Our supposedly fearless and fair press reported this week that the president congratulated Poland for being invaded by the Nazis in 1939.
The president did not say that, as the White House video and transcript show. But hey, #resisting is #resisting, and it has taken priority over the truth for a lot of Beltway journalists.
“Trump congratulates Poland on its Nazi invasion,” read the initial headline to a Washington Post analysis by reporter Aaron Blake. The headline has since been amended to read, “Trump congratulates Poland as it commemorates Nazi invasion.” This is technically true, but still intended to leave the same misleading impression.
New York magazine’s Intelligencer reported, “Trump Congratulates Poland for the Catastrophe of Its Invasion by Germany.”
“Trump Accidentally Congratulates Poland on Being Invaded by the Nazis,” reads a headline published by Independent Journal Review.
MSNBC’s Morning Joe did an entire segment on the supposed controversy, running an on-air graphic that read, “Trump says ‘I just want to congratulate Poland’ on 80th anniversary of World War II.”
Now, as to what the president actually said. Trump arrived on the South Lawn on Sept. 1 via Marine One. He then took questions from members of the press as the White House helicopter idled loudly in the near background.
One reporter asked, “Mr. President, do you have a message for Poland — ”
The president here interrupted, responding before hearing the second half of the question — “on the 80th anniversary of the Second World War?”
“I do have a great message for Poland,” Trump said, speaking over the journalist and shouting to be heard over Marine One’s engine. “And we have Mike Pence, our Vice President, is just about landing right now. And he is representing me. I look forward to being there soon.”
The president shouted, “But I just want to congratulate Poland. It’s a great country with great people. We also have many Polish people in our country; it could be 8 million. We love our Polish friends. And I will be there soon.”
So what seems like a better explanation — that Trump was congratulating Poland on one of the darkest moments in its history, or that he simply did not hear the reporter’s reference to the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Poland over his own interruption and Marine One’s engine? For my money, the latter seems a lot more reasonable to assume, as all other options require the most uncharitable interpretations possible.
You guys know you don’t have to make up damning stories about this administration, right?
