It really is remarkable. Maybe it isn’t. Remarkable. Perhaps.
Such is the communication style of our “beloved” president. As Donald J. Trump is a piece of work, so are his utterances. Take for instance his recent interview with several reporters from The New York Times. I mean, I have met many politicians in my life. Trump and his loyalists all say that the president is no politician. But, he is a politician, no matter what anyone says. And just as many politicians are full of bullshit, so is The Donald. That is why I marvel at this Times interview and what he said during that interview.
First of all, part of Trump’s shtick is the interview. He rails against the media and if you believe Trump, The Times is among his largest target. But three of those Times reporters, Peter Baker, Michael S. Schmidt and Maggie Haberman, and the latter especially, seem to report and write as if they can actually translate what the president says in his circuitous manner of speaking.
The interview sparked some of the most baffling sentences put together by a modern U.S. president. Take, for instance, Trump and his apparent view of the Affordable Care Act as enacted by his predecessor and the earlier health care efforts of his predecessor’s predecessor’s predecessor.
“Look, Hillary Clinton worked eight years in the White House with her husband as president and having majorities and couldn’t get it done. Smart people, tough people — couldn’t get it done. Obama worked so hard. They had 60 in the Senate. They had big majorities and had the White House. I mean, ended up giving away the state of Nebraska. They owned the state of Nebraska. Right. Gave it away.”
One can hope –especially those Nebraska folks — that the Cornhusker State wasn’t inadvertently given to another nation. Let’s just think how it would feel to wake up to find your state was now under rule of, say, Kazakhstan.
It is anyone’s guess as to what Trump is talking about — well maybe someone in Kazakhstan would know — once he gets fired up and expounds in thought of health insurance. At least, that seems to be what he is talking about:
“As they get something, it gets tougher. Because politically, you can’t give it away. So pre-existing conditions are a tough deal. Because you are basically saying from the moment the insurance, you’re 21 years old, you start working and you’re paying $12 a year for insurance, and by the time you’re 70, you get a nice plan. Here’s something where you walk up and say, “I want my insurance.” It’s a very tough deal, but it is something that we’re doing a good job of.”
But as many in the U.S. fear for what kind of damage Trump might do domestically, he would have you believe that we should have no major problem with foreign policy. Hence:
“I have had the best reviews on foreign land. So I go to Poland and make a speech. Enemies of mine in the media, enemies of mine are saying it was the greatest speech ever made on foreign soil by a president.”
Oh well, we still have Kazakhstan.
Perhaps the strangest part of Trump in Europe, and with his foreign relations in general is his “handiwork.” It seems that our current president has some sort of hand fetish. His latest hand job was with the French President Emmanuel Macron. Here is the breakdown on the marathon shake from CNN’s Chris Cizzilla.
Apparently Trump has found himself a bro in Macron:
“He’s a great guy. Smart. Strong. Loves holding my hand.”
What more could the leader of the free world need?
