Earlier this week, Rachel Maddow got a scoop: President Trump’s tax returns. OK, two pages of his tax return from 2005, but still. It was a big deal—mostly because she announced it on Twitter and then made the internet wait for almost an hour and a half (an hour and a half!) before giving up the goods. Folks were so busy being annoyed about the delay they almost missed a chance to weigh in on the possibility of a Matrix reboot. We would never leave you hanging that long, even if we do understand why Maddow took her time. Want to know what you might have missed online over the past seven days? Read on.
What Happened: You can’t always get what you want, especially if what you want is breaking news in 30 minutes or less.Where It Blew Up: Twitter, media reportsWhat Really Happened: Tuesday evening, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow managed to take over the entire internet with one simple tweet:
BREAKING: We’ve got Trump tax returns. Tonight, 9pm ET. MSNBC.
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) March 14, 2017
People were, to be blunt, a little excited about just what that could mean. (And maybe a little skeptical, as well.) Just what could be revealed when Maddow got behind the desk?
Maddow: We’ve got trump tax returns
— Gene Park (@GenePark) March 15, 2017
Media: Release your taxes.Trump: I can’t, under audit.Maddow: I have Trump’s 2005 taxes.Trump (moments later): HERE ARE THE 2005 RETURNS!
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) March 15, 2017
Maddow: “And now, I will show you Trumps tax returns!”
— Christian Becker (@TheAmazingBeck) March 15, 2017
Waiting on Rachel Maddow to reveal Trump’s tax returns like she’s about to drop a mixtape
— kevin lima (@klima04) March 15, 2017
The Daily Beast actually had the information online before Maddow’s show began, but that didn’t seem to deter people from eagerly waiting for Rachel to drop the hammer. And waiting. And waiting.
MADDOW: The first taxes were levied by the Ancient Sumerians….
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) March 15, 2017
Everyone watching Maddow right now pic.twitter.com/uqxBANL8kQ
— Jillian Jorgensen (@Jill_Jorgensen) March 15, 2017
Have none of you ever watched Maddow before? The wind-up is her bread and butter. Taxes or otherwise.
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 15, 2017
All of us watching Rachel #Maddow pic.twitter.com/kMVJgOd1MY
— Jacob Goldstein (@GoldsteinStreet) March 15, 2017
Rachel Maddow announces she will release Donald Trump’s tax returns as a 10-episode Netflix series.
— Sam Adams (@SamuelAAdams) March 15, 2017
And in the end, what was learned? Well, that he would only have paid 3.5 percent in federal taxes if it wasn’t for the alternative minimum tax, which, funny story, is something he plans to abolish. Oh, and perhaps Chinese investors played a huge part in his financial fortunes that year.
Because Maddow failed to take down the president (and did so in a slow, measured manner), she was pilloried by many, including Stephen Colbert.
But the episode was a massive ratings hit, getting more than 4 million viewers—a new high for the show. Maddow also defended her coverage of the story, saying “if people like me or don’t like me, I will have a better or worse chance of making friends with them somewhere down the road—at a cocktail party I won’t go to.”The Takeaway: Take it away, Billy Eichner!
Trump won cause while an intelligent woman was trying to tell us about Russian ties u complained about her presentation & here we are again
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) March 15, 2017
What Happened: After a federal judge blocked the second travel ban from the Trump administration, the internet felt the need to respond.Where It Blew Up: Twitter, media reportsWhat Really Happened: Late Wednesday, a federal judge in Hawaii issued a freeze of the second executive order from the Trump administration seeking to halt entry into the US for people coming from six majority-Muslim countries. The restraining order of course made headlines across the internet, and also sparked at least one theory about what was going on. (Said theory had originally run on the Independent Journalism Review, but was quickly pulled by editors for being too out there; the fact that it ran at all caused one reporter to quit in protest.)
Perhaps the most surreal response to the ruling, however, was watching the backlash online, which was directed at both the judge who made the ruling and the state of Hawaii itself.
Just switched my vacation plans! Heading east instead! Key West, FL here we come! 🌺🌺 #BoycottHawaii 🌺🌺#TravelBan pic.twitter.com/MX06yNj9oZ
— Theresa_Cali (@Theresa_Cali) March 16, 2017
So Hawaii wants the US to import more refugees.A #BoycottHawaii campaign will free up some resort space so they can take a bunch of them.😎
— DON’T FOLLOW ME! (@lancebagley1) March 16, 2017
RT: #Hawaii is the newest gateway for those who hate #America and oppose its safety, @maziehirono and @brianschatz. #BoycottHawaii pic.twitter.com/ViBMTvLXRr
— Central NY 4 Trump (@CNY_4_Trump) March 16, 2017
Actually, the idea that supporters of the ban would boycott Hawaii was welcome news for many.
Good, #boycottHawaii maybe now there will be parking at Ke’e/Hanalei/Waimea/Kailua
— Jaycie Murata (@JaycieMurata) March 16, 2017
Fastest way to increase tourism to Hawaii? Tell the rest of the world Trump supporters aren’t coming. Cha-ching! #BoycottHawaii #Hawaii
— Mashka (@Obval83) March 16, 2017
The Takeaway: These are probably not the kind of travel restrictions the administration wanted, huh?
What Happened: Someone got control of the McDonald’s Twitter feed and said some very not-nice things to President Trump.Where It Blew Up: Twitter, media reportsWhat Really Happened: It was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it event. For less than half an hour, the official McDonald’s Twitter account had a pinned tweet with some harsh words for the current US president. Soon, though, it was deleted.
Awkward. @McDonalds tweets, deletes message to Trump: ‘You’re disgusting’ https://t.co/mgur16gZEE pic.twitter.com/zShb11p4F8
— CNNTech (@cnntech) March 16, 2017
It was an unexpected occurrence, to say the least. Thankfully, it happened on the always restrained, understated platform of Twitter, which can be relied upon to react responsibly to such events.
@chrislhayes MCDONALDS CEO: Man, we’re getting crushed by Wendy’s on Twitter. What do we do?
MCD VP, SOCIAL MEDIA: I have an idea, boss.
— Jeremy Binckes (@jbinckes) March 16, 2017
Never realised @McDonalds served roast dinners pic.twitter.com/mH3X9kkMG8
— Thomas Hornall (@Thomashornall) March 16, 2017
This isn’t even the first time McDonald’s has done this pic.twitter.com/ZuKEMz1Erz
— ℳatt (@matttomic) March 16, 2017
The tweet didn’t go unnoticed by mainstream media, which just had to share it. Thankfully, McDonald’s could explain everything:
Twitter notified us that our account was compromised. We deleted the tweet, secured our account and are now investigating this.
— McDonald’s (@McDonaldsCorp) March 16, 2017
McDonald’s Twitter Account Hacked, Police Release Photo of Suspected Hacker#McDonalds pic.twitter.com/PBU6NN4eM9
— Unless…. (@blackdoglurking) March 16, 2017
Meanwhile, McDonald’s was about to get the Hawaii treatment.
WOW!!!! @McDonalds just made a YUGE mistake. I will NEVER spend another dollar there. EVER. pic.twitter.com/UC5A5cXTHp
— Lynni Megginson (@LynniMegginson) March 16, 2017
.@McDonaldsCorp @McDonalds You seriously want to go this route? Great!! You are now officially on the #BoycottMcDonalds list!
— Proud🇺🇸Trumpster (@PresDJTrumpUSA) March 16, 2017
TRUMP SUPPORTERS: THE MCDONALD’S BAN IS ON! #ThursdayThoughts #McDonalds #MAGA #trump pic.twitter.com/Rp09VTwdbO
— Ted Hooley (@ed_hooley) March 16, 2017
#McDonalds it’s such an easy one to fix yet you’ve done nothing! Actions & LACK of actions have consequences! DONE!! #BoycottMcDonalds pic.twitter.com/fN1q0wLBRj
— GaysForTrumpFL (@GaysForTrumpFL) March 16, 2017
The Takeaway: You can always count on fast-food Twitter to keep things interesting.
What Happened: The Trump administration released its proposed budget for next year and it is pretty frugal.Where It Blew Up: Twitter, media reportsWhat Really Happened: Details of the Trump administration’s proposed 2018 budget started to appear this week, promising considerable hardships for many Americans. Amongst the cuts: Both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities would be defunded entirely and the EPA and State Department would see their budgets slashed as well. Some doubt that the budget will pass as proposed, but when Office of Management and Budget chief Mick Mulvaney defended the proposal to the press, he made an extraordinary claim concerning a plan to defund the Meals on Wheels program. Namely, that it doesn’t show “results.” Twitter?
Mulvaney: “No proof that Meals on Wheels, after school programs deliver results.” pic.twitter.com/gatyy4KH3v
— Day (@DayNewYork) March 16, 2017
@DomenicoNPR As former “Meals on Wheels” volunteer I saw the results of older ppl being able to stay in their home & NOT STARVING TO DEATH!
— Kanye_Trump (@Barack_McBush) March 16, 2017
Isnt the whole point of meals on wheels to keep old people from dying?
I guess “old people aren’t immortal” could be “not showing results?”
— Magdalene Visaggio (@MagsVisaggs) March 16, 2017
Dude says Meals On wheels hasn’t shown results.
Are we debating the effectiveness of eating food now?
— 💀Mr. Tyler Crook💀 (@MrTylerCrook) March 16, 2017
To the surprise of no one, Mulvaney’s comments went far and wide, presumably because of their indefensibility.The Takeaway: Well, at least there isn’t an obvious way of spinning this story, using a photo of someone closely connected to the current administra—oh, wait.
tfw the Meals on Wheels program isn’t getting results pic.twitter.com/DbRZacf749
— Anthony Oliveira (@meakoopa) March 16, 2017
What Happened: Sometimes something ends up so viral that it sticks around for quite some time.Where It Blew Up: Twitter, media reportsWhat Really Happened: At the tail end of last week, the doom and gloom of the world around us was lightened, just briefly, by this video:
Our favourite live TV moment of the week by far 👶😂 pic.twitter.com/GXSCUl5hYI
— BBC Newsbeat (@BBCNewsbeat) March 10, 2017
It’s some kids running amok at an inopportune time? Who couldn’t relate to that?!
This is so magical. Oh, BBC Dad, I’ve been there. #fridayfeeling #bbcdad https://t.co/FdkFGBUzBR pic.twitter.com/8QjE2VQgbW
— Rebel Yell (@RebelYellMag) March 10, 2017
Anyone who’s ever done a Skype interview knows exactly why BBC Dad didn’t get up to help with the rugrats:
— Jon Schneidman (@RealSchneidman) March 10, 2017
Thank goodness for BBC Dad. We all needed BBC dad (and the woman who swoops in to save him from adorable toddler tyranny) today. https://t.co/m1RKiQLN78
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) March 10, 2017
That slide tho 😂😂😂 #BBCDad pic.twitter.com/zcVhiL1TcW
— Cartoon Network (@cartoonnetwork) March 10, 2017
As the mainstream media picked up on the story, one thing became clear: It wasn’t going away.
Indeed, this week saw a second wave of interest, heralded by a statement by the family, followed by a press conference that once again went viral—all because of the internet’s love of one little girl
Robert Kelly’s daughter in his press conference (live on BBC World TV now) chomping her lollipop like a cigar is the embodiment of thuglife. pic.twitter.com/05OhEKLHRm
— Tessa Wong (@tessa_wong) March 15, 2017
tfw ur a goddamn star and u know it pic.twitter.com/8MfXIKCE7u
— Foster Kamer (@weareyourfek) March 15, 2017
BBC interview kid has just been cast as Commissioner Gordon in the new Batman movie. pic.twitter.com/mM2aYgMOGM
— R. Eric Thomas (@oureric) March 15, 2017
— Jian DeLeon (@jiandeleon) March 15, 2017
The Takeaway: Where is this family’s fame going to go in its third week? Who knows, but some people are already thinking long-term.
If she isn’t President of Earth by the time I’m 80, I’ll be bitterly disappointed. pic.twitter.com/f5qEfaaPT7
— David Llewellyn (@TheDaiLlew) March 15, 2017