Cable news networks spent much of this morning teasing an afternoon White House press conference. Reporters telegraphed their intent to grill President Trump for, among other things, adding fuel to anti-police riots that flared up all over Minneapolis last night.
But Trump strutted into the Rose Garden with six white men in tow. And, with them flanking him like praetorian guards, this wannabe strongman gave the press and all Americans (especially black folks) what amounted to a middle finger.
President Trump announced a suite of changes on Friday in what had been billed as a press conference but which turned out to be an on-camera statement, after which he took no questions.
Trump did not address other big national stories, including police violence in Minneapolis or his ongoing feud with Twitter.
(NPR, May 29, 2020)
That’s not quite fiddling while Rome burned, but it shows that he really couldn’t care less about anything that does not serve his immediate political or prurient interest. Given the circumstances, you’d think he would’ve shown enough Republican sense to at least enlist a token black as one of his six guards. To be fair, though, Trump has shown time and again that, frankly, he just doesn’t give a damn.
Of course, hightailing it and running away from questions about Covid-19 alone should disqualify this preening coward for reelection in the eyes of all Americans. Except that doing so to avoid questions about his race-baiting tweets also betrays the racist disregard he has for black Americans.
But that’s Donald Trump today, Donald Trump yesterday, and Donald Trump tomorrow.
Related commentaries:
anti-police riots…