Donald Trump's Jesse Jackson statement, and a warped news media

Can we, just maybe, stop carrying this asshole's water?

Jesse Jackson died two days ago, and—of course—the living United States presidents issued statements.

Bill Clinton insisted he and his wife had been close with Jackson for more than five decades, and were “deeply saddened” by the loss. Barack Obama recalled Jackson as “a true giant.” “He was relentless in his belief that we are all children of God, deserving of dignity and respect,” he said, and added that he and Mrs. Obama would always “be grateful for Jesse’s lifetime of service, and the friendship our families share.”

And Donald Trump called him called a “good man” and a “force of nature.”

Um. At least that’s how, oh, 70 percent of the media reported it.

For example …

This, from the CBS News website:

And this, from The Hill:

Here’s USA Today’s headline:

And, of course, Fox News:

Now, as a veteran journalist, I sorta get it. You have an article, you submit it, the person on the news desk scans it over and write the headline. So, in this case, an iconic leader dies, the sitting president says something nice—HEADLINE!

But …

Here is the full Donald Trump statement, RE: Jackson and his death …

And, to be kind, THIS IS FUCKING BONKERS AND UNHINGED. To abbreviate: A revered Civil Rights leader’s life ends. Trump sprinkles in some warm thoughts with a crazy-ass, look-at-me-and-how-great-I-am screed intended to prove a racist can’t possibly be racist. It’s long and weird and irrationally capitalized and overflowing with bullshit. It cites, by full name (intentionally) the United States’ first Black president, who (cough) Trump accused of being foreign-born and Muslim and anti-American.

The story isn’t that Trump said some nice words.

The story is that, yet again, Trump treated an important person’s death as his own masturbatory ode to self.

Let’s stop doing this creep favors.

Please.