At a jampacked campaign rally in support of Vice President Kamala Harris Thursday evening in Pittsburgh, former President Barack Obama commented on the man who followed him in the White House that went viral in less than an hour and continues to be shared on social media this morning.
Obama praised a proposed tax credit of $6,000 for new parents that’s part of Harris’ economic plan, noting, “She wants to make it easier to afford stuff like a crib, or a car seat or diapers.”
“I remember changing diapers,” he added. He then asked the rallygoers, “Do you think Donald Trump ever changed a diaper?”
The room erupted in laughter when someone in the crowd yelled, “His own!”
“I almost said that but decided I shouldn’t say it,” Obama replied as the audience began laughing and applauding again.
Obama: Or diapers. I remember buying diapers. Do you think Donald Trump ever changed a diaper?
Obama added, “Instead of giving more tax breaks to billionaires and raising prices on working families, Kamala will give a tax cut to 100 million middle-class and working people here in America.”
The former president’s remarks in Pittsburgh clearly struck a nerve with the Trump camp as campaign communications director Steven Cheung fired off an angry response.
“Barack Hussein Obama couldn’t even make a coherent defense of Kamala Harris’ record because even he knows she represents a disastrous four years of skyrocketing inflation, an out-of-control border, and rampant crime that terrorizes communities across the country.”
Nice try, Steven, but that’s not going to make the diaper comment disappear, and it’s likely to increase the damage inflicted by Obama, who remains incredibly popular with the American electorate.
Obama’s remarks were hailed online.
That might be the second best line of this campaign after Kamala said “81 million Americans fired Donald Trump in 2020.”
According to failed one-term and twice-impeached former president Donald Trump, no one has bigger crowds than he does at his campaign rallies. The venues are always packed to the gills with thousands more assembled outside wishing they could have had the honor of getting in.
However, photographic evidence from a rally Trump held Wednesday in Reading, Pennsylvania, suggests that like everything the Donald says, the opposite is almost always true.
Trump told the audience in Reading, “We do a lot of these beautiful rallies, and it’s so great. We never have an empty seat, never have, look at it.”
However, photos of the event prove otherwise, as sections closest to the stage where Trump was speaking were indeed full, other parts of the arena certainly weren’t.
Here’s a photo from Alex Brandon of the Associated Press:
Libbey Dean of NewsNation also provided a video that contradicted Trump’s no empty seat claim.
📍Trump’s rally in Reading, PA. A lot of open seats in the back. The arena capacity is over 7,000. pic.twitter.com/JXRKNpGsZs
That was all it took to set off a wave of well-deserved mockery aimed directly at the disgraced ex-head of state.
“OMG!!! Look at all of the empty seats at Trump’s rally in Reading, Pennsylvania! This is so humiliating for the Trump campaign. Nobody shows up to his rallies anymore!”
OMG!!! Look at all of the empty seats at Trump’s rally in Reading, Pennsylvania! This is so humiliating for the Trump campaign. Nobody shows up to his rallies anymore! pic.twitter.com/APhMGSrjqg
“BREAKING: As Donald Trump talks about his sellout crowds, this video clearly shows empty seats. Americans are sick and tired of Donald Trump’s BS. Retweet to make sure every American knows Trump’s rallies have low energy and low attendance.”
BREAKING: As Donald Trump talks about his sellout crowds, this video clearly shows empty seats. Americans are sick and tired of Donald Trump’s BS. Retweet to make sure every American knows Trump’s rallies have low energy and low attendance. pic.twitter.com/TTYA03N55Y
“My kid’s had their high school graduations at this same arena as Trump’s rally tonight in Reading, Pennsylvania. There were not as many empty seats there for their graduating classes of 335 and 352 students. The arena can hold 8800 for concerts.”
My kid’s had their high school graduations at this same arena as Trump’s rally tonight in Reading, Pennsylvania. There were not as many empty seats there for their graduating classes of 335 and 352 students. The arena can hold 8800 for concerts. https://t.co/dMxuXUJgY6
CNN host Kate Bolduan laid a brutal (and much-needed) fact-check on Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt this morning, even going so far as to tell Leavitt that she needed to talk less and listen more.
The topic of discussion was failed president Donald Trump’s lies about the FEMA response to Hurricane Helene, which devastated areas of the Southeast when it roared through late last month.
Boulduan began by asking Leavitt, “Things that the former president has said is FEMA funds were stolen to be used to house illegal migrants, that no one from FEMA was on the ground in North Carolina, that funds were being withheld from Republican areas of the state on purpose.”
“None of that is true. The head of FEMA says that worse than it not being true, it is dangerous that if this is pushed and circulated for the people who are most in need of help.”
“With that knowledge, is the former president going to stop saying this?”
Leavitt responded, “Well, first of all, Kate, let me just express our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in western North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and now Florida who are bracing for another devastating hurricane. The bottom line is that FEMA spent $1 billion on funding for illegal immigrants that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden let into the country. CNN and many mainstream media outlets reported that more than a month ago.”
“Now, today, we find ourselves in a predicament where Americans are in dire situations in need of food and of water. And Secretary Mayorcas last week said that FEMA does not have sufficient funding to get through this crisis and through the rest of hurricane season.”
Leavitt continued talking as Boulduan tried to ask questions, finally leading the host to insist, “No, no, no. But first on that, let’s let’s get let’s get to let’s keep to the facts, which is on that suggestion that Donald Trump did make, that they were stealing money from FEMA and using it, and it’s all gone because they’re using it to house migrants. That’s not true. There’s no disaster relief fund money that was going in that was going to house migrants.”
“I don’t think the American people care which pocket the money came from…” Leavitt snidely remarked.
“What you’re now saying is that you think it is–. You don’t you don’t think American people care where the money comes from. It is– You think it is bad that they’re using FEMA money to house migrants. Ironically, Donald Trump attempted something very similar to what he falsely now is claiming about them in 2019. Trump used–.” Bolduan noted. And when Leavitt tried to interrupt her, the host more than held her own.
“I’m talking! Let me finish! Trump used money from FEMA’s disaster fund for migrant programs at the southern border. He told Congress that he was intending at the time in 2019 to shift $271 million from DHS, including $155 million from FEMA’s disaster relief fund to pay for detaining and transporting undocumented immigrants.”
“Less than that was transferred from less than the 150 million was transferred. But money was transferred by Donald Trump in 2019 and the Trump administration from the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund to house migrants. So is he is he then okay with moving disaster relief funds for dealing with migrants, but now is not? Is that what you’re saying?”
When Leavitt continued to spout fact-free talking points from the Trump campaign, Boulduan curtly ended the interview.
“We’re going to leave it there, because I offered you three times to give me the answer and I’m not getting it!”
Well done, Kate! Trump and his GOP colleagues love to try and do everything other than answer the questions they’ve been asked. The only way to deal with them is end the discussion and move on. Letting them spin their lies serves no productive purpose.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson think it’s hilarious that Vice President Kamala Harris might be assassinated if she wins the 2024 election over failed former president Donald Trump.
Musk was a guest on Carlson’s online show, and he addressed the fact that he had made a “joke” about Harris being assassinated on Twitter which he posted last month.
“I made a joke which, I realize, I deleted, which is like no one is even bothering to try to kill Kamala because it’s pointless. What do you achieve? Nothing. Just find another puppet.”
Carlson: “It’s deep and true.”
To that, Musk replied, “Nobody’s trying to kill Joe Biden. That would be pointless.”
“You actually put that up?” Carlson asked.
“People interpreted it as though I was calling for people to assassinate her, but I was like … doesn’t it seem strange that no one has even bothered to try?” Musk explained as he laughed. “Nobody tries to assassinate a puppet.”
As both men laughed, Carlson noted, “That’s hilarious.”
Elon Musk is all in.
(0:00) Elon Musk Is All in on Donald Trump (6:35) Providing Starlink to Victims of Hurricane Helene (9:22) If Trump Loses, This Is the Last Election (21:49) The Epstein and Diddy Client List (33:38) Vaccines (35:49) The Movement to Decriminalize Crime… pic.twitter.com/jNqB1ThqQz
Know what would be funny? If the U.S. Secret Service paid a visit to Carlson and Musk and told them if they make one more joke about a presidential candidate being assassinated, they’ll be prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law.
Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson are both pissants, and they need to be held to account for their willingness to spread hatred and ideas of murder. Yes, there’s a First Amendment, but even it has limits.
Vice President Kamala Harris has had enough of the lies and conspiracy theories being peddled by Republicans about the federal response to Hurricane Helene, and her campaign is hitting back hard at members of the GOP who are spreading such nonsense.
The misinformation from Republicans includes fact-free claims that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is nowhere to be found in states such as North Carolina to help with recovery, along with a bogus assertion by failed former president Donald Trump that FEMA diverted billions of dollars from its budget to shelter immigrants.
Among the most vocal critics is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has even gone so far as to suggest that “they” control the weather and are making sure red states are hit the hardest by storms, posting this on Twitter: “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”
Greene also posted this nugget of head-spinning excrement:
Lasers..
CBS, 9 years ago, talked about lasers controlling the weather.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell warned Monday that there are very real consequences to all of the lies emanating from the GOP.
“It’s frankly disappointing we are having to deal with this narrative, the fact there are a few leaders having a hard time telling the difference between fact and fiction is creating an impedance to our ability to actually get people the help they need.”
Criswell’s concerns were echoed by Kevin Corbin, a Republican state senator for western North Carolina, who noted on Facebook, “Will you all help STOP this conspiracy theory junk that is floating all over Facebook and the internet about the floods. Please don’t let these crazy stories consume you or have you continually contact your elected officials to see if they are true.”
The best way to stop the Republican bullshit machine is to vote every last one of them out. This November, we get that chance. Let’s do our part and flush these shit-stirrers into the sewer where they belong.
