Trump’s Top Ten Travesties, Week 2
This week, our new “president”
- Insulted the prime minister of Australia, one of our allies, in an angry and thuggish phone conversation which Trump ended abruptly less than halfway into the scheduled time. John McCain and others felt compelled to attempt damage control because of the embarrassment and the potential damage of Trump’s creating a rift between the U.S. and a solid ally.
- Hastily orchestrated and sloppily executed a raid on Yemen, which resulted in the deaths of a Navy SEAL and about 30 other people, some of whom were Al Qaeda operatives but the number also included 10 women and 3 children. (Huffington Post)
- Continued addressing conflict on his travel ban through Tweets rather than constructive dialogue among government agencies to arrive at an equitable solution. Ended the week in a battle with a federal judge in Seattle who has issued an order blocking Trump’s ban.
- Continued to embarrass our country in the eyes of the world through the careless and dishonest remarks of his adviser Kellyanne Conway and press secretary Sean Spicer. This week, Conway added the “Bowling Green Massacre” (an event she fabricated on the spur of the moment) to her book of “alternative facts.”
- Swore in Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State despite his receiving the largest number of negative votes for a secretary of state in U.S. Senate history. Tillerson is the former chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil. From The Atlantic: “His company’s relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin; a shadowy Russia-U.S. oil venture based in the Bahamas, a tax haven; as well as, allegedly, the governments of Iran, Syria, and Sudan, suggest a pragmatic businessman whose pursuit of profit, while legitimate, leaves him open to difficult questions on his foreign ties.”
- Appointed far-right evangelical Jerry Falwell Jr to head an education task force, which “will push to stop regulations coming out of the Education Department, especially those that apply to colleges and universities.” (per Len Stevens, spokesman for Liberty University)
- Made plans for his third weekend as “president” to include two events which place his conflicts of interest front and center once again: “Trump will spend Saturday and Sunday nights attending private events where his presence, and the attendant press coverage of the president, stand to directly benefit the properties’ bottom lines. Given that Trump earns income from both of these properties, his decision ― as president ― to attend events there creates the appearance that he may be using the presidency to increase the visibility, prestige and financial value of his clubs.” (Huffington Post)
- Threatened Iran. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, in response to Trump’s criticism of various existing agreements between the U.S. and Iran: “As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice.”
- Made remarks at a Black History Month event which not only managed to praise himself and attack CNN once again but revealed his utter ignorance of important black historical figures such as Frederick Douglass.
- Signed a deregulation order requiring administrative agencies to revoke two regulations for every new regulation they propose implementing. This order would apply to a wide range of agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, which affect public health and consumer protection.
What he did NOT do in Week 1 or Week 2 is show ANY sign at all of “draining the swamp.” Those gators are looking mighty healthy and well-fed to me.