Nothing said canât be unsaid.
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89 former Defense officials: The military must never be used to violate constitutional rights - The Washington Post
Looting and violence are unacceptable acts, and perpetrators should be arrested and duly tried under the law. But as Mondayâs actions near the White House demonstrated, those committing such acts are largely on the margins of the vast majority of predominantly peaceful protests. While several past presidents have called on our armed services to provide additional aid to law enforcement in times of national crisis â among them Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson â these presidents used the military to protect the rights of Americans, not to violate them.
As former leaders in the Defense Department â civilian and military, Republican, Democrat and independent â we all took an oath upon assuming office âto support and defend the Constitution of the United States,â as did the president and all members of the military, a fact that Gen. Milley pointed out in a recent memorandum to members of the armed forces. We are alarmed at how the president is betraying this oath by threatening to order members of the U.S. military to violate the rights of their fellow Americans.
President Trump has given governors a stark choice: either end the protests that continue to demand equal justice under our laws, or expect that he will send active-duty military units into their states. While the Insurrection Act gives the president the legal authority to do so, this authority has been invoked only in the most extreme conditions when state or local authorities were overwhelmed and were unable to safeguard the rule of law. Historically, as Secretary Esper has pointed out, it has rightly been seen as a tool of last resort.
Beyond being unnecessary, using our military to quell protests across the country would also be unwise. This is not the mission our armed forces signed up for: They signed up to fight our nationâs enemies and to secure â not infringe upon â the rights and freedoms of their fellow Americans. In addition, putting our servicemen and women in the middle of politically charged domestic unrest risks undermining the apolitical nature of the military that is so essential to our democracy. It also risks diminishing Americansâ trust in our military â and thus Americaâs security â for years to come.
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This is a pretty good overall description of T from someone who was sued by him - Tim OâBrien, author of Trumpnation: The Art of being The Donald.
Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after,
And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;
He knew human folly like the back of his hand,
And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;
When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,
And when he cried the little children died in the streets.âW.H. Auden, âEpitaph on a Tyrantâ
Donald Trump strolled from the White House to the steps of St. Johnâs Church last Monday to take the stage for the most emblematic performance in the most definitive week of his presidency.
His eldest daughter fished a Bible from her purse and passed it to him. He weighed it, turning it around in his hands as police sirens wailed from side streets. Then he held the Good Book above his shoulder, like an auction paddle poised for a bid.
âWe have a great country, thatâs my thoughts,â he said. âThe greatest country in the world. Weâll make it even greater. We will make it even greater. It wonât take long. Itâs not gonna take long. You see whatâs going on. Itâs coming back. Itâs coming back strong. It will be greater than ever before.â
He moved stage left and presented his prop to the cameras again, turning its spine outward to make sure his audience got it: The Bible. Fumbling through a last bit of choreography, he invited his secretary of defense, attorney general, national security advisor, press secretary and chief of staff to stand next to him. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, dressed in combat fatigues, watched from the wings. Somewhere above that all-white cast, helicopter blades whirred. And then it ended.
âOkay. Thank you very much. We have the greatest country in the world,â Trump said as he headed back behind the curtains and tossed out a warning. âWeâre gonna keep it nice and safe.â
The St. Johnâs gig was a raw abuse of Trumpâs powers, a stunt made possible by deploying state violence to clear a path through peaceful protesters saddened and angered by George Floydâs death at the hands of police. It marked an end to several days of hibernation as Trump, hiding behind White House walls, his Twitter feed and his golf game, did his best to avoid the pain and anger unspooling across America. But his St. Johnâs show also was designed to intimidate protesters, stoking fear among people of color who have been demanding merely that their government and police refrain from killing them. And it was tragically off-kilter, a politically inept bit of stagecraft that served only to showcase his irresponsibility and utter lack of empathy.
But I suspect Trump was nonetheless happy. Even if the staging ultimately doesnât serve him well electorally, it will still serve him well personally. Because however unraveled he may be about weak poll numbers and social disarray he canât control, performing at St. Johnâs advanced one of his few long-term goals: promoting Trumpism so that it endures beyond his presidency. Whenever his tenure ends, I imagine Trump will attempt to start or buy a media company that can compete with Fox News and do battle with everyone else. He will continue to tour stadiums, offering the faithful a spiritual revival a la Elmer Gantry. He will remain a force in Republican politics, darkening the national conversation.
Trump has used his time in the White House to cement his relationship with right-wing hardliners, older white guys, conservative Christians, anti-government loners, displaced rural and industrial workers and the more generally aggrieved. Heâll do anything to preserve that bond, even if it means tearing the country apart and fencing off the White House.
Trump loyalists may not recognize it as such, but Trumpism is fundamentally anarchic. It puts racial tolerance, equality, community, authority, morality, expertise, justice, national security and economic progress in play by relentlessly attacking institutions and the conversations meant to promote them.
Thereâs no substantive vision about what should replace those institutions, let alone a familiarity with the values that inform them. Instead, thereâs only an unmoored cult of personality. Trump, who doesnât read books, thinks âThe Art of the Dealâ ranks closely to the Bible on must-read lists, providing fodder for comedians such as Sarah Cooper. Heâs referred to himself publicly as âthe Chosen Oneâ but canât respond coherently when asked to cite passages from the Bible that hold special meaning for him. âYou know, when I talk about the Bible itâs very personal so I donât want to get into verses,â he told reporters five years ago when his presidential bid began. âThe Bible means a lot to me, but I donât want to get into specifics.â
Details, details. Despite having a tenuous grasp of reality and the machinery of government, Trump has survived more than three years of shambolic leadership, federal investigations and an impeachment inquiry. But his response to the Covid-19 pandemic and this weekâs wave of street protests have exposed the consequences of his malfeasance in ways that earlier scandals havenât. His suggestion during a White House press conference that injecting disinfectants might combat the coronavirus is one stark example; taking to Twitter on Thursday night to brand protesters he booted from the park around St. Johnâs as âterroristsâ was also clarifying. The president is wantonly putting lives at risk, especially among the most vulnerable.
By weekâs end, Trump had been taken to task belatedly by military leaders and former defense secretary James Mattis for undermining the Constitution by threatening to send soldiers into the streets. Even some Republican senators were moved to question his conduct.
He still seemed undeterred. In fact, the protesters in the streets offered a golden opportunity to fire up his base. He has his own militia, after all. A letter his presidential campaign sent to potential supporters last week reminded them that they were among his âfiercest and most loyal defendersâ and they would each âmake an excellent addition to the Trump Army.â In exchange for $35, the campaign promised a âLimited Edition Camo Keep America Great Hat.â Proud wearers would be âthe Presidentâs first line of defense when it comes to fighting off the Liberal MOB.â
Maybe this kind of stuff is just fun and games for the Trumpistas. But itâs at odds with Trumpâs claims â at a press conference he held just before riot officers and police set upon non-violent protesters near St. Johnâs â that heâs the âPresident of Law and Orderâ and âan ally of all peaceful protesters.â Never mind that his administration has maneuvered aggressively to posit that he, as president, exists above the law. A quartet of distinguished law professors â Joshua Geltzer, Neal Katyal, Jennifer Taub and Laurence Tribe â noted in a Washington Post essay on Thursday that âthe Trump administrationâs authoritarian behavior on the streets is being matched by its authoritarian positions in the federal courts.â
The welcome, but quite possibly temporary, news of Mayâs better-than-expected employment numbers also gave Trumpâs week an unexpected bounce. He grabbed that opening to hold an impromptu and classically bonkers press conference on Friday to celebrate.
Having insisted from the earliest days of his presidency that the robust economy he inherited was his creation, he visited the Rose Garden to boast about âthe greatest economy in the history of our country.â Maintaining that narrative is critical for Trumpâs survival and underlies much of his magical thinking about the severity of the pandemic and its economic fallout. So the May jobs data, he told the media, âwas a very big day for our country.â Then he free associated about âcuresâ for âthe China plague that floated inâ and created a âventilator periodâ around the U.S. He said two million Covid-19 vaccines were âready to go.â He repeatedly suggested that the country has already made safe passage through the pandemic and promised that what looked like a looming economic depression was instead poised to become âa rocket ship.â
Of course, workers and their employers may simply be benefiting from the massive federal bailout launched in April. Much of that lift may dissipate if government benefits run out. But for now, Trump said he sees a continued economic rebound leading to a âspectacular October, November, December.â Spectacular, that is, if you forget the catastrophic policy mistakes that got us here in the first place and overlook tens of millions of unemployed workers who are still likely to face daunting challenges for years to come. Trump also glossed over the fact that the May data showed an already bleak employment landscape growing worse for black workers. Accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative is on brand for Trump, as is his administrationâs failure to reconcile its morning-in-America platitudes with the singular economic and social disenfranchisement that African-Americans continue to face.
Trump did, however, keep someone in mind during Fridayâs briefing: George Floyd.
"Under the law must mean that every American receives equal treatment in every encounter with law enforcement regardless of race, color, gender or creed. They have to receive fair treatment,â he said. âHopefully George is looking down right now and saying, âThis is a great thing thatâs happening for our country,â This is a great day for him, itâs a great day for everybody. This is a great for everybody. This is a great, great day in terms of equality. Itâs really what our Constitution requires and itâs what our country is all about.â
Despite his sudden devotion to Floyd, and the idea that Floyd is soaking up economic news in heaven, Trump still hasnât managed to attend any of Floydâs memorial services. And Trumpâs Rose Garden remarks Friday didnât acknowledge all of the fair and equal treatment police had meted out with their batons and shields to the bodies of protestors in Los Angeles, Buffalo and other cities the day before. Out in the real world, Washington, D.C., and its mayor, Muriel Bowser, took a more direct path than Trump to memorialize last weekâs events. The district painted enormous yellow âBlack Lives Matterâ letters across 16th Street in front of the White House on Friday. And the square by St. Johnâs where Trump staged his photo op was renamed, fittingly enough, Black Lives Matter Plaza.
Later that evening, Bowser had the streets around St. Johnâs illuminated for Trump. âWe turned on the night light for him so he dreams about #BlackLivesMatter Plaza,â she tweeted.
Trump, alas, dreams only of himself. And he crossed his Rubicon last week. Donât expect him to let go of anything. Whether he serves a second term as president or moves on to reshape himself as a media titan, he intends to stay very much with us. Weâll need leaders like Bowser, and the protesters galvanizing the country, to keep standing tall.
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Trump Criticizes 75-Year-Old Buffalo Protester Injured in Altercation With Police
President Trump criticized a 75-year-old protester who was captured on video bleeding from his ear after police officers in Buffalo, N.Y., shoved him to the ground, suggesting without providing evidence that the activist could instead be an âANTIFA provocateur.â
Mr. Trump tweeted Tuesday that Martin Gugino âwas pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?â
Mr. Trump appeared to be citing a report from the conservative channel One America News Network, but didnât provide any further evidence for his claims. The White House didnât immediately respond to a request for comments.
[âŠ]
Two Buffalo, N.Y., police officers were charged with felony assault in connection with the Thursday night altercation. Video posted by WBFO, a public radio station, shows the officers pushed protester Mr. Gugino as they cleared the cityâs central square shortly after a curfew took effect.
Watch video of the assault heređ
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Our reality TV president:
Part of the reason first lady Melania Trump delayed her move from New York City to the White House in 2017 was because she was renegotiating her prenuptial agreement with President Donald Trump
New Melania Trump book says she renegotiated her prenuptial agreement
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At West Point todayâŠSome non responses for T makes him uncomfortableâŠ
Video - no claps for T- zilch, nada
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Have we talked about Tâs physical decline?
Granted there is ample speculation from a possible stroke to frontotemporal dementia. See his gait and inability to coordinate basic motor skills. Not to mention his lack of cohesive speaking which is what we listen to all the time.
Lifting his cup to drink water is now 2-handed.
Does this look normal??
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Some push back from T himself.
#trumpIsNotWell trending on Twitter
Heâs trembling again.
President Trump struggled to lift a glass of water Saturday during his speech to U.S. Military Academy graduates at West Point.
Trump started to lift the glass with his right hand but seemed unable to guide it all the way up to his lips.
The president used his left hand to steady the glass and tilt it into his mouth.
Trump still hasnât totally figured out how to drink water pic.twitter.com/IO8CDXmD9i
â Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 13, 2020
After his speech, Trump also looked unsteady as he walked down a set of stairs after a lethargic speech to the graduates of the Army college.
then, thereâs the stairs. pic.twitter.com/ngwru8TTNy
â Lipstick Killer (@lipstickkills) June 13, 2020
He also had difficulty pronouncing the name of iconic World War II Gen. Douglas McArthur.
The incidents took barely a couple of moments to play out but drew an instant reaction on social media.
One troll tweeted photos of Trumpâs predecessor, President Barack Obama, grinning as he used just one hand to a hold a coconut.
Others recalled one time Trump rival Sen. Marco Rubioâs infamous speech in which he repeatedly sipped from a water bottle.
Despite the jokes, Trumpâs health is a topic of intense interest and his every move is closely watched.
Trump critics and even some medical professionals believe the tics are signs of potentially serious medical problems.
âThis is a persistent neurological sign that, combined with others, would be concerning enough to require a brain scan,â Dr. Bandy Lee, a Yale psychiatrist wrote on Twitter.
Itâs the second time in a couple of weeks that Trump has drawn attention at a public event.
He appeared unable to stand still during a solemn ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day. Some observers noted that he had difficulties lifting a wreath with his right arm.
Trump insists he is in perfect health and the White House released an annual physical that claimed he is in good shape for his age. He turns 74 on Sunday.
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WellâŠhereâs something to behold. More books to be read on what TRUMP really looks like.
She was the leaker for all his financial details to the NYT. Read onâŠ
@Pet_Proletariat or @MissJava - Can you post on Portrait of a President? Plz!
Donald Trumpâs niece, his deceased brotherâs daughter, is set to publish a tell-all book this summer that will detail âharrowing and salaciousâ stories about the president, according to people with knowledge of the project.
Mary Trump, 55, the daughter of Fred Trump Jr. and Fred Trump Sr.âs eldest grandchild, is scheduled to release Too Much And Never Enough on August 11th, just weeks before the Republican National Convention.
One of the most explosive revelations Mary will detail in the book, according to people familiar with the matter, is how she played a critical role helping The New York Times print startling revelations about Trumpâs taxes, including how he was involved in âfraudulentâ tax schemes and had received more than $400 million in todayâs dollars from his fatherâs real-estate empire.
As she is set to outline in her book, Mary was a primary source for the paperâs Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation, supplying Fred Trump Sr.âs tax returns and other highly confidential family financial documentation to the paper.
âŠ
In a 2019 interview, Donald Trump admitted to pressuring his brother over his career choices but said he had come to regret it. âI do regret having put pressure on him,â Trump told The Washington Post . Discussing his brother and the family business Trump said it âwas just something he was never going to wantâ to do.
âIt was just not his thing. . . I think the mistake that we made was we assumed that everybody would like it. That would be the biggest mistake. . . .There was sort of a double pressure put on him,â Trump admitted.
After Fred Jr.âs children brought their messy court case against the familyâcontesting their grandfatherâs will and alleging it was âprocured by fraud and undue influenceâ on the part of Donald and his siblingsâthey highlighted Donaldâs callous treatment of family members as he, along with siblings Maryanne and Robert, cut off the medical benefits to his nephewâs sick child William, who was born with cerebral palsy. The move, the family said at the time, was payback for Mary and Fred the 3rdâs challenge to the will.
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This is the difference between taking responsibility and taking none at all.
What Joe Bidenâs Event Was Like
As one candidate plays to a nearly empty room, another prepares for a rally with health risks.
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Trump posted a faked video he claimed was debunking CNN, mocking their coverage of racism and his racist followers.
Twitter marked it as âManipulated Media.â
And then post a slick video about a false allegation of racism going viral, pushing the idea that all of these accusations of racism are false.
Because nothing says âI hear you and feel your painâ like mocking the very existence of the thing hurting black Americans.
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YesâŠwhat you see is what you get. WYSIWYG
video
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Twitter posts warning on new âabusiveâ Trump tweet for âthreat of harmâ to protestors
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WTF
When T talks about words (and he has thousands of good words) he then launches into
talent. Heâs really not up to much and has zero ideas about a 2nd term.
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The Week It Went South for Trump
He hasnât been equal to the crises. He never makes anything better. And everyone kind of knows.
Trump brags he is âthe most perfect personâ during Fox News interview: âIsnât it true?â
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Trump shares video where supporter yells âwhite powerâ
âThank you to the great people of The Villages,â Trump tweeted. âThe Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats will Fall in the Fall. Corrupt Joe is shot. See you soon!!!â
The pro-Trump parader twice exclaimed âwhite powerâ while holding a fist and was sitting next to another supporter chanting âTrump.â Another person, who appeared to be an anti-Trump protester, pointed toward him and responded: âThere you go, white power."
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