'Not normal': Social media reacts after Trump makes bizarre comments about a fly he's bothered by on stage

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

3 hours ago


Former President Donald Trump expressed his frustration over a fly that approached his lectern in a bizarre moment during a rally speech. Trump was on stage at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, making a point about a hat, when he appeared to get distracted by the creature.

“Oh there’s a fly,” the former president said. “I wonder where the fly came from?” One audience member shouted out “Kamala.” Trump continued: “See, two years ago, I wouldn’t have had a fly up here. You’re changing rapidly. We can’t take it any longer.” It wasn’t clear who or what the president was referring to before he changed the subject.

The internet was quick to react to Trump’s unexpected outburst, with MSNBC host and legal analyst Katie Phang saying “this is not normal.” Meanwhile, American Bridge 21st Century, who describe themselves an a Republican accountability group, said: “Trump is exhausted and struggling to stay on track. He begins a story about a hat, but gets distracted by a fly and never finishes. He starts a entirely new story and struggles with the word “unique.”

Many others drew the comparison between Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, after a fly landed on the latter’s head and remained there for almost two minutes during his 2020 debate with Kamala Harris.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-fly-rally-wisconsin-rally-speech-b2620657.html

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Link to tweet

Acyn
@Acyn
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Trump: Oh, there's a fly. Oh, I wonder where the fly came from. See, two years ago, I wouldn't have had a fly up here. You’re changing rapidly. We can’t take it any longer
4:33 PM · Sep 28, 2024

[Attilatheblond]

1. Flies do not get distracted. They know what they like and focus in.

Too bad the GOP ticket pissed off all the 'cat ladies' Them cats? They are great for catching them sky raisins.

[yardwork]

5. That's true. Our cat keeps the house clear of insects and spiders.

She roams around at night taking care of business.

[mpcamb]

57. I think it's time to move past "not normal." He's senile. We need to use the "TOO OLD" meme in ads

[Attilatheblond]

63. Are you old enough to remember the Memorex cassett tape ads? 'Is it live or is it Memorex?'

Maybe some snark memes for sites showing the fly buzzing him: Is he live or is he carrion?

[BaronChocula]

51. This guy knows

[question everything]

3. And they will still vote for him. How many, though, hope for him to step down and will be happy

with Vance?

[SomedayKindaLove]

4. Difference is Trump is distracted by flies

Pence become one with his.

[Bayard]

6. Was it wearing a tiny little Kamala sign?

[yaesu]

7. Thom Hartmann mentioned this technique he thinks tRump is using

What is the petal storytelling technique

The petal structure contains multiple individual stories, which share the same main point, but the stories do not build upon each other. The individual stories can be told and understood separately and can even contain different main characters. But by combining all the stories the message will become stronger.

So, the speaker starts a story but never finishes it & goes on to another, & another unfinished story, something about the brain not able to keep up which makes it easier to drive home the main messages.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. I hope that Hartmann is not trying to contribute to "sane-washing" 45

[yaesu]

9. NEVER underestimate an enemy! With that said you should already know that Hartmann is the leading progressive

talk show in the country.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. And was also working for RT for 7 years

https://www.rt.com/op-ed/authors/thom-hartmann-blog/

(and yes I listened to him on SiriusXM for years - since 2007, my only way to hear him back then)

[yaesu]

16. Bashing a well know progressive? not good. nt

[unc70]

21. ThomHartman is still a DUer

Might want to keep that in mind

[oldsoftie]

31. Who cares? Doesnt immunize him from criticism.

He's giving trump far too much credit for sanity.
The whole theory is nonsense anyway; why would ANY storyteller want to confuse their audience.

[LiberalLovinLug]

49. "why would ANY storyteller want to confuse their audience. "

Why would any normal campaign want to purposely confuse its audience? They wouldn't. In the case of Trump and his cult its very explainable.

The want to keep them in a state of confusion about what is reality and what is fake. So that they can't believe in anything anymore. And at the same time Trump promotes himself alone as their saviour that will clear up all the confusion they are feeling.

Classic Fascist strategy.

[oldsoftie]

52. I guess I shouldve said "anyone except trump"! Because they'll love it regardless.

Thats why its A CULT

[yaesu]

15. Actually dissing Thom is a russian tatic. That rant is about as old as the bible. nt

[BumRushDaShow]

25. You weren't here under Obama

when we dealt with the likes of someone I had also listened to on SiriusXM (before he got a show on MSNBC), and who I admired - Ed Schultz - who like others, got duped. I even had the audacity to listen to and follow Cenk as well. I won't even mention Jill Stein's reception here after the 2016 election and the fundraising for vote counts.

Know your history because it is being repeated again on DU.

[LiberalLovinLug]

50. Forgive me if I'm reading you incorrectly, but i disagree that it was wrong for Thom and others to use RT

I do not think they were "duped". They knew perfectly well who was giving them a platform. Their only crime, Schultz, Hartmann, Abby Marten, and other left leaning voices, was to knowingly use that tarnished gift of a space and production budget in order to spread truth to power. Because there was no other way to do it, at least very effectively. Air America was long gone. And the Right had gobbled up most of the media space that was left.

Putin purposely funded far left voices, and far right voices at the same time. It was the same strategy of funding Bernie Sanders campaigns in order to make it difficult for Hillary. Or funding the Stein and the Green Party. For Putin, its about destabilization of western democracies. Causing as much division as possible so they are weaker and easier to win against, Not necessarily militarily but economically.

I believe that, at the time at least, Putin opened up RT to any American lefty that wanted to tear down the US system. And right wing and corporate news networks had a vested interest in keeping the corporate status quo. They were never going to give Hartmann or especially someone like Martin, an MSM show of their own. Even Cenk didn't last very long on MSNBC.

So Hartmann and others said.....what the hell, if its our only way to get out more voices from the left, and as long as RT lets us say whatever we want to about the flaws in the US government?.....why not? Why not use RT for their own purposes. I don't think they were duped, and didn't know Putin's purposes. They just came to the conclusion that even if it caused more division to speak truth to right wing power, it couldn't be helped. The need was too great for the country to be able to hear from the other side.

Division is bad, but allowing unchallenged Fascist propaganda to flourish, and a neutered MSM, not having any progressive counter argument going on in the public domain was way worse. They took advantage of the stage offered them to enlighten the masses. And I for one, watched back then, and really really appreciated that they had a place to host their programs. No matter what the host's broader agenda was.

[BumRushDaShow]

54. Part of my reasoning to subbing to what was originally XM

was to hear those "voices", because they were all but wiped off the radio airwaves here in Philly save for a black talk station (originally WHAT before it changed formats, and later WURD). I was also forced to try to pick up WLIB (at night when the signal was clearer) in NYC for similar reasons.

When black talker and activist Joe Madison left "terrestrial radio" (his show originally syndicated by Cathy Hughes' stations like WOL) I found him on XM when CSPAN did one of their (political) talk radio "simulcast" programs ,where they would broadcast a talker while they were on the air, and had set up shop in XM's studios. When I saw that, I immediately subbed to XM.

I also found XM had the Air America lineup too, so these guys WERE on some other outlet BEFORE RT.

When XM merged with Sirius to become SiriusXM, they eventually combined "America Left" with "Sirius Left" to become "SiriusXM Progress". And there one could hear Rachael, Ed, Randi, Bill Press, Stephanie Miller, and Mark Thompson, etc.

The problem however, was what eventually became a nightmare on DU, with the abject trashing of a Democratic President, much of it precipitated by some of those "voices" (e.g., TYT and others).

It was persistent, unrelenting, and in many cases, obscene. I had an ignore list 5 pages long (about 90% of which were eventually either banned or flagged for review).

It's no different from what has happened to "The Nation" (which I have subscribed to for years, but which has also became Putin-friendly in a pernicious way). I was actually surprised that Joan Walsh, one of my favorites, is working for them.

I.e., the "problem" is not so much Russia and Russians but PUTIN, who wants to go back to the days of despot authoritarianism, and he was already like that back when RT was created (along with Sputnik News).

[LiberalLovinLug]

56. Thanks for the background info.

The circus and obstacles that were, and still are, in the way for broad air access for millions of Americans to progressive voices.

If I understand you correctly, you had a problem with the fact that a lot of the voices on RT were not only exposing the corrupt right wing dominating corporate oligarchy, but that they didn't stop with Republicans or even someone like Manchin as a D, but they also criticized the top leadership in the Democratic party for bowing too far to corporate interests as well. Including some of the decisions, appointments, by President Obama.

I guess I agreed with a lot of that. Rahm Emanuel appointment for instance was appalling to me. I wish DU was a more welcoming place to be able to discuss those contentious issues, but the "bashing of Democrats" rule is so literally, and strictly adhered to in here that its impossible to have an honest conversation about all that.

But while I didn't like Obama's catering to the corporate right so much, I also understood why. The American political system has devolved into having to raise millions, billions even, just to compete in elections. Its between a rock and a hard place. They need the money to win, but then have to placate the ones that gave them the money to win. At least to a degree. Obama's decision to renege on his promise to not accept super PAC money said it all.

So I could watch say, Abbey Martin, one of the more extreme left voices on RT, and agree with her, but also be pragmatic and understand how difficult it is for Democrats to disconnect from that matrix. And of course, know how much worse the Republicans were. But I still wanted to be well informed, which means the ugly as well as the hopeful

I could self filter, because I wanted to be able to hear informative programs from a liberal point of view, an anti monopolized oligarchic message.......even if they got a little ugly with Democrats as well. And personally, I don't know why we think we are too weak to take it. Even here in DU. In the end, the only choice is the Democratic party for liberals who actually want to get anything done. Flaws and all.

[BumRushDaShow]

58. I sub to Mother Jones

and did so even before David Corn started working for them.

I have found that I can get the progressive views through some of the news/commentary mags like that (including "The Atlantic" that I sub to).

IOW, I have found myself becoming my mother, who was a voracious reader and radio listener as well as having been the "original" CSPAN junkie.

And just due to my listening to talk radio for almost 50 years, I had witnessed the "transition" to complete RW loonery, particularly once the broadcast outlets were deregulated. I actually heard Rush Limpball's very first show on WABC because he took over the slot of a "liberal" - Lynn Samuels (who eventually became a birther loon). I had listened to many of the 1st and 2nd tier RWers including Michael (Savage) Weiner, Hugh Hewett, Dennis Prager, Mike Gallagher, Glenn BecKKK, etc., and even some on far away stations that I could pick up like Neil Boortz (who was in Atlanta) or David Brudnoy (who was in Boston and who was a Libertarian like Philly local loons Irv Homer and Dom Giordano) - and even someone whose name I just thought of because I haven't heard from in awhile (although he did have a SiriusXM show on the same channel as Joe Madison - "The Power" ) - Armstrong Williams (and just did a search and he is a MAGat through and through)!

IOW, I have seen and heard most of them, left and right, so excuse me if I'm jaded, but we have had too many "demanding the perfect" and willing to "let it all burn down" to make a point (and did in fact help to precipitate that ahead of the 2016 election).

However in 2020, I don't think anyone predicted that Joe Biden, centrist extraordinaire, would eventually become a walking talking Bernie Sanders, but Biden was able to get done what Bernie was unable to do on his own.

[LiberalLovinLug]

60. There used to be other left of center choices

I used to have my AM radio tuned into KGO in Oakland in the evening to hear Ray Talliaferro. Before that I also listened to the disgraced Bernie Ward. (such a shame). It was kind of fun to hear the end of Gene Burns show, a right wing talk show, and the friendly banter between Ray and Gene in the transition moments before Ray's show. Nice to hear left and right hosts get along back then.

I guess I was in a category of absorbers of information that wanted to know all the faults of both the left and the right. Of Democrats and Republicans. Always with the knowledge from my lifetime of absorption of politics that the Democratic party was the ONLY sane choice.
And IMO the label "purists" could also apply, from a different angle, to Democrats who didn't want to hear any criticism, even if warranted. I never understood that mentality, as I think criticism from the left actually helps. And I think someone like Sanders and now AOC, and other progressives, and any popularity they build, does actually make a difference, and made a difference in Joe Biden's boldness in embracing a more progressive agenda.

Now do some voices go too far at times? Yes. Ana from the TYT is driving me crazy lately with her Biden bashing because of his enabling of Bibi's war machine. She actually said last time I listened to her how Biden has done "nothing". Really?

But there's a danger in demonizing other left of center voices because they are uncomfortably too far over. I think the left eats the left much more voraciously than the right does the right. And because of the uneven playing field in money to buy media platforms and or control the message on them, I have to welcome any and all voices from the left. And rely on my own internal filter to know when to disregard information.

[BumRushDaShow]

62. "the disgraced Bernie Ward"

That's a blast from the past! I think Limpballs used to bring him on as a "guest host".

I suppose one can add Thomas Sowell in there too (since his name has bubbled up recently).

SiriusXM has a "POTUS" (Politics of the U.S.) channel that is supposedly "middle of the road" and I think that is where people like Michael Smerkonish hang out. I haven't listened to it recently but probably need to check in every once in awhile.

I think the older I get, the more jaded I get and start to see repeat "performances" of certain tactics. I'm a pragmatist and knowing what it takes to get things done within an environment that features huge tidal waves of corporate $$$$ that have impacted everything that we do, it requires a mix of incrementalism AND sheer "jam it through" to get something done and on the books. And trying to finesse that with a pile of misinformation and disinformation being spewed and magnified, is difficult.

Biden was essentially "born" in government and had he still been in the Senate, would have been the most senior member there, having predated ASSley and Turtle (both of them older than Biden). So he knew where the bodies were buried. THAT was the pragmatism.

Of course what was the final reward? A concerted and sustained effort running 24/7, for 3 weeks straight, to beat the living daylights out of him. Someone's idea of a "just punishment" (and it hasn't stopped as nearly every article that is written that mentions him, continues to disparage and harangue him).

But sometimes circumstances can converge into some kind of "perfect storm" where the likes of an AOC and a Dick Cheney, can agree on the same thing.

[LiberalLovinLug]

65. "where the likes of an AOC and a Dick Cheney, can agree on the same thing"

Strange days indeed

I am also getting older, and I'm understanding pragmatism more as well.

"it requires a mix of incrementalism AND sheer "jam it through" to get something done and on the books."

I am developing patience for incrementalism. I'm talking about the "jam it through" part, not just legislatively, but before that happens, the more extreme left (whatever that means) "jams" into the public sphere, what seem at the time, radical ideas. What?....women voting???

We need the TYTs, The Rational National, Secular Talk, The Majority Report (some YouTube channels I watch).. to jam us in the butt once in awhile with those "purity tests". Poking that slow moving pragmatic beast once in awhile to at least be compelled once in the odd while to make a sudden jump closer to acing the test. Even if perfection is impossible, you still strive towards it.

I think the non stop poking by Bernie Sanders over decades helped move the needle forward quicker on some issues. Some here still have a problem with him. Remaining an Independent might have something to do with that. But it partly paved the way for someone like Harris to be credible. She did support MFA with Bernie at one time. I think she is being pragmatic presently but actually still supports the idea. And that doesn't bother moderates, in either party.

In the same way, on the social media side, I think its healthy to have far left (whatever that means) criticisms of the moderate left. Its all useful. As long as it doesn't become personal. And everyone understands that the final goal is the best, most people helpful, legislation possible, given the balance of seats at the time.

[PSPS]

14. LOL. According to whom? "Thom" himself? Too many rubles in his bank account to suit me.

[yaesu]

17. He sure gets under your skin, doesn't he?

[yaesu]

19. 2 put on my full ignore list in one post, a new record!

[asm128]

23. Yes

How dare they point out the truth

[canuckledragger]

27. And another propagandist is put on ignore!

[yaesu]

41. # 3 on full ignore, thank you!!!

Putin would agree with anyone who hates on Thom Hartmann, that you can take to the bank.

[oldsoftie]

30. Oh bullshit. He's RAMBLING nothing more.

He can't keep track of different stories & "petal storytelling" is nonsense.

[yaesu]

43. I tend to agree that tRumps brain is too washed up to handle any speaking plan. I mean, he's talking to flies now lol. n

[oldsoftie]

45. And they STILL cheer

[Scrivener7]

37. No. Hartman is wrong. Tsf is just vomiting idiocy

[TwilightZone]

38. Hartmann tends to overcomplicate things.

I think he's giving Trump too much credit here. Much of what Trump does and says is intentional, but claiming that there's some multi-dimensional psychological basis for it is a bit of a stretch. It's just stream-of-consciousness ranting with talking points thrown in, which are usually things like immigrants = bad. He's appealing to the basis instincts of his followers.

[yaesu]

42. I agree with this and I think on this point he's doing just that as tRump could never handle such an intricate plan. nt

[Nasruddin]

47. Sounds like another form of hypnotism

[PSPS]

11. "this is not normal" says a media personality while they continue to treat it as such.

[twodogsbarking]

12. Overcome by his own fumes. Oh the humanity.

[Wicked Blue]

18. Could it be a descendant of the Mike Pence fly?

[nickster48]

20. Wow...there it is...!

His Norman Bates moment!

[twodogsbarking]

22. There was no fly.

Liar. Loser.

[IronLionZion]

26. Forget border wall, America needs to build a dome to keep out flies

and it better be airtight because those flies are really small.

[BumRushDaShow]

39. Biden had one solution

[angrychair]

28. To be fair

That was the most sane thing he said all night.

[jalan48]

29. I think he's making a reference to immigrants and insinuating they bring flies with them when they move north to the US

[oldsoftie]

32. That makes sense coming from him. His audience is too stupid to grasp it tho

[jalan48]

35. I think many Maggots pick up on it honestly. They are really tuned into their racism.

[intrepidity]

33. I guarantee he intended that as a slam on immigrants

You know, the kind who eat your pets.

[Aviation Pro]

34. JFC, people vote for this trash?

Former President Donald Trump expressed his frustration over a fly that approached his lectern in a bizarre moment during a rally speech. Trump was on stage at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, making a point about a hat, when he appeared to get distracted by the creature.

[BadgerMom]

36. "Trump was on stage at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, making a point about a hat..."

Um, forget the fly. This was 100% enough crazy sauce for me. I cannot imagine any non-weird reason for making a point about a hat!

[peggysue2]

40. Exhausted? Distracted?

No, no. This is THE WEAVE, an oratory device of the greatest brilliance because . . . many people have said so or intellectual genes or massive inspiration or whatever does not conclude the man is suffering cognitive dysfunction.

The man is suffering cognitive dysfunction, so blatantly obvious that it's horrifying that anyone would deem Trump a fit candidate for anything.

But here we are. It's up to the American voter now to prevent the country turning into an insane asylum.

[malthaussen]

44. Trump gets a fly, Bernie got a dove...

... the Animal Kingdom knows.

-- Mal

[BWdem4life]

46. If a small thing has the power to annoy you

What does that say about your size?

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

48. 🪰

[Blue Owl]

55. Dump needs a rapid diaper change

[myohmy2]

59. "Not normal..."

...could be...

...

[IzzaNuDay]

61. A descendant of Pence's debate fly?

Could be all in the fly family!

[Aussie105]

64. Good! The fly disguise works!

It is actually a miniature drone, the same one that was sent out to check if Pence's hair was real or some sort of plastic skull cap.

This time it was sent out to crawl into Trump's ear to see if there is a brain in there.

But the search mission was aborted as soon as Trump spotted it.

(Need I add JOKE to that?)

[BlueWavePsych]

66. Kick