French TV: Always Be Grateful When You Are Accused of Being (a) Racist

This morning, I told the viewers of a French television station that you should always be grateful when being accused of being (a) racist, not because it's true, of course, but because it invariably shows that the Left has run out of arguments and must now make do with (scientific-sounding) insults and ad hominems. (See Examining the Left's Concept of "Talking Points" as well as The "Racism" Invective (How the Left's Mindset Works).) 

This morning, I was again interviewed by France Info for their 10/12 program, this time about the "racist video" (presented by Florence O'Kelly as an established and incontrovertible fact) that the White House issued yesterday showing in the final two seconds the Obamas as monkeys or gorillas.

The subject is between 33:52 and 58:12 (at 49:18, my cat makes an appearance in the background, sneaking up on me stealthily like a lion king, ready to jump on its prey — moi — and tear it to shreds) and it is hard for me to talk (starting at 40:55) without being constantly interrupted by people — such as Anthony Bellanger and Pierre Gervais — calling Trump "a white supremacist" and referring to this "racist incident" as well as to the alleged "violence in the words" of this Republican (moi). At 57:33, I try to get a word in, to no avail. 

FYI, I did not mention what follows, but I wouldn't be surprised if Donald Trump released the two seconds from the Lion King satire on purpose, because — like the cats "kitty-napped" and eaten by the Haitians — it caused the MSM, in America as abroad, to necessarily mention the main subject of the video which was about the many failures and anomalies of the 2020 election in Georgia. (See yesterday's No Matter How Clever You Think Trump Is, You Do Not Appreciate His Brilliance Enough.)

L’équipe du JT

L'équipe du week-end

• Présenté par

  Florence O'Kelly 

• Rédacteurs en chef

  Claire Giroud

• Rédacteurs en chef adjoints

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• Responsable d’édition

  Loubna Daoudi

• Journaliste

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• Joker

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Epstein Scandal: No Matter How Clever You Think Trump Is, You Do Not Appreciate His Brilliance Enough

No matter how shrewd you (rightfully) think Donald Trump is, you do not appreciate his brains enough.

Admit it, like myself you have been wondering why Trump and Pam Bondi did not immediately release the documents relating to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, as the GOP candidate promised during his 2024 campaign. Lots of conservatives have been extremely vocal in their criticism of the (non-)move. It turns out that the White House was completely right to do so (or, rather, to refrain from doing so) and that there was/is method to 47's madness. (Tusen takk for the Instalink, Sarah.)

They knew how intertwined Europe's élites (not just the Scandinavians) have been with Epstein and his island (photos above and below of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit — who may now be denied the option to ever become queen when her husband ascends the throne — and the country's former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland who has additionally held several international posts).

In the past year, The Democrat Party's Locofocos have gone increasingly bonkers over releasing the Epstein files, which they assumed must contain the most sordid revelations on Donald Trump. As millions of documents are released, it turns out that to a large extent (to nobody's surprise), it is mainly leftists, American as well as foreign, who are embroiled. Or, as Wretchard the Cat puts it, eloquently:

The irony is the Epstein files were supposed to sink MAGA but the torpedoes are running circular.

Thanks to the Republican president holding back on his promise, foreign élites will not now be able to accuse their "tactless," "brainless," and "inconsiderate" nemesis of gratuitously and irresponsibly releasing the confidential documents, as it is the Democrats' drama queens — their fellow leftist allies (whom they support in just about every endeavor) — who have been fighting to make the documents public. They are the only ones, or certainly the main ones, to blame. 

I wouldn't be surprised if, during his talks with foreign officials (unless the premier talked to is part of the visitor roster to Little Saint James) over the past 12 months, the president has in private been repeatedly saying: "By the way, Look, I am trying to hold the fort here; a lot of people in your country are mentioned in the files and that's why I have been trying to limit their release, but the Democrats' fire eaters may leave us no choice."

Genius.

(Many links above are from Scandinavia i.e., in Danish and Norwegian; below are several in English.)

In related news: Calling Epstein "A math nerd with charisma", Daniel J. Flynn reports that The Epstein Enigma Unravels Ever-So Slightly in Bannon Interview:

Jeffrey Epstein called himself a “hermit” in two hours of 2019 interview footage just released. This seemed strange but probably on one level accurate. Despite his name invading the news with increasing ferocity over the last two decades, Epstein’s Woody Allen-ish voice remained completely unknown to me, and perhaps to many who follow current events, until his conversation with Steve Bannon was uploaded to YouTube. Stranger still, watching Epstein discourse on myriad topics for two hours resulted in no compulsion to immediately take a shower. Unlike with, say, Harvey Weinstein or Jimmy Savile, the mere look of Epstein did not provoke a visceral reaction of disgust. The disgust comes on an intellectual level after actively thinking about his deviance rather than on a physiognomic level while passively watching him speak. In fact, the more Epstein talked to Bannon, the more I wanted him to talk — and for Bannon to let him. He mesmerized. A reason beyond the money and the dark pleasures of Epstein Island existed for so many people to voluntarily pursue his company. Epstein was, to use an albeit overused word, brilliant. This superlative risks upsetting a coalition of simpletons and highbrains, who regard "smart," "intelligent," and "genius" as shorthand for every other positive attribute to include "righteous," "wise," "prudent," "dependable," and "good." Tellingly, the Marine Corps includes "intelligence" nowhere in its 14 leadership traits.  …

Click here for The Guardian's report of Steve Bannon's interview of Epstein.

Speaking of Epstein being "brilliant" — a word that would never be used for Donald Trump — Dennis Prager has stated numerous times that 

People tend to be preoccupied with intelligence. But intelligence leads nowhere if you don't have common sense and clarity. In short, “brains” aren’t that important. Almost everyone is intelligent enough to handle life well. 

The founder of PragerU says that what matters is that young people become good, adding that

“Societies are preoccupied with just about everything other than making good people. For some, it is intelligence. Parents are often more concerned with their children’s IQs than their children’s characters. And many people confuse higher education with decency and moral insight.”

— Dennis Prager

 

"Verbal Violence Erected as a Method of Intimidation": Le Monde on Charles Kushner, "a relay of Trumpist diplomacy in Paris"

 

In a full-page article, Charles Kushner, a relay of Trumpist diplomacy in Paris, Le Monde — aka France's newspaper of record and therefore the French equivalent of the New York Times — has published an in-depth piece on Trump's ambassador to Paris in which Philippe Karsenty is interviewed and in which, needless to say, Claire Gatinois feels it necessary to mention every controversial part (real or otherwise) of Jared's father through the decades, notably his public criticism of French anti-semitism.

Charles Kushner, relais de la diplomatie trumpiste à Paris par Claire Gatinois :

The 71-year-old diplomat, who took up his post in May 2025, is the father of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and US envoy to the Middle East. Like his son, he favors unorthodox methods and does not hesitate to interfere in French domestic affairs.

 … American diplomacy has entered a new era, where interference in the internal affairs of an allied country is no longer taboo. “The term ‘diplomacy’ is not appropriate for Trumpism, a mixture of obsessions and impulsive whims, followed by escalation, abandonment, sudden disinterest, and verbal violence,” analyzes Hubert Védrine, the former diplomatic advisor to François Mitterrand. …/… 

Business Negotiations 

Appointed to Paris on May 19, 2025, the 71-year-old reiterates that he hardly sought this position, as he is not a diplomat and readily admits it. Charles Kushner is cut from the same cloth as businessman Steve Witkoff, Trump's friend and emissary tasked with negotiating peace in Ukraine and the Middle East. The septuagenarian likes to speak his mind and use direct methods, according to those close to him. In his view, international relations are similar to business negotiations, made up of slammed doors, intimidation, and reconciliations. And "President Trump is a very good businessman," he boasted in an interview on LCI on August 28. 

“Charles Kushner isn't engaging in social niceties; he's on a mission. He's carrying the message of Trump's actions. They have grandchildren in common,” declares Philippe Karsenty, a former elected official in Neuilly-sur-Seine and now the spokesman for le Comité Trump France. Mr. Kushner’s mission? “To open France’s eyes to global issues,” continues the representative of Trump supporters in Paris, who describes Donald Trump as “Europe’s Viagra, our last chance to avoid being swept away by history.”

 … In direct contact with the White House chief, the ambassador is now multiplying meetings with his European counterparts to take the pulse of an Old Continent despised by the Trump administration. … “Charles Kushner does not want France in 2026 to resemble France in 1939,” declares Mr. Karsenty.  

 … Shunning the media – he refused requests from Le Monde – and not speaking French, the ambassador seems, since then, to have been exploring with curiosity the political landscape of his host country, accompanied by his chief of staff, Gabriel Scheinmann, who is perfectly fluent in French.

 … [Among the Frenchmen that Charles Kushner has met is] the First Secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, on December 16. The left-wing leader recalls hearing his interlocutor steer every conversation back to "business" and making the American laugh by explaining that "in our country, we don't use our credit cards to go to the hospital." Charles Kushner seemed disconcerted by "this country where people work thirty-five hours a week and retire at 62 and a bit," Mr. Faure remembers. "He thought we were all Soviets."

The Trumpinoscope on French TV: Is the opposition of American stars against Donald Trump effective or simply symbolic?

At the Grammy Awards, do artists act as a counterweight to power? Is the opposition

of American stars against Donald Trump effective or nothing more than symbolic? 

Monday evening I was interviewed by France Info Télévision's Loïc de la Mornais in a segment of Sur le Terrain (In the Field) called le Trumpinoscope. 

In the full 1:54:38 show, about Donald Trump, Minnesota, and the Grammies, the police car chase mentioned in a post yesterday is broadcast between 1:03:17 and 1:05:48 while the American report can be seen between 1:08:54 and 1:31:13, with myself appearing between 1:19:29 and 1:25:00. (I was duly impressed, because they not only mentioned the book I wrote 20 years ago, they found the cover to the first edition.)

The easiest thing, though, is simply to click on the links at Sur le Terrain and le Trumpinoscope which are shorter videos (22:11) devoted entirely to the American segment and in which I appear from 10:39 to 16:08. (Merci pour l'Instalien, Sarah.)

Sur le terrain" : aux Grammy Awards, les artistes jouent les contre-pouvoirs face à Donald Trump

franceinfo

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Feb 2, 2026

Ce dimanche ont eu lieu les Grammy Awards à Los Angeles. Le chanteur Bad Bunny a été consacré lors de cette cérémonie. L'artiste portoricain en a profité pour critiquer les méthodes de l'ICE, la police américaine de l'immigration, dans son discours. Plusieurs célébrités ont fait de même, faisant prendre à la soirée une tournure politique.  Loïc de La Mornais en parle avec ses invités sur le plateau de "Sur le terrain", ce lundi 2 février.

 

"Sur le terrain" du 2 février 2026 : l’opposition des stars américaines contre Donald Trump, efficace ou symbolique ?

Loïc de la Mornais s'intéresse dans cette deuxième partie à la cérémonie très politique cette année des Grammy Awards, ayant eu lieu aux États-Unis et où les stars américaines ont largement pris la parole pour dénoncer la politique anti-immigration de Donald Trump. Une séquence à retrouver dans l'émission "Sur le terrain" diffusée entre 21 h et 23 h sur la chaîne info, canal 16.

Les invités de "Sur le terrain" du lundi 2 février 2026 sont :

• • Érik Svane, membre des “Republicans” en France
• • Tristan Cabello, historien et spécialiste des États-Unis
• • Michel Mompontet, éditorialiste international France Télévisions

  

Loïc de la Mornais s'intéresse dans cette première partie au vote du budget en France, adopté lundi 2 février par l’Assemblée nationale après plusieurs mois de débats et de rebondissements. Une séquence à retrouver dans l'émission "Sur le terrain" diffusée entre 21 h et 23 h sur la chaîne info, canal 16.

Les invités de "Sur le terrain" du lundi 2 février 2026 sont :

• • Isabelle Ficek, cheffe du service France des Échos
• • Luc Gras, politologue
• • Isabelle This Saint-Jean, économiste et professeure à l’Université Sorbonne-Nord