How Many Excuses Does it Take?

MAGA-philes continue hurling theories to explain the weak debate performance, Vance attempts to compensate by being...worse, and Trump reveals his fury about Taylor Swift's Kamala endorsement

Donald Trump and his entourage of sycophantic stooges have spent the days following his historic drubbing on the debate stage coming up with childish excuses, and by doing so have continued reminding us exactly why electing him as standard-bearer might not be the best “concept of a plan.” 

On today’s podcast I interviewed Marc Cuban about the debate debacle and this aftermath, as well as Elon Musk’s creepy and disturbing use of Twitter as a platform for super-spreading disinformation, among other issues.

Most of last week’s media was consumed by the euphoria of pro-democracy supporters of the Harris-Walz ticket following Tuesday’s debate, a spectacular disaster for the former president. Much can be gleaned by how a loser handles defeat, and—wow—the response from Trump and the GOP in the aftermath has been as damning and destructive to his mythology of dominance as the face-off itself.

So how did the MAGA world respond when their “strongman” was handed his ass? By screeching “No Fair” like a pack of feral hyenas. Complaints and conspiracy theories have abounded on social media among these sore losers. It’s highly notable that every dumb excuse is predicated on the reality that Trump got trounced.

Let’s review these preposterous fantasy claims, as a means of putting them to bed and moving forward: 

ABC helped her cheat. Using precisely no basis whatsoever, a rumor circulated among the losing squad that the network tipped off Harris with the questions ahead of time to give her the upper hand. Sadly, this one gained enough traction that ABC had to issue a statement confirming that they in fact did not give any questions to MVP in advance. Sorry, which questions would those have been? The ones about the economy, reproductive rights, immigration, and health care? Otherwise known as the most predictable, wide-ranging issues concerning most Americans? 

Let’s be clear. There were no curveballs; no mysterious gotcha attempts; no trick questions. Read the transcript of the debate. Beyond that, MVP Harris is a former prosecutor and a celebrated member of the Senate judiciary committee. She’s highly intelligent, has already shown her prowess to the American people, and was prepared by experts who would have offered her far more than whatever advice was imparted in a chummy ass-kissing ‘policy session’ with Matt Gaetz and co. I’m sorry, but if you failed to forecast that the mammoth issue of, say, abortion would be broached at the 2024 presidential debate, do us a favor and get off the stage. 

The moderators were biased. Trump boarded this train bound for nowhere as soon as the debate ended. But even before he could get to his safe space of ranting into his phone, while Harris was still mopping the floor with Trump, the defensive whinnying began populating social media: “Weird how the hack moderators … are only ‘Fact checking’ Trump and allowing Kamala to lie nonstop,” Donald Trump Jr., wrote in a post. “The Fake News is the enemy of the people.”

The enemy of the people? Oh, because your Dad was held accountable, then corrected on the notion that there is any state in our nation where it is legal to kill babies after they’re born? Or because he was walked back after trying to spread a baseless, weird, racial attack about pet snatchers? Donny, did you ever entertain the notion that Kamala did not get fact-checked because she…knew the facts? Let me know.   

Harris was being fed answers through an earpiece. Trump’s troops got desperate enough to post phony debunked images claiming that the Vice President’s earrings were telling her what to say. For anybody who would entertain this inane proposal: Does Kamala Harris seem like she needs help speaking? Was there a single moment when she sounded inauthentic? When was this scandal revealed? Was it when she stated that Trump’s rallies are so boring and exhausting that people leave early? If so, did the ear-whisperer then say ‘don’t worry, he’ll self-destruct from here…you addressed crowd size, you can relax now’? Because that’s basically what happened. And look, at no point was she asked to recite a passage from Ulysses, decipher a high-level calculus equation, or list the details of Trump’s thirty-four felony counts. Harris does not need a prompt to know how to deftly handle the most solipsistic person in politics. He takes bait like a ravenous, greedy bottom-feeder who can’t help himself.

Kamala’s proposal for a second debate signified defeat. Perhaps my favorite grasping-for-any-retort to is the idea that MVP’s request for a second debate is an obvious sign that she lost. Hmm.

Quick question on this one. Remember when Trump defeated Biden (see how easy that was to admit?) in their last debate? Do you also remember what Trump proposed immediately following it? He challenged Biden to another debate. He wanted to be the victor again. It felt good to win; that’s human. (It’s also, evidently, the only outcome he will accept in any contest.) This time, he did not emerge and challenge Harris to another debate. He came out on the defensive, anxious to revise what had just transpired. He posted “that was my best Debate, EVER, especially since it was THREE ON ONE!” He then waddled into the spin room; an unusual, embarrassing move that spotlighted his knowledge of defeat and instinct to interfere with the truth. 

If you’re among the supporters who saw strength when Trump defeated Biden and challenged him to another; but see an admission of defeat when Harris did the exact same thing two months later…I mean, that was JULY, friends. What has changed?

All of the above conspiracies, as mentioned, rely on the overwhelming awareness that Kamala won. The excuses further betray how blind his supporters are to the glaring reality that the man is unfit to be trusted with house keys, let alone nuclear codes.

I know, we’re all bored with Trump’s chronic inability to accept a loss. Same old tired playbook. The man wouldn’t be able to lose at tic-tac-toe against a grandchild without throwing a temper tantrum, writing them out of his will, and either burning or eating the evidence (or at least tearing it up and storing it in his bathroom). 

Mr. Trump, just be a big boy and accept the loss. The obsession with insisting on the contrary is why the whole country is still rewatching, rehashing, and dissecting your humiliating loss and abhorrent lies about immigrants; murderous new mothers; and the suggestion that an endorsement from demagogue Viktor Orban is an asset. 

Speaking of tyrants, JD Vance had quite a unique perspective on the Orban topic:

https://youtube.com/shorts/UgCFRt8zAL0?si=_8L_d2hwQDnKRTOg

That’s great to know. Way to showcase that the rot in the GOP extends beyond the former, disgraced president and has been eagerly adopted by his running mate (we’ll see how long that lasts). This morning, Vance appeared on several Sunday morning shows. I’m not sure whether he was trying to distract the masses, fall on his sword for Trump, or just be himself—which is to say a racist asshole. My friend Tim Miller from

The Bulwark

diagnosed it as “the most shameful appearance that I’ve seen in politics.”

While on CNN with Dana Bash, in the most condescending tone available, wearing a permanent smug, he stated:

“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do, Dana, because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast.”

Sorry, what? Did he actually admit to a readiness to “create stories” and peddle them as facts, while so lacking in a conscience that he was that smug about being a liar?

  

With so many lies rushing in from the former president and his running mate, at least Trump has grappled with the news of Taylor Swift’s endorsement. Which is not to say that he’s handled it particularly well.  

He continued to show his maturity, and the extent to which Swift’s support for Harris and Walz is not lingering in his addled mind, driving him wild, whatsoever.

At least he was…pithy?

Phenomenal strategy, sir. I’m sure that sought-after youth vote will be…right behind you. Don’t look back.  

A few more thoughts on that:

Fear not, I wouldn’t round off the week with Vance and Trump: two vengeful clowns. There is a marvelous contrast and salve found via the only electable ticket.

VP-hopeful Governor Tim Walz, told young men that his “life hack” was to “surround yourself with smart women and listen to them and you’ll be just fine.” He included his fellow cat-owner (and exhibited his friendship bracelet to prove it) Taylor Swift as one of those smart women. He posted a clip of that rally with a magnificent caption.

Swifties: With your help, we’re gonna defeat the smallest man who ever lived.

So, as a new week dawns, let’s follow the Coach’s advice.