On Thursday, Fox News host Neil Cavuto gave a 4 minute long rebuke addressed directly to President Trump ending with, "Mr. President, that's your swamp."
How can you drain the swamp if you're the one that keeps muddying the water? You didn't know about that $130,000 payment to a porn star until you did."
The host spent the first few minutes covering all of the things the president claimed did not happen, until he said they actually did. Then he covered the things Trump said happened, that never actually did.
Taking Trump to task for never correcting himself, Cavuto gave the president praise for several things he said were "very good." However he said those accomplishments were overshadowed by the lies.
Your base probably might not care. But you should. I guess you're too busy draining the swamp to ever stop and smell the stink you're creating. That's your doing. That's your stink. Mr. President, that's your swamp."
This is not the first time Cavuto addressed Trump directly on his behavior. In November he asked the president, "You're the president... why don't you act like it?"
Now Thursday, Cavuto, a member of the news media, began this on air critique of the president addressing Trump's love of the phrase "fake news," used every time a report aired that he did not like.
"President Trump is fond of calling out the media on fake news," Cavuto began in his commentary on his program, Your World.
"But is he the one giving them very real ammunition?" continued the Fox News personality.
The Your World host transitioned then to addressing Trump directly.
Maybe not intentionally. I'll even give you the benefit of the doubt, Mr. President, and say, maybe not deliberately. But consistently. Way too consistently."
Regarding Trump's legal woes with Stephanie Clifford, Cavuto said, "You didn't know about that 130,000-dollar payment to a porn star, until you did. Said you knew nothing about how your former lawyer Michael Cohen handled this, until acknowledging today you were the guy behind the retainer payment that took care of this."
Cavuto was referring to revelations from an interview with new Trump legal team member Rudy Giuliani on the Fox News program Hannity, with Sean Hannity.
You insist that money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no role in this transaction. Of that you're sure. Thing is, not even 24 hours ago, you couldn't recall any of this, and you seemed very sure. I'm not saying you're a liar, I'm just having a devil of a time figuring out which news is fake. Let's just say your own words on lots of stuff give me, shall I say, lots of pause."
"Like the time you said the Russians didn't interfere in the 2016 election," the Fox News host continued, "until a lot of Republicans had to remind you, they did. Came back months later and said you never said Russia didn't meddle in the election, when in fact, you had, a lot."
"None of this makes me a never-Trumper," Cavuto assured, "just always confused."
"Like when you claimed your tax plan was the biggest in U.S. history, when it wasn't," Cavuto corrected Trump's frequent claim, something the president failed to do despite evidence invalidating the claim.
Or that the bill you signed to make it happen would cost you a fortune, when it turns out it's going to help make you a bigger fortune."
"Or that your job approval numbers aren't really that bad relative to other presidents at this stage, when they're actually worse than most presidents at this stage," the host said as a graphic showing Trump's ratings are in fact the lowest of any president displayed on screen. Trump consistently claims his are higher or the best. Cavuto gave hope that the president's numbers could improve even if his misstatements have not.
That can change. But what's weird is this pattern does not."
The host then brought up the many personnel changes at the Trump White House, saying it was "Like the time you said rumors of Rex Tillerson's departure at the State Department were false, until they weren't. Or that your former chief of staff Reince Preibus wasn't going anywhere, until he was."
"Or your economic adviser Gary Cohn was doing a great job, until he wasn't. When you absolutely loved Steve Bannon, until you didn't. Swore by Jeff Sessions until you started swearing at Jeff Sessions. Had your legal team locked in place, until it wasn't."
"Denied reports you were ever thinking about firing Robert Mueller," Cavuto added in one of several references to the Russia investigation, "even as you threaten getting involved at the Department of Justice."
None of this makes you evil. But I'm sure you can understand why even your friends say these inconsistencies don't make you look good. Or do anything to help advance your policies, many of which are very good. Or the prospects for peace with North Korea, remarkably good." All this stuff you blurt out? Remarkably bad, and remarkably bad timing. It's not that these exaggerations and omissions and misstatements are now-and-then, more like now-and-then something else. Always something else."
Cavuto also targeted some of the sacred cows of Trump supporters, proven misstatements that often get repeated as facts on the host's own network. Like the Trump myth of widespread voter fraud.
"But it's not what you're omitting, Mr. President, it's what you keep stating. And never correcting. Like when you said there was serious voter fraud in New Hampshire, and there wasn't."
"Said the same about repeated claims of voter fraud in Virginia, and there weren't. Or that millions of illegals voted in the last election, but they didn't."
It's unclear if the president watched the on air critique. Trump has yet to respond on social media or in an official statement.
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