Not being a fan of “sports radio,” and not being from New York, until today I had no idea who Mike Francesa was. Turns out, he’s a person of note, at least for some people.
Described as a “sports radio titan,” and ““the most relevant sports media figure in New York for almost three full decades,” Mike Francesa has made no bones about his support for Donald Trump. Described as an “acquaintance” of Trump for over 35 years, he endorsed Trump ahead of the New York primary. Loudly. Vehemently.
[T]he day after Trump virtually clinched the Republican nomination with concessions by his two remaining opponents, Francesa did everything but yell Trump's "Make America Great Again!" campaign slogan over the airwaves.
Maybe Francesa liked Trump so much because they were actually the same person. Hell, he even sounds like Trump. Here he is back in 2016, just bubbling over with praise:
"This guy works 20 hours a day. He doesn't need the job. He doesn't need the money. He doesn't need the power. He had all that already. I think it's about doing a good job. His ego will not let him do anything but a good job. Because he's driven. You want someone driven in there that will do a good job. Because we need to fix things fast. Our infrastructure is a joke. I want a builder. The guy's a builder. I want a builder. Our infrastructure is a joke. Our airports are a joke. Our rail systems a joke. It's got to change. And we could put people to work there. Bring back the money that is sitting outside this country because of the tax laws. Bring it back. Tell them they have to give 5 percent to the infrastructure fund and then rebuild the infrastructure of this entire country. Railroads. Airports. Start tomorrow and build them all back up so that we have a beautiful county in 20 or 30 years for our kids.”
In case you missed it, Francesa is singing a far different tune now, having witnessed his pal’s abysmal response to the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging New York City and the surrounding boroughs. Yesterday he fairly ripped Trump a new one for suggesting that nurses and doctors were stealing masks from hospitals, and for wasting everyone’s time at his news conferences with a commercial from the My Pillow hawker. Meanwhile, people in Francesa’s neighborhood are dying every day—“by the tens and twenties.”
His take down of Trump is nothing short of brutal.
Believe me I have no problem with him skewering Donald Trump for his non-response to the worst public health crisis to hit this country in over a century.
But at some point you have to wonder, where was this outrage when the same guy was tearing babies away from their mothers at the border? When he was sending little kids to camps or putting them in cages? And letting them die in custody?
Not important enough for you, I get it.
But where was the outrage when he blocked people from Muslim countries from entering the country? How many Muslims are in New York, Mike? What about completely abandoning Puerto Rico? Do you know any Puerto Ricans, Mike?
What about referring to Mexicans as “rapists?”
You do know that Trump is actually accused of rape, right? And sexual assault by twenty-plus women? You heard about that, right?
Where were you when he was calling African countries “shitholes?”
Where was this righteous anger when he was calling white supremacists and Nazis “very fine people?” When he attacked reporters at his rallies, putting them in physical danger? When he encouraged his supporters to beat up reporters and protesters at those rallies? What about calling them “scum,” “slime,” “fake news,” and the “enemy of the people?”
Where was this indignation when he hired cronies to run the EPA who proceeded to let polluters dump poisons in our air and streams? When he hid his tax returns? When he nuzzled up lovingly to mass murderers like Kim Jong Un? When he insulted and undercut our NATO allies? When he said he believed Putin over our own intelligence services?
When he and his family were caught red-handed colluding with Russia to skew the 2016 election? When he got caught red-handed again trying to extort phony dirt on Ukraine so he could fix the 2020 election?
Did you even bother to read the Mueller report, Mike? Of course you did, right?
Where were you when he personally intervened to punish Amazon and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos and CNN, simply because their people wrote the truth about him, and he didn’t like it?
How about ignoring thugs and murderers like Saudi Arabia’s Bin Salman to clinch deals for his golf courses?
Didn’t that strike a chord with you, somewheres?
What about paying 25 million to settle three different fraud suits over “Trump University?”
You did hear he built his wealth through fraud and tax evasion, right?
What about the hush money payments to the women he was sleeping with while Melania was pregnant?
No big deal, I guess, for you.
What about turning our schoolkids into racist bullies? That make any difference?
You know what? Never mind. I’m just talking to myself.
People are dying. More people are going to die. It’s bad.
But at some point the people that voted for this creep, or worse, endorsed this creep, and then never spoke up about his actions until now, have to take a good look in the mirror.
You knew what this guy was about. He made it very clear. He was someone only in it for himself. Someone who couldn’t be counted on in a crisis. Someone who most definitely would not have your back.
But up ‘til now, you were A-OK with it, apparently.
You want to know why people are dying in Queens right now? Why the hospitals don’t have any equipment? Why two hundred thousand people are suddenly “disposable,” as you say?”
You’re pointing your finger at Trump now, I know. And that’s good--he deserves it.
Where are your other fingers pointing?