Finally, someone who pleases President Trump. Sean Spicer’s angry spit wasn’t enough, and Kellyanne Conway’s fake massacres barely moved Trump’s ego from needy to less needy. But in his adviser Stephen Miller, Trump has found the propaganda crack he so desperately needs.
It was an avalanche of robotic talking points and lies for Trump policy advisor Stephen Miller this Sunday, solidifying that he is in the right administration for his ethics and integrity.
The most accurate thing Miller said was on ABC News’ This Week, “We have a president who has done more in three weeks than most presidents have done in an entire administration.” Of course that is not accurate – not anywhere near accurate, but we are grading on a curve here.
A steep, steep curve. Trump certainly created a lot of chaos in his first three weeks, but of note, he has achieved not a single legislative win. Trump is burning his political capital on mismanaged and at times, almost incoherent executive orders.
Miller seemed to presume that “getting things done” is a good thing, that they are being competently done, and that they are wanted changes by a majority of the country. None of these assumptions can be backed up by evidence. Miller is also pretending that Trump’s shock and awe executive actions won’t be challenged in court. This is not accurate.
Miller, dodging the massive taxpayer bill for Trump’s $21.6 billion wall which the President falsely promised Americans would not pay for, skated right on over to suggesting the border wall “will pay for itself many, many, many times over.”
Trump policy advisor Stephen Miller claims proposed US-Mexico border wall “will pay for itself many, many, many times over.” #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/SNir7aU7OU
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 12, 2017
But this claim, like Trump’s massive voter fraud claim and the imminent danger from Muslims requiring a ban claim, can’t be backed up by evidence.
Remember, Trump said to mark his words on the campaign trail as he promised that Mexico would pay, “I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.”
A great, great wall. Inexpensively. Mexico will pay. Now that none of that is happening, we are being promised, sans evidence, that the wall will pay for itself many, many times over.
The ever practical and reasonable President Obama had already directed our (limited) resources to focusing on getting dangerous criminals deported. Republicans keep telling us how broke we are, but suddenly we are cash flush to pay for a wall that Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security chief, John Kelly, said will not work on its own. So that’s a no to paying for itself.
Miller doubled down on the demonstrably false, many times debunked claim about massive illegal voting for which the Trump administration has zero evidence because none exists:
Trump aide Stephen Miller repeats Trump’s blatantly false claim about mass illegal voting. There is zero evidence. pic.twitter.com/9NvPXjPYVO
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 12, 2017
Miller said he didn’t have any information to add when asked about reports that Former General Flynn misled Vice President Pence on Flynn’s repeated contacts with Russia, during which Flynn worked to undermine President Obama’s sanctions that were retaliation for Russia’s interference in the U.S. election. He told Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press that the White House “did not give me anything to say.”
Miller dodged questions on the super important matter of whether or not the President has confidence in his National Security adviser, his eyes following the pre-written propaganda on his teleprompter with robotic devotion.
Chuck Todd: “If you were caught misleading the @VP, would that be considered a fireable offense in the Trump White House?” #MTP pic.twitter.com/kp2f18tcT4
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) February 12, 2017
A transcript from NBC’s Bradd Jaffy:
Stephen Miller won’t say if Trump still has confidence in Mike Flynn—White House “did not give me anything to say…it’s a sensitive matter” pic.twitter.com/VB78NaBqCA
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 12, 2017
When asked about the court’s rejection of Trump’s Muslim Ban, Miller stepped in the rhetorical fools gold that lines the Trump White House by blustering that the judiciary is not supreme, when it is in fact the Trump White House that doesn’t seem to comprehend the way the three branches of government work.
Trump advisor Stephen Miller on immigration order: “We have equal branches of government in this country. The judiciary is not supreme.” pic.twitter.com/LTiLdCyEaM
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 12, 2017
Trump’s issue with the court is that it requested proof for his claim regarding the Muslim ban, instead of just giving him whatever he asked for. The Trump administration claimed the President’s ban was “unreviewable”. Nothing the President does is “unreviewable” and that is the opposite of understanding the checks and balances; it is the same as claiming the executive branch is supreme. So that’s a big nope to Miller.
CNN’s Brian Stelter, “Quote of the day? Stephen Miller on @ThisWeekABC: ‘Sean Spicer, as always, is 100% correct.’”
Sean Spicer claimed his place as Liar for the President with his first White House briefing, and cemented it by doubling down on lies to appease Trump’s fragile ego. So Spicer is actually, factually, not 100% correct, and certainly not “always”. Spicer’s inaccuracies and false claims have actually rendered the information coming from the briefings to be on par with known propaganda. The briefings, as such, are only good as an opportunity to ask questions that should be asked. The answers are often worthless.
Quote of the day? Stephen Miller on @ThisWeekABC: “Sean Spicer, as always, is 100% correct.”
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 12, 2017
Here’s the Sean Spicer quote:
Trump advisor Stephen Miller backs Press Sec. Spicer’s comments on Pres. Trump’s Nordstrom tweet: “Sean Spicer, as always, is 100% correct” pic.twitter.com/9G0Xz1aMqd
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 12, 2017
For all of this dead-eyed, robotic pitching of propaganda, Donald Trump gave his approval. Miller, it seems, did a “great job!” representing the President:
Congratulations Stephen Miller- on representing me this morning on the various Sunday morning shows. Great job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2017
So this is what it takes to get love from Trump. A slavish commitment to deny reality, refusal to say anything that hasn’t been pre-approved, and the steady repetition of inaccuracies and flat out lies.
To put this in context, Trump is not getting enough of a boost from Kellyanne Conway’s devotion to fiction, or from Spicer’s raging tirades at the press, complete with show and tell of Trump’s beloved and misleading props. For the real juice, Trump requires more dishonesty. So much more.