Just to go ahead and spoil things, the beginning of that headline is sarcasm. But seriously, how many times do we have to do this crap?

I have a general rule with sensational Trump stories. Wait 24 hours before giving them any credence. The typically flow goes like this: Media outlet makes incredible claim painting Trump as evil incarnate. Every network picks it up and it’s also repeated by certain conservative accounts that must constantly let us know how fair and open-minded they are. Twelve hours or so passes and the story turns out to be anywhere for 0%-20% true and completely out context. Everyone moves on to the next faux outrage. Rinse, repeat.

This latest story about Trump supposedly trying to hide the USS John McCain followed that cycle exactly.

As Elizabeth Vaughn covered this morning, the WSJ first reported on the story as a exclusive bombshell showing just how petty and gross Trump is. I mean, how could he possibly ask the Navy to hide the U.S.S. John McCain when the guy is dead. Let him rest in peace, am I right?

Yeah, well except it was nearly 100% fake news.

The name of USS John S. McCain was not obscured during the POTUS visit to Yokosuka on Memorial Day. The Navy is proud of that ship, its crew, its namesake and its heritage.

— Navy Chief of Information (@chinfo) May 30, 2019

That photo is not from the day of the POTUS visit (Monday in Japan, Sunday in US), as the WSJ report itself mentions.

— Navy Chief of Information (@chinfo) May 30, 2019

I was not informed about anything having to do with the Navy Ship USS John S. McCain during my recent visit to Japan. Nevertheless, @FLOTUS and I loved being with our great Military Men and Women – what a spectacular job they do!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019

After it became apparent that Trump had not actually ordered the Navy to hide the USS McCain so he wouldn’t have to be triggered by it, the media immediately started to move the goalposts.

McCain warship incident raises questions about a changing military culture under Trump https://t.co/RhJ6PiAC5i

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 30, 2019

No, it doesn’t raise any questions. At all.

Confirming WSJ excellent scoop. White House officials say POTUS wasn't involved, as he claimed. Still, that aides would make the request speaks to the level the concern about Trump's triggers has permeated the White House. @helenecooper and me https://t.co/3gsg87ajIf

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) May 30, 2019

“Well, Trump didn’t know anything about it but, man, he’s still awful isn’t he?” is essentially the premise behind that Times piece.

So what’s the real story?

In actuality, a staffer made a single line request in an email. Trump knew nothing about it, the Navy had the ship in full sight during the ceremony anyway, and no one was upset about anything that happened. The likely reason for the original request was to avoid any ironic photos being taken that would then make the media rounds. It almost certainly had nothing to do with Trump not being able to handle reading “John McCain” on the side of a boat.

Now, compare that to the initial story and the avalanche of media outrage it perpetrated.

I’ll also note that several big name conservatives fell for this garbage story (including some I really like), taking shots at Trump over it. Question: Have they learned nothing at this point?

I won’t name names because I don’t think it’s beneficial at this point, but if any of them happen to stumble across this post, I’d suggest taking a few hours next time before responding. You don’t have to virtue signal your open-mindedness immediately anytime a story like this pops up. It harkens back to the Covington Catholic incident, where a laundry list of conservatives rushed to condemn the teenagers, only having to issue apologies later.

Just wait next time, seriously.

The USS McCain “outrage” is Covington Kidz 2, and the same suckers are falling for it.

— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) May 30, 2019