Donald Trump is very upset that pal Jeanine Pirro has been pulled off the air for her bigoted comments about Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar. The suffering and grief in New Zealand after Friday’s massacre of Muslims in Christchurch? Not so much.
In case you’ve forgotten Pirro’s awful words, she first accused Nancy Pelosi and the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates of having “appeased the rise of anti-Semitism in the Democrat [sic] party.” Then, after acknowledging that the Democratic party is not anti-Israel, Pirro said this about Omar:
PIRRO: [Omar’s] not getting this anti-Israel sentiment doctrine from the Democrat party. So if it's not rooted in the party, where is she getting it from? Think about it. Omar wears a hijab, which according to the Quran 33:59, tells women to cover so they won't get molested. Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to sharia law which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?
Fox is playing coy about why Pirro’s show did not air last night, though CNN’s Brian Stelter reported that she has been suspended for two weeks.
Meanwhile, New Zealand is still reeling from the massacre at two Christchurch mosques on Friday (our Thursday night). But Trump showed more concern about not being able to watch Pirro for a week or two.
By the way, Pirro not only has a long history of anti-Muslim bigotry, she has a long history of friendship with Trump. Her former husband, the allegedly mob-connected lawyer who was convicted of 34 counts of tax evasion and conspiracy, was kept on retainer by Trump.
In a Twitter rage today, Trump had nothing to say about New Zealand but he attacked Fox News over Pirro, attacked Omar in a retweet and repeatedly whined about Pirro’s absence. This, ladies and gentlemen is what Trump had nothing better than to do today:
Bring back @JudgeJeanine Pirro. The Radical Left Democrats, working closely with their beloved partner, the Fake News Media, is using every trick in the book to SILENCE a majority of our Country. They have all out campaigns against @FoxNews hosts who are doing too well. Fox .....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2019
....must stay strong and fight back with vigor. Stop working soooo hard on being politically correct, which will only bring you down, and continue to fight for our Country. The losers all want what you have, don’t give it to them. Be strong & prosper, be weak & die! Stay true....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2019
....to the people that got you there. Keep fighting for Tucker, and fight hard for @JudgeJeanine. Your competitors are jealous - they all want what you’ve got - NUMBER ONE. Don’t hand it to them on a silver platter. They can’t beat you, you can only beat yourselves!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2019
(Trump caricature by DonkeyHotey via Creative Commons license.)
Has Fox News’ culture changed a smidgen? Even if their arm is getting twisted by outraged advertisers. Because I suspect pugnacious Ailes who, like his protégé Trump, lives for a fight wouldn’t have been so quick to suspend Piro. In fact, I suspect the Murdochs would had have to intervene to force Roger’s hand if he still ran the propaganda factory. Of course, I’m speculating here.