The Media Research Center continues its inability to handle criticism of President Trumps war in Iran:
- Katy Tur: Where Are Young Americans Protesting Iran War on Campuses?
- Amanpour Mispresents Reporting To Flirt With War Crime Accusations
- Cornish Touts Former Military Analyst’s Iran Views, Omits Zeteo Ties
- Lawler Calls Out MS NOW’s Katy Tur for Spewing Dem Iran War Talking Points
- Katy Tur Urges Dems to be Party of Common Sense, Then Calls Iran War an Economic Ploy
Curtis Houck hyped the secretary of war’s latest invocation of Christianity to justify war in an April 16 post:
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth triggered the liberal, elite media Thursday during his open remarks at a Pentagon briefing as he lambasted the relentlessly negative coverage of the U.S. war with Iran, comparing them to the Pharisees in the Bible who worked to undermine Jesus at every turn. Specifically, Hegseth noted the Pharisees opposing Jesus’s healing of a man on the Sabbath.
He offered a lengthy series of remarks before this warning Iran to continue negotiating with the U.S. and not violate the ceasefire before he turned his ire to the press: “Speaking of choosing wisely, a note to the press, to the press corps, to the American media, as I just can’t help but notice the endless stream of garbage, the relentlessly negative coverage you cannot resist pedaling.”
Hegseth stated plainly that it has been “hard to figure out what side some of you are actually on” and it’s “incredibly unpatriotic” amid this “historic and important success” against the Islamist regime.
After noting some in the press worked to explain away the Biden administration’s Afghanistan withdrawal, he invoked Mark 3 as he heard the passage of Jesus healing the man with the withered hand preached this past Sunday.
This point, of course, was the press are like the Pharisees always seeking to cast aspersions on the U.S. military and President Trump and thus are “completely blind[ed]…from the brilliance of American warriors”[.] […]
Of course, CNN’s Brian Stelter was the rhetorical line leader in this tsunami of meltdowns, taking to CNN News Central to reject the premise the legacy media are rooting for the U.S. to fail and Iran to win, arguing “he knows the reality about how this war has been covered” and the press are simply “press[ing] for more information in order to tell…stories” of heroism “more fully.”
Stelter — who said Hegseth’s remarks were “deeply offensive to hear” “as a Christian” — added Hegseth brought up Scripture as a “doubling down on the blasphemy of Trump, likening himself to Jesus…in a battle of good versus evil, with the press being evil.
“American people are not with him on this crusade. And nothing that he has said from these podiums has changed that for the last almost two months,” he bragged.
Houck didn’t prove Stelter wrong; instead, he praised right-wing reporters who asked questions:
Our friend and 2023 MRC Bulldog Award winner Mary Margaret Olohan of The Daily Wire had a series of questions, including wanting an update on the reportedly incapacitated (and gay) new ayatollah:
[…]Before someone else asked a question about China to close out the Q&A, the great Jerry Dunleavy at Just The News asked Hegseth to respond to the vile smear being hurled that President Trump’s Iran policy has been dictated to him by Israel:
Houck failed to explain why it’s a “vile smear” to make the perfectly reasonable suggestion that Trump was goaded by Israel into bombing Iran.
The next day, Alex Christy was in comedy cop mode:
Comedy Central’s Ronny Chieng took some time on Thursday’s episode of The Daily Show to examine a different aspect of the war with Iran: the internet meme battle. According to Chieng, Iran’s Lego propaganda video is much better than the memes the White House has been putting out.
After reacting to a local news reporter claiming Iran has been mocking President Trump in its videos, Chieng teed up a clip by sarcastically taunting Iran, “Mocking President Trump? No one’s ever thought of that! Big deal. Look, no offense, Iran, but you’re not exactly known as a cultural powerhouse, okay, so good luck impressing Americans with your little videos.”
Christy couldn’t be bothered to contradict Chieng, instead huffing:
While Chieng and other comedy shows fall in love with Iran’s AI propaganda Lego cartoons, the White House video featured examples of actual successes. Iran’s Lego videos aren’t even that good. They just tell anti-Trump liberals what they already believe, which is how The Daily Show’s “progressive” audience can end up laughing with a clerical, terrorist regime.
Anything to avoid admitting that Trump’s losing the meme war, eh, Alex?