viewers got something different.
Michaelson had Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on and began the segment by playing a clip of Trump from Wednesday in San Antonio, in full context:
TRUMP CLIP: And I said it the other day, let them hit a missile into San Diego or Los Angeles on the way. Let them hit, you want to see a horror show? You want to see problems? Let them hit San Diego. Let them hit Los Angeles, and you want to see some bad things happen? You want to see a country that would be in free fall? We're not going to let that happen.
He then turned to Bass for her reaction.
BASS: We all are aghast at statements that he makes....The words that come out of the mouth of a President can influence national markets, international markets, foreign leaders, and it's irresponsible. The number one job of the President of the United States is to protect and defend the American people.... And for him to be so reckless and so irresponsible that he would make the statement he did yesterday and then act as though he's doubling down and maybe at the end he's trying to clean it up, we don't know what he's doing.
Either way you look at it, it is irresponsible. I immediately got on the phone with my congressional friend and colleague, Robert Garcia....And I told him that we were considering calling for a congressional investigation into his behavior. And we'll see whether or not we do that and whether or not Congress is willing to take it up.
Then Michaelson challenged the Democrat misinterpretation, bringing up their fact checker Daniel Dale, who said Democrats were taking Trump out of context, even though he had not been invited onto CNN's air to share his point of view. Michaelson then put Dale's post on screen and read from it.
MICHAELSON: But do you really think that he's calling for an attack on the United States by Iran? I mean, CNN's fact checker, Daniel Dale, who has come out against President Trump many times, said on this one, his stuff is being taken out of context.
[Dale tweet] "It's Trump's fault. You kind of have to be steeped in Trump rally speak to know what he was saying last night. And, of course, you can say it's inappropriate, regardless for the President, to casually float the possibility of a city being wiped out. But the context exists and is important."
I mean, you really think that's what the President was trying to do here?
BASS: No, my point is, is that it is irresponsible for him to say anything close to that.
But the change of heart was short-lived.
BASS: It is unbelievable that the President of the United States would literally say come attack my country. Everybody heard what he said yesterday. If today was a cleanup, then it was a pretty sloppy cleanup. And the point is, is that it shouldn't be said.
So one second she didn't think Trump meant it the way the media had been presenting it, and the next second she claimed he literally invited Iran to attack the cities! After trashing previous ICE raids in her city, Bass said Trump should have retracted his comments and apologized to the country, leading Michaelson to try once again.
MICHAELSON: But just to be clear, he did not call for the cities to be wiped out. I mean, is that the way you interpret his comments?
BASS: Well, you heard what he said yesterday. And do I think he actually meant that? I certainly hope not. I don't think he did. But he is the President of the United States and his words matter.
MICHAELSON: Well, I think two things could be true. He may not have meant that, but if Joe Biden would have said that, he would be criticizing him.
The note about Trump at the end does not diminish the fairness of Michaelson's segment, nor does it take away from his highlighting Dale's analysis. It sounds like a different CNN after midnight.
