It’s happened again. President Donald Trump makes a sarcastic remark, and the establishment media react as if they have been verbally slapped across the face with impunity.

In this latest episode of “Trump Said what?” the so-called establishment media have jumped on comments the president made when addressing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to expel a significant number of American diplomats from Russia.

Here is what he said: “I want to thank him because we’re trying to cut down our payroll, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m very thankful that he let go of a large number of people because now we have a smaller payroll.”

In referring to the diplomats, Trump continued: “There’s no real reason for them to go back I greatly appreciate the fact that we’ve been able to cut our payroll of the United States. We’re going to save a lot of money.”

Then, the whiny hand wringing began.

For starters, Jennifer Rubin published a piece for The Washington Post entitled “Does Trump love Putin more than his Cabinet and Americans serving overseas?” She writes:

This is appalling on many levels. First, it suggests Putin can take free swings at America because Trump will bend over backwards to invent excuses for his Russian soulmate. The statement signals abject weakness on Trump’s part, virtually inviting Putin and other adversaries to throw out our people.

Not to be outdone, The New York Times published an article entitled “Combative Trump Pulls His Punches for One Man: Putin,” which brought up the Russiagate narrative:

Given Mr. Trump’s propensity to criticize just about anyone else, including members of his own staff, cabinet and party, his resolute refusal to say anything negative about Mr. Putin has only fueled suspicions about last year’s election.

Yes, that’s right – The New York Times believes Trump’s sarcastic comments will only make more people think that he colluded with the Kremlin to influence the results of the election. What brilliant observation on the part of The Times.

Last, but certainly not least, Slate chimed in with a piece entitled “Trump Says He’s ‘Very Thankful’ Putin Expelled U.S. Diplomats, Apparently Giving Reverse Psychology a Spin.” Unnecessarily long title notwithstanding, Slate offers a vigorously inane criticism of the president’s remarks:

The president of the United State employed what appeared to be an ancient negotiating technique employed by parents around the world called “reverse psychology.

Ironically enough, the only individuals who seem to comprehend the fact that Trump was making a snarky joke were Russian officials. On Twitter, Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov wrote “Trump’s statement is pure sarcasm and trolling of the anti-Russian circles in the United States, a hint at the consequences of the Congress sanctions. And the State Department does not have a sense of humor.” You know the situation has gotten out of hand when the Russians understand sarcasm and wit better than some of our own people.

As usual, the left’s reaction to the president’s comments is over the top. And they lack a total understanding of nuance as outlined here on Liberty Nation. Trump’s sarcasm may not have been the best response to make given the situation with Russia – several people on the right have criticized his comments. However, the media’s tendency to overreact to these types of statements does not add to the conversation in any meaningful way.

The American public will not take the news media seriously if they continue their mission of exaggerating and misappropriating the president’s comments. If they persist in reacting to his remarks as if they are bringing about the apocalypse, people will stop taking them seriously. Perhaps the establishment media will one day learn the value of actual reporting. I, for one, won’t be holding my breath.