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Donald Trump explains to David Letterman his $5 million charitable challenge for President Obama to release his college records and his passport application:
And after the jump, watch Stephen Colbert’s report on Trump’s “October surprise” offer, with Colbert’s $1 million counter-offer to Trump. Plus a clip of Barbara Walters on The View, telling her friend Trump “You’re making a fool of yourself.”
The Colbert Report
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Related Video: Obama Mocks Trump On Leno
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Can’t believe the media (including DH) give Trump this much coverage. What a fucking waste of time…
Went to the bank once and started talking to the teller. She went to Ball State. I said – oh – David Letterman went to Ball State. She said yes – he offers a scholarship there – the stipulation is that you have to have a “C” average in order to get it. Classic. What a good guy.
If you care so much about everybody, and five million bucks can help some people somewhere make a difference in their lives, and you’re the president – why not? If he did it, some faction would get five million bucks, Obama would gain votes not lose them. There’s no more sanitized candidate ever than Obama I don’t think. Badly done by Trump but not not astute I don’t think. Technically the president is denying five million bucks to people who could really use it – because he doesn’t want people to see this stuff.
It’s extortion. Obama is not denying anybody anything, Trump is the one dangling money in front of a charity that they can have only if someone else does what he says.
“Technically the president is denying five million bucks to people who could really use it – because he doesn’t want people to see this stuff.”
It’s not because he doesn’t want people to see his stuff. It’s because – as a President and as a person – you don’t let yourself be extorted by someone who uses a massive amount of spare money as a political hat trick (and thus withholds it from charity).
It’s a dick move. Nothing more. Had Bill Maher done the same – demanding Mitt Romney’s detailed tax records and offering five million dollars to charity in return – right wingers and their Fox News HQ would go nuts, claiming this is immoral, obscene and a slap in the face for charity.
If Trump cares so much about people, then he should just contribute without strings attached. He is the dummy. Extortion is illegal.
Donald Trump knows perfectly well that Obama would never cower to his demands. He never had any intention of actually writing a check and it’s unlikely he’d be able to produce five million dollars in cash if he were required to. He owns lots of extraordinarily tacky apartment buildings and golf courses but he doesn’t have any liquidity. This whole thing is a publicity stunt to try to distract from the issues and shine a new light on the debunked birther movement.
I’d be more interested if trump offered to shave his head for the transcripts…
I’d be more interested if someone made the same offer to get Romney to release his 10 years of tax returns.
Good enough for past candidates, as well as Romney’s father, to release multiple years of tax returns. Why not Romney?
Larry Flynt offered a cool million for the tax returns.
It says a lot when even David Letterman is politely telling you that you are disrespecting the President.
The funniest part was when Trump started bashing China and Letterman found the ties he sells are made in China. His shirts are made in Bangladesh!!
As long as Trump insists on placating the lowest common denominator, nobody in the country will ever honestly respect him. Even without the hair thing, the man is little better than a live-action cartoon.
“…nobody in the country will ever honestly respect him.”
Noboby except for Mitt Romney. (Though I suppose you could argue that Romney only dishonestly or cynically respects Trump, which would be par for the Romney course.)
Trump says he’d only pay up if he’s “satisfied” and “convinced” by whatever documents are released. Does anyone SERIOUSLY believe he’d ever pay up?
I don’t disagree that it’s extortion. He’s aware that it’s extortion. I’m asking : who exactly is it that creates the drama about this stuff? Obama dictates the terms of what’s relevant (Romney’s tax returns) vs. what’s not relevant (anything Obama doesn’t want you to see.) Could have shown his birth certificate long before he did. Whipped it out Xenu Wall of Fire-style after a considerable amount of time as president. In a way I would argue that he often dictates the terms of news coverage. His presidency is virtually surreal in quality from Benghazi to health care to the “Blue Moon Summit.” It’s almost like since the first campaign voters remain in the grip of mass post-hypnotic suggestion. From “hope” and “change” to “forward.” It’s like he’s a very ineffective crossing guard of righteousness but only on his terms.
What Trump is doing is the equivalent of holding up a picture of a puppy and threatening to kill it if he doesn’t get what he wants. For him to actually name charities, dangle the money in front of them, get their hopes up and then possibly snatch it away is unconscionable, thoughtless, heartless and the most cynically vile thing I’ve ever seen. And all these rightwing dim bulbs who say the President should do it should be ashamed of themselves. He shouldn’t even dignify it. The President is not going to jump through your morally defective hoops. For Trump to stage this whole thing and for you all to blame the President for its outcome, shows just how pathetic and degenerate the Republican right has become. What President has ever been forced to release his college transcripts? Or accused of not being an American? Or interrupted during a State of the Union Address? Or blocked (attempted) from speaking to the Nations children? This is the most blatantly racist behavior it has ever been my misfortune to see in this country. The Faux News stooges, Drudge Sludge, and Repugnican Party and Teabaggers have lowered this society into the gutter and poisoned the waters of discourse probably forever.
In the old western movies in about the 40s through the 60s, a standard feature was the “comedy relief” character. Those of you who were around back then might remember the likes of Gabby Hayes, Fuzzy St. John, and Smiley (Frog) Burnette, all of whom were sidekicks to the major cowboys (Roy Rogers, Tom Mix, Gene Autry, etc.) in the films. The comedy relief character said and did inane, but humorous things, adding a note of levity here and there. Donald Trump’s role in public discourse is analogous to that of the comedy relief characters. He is the doofus who says and does wacky things, not out on the range or in the bunkhouse, but in those TV appearances he so covets as he looks for opportunities to expose his nincompoop notions.
By that same logic you could say if Donald trump would donate money for such a dumb reason, why can’t he just donate the five million. Don’t make out like Obama is the bad guy here. Trump is full of crap. Blame him for not just donating the money.
why wont obama release the records…..what is he hiding? I thought he was going to be the transparent president? can anyone answer that?