Give Trump some time, they said. Don’t be so quick to judge! Let’s see how he does.
Maybe it won’t be so bad...
To which I can now reply: I gave President Trump one full day. And that’s fucking enough.
Trump had an opportunity today to impress. He could have made an attempt to unify. He could have recognized the magnitude of the moment as millions marched around the globe. Could have worked on the “being presidential” thing. Big time fail on all counts.
Donald Trump had a chance to mend some fences at the CIA after trashing intelligence agencies before and throughout the campaign. After a warm introduction by the vice president, the new president took the lectern in front of a wall of stars honoring agency officers who died in the line of duty. From there, Trump could have delivered a speech about the fascinating 70-year history of the CIA, touching on the agency’s many contributions over the years. He could have discussed those names behind him who paid the ultimate sacrifice. He could have addressed his own past remarks, asking for a second chance to earn the respect of the men and women who bravely serve the CIA and who now serve him. He could have struck a conciliatory tone. In short, Trump could done any number of things to sound, and behave, presidential.
Instead, he fucking winged it.
After assuring the crowd that he has their backs, the president of the United States made it all about him. He called the media dishonest human beings, he chastised them for under-reporting his inauguration crowd, then he lied about the size of his crowd by proclaiming he personally counted over a million people. He bragged about the number of times he’s been on the cover of Time Magazine. He boasted about his own perceived intelligence and vigor, fibbed about the weather, and gloated that surely all those in attendance “voted for me.”
Contrast this performance with past presidents, of both parties, and given the backdrop of millions protesting around the globe, you get the sense we’ve just stepped into the Twilight Zone. What. The Fuck. Part of me still believes this just cannot be happening.
A few hours later, Trump sent his press secretary to deliver a briefing to the press at the White House. Except this was the kind of briefing that usually ends in a kid being sent to his room without supper and no Xbox for a week. In what even Fox News is calling “plain weird” and “surreal,” Spicer stood there and hammered the media in what a flummoxed Charles Krauthammer said was a dispute “basically over ratings.” (Google it; it’s pretty good).
So I gave it some time. About twoish days.
And guess what? Trump is who we thought he was: a raging, thin-skinned narcissist whose only goal in life is to be adored at all costs. He is a buffoon of the highest order, devoid of dignity, class or honor, unworthy of sleeping under the same roof as past presidents.
I have Trump a chance, and my conclusion is: no thanks.