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Pulitzer Prize Nominee: Distinguished Investigative Journalism – WASHINGTON POST
As Donald Trump appeared behind the counter at a Feasterville, PA, McDonald's location, the press went into a collective meltdown over this arrival. Leading the charge was WaPo, which looked into the matter and made a discovery: This campaign event, announced five days earlier, which was made to generate publicity and create a photo-op, was (gird yourselves for a shock) – a staged event!
The restaurant was closed to the public during Trump’s visit, and the motorists whom Trump served were screened by the U.S. Secret Service and positioned before his arrival. No one ordered food. Instead, the attendees received whatever Trump gave them.
WaPo also looked into the background of the franchise owner, delving into his prior positions and other comments he has made. As for Kamala Harris claiming to have worked at a McDonald's in the past? WaPo did not see a need for such investigating and was content to go with the word of campaign spokesman Ian Sams, despite Harris never mentioning the job on prior resumes nor in her memoirs.
Trump serves McDonald’s fries to supporters in stage-managed campaign stop https://t.co/FauYYiePYV
— 🇺🇸Robert M (@rob11563@mastodon.coffee) 🇺🇦 (@rob11563) October 21, 2024
Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – NEWSWEEK
Recommended
Easily our favorite exploration of the Trump weekend schedule as the fry cooker comes from Newsweek, which, by the sounds of it, really entertained the possibility that Trump was employed at this McDonald's:
According to a press release issued by his campaign, "President Donald J. Trump suited up for a shift at McDonald's in Bucks County, Pennsylvania." A full shift generally implies 8 to 9 hours of work, yet posts circulating on social media suggest Trump worked there for less.
Rumors have been circulating on social media that former President Donald Trump's visit to the popular fast food chain was staged. https://t.co/NIfynvKBfO
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) October 21, 2024
Matching Media Memorandum – VARIOUS OUTLETS
You all do realize that is not how this works...
Another thing that had the press in a real collective snit on Sunday was Trump's claim that Kamala Harris never worked for the restaurant chain. As this has been a point of contention for months, one might expect the media supposedly concerned over such a detail to investigate, yet there is little seen in the way of actual energy spent by the press.
Instead, they seem to operate with the belief that it is up to Trump to deliver the evidence that Harris did NOT work at McDonald's.
So, not only is he expected to prove a negative (not possible, journos), but Harris bears no obligation to come up with evidence of her claim.
Virtually every media outlet -- AP, LA Times, CNN, Forbes, BI -- complains that Trump has "no evidence" Kamala didn't work at McDonalds
— Gregg Re (@gregg_re) October 20, 2024
They do not mention that Kamala has no evidence she *did* work there, or that McDonald's hasn't backed her up. Classic burden-shifting pic.twitter.com/O2IT98cVUg
Pre-Written Field Reports – NEWSWEEK
Newsweek Magazine is having a tough week – and it is only Monday. Hot on the heels of that scorching McDonald's exposé comes another detail unearthed by the intrepid investigators at one of America's top-20 weekly news magazines. First, the backstory.
After his McDonald's shift, Trump made it to Acrisure Stadium for the Sunday night game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets. Along with this stop, his Truth Social media account posted a picture of Trump decked out in the uniform of the home team.
And I thought this was real. pic.twitter.com/Gs2xIpGZ9L
— EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) October 21, 2024
Now, to most sentient and well-balanced individuals, this is clearly a humorous display created for effect as an AI-generated image. But to a Newsweek reporter with a quota of stories to file, this is cause for undertaking a serious investigation. How great would it feel to be an NFL press contact and be asked if you could confirm if and when it was that Donald Trump had suited up for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and could you provide his career statistics?
Donald Trump has shared what is likely an AI-generated image on his Truth Social account showing him as a player for the Pittsburgh Steelers. https://t.co/lEPxiWTY2x
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) October 21, 2024
Low-Octane Gaslighting – POLITICO
This was basically very close, except for all the contradictory evidence.
POLITICO saw the announcement that Trump had canceled a few scheduled interviews, and decided it needed to do what it's always fond of accusing Republicans of doing – it pounced!
The claim is that Trump is in the midst of some form of media blackout, as he backed away from NBC, and included his avoidance of the "60 Minutes" interview for obvious reasons. For the outlet to say he is avoiding the press, and giving the cause is due to "exhaustion," it's defied by the reality of his schedule.
Does reality not factor into your reporting??? https://t.co/PXkiq1lZpd pic.twitter.com/pUMb6LESy0
— Brad Slager: A Folksy Coach & Joyful As a K-Hive! (@MartiniShark) October 19, 2024
Presentation Paradox – CBS NEWS
Your position then, is he is in no way correct, even as you admit he was accurate.
Speaking of that "60 Minutes" non-interview, the program is still under fire for the way it was caught re-editing the already edited Kamala Harris interview. The production team has finally gotten around to making an official statement about the controversy, and it is precious. They say Trump is "false" in his claim it was deceitfully edited, but go on to confirm that they edited her answer to the question initially broadcast:
Former President Donald Trump is accusing 60 Minutes of deceitful editing of our Oct. 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. That is false. 60 Minutes gave an excerpt of our interview to Face the Nation that used a longer section of her answer than that on 60 Minutes. Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response. When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point. The portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide ranging 21-minute-long segment.
So, they edited down her lengthy answer first shown in a 90-second teaser clip, in order to make it fit into the 21-minute broadcast episode. That…makes zero sense.
A statement from 60 Minutes: https://t.co/skHTnVRO1C pic.twitter.com/v9oWoce6r0
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 20, 2024
Legalized Press-titution – CNN
Jake Tapper's obsession here is rather uncomfortable.
Okay, so, yes – it was rather odd, strange, out of left field, and other descriptions for Donald Trump to tell an anecdote at his rally about the size of Arnold Palmer's penis. But in an interview with Speaker Mike Johnson, Jake Tapper seemed particularly focused on this detail.
After stating that he was not at all comfortable bringing up such a topic, he badgered Johnson three different times, for reasons we are not comfortable exploring.
House Speaker Mike Johnson pressed on Trump's comments on the size of Arnold Palmer's penis.
— Andy Kaczynski (@KFILE) October 20, 2024
Jake Tapper interviewing House Speaker Mike Johnson this morning on CNN:
Tapper: Is this really the message you want to hear from Donald Trump, stories about Arnold Palmer's… pic.twitter.com/2HL4TVh9wz
