From the beginning of Trump’s bulldozer run at the Presidency the press has struggled with how to cover Donald Trump, being simultaneously mesmerized by his quixotic performances and aghast that their own fascination was fueling his rise.
Even organizing by opposition groups, while hugely successful at uniting the opposition, had the perverse effect of focusing attention on his presidency, providing a sort of back-handed validation of his role as Commander-in-chief and even further intensifying attention on his antics in office, even as his minions ransacked the country.
But the giant inflatable Trump chicken that appeared on the Ellipse outside the White House on Wednesday morning struck another chord. It made us laugh at the whole notion that we were playing by the same rules that existed before Trump took control of the White House. In so doing it changed the narrative from Trump as President to Trump as a cartoon of being President.
It is interesting that the man who conceived of the concept, Taran Singh Brar, applied for a permit in March and it took repeated trips to DC and constant calling to finally get approval, according to an article in today’s NYTimes (could not find it online). Meanwhile, it just so happened that Trump was out of town on vacation when it was displayed. Coincidence?
Trump’s obsession with large, validating crowds and his own stated surprise at being President at a rally strongly suggest that even he does not believe that he is President, or should be. Even he sees this whole thing as an absurd joke — or perhaps more accurately a clever heist of America’s bounty, another in a long history of scams that he has orchestrated throughout his career as a huckster and charlatan.
It is not that the media failed to latch onto the comedic aspects of a Trump Presidency. The Late Night shows have been on fire with their cartoonish characterizations of Trump. But there is nothing new about that. We all understand that we turn to these shows as entertainment, as comedy.
What was new about the giant chicken in full view of the White House is that it took this comedic narrative out of the world of entertainment and juxtaposed it with the actual physical White House. It forced us at a subconscious level to bridge the strongly held divide in our mind between what is real and what is simply satire.
When we march or write letters or sign petitions to a man who does not play by the rules, we validate him as President. Going forward we need to confront him as the fake that even he understands himself to be.
For example, the Times article states that, in light of the recent saber rattling by Trump toward North Korea:
Mr. Brar is planning a mock military parade in Washington with dozens of Chicken Dons dressed in “Russian armaments”
This is how to handle a cartoon character posing as President.
Just imagine if these types of absurd displays happened on a daily basis in Washington, running in competition with Trump’s antics. It would turn Washington into a madcap cartoon of itself and provide daily humiliation for Trump.
Friday, Aug 11, 2017 · 9:28:01 PM +00:00
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Paul C
In Obama’s 2008 campaign, the Shepard Fairey poster of his face with the word HOPE came to symbolize his Presidency. Maybe we can rework that for Trump using a big chicken head and another word, maybe FEAR or NUTS. Just a thought.