Rep. Omar Takes President Trump’s Words Out Of Context, Fans Cheer
[guest post by Dana]
Piggybacking on Patterico’s post, I want to point out how quickly the goalposts move and the rules of the game change in partisan politics.
Last week, an 11-month old video hit the internet after President Trump’s visit to the U.S. Mexico border. According to critics, the President referred to immigrants and asylum seekers as “animals” in the video. While the clip confirms that he did use the word “animals” as a descriptor, the full video provides the necessary context which proves his critics wrong.
Here is a clip of the video (provided by C-SPAN):
President Trump during California #SanctuaryCities Roundtable: "These aren't people. These are animals."
Full video here: https://t.co/alyS47LI5V pic.twitter.com/ifXicTHHP0
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 16, 2018
Here is the full video (provided by CNN):
“These aren’t people. These are animals,” Trump says in response to a question about the MS-13 gang during his roundtable on sanctuary cities. “… because of the weak laws, they come in fast” https://t.co/FfO3D5ug97
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 16, 2018
Here is the text of the exchange:
Sheriff Margaret Mims: “There could be an MS-13 member I know about — if they don’t reach a certain threshold, I cannot tell ICE about it.”
President Donald Trump: “We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in — and we’re stopping a lot of them — but we’re taking people out of the country. You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals. And we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before. And because of the weak laws, they come in fast, we get them, we release them, we get them again, we bring them out. It’s crazy.”
Interestingly, here is how Rep. Ilhan Omar reacted 5 days ago to the re-released video:
To the cheers of her supporters, Omar intentionally took Trump’s words out of context to bolster her continued criticism of his handling of border enforcement. Clearly it was a specific group of individuals coming across the border to whom Trump was referring. And they were not asylum seekers, in the way that Omar was referencing.
This makes it all the more rich to see Omar and her supporters now crying foul because they believe her 9/11 comments were taken out of context and twisted because of racism.
Two points: I watched the full video Omar’s comments, and she seems pretty clear in what she is saying. She is a grown woman and an elected official, therefore I am happy to give her credit for saying what she means and meaning what she says. With that, I am getting really tired of media types coming to the defense of Omar (along with Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) as if they were small children not responsible for their own words and deeds:
But there’s something distinctly racial (and gendered) about the aggression directed at Omar, who is black and one of the first Muslim women in Congress. She has been surrounded by controversy and personal attacks since she took office in January — attacks that are explicitly about silencing outspoken women of color.
And she is not the only one.
Oh bullshit. Claiming that mean old controversy keeps surrounding them conveys the belief that controversy just spontaneously happens completely apart from what these elected officials say and do, as if they have no agency, political will or presence. In my book, if you’re in public office, you better be ready to be criticized and raked over the coals for every damn word you say, and every action you take (on behalf of the American people) because that is part of the job. Blaming controversy as a whole on racism, or religion, or on an “effort to silence women of color” is just too convenient and easy. This thinking removes self-responsibility and agency, and replaces it with a poor me attitude. Knock it off. It’s like people believe Omar (and Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez) are innocents “surrounded by controversy” because it simply follows them home like some unwanted, uninvited intruder over whom they have absolutely no control. They are grown women who have been elected by Americans to represent them fairly and without reservation. If they want to court controversy by using provocative language directed at select groups of people, denigrate various pockets of Americans, or be dismissive of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, let them. And let them own it as well. They’re adults, and they’re elected officials. Let’s let them be just that.
[Ed. There is no doubt that there are hateful individuals out there that are indeed racist and bigoted toward these women, and are offended by their presence in Congress. I don’t know any personally nor have I read any of their writings, but given human nature, there is clearly no doubt that they do exist. However, to believe that everyone who disagrees with, or is critical of Omar, Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez are by default, racist and bigoted, is simply being intellectually dishonest and lazy. Knock it off.]
(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)
–Dana
It’s too bad both sides do this.
Dana (023079) — 4/13/2019 @ 1:34 pmIf you can’t stand the heat stay out of the kitchen. (truman) good government limousine liberalism is discredited. democrats want AOC and ilian omar representing them not pelosi, clinton, biden and other corporate establishment stooges. democrats wantbutt kickers not wimps. antifa not third way corporate stooges. bill ayres on jones show said the second amendment is for the left too!
lany (9e6278) — 4/13/2019 @ 1:48 pm2. Occasional-Cortex, a butt kicker? SMDH…
Gryph (08c844) — 4/13/2019 @ 2:02 pmShe could have set herself apart from the Islamists, but she has common cause with them, she deserves no defense, as Karen attiah tries in the last link.
Narciso (8f145e) — 4/13/2019 @ 2:02 pmThe same people who said that the Covington Kids’ faces needed to be punched and Trump admin. folks had no right to a quiet meal in a restaurant are now saying direct quoting a person is inciting violence.
harkin (0e8c36) — 4/13/2019 @ 2:27 pmI wonder what that closed-door meeting Omar had with Erdogan a while back was all about?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/13/2019 @ 2:42 pmThe MSM and their other party members treat Omar, Tliab and AOC like irresponsible children because that’s the way the Left sees them. As they say: “scratch a Leftist, find a bigot”.
MikeGiles (c75530) — 4/13/2019 @ 2:52 pmThis is merely “somebody saying something about somebody”
Neo (d1c681) — 4/13/2019 @ 2:54 pm@6. I wonder what that closed-door meeting Omar had with Erdogan a while back was all about?
Wonder what that closed-door meeting Trump had with Putin a while back was all about?
Helsinki.
‘…Venn der Trump he tweets, dumb dictates every day; Vee go ‘Heil!’ ‘Heil!’ und follow anyway…’
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:04 pmYour equating two heads of state with a freshman congresscritter and the leader of Turkey is amusing.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:13 pmGood post, Dana. I think it is human to want to put other people into boxes with jingoistic bumper sticker labels.
Journalists have long used this tendency to their own advantage.
As you say, people on any and all sides of the aisle do this. It needs to stop, before someone gets killed.
I mean, there is lots and lots to criticize DJT over. But making him into a demon? Ditto the other way.
Ugh.
Simon Jester (9d3cf3) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:15 pmNo, make that a “then-relatively unknown Minnesota state representative named Ilhan Omar”, since it was in 2017…
https://pjmedia.com/homeland-security/photos-surface-revealing-2017-closed-door-meeting-between-rep-ilhan-omar-and-turkish-president-erdogan/
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:19 pmwhy would they simon, it is patently clear they don’t want any discussion of illegals who commit crime, or the sources of terrorism, but one china worshiping sky dragon shoots up a church, and then all Christians are guilty, and all fire arms are at risk, although apparently that gambit hasn’t really worked out the way they thought,
narciso (d1f714) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:21 pm@10. Two ‘heads’ are better than one.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:25 pmthe short answer is general hafter is fighting the islamists, cleaning up the job that was left undone eight years ago,
https://thefederalist.com/2019/04/12/intervening-in-libya-would-be-a-foolish-mistake-and-it-would-
narciso (d1f714) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:28 pmcost-lives/
odd this would happen:
https://babalublog.com/2019/04/13/ex-chief-of-venezuelas-spy-network-faces-extradition-to-u-s-could-reveal-much-about-cuban-malfeasance/#comments
narciso (d1f714) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:30 pmis anything they tell us true anymore:
http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=60059
narciso (d1f714) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:39 pmare there four lights or five:
https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/04/wapo-rushes-to-defend-ilhan-omars-9-11-remarks-fails-spectacularly/
narciso (d1f714) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:43 pmyes, they love the first amendment:
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2019/04/13/attn-media-guardians-of-the-1st-amendment-aocs-lending-a-hand-to-reject-sales-of-the-ny-post/
narciso (d1f714) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:47 pmmeanwhile down under:
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair
narciso (d1f714) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:50 pm14… you got nuthin’… fair enough.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:53 pmwell yes, but then she got some perspective:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/13/shamima-begum-cruel-enforcer-isils-morality-police-say-syrian/
narciso (d1f714) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:54 pmIt is permissible to lie to infidels.
nk (dbc370) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:58 pmIt is also easy, because they’re stupid.
nk (dbc370) — 4/13/2019 @ 3:59 pmThere are a few “smartening up”… “Fifty-two local Democrats, including county commissioner, leave the party in three days…”
https://nrcolumbus.com/fifty-two-local-democrats-including-county-commissioner-leave-the-party-in-three-days/
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/13/2019 @ 4:00 pmYou can accuse third and fourth generation American Jews of divided loyalty, when you still have the sand of Somalia between your toes. And kneel to Mecca five times a day. On your knees. To Mecca. Five times a day.
nk (dbc370) — 4/13/2019 @ 4:02 pm@21. ‘you got nothing…’
Putin did. Hence the desire to get a hold of the interpreter and/or notes.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/13/2019 @ 4:14 pmBut let’s also look at the elephant in the room. No, not that one, the orange one. Omar’s taradiddle would not have gotten traction against anyone other than Trump. He is an open wound.
nk (dbc370) — 4/13/2019 @ 4:15 pm@26. On your knees. To Mecca. Five Times a day.
On your knees. To football. Several times a Sunday. Just once on Mondays.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/13/2019 @ 4:17 pmShe definitely was taking his words out of context.
I don’t think calling generally normal people who are coming to this country illegally animals is a good idea either.
As someone whose center of their religion is in another country, I don’t have time for this “Oh Noes, the center of her religion is in another country” crap. From Omar or from anyone else.
Nic (896fdf) — 4/13/2019 @ 4:17 pm@28. ‘…tweets dumb dictates every day… and follow anyway…’
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/13/2019 @ 4:20 pmHe was speaking of the predators like Ms 13, which have loose connections with al queda.
Narciso (a7d019) — 4/13/2019 @ 4:20 pmI don’t think that he was. She was talking about suspected MS 13 members (who also aren’t less than people, even though they aren’t good people). I don’t think he was (though, like the earlier post, it could go either way). MS13, BTW, originated in the US, not Mexico or Central American, and is not large.
Nic (896fdf) — 4/13/2019 @ 4:33 pmThe Dream Tweets…’Why is my chocolate ice cream dark; America makes white chocolate, too. Suspicious! Holy cow! They’re all animals.’ MAGA#sanctuarydairies
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/13/2019 @ 4:50 pm“MS13, BTW, originated in the US, not Mexico or Central American, and is not large.”
MS13 was formed in LA by illegal immigrants from Central America because existing local gangs didn’t allow Salvadorans/Guatemalans to join. The local apologists claim it was to combat racism from whites but this is laughably untrue.
harkin (0e8c36) — 4/13/2019 @ 6:14 pmLie once lie always. Doesn’t make any difference who it is.
Thud Muffle (5a4596) — 4/13/2019 @ 6:56 pm“You can accuse third and fourth generation American Jews of divided loyalty, when you still have the sand of Somalia between your toes. And kneel to Mecca five times a day. On your knees. To Mecca. Five times a day.”
Them what accuses loudest of least likely motivation, has ‘well, it’s what [b]I[/b] would do!” as primary motivator.
“As someone whose center of their religion is in another country, I don’t have time for this “Oh Noes, the center of her religion is in another country” crap. From Omar or from anyone else.”
Well, the center of the Democrat religion was in Moscow for nigh-on fifty years, so normal people do get testy about these things…especially when, like DCSCA, they regularly accuse people of loyalty to Moscow on far less evidence.
Chin-po (764db6) — 4/13/2019 @ 7:23 pm“On your knees. To football. Several times a Sunday. Just once on Mondays.”
I’m beginning to thing DCSCA may not actually like or appreciate Americans very much, given his willingness to lazily compare their hobbies with the Most Failed Religion on earth.
Chin-po (233458) — 4/13/2019 @ 7:26 pmAnd this from former speech writer for Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch:
Dana (023079) — 4/13/2019 @ 7:29 pmMore of that brave conversation again:
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Kraft-Attorneys-Back-in-Court-for-Motions-Hearing-508481301.html?fbclid=IwAR0eDcBsfaRE0CUUu3PlfIACiqQpFupFZX4Aybkx_vPeSFEBTTgiFauFzyI
Narciso (2a7640) — 4/13/2019 @ 7:36 pmIts largely the double standard they are taking down every single public appearance of christianity yet we are being told we must accept even the most extreme elements of islam
Narciso (2a7640) — 4/13/2019 @ 7:39 pmIt’s New York, a state whose legislature passed a bill to give tuition assistance to illegal aliens, but killed a bill to give the same to children of fallen soldiers.
https://pjmedia.com/trending/new-york-assembly-dems-show-where-their-real-priorities-lie/
Kevin M (21ca15) — 4/13/2019 @ 7:43 pm“Well, the center of the Democrat religion was in Moscow for nigh-on fifty years.”
That’s ridiculous and you know it. Dems in general aren’t communist any more than Republicans in general are fascists (and don’t go into the argument that the word “socialist” was in nazi and so the nazis and therefor fascists are socialists. You can call manure a cabbage, but that doesn’t make it so.)
I am tired of reductio ad absurdum.
Nic (896fdf) — 4/13/2019 @ 7:58 pmThere’s a number of instances where Democrats were in collusion with the Soviets. Ted Kennedy (offering to work with Andropov to defeat Reagan in ‘84) and John Kerry (full-blown support for the Sandinistas in Nicaragua)immediately come to mind. Hey… wait a minute here… Nic… Nicaragua… hey what’s goin’ on here!?!?
Just kiddin’…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/13/2019 @ 8:13 pm35. Minus the emergence of MS-13, which started off as more of an LA parallel to the Chicago greaser gang (i.e. more rockabilly than cholo in fashion), Salvadorans were on track to be successful niche group. The first group in the mid/late 70s was like similar to first wave Cubans.
urbanleftbehind (6a358f) — 4/13/2019 @ 8:15 pm@37. Evidence?
Helsinki.
Thanks for playing. What do we have for him, Johnny…
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/13/2019 @ 8:22 pmJohnny One-note with the Helsinki already, sweet Jesus!
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/13/2019 @ 8:30 pm@47. Strikes a powerful chord; He was betrayed in Finland, too.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/13/2019 @ 8:33 pmManufactured Sister Souljah moment without the comeback or Bernie applying the lessons of the BLM ambush at Netroots Seattle?
urbanleftbehind (6a358f) — 4/13/2019 @ 8:38 pmhttp://news.yahoo.com/cory-booker-2020-newark-200213952.html
What made me them so particularly brutal, one conjecture was the presence of a very junior enlisted army man, ernesto Duras who went by the handle of satan, ironically he was kicked out of the group. This is similar to the notion that aq was largely based around the experience ali Mohammed had at ft. Bragg in weapons and psychological operations
Narciso (2a7640) — 4/13/2019 @ 8:45 pmBut he and Stab-me-wow can go out on such limbs when there are Lankfords, Gardners and Tillises to vote the D line in their place: http://www.yahoo.com/news/bernie-sanders-calls-trump-abandon-000641092.html
urbanleftbehind (6a358f) — 4/13/2019 @ 8:46 pmI find Yahoo links generally pretentious amunless they contain original insights.
Narciso (2a7640) — 4/13/2019 @ 8:49 pmSinger, Flower-Child/Anti-NRA and Democrat activist Judy Collins denounces Trump as “TRYING TO DOOM DEMOCRACY WITH HIS EVERY BREATH!” (But the “Peace-Love/Civil-Rights activist” composed a heartfelt song HONORING Che Guevara!) | Babalú Blog
Narciso (2a7640) — 4/13/2019 @ 8:52 pmhttps://babalublog.com/2019/04/13/singer-flower-child-anti-nra-and-democrat-activist-judy-collins-denounces-trump-as-trying-to-doom-democracy-with-his-every-breath-but-the-
53
Kishnevi (546427) — 4/13/2019 @ 9:03 pmNice ad for Mr. Fontova’s book.
I think that’s the first time I have seen Ms. Collins mentioned in any context in at least five or six years.
Yes she’s in hollywood squares territory, or if that charades show were still around.
Narciso (2a7640) — 4/13/2019 @ 9:09 pmDana (023079) — 4/13/2019 @ 7:29 pm
Given Trump’s general style of blathering, and his habitual imprecision in identifying whom or what he’s talking about, the idea that he was referring to migrants in general, or Central Americans in general, is not a stretch. It’s not at all obvious that he meant MS13 members, and only them.
Kishnevi (546427) — 4/13/2019 @ 9:10 pmFunny You Should Ask is the 21st century Hollywood Squares.
urbanleftbehind (6a358f) — 4/13/2019 @ 9:13 pmI still think it was such am easy move to at least pretend to denounce the extremists, but she has no such intentions, her only argument is probably which form the Islamic takeover occurs
Narciso (2a7640) — 4/13/2019 @ 9:18 pmYou can see that in Kessler practically pulling his arm out of his socket in trying to applaud her.
Narciso (2a7640) — 4/13/2019 @ 9:19 pm@57. Lindsey Graham, center square.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/13/2019 @ 9:38 pmilman omar is expendable for the left she has more value as a martyr so the left can retaliate.
lany (99703a) — 4/13/2019 @ 9:44 pm“Omar’s taradiddle would not have gotten traction against anyone other than Trump. He is an open wound.”
Well, you had a choice between Muslima terrorist apologia being cynically used openly by Democrats against Trump or being cynically implemented secretly by Democrat majorities in office. Closing the wounds does not remove the infection, as much as the Republican businessmen and libertarian “win-win” marketeers would like to pretend it does.
Do not blame your President for your own inability to fight openly and manfully in very real culture wars against very real hostile cultures.
“Johnny One-note with the Helsinki already, sweet Jesus!”
‘Trump failed to show sufficient deference to the intel people trying to frame him out of office and into jail’ is really the thing that offends them most. The only people who actually care about Helsinki are petty leftist tyrants and anti-Americans, who I guarantee will not and have not risked their own lives or the lives of their children in an actual shooting war.
Chin-po (19fe2a) — 4/13/2019 @ 11:22 pmStill waiting for Doperha to enter the race card and get in the demolition derby of democrat hacks for president.
mg (8cbc69) — 4/14/2019 @ 12:13 am@44 Sad to say, I had very mean parents. It’s definitely Nicaragua.
Nic (896fdf) — 4/14/2019 @ 12:39 amMaybe so:
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/04/trumps_rebel_alliance_attacks_the_lefts_death_star.html
Narciso (ff7c31) — 4/14/2019 @ 6:31 am56. That’s just another reason for me to dislike Trump. He’s so inarticulate that it’s easy for Dems to take him out of context.
Gryph (08c844) — 4/14/2019 @ 8:15 amNo going back… what some think a bug, others call a winning feature… go to the 3:40 mark: https://youtu.be/_QHhH4dSGJ8
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/14/2019 @ 8:39 amChin-Po:
That is a startling assertion. Who are you talking about when you say “your own inability to fight” — specific commenters here, people you know in your life, Americans in general, or the world?
DRJ (15874d) — 4/14/2019 @ 8:45 amChin-Po is only the latest avatar of the commenter who yesterday was known as Jerrod and known by dozens of other different noms before that. He drops by from time to time under a different nom and IP to entertain us with the Richard Spencer point of view.
nk (dbc370) — 4/14/2019 @ 11:21 am