In his weekly segment on Fox and Friends Donald Trump attacked Karl Rove for calling him a joke candidate, and blamed Rove for the election of Obama, “I am very upset with Bush because he had a really bad time, and he gave us Obama, and Karl Rove was Bush.”
On April 15, during an appearance on FNC’s On The Record With Greta Van Susteren, Karl Rove said of Trump and his birtherism,
Well, it hurts Donald Trump and it removes — he was an interesting candidate who had a business background and could have contributed to the dialogue. But his full embrace of the birther issue means that he’s off there in the nutty right and is now an inconsequential candidate.
I’m shocked. The guy’s smarter than this. And you know, the idea that President Obama was not born in Hawaii, being — you know, making that the centerpiece of his campaign, means that he’s just — you know, now, you know, a joke candidate. Let him go ahead and announce for election on “The Apprentice.” The American people aren’t going to be hiring him, and certainly, the Republicans are not going to be hiring him in the Republican primary.
Here is the video of Trump’s reply:
Trump responded to Rove’s criticism by claiming at first that Rove was upset because his candidate Mitt Romney is doing so poorly. Later, Donald Trump took a very direct tactic and blamed Rove for giving us George W. Bush who then gave us Barack Obama.
Donald Trump said, “Frankly Karl Rove got more publicity from this than he has on anything for a while. You know, really probably what bothers Karl and I understand this, and you know, I fully understand this. I am really upset with Bush, because Bush had a really bad period of time and he gave us Obama, and Karl Rove was Bush. I mean you know, a lot of people say Karl Rove was Bush. So he can’t love me, I don’t expect that he’s going to love me, but Bush gave us Obama.”
Trump continued by claiming that Rove and Bush screwed McCain and Palin in 2008, “In all fairness to John McCain and Sarah Palin, nobody could have won. You could have brought back Abraham Lincoln. He couldn’t have beaten Obama, at that time, because of what Karl [Rove] and Bush had done in that last period of Bush’s campaign.”
Last week Trump blamed, “The Blacks” for Obama, now he is blaming Karl Rove. Donald Trump is following the same dangerous path that Sarah Palin took in calling out Karl Rove last fall. It is no coincidence that after Sarah Palin tried to pick a fight with Rove the Republican establishment openly started to turn on her. Karl Rove is still the preeminent behind the scenes heavyweight in the GOP.
Rove is planning on using his 527 organizations to raise and spend $120 million dollars on the 2012 presidential election. $120 million is going to be a drop in the bucket compared to what Obama and his 527 will raise, but for a GOP nominee who is probably going to be starved for cash, this will represent an epic windfall.
There are two reasons why Trump would take on Rove. Trump, like Palin before him, wants to appear as the outsider candidate in the Republican field. He accomplishes this by going on the attack against Mr. Establishment, Karl Rove. Donald Trump’s other motive is all about keeping the door open for an Independent candidacy. Trump is trying to attack both parties in case he decides to run as a third party candidate.
Trump’s strategy of attacking Bush through Rove contains one fatal flaw. George W. Bush remains popular with Republicans. Bush’s presidency closed with him enjoying a 75%, approval rating with members of his own party. As nostalgia kicks in for Republicans, this number will only continue to grow.
Donald Trump was also minimizing Obama by claiming that Bush got him elected. Trump is ignoring the fact that Obama is a dynamic political force who ran one of the best campaigns in history. Even if Bush would not have tanked the economy, John McCain and Sarah Palin were going to lose in 2008. Obama is that good on the campaign trail.
Trump has been drinking too much teabagger juice if he thinks that Obama is going to be an easy out in 2012, and by attacking Rove, he has opened up a whole other can of worms that he is going to regret messing with.
Rove will be nice in public. He may even go on Fox News and walk back a few of his comments, but quietly behind the scenes, Karl Rove is going to obliterate Donald Trump.
That’s just how Bush’s Brain rolls.
Image: Business Insider
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Anne
Apr. 18th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Donald Trump is a loose cannon who will trip over the banana peel he has thrown in his own path. He picked the wrong one to fight when he insulted Karl Rove. The man can cut people off at the knees before they realize it, which is what happened to Sarah Palin.
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Sarah Jones
Apr. 18th, 2011 at 1:03 pm
Their denial of the Bush legacy (which they are all complicit in and perpetuating still) is the reason they can’t get their act together still. Own it, face it, make changes, and move forward! Instead they deny and blame and hide and keep pushing the same failed policies.
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Reynardine
Apr. 18th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
I can recall a cartoon called “Delusions of Grandeur”. This Volkswagen Beetle had just pulled into a state line weighing station, among all the eighteen-wheelers, and was demanding to be weighed.
Amazing, how I’d think of that one after four decades…
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Shiva (Moderator)
Apr. 18th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
don’t kid yourself. I can remember from about four years of age to 21, and then from about 55 to 62. If you’re anything like me you can’t remember anything in between
but then again I used to be a test pilot for Parke-Davis amongst other corporations such as the Colombian sun-dried marijuana growers Association
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RYD
Apr. 18th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
I think “The Donald” has flipped his lid. He is losing it.
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Enjay in E MT
Apr. 18th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
“Bush’s presidency closed with him enjoying a 75%, approval rating with members of his own party.”
I believe it is referred to as Bush fatigue, much like the high poll numbers when Reagan had – in other words:
“Thank Gawd that is over!”
Yes, President Obama ran a great campaign, but the GOP lost voters in 2008 with Mr. “the fundamentals of our economy are strong”. The GOP will loose again in 2012 because Boehner, Cantor, etc are ignoring Jobs while focusing on a womans personal choice.
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Jeffrey S. Raskin
Apr. 18th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
Trump went on CNN yesterday and said, essentially, that his manhood is bigger than Romney’s because he runs a bigger business than Romney’s old hedge funds.
You know what they say about guys that brag about those sorts of things.
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Bretfox
Apr. 18th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Bush never had a 75% approval rating of the registered GOP voters. He ended his office with less than a 30% approval rating.
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Reynardine
Apr. 19th, 2011 at 11:26 am
They were joking about that quite openly on GMA yesterday.
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Bretfox
Apr. 18th, 2011 at 8:26 pm
A year ago I would have never considered Donald Trump for President. He is not afraid of the old time farts like Karl Rove who have ruined the GOP. I think Trump is right on pursuing Obama for a birth certificate. Obama has never showed us his birth certificate and should be arrested immediately for the scam he has pulled off on all of us. Go Trump Go.
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Shiva (Moderator)
Apr. 18th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
Actually his birth certificate is on the internet. It appears you have been told not to look.If you arrest him you have to arrest the entire Democrat party, all republicans in congress, Bush, Cheney, the Supreme court along with John McCain.
Thats the list of people that are laughing at you
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EnoughIsEnough
Apr. 21st, 2011 at 11:26 pm
Not to mention the FBI, CIA, NSA and every investigative agency in the USA.
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Anne
Apr. 19th, 2011 at 12:26 am
Trump is already alienating other Republicans besides Rove. In fact, a member of Americans For Prosperity was on “The Last Word” tonight. He was citing aspects of Donald Trump’s past record that are in direct contradiction to the GOP mantra of fewer taxes, and he also supported universal health care. But he is trying to get the nomination by pandering to the worst elements of the GOP. I wonder how this will eventually play out for him. He is a buffoon, just like Sarah Palin, and both of them remind me of bulls in a china closet.
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Iolanthe
Apr. 19th, 2011 at 3:38 am
“If you would know what God thinks of money, you need only look at those to whom He gives a great deal of it.”
- Author Unknown
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DannyEastVillage
Apr. 19th, 2011 at 11:09 am
I bet even Rove got a good laugh out of that one.
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Reynardine
Apr. 19th, 2011 at 11:36 am
His interviews with George Stephanopolis were remarkable for their… their… Back in the day, they’d have diagnosed this guy as pathologically grandiose. I’d like to see what they call it now.
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Reynardine
Apr. 19th, 2011 at 11:38 am
Ah! I’ve got it! Republican!
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Shiva (Moderator)
Apr. 19th, 2011 at 11:44 am
they call it presidential material of course! Have a cup of tea?
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Danny Brantley
Apr. 19th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Trump running just made Romney absolutely null and void and any uniqueness about Romney, a billionaire jumping in again, Romney is pale in comparison to Trump. Romney is an empty suit with no charisma and Trump is over pouring with Charisma. There is no way I will not vote for Trump in the Primary now and I love Trump giving the Rove’s of the world, the establishment inside the Rockefeller Rino’s headaches. They can’t handle Trump, Trump is his own man and the only person, other than Palin and Bachman who sounds different and the only person actually telling us what he will to do take back the #1 spot in the world over China. I love this guy. Go Trump!
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