RUSH: My friends, the Drive-By Media cannot get over itself. They are still having kittens over the Trump press conference yesterday, and, specifically, they are having kittens over Trump’s treatment of the CNN reporter Jim Acosta. This is the guy that, during the press conference yesterday, kept trying to ask Trump a question and then eventually demanded that Trump answer his question. And Trump said, “No. I’m not taking your question. You’re ‘fake news.'” And I loved it.
The Drive-Bys have just gone purple over this notion of “fake news.” And you want to hear an example of success? Dean Baquet, who is the executive editor at the New York Times, has announced that they are going to ban the term “fake news.” He said he’s planning to ban the term “fake news.”
He said: “I never really liked the term — it’s an oxymoron. I think we should retire the term. It has become a shorthand for a whole range of stuff.” Grab sound bite number 12. Seth Meyers last night on his NBC-late-night entry, the eponymously named Late Night with Seth Meyers. He had this to say about it.
MEYERS: Today Trump called these new reports “fake news.” So despite an incredibly short run, I think it is time to retire that term. It used to be one thing, but now everyone is using it for everything. “Fake news” as a term is busted.
RUSH: Let me tell you what’s busted. What’s busted is the left’s attempted exclusive use of it to describe me, to describe Fox News, to describe conservative media anywhere. They set up the term “fake news” to discredit and impugn anybody not themselves. Things are not going their way. They’re stepping in it no matter what they do.
So the term fake news — we actually used the term “fake news” ten years ago. We’ve got audio sound bites. We’ve got parodies where we’ve used the term. But they think they invented it and they think they invented it to discredit and impugn anybody but them. And it’s backfired on ’em, because now the president-elect has called them “fake news.” And that’s why they’re banning it because it’s backtracked on ’em, it’s boomeranged on ’em and they are the ones now accused of in the public mind of broadcasting, harboring, reporting “fake news.”
So of course they want to get rid of it. They want to get rid of it because it’s been used to describe them. Let’s go back in time because this was so good. Let’s go back in time and relive this. This is the segment yesterday. It’s an iconic moment. We will preserve this as an historical item in our Grooveyard of Forgotten Sound Bites. This is how it happened about 24 hours ago. We JIP’ed that press conference, and it happened near the end of it.
ACOSTA: Since you’re attacking us can you give us a question?
TRUMP: No.
ACOSTA: Mr. president-elect —
TRUMP: Go ahead.
ACOSTA: Mr. President-elect, since you’re attacking our news organization —
TRUMP: No, not you. Not you. Your organization is terrible.
ACOSTA: Since you are attacking our news organization, can you give us a chance to ask a question?
TRUMP: Your organization is terrible.
ACOSTA: Can you give us a chance to ask a question, sir?
TRUMP: Go ahead.
ACOSTA: Sir, sir, can you state —
TRUMP: Quiet. Quiet. Go ahead.
ACOSTA: Mr. President-elect —
TRUMP: He’s asking a question. Don’t be rude.
ACOSTA: Mr. president-elect, can you give us a question?
TRUMP: Don’t be rude.
ACOSTA: You’re attacking us, can you give us a question?
TRUMP: Don’t be rude. No, I’m not gonna give you a question.
ACOSTA: Can you state categorically —
TRUMP: You are fake news.
RUSH: (laughing) I just love it. All during that bite, that bite runs 28 seconds. Were you able to hear everything you needed to hear in all the cross-talk because the one guy that kept shouting was Acosta, the guy from CNN. (imitating Acosta) “Mr. President-elect, since you’re attacking our news organization –”
“No, not you, not you.”
“Can you give us a question, give us a chance?”
“Your organization is terrible.”
“You’re attacking our news organization.”
“Your organization is terrible.”
“Can you give us a chance to ask questions?”
“Go ahead.”
“Sir, can you –”
“Quiet, quite. Don’t be rude.”
Quiet? (laughing) He told the reporter to be quiet and then said, “No, you don’t get a question, you are fake news.” Does anybody remember the name Neil Munro? Yes, you do. You remember the name Neil Munro. Neil Munro was a reporter, I forget for whom. Let’s see, Neil Munro was — Daily Caller, and it was a press event at the White House.
Now, admittedly we will be honest and up front about this. At this press event there were no questions. It was one of Obama’s, “I’m gonna speak but you can’t ask a thing, and if you do, I won’t answer.” One of those kinds of things. And when Obama says no questions, they bend over and say “how many no questions?” When Obama says no questions, “Yes, God, yes, our savior, no questions. We will not ask you any questions.” Whatever Obama wanted, Obama got.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: No, I haven’t forgotten about Neil Munro. I didn’t lose my place. Neil Munro worked for The Daily Caller, and Obama had one of these no-questions events, and when Obama said, “No questions,” the media said, “How many no questions?” And if Obama said, “No question, never. That’s all I’m talking,” they said, “Fine.”
Well, Neil Munro either didn’t get the memo or said to hell with the memo, and he asked Obama a question. The White House press corps literally chased Neil Munro off the White House grounds, and then they… They did. I mean, he asked the question; Obama looked very, very irritated. The press was angry because the president’s wishes had been ignored by this upstart, this punk! This fake journalist from the fake news site, Daily Caller, had the audacity to ask a question of the president of the United States, and the guy was so scared, he ran away from them.
They gave chase. They chased him off the White House grounds. I think he went and got as far as the Washington Monument before everybody ran out of breath. They tried to get his press credentials revoked. But here Trump’s refusal to answer Jim Acosta’s question? “Why, that’s beyond the pale!” Now, here are some of the headlines from the Neil Munro heresy. This happened back in 2012. It was June of 2012. “Daily Caller’s Neil Munro Interrupts Obama in Rose Garden,” Politico.
“Daily Caller Reporter Interrupts Obama’s Immigration Announcement,” Washington Post. “Daily Caller Reporter Interrupts Obama’s Rose Garden Statement,” U.K. Guardian. “Daily Caller Reporter Heckled President Obama During Immigration Remarks,” Mediaite. You know Munro’s question was? He had the nerve to ask Obama, as he was talking about giving illegal alien DREAMers work permits… He said, “Why do you favor foreigners over American workers?”
Well, that was heresy! That was impudence. That was disrespect. And so the press corps really went after Munro. They lit into him. Folks, I’m not making this up. They chased him off the White House grounds, and Munro tried to shout another question: “Is it the right thing for American workers with high unemployment? Why are you spending all this time and money on noncitizens, Mr. President?” Press dumped all over Munro. They tried to cancel his credentials and so forth. So just compare that to what we all saw happen 24 hours ago.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Very quickly grab audio sound bite number 14. We actually have the audio of Neil Munro asking the questions. It’s June the 15th, 2012. So this is 4-1/2 years ago now, and again this event was in the Rose Garden. Obama had mandated no questions while he announced all the new wonderful things he was gonna do for illegal immigrant kids, which is what inspired Munro’s question. So Obama is speaking about Homeland Security’s announcement that they were gonna stop deporting illegal immigrants who come to the country at a young age, and Neil Munro shouted a question in violation of the stated protocol.
OBAMA: This is a temporary stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people. It is the —
MUNRO: (interrupting)
OBAMA: (angrily) It is the right thing t’do!
MUNRO: Is it the right thing to do for American workers?
OBAMA: (angrily) Excuse me, sir. It’s not time for questions, sir. (stammering) Not while I’m speaking!
RUSH: “No, not time for questions. Not while I’m speaking!” And the press turned on Munro. See, Munro’s not one of them. He’s from The Daily Caller. But again, the big news today: The New York Times has mandated that the term “fake news” will no longer be used, which means all the other agencies will soon follow along. Folks, it’s a victory. They intended “fake news” to be permanently in the lexicon to describe us and Fox News. We turned it around on ’em, and described them using it. It’s done. They won’t use it anymore.