We’ve come to expect the diplomat shoving Trump to embarrass the United States when he is overseas.
Yesterday was no exception when his behavior led to stories like this:
This should be looked at in light of what Chief Justice John Roberts said in his first unscripted remarks in his role at trial judge in the Senate. What must he think of a president who has an insult for everyone from actual enemies to a 17 year old climate activist?
Roberts said "I think it is appropriate for me to admonish both the House managers and the President's counsel in equal terms to remember that they are addressing the world's greatest deliberative body. One reason it has earned that title is because its members avoid speaking in a manner and using language that is not conducive to civil discourse."
This is what Roberts was reacting to, from CNN:
Nadler accused Republican senators of "voting for a coverup" by killing amendments for documents and testimony of additional witnesses.
"So far, I'm sad to say, I see a lot of senators voting for a coverup. Voting to deny witnesses and obviously a treacherous vote," Nadler said. "A vote against an honest consideration of the evidence against the President. A vote against an honest trial. A vote against the United States."
That led to White House counsel Pat Cipollone firing back during his own remarks: "The only one who should be embarrassed, Mr. Nadler, is you. For the way you addressed this body. This is the United States Senate. You're not in charge here."
Roberts said that kind of exchange was not appropriate and,
providing a historical example, reminded the legal teams they they need to be on their best behavior.
While the Americans were watching his Senate trial Trump took the stage at Davos and digressed into his unfunny insult comic routine.
From The NY Times:
DAVOS, Switzerland — President Trump unleashed on Democrats and the media in a wide-ranging news conference on Wednesday before leaving Davos to return to Washington, where his impeachment trial is underway in the Senate, claiming that he would prefer a long trial with witnesses but national security issues made that impossible.
A day earlier, Mr. Trump managed to stick to a script about a strong United States economy while addressing a global audience at the World Economic Forum, and he largely swatted away any questions about the trial. But before leaving Switzerland on Wednesday he called a last-minute news conference, during which he vented at length about his political enemies in Washington.
Mr. Trump called Representative Jerry Nadler of New York a “sleaze bag” and referred to Representative Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, as a “con job” and a “corrupt politician.”
The president said he would love to attend his own trial in order to “sit right in the front row and stare into their corrupt faces,” but admitted that his lawyers would most likely advise him against it.
Still, as the New York Times reported in another article, Trump couldn’t resist trying to play the comedian in yet another speech even as he mostly stuck to a prepared script. He just had to base a joke on a “poor me” play for sympathy.
He congratulated them on their companies’ stock performances and joked that he should have bought shares but that he had been forced to sell his holdings when he took office. As Mr. Trump and his family members darted among meetings in makeshift pavilions, they studiously avoided questions about the drama back home, where the Senate engaged in a fierce clash over the rules for putting the president on trial.
It was a day of two presidents. There was the stick-to-the-script Donald J. Trump riding high on a strong economy and representing the country on the international stage. And there was the Donald J. Trump under siege back home, depicted as an autocrat abusing the power of his office to take down domestic opponents and win re-election.
Of course even this joke is, if not a total lie, a gross distortion of the truth. It was reported in 2016 that he sold all the shares of his holding (although he never proved it) but it is still quite debateable whether he gave up control of his own businesses. (See “Did Trump keep his 19 promises to insulate himself from his business? Only he knows.” USA Today)
Does anyone really think Trump isn’t still involved in a major way in his businesses?
Of course he has also ripped the country off in other ways while he ripped the emoluments clause to shreds.
Don’t let me get into this little tidbit which I will quote from without comment:
Ivanka Trump’s car rentals help push the administration’s Davos travel costs past $4 million
Vehicles rented by the US Secret Service to shuttle Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and advisor, around Davos will add another $34,000 to the cost of the administration’s two-day trip to this year’s World Economic Forum, helping nudge the total price tag past $4 million.
And then there’s this from the UK Independent:
.
Donald Trump has been booed at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos after launching an attack on what he described as the "nasty, mean and fake" press.
"It wasn’t until I became a politician, that I realised how nasty, how mean, how vicious and how fake the press can be," Mr Trump said. Pointing into the crowd, he added: "… as the cameras start going off in the back."
The comment was met by a mixture of boos and laughter from the audience.
Mr Trump continued: "But overall, the bottom line... somebody said ‘Well they couldn’t have been that bad because here we are, we're President'. I think we’re doing a really great job with my team."