As we move into Week three of the new presidency, the number of faux pas has exceeded all other presidencies. Supporters of Trump will say that he is just settling in to his new role and everything will be fine. They support his inconsistent, impromptu decisions because there are few choices other than to admit they screwed up and elected him or actually agree with those whom they have disdained for the past 8 years: the Democrats. Wow! The latter choice would be embarrassing and by the way, would be a bipartisan act, something they wouldn’t be caught dead doing. After all, what is more important: the fate of the nation or getting reelected? No choice there.
The More Important Issue
Aside from the ridiculousness of the above actions, there is a greater threat. We have a child leading the free world, a narcissistic, self-serving 10-year old who needs to be constantly stroked and told that he is a good boy. Why else would he repeatedly recount his inauguration and how great it was, even in the most unlikely and inappropriate places.
“Had a great meeting at CIA Headquarters yesterday, packed house, paid great respect to Wall, long standing ovations, amazing people. WIN!” Trump wrote on Twitter Sunday morning.
But while Trump saw the speech as a win, recently departed CIA chief John Brennan said he was "deeply saddened" by Trump's speech, where his focus seemed to stray from the CIA agents in attendance to his own accomplishments.
- via POLITICO
In a third tweet on Sunday, he said, “Wow, television ratings just out: 31 million people watched the Inauguration, 11 million more than the very good ratings from 4 years ago!”
- via POLITICO
President Trump is declaring the day of his inauguration a "National Day of Patriotic Devotion,” according to a document to be published on Tuesday in the Federal Register.
- via TheHill
Another childlike characteristic is his dislike for those who disagree with him. While most 10-year olds might not speak out, this is a 10-year old who has the power both to voice and act on his dislikes. Because of Trump’s self-spoken racist stance, Congressman Lewis chose not to attend the inauguration or recognize Trump as a legitimate president.
“Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk – no action or results. Sad!”
- via Caleb Parke
Like a 10-year old, every response Trump makes includes a subjective, disparaging comment meant to deligitimize and belittle the one disagreeing with him. Even when talking with other world leaders, he cannot refrain from being rude and abrasive…oh, and getting in his final gig.
“This is the worst deal ever,” Mr Trump reportedly said about the refugee deal, complaining that he was “going to get killed” politically. He also accused Australia of seeking to export the “next Boston bombers”.
- via NewsComAu
Another characteristic of this 10-year old “leader” is his spontaneous decision-making. A person with the power of this office has always had a strong team of advisors with whom to consult before speaking, those who can help him weigh the consequences of the planned action. Not so with this guy.
It wasn't until Friday -- the day Trump signed the order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days and suspending all refugee admission for 120 days -- that career homeland security staff were allowed to see the final details of the order, a person familiar with the matter said.
The result was widespread confusion across the country on Saturday as airports struggled to adjust to the new directives. In New York, two Iraqi nationals sued the federal government after they were detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and 10 others were detained as well.
- via CNN
Rather than consult with experts before blurting out a poorly-planned, impulsive decision, it seems that Trump has no problem contradicting himself or letting his loyal pets (staff) lie for him. The self-stated “immigration ban” has been defended by his puppies saying that it really isn’t a ban and for sure, is not a “muslim ban."
"It's working out very nicely," Trump told reporters. "You see it at the airports. You see it all over. It's working out very nicely and we're going to have a very, very strict ban, and we're going to have extreme vetting, which we should have had in this country for many years.” (emphasis added)
- via CNN
White House press secretary Sean Spicer blamed the media for casting the controversial policy as a “travel ban.”
“It's not a Muslim ban. It's not a travel ban,” Spicer told reporters. “It's a vetting system to keep America safe.”
Spicer’s comments drew a flurry of questions from reporters, who pointed to a number of instances in which Trump called it a “ban.”
- via TheHill
Kellyanne Conway also ran to Trump’s support, saying that it was not a Muslim ban and that former President Obama had done a similar ban. This was an outright lie as no such event ever occurred. Digging a bit deeper, it seems that it was both a ban and a Muslim ban.
Former New York mayor Rudy W. Giuliani said President Trump wanted a “Muslim ban” and requested he assemble a commission to show him “the right way to do it legally.”
- via Washington Post
A Ten-Year Old Boy Who Needs Someone To Constantly Clean Up His Messes
This post only touches the surface of what will undoubtedly be a disaster that will have far-reaching impacts for the U.S. and the world. He has surrounded himself with a cabinet who strokes him both financially and with their actions, humoring him as the child he is.
To Congress
Our country is being run by a powerful child whose actions will destroy all of us. The sad truth is that our hope rests in the hands of you, our representatives who seem incapable of acting as if you have spines. To all of you: You cannot be reelected if the current leadership continues to move toward a dictatorship with the military might to exclude you. Pull your collective heads out of your asses and do your job.
I am closing with a letter to former President Obama in November, 2016, warning him of Trump’s probably mental illness:
November 29, 2016
Dear President Obama,
We are writing to express our grave concern regarding the mental stability of our President-Elect. Professional standards do not permit us to venture a diagnosis for a public figure whom we have not evaluated personally. Nevertheless, his widely reported symptoms of mental instability — including grandiosity, impulsivity, hypersensitivity to slights or criticism, and an apparent inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality — lead us to question his fitness for the immense responsibilities of the office. We strongly recommend that, in preparation for assuming these responsibilities, he receive a full medical and neuropsychiatric evaluation by an impartial team of investigators.
Sincerely,
Judith Herman, M.D.
Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical SchoolNanette Gartrell, M.D.
Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
University of California, San Francisco (1988-2011)
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School (1983-87)Dee Mosbacher, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Community Health Systems
University of California, San Francisco (2005-2013)
- via The Huffington Post