Obscure blog sites seem drawn out of some odd compulsion to writing ersatz headlines, taking an actual quote or story and simply inventing a different context.
Exhibit A comes the pop-up website Political Voice, whose headline—“Donald Trump Demands Americans Treat Him With Fear And Respect ‘Stand Up When I Speak’ ”—misconstrues an actual quote from the president.
Speaking with Fox and Friends’ Steve Doocy on whether or not Kim Jong-un would be invited to the White House, Trump suggested that it “could happen.” “Hey, he’s the head of a country. And I mean he’s the strong head, don’t let anyone think anything different, he speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.”
Trump was not referencing “the American people” but talking about his staff. He pointed to the White House when he mused “I want my people to do the same.” Also, the headline misquotes Trump as saying “stand up when I speak” when he actually said “[Kim’s] people sit up at attention” and noted that he wanted his staff to do the same.
When the president was questioned by a reporter on this particular comment he claimed that he was being sarcastic. “I’m kidding, you don’t understand sarcasm,” Trump said.
The blog post on Political Voice received some attention on Facebook before being flagged by readers for TWS Fact Check’s vociferous scrutiny. While the body of the text is largely accurate, the headline “ruins the whole lump.”
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