‘Why Is He Talking About Arnold Palmer’s Penis?!’ Jake Tapper and Mike Johnson Spar Over Trump’s Fixation With Golfer’s Manhood
Jake Tapper and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) sparred in an awkward and spirited discussion about former President Donald Trump’s apparent obsession with Arnold Palmer’s penis.
At a rally in Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe, PA on Saturday, the former president told a story about the golf legend that lasted more than 10 minutes and, in the end, took a surprising turn to the admiration of Palmer’s manhood.
Tapper opened the discussion by citing a recent AP report titled “Trump kicks off a Pennsylvania rally by talking about Arnold Palmer’s genitalia,” which led with “Donald Trump’s campaign suggested he would begin previewing his closing argument Saturday night with Election Day barely two weeks away. But the former president kicked off his rally with a detailed story about Arnold Palmer, at one point even praising the late, legendary golfer’s genitalia.”
“You’re talking about substantive issues,” Tapper said to the Speaker of the House appearing at rally supporting Trump. “Is this really the closing message you want voters to hear from Donald Trump stories about Arnold Palmer’s penis?”
Johnson deflected and pivoted to Vice President Kamala Harris and traditional Republican talking points, but Tapper did not let that stand.
“I’m sure that you think that a policy debate would be better than a personality debate, but if President Biden had gone on stage and spoke about the size of a pro golfer’s penis, I think you would be on this show right now saying you were shocked and appalled and you would suggest it was evidence of his cognitive decline,” Tapper said, later asking “Why is he talking about Arnold Palmer’s penis in front of Pennsylvania voters?”
The full transcript of the exchange is below:
TAPPER: Let’s turn to the 2024 race. You heard President Trump’s remarks. Let me read you the lead of the Associated Press story about Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. Quote, Donald Trump’s campaign suggested he would begin previewing his closing arguments Saturday night with Election Day barely two weeks away. But the former president kicked off his rally with a detailed story about Arnold Palmer, at one point even praising the late legendary golfer’s genitalia, unquote. Mr. Speaker, you’re crossing all over the country. You’re working hard to get Republicans over the line in this election. You’re talking about substantive issues. Is this really the closing message you want voters to hear from Donald Trump? Stories about Arnold Palmer’s penis?
JOHNSON: Well, listen, I think that the headline that I read about the rally in Pennsylvania yesterday was the big question. And it’s the one that Kamala Harris has not been able or willing to answer. And that is, are you better off now than you were under the Trump administration four years ago? And no one can answer that question with a yes. I mean, no one. And that’s why Kamala Harris herself avoids the question. Look, I’ve been traveling the country nonstop, Jake. I’ve been in over 230 cities in 40 states right now. And I’m spending these final closing weeks in the swing states, in blue states and toss up districts for the House. I’m absolutely convinced there’s an energy out there right now. I’m convinced that we are going to win the White House, the Senate and the House, and we’re going to have a very aggressive agenda to get the economy going again to help everyone. Look, everywhere I go, Jake, everybody has the same concerns. They’re fed up and they’re fired up about the cost of living that’s unaffordable now and the rising crime rates everywhere and the weakness on the world stage and the wide open border. And they know that Kamala Harris is responsible for those things and they know that President Trump is offering alternatives. So put the rhetoric aside. Look at the record of these two candidates. This shouldn’t be about personalities. It should be about policy. And I think people are looking at that seriously. And that’s why I’m convinced we’re going to win.
TAPPER: I’m sure that you think that a policy debate would be better than a personality debate, but if President Biden had gone on stage and spoke about the size of a pro golfer’s penis, I think you would be on this show right now saying you were shocked and appalled and you would suggest it was evidence of his cognitive decline. I wonder how Trump’s remarks, not just the one about Arnold Palmer and his, quote, manhood, but everything we’ve heard from Trump this week, how it fits in with the analysis that The New York Times offered a few days ago. They looked at his speeches from 2015 and 2016 and looked at his speeches today and said, quote, With the passage of time, the 78-year-old former president’s speeches have grown darker, harsher, longer, angrier, less focused, more profane and increasingly fixated on the past. And I know you want to talk about policy, and I respect that. But the reason that Donald Trump is not up ten points is because of comments like that one where people do have concerns about his fitness, his acuity and his stability. Why is he talking about Arnold Palmer’s penis in front of Pennsylvania voters?
JOHNSON: Jake, you seem to like that line a lot. Let me tell you that Donald Trump is doing rallies around the country to say something.
TAPPER: I don’t want to be talking about. All right. Donald Trump is out there saying it, but.
JOHNSON: You continue to.
TAPPER: Let’s talk about won’t because you will.
JOHNSON: Wait a minute.
TAPPER: Hold on. I won’t address it. He is out.
JOHNSON: There talking it out. I’ll address it. Let me answer it. Okay. Don’t say it again. We don’t have to say it. I get it. There’s lines in a rally. When President Trump is at a rally, sometimes he’ll speak for two straight hours. You’re questioning his stamina, his mental acuity. Joe Biden couldn’t do that for five minutes. That’s how you started this segment. You said, what if Biden was in a rally like that? He couldn’t fill the room. Donald Trump does. You know why? Because they see him as a change agent and they understand he has a record of performance in his first administration. We have the greatest economy in the history of the world, not just the US. Everybody’s wages were going up. Everybody had more jobs available to them. The pathway out of poverty was widened for more people. And that’s what the American people are looking at. We’re going to have a demographic shift in this electorate, Jake. There’s going to be when they count the votes and they do the math and the other side of this, I’m convinced you’re going to have a record number of Hispanic and Latino voters coming into the Republican Party, a record number of black and African-American voters. Record number of Jewish voters and union workers and and hardworking families, because they understand that Harris policies have have destroyed their family finances. They have made them less safe in their cities. They have a wide open border with illegals and terrorists coming into our country. This is not working for the American people. And they want a change. And that’s what they see in Donald Trump. So he has fun at the rallies. He says things that are off the cuff. But I’m telling you, I’ve been in those events. I’ve been in those arenas, and people have a great time at those arenas. So you can cherry pick, you know, a few words or lines that of a two hour event. We could do that with Kamala Harris after a 20 minute event because she does word salads and she couldn’t she couldn’t hold court like that without a teleprompter. We all know that the facts, the American people see it and, you know, the media can pick it apart, but people are going to vote. They’re going to vote what’s best for their family. And they see that in Trump.
Watch above via CNN.
