To paraphrase British poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning: "How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways." Contrary to popular opinion – correction, mainstream media opinion – President Donald Trump is not endorsing the philosophy behind white supremacy, hanging out with grand wizards in the Oval Office, and reciting passages from Mein Kampf at his famous rallies – or so one might think. Former Vice President Joe Biden stated, not too long ago: "We choose truth over fact." Though he may not have been aware, Biden was echoing a tenet of Fourth Estate orthodoxy: abandon facts in favor of its version of the truth. From the fine people hoax to condemning white supremacists, the media's affinity for fake news, out-of-context reporting, and hatred of the president are on display whenever activists-turned-journalists utter the man's name.
A History of Condemnation
Donald Trump first flirted with presidential politics during the 2000 election when he joined the newly-created Reform Party. With many high-profile candidates joining the organization, such as Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan, former Governor Jesse Ventura, and Ralph Nader, there were hopes that the political entity could rival the two dominant parties. The billionaire real estate mogul was not destined to be associated with the new party's ascent or descent, though. He submitted his resignation because of its association with former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, who he described as "a bigot, a racist, a problem."
During the 2016 Republican primaries, one of the mainstream media's main narratives was that Trump had some nefarious alliance with white supremacists and racist groups. Each interviewer pushed Trump to condemn, repudiate, and disavow the Ku Klux Klan and David Duke. From a March 2016 Fox News debate moderated by Chris Wallace to a long list of media interviews, Trump firmly disavowed the KKK and Duke. The president also took to Facebook and Twitter to rebuke all white supremacist groups.
In August 2017, shortly after the Charlottesville event, Mr. Trump delivered a news conference where he denounced the KKK, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists. He told the American people:
"Racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans. We are a nation founded on the truth that all of us are created equal. We are equal in the eyes of our creator. We are equal under the law. And we are equal under our Constitution. Those who spread violence in the name of bigotry strike at the very core of America."
In the first presidential debate against Biden and Wallace, Trump was asked again to condemn white supremacists and militia groups. He responded: "Sure" three different times before complaining about the violence emanating from the left. Obviously, he should have said something more definitive, as he has done for the last five years. But he still condemned these entities nonetheless.
Fox News White House Correspondent John Roberts recently pressed Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany to declaratively state that the president denounces white supremacy. McEnany went through many of the past statements, but that was not enough for Roberts because he wanted a present-day comment. Does he think that Trump has suddenly turned into a racist and now accepts endorsements from grand wizards and grand cyclops? Roberts then threw a tantrum live on the air, telling everyone to "stop blaming the media" because "I'm tired of it." What is comical about Roberts' situation is that he reported in 2019 that President Trump and his family condemned Racism, bigotry, and white supremacy.
Even on public policy, Trump has taken an ax to the media's narrative. In September 2017, the president signed a joint congressional resolution that censured white supremacy, neo-Nazis, and other hate groups. Last month, Trump revealed that he would designate the KKK and Antifa as terrorist groups. This is in addition to a lot of policies that benefit the black community.
But anyone who is skeptical of the press understands what the Fourth Estate is doing. First, it is trying to tie Trump to society's sewer dwellers, like the KKK and other racist entities. Second, the media is trying to ask the question so often that Trump gets frustrated and gives an answer that would be taken out of context and plastered across cable news networks and tabloid newspapers, with sensational headlines.
In a case of some good old-fashioned whataboutism, what about Joe Biden?
Racial Bidenisms
Liberty Nation recently reported that white supremacist Richard Spencer endorsed the former vice president. The announcement generated headlines in the blogosphere, but it did not enjoy wall-to-wall coverage. Still, the Biden campaign addressed the endorsement by rejecting it. And yet, Biden has rarely – if ever – been asked about Spencer's support. It makes you want to sit back in your chair, stroke your beard, and wonder why journalists and anchors have not asked Biden similar questions ad nauseam.
Not only that, Biden has a poor record on race, and he has made many head-scratching comments about black people. The former Senator was a staunch supporter of the 1994 Crime Bill that exacerbated racial inequities in the criminal justice system and added to the horrific war on drugs. It instituted three-strike mandatory life sentences while expanding the so-called school-to-prison pipeline.
Here are some comments from Biden from just the last few months that certainly would appear racist – especially by the standards of the political left:
February 2020: "We have this notion that somehow if you're poor, you cannot do it. Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids."
May 2020: "Well I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black."
August 2020: "Unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly diverse attitudes about different things."
Mark Levin recently asked a pertinent question: "Joe Biden, are you still a White supremacist? Are you still a bigot? Are you exactly what [running mate] Kamala Harris called you?" It is too bad that the next two debate moderators will refrain from lobbing a comparable and relevant question.
'Can I Finish?'
Let's face it: President Trump could purchase a 30-minute commercial spot on primetime a la Ross Perot and spend the duration repeating his condemnation of white supremacists, and the left would still somehow miss it. Or, unsurprisingly, opponents would say that there was a moment he crossed his fingers or did the OK sign. Trump does not have a race problem, he is not sending out dog whistles to racists, and the president is not, as CNN recently opined, "appealing to America's worst impulses on race." It is the public relations wing of the Democratic Party that is infatuated with Racism as it conveniently forgets about its reportage of President Trump condemning racists. Right, Jim Acosta and John Roberts?
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Read more from Andrew Moran.
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