Jake Tapper is urging people not to become desensitized to the president’s behavior, even though the country has grown used to Trump’s constant stream of insults, harsh language, and dramatic reactions. Tapper says that what has happened in the past week goes beyond what people normally expect from Trump, and that Americans should not shrug it off as routine.
He explained that the week began with the release of the Epstein files, which seemed to unsettle Trump, and ended with him publicly calling several Democratic lawmakers “traitors.” Trump went even further on Truth Social, saying their actions should be “punishable by death.” Tapper pointed out that Trump’s posts included him sharing another user’s message that said, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!!” According to Tapper, this is essentially the president appearing to call for violence—or even execution—against people who disagree with him politically. The Democrats in question had released a video reminding military and intelligence officers not to obey illegal orders, something Trump reacted to with intense anger.
Tapper emphasized that it is not normal for a president to respond this way, especially in a political climate already filled with threats, tension, and real incidents of violence. He said that language like this is extremely irresponsible when the country is already on edge, and especially when political leaders—including Trump himself—have been targets of threats or attacks.
Tapper also highlighted Trump’s behavior during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House. When a female reporter tried to ask about the Epstein files, Trump snapped at her and said, “Quiet, piggy!” Tapper pointed out how alarming it is for a president to speak to a reporter that way. Another journalist, Mary Bruce, tried to ask about both the Epstein files and the U.S. intelligence community’s finding that the crown prince was responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump became irritated, not at the accusation against the crown prince, but at the reporter for bringing it up in front of a foreign leader. He even began criticizing Khashoggi himself— the victim of the killing—rather than addressing the serious charges against the prince.
Tapper noted that the president’s attacks didn’t stop there. Trump also spent part of the week reigniting his feud with late-night hosts on social media, again calling for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired and repeating insults he has used before.
To Tapper, all of this taken together shows a pattern of behavior that should not be treated as normal or acceptable from someone holding the highest office in the country. He reminded viewers that this was only the news from the past six days — a stretch marked by angry outbursts, threats toward political opponents, hostility toward journalists, and personal vendettas against entertainers.
Tapper’s message was simple: people cannot afford to tune out or treat this kind of behavior as routine, because it has real consequences in an already volatile political environment.
