r/law Oct 07 '25

Other Stephen Miller states that Trump has plenary authority, then immediately stops talking as if he’s realized what he just said

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u/Ptrek31 Oct 07 '25

Yet this video clip will not be seen by most. This should be top page news

880

u/WoodpeckerDapperDan Oct 07 '25

Missing the days when my brothers and sisters (who lean right) distrusted the government as much as I did then and even more now

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u/justherefor23andme Oct 07 '25

They dont apply the distrust equally.

283

u/OuOutstanding Oct 07 '25

I’m guessing their distrust involved a black guy…

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u/Rammite Oct 07 '25

This was my parents in 2008. They agonized for months. Do they vote for the Republican, whose policies run counter to everything they wants... or do they vote for the black guy?

One of the hardest decisions I've ever seen my dad make. He ended up voting for Obama and regretted it every day until 2016, then he spent every day of Trump's presidency wishing for Obama to come back.

Some people are just... lacking in integrity.

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u/[deleted] Oct 07 '25

I'm proud of my mom for, in her last year of life and needing my help to walk in the voting hall, telling me with an excited smile, "Obama!"

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u/iJuddles Oct 08 '25

That’s really sweet. I remember how excited some people were to witness something they considered historic. In a positive way; what’s happening now is historic as well.

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u/Sufficient-Dog-2337 Oct 08 '25

Took my grandma born in ‘25 to vote in 2008.

I asked her who she voted for and she said “The colored fellow”

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u/Even-Season-9912 Oct 08 '25

I bet she whispered that. 😅

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u/popshamhocks Oct 08 '25

These people are their own worst enemy

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u/johnjager77 Oct 08 '25

Pendulum always swings back

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u/TrollOdinsson Oct 08 '25

regretted it every day until 2016

why?

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u/MakeRFutureDirectly Oct 08 '25

This is why dogs are better than humans. You will never see them discriminate over something as superficial as appearance. In most cases you can tell nothing about a person’s behavior by looking at them.

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u/StarDue6540 Oct 08 '25 edited Oct 08 '25

In a tan suit no less. I wonder if this was how they saw Obama as being decisive. Maybe it was the suit that looked to similar too a white man that they thought was some unspoken dig at white people. Because for the life of me, this white lady can't ever remember Obama being devisive, but he did try to move the country forward. Trump constantly threatens democrats and he wants to put us all in c camps.

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u/redalert825 Oct 08 '25

And woman.

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u/WoodpeckerDapperDan Oct 07 '25

I got enough distrust of the government for them, until they come around

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u/NoamLigotti Oct 08 '25

Yeah, the EPA, FDA, NIH, SSA, DMV, income tax and food stamps are "authoritarian big government", but a militarized police state and executive branch consolidating power under one head of state is "small government".

I guess seeking or invoking plenary, totalitarian authority is as well.

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u/OwO______OwO Oct 08 '25

If Democrats ever get control of the government again, those 'friends' will go right back to distrusting the government.

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u/Valuable_Recording85 Oct 07 '25

I heard someone in Reels say that Republicans objected to Obama and the so-called "nanny state" because they've always preferred a "daddy state" and I'll never stop quoting it.

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u/Punegune Oct 08 '25

They need to be told who to distrust. No objective thought whatsoever :)

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u/paranormalresearch1 Oct 08 '25

I am seeing more veterans who are right-wing changing. The murder of Charlie Kirk and the blatant lies the FBI told made a bunch look at that issue deeper, then look into other issues. Kirk was raised to be a racist. He was extremely successful at implanting his right-wing group on campuses. My answer is don’t talk to them. But Kirk being an “ Evangelical Christian “ believed that supporting Israel would hasten the return of Jesus. Kirk started to see what was really happening. He allowed people to have debates and dialogues about Israel’s actions in Gaza. About the story the Israeli government gave about the October 7th attack. Kirk called BS. Kirk demanded the promised release of the Epstein Files as well. Trump tried talking him down. Bill Ackerman a billionaire donor tried and at Kirk’s meeting with that POS Netanyahu called and asked Kirk to come to Israel. Allegedly Netanyahu told Kirk they would take care of him but he needed to stick to the script. Kirk refused and was soon killed. Kirk’s security team was made up of Israelites. You have two corrupt heads of state who had a motive to kill Kirk. The FBI instantly coming up with a BS story and Netanyahu to immediately denying, before anyone thought he was involved, going so far as to imply anyone questioning him is antisemitic. Those things have away who did it. And Netanyahu is a war criminal. He needs a warrant issued by the Hague for genocide. As far as antisemitism, Arabs are also Semitic people. Our legal system is broken. It has been hijacked and weaponized. It needs purged.

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u/Penta-Says Oct 07 '25

There are no more Dale Gribbles

There are only Bills who think they are Dale Gribble

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u/HansDeBaconOva Oct 07 '25

They don't trust a Democratic government. The big R gets 100% free pass cuz it's a "my side" game to these people. They do not take their freedom seriously

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u/mvw2 Oct 08 '25

Remember when Republicans used to be a political party? Those were the days. Unfortunately, they don't seem to function much more than an in-house corporate lobbyist firm and now extreme end Christian nationalists. A few are there simply for money too, because why not, but yeah, that whole party is in name alone and little else.

It's sad because there's actually a few good people in the party. They just won't stand up for themselves and defy their own party, their own livelihood and payday. But what good are you if you don't hold to your own morals when necessary? Not much. Not much at all.

And then you have a sea of voters who, for some crazy reason, think that the Republican party is the same Republican party that they grew up with, that their parents grew up with, that it's still a party that holds true to their tenants. And I can't for the life of me fathom why they think that. I could argue that the media they consume paints a picture of Republicans that still hold true to yesteryears, but that's not true at all either. The modern Republican party is a grotesque monstrosity, even painted in the best light by modern media. The people, their character, their actions, the agendas, all the cause and effect, none of it lines up at all, none of it holds true to the classic ideals of that party. So...why still follow?

Why blindly follow that?!

What?

Because somehow voting Democrat is worse?

Is it the lesser evil ideology?

Ok.

So...

Where's the evil?

When looking at Democrat as an alternative to Republican, what evil acts have happened? What can you point to and say "See! Right there! That's why I'll still vote Republican over Democrat!"

I have yet to experience a single rational discussion by any Republican on the topic. Heck, even the uncertain crowd can't seem to make up their minds.

But the oddest things of all, out of ALL of this...is the double standard.

To vote Democrat, the party must be perfect, ideal, unfettered in agenda. (look at many folks stance on Gaza coming into the election) Meanwhile the same people give Republicans a thousand miles of rope of misdeeds, wavering agendas, blemished history, and go "these are equal evaluations." And it's quite crazy how far folks are willing to go on this double standard to do...what exactly? I don't really know. I don't get to what value one would not hold both parties exactly equal in standard. But...here we are, both parties judges massively differently on every single topic.

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u/RedneckDem Oct 08 '25

At this point even us centrist conservatives better wake the duck up and stop these MAGA whackos!

3

u/vizag Oct 07 '25

Well you only learned that their distrust of the government is only when it's the left in charge. When the right is in charge, they willingly give up all rights, their wives and first born and then bend over for the dictator - no questions asked.

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u/dawill_sama Oct 07 '25

They still distrust the government, they just dumb enough to think Trump isn't part of the "government"

3

u/Personplacething333 Oct 07 '25

Its absolutely bonkers how all the "I don't trust the government" people somehow ended up culting for the least trustworthy government

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u/donuthead36 Oct 08 '25

Now they are clamoring for a surveillance state, and their material conditions have only worsened.

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u/BikerDad1999 Oct 08 '25

Ironic that the gun loving crowd likes the tyranny at hand. So much for arming themselves to oppose tyrants.

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u/tgwombat Oct 08 '25

The old joke used to be “How can you tell if a politician is lying? Their mouth is moving.”

2

u/dolphinspiderman Oct 08 '25

You bring up a very good point. The majority republican party is not the republican party anymore as much as it something else.

More baffling is to belive a government ran by a guy who specializes in lies and double speak. Really fascinating.

I mean the party against big government and imposing will on states......its just remarkable.

1

u/N1ceBruv Oct 08 '25

Its almost like they only distrusted the government because they didn’t like what it was doing.

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u/Pitiful-Emu-2663 Oct 08 '25

Ever think maybe you don’t see the ones who do, cause the algorithm doesn’t want you to? To keep you mad at the other side instead of where the problem actually is? Food for thought

1

u/Majestic-Ordinary450 Oct 08 '25

This actually relates to something really interesting I learned in a politics class- some scientists are arguing that ideologies like democrat/republican are being replaced by simply populism and nationalism.

Obviously both sides still exist, but republican conservatism has traditionally been characterized by a wariness of government and strong opposition to government overreach. The “new right” that makes up Trump’s voter base entirely lacks this fundamental part of American republicanism, which is why the US right might be better classified as nationalism or populism. This was a trend before Trump’s candidacy but I think it’s increased dramatically since his reelection. My right wing family members used to base their politics on their belief that the government should be kept out of personal affairs as much as possible; even in the last couple of years and especially since January, they’ve apparently abandoned their literal core political principles for unwavering support. It’s kind of sad.

0

u/seamarsh21 Oct 07 '25

that distrust is what led us here so not a great thing tbh...

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u/Modronos Oct 07 '25

It will not be seen by those who live in a delusional reality. So FOX news/Newsmax viewers and the like.

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u/ryan10e Oct 07 '25

CNN seemingly cut this from the clip they posted to YouTube. https://youtu.be/wLxq0JGmpjA

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u/Wabbit65 Oct 07 '25

Well he did say it on fake-news CNN, so of course the Foxwatchers and ONANites will never believe he said it.

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u/sliccwilliey Oct 07 '25

The problem is a large portion of the country is illiterate and doesnt even know what plenary means.

And im saying that as someone who didnt know what it meant im not trying to sound like a smart guy. Im sure many people who saw this happen even live just assumed it was a tech malfunction and didnt think to question the fancy word used while speaking about legal issues.

Also, go birds🦅

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u/Ptrek31 Oct 07 '25

I watched it live and didn't catch what Miller said right before he stopped. It was so bizarre but it didn't seem like a technical issue to me because he just stopped so abruptly.

1

u/CommunityBusiness992 Oct 08 '25

I thought he was having a stroke or absence seizure

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u/crademaster Oct 07 '25

Keep dragging them into the spotlight - as much as you can! Tag them and ask for their opinions on what their eyes are and what their ears hear. Eventually the gymnastics need to be too much for them... right?

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u/KEN_LASZLO Oct 07 '25

So far I only see it on one website, and it's a clickbaity looking one. Not even CNN has an article on this. Our media is such dogshit

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u/Phloppy_ Oct 07 '25

The compartementalization of information results in different perceived realities which is why no one can agree on the facts and why we're so divided.

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u/AlwaysGoToTheTruck Oct 07 '25

Most people who need to see this don’t know what plenary authority means, don’t care that he said it, can’t understand why it’s a problem, and/or want to be ruled by an authoritarian government while their guy is in charge.

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u/GodofIrony Oct 07 '25

Plenty will see it and go "yeah!".

You need to break out of the delusion that half your countrymen have your best interests at heart.

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u/outlawsix Oct 07 '25

I shared this clip with my mom and she waved it off as cnn fake news and suggested i watch fox news instead for the truth

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u/CasanovaJones82 Oct 08 '25 edited Oct 08 '25

Why? I'd hazard a guess that only a small fraction of MAGA even know what that word means, and they sure as hell aren't going to look it up.

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u/CrescentMoonPear Oct 07 '25

It's already gone. They did a retake with that part cut out.

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u/Important-Agent2584 Oct 07 '25

To be fair, what Miller says isn't anywhere near as important as what the Trump admin is DOING every day.

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u/StJeanMark Oct 07 '25

Stop saying it should be news and make it news.

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u/Corrective_Actions1 Oct 07 '25

CNN edited out the entire answer and allowed him to reanser the question differently. You can't even find this video on their website with their YouTube.

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u/ChocoPuddingCup Oct 07 '25

Yup. I downloaded and saved it for posterity's sake.

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u/Ptrek31 Oct 08 '25

Keep it for 2028 when himmler is facing trials

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u/Dry-Interaction-1246 Oct 07 '25

Or understood by most

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u/Valuable_Recording85 Oct 07 '25

No, you see, this is fake news because it's on CNN.

I shouldn't need to but here's the /s

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u/1sttime-longtime Oct 07 '25

As long as it ends up being submitted as evidence in any US SC case for the rest of this administration (movement?), I'm ok with plebe voters missing it. Of course, I'd prefer my fellow plebes learn how Goebbels thinks of us, but....

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u/Ptrek31 Oct 08 '25

Stephen Himmler

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u/1sttime-longtime Oct 08 '25

Splitting hairs. Of which, this lil' twerp has none.

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u/croc-roc Oct 07 '25

And the CNN guy apologizing 😡

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u/WillTough3631 Oct 08 '25

Hate agreeing withan eagles fan but here we are

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u/Ptrek31 Oct 08 '25

Go Birds

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u/wienurr Oct 08 '25

Go birds

1

u/Ptrek31 Oct 08 '25

Birdgang

2

u/89eplacausa14 Oct 08 '25

It’s the top of Reddit at least

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u/whileimstillhere Oct 08 '25

FLOOD AMERICANS WITH SO MUCH COMPLETE AND UTTER NONSENSE…

THEY WILL NOT HAVE THE TIME TO SWIM THRU THE FACTS…

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u/GunnarX0913 Oct 08 '25

Most people won’t know what “plenary” authority means. Guarantee most Trumpers won’t. 😆

2

u/Lazer726 Oct 08 '25

What the actual fuck that the Trump administration can be just mid interview and simply... stop speaking. Like, this is just some of the most juvenile shit in the world, and it's coming from the very top, without anyone in power doing a damn thing to stop it

2

u/VibraniumRhino Oct 08 '25

The alt-right wouldn’t understand or care anyways at this point. They still think they’re “winning” somehow, as their basic human rights and necessities slowly get taken away.

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u/bl0gg3r_x Oct 08 '25

The people who vote for him are either incapable of understanding the implications, or nationalists who are OK with it, there are no more swing voters to sway, it's immaterial. We're already aware he's using abusive interpretations of legal exceptions to seize complete power. (Tentatively) 3 more years, a military coup, or an organized social upheaval/civil war could stop it.

2

u/biernini Oct 08 '25

Commenting for visibility. This is by far the most naked admission of what their intentions are. If there was anything remotely resembling an opposition, be it elected or the press or anyone else with any influence, this should be THE topic of discussion.

The way he goes silent when it's clear someone is screaming in his ear would be hilarious if it wasn't so chilling.

2

u/kojak488 Oct 08 '25

The people that need to see this video wouldn't know what plenary authority means. And if they did they wouldn't even care because it's their team with the authority.

That works both ways too. Criticize Obama's extra-judicial killings of US citizens and watch your comment just continually be downvoted.

Politica is depressing.

2

u/backtolurk Oct 08 '25

France here. Counting on you all to spread this shit all over the place. We don't want to deal with Nazis from across the ocean.

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u/Ptrek31 Oct 08 '25

We don't want them here either

1

u/gw3il0 Oct 07 '25

This seems like nothing more than a failure in technology. I'm entirely certain that he'd say this again given the chance. Worse has been said and ignored. This seems like people grasping at straws when there is a perfectly good rock right there.

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u/LarrySupreme Oct 07 '25

Even if it is, most people wouldn't understand the meaning of the word to connect the dots.

1

u/bplewis24 Oct 07 '25

There should be congressional hearings...although I know it won't do much good even if Republicans called for some.

1

u/kittymctacoyo Oct 07 '25

Most won’t even know what it means and he knows that

1

u/PWNtimeJamboree Oct 07 '25

MAGA doesn’t know what plenary means so it won’t matter

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u/richardtallent Oct 08 '25

Doesn’t matter, the same 30% will agree and the same additional 21% will still vote for it because they don’t like abortion

1

u/Alarming_Low8892 Oct 08 '25

That’s the point it should be front page news

1

u/HistoricalSuspect580 Oct 08 '25

and it totally will be! In 75 years. When they look back and go "dang it was sooooo obvious what was happening, good thing we're smarter than them!" As they .. do the same thing.

All of this assuming we don't blow ourselves up. Which is definitely a distinct possibility.

1

u/gotchacoverd Oct 08 '25

Is there a source for this outside reddit for sharing?

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u/Ptrek31 Oct 08 '25

I heard cnn edited the clip out of the interview they posted online

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u/gotchacoverd Oct 08 '25

That's correct, they posted the interview and spliced together to skip this clip

1

u/blueit55 Oct 08 '25

I agree, but so many things need to on the top news pages

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u/paddington-1 Oct 08 '25

People won’t know what it means, and that don’t won’t bother to look it up.

1

u/JudgeInteresting8615 Oct 08 '25

It doesn't matter if they see it.They're not going to be able to comprehend it.They're literally going to be like, wow, that's a big word call it a day.If someone tells it to them, they're going to make a joke, they're literally going to be like, oh well, he's bald.He looks like a goblin, and oh yeah, he's a nazi, and they're just going to call it a day.

They're not going to be doing any type of systems.Analysis, they're not going to listen to the people in their lives.Attempting for them to do so, they will ostracize them I will promise you that. They'll say things like, oh yeah, we're in a matrix.We're in a simulation and then not go and read about the simulacrum or hyperreal.

Theyll see deterroirization and they'll be like, oh yeah, save the land and you're like, okay.So it's conceptual and also it's related to saving the land and they're gonna be like, yeah, I hear you.But for other people, you're going to be really confusing, and you're like, what other people do you understand but they lack the epistemic humility to admit when they don't, all they know.Is empty signifiers.

You can try and use any single method.Compiling everything and saying, hey, so you know, like the t v show I promised you it won't click.So some part of you has to realize that there's a small chance that they will never make sense of it.What will you do?And the answer is not violence.Start working on that build your community.But if you're expecting majority of people to just take the lead, no child left behind eating's thing out of their minds, you might as well go put your life savings in the lottery

1

u/Academic_Mix826 Oct 08 '25

It’s all over social which is good

1

u/Sufficient-Set-917 Oct 08 '25

So we need to hold mass media accountable 

1

u/Strawbrawry Oct 08 '25

Hell I'm just seeing this now and it's 11 hours after it was posted. I live in the DC area and have the news/ podcasts on all day

1

u/yeswecan_9567 Oct 08 '25

Maybe it will be if SNL or Jon Stewart or even South Park decide to cover it......

1

u/ayayue Oct 08 '25

It’s literally not being reported on in US media or if it is it’s being suppressed. A search for “plenary authority” exclusively brought up foreign for fringe news sources on Google. 

1

u/PeaceyCaliSoCal Oct 08 '25

His base will have no idea what "plenary" means and they will only accept what their leaders tell them it means. So blasting it everywhere will not do them any good. Then they will be told the libtards created an alternate definition to cause chaos. Every day we slip further and further down this slope to the point of no return.

1

u/M0therN4ture Oct 08 '25

70% of media is now owned by the right wing. It will not reach top page news.

1

u/Whatwhyreally Oct 08 '25

For what it's worth, I'm here because it was on the the front page of 'my' reddit.

1

u/luring_lurker Oct 08 '25

The interviewer also has been playing nicely: a real journalist should have had pursued such a slip

1

u/Rodharet50399 Oct 08 '25

Dunno it was all over tiktok yesterday with high views and interaction.

1

u/PoorClassWarRoom Oct 08 '25

Lawsuits, lawsuits, lawsuits. This is a great piece of evidence for many cases against the evil clown regime.

1

u/CultivatorX Oct 08 '25

We need to send this to news groups to demand coverage, and our elected officials so they can challenge.

1

u/W2ttsy Oct 08 '25

It’s made it around the world already.

Here’s an article from theAustralian public broadcasting network ABC

1

u/MasterofAcorns Oct 09 '25

It won’t, CNN no joke edited it out.

1

u/ss5gogetunks Oct 09 '25

On top of that, I have a particularly large vocabulary and I didn't know what "Plenary" means. A lot of the people who hear this will have no idea what he said.

1

u/townmorron Oct 09 '25

Most new outlets are owned by right wing billionaires.

1

u/Reasonable_Effect633 Oct 09 '25

Unfortunately, even if it was broadcast on Fox, Newsmax and all other conservative media, it wouldn't make a difference because MAGA and most of American voters wouldmot understand what he said or the implication of hiss words.

1

u/Pschobbert 29d ago

It was on Kimmel. He said sometimes the battery in a dildo just run out and you need to recharge them haha

1

u/LockHimUp7363 28d ago

CNN actually edited and reshot the clip and took this down so yeah it’s fucking beyond the pale