Remember when October was winding down and everyone was thinking, “Only a few more days and this madness will be over”?
I never expected the man to go quietly in the night or day. I did expect his surrounding advisors — you know, the “sane” human beings like Jared Kushner and Lindsay Graham — to eventually break it to him that he lost and it’s time to pack the TV remote.
Watching the rug pulled out from under him is another reminder that the White House has become the ultimate spectator sport. In that spirit, here’s what’s on my mind in no particular order.
- Did you hear about the Rudy Giuliani press conference in Philadelphia at the Four Seasons Total Landscaping?
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You’re reading this right. Clearly, the event planner didn’t consider that a luxury hotel might not be the only business in Philly that uses the words “The Four Seasons.” If you need yet another proof point that life is better than fiction, read The Guardian piece “Make America Rake Again.”
- If it were up to me, I wouldn’t give Trump his housing deposit back once he vacates the premises.
- The Republicans in Congress will eventually figure out that this addiction to Trump’s base can’t be sustained over another four year … won’t they? I’m sure the prospect of Trump starting a new party with his existing supporters scares the beejeezus out of Republicans. Yet, the alternative of being beholden to an individual consumed by the question, “Is this good for me?” can’t be fun.
- Given the country’s changing demographics — less white and younger — Trump’s appeal is only going to erode over time. If this doesn’t happen, I’m in the wrong country.
- I’ve written about the ethics of communication consultancies choosing the wrong clients. There are times when no amount of revenue is worth the hit to your reputation. Which brings me to the question, why would any law firm take on Trump’s frivolous lawsuits and legal gamesmanship? Looking down the road a year or two, if I’m a law firm, I don’t want to be on the wrong side of this issue. On the positive side, these lawsuits drain the RNC’s bank account.
- Every time a news update pops up on my phone about another move by Trump to delay the inevitable, I flash back to the John Belushi character in Animal House when he inspires the boys with “What? Over? Did you say ‘over’? Nothing is over until we decide it …” I keep pushing the sight of Trump in a toga out of my brain.
- No question, Trump is good TV. I’d say a good 30+ of my posts over the past four years have spotlighted Trump, including my favorite, a parody on replacing the Statue of Liberty.
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September 10, 2017
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According to President Trump, the current Statue of Liberty and inscription symbolize everything that is wrong with America:
“Why the hell do we want to let in immigrants who are tired or poor? We should be doing just the opposite. If we’re going to let in any immigrants, let’s let in the ones who are energetic and rich. That’s how we create jobs. I know some extremely wealthy Venezuelans — no, they don’t have as much money as me, but believe me these people have money — and they would love to live in America. Many already have condos in Miami.”
He went on to say:
“Immigrants who are poor and tired drag down the economy and take jobs that should be going to Americans in Michigan and other states that voted for me.”
Thank you, Michigan, for ticking the ballot for Mr. Biden.
- Trump weaponized conversational language. In running against Hillary Clinton, this tactic differentiated him. Hillary sounded stiff. Trump sounded authentic. While I wouldn’t exactly say that Joe Biden leans into conversational language, he does come across as a real human being, especially when he’s not on stage.
- Related to the above, we’ve witnessed an erosion of Trump’s cognitive skills in which conversational language gives way to weirdness. As exhibit A, check out Trump’s remarks on August 15, 2020 as posted on the White House website:
“We were unfairly treated by China because they could have stopped it [Covid-19]. With that being said, China has purchased the most amount of corn in history. They — last week, they purchased the two largest days in the history of corn purchase and a massive amount of soybeans. Also cattle.
“So China has been buying a lot of — a lot of things, and they’re doing that to keep me happy …”
- Those Trump cronies who ran afoul of the law now find themselves in a predicament. They need to get convicted and tossed in jail before Jan. 20 or they lose their window for a pardon. “Hey, judge, I did it.”
- If I were Biden’s speech writer, I would start his post-inauguration press conference with: “Before starting, I just want to say that I believe that was the largest crowd for a presidential inauguration in the history of the United States.” (uttered with a smile)
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So now we start counting the days until Jan. 20.
What will life be like after the inauguration? I think the media will have a big say in this.
Going back to the 12-month period leading up to the 2016 election, Trump received roughly $3.4 billion worth of earned media compared to $2.266 billion of earned media for Hillary Clinton. As stated earlier, the man is good TV.
Still, with no serious public pulpit, I’m hoping the media deprives Trump of this “oxygen.” That would be a major step toward a semblance of normalcy.