President Trump- The Implications

[heironymouspasparagus]

Awww...how cute....  Plaintive bleat of the tragically hip moment.

Still a big supporter of pedophilia, mocking the handicapped, and calling our POW's cowards, I see.

[swake]

It's time for Trump to resign. Now.

Trump claimed on Twitter (where else) that the account of the call with the grieving family that claimed that Trump said "well, he knew what he was signing up for", was a lie.  Forcing the family to reply today that he did disrespect their son, didn't even bother to know his name and that the account of the call was correct.

Trump lied about a call to the grieving family of a dead soldier to protect his own ego. And is there any shock that the solider was black? He is scum.

[heironymouspasparagus]

It's time for Trump to resign. Now.

Trump claimed on Twitter (where else) that the account of the call with the grieving family that claimed that Trump said "well, he knew what he was signing up for", was a lie.  Forcing the family to reply today that he did disrespect their son, didn't even bother to know his name and that the account of the call was correct.

Trump lied about a call to the grieving family of a dead soldier to protect his own ego. And is there any shock that the solider was black? He is scum.

So far beyond that.   But his minions still support it.

[BKDotCom]

But his minions still support it.

Did you hear what Hillary recently said?!
But Obama.
Insert irrelevant meme here
Deflect! Deflect!

Crazy destructive hurricane season:  Now is not the time to discuss climate change.
Record breaking mass shooting:  Now is not the time to discuss gun legislation / mental health
President demonstrably unfit to president:  Now is not the time to talk about impeachment or 25th amendment.
There's more pressing matters like trying to get a travel ban to stick and dismantling our national health care system.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Did you hear what Hillary recently said?!
But Obama.
Insert irrelevant meme here
Deflect! Deflect!

Crazy destructive hurricane season:  Now is not the time to discuss climate change.
Record breaking mass shooting:  Now is not the time to discuss gun legislation / mental health
President demonstrably unfit to president:  Now is not the time to talk about impeachment or 25th amendment.
There's more pressing matters like trying to get a travel ban to stick and dismantling our national health care system.

Ayep....   Or as we say in Okrahoma - Ayep....


One thing that is somewhat puzzling to me - how one of our local denizens who is a Trump supporter and a member of a profession that logically one would expect to be proficient at all manner of verbal/conversational skills since being a lawyer would at least sometimes lead to public interaction.  But the only response we see here is the Fake Fox News Sound Bite Reply with no followup comment and a heavy dependence on "The Meme".... 


Since I am a much sweeter, loveable, almost cuddly, congenial personality in person, perhaps he is more erudite in person or on the job...

[cannon_fodder]

I don't think the President intended to disrespect the family or the soldier.  I suspect, in his head, he was trying to convey the common sentiment that a soldier knows the risk they are taking and knows the potential consequences, but has the dedication and bravery to do it anyway.  That message was not conveyed well and certainly not received well.  Coupled with the apparent fact that the President was not properly prepared to place the call and it is certainly an unfortunate event and could be an excellent learning experience.  Surely a part of the job no one can be prepared for.  What's more - if President Trump, or any President, said he offers full support to the families of deceased service members but doesn't believe it is appropriate for the President to get personally involved for whatever reasons (risk of politicizing, risk of upsetting, who knows)... I could accept that too.

However -

The fact that condolences to families of deceased service members was highlighted by Trump as somehow elevating him above any other president is either another sad example of him being horribly uninformed or an outright lie using dead soldiers for his political gain. Bush regularly faced angry grieving family members and took their abuse stoically, which we only know because family members spoke about it appreciatively (rather than Bush bragging).   Obama often met caskets at the airport or visited troops in the hospital, again without fanfare.  For a sitting President to be ignorant on such matters is telling.

Worse, when this family express disappointment with the President he essentially calls them liars:

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump  (~ 5:35 AM EST, 10/18/17)
Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!

The conversation was verified by other people who were with the mother when the conversation took place, on speaker phone.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/10/18/totally-fabricated-trump-disputes-congresswomans-depiction-of-his-exchange-with-soldiers-widow/?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_johnson-828am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.fbb517da91b0

When the  family expressed disappointment in the President, Trump was faced with two choices:
1. Again express his condolences and apologize if his remarks came across as insensitive, or
2. Something stupid.

Also -  Trump again alludes to secret recordings of his conversations, but again the White House asserts that the conversations are "private" when the issue becomes a liability.  If he has "proof," produce it.  Otherwise, stop lying.

Finally, while he has had time to go golfing a couple dozen times and tweet hundreds of times, he hasn't had time to get around to calling all the families of the deceased.  Something I normally wouldn't criticize, but given Trumps bragging about being the bestest and only ever to ever call families of the deceased... you'd think he'd be better at it. 
http://www.sltrib.com/news/2017/10/18/trump-hasnt-called-all-families-of-the-fallen-including-one-from-utah/

Sadly, it seems likely the only times Trump has offered any comfort to the families of fallen are the times he has bragged about.  But hey, at least he is pretending to demand respect for service members by starting fights with sportsball players... right? That's what's important. 

[heironymouspasparagus]

It has been over 2 weeks with no call/response.  I heard a report yesterday on NPR that he says he may get a letter out this weekend...maybe.  3 weeks after the fact.



CF, I really appreciate and enjoy reading - and even look forward to - your posts.  Only comment about them - you give him way too much credit and cut him way too much slack.  He deserves neither.   That's probably a good thing though - I will blast away for you!!

[heironymouspasparagus]

Here is the local report on his asshat-ness.

Minions will still belief the orange bubble-guppy rather than the people in the car who heard what he said.


http://www.fox23.com/news/breaking-news/president-trump-calls-widow-of-fallen-soldier-reportedly-tells-her-he-knew-what-he-signed-up-for/626279032

[hello]

Here is the local report on his asshat-ness.

Minions will still belief the orange bubble-guppy rather than the people in the car who heard what he said.


http://www.fox23.com/news/breaking-news/president-trump-calls-widow-of-fallen-soldier-reportedly-tells-her-he-knew-what-he-signed-up-for/626279032

I wonder why people still bother defending his actions. Why cry "fake news" and bend over backwards to justify his actions when 9/10 when the truth comes out they have to do a 180 and pretend that's what they were arguing for all along and how dare you point out otherwise.

Trump supporters need to just admit that what they want is a daddy to tell them what to do/think. Trump could shoot their grandchild and they'd claim the kid had it comin-because when it comes down to it they just don't care what he does. "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters."

[swake]

There have been 27 American soldiers killed since Trump became president. He claims "I think I've called every family of someone who's died".

That is of course yet another lie.

http://people.com/politics/gold-star-families-president-trump-never-called/

[swake]

WaPo found MORE families that Trump has never contacted and found a man where Trump on an actual made phone call promised to give the grieving father $25,000 of his personal money in compensation for his loss.

Trump never followed through.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-offered-a-grieving-military-father-25000-in-a-call-but-didnt-follow-through/2017/10/18/8d4cbc8c-b43a-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_goldstar-410pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.c24731468ae2

[patric]

WaPo found MORE families that Trump has never contacted and found a man where Trump on an actual made phone call promised to give the grieving father $25,000 of his personal money in compensation for his loss.

Trump never followed through.

He may have finally done so, but only after a public shaming.

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump sent a $25,000 personal check to the family of a fallen soldier the same day that The Washington Post reported that he had promised the soldier's father a personal donation during a June condolence call but never followed through.

...but there are the others
http://www.newsweek.com/niger-trumps-benghazi-four-us-soldiers-died-and-it-took-him-12-days-respond-688082

[Ed W]

He may have finally done so, but only after a public shaming.

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump sent a $25,000 personal check to the family of a fallen soldier the same day that The Washington Post reported that he had promised the soldier's father a personal donation during a June condolence call but never followed through.

...but there are the others
http://www.newsweek.com/niger-trumps-benghazi-four-us-soldiers-died-and-it-took-him-12-days-respond-688082

I don't think Trump's behavior can be changed via public shaming. It would require that he has some moral compass, some sense of right and wrong. Instead, he gauges what would be good or bad for his brand. Good PR enhances it while bad PR must be minimized as "fake news."

[Townsend]

Donald Trump just suggested the FBI, Democrats and Russia might all be co-conspirators

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/19/politics/donald-trump-conspiracy-dossier/index.html

He is suggesting that a dossier prepared by a former member of British intelligence has not only been totally discredited (it hasn't -- more on that in a minute) but that it might have been funded by some combination of Russia, the Democratic Party and, wait for it, the FBI!

[Townsend]

George W. Bush Slams 'Bigotry,' Politics Of Populism That Led To Trump, Sanders

http://www.npr.org/2017/10/19/558788556/george-w-bush-slams-bigotry-politics-of-populism-that-led-to-trump-sanders

"Bigotry seems emboldened," Bush said in New York at a forum put on by the George W. Bush Institute. "Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication."