Trump expected to keep the perfect record of GOP presidents who triggered recession

Satirist Bill Maher is hoping we can get rid of Donald J. Trump when the president's economic policies trigger a recession -- in a Republican tradition that dates to the early 1900s.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Since the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, who left office in 1909, every Republican president has seen a recession take hold in his first term, MarketWatch.com reported in May.

Now, satirist Bill Maher is hoping Donald J. Trump's massive, trillion-dollar tax cut for the wealthy, trade wars and other economic policies will trigger another recession and doom his presidency. 

"A recession is a survivable event; what Trump is doing to this country is not," the satirist said on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher."

"We survive one every time a Republican is in the White House, it's true," Maher said on Friday night. "Every Republican president since Teddy Roosevelt has presided over a recession."

"Four Republican presidents had two of them and Eisenhower had three," he said, adding:

"The United States has survived 47 recessions in all and since the Great Depression, we've never gone more than 10 years without one. Another recession is coming. Not because I'm rooting for it, because someone [Donald Trump] passed a giant tax giveaway to the rich that added trillions to the debt and started a trade war for no reason, and deliberately sabotaged the Affordable Care Act, and rolled back the rules for banks so they can once again gamble with our money. Those are actual policies for men with real power as opposed to me who just made a wish. I just made a wish! What am I, a genie?"

'I don't really care'

Maher also addressed the mixed message first lady Melania Trump sent when, on an unannounced humanitarian visit to a children's shelter in Texas, she wore a jacket with these words scrawled on the back:

"I REALLY DON'T CARE. DO U?"

Maher said she has other clothing in her wardrobe with messages that are just as provocative, including:

"That's Mrs. Hitler to You."

"I VOTED FOR HILLARY."

Trump admits he fears nuclear attack if he brings up rights violations in North Korea

In "Summit," a biting cartoon from David Fitzsimmons of The Arizona Daily Star, President Trump wears blinders as he wades into a pool of blood to shake the hand of North Korea's brutal dictator, Kim Jong Un.

In "Seat of Power," cartoonist Pat Bagley of The Salt Lake Tribune satirizes Trump's habit of tweeting early in the day, reportedly from his toilet. Thus, the expression about Trump, "Brain farts."

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- What is Donald J. Trump doing for Father's Day? 

Lying, as usual.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, a TV reporter asked President Trump how he can defend Kim Jong Un's human-rights record after speaking "passionately" about the death of an American detained for 17 months in North Korea.

"You know why? Because I don't want to see a nuclear weapon destroy you and your family," Trump told CBS Correspondent Weijia Jiang.

So, even after the summit in Singapore, Trump actually fears a nuclear attack from North Korea unless he continues to play nice with the brutal North Korean dictator and salute his generals, as he did last week.

Later, he told the female CBS reporter to be "quiet" more than once, and referred to her as "so obnoxious."

'Justin and Donald'

On Friday night, in a bit called "Justin and Donald," comedian Bill Maher showed illustrations, contrasting the behavior of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Trump:

"Justin waits politely for women to get on the elevator first.

"Donald grabs their pussies," the satirist said on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher."

"Justin separates paper and glass. Donald separates parents and children.

"Justin researches an issue and consults experts before making a decision.

"Donald vomits brain farts and leaves his staff to clean up the mess."

A North Korean general puts his hand out in Singapore, but President Trump salutes him, as Kim Jong Un looks on, in this image from state media. 

Cartoonist Dave Granlund refers to Trump's treatment of Canadian Prime Minister and other allies during the G7 summit when he quotes Kim Jong Un: "My biggest worry is that Trump will treat North Korea the way he treats U.S. allies." Below, in "MAGA Double Standard," Adam Zyglis of The Buffalo News notes Trump supporters were outraged when Barack Obama negotiated with Iran ["our enemies"], but have been silent on the president saluting a North Korean general.

Images of Trump and Un wearing the other's hair style appeared on the Internet months ago, when a possible meeting between the two dictators was first announced.

Roseanne Barr is giving Jews a bad name. Plus, Trump probably will serve all 4 years

JEWS AS COOKIES: Comedian Roseanne Barr, who is Jewish, asked to dress as Hitler for a 2009 "Germany" issue of Heeb, a satirical publication catering to young Jewish readers (Photos by Bradley Meinz).

REINCARNATION OF HITLER: Author Oliver Noble wrote that Roseanne asked to dress up as Hitler for the spread as she believes (or at least jokingly said that she believes) that she may be the reincarnation of the Fuhrer himself, according to Snopes.com.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Photos of Roseanne Barr dressed up as Hitler, pulling Jewish cookies out of an oven, were published nearly a decade ago, but they still are annoying as hell.

So, I was delighted to hear that the Jewish comedian, who gives Jews a bad name, published a racist tweet that got her much ballyhooed sitcom about a blue-collar American family cancelled last week.

Good riddance to bad rubbish. 

"Roseanne seems to be suffering from some form of madness," says filmmaker and author Michael Moore, adding:

"Here's who's not crazy: Donald J. Trump. Trump, though he shows all the signs of being absolutely bonkers, is not insane.... His racism and hate is real, it's well thought-out, he's the true master of manipulation, a brilliant performance artist, and an evil genius.

"He outsmarted a nation of liberals and Democrats and won the White House by losing the actual vote of the people. He neutered and then destroyed the Grand Old Republican Party. He knows exactly what he's doing."

All 4 years?

Meanwhile, satirist Bill Maher is saying on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" that Donald J. Trump likely will serve all 4 years of his first term as president, even if he is impeached by a majority of the House of Representatives.

In his New Rules windup on May 19, Maher noted that impeachment is meaningless unless Trump is convicted by two-thirds or 67 members of the U.S. Senate, and removed from office.

Even a significant Blue Wave in November's midterm elections isn't expected to give Democrats control of the Senate, meaning a large number of those votes would have to come from Republicans.

In the Russia probe, Trump can ignore a request to be interviewed by the special counsel or a subpoena to testify before a grand jury, Maher said, noting the president is above the law.

The Times says

In fact, The New York Times reported on Saturday Trump's lawyers sent a confidential memo to Special Counsel Robert Mueller that argues Trump couldn't possibly commit obstruction, "because he has unfettered authority over all federal investigations."

"It's part of a bid," The Times said, "to prevent Mr. Mueller from forcing Mr. Trump to answer questions," and risk "exposing himself to accusations of lying to investigators, a potential crime or impeachable offense."  

Now, here are more cartoons from Cagle.com:

Cartoonist John Cole of The Times-Tribune in Scranton, Pa., gets a big kick out of the firing of Roseanne Barr and cancellation of her popular sitcom.

Cartoonist Taylor Jones calls his cartoon on ABC cancelling Roseanne "no more monkey business."

R.J. Matson, the editorial cartoonist with Roll Call , which covers Capitol Hill and Washington, D.C., has Roseanne wailing her racist tweets were only bad jokes.

Cagle.com describes Sean Delonas as a "right wing" cartoonist, but this comparison of Roseanne's racist tweets and Bill Maher's joke about Trump being fathered by an orangutan is plainly wrong.

As high schoolers, teachers are cut down, NRA has Trump and Congress by the balls

Madison Cantrell, a junior, hugging a fellow student at a prayer vigil held on Friday afternoon for 8 students and 2 teachers killed during a gun attack at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas (Photo credit: David J. Phillip/AP).

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- "School shootings are now as American as apple lie," is how John Cassidy of The New Yorker started his column on the slaughter at a Texas high school last week.

"And Friday's tragedy at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, followed the usual recipe."

Cassidy said the only "atypical" aspect of the shooting is that the 17-year-old gunman reportedly used a shotgun and a revolver his father owned legally to kill his 10 victims and wound 13 others.

Will the father be charged with being criminally responsible in the murders?

Trump sits on hands

Of course, we can predict inaction from President Trump and the GOP-dominated Congress, who are bought and paid for by the National Rifle Association.

NRA campaign contributions to both Republicans and Democrats are the blood money they use to get re-elected.

The NRA has them by the balls in the same way Trump boasted on the "Access Hollywood" tapes about how easy it was to grab women by the pussy.

From Kevin Siers of The Charlotte Observer in North Carolina, Congress claims, "See I am doing something!"

Rental cars, guns

You have to be 25 years old to rent a car, but many gun shops will sell you a deadly weapon at a much younger age.

More high school students have been killed since Trump took office than U.S. soldiers have died in the two wars in which we're still involved (Afghanistan and Iraq).

Those were the among the observations Friday night by guests on "Real Time with Bill Maher" on HBO.

Right to bear arms

We're living in a sick country when the nation's high court can rewrite the Second Amendment to extend the right to bear arms to individuals from a "well regulated militia, being necessary for the security of a free state."

And then lazy journalists began referring to the "Second Amendment right to bear arms" when hysterical gun owners claim proponents of tighter background checks and other reforms want to "take our guns away."

Trump dismantles more of Obama's legacy as probe reveals large payments to lawyer

Cartoonist Dave Granlund captures President Trump's sole motivation: Undoing every one of Barack Obama's accomplishments, including the Iran nuclear deal. But the news media have pretty much stopped mentioning Trump's racial animus toward the former president.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Another week of dizzying events inside and outside of the White House is behind us.

As usual, commentators, opinion writers and cartoonists have been scrambling to keep up with the fast-moving events.

And, as usual, the White House press corps disappoints.

They are more interested in disseminating Trump's many lies than in confronting him. 

Meanwhile, Trump attorney and longtime fixer Michael D. Cohen set up a shell company that paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

That same Essential Consultants LLC received more than $1 million from an American company with ties to a Russian oligarch and several corporations with business before the Trump administration, The New York Times reported.  

"Transactions adding up to $4.4 million flowed through Essential Consultants starting shortly before ... Trump was elected president and continuing to this January," The Times said.

Bill Maher video

Today's selection of editorial cartoons from Cagle.com ends with a video of Bill Maher delivering a new rule on HBO called "Married to the Mob." 

He said on Friday night that Trump, at the head of a New York mob, is running and ruining the country, all to enrich himself and his family. 

In another Granlund cartoon, President Trump tries to fracture Michael Cohen's skull as the attorney drowns in The Swamp. 

Jimmy Margulies, former editorial cartoonist for The Record of Woodland Park, suggests attorney Michael Cohen was President Trump's bag man.

After the president pulled out of the Iran deal, cartoonist Adam Zyglis of The Buffalo News recalled Trump's claim when he was the frontrunner in the 2016 presidential race that if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, he wouldn't lose any voters.

Cartoonist Rick McKee of The Augusta Chronicle also weighed in on Trump and the Iran deal.