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After Donald Trump‘s wild post-midterm presser on Wednesday, CNN’s Jake Tapper, like many in the media, was visibly stunned by what transpired. The segment covered the many takeaways from the presser, but in particular among his colleagues in the media, Tapper gave special attention to the President bashing and taking “delight” in losses suffered by his own party, on the grounds that the losers in question didn’t love him enough.
“But one other thing that I think we need to — I know everybody here is eager to talk about what we just witnessed, one other thing that I think we need to note, the president started out by doing a dance on the graves of Republicans who did not show him enough fealty,” said Tapper to begin. He talked about why some Republicans didn’t run on an “embrace Trump” platform, something which has been noted by analysts from both sides of the aisle for weeks and which, up until today, Trump had largely avoided criticizing.
“Republicans who for their own purposes, many of those this suburban districts that turned away from President Trump where he was toxic, and that commercial was toxic, his language was toxic,” said Tapper, noting criticisms of Rep Carlos Carbelo in Florida and Rep. Mia Love of Utah. He noted that in Love’s case, it is not even yet determined, at the time the President spoke, that she did indeed lose.
“He danced on their graves,” Tapper continued. “He said because they didn’t embrace him they lost, and he was flip about it. He almost seemed to be happy about the fact that Congressman Mike Coffman (R-CO) from the suburbs of Denver, lost because he didn’t want the President’s support.”
“I’ve never seen a president take delight in people of his own party losing and the only thing I can say, compare that to is, you know, some of the works of Francis Ford Coppola or Martin Scorsese,” said Tapper, citing famous mob movie directors. “I mean, that’s how gangsters act. The idea you’re not loyal to them and, therefore, you deserve the punishment.”
Tapper pointed out that he’s watched as many presidents, including Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, lost big in their own midterms, but did not take the same tack Trump did. “There were members of Congress who didn’t want to campaign with them because it would be bad for their reelection, and they understand that, they don’t dance on their graves,” he said. “And President Trump did that, in addition to all the lies and falsehoods he shared in that press conference, and the denial of the fact that he had am at best, mixed election night and the Democrats taking over the house is a huge problem for him.”
President Trump’s theme in his remarks, and particularly in mocking Republicans like Mia Love, was baldly defensive. His aim was to say that while some in the GOP lost, he didn’t lose, and to enforce the idea that he has a mandate that is untouchable and unaffected by yesterday’s House switch.
On Twitter, the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman characterized most of what Trump said as a threat, and that could include a threat to the GOP to stay in line. But more than threat was the overt message that he, and his movement, lost no power yesterday. Expect #MAGA writers and social media stars to reinforce that message, as the narrative that only “Never Trumps” lost on Tuesday, and that it is because of them, because of opposition to Trump, that the GOP lost the House, and not because of Trump himself or his politics.
[Featured image via screengrab]—
Follow Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) on Twitter
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