To the right is a kind of political mugshot I ran across the other day; it's the most telling portrait I've yet seen of the brooding, exhausted, smoldering paranoid who haunts the White House, plagues the world, and offends every conscience of decency.
Here is a spent man, a physical wreck and psychic monstrosity — the shattered embodiment of yearslong corruption. Far from being the man of vigor he promised on the campaign trail, he is broken shell. And far from being the man who would make America great again, he's only reversing the greatness of his predecessor.
Decades of grifting and carnival barking have eaten away his native humanity; all that is left is a black hole of despair, debauchery and primal screams. Its last victim? Donald Trump.
Well, him and perhaps a third of America, the "so-called real Americans [who] are screwing up America," observes the conservative columnist Bret Stephens. These are the Trumplandians; Americans who are "complacent, entitled and often shockingly ignorant on basic points of American law and history," who "are the stagnant pool in which our national prospects risk drowning." And in the fulfillment of a dark Trumpian dream, they should all be deported, advises Stephens. (The problem, he notes: "Who would take them in?")
Even Trump realizes that the vast majority is agin him. Yesterday, in a characteristically twisted tweet which inadvertently acknowledged just how cornered he is, he wrote, "The Fake News Media hates when I use what has turned out to be my very powerful Social Media — over 100 million people!" In other words, more than two-thirds of America (population: 325 million) can't stomach the ill-bragging gnome.
Alongside that tweet came his characteristically disingenuous tweet that he's "being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director!" And so "Trump has started the clock on the Rosenstein firing watch," said a Republican strategist to Politico, who added, "This is feeding the private discussions in the GOP about the president's state of mind."
His state of mind? Look again at the above portrait. There you will see a trollish neurotic and bloated windbag that's about to blow. Go ahead, Donald. Fire Rosenstein, indeed fire 'em all until you descend to a Justice Department bureaucrat as corrupt as you. It's your right. And then your right, mirabile dictu, will become our revenge.
So it seems almost certain that Rosenstein will also have to recuse himself from Trump related investigations. What then will be Trump's excuse for firing him. I suppose it must only be that Rosenstein by recusing himself declined to assist Trump in obstructing justice.
Now about that bully pulpit so often misinterpreted as a bullying pulpit? Not bully as in grand or good. Trump's predecessor was often accused of failing to use this pulpit effectively. At no time in human history has it been easier for a president to communicate directly with the people, bypassing all intermediaries. It turns out that you actually have to possess something worth saying to them.
Posted by: Peter G. | June 17, 2017 at 09:28 AM
You have no idea do you! This man is being targeting left, right and center because he's not playing puppet with the puppet masters, like his predecessors have always done. The only one that didn't play ball with the elites was JFK, and look what 'they' did to him.
I think you trump bashers need a serious wake-up call!!!
Posted by: Nelly Pierce | June 17, 2017 at 10:06 AM
He's a chip off the old block. Which is to say, he never had any native humanity.
Posted by: shsavage | June 17, 2017 at 10:09 AM
How ever did you find us?
Posted by: Peter G. | June 17, 2017 at 10:29 AM
Do you ever recall this level of bellyaching from Bush the Lesser/Darth Cheney supporters when they were in power?
Posted by: Anne J | June 17, 2017 at 11:21 AM
Maybe that is the look of a man who is finally coming to realize that once you've backed up the bus over enough people, you run out of people who have your back.
Posted by: Anne J | June 17, 2017 at 11:24 AM
Hi pm,
Was hoping to read your take on Trump's destructive roll-back on Cuba policy. He's a one man wrecking crew. Actually, I'm pretty astonished at how few journalists and pundits have addressed this. I'm upset because it was not only brazenly stupid and reactionary but unnecessary.
Posted by: pamelabrown53 | June 17, 2017 at 11:26 AM
Kennedy was an elite among elites. Trump is merely an elite.
Posted by: Jon Ponder | June 17, 2017 at 12:05 PM
Woo Hoo! It's always good hearing from the party of personal responsibility. Now repeat after me: "...Grab 'em by the pussy . . . because I'm a celebrity, I can get away with anything."
As if Jack Kennedy, you know, war hero, saved his crew, liberal Democrat, wrote real books, read six newspapers at breakfast, reading 2,500 words a minute etc., was anything like this vulgar narcissist bully.
Posted by: Max | June 17, 2017 at 12:41 PM
Kennedy was our first and only Catholic president; nouveau riche Irish Catholc; kind of first generation elite. (Two generations earlier the Irish were not allowed near big money (Until Papa Joe's generation you could be a doctor or lawyer but not a banker.) Oft-told tale, Kennedys: more money that status; Bouviers, more status than money with the money running out. Everyone wins.
Posted by: Max | June 17, 2017 at 12:44 PM
Unfortunately I don't think the "final destruction" is anywhere near at hand.
Posted by: Max | June 17, 2017 at 12:46 PM
To paraphrase Lincoln ... You can fool a third of the people all of the time.
Posted by: WDC | June 17, 2017 at 12:58 PM
Go to hell.
Posted by: Marc McKenzie | June 17, 2017 at 01:33 PM
Both the late Fred Trump and Vladimir Putin are examples of white trash who, by the whim of some fallen angel or malignant pagan god, managed to get above their proper stations in the world, worse luck for us all.
Posted by: Ivory Bill Woodpecker | June 17, 2017 at 02:50 PM
Trump is an elitIST.
Posted by: Anne J | June 17, 2017 at 03:10 PM
Nelly, please try to explain what you mean. I would really like to try to understand what you think and why you think it. Who are the puppet masters that you refer to, and how is Trump standing up to them? Is there any possibility that Vladimir Putin is a puppet master to Trump, or do you have no concern about that? Also do you have any fears that Trumps agenda will cause the average person (non-elites) in this country to struggle? I'm an average person who is very worried that, for example, huge cuts to Medicaid are going to adversely affect me and millions of others. How do you feel about things like this? I'd like to know more of your thoughts.
Posted by: Patty S. | June 17, 2017 at 04:56 PM
Nope. Trump is definitely the Whiner in Chief. Not one of these people had the slightest objection to Trump dishing it out. But I guess we know who the real snowflakes are now.
Posted by: Peter G. | June 17, 2017 at 06:29 PM
They're definitely the new p.c. police.
Posted by: Anne J | June 17, 2017 at 06:52 PM
Yeah, what "native humanity"? He was born a dick.
Posted by: jsrtheta | June 17, 2017 at 10:56 PM
"On the internet it is especially difficult to verify real facts." - Abraham Lincoln
Posted by: Max | June 18, 2017 at 03:26 PM
Interesting opinion piece. Now you just need to add some evidence to back it up.
Posted by: Ed | June 19, 2017 at 08:58 AM
TROLL!!
Posted by: Mike P. | June 19, 2017 at 09:14 AM
Please refer to PMC's last 400 or so posts; note the mostly enlightened commentary.
Posted by: Max | June 19, 2017 at 09:56 AM