Trump’s Top Ten Travesties, Week 4
Well, I’d like to report that our “president” has made progress on his promise to drain the swamp, but in fact, those gators are getting fatter by the day. This week’s Swamp News includes the following events:
- Trump fired Michael Flynn, his National Security Adviser, after evidence of his phone calls with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak was made public. Trump had known about the calls for weeks but took action only after the information was leaked to the public.
- On Saturday, February 11, while dining with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the open-air patio at Mar-a-Lago, Trump received word that North Korea had launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile. Rather than retiring to a secure location to discuss the crisis, aides huddled around the table—in full view of spouses, wait staff, and fellow diners. One diner posted photos on Facebook, along with commentary on what was happening and even posted a photo of himself with “Rick,” the aide-de-camp who carries the nuclear “football” for Trump. The Facebook account has been deleted, but the damaging photos and comments are still floating around the Internet. And needless to say, the stupidity which led to the mishandling of the situation is still very much intact.
- The Office of Government Ethics has recommended disciplinary action against top adviser Kellyanne Conway for giving Ivanka Trump’s clothing and accessory line a free TV commercial on Fox and Friends. Apparently she forgot to read the Emoluments Clause in the Constitution. But who can blame her? Has anyone in this administration read any part of the Constitution?
- Trump abandoned decades of diplomacy with Israel/Palestine by announcing that he would consider a one-state solution. This is a devastating blow to Palestinians who suffer under the continued incursions into their territory by Jewish settlers and to the decades of diplomacy that have kept the possibility of an equitable two-state solution alive.
- Trump walked out of a joint press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu when he was asked about Michael Flynn and the administration’s ties to Russia.
- Trump’s nominee for Labor Secretary, Andrew Puzder, withdrew after it became apparent he could not get the necessary votes for confirmation because of well-founded concern over his past business practices and personal ethics.
- Trump has scheduled a campaign-style rally in Florida this weekend to bolster his wounded ego. The screaming, chanting crowds are what he needs to reassure him that everybody likes him and he’s winning. Do we need any more proof that we’ve elected a mentally ill, emotionally crippled, man child to the White House?
- Trump’s first choice for a National Security Adviser to replace the fired Michael Flynn was Robert Harward. Harward, however, declined the offer after watching Trump’s chaotic performance in Thursday’s press conference, calling Trump’s offer a “shit sandwich.”
- A draft memo which has been circulating for a couple of weeks suggests that as many as 100,000 national guard troops will be militarized to round up immigrants for deportation. The Trump administration has called the report 100% false, but it seems this may be yet another embarrassing leak which they were unprepared to defend.
- And the centerpiece of this week’s Chaos in the Swamp is Trump’s first solo press conference since he took office. The conference has been variously described by media outlets as “unhinged,” “chaotic,” “a train wreck”; and his behavior has been called “petulant,” “combative,” “angry.” And these are the kinder descriptions. Aside from utterly humiliating our nation in the eyes of the world with his juvenile tantrums, Trump has declared all-out war on our media, calling such historically respected models of journalism as the New York Times “fake news.” This can’t possibly end well.
So until next week’s edition of the Swamp News, keep watching those waters rise. We’re in for a tidal wave.