Yesterday, President Donald Trump said that Democrats who didn’t applaud his State of the Union address were committing treason. While people were naturally outraged that the president was saying that opposing his policies was akin to committing crimes against the state, a spokesman for the president said not to worry, that he was just joking.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said that his remarks were “tongue-in-cheek.”
WH spokesperson Hogan Gidley tells NBC News President Trump was being "tongue in cheek" yesterday when he accused Democrats of “treason” for not applauding during parts of his State of the Union address.
— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) February 6, 2018
Whether the president truly was joking is a matter of debate. You can watch for yourself and decide. But there is no doubting that Trump’s team frequently excuses away his worst comments with the “joking” or “sarcastic” excuse.
'joking' pic.twitter.com/zjlxAgcON2
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) February 6, 2018
Trump’s spokespeople, in those four incidences mentioned above, excused away treason, calling Democrats treasonous, police brutality, and more treason.
Maybe he just really likes to joke about treason.