When a nation elects a clown into office, it has to expect a circus.
When a nation elects a reality television star into the highest office, it has to expect some serious, and unnecessary, drama.
With Trump, we have gotten both. Since he took office, it has been non-stop lies and MAGA-lomania and ridiculous tweets and disgusting actions and statements, just one piled atop the other. Through it all, we have seen blatant corruption and transparent conflicts of interest and petty attacks on any and all who attack him. Trump loves to quickly grab all the credit when anything he deems good happens, while he quickly points the finger of blame at anyone and everyone else when things go bad, as they inevitably do under him.
One minute, he goes before cameras with the entire nation, and indeed the entire world, and claims, "I am proud to shut down the government." That means that he seems to take pride in a glaring failure, as federal government employees will have to go without paychecks at this, what is often the most crucial time of the year: the holidays. Then, the next minute, he is blaming the other party, claiming that this is a "democratic shutdown."
This is only the latest in the staggering number and level of absurdities involving this man, who hardly acts like a grown man at all. Frankly, he seems childlike to me, and I do not mean that in a complimentary manner, as children can be quite endearing. Children have their faults, but at least they are cute, even if they act out once in a while. There is nothing remotely cute about Trump's childish behavior and meltdowns. Frankly, they are disgusting reminders of just how privileged this spoiled brat elitist has been all of his life, to literally not be able to handle any criticisms or anything that does not go precisely how he wants it to.
All of this has been on display before the entire world, and Trump has indeed become the butt of jokes the world over as a result. It is reflecting very poorly on the United States.
If there is one thing that I am truly astonished by about the Trump phenomenon, if you want to call it that, is how willfully blind his supporters are to any and all criticisms of their man. Even when Republicans criticize him, they dismiss it as either jealousy or lap up Trump's own claims that criticisms of him inevitably fall under the domain of "fake news."
This has itself led to some strange episodes, although it seems like everything involving Trump is frankly strange.
The latest frankly bizarre back and forth criticisms of Trump are coming from former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who seems to flip flop constantly regarding his opinion of Trump. As he is just about to be sworn in as Senator from Utah, Romney is using his prominent stage to once again criticize Trump, which is something he has been known to do in the past. In an editorial, Romney leveled very serious criticism at Trump, suggesting that "the president has not risen to the mantle of the office."
Here is more of what Romney wrote in his Op/Ed piece:
"To a great degree, a presidency shapes the public character of the nation. A president should unite us and inspire us to follow "our better angels." A president should demonstrate the essential qualities of honesty and integrity, and elevate the national discourse with comity and mutual respect. As a nation, we have been blessed with presidents who have called on the greatness of the American spirit. With the nation so divided, resentful and angry, presidential leadership in qualities of character is indispensable. And it is in this province where the incumbent's shortfall has been most glaring."
Don't get me wrong: I agree with Romney on this point. And it is pretty rare for me to agree with Romney on much. After all, this was the man who mocked concern about rising ocean levels in his Republican acceptance speech for the presidential nomination, back in 2012. This was the man who dismissed 47 percent of the people. This man is, in some respects, a watered-down version of Trump, having been born a wealthy elitist, and never known any real struggles the way that most working-class American families often now know struggles, having to juggle a lot on limited salaries and with often minimal benefits.
Here's the thing, though: Romney sounds very distrustful of Trump when it seems politically profitable to be suspicious, and then he seems to be begging for his support, or trying to get a job from him in Washington, when Trump could prove useful to his ambitions. At some points, Romney dismisses and condemns Trump point blank as a "phony, a fraud." Then, he has dinner with him and seems almost in love, like they are besties. Here is a timeline of this rather strange, and often contradictory, history between the two men that I borrowed from CBS News (see link below):
March 3, 2016:
Romney:
"Here's what I know. Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He's playing the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House and all we get is a lousy hat."
Trump responded:
"He was begging for my endorsement" in the 2012 presidential election. "I could've said, 'Mitt, drop to your knees.' He was begging me," he said.
April 12, 2016
Trump speaking of Romney at one of his rallies:
"The last election should have been won, except Romney choked like a dog," Mr. Trump said of Romney's 2012 run for the presidency during a New York rally. "He choked. He went 'I can't breathe! I can't breathe,' he said."
June 11, 2016
Romney public mulls over possibly voting for Gary Johnson, saying that he would be better than Trump.
November 19, 2016
Then-president-elect Trump and Romney played golf at his Bedminster, NJ course. Romney said they had "a far reaching conversation with regards to the various theaters in the world where there are interests of the United States of real significance." Mr. Trump told the press "it went great."
November 29, 2016
Romney and Mr. Trump met for dinner during which Romney reportedly pitched the president to consider him for secretary of state. Mr. Trump eventually chose Rex Tillerson for the post.
August 17, 2017
Romney blasts Trump's response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, when the president blamed "both sides" for the violence during the white supremacists rally and their counter protestors. Here is what Romney said then:
"This is a defining moment for President Trump. But much more than that, it is a moment that will define America in the hearts of our children. They are watching, our soldiers are watching, the world is watching. Mr. President, act now for the good of the country."
December 5, 2017 - On the Roy Moore controversy:
On the same day Mr. Trump reiterated his endorsement of Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, Romney criticized the candidate.
"Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation," Romney tweeted, referencing multiple allegations of Moore's sexual misconduct involving teenage girls. "Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity."
December 6, 2017
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said that Mr. Trump and Romney discussed congressional Republicans' tax plan over the phone, according to CNN. The call came after the president's Dec. 4 trip to Utah in which, during a speech, he praised Sen. Hatch and encouraged him to run for reelection. Romney notably did not attend that speech. Conway said that Romney and Mr. Trump have a "great relationship."
Now, Romney is blasting Trump once again, saying that Trump has not risen to the level of the office of the presidency, as he had hoped that he would. Yet, he also claims that he will do as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants, and will toe the part line.
Politics makes strange bedfellows, eh?
Here are the two CBS News articles that I used (especially the quotes) in writing this particular blog entry about the strange history between Romney and Trump:
A timeline of President Trump and Mitt Romney’s relationship BY BLAIR GUILD UPDATED ON: JANUARY 3, 2018
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-timeline-of-president-trump-and-mitt-romneys-relationship/
Mitt Romney slams Trump in editorial days before being sworn into Senate BY CAROLINE LINTON UPDATED ON: JANUARY 2, 2019 / 12:21 AM / CBS NEWS
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