-The President of the United States threatened
to unleash the military on American citizens
protesting the brutal police murder of George Floyd.
For more on this, it's time for "A Closer Look."
♪♪
Donald Trump's speech last night
was one of the most menacing moments
in his 3 1/2 years as president,
and that's saying a lot,
given that he is always menacing.
Remember during the debates when he stalked Hillary Clinton
like a "Naked and Afraid" contestant
trying to sneak up on a bird?
I mean, half the time it looks like he's on a chain
in the front yard scaring away a mailman.
He only has two modes -- menacing sociopath,
or limp French fry that's been sitting
in the bottom of the bag soaking up all the oil.
And last night he cycled through both of them.
in turns threatening to unleash the military
on American citizens within our borders,
and at other times, listlessly reading on of a teleprompter
like he just finished a Thanksgiving meal
of Turkey with Sudafed stuffing.
-America needs creation, not destruction.
Cooperation, not contempt.
Security, not anarchy.
Healing, not hatred.
Justice, not chaos.
-[ As Trump ] "Coke, not Pepsi.
McDonald's, not Wendy's.
Pizza Hut, not Domino's.
But if there's no Pizza Hut, Domino's is fine."
He's reading a speech in the middle of a national crisis
like a 13-year-old reading from the Torah at a bar mitzvah.
Can someone at least show him these speeches
before he reads it cold off a teleprompter,
like he's getting his vision tested at the DMV?
"E, S, M, Q.
Oh, we love Q.
Oh, we love the Q, don't we, folks?
So many great words use the Q.
Quiznos.
Hydroxychloroquine.
Quick!"
But when he wasn't mindlessly reading off empty platitudes,
he was adopting a much darker and more sinister tone,
threatening to sic the military on American citizens
and violently crack down on nationwide protests
over the murder of yet another unarmed black man
at the hands of police.
-Today I have strongly recommended to every governor
to deploy the National Guard
in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets.
Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming
law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled.
If a city or state refuses to take the actions
that are necessary to defend the life and property
of their residents,
then I will deploy the United States military
and quickly solve the problem for them.
-I know our brains have all melted
from the constant flagrant lawlessness
and overall weirdness of this administration,
and nothing feels real anymore
and we're all just programmed to move on to the next thing
because Trump will inevitably do something bizarre the next day,
like throw a tantrum in the Rose Garden
or rub up against the flag like a horny 16-year-old at prom.
But this is a horrifying moment.
You know how over 3 1/2 years everyone was warning
about the inevitable worst-case scenario
where our democracy crumbles
and our country descends into authoritarianism?
That worst-case scenario is here, it's happening.
You're not going to get an invitation in the mail
asking you to RSVP to the "Democracy is Over" party.
There's no on/off switch.
Democracy, it turns out, is on a dimmer.
This is what it looks like.
In fact, last night police violently attacked
peaceful protesters lawfully exercising
their First Amendment rights
just so Trump could walk over to a church for a photo op.
-Within the last 15 minutes, mounted police have been coming
down the street, you're going to see them in the frame now,
using flash bangs in front of them,
and mounted police to clear what has been
an entirely peaceful protest.
Not 98%... [ Flash bangs bursting ]
...not 99%, but 100% peaceful protest here today.
People throwing -- there was no throwing of water bottles,
there was no throwing of objects.
But a short time ago, mounted police officers
have been clearing the street.
Tony, if you can pan to the right,
I want to show the military police --
-We live in a Third-World country!
-I want to show the military police
on the side of the street.
Over the last half hour, we've had military police,
we've had Secret Service officers,
we've had park police,
and now we've had National Guardsmen.
You can see these officers aiming at the protesters
who are here in the park.
-Military police in your country
attacked peaceful protesters, not looters,
to stop them from exercising their First Amendment rights.
Trump couldn't have done more damage to the Constitution
last night if he'd pulled a Sinead O'Connor
and ripped it up on live television
and then ate the pieces.
This moment probably seemed far off
when the extent of Trump's lawlessness was just
paying off porn stars or colluding with Russia
or sending the Soviet Super Mario Brothers over here
to get Ukraine to interfere in our election.
But he got away with all of that.
He got away with all of that, and now the moment has arrived.
Because the only lesson Trump has learned through all of this
is he can get away with whatever he wants.
The president used police to violently attack
a peaceful protest just so he could walk over to a church
where even the clergy fiercely condemned him.
And hold up a Bible in front of the cameras like a fourth grader
who forgot about show-and-tell until the last minute.
You can tell he's a man of faith from the way he holds the Bible
like he's selling it on QVC.
It wasn't even his, and he didn't seem to know
where it came from.
A reporter asked him about it and this was his answer.
-Is that your Bible? -It's a Bible.
-Why so vague? Did you steal from it a hotel?
He holds it like he's never held a Bible before in his life.
He probably doesn't know how to read it either.
Based on his grasp of Christianity,
he probably reads it upside down and backwards.
"Lot's wife was a pillar of salt,
but then she looked back at Sodom, cured just like that."
Clergy at the church denounced Trump's actions toward
protesters and his use of the church for a photo op.
And in case you think maybe the people around Trump
will just ignore his lawless authoritarianism,
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, a four-star general,
was patrolling the streets of D.C. last night.
The Defense Secretary told governors responding to protests
that they, quote, "Need to dominate the battle space."
A U.S. Senator was calling on the president to send in
lethal military units to subdue protesters.
And military helicopters also performed a show of force
maneuver that is often used in combat zones
to scare away insurgents.
They're treating protesters like insurgents.
Honestly, how long until Trump coasts down Pennsylvania Avenue
on top of a tank in a mouse suit and a bunch of Gaddafi scarves?
What we're seeing now is part the result of a cult-like
political ideology that venerates violence
and blithely elevated an authoritarian strongman
who openly fantasizes about armed conflict.
For as long as he's been a public figure,
Trump has also been an armchair thug
who glorifies violence.
For example, and this is a true story,
Trump used to fast-forward through
[bleep] Jean-Claude Van Damme movies so he could just watch
the violent parts without any plot.
A "New Yorker" writer who traveled with Trump on his plane
in the '90s wrote, "that he brought along 'Michael,'
a recent release, but 20 minutes after popping it into the VCR,
he got bored and switched to an old favorite,
a Jean-Claude Van Damme slugfest called 'Bloodsport'
which he pronounced an incredible, fantastic movie
by assigning to his son the task of fast-forwarding through
all the plot exposition, Trump's goal being
'to get this two-hour movie down to 45 minutes.'
He eliminated any lulls between the nose-hammering,
kidney-tenderizing, and shin-whacking."
Trump brought along a VCR copy of the 1996 movie "Michael"
starring John Travolta as an archangel
whose main mission on Earth is to get the main characters
to fall in love, and he bailed after 20 minutes.
"He's an angel? I thought this was about a man pigeon.
The cover looks like a man pigeon.
Oh, I mean, just imagine the damage a man pigeon would do."
Also, what part of "Bloodsport"
could even be fast-forwarding through anyway?
Was there a subplot in "Bloodsport" I'm not remembering
where Van Damme gives up ninjitsu to focus
on his love of pottery making?
That's why he sits around barfing up psychotic tweets
where he threatens protesters with vicious dogs
and ominous weapons.
Remember, this is a guy who also emulates dictators,
who praised China for the Tiananmen Square massacre,
and who has repeatedly claimed he's the most militaristic
person who's ever existed,
whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.
-I am the most militaristic person.
I would say I am the most militaristic person
on that stage.
I am the most militaristic person
you've ever had on your show, believe me, okay?
I'm the most militaristic person ever.
I am the most military-based
and the most militaristic person on your show.
-All right, first of all, it's just, you know,
an insane thing to brag about.
Even actual military people
don't call themselves militaristic.
It's their job, not their entire personality.
Chefs don't describe themselves as being very knife-oriented.
Second, you're not. You just aren't.
You were never in the military, you dodged the draft,
and you can't even stand upright.
You love the military the way you love the Constitution
and the Bible -- only when it serves you,
and that is not love.
Which you would know if you [bleep] finished "Michael."
He had a message for you!
And now we're seeing what happens
when a rotten-brained Boomer who glorifies violence
is in charge of the most powerful military in the world.
Yesterday, he shout at governors on a phone call that they needed
to dominate protesters with mass arrests.
-You have to dominate.
If you don't dominate, you're wasting your time.
They're going to run over you,
you're going to look like a bunch of jerks.
You have to dominate.
And you have to arrest people,
and you have to try people.
And they have to go to jail for long periods of time.
You're making a mistake because you're making yourself
look like -- look like fools.
-First of all, there's no deader giveaway
that you're the villain than using the word "fools."
You never hear someone say,
"Make sure those refugees get something warm to eat,
you fools!"
We can't just wait until November
and hope to vote Trump out.
We need to stand up to him now
to stop the country's descent into authoritarianism
before it's too late.
This has been "A Closer Look."
♪♪
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