You're right, he will not resign and he will not confess. Trump is a bum, but even worse, this Congress led by the GOP has blood on its hands. I am disgusted by the actions being taken by them and equally disgusted that a majority of evangelicals are backing his every move. While I do not want any Presidency of the US to fail, I do not want this administration to lead...these actions will have consequences that hardly any of them will be affected by. It is truly a sad period in our history.
25
You may not like Nixon, or what he later became, but in 1960 he "told his friend, journalist Earl Mazo, that 'our country cannot afford the agony of a constitutional crisis'” when he was encouraged to contest the highly questionable election result. Not something your current president would ever say or begin to understand. There is no comparison.
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-drama-behind-president-kennedys-...
4
Clinton and Nixon both went to bed hungry at night before they were teenagers. They NEVER complained about that. Complaining would have badly hurt their parents and would have made everything worse. It would have been cruel.
Trump has never been hungry in his life. He delights in being cruel, even to his own flesh and blood. Trump has NEVER restrained himself from hurting anyone. Fred Jr. died of alcoholism in 1981. Fred Trump Sr. died in 1999. All of Fred Jr's kids were cut out of the will; that was Donald's idea.
Later, Trump promised to pay the hospital bills of his grand nephew, Fred Junior's first grandchild, who was sickly from birth. Trump renegged. The kid died in the hospital.
12
Trump has not "crafted a mask" over these last seven decades. He has lurched and lunged through one crises or another of his own making for all of his sad, long years. He is Forrest Gump stupid - without the morals and innate goodness of the character in the Winston Groom novel.
9
It seems to me that Trump is no more and no less than a drug dealer...a pusher. His drug of choice is some worldview in which white people, preferably rich, have an unobstructed path to political and governmental domination. They are promised the better end of every deal by virtue of race regardless of credentials, effort, or accomplishments. His runners are Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, MConnell, Ryan, Bannon, Adelson, and Amway billionaires like DeVos. Not to mention FOX, Breitbart, Infowars, NewsMax, TownHall, The Daily Caller, Western News, Limbaugh, and legions of other Fake News sources and public information channels across media.
Trump pushes dope. He’s a drug dealer knowingly using public lies to purposely manipulate the blinded and deaf electorate so busy putting dinner on the table and so afraid of the unknown. Trump has foreign enablers and backers who are willing to put money and resources into that effort to attain a goal no military action could...the utter destruction of the United States of America and the enslavement of it’s citizens to achieve wealth beyond our imaginations.
Where is Walter Cronkite when we most need him? Everyone believed Cronkite, every day, and that’s the way is was.
13
Wow! I think that Charles Blow has been over the top on numerous occasions about Trump. But this strikes me as right on the money. Great insight. Most of us (especially us New Yorkers) have known people like Mr. Blow describes.
6
Liar,liar, pants on fire.
Says everything we need to know about Trump.
What is incomprehensible are Republicans turning their eyes in another direction, hearing nothing as the speakers blare at 10 decibels with lies, and speaking gibberish about their leader.
Oh, hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil covers Republican actions.
VOTE
6
Mueller will not subpoena Trump. Trump has become a target and Mueller does not need his testimony. Anyone with half a brain can tell that Trump is guilty on multiple counts with just the information in the public domain. Look for Michael Cohen, Trump's fixer to be indicted by the SDNY and Donald Jr. and Jared Kushner along with Roger Stone all to be indicted by Mueller before September 7th.
9
Please let's not compare Clinton faults to those of Nixon and Trump. Clinton was a successful and well liked President who lied about personal indiscretions. Hardly the kind of stuff that threatens our Constitution. Nixon, on the other hand, obstructed justice, utilized the CIA in an attempt to block the Watergate investigation, used illegal payments to bribe the Watergate burglars , and authorized illegal break- ins to name a few.
Trump will soon likely be shown by Mueller to be treasonous and felonious to the extent that his every action may be judged as totally immoral. His list of offenses will probably be so extensive that Mueller may choose to limit the investigation in the interests of preserving America from incurring further damage the longer Trump remains in power.
Comparing Clinton to these two crooks simply isn't fair.
26
I have no trouble seeing that Trump is a highly flawed and venal individual who lies constantly. However; I have seen very little, if any, evidence after nearly two years of Trump masterminding some sort of Russian interference in the election. I would assume Brennan knows all and all he's talking about is Trump's request to the Russians to find Hillary's emails since no American agencies seemed interested in finding them at the time.
2
"One of Trump’s greatest fears and greatest insecurities is being embarrassed and being exposed." Unfortunately, Trump will need to be embarrassed and exposed for our nation to regain its sanity.
12
Let’s just do away with the 25th amendment if we’re not going to impeach Donald Trump. There will not be, has never been, in the past or in the future, anyone as worthy for impeachment as Donald John Trump. A statue should be made of Trump in his honor, holding a confederate flag and put in the museum of histories American embarrassments.
7
I consider myself still deeply invested in the Resistance but I must admit I've checked out of the Trump Saga months ago. I'm too busy struggling under the weight of capitalism, worrying about my rent, bills, getting a better job, the looming signs of climate change- you know, like most living humans! Trump can stay or go, what difference will it make? America and the worlds problems are far worse than that buffoon and will be there the day he's gone- Americans ought to ask ourselves what we will do then about all these issues.
4
Trump, the narcissist, functions for himself. Everything is about him. He's a master at unilateral listening. He doesn't think there is a rule that applies to him unless he's made it up. He is attempting to destroy our environment by nullifying environmental regulations because he loaths President Obama. Also treaties and agreements that made us safer.
Trump is always right, just ask him. Of course when he's right your wrong. Ah, and blame. Trump takes no responsibility for his actions unless he deems them good like the tax cut for the rich and richer. Criticism puts trump into orbit to the point of using his presidential power to punish the criticizers. This is just plain scary. Trump thinks he's perfect so if he gets angry and it's all your fault.
I agree, Charles, trump has been developing a mask for 72 years and he cringes at the thought of it being taken off by Mueller, critics, the press and anyone else who recognizes the person behind the mask for who he is.
3
It turns out that “... admit nothing, confess nothing, deny everything...” happens to be the point of the 5th amendment of the U.S. constitution.
Clinton was impeached not because he admitted on national TV to have actually abused a 21 year old intern and cheated on his wife. He was impeached, for the crime of perjury and obstruction of justice (in the abuse of other women). He paid $800K to his victims and was disbarred for 5 years.
A better comparison Would have been Clinton to Andrew Johnson not Nixon or Trump.
The main commonality to Trump and Nixon is that the media (still) despises both of them, while the difference is that the freedom of the press belonged to the legacy media; those who owned the printers and could rarely be challenged. Well, that has clearly changed.
The ubiquitousness of smart phones and social media has leveled the “freedom of the press playing field” for those who did not own the printers. Faked news and partisan politics no longer go unchallenged or unanswered. Mr. Trump (The Messenger) and his megaphone twitter account and everyone commenting on your opinion (including yours truly here) are the proof to my point.
I’m willing to bet that Muller will go back to being a republican partisan boogie man when he exonerates Trump. Like Ken Starr, Robert Muller is in for a rude awakening.
1
Trump won't resign, and the Republicans won't impeach, and will even aid and abet in obstructing any investigations. America's only hope is that the Democrats retake Congress this November, and that they have the courage and integrity to remove this stain from the White House. Even then there will be millions of Trumpists who will continue to deny this traitor's guilt and will oppose his removal, even including resorting to violent opposition. There is no good end to this chapter in our history.
10
When will Republican Senators and House members stand up to Trump?
Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan never worked for the American people and I don't expect anything from them and many more Republicans like them.
But I have lost all respect for Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham and a few others.
History will not be kind to the Republicans.
15
Excellent article. I believe 45 has no plans to resign. Confidence is quiet, fear and panic is frenetic and loud. He will fight and flail until the very end.
8
Thinking back Nixon and Clinton seem like angels. OK I am kidding! But Trump is in a league all his own. Trump's lies in 1yr. are more than Nixon and Clinton's lies together. There is absolutely no comparisons. Our institutions were never belittled, disrespected and were allowed to do their jobs. But Trump?
6
He is as much a president as Mr. Giuliani is a hard-charging, well-respected NYC prosecutor.
Mssrs Trump & Giuliani have self-reduced into 1950s-Disneyland, "It's a Small World" animatronic characters in the GOP/Kochian/Russo carnival's Funhouse Hall of Gags, Scams, and Mirrors.
They are ersatz representations of what they purport to be. Their outbursts appear to be Tourettes-like. Received without belief or sympathy by the thinking public.
A hall of mirrors kept in business by small contributions from 35,000,000 gullible race-voters (a FOX TV-Hate Radio softened-up audience), and by major donations from Koch/Saudi et al dark money.
This fiasco, this travesty is not even as watchable as reruns of a con-artist's reality show: "The Apprentice."
Shout out to "The Apprentice" for setting America and the world up for the ugliest political punchline, ever.
9
Agree with the lone exception of the granular detail of the two Russian indictments prepared by the Mueller team. Both reflect professionalism and are grounded in logic. A similar indictment of Trump in a report would offer evidence not so easily twisted. This is not a fight Trump can win on facts. Convincing his converts never at issue. A Democratic Congress represents a game changer for Trump.
4
@texsun, Since only one third of the senators have to stand for election, and two thirds of those are Democrats, the Democrats cannot win enough senate seats to convict the worst mistake in US presidential history of an impeachment by the House.
1
Nixon/Trump similarities (I will use present tense):
• Both are deeply insecure.
• Both are convinced that their ego is all that matters—not just to them but to anybody else! They have no sense of bigger things at stake, such as the nation as a whole (Nixon thought for instance, that people were protesting Vietnam because they didn't like Dick Nixon, as opposed to, say, death!)
• Both think anyone who would tell the truth about them or disagree with them is "the enemy." Truth is far less important than ego. Neither has the ability to empathize with anyone else.
• Both identify their own personal interest with the interest of the nation (I'm the president, so what's good for me is good for the country).
• Both believe that their subordinates will—and importantly, that they OUGHT TO—take the fall for any wrongdoing. Loyalty is critical to them.
• Both think their lying is justified and both lie directly to the public.
Differences:
• Nixon was intelligent and inquisitive. Trump seems ignorant and dumb. Nixon made rational calculations. Trump seems not to.
• Nixon was awkward. Trump is a buffoon.
• Trump lies way more.
• Nixon cared about policy and history.
• Nixon was a hard worker with a long record of public service. He came from a poor family. His success came from effort and talent.
• It's hard not to feel some sympathy for Nixon Trump is just reprehensible.
• Nixon could be eloquent, as in his farewell speech to the White House staff.
• Nixon did some good things.
13
@TvdV I imagine that Trump would be thrilled to be compared with Nixon and would probably boast of it in another dozen or so tweets.
1
Didn't Nixon hang out with Roy Cohn too?
1
@Betsy S. Good point!!
Please, Donald, do it! Consent to the interview with Mueller. Put your money (or rubles) where your (prodigious) mouth is. Let's see how a craven bully deals with a man who, by all accounts, will whittle you down to the small, petty, scared, lying little child you really are.
9
To compare Trump to Clinton and Nixon elevates Trump's status. That's wrong.
Trump is sui generis. He stands alone atop the dung hill he has created. He should NOT be compared to ANY of our Presidents. Compare him to failed emperors of ancient Rome, failed Czars, and failed Kaisers. He thinks himself our king, not our Public Servant.
11
Trump a "fighter"? Nonsense. The guy is a coward. And that taped phone call between him and Amarosa clearly proves it; He did not have the guts to tell her himself that she was fired; he lied through his teeth claiming he knew nothing about it and then blamed Kelly. And this from the man who loved to say "You're fired" - in the safety of a TV show. This guy loves to make other people's lives miserable, but he is a coward when it comes to eye-to-eye conflict. That is also why he cozied up to Putin when he was facing him directly; and when he had nothing but good things to say about chairman Xi Jinping when he was facing HIM eye to eye on his visit to China. Once he was safely home, he regained his "courage" and started spouting his twitter-vitriol again toward China. WHAT a hero. Don't make me laugh. And those "tough" republicans are all too blinded by partisan hate to look through it. Pathetic losers.
22
the "...mask is made of paper rather than steel."
No, the mask is made of orange. He evidentially spends hours under a sun lamp, trying to obtain the hue to his facial features that enables him to see "a 35 year old man" when he looks in the mirror.
In the ordinary course of things, I don't make fun of someone's appearance or even, in all but a very few cases, their attempts to maintain a pleasing appearance in the face of contrary, abundant evidence. But...Trump's desire to remain enterally tanned and his herculean wiping around of his vanishing waves of blonded hair dramatically reflect his character and his flaws as a human being. He desires to be different, to be a better Donald Trump, younger, more attractive, but, day by day, he insists on revealing a mean, angry, vindictive and petty man that lies at the heart of his orangeness.
A certain segment of the population is willing to overlook this readily apparent shallowness. They cast him as their TeeVee celebrity savior, their savior from the Clintons, from supposed liberals, from everything, from all the things they see as wrong in our nation and they will not budge.
It really isn't about policy, laws, tax cuts or even immigrants. His job is to save them, symbolically. It doesn't matter if he were to wear the mask of a rabid dog in public. They would find a way around it, some mental contortion that makes it all alright. Yes, this is cult like and those inside cults have a very hard time facing reality.
20
Trump. Admit nothing, confess nothing, deny everything, attack the person who criticizes. GET THIS EVERYBODY. Trump doesn't even ask GOD for forgiveness. he doesn't even apologize to the deity. He thinks taking communion as a sorta asking. no. the other way around, first sincere confession at home to clergy, or in the service, absolution and then in a state of purity and reconciliation made one's communion. Hey his Christians supporters you got a guy who doesn't ask forgiveness - whatta thing of this in excusing his behaviors. There's always forgiveness with the Lord, yeah but YOU HAVE ASK FOR FORGIVENESS FIRST.HE H ASN'T Reported in interview he did with CNN July 18 2015 or April 18, quoted in Wiki article on D. Trump, religious beliefs wit footnote to the interview.
6
How many ways can it be said that this man is completely, categorically and unconditionally unqualified to hold the office of President? A thin skinned, petulant toddler playing with people's lives.
But Trump is not the only villain. His antics conceal the real agenda that is being implemented behind the drama: the unraveling of our institutions, diminishing consumer protection, neutering the EPA, unfettered private school claims and tuition; and, breaking our traditional alliances for the friendship of despots. The list goes on and on. However, congressional republicans who know and knew all along how dangerous this man was to our country, still support him because he fits in with their agenda. For them, sacrificing our country to save their own pollical skin was an easy choice. Not a seconds hesitation! They are also villains and we should hold them completely accountable as I'm sure history will.
I am someone old enough to remember Tricky Dick Nixon and slippery Bill Clinton; but, I never have been so afraid for our democracy as I am now.
20
@Jeff L. _ Agree 100% The Nixon and Clinton ordeals were bad, embarrassing, and illegal, but tRump and the gang take it to a level never imagined possible. No one of right mind ever considered that someone so base, so debouched, so evil, could occupy the White House. People are still trying to wrap their respective heads around it while our country is in the most dangerous predicament in our history.
Some people are asking why he wasn't in jail even before the campaign started. The history of tRUmp and the family goes back decades and anyone truly interested in this candidate should have done there homework before pulling a lever.
4
August 20, 2018
The masks is forever - and just as King Saul has his young sword bearer hold the sword and he plunged himself to finality - so rest assure dear readers and fellow commenters what we have is an exit plan albeit conscious or unconscious to god knows how many but for sure Mister President - so keep the Helicopter at the ready and for a wave goodbye and then all is right with the Republican party and a rebirth for greatness in the land of brave and the home of the free forever truly.....
4
What mask? The media have devoted themselves to his “being embarrassed and being exposed.” This is, to coin a phrase, the most transparent administration in history.
3
Can you imagine the horror on Nixon’s face if he knew he was being mentioned in the same breath as trump? He must be spinning in his grave at the very thought, although one might imagine the sly old fox settling for the recompense of knowing he is now clearly only the second worst president of the past century.
Trump will blather and bray, but the real questions are, how much damage will he do before we can lance him away, and will Pence be any better or, god help us, worse?
11
@Pde666 The solution is in taking the Congress by the Democrats in November; then the Speaker of the House will be a Democrat, after that impeach the President and the Vice-president,in the same time...the new Speaker will then be the President! Vote in November
4
Mr Blow, you said, "Trump fights for vanity.
One of Trump’s greatest fears and greatest insecurities is being embarrassed and being exposed. Trump is petrified...." Hehehehe.....
Mr Blow, you and a good psychiatrist need to testify in Congress that it's finally time for the 25th Amendment to be invoked. America must stand united to remove the Trumpet from office, posthaste!
And thank you for pointing out that, in spite of their personal shortcomings, both Nixon and Clinton were gentlemen. The Trumpet is a buffoon and a raging maniac.
11
Civil comments come less easily as the lies, rape of the National Treasury, and plundering of the natural world by Trump, his cabinet, and the rubber-stamp Republican Party eat away at the fabric of our democracy. The latter, aided by the Koch brothers, etc., was already frayed, but until and unless we can rejoin the world, specifically the Paris Climate Accords, we have no hope of rebuilding what we have lost. As climate change accelerates, time to rebuild shrinks.
5
The biggest mass deception of the globally colluding religious conservative billionaires-Mafia, as with billionaire rapists as Weinstein and Trump's elusive male storm-troopers of paid-liars is to - while pretending to be the good-guys, baseless turn around and in return reverse-accuse their accusers of of being the rapists, pedophiles, and criminal Stalin McCarthyism- and Nixonian Nazism-running party. While certainly the direct opposite is known to be reality. But when the truth is not the truth and scientific facts are not accepted but rather exchanged for primal misogynistic religious supremacist beliefs, then Nazism, just as is that of the Islamic and Zionist-states, already is an institutional part of the genocidal corrupt all-Republican American domain.
And you are all just ignorant to the impending unchangeable full demise of, among others, the U.S.A. into a full-blown NRA-Republicans' criminal authoritarian Judaeo-Christian "god's squads" police-state and religious Nazi-Mafias-system coming your ways.
Well, all the best. In waking up, maybe just in time, deary Americans. Because, you all don't seem to understand yet that the oldest successful colluded gambles of wealthiest religious oligarchs/ aka the Fascists and Nazis anywhere are ALWAYS based on openly colluded divisive mass deception.
A.E.
Projectheureka LLC;
4
t-Rump will remain in the white house as long as is possible and beyond. He has to be amassing funds to campaign and keep himself in office. Once he steps out the door, the city of NY has him by the receipts and off to jail he goes. The white house saves him.
9
@heysus: Trump was collecting bribes, I mean campaign donations, the day he was sworn in before the greatest crowd in inaugural history.
3
How far we have come from "Abraham, Martin and John".
8
Trump lacks any vision of a better future, which is after is what we expect a president to have if he is to unite and lead the nation to better future. He seems intent on destroying the future.
Trump's presidency so far has been a poor quality nightly TV show with a cast of toadies. Nothing to inspire the nation.
10
@LESykora: Trump only promised to bring back a greater past, which seems to have expired in the US Civil War.
2
Trump fits many definitions of megalomaniac, which precludes the possibility of every ameliorating his behavior. He also seems to have a pretty low IQ, so can't be meaningfully compared to Presidents Nixon or Clinton--who by all accounts were quite intelligent.
So we're dealing with a power-crazed President who cannot be brought under control, and a Republican-dominated Congress which won't act responsibly because they are well paid by corporations, organizations and individuals to follow orders. The movers in the above are pleased by the tax law changes, so they'll just keep on enabling the madman in the White House.
Reasonable Americans need to vote this November!!!
19
@Elizabeth Bennett Sure.....you think there a lot of self-made billionaires who have low IQs.
Like him or not, and call President Trump what you will, but someone who took a million dollar inheritance and turned it into billions does not have a low IQ.
Here's what Forbes.com says about Trump today: Net worth $3.1 billion.
Forbes •Donald Trump became the first billionaire president in U.S. history in January 2017.
•The core of his fortune is tied up in a half-dozen buildings in and around midtown Manhattan in New York City, where luxury real estate values have fallen recently. https://www.forbes.com/profile/donald-trump/#1b3d172147bd
1
You don’t have to be a good businessman or smart at all to launder money from stolen Russian and Ukraine peoples.
3
Once again, Mr. Blow has eloquently hit the nail on the head!
8
Richard Hofstadter's 1964 essay, The Paranoid Style of American Politics, describes an always present mental outlook in a certain percentage of the US population, since day one of our country. Kurt Andersen's 2017 book, Fantasyland, continues in greater detail how the US is especially prone to belief in nonsense, much of it from paranoid fear of some cosmic threat that will tear asunder the paranoid's delusion about what is the "correct" American way of life.
These books have been mentioned in the NYT here and there in the past. The phenomenon is not new, what's new is that it used to be confined to the lunatic fringe. When the GOP to win, cynically forged a coalition of far right Christian zealots, racists, homophobes, misogynists, ideological conservatives, and their financiers, the super rich and corporations, Chamber of Commerce, plus a motley crew of resentment filled people who blame others for their lot in life, the respectable GOP types, so to speak, let in the lunatics.
The GOP acted about the same as now with Trump during Watergate to protect Nixon until the tapes were finally surrendered, whoops, cannot deny reality anymore, the GOP's M.O.
Trump would simply destroy any smoking guns he had access to, because he is the end result of inviting mentally unfit people into your party. So stupid he obstetrics in plain sight on TV.
What would Hofstadter think to see one of the fringe types he wrote about as president?
4
@David Shapireau, the last time the millennium rolled over, the Christian world got equally flaky.
trump will most likely fall into physical illness when he is exposed. He has constructed, along with his father, an inflexible mental state of a aggressive human who will not accept defeat at all costs. His mental state will suffer narcissistic injury that will also add to his incapacity. Shame may emerge with this curtain being pulled back.
16
t-Rump, his velcro and family may all have to be exited via the back door, either by the law or by their slithering out.
Vote folks. Our lives and democracy depend on it.
19
I disagree. I think he is a coward, far more than Nixon or Clinton. He will resign as he has no stomach for a real fight against opponents who are not afraid of him. The Republicans and Pence will make sure he never suffers for it. They got what they came for.
28
@Clovis Ha - For a guy who has "no stomach for a real fight" he certainly gets in a lot of fights.
2
One big difference----during Watergate we didn’t yet have a huge rw media monopoly, FOX News, which didn't start until 1996--- which grew after Dems/GOP repealed long standing anti monopoly laws for media. This unleashed media concentration, leading to Fox Media manipulaters coast to coast----then the T Party, etc.
It's true we elected Obama, the 1st Black Pres, despite FOX. Maybe the 08 Crash helped elect him. But the rw redoubled their attacks on him and Dems.
Continual ripple effects. Without the Fox News influence on many voters, maybe Hillary would have won. Or maybe Trump wouldn't have gotten nominated.
Rw media monopoly poisoned our politics, manipulating the public with "alternative facts." Mega donors financed the T Party and put the main media on the back foot.
They redefined what is left/center/right.
FOX GOP state media now buttresses our Authoritarian Paranoid Leader. They reinforce each other’s fantasy politics, blocking out reality. The anti fact Trump mafia, Giuiliani, and Conway etc, flood our TV screens with their warped ‘truth’.
18
@Meredith Let's try to remember that Obama was the first mixed race president, not the first black president.
9
@Meredith, I believe Reagan opened the floodgates to fake media by abolishing the FCC's fairness doctrine, which would have required Fox News to air liberal interlocutors with equally alluring décolletage.
15
@Steve Bolger....that's right, 1st Reagan repealed the valuable fairness doctrine from news media---and he was a rw conservative. Then Clinton--a democrat, worked with the GOP to repealed anti monopoly laws. Not exactly a party of opposition.
Both repeals removed the protections we need from the press's ability to inform voters on the issues affecting their lives.
And both reinforced media news as a profit center, not a public service.
It bears mentioning that Richard Nixon was a lawyer, who knew the law and constitutional law rather well . He grew up as a Quaker and although he knew he was breaking the law , he felt that as president he was an exception to the law . He was wrong of course , but acted out in the way that he did because he felt that he was an outcast. Nonetheless he carried with him some semblance of a conscience ,and as a result lived a tortured life in the last few years of his presidency .
Trump does not know the law or constitutional law, he has no regard for the rule of law, and I doubt he’s ever read the constitution from beginning to end. He feels guilty about nothing, has no sense of conscience or remorse about anything he does , which makes him quite a bit different from Richard Nixon in that regard .
It also makes him a significant threat to our democratic process and to our national security as a whole .
What we are dealing with is far more insidious now, and significantly more dangerous than anything that had to do with Richard Nixon and his presidency .
26
Richard Nixon founded the EPA, signed the Clean Air Water Acts, enforced desegregation in the South, began dialogue with China, and only worked to end the Vietnam War started on false pretenses by his predecessor
- he was a saint compared with this fellow.
22
@Ramesh G, Nixon even floated the idea of a negative income tax to provide a minimum guaranteed income.
3
@Ramesh G
In spite of Nixon's accomplishments, he does not get full credit for a timely end to the war, based on current knowledge that he secretly sabotaged LBJ's early potential peace talks - very close to treason. Had the talks taken place at the end of Johnson's term, tens of thousands of lives could have been spared.
2
@Richard : yes, and the bombing of Cambodia - they dont count because Kissinger got the Nobel Peace Prize for that one
Nonsense.
Nixon was born and bred poor. Nixon was a military veteran. Nixon was an experienced poltician. Nixon was intellectually brillliant and moral in his marital life. Nixon was an American patriot. Watergate was a domestic political operation and coverup.
Clinton was born and bred poor. Clinton was an experienced poltician and governing official. Clinton is intellectually brilliant. Clinton was an American patriot. Clinton tried to conceal adultery.
Trump was born and raised an ignorant stupid rich cowardly dishonorable unpatriotic moral degenerate liar by nature and nurture. Trump colluded, collaborated, conspired and cooperated with a hostIle foreign power in order to get elected and profit from being President of the United States.
58
@Blackmamba, Nixon had a catchy sort of way of putting things.
2
@Blackmamba you do recall, of course, RMN’s treasonous act of sending the “Dragon Lady” Anna Chenault to Vietnam to torpedo the peace talks that LBJ had arranged before the 1968 election, in order to assure Dems would lose. US lives lost were >20,000 for the rest of the war, and who knows how many hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese.
Isn’t it amazing what characteristics are shared by true sociopaths!
Nixon and Trump both were exceedingly paranoid, believed that our, yes OUR, free press was their enemy, that OUR government had a deep state plotting against them from the get go, that their proclamations were absolute and that they were above the law. They lied, cheated and stole with abandon. I said “were” obviously about Nixon, but soon, following Trump’s trial(s) and imprisonment, it will be “were” for him also.
This is what happens to a narcissistic sociopath eventually. The more they scream and whine, they more they cry “poor me”, the more they violate our Constitution and try to avoid prosecution by doubling down (sound familiar?), the guiltiest they are. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, couldn’t but Trump back together again.
Hello Guanatanamo! Bring your sunscreen, you idiot! Watch out, Pence. You’re next.
7
@RealTRUTH, Nixon thinking that McGovern and the DNC had a secret plan to win the 1972 election was truly awesome paranoia.
5
@Steve Bolger
At least with Nixon his own party realized the severity of what he had done and impeached him. With Trump, the Trumplicans are complicit in his crimes. With any luck the sweep will be clean and dramatic and hopefully the lesson will have been learned once and for all.
I wish Bob Mueller, who already deserves a medal for his supreme professionalism, God speed toward a monumental house cleaning.
Just for the record: Bill Clinton paid Paula Jones $850,000 to settle charges of sexual harassment WITHOUT admitting to them.
3
Well he and Trump have that in common
7
@Hadel Cartran not sure what the point is here, but other than the hypocrisy on the right about getting up in arms about Clinton’s behavior (including impeaching him) but ignoring trump’s, I’m not so much concerned with trumps extra-marital affairs (which he has not admitted either to my knowledge) as I am with the everything he is doing to destroy democracy. Rather than rising to the office, he has lowered everything to his disgusting level of corruption.
8
@Hadel Cartran: Being a plaintiff for hire can be very lucrative in the US.
1
No comparison. Trump is snarling and attacking every day like a rabid dog.
14
Perhaps Mr Mueller recognizes that Trump is a certain threat to our constitutional order, that Congress is clearly unable to remove him from office, by will and numbers, and that the one way out is to force his resignation.
Trump will not go because he defiled a few laws. He would go on the other hand, to prevent the Trump brand from going the way of the Edsel. Certainly his brand is more vital to him than any call to public service.
12
Eventually Trump will fall, although maybe not until he's voted out in 2020. The problems he leaves will be many: how to repair the damage he's doing to the judiciary, to the free press, to political norms, to the truth, to our self-respect, to the normal regulatory functioning of government. The divisions he's sown among Americans are, I fear, irreparable.
11
@kgeographer, there is no division in the US that cannot be bridged by strict adherence to "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion", which holds Congress to the requirement that there be scientific rationales for its legislation.
8
Trump did not sow the divisions. They were there
long before he emerged on the political scene. Trump has simply exacerbated those divisions and exploited them for his own personal aggrandizement. Alas, you are right, once Trump is gone, we will remain a deeply divided nation.
5
We have people in office so self-centered and blind to the truth that they don't care what their children will read about them in history books to come. Pride goeth before the fall.
10
The danger is that the poison of Trump & his Mafia --- now worsening daily---will live on in various ways. Our columnists must analyze this. Will Trump make our standards so low, that almost anyone will look good to the voters after him? A recipe for more political distortion. We deserve better.Some of the new progressive Dems, and those rejecting PAC money are responding and leading.
Our American Putin is an insecure paranoid, asserting dominance over everything/everyone. He should be handled like a psychiatric case----very carefully, and realistically, so the US can make it to 2020. Consult the psychiatrists who wrote public letters on their ‘duty to warn’ society re the damage Trump could do.
Taking off from Gov Cuomo re ‘is America great or not’?--- America can’t be ‘great’ if it allows a Trump type to be nominated & elected. Last year, various other world democracies didn’t allow their rw parties to dominate their politics, so could protect themselves.
For our self protection, we must now start discussing how to:
Reform our primaries
Reform the electoral college
Reform big money domination of our elections.
Reform gerrymandering
The Trump scandals only serve as a distraction from that needed discussion.
Only then can we climb out of the political swamp.
Future Trump-type authoritarians are swimming to the surface of the Swamp. They’ll use the ever-ready GOP Fox state media to manipulate voters and further normalize warped norms.
15
Trump's lies, deflections. imperious proclamations, outrageous and juvenile accusations occur rapid-fire over twitter. Who knows what he's really doing? We still don't know what happened for those two hours with Putin in Helsinki. We have all just moved on to keep up with his dangerous childishness, while Congress and Cabinet quietly dismantle the Obama gains and fill their pockets with unearned income, making way for devastating economic and cultural outcomes. I am so sick of it. How far can he go without anyone stopping him?
42
@Helleborus, We sadly miss Trump here. I'm afraid his vocabulary isn't up to it.
2
@Helleborus: How far can he go without anyone stopping him? Why hasn't anyone stopped him, yet?
It seems that Trump is unstoppable!
---------------------------------------------
Whatever Trump says or does dominates the new cycle. It does not matter whether is is good or bad, true or false. Trump always seems to trump, because he gets overage.
When will critics and Democrats figure out how to out-trump Trump? Why not have "ideas contests" to trump Trump?
==========================================
3
We have a true historical measure of Republican hypocrisy before us.
When Newt Gingrich was asked why the GOP was pursuing the impeachment of Clinton over a mere peccadillo, Gingrich responded: "Because we have the votes"
Trump has humiliated the United States over and over again and is obviously a tool of Vladimir Putin and has engaged in collusion with our adversary Russia; Trump has clearly violated Constitutional emolument clauses; he has violated election laws concerning the suppression of his sexual adventures; he has obstructed justice as a means of ending the RussiaGate investigation; he has accepted money from corporate donors through shadow companies set up by Michael Cohen. Trump lies constantly (more than 4000 times to date) which is why he may never be willing to testify under oath.
Despite all of these Constitutional as well as morally imperative reasons for the Republican Congress to impeach Trump ...and they do indeed have the votes to do so..they choose to let Trump run rampant and disgrace the American people day in and day out.
Hypocrisy, thy name is Republican Party. Vote these traitors out across the land!!
45
@jefflz "Newt Gingrich was asked why the GOP was pursuing the impeachment of Clinton over a mere peccadillo" ... while he, the Newt, was embroiled in a similar peccadillo... hubris? gall? We've got the votes says it all.
Let's take away their votes in November!
12
@jefflz: I picture Newt and Callista binging on the Clinton impeachment drama on late night TV.
3
@jefflz
Absolutely!
2
We should also note that Roger Stone,Trump's ally and co-conspirator, has a tattoo of the disgraced Nixon on his back, and has vowed to avenge his former hero's decline and push from office. Through Trump, he asserts the power that Nixon attempted to legitimize after he was gone--that "if the president does it, it is not illegal" at least when an ally of Roger, and all the power-envious, vicious, criminal, immoral destruction of their ilk is at stake.
9
Doesn't Trump hawk Miracle Spring Water in commercials on Fox? And aren’t those folks giving testimonials actual supporters who attend his rallies?
3
Sorry it's not the case. Trump will never ever resign. He will NOT be impeached and he knows it. Nixon did not have the tea party crazies, ultra right wing radio, FOX News, large power foreign dictators propping him up through an "internet" and Republican supporters who are in a sense just as crazy as he is. Trump said it himself. I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and people would still support me. He is a bigger criminal than Nixon ever was, but he's going to get away with it.
24
Washington D.C. sometime before 2020: Congress had finished the investigation of the President based upon the Mueller findings and the Senate was about to take up the vote. Five days later President Pence was sworn in to the highest office in the land after the resignation of Donald Trump. Two weeks later he took his first major act as President by pardoning now citizen Trump.
After his first month as Commander and Chief, President Pence announced his candidacy for president in 2020. Simultaneously, he announced he would end abortion throughout the nation saying, "As God is my witness, this shall be done." Vice President Christie looked on approvingly, happy to have a job.
Vote like you never have before.
38
If so, then why didn’t Trump invoke executive privilege when Nixon and Clinton did? Wouldn’t you think someone with something to hide, who deliberately prevented the release of his tax returns, would take advantage of all legal loopholes available? Your stretch in making this illogical mirroring claim just shows your liberal media bias against Trump
2
@William Tennant First of all, Trump does not have first-class legal counsel. His latest has never practiced constitutional law or governmental law. Second, the Supreme Court put the kabash on both Nixon and Clinton. The issue is not up for debate anymore. Executive privilege is no defense to a grand jury inquiry.
7
Awww, Bill...this is what you guys always do.
Scream and shout for evidence when the investigation is half done; act like you know there is none and everyone but you and your political ilk is a fool (or, worse, a goddam liberal); then, when the truth comes out and you're proven wrong (as usually happens, and will happen here) you pretend none of it matters, ignore reality and go your merry way, all the while yelling about your exclusive hold on morality and your pure vision for a greater America.
You conservatives need a new shtick, Bill, this is pretty weak tea.
In light of the difficulty you all have learning new political things, I'll point out Trump didn't invoke executive privilege when Nixon or Clinton did BECAUSE IT DIDN'T WORK when Nixon or Clinton did it. Also, they did not have the Legendary Legal Mind of Rudy on their team.
@William Tennant Oh, Just STOP! Trump is a criminal and woefully incompetent to be called "President"; he (and his entire family) should be called "prisoners"; he has modeled his entire life, and that of his family, after Mafia Dons -- who were much more capable of pulling off murders and crimes than The Orange Anus ever will be; Mueller knows how to bring this nightmare to an end; he has brought down the very people this Moron holds as examples.
9
The president is walking around naked yet too many see him as a fully clothed emperor.
26
@Daniel B
Thank you for that rather disturbing picture of the president walking around naked.
4
Aren't we just waiting for Trump to address the nation and declare that he is "not insane"?.............or is he?
8
The worst part is that he actually thinks his hair looks good and that women find him attractive!
25
@Robert
I have the same problem myself.
5
Enough lies emitting from the White House to make your head spin. Nixon was a paranoid. Clinton was a philanderer. Trump is in a class all his own, personality disorder (dark triad.) The Russians know who and what Trump is and knew if they could get him elected it would give them an opening to unparalleled mischief.
Soon, Russia will give America an extra nudge in hopes of sending democracy over the cliff. From disinformation to tinkering with the power grid and election results, this Fall will be quite a reality show!
12
Interesting analysis, but it still does not address how we rid ourselves that pesky President. AND the biggest problem is that the rhetoric spewing from his mouth is getting believed. One of my friends, who I have always considered to be intelligent and aware of reality, is actually claiming "There is no evidence of collusion!" I find that terrifying. How can an educated, mature man deny the evidence of his own eyes and ears. The tactic borrowed directly from Nazi Germany has been dusted off and reused "If you tell a lie often enough, it becomes the truth" Guliiani actually smiled as he said, "The truth is a lie....." C'mon folks, hold your nose if you have to, but this time, to save the nation and the earth from destruction, vote Democrat.
18
If it weren't for the dress, Bill Clinton would still be lying and most Democrats and his many friends in the media would still continue to abet his lies. So far I don't see a blue dress related to the Russia investigation. Maybe one will show up, but as time goes by, the chances seem less and less likely.
5
I take it you missed the payoffs to at least three porn stars, not to mention the distinct possibility that's there's a rather unsavory tape of a certain President in a Moscow hotel room floating around out there. And come to think of it, an Access Hollywood tape that's not floating at all.
5
@J Sexual peccadilloes are fairly common in our White House. Usually between one man and one woman, but we've had homosexual affairs also. No one brought Eisenhower up on charge of adultery, or LBJ, or JFK, or FDR, etc. And land deals... get serious. How many members of Congress left office poorer than when they came in?
Republicans and the Washington media were against the Clintons the minute they won the election (without any help from the media, btw.).
To spend $60 million dollars to get Clinton disbarred over a sexual affair was such a waste. Not like he'd be going back into private practice after leaving the White House!
Our tax dollars at work. It's the Republican way and Kavanaugh will continue his work against Democrats as he did with Clinton's impeachment attempt.
4
@J This is stunningly ridiculous. If skewed elections, money laundering and destruction of our precious democracy equates, for you, to a blue dress, you are seriously disconnected from rational thought.
Mr.Blow, please do not write NIXON, CLINTON and trump in a same line . Nixon was a crook and he did crime. He paid for it. He was socially liberal, pro environment and for universal health care. He opened the door with China and established diplomatic relation with them. He was intelligent statesman . He stopped the Vietnam war. Bill Clinton was an extremely intelligent president who created 20 million jobs and economy was great. The image of America was great all over the world and American people were happy. He stopped genocide in Bosnia and Daytona peace treaty was a great job for humanity. Trump is known as racist, corrupt, narcissist, bully, arrogant, divider, stupid egotistical, corrupt etc. We have become the laughing stock in the world. The Europeans can not believe that we elected Trump as our president. We are ashamed.
40
the pressure by the media should be ON CONGRESS--all members. The public can vote and a MINORITY of voters somehow elected this particular dolt 45. You in the media gave him millions in free publicity, not it is your turn for a mea culpa and deny him the credibility he seeks. HE IS A LIAR and a cheat. That can be pointed out without making it seem you are a'after him". The media colluded to get him elected, now collude to get him tossed out--- one way or another.
18
Trump is as he has always presented himself, an empty, gaudy, Mardi Gras float, spewing vicious amplified nonsense, followed by a motley gaggle of stumblers, grifters, haters and fools. He has 'the best people.' Ha!
Which explanation is worse? America did this to itself; or Putin, Comey, brain dead GOP and failed free press did it to us?
Current maps label the area between Canada and Mexico 'The space America used to be.'
13
@Four Oaks
Thank you! A colorful, high-energy assessment that makes great sense.
With “alternative facts” and Giuliani just having said “truth isn’t truth,” the stage is set for the Liar in Chief to continue doing what he’s best at - thinking he can control all outcomes with lies in order to protect The Donald. In the end he will suffer but not admit it. In the end it will be another “I did not have sexual relations with that woman,” moment. For tens of millions, the most powerful person on the planet will become the most hated. And, it’ll be for the rest of his life.
20
We had great times when Clinton was president. It is probably the last time that the many, if not the most, felt good in every way about being an American. If Bill "needed" to stray, I always wished he had conducted his affair with a woman closer to his own age (who had things to lose herself) and conducted it perhaps in a swanky little B& B in Virginia. Not comported with a young woman bent on her 15 minutes of fame, foolish enough to feel she was playing a game, rather than interrupting the government of the USA, and in OUR collective Oval Office. That said, when Clinton lied, he lied about SEX. Everyone lies about sex. Nobody tells their parents the first time they do the deed, most spouses do not confess to their own straying, people do not admit to how many partners they have had (or they exaggerate in order to brag!) . It's the way it is. Period. HRC was thus correct when she referred to the Starr campaign against Bill as a "vast right wing conspiracy." We have never recovered from that misguided event.
15
@karen
you are right on target with your comments
3
Problem is Mr. Blow when attempting to compare the legal and moral implications of Dick Nixon and William Jefferson Clinton's cases with that of Donald Trump's current legal travails you have on one hand two fellows ,who in the final analysis were, for the good of the country and the continued prestige of the Executive Branch, willing to confess their moral weaknesses and professional improprieties.
While on the other hand you currently have in office a fellow whose character and primary motivation throughout both his private and professional life has always been about molding the truth to fit the circumstances. And in the process, willing to always sacrifice everything and everybody around him- We know this through his history of sleazy business deals and through his treatment of his wives with his paid and private infidelities.
To think that someone with such major charactorlogical damage as Mr. Trump has consistently exhibited throughout his life will, regardless of the degree and volume of evidence against him, in any manner confess or admit to improprieties(no matter the cost to the country or his current office) is in itself, delusional. Especially when we have others close to Trump, equally deficient in moral fiber, constantly reminding him that as President, "The Truth isn't the truth".
26
@Birddog It seems to me that the creature is in the mid to late stage of syphilis which makes sense considering his "private" life, which isn't so private. It would explain a lot of the strange things he says and does.
1
One common thread between them: it takes time, but the truth will rise.
Too many witnesses, too many shenanigans.
Roughly 26 months after the burglary, Nixon resigned.
I don’t know about you, but I started the clock on how this will end the day James Comey was fired.
11
Trump is so much worse for this country than Nixon was that there can be no comparison. Yes, Nixon was awful. But he did not actively seek to destroy the United States the way that Trump is now doing. He did not target the poor for mistreatment; he did not seek to make the earth uninhabitable; he did not seek to backtrack on civil rights and gender equality; he did not balloon the deficit or treat the presidency like his own private business endeavor.
There is no comparison.
11
Indeed the signs are there, and they are frightening. With each of Donald Trump's tweets ending in "No Collusion!", he is beginning to look more like Nixon's continuous exclamations of "I am not a crook."
History has already had the last word in one case, just like it will in the other.
4
Well, I really hope that the electoral college appointment of trump opens up the eyes and ears of just how corruption happens right in front of us. The last two times that a significant majority of the voters will was overturned by this decadent flaw in our Constitution, we all were beset with the worst administrations in modern history.
Thwarting the will of the popular vote has left our nation to suffer the "slings and arrows" of major, self inflicted injuries that no external enemy has ever caused. To have the past six out of seven presidential elctions captured twice by the loser of the majority vote is inconceivable. It has meant that our nation has had two presidents whose "leadership" first created an unbalanced Islamic world in the middle east by starting the violent overthrow of the only secular (albeit authoritarian) nation thus leading directly into endless wars. The second loser of the popular vote has directly overthrown our values of clean air and water, violated several previous treaty agreements, ramped up spending on escalating our participation in these endless wars and conspiring with a major adversarial government leader to both get the electoral college appointment and unduly influence our direction as an independent nation.
This then threatens the
"General Welfare" in the
"Pursuit of Happiness."
How bad do things need to get before we insist that the "Government of the People, for the People, and by the People not perish from this Earth."
12
It is unlikely Trump will be removed from office through impeachment because not enough Republicans will vote for Trump's removal regardless of what Mueller's investigations reveals. That means Trump will likely be running for re-election. I shutter to think how unhinged he will become at his rallies and on Twitter after being on the defensive for four years. His list of enemies and scores to settle grows daily and he will spitting venom like a cobra. He will be feeding his base raw Trump steaks by the truck load. We are focused a lot right now on 2018, but hold on America, 2020 is going to be frightening.
5
@MRod "I shutter to think" is the perfect reaction to the mess that Trump is making. Hiding the truth of his mess by closing the shutters.
Reading further in your comment, MRod, I see you meant "shudder" as in quaking in one's boots.
1
There is a stark difference between Nixon, Clinton and Trump actions. Nixon conspired in a criminal act and lied about it. Clinton engaged in an inappropriate sexual act and lied about it under oath. Trump is alleged to have colluded with Russia to get elected. Trump believes that this accusation and the resulted special counsel investigation is a conspiracy by Deep State and Fake News to discredit his presidency and nullify the last presidential election, which if true, is an attack by "domestic enemies" from which the President is obligated to protect the country. Trump is the one who knows the truth. Nixon and Clinton attacked the investigations knowing very well that they did something wrong. But eventually Nixon had to resign because he knew he would be removed, but Clinton faced impeachment knowing very well that he would not be removed for lying under oath to hide an embarrassment. Based on the information so far, it appears that Trump is the one telling the truth. If he is not telling the truth, he should be punished appropriately. On the other hand, if he is the one telling the truth, the people who conspired to hijack American democracy are people's enemies and they should be punished appropriately and Trump's verbal attack would seem to be mild. Anyway, we will wait to see Mueller's report.
2
@Alex E, Trump has told dozens of lies concerning this matter most directly that " I have nothing to do with Russia". When he said that, his attorney, Michael Cohen, had an agreement to have a Trump Tower built in Moscow.
Nixon was going to be impeached for attempting to undermine our democratic process with a sordid criminal burglary.
Clinton was impeached for lying about having an affair.
Trump is likely to go unpunished for selling out his country's democratic process to an unfriendly foreign power.
Can we keep a sense of perspective here?
28
Good essay Charles, but I feel the better comparison is made in an essay in Politico (Kruse) comparing trump to McCarthy.
IMO, he is so unpresidential it’s incorrect to compare him to actual presidents, regardless of how flawed, for they each had legitimate achievements. This “president” seems to have one agenda: undo everything accomplished by Barack Obama.
6
Don't underestimate your enemy. Trump's a formidable fighter, a dirty, streetfighter, but a fighter nonetheless. Like the Shakespeare's Richard III (a stark rewriting of history by Henry Tudor to legitimize his own elevation, an excellent literary example of fake news) but without the wit, Trump will not collapse in tears or plead for mercy when his end comes; he'll go down swinging to the end.
I don't think there's much to admire in an obdurate, unapologetic Mafia Capo hurling defiance at the universe to the end, but there's still a little bit of something. It's not just vanity.
5
The emperor has no clothes and it's an ugly sight indeed.
6
Trump is putting forth a false narrative, calling everything else fake, of which he seems to be trying to create a new "truth", and at a minimum doubt. Four years of subterfuge will just compound sorting out facts.
2
The comparison with Nixon and Clinton is invidious and invalid. Nixon covered up a real crime and Clinton perjured himself. What crime has President Trump committed?
2
@Bob israel, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to defraud the US by working with a foreign power, violation of election law, conspiracy to use stolen property, emolument's clause violations, etc.... With China, bribery...
2
Nixon was still better than McGovern. I met Nixon and spoke with him - he delivered the commencement address at the U of R when I graduated - and as creepy as he was, McGovern would have been a much worse choice. By the way, had you ever heard of THE ECONOMY?
1
Comments reflect that Mr. Blow was successful in throwing red meat to the mob. His hatred of Trump extends earlier than the election and will never be sated. Just as a broken clock is right twice a day, some of the accusations of Trump probably hold water. Just as some of the more rational criticisms of HRC held water. But what a pity that our country has reached the point where members of either party are convinced that the standard bearer of the other is evil incarnate.
2
@JPE As per your last sentence: as if Trump himself hasn’t led people to that conclusion? But not the party as a whole – just him. He alone HE convinced us. HE is the standard bearer of what your last sentence says.
9
For a guy whose "greatest insecurities is being embarrassed and being exposed," Trump sure puts himself in the limelight where such embarrassment and exposure are foregone conclusions. The reality is precisely the opposite of how Mr. Blow describes it; Trump tolerates embarrassment and exposure better than any individual probably in history. It may well be pathological that Trump is so immune to embarrassment, but don't kid yourselves; you have a much more formidable adversary on your hands than wishful "thinkers" like Mr. Blow would have you believe.
1
Trump's ghost-writer helped remove that mask, and now Mr. Blow works continually to remove it, too. We pray that Mr. Mueller will be able to take the final steps so all Americans can see what's behind Trump's mask.
6
The three presidents provide an interesting arc when taken together as a continuum.
Nixon lied and then ran out fast when they caught him. We were shocked but relieved he was gone.
Clinton got caught out, lied and then snake-oiled his way back in. The stature of the presidency was diminished in the eyes of most.
Trump gets caught, over and over again, lies and then attacks viciously dragging those who know the truth down to his incoherent level. Lies and truths are twisted beyond recognition, morality and immorality melt like Dali’s clock, the hands spinning forwards and backwards madly. This is not once and done. It continues without end, spiralling us all into the abyss.
The actions of all three presidents have made us morally poorer but it is the base venality of Trump that will damage us forever.
13
to anyone paying actual attention, the mask has already been revealed in living color.
1
Why is there so much complacency among the populace who are able to see and understand the truth of what's happening? Why are the people not in the streets? Why is the media in denial, always dancing around the subject and not reporting the actual truth of what is going on - that Trump is an agent of a hostile foreign power in the Oval Office and, as Brennan says, his acts are treasonous! Congress won't do anything to check this violation. Where is the military? How much of this great republic are we going to let be destroyed before it is too late? Wake up, People!
8
Trump denigrates the Democrat “elites” yet proclaims that he and his multi-millionaire cronies should be considered elites. Even in making this declaration, he lies (we have more money, more brains, better houses and apartments, nicer boats, and we’re smarter). He, not to mention his supporters, see no contradiction between his claim and his populist rhetoric. But, his problem is not so much his vanity, but that he does not, and never will have, what true elites possess, class and respect.
4
Truth is not truth according to Guilliani . A meaningless statement of course, or more accurately, a phrase straight out of the despots playbook. Truth is only what the authoritarian says it is and what the minions want to believe. Foxnation will fall right in line, and defend those words to their last day.
5
It's an interesting exercise to compare the present calamity in the White House to the last two candidates for impeachment. (I must recommend the podcast "Slow Burn" for doing an excellent job of filling in historical details about both sorry episodes.) Both Clinton and Nixon shared a willingness to lie about their transgressions and to malign others to cover up their own crimes. Nixon was a touch more vicious about it, perhaps, and much less scrupulous about using the powers of the Presidency. But they were both distinguishable from the present head of the executive branch by the fact of their both being attorneys and holders of previous high offices. When the wolves were closing in they knew the rules and they knew the stakes. The present golfer-in-chief has never held public office (or run a publicly-traded company) and he's not a lawyer. Luckily for him, though, he's got a former Mayor and practicing attorney out their speaking on his behalf and negotiating with Mr. Mueller. "I had no prior knowledge" and "It depends what the definition of "is", is" with be remembered forever alongside "Truth isn't Truth".
1
@MValentine, If sex were all Trump ever lied about, he and Bill Clinton would be more or less in the same boat.
2
Like a wild animal backed into a corner ...
13
@Jo Zach
I have more respect for animals. They have
no malice in them but respond to necessity.
Trump responds by vanity and extreme malice.
I like animals.
6
Bingo
8
Hell, I MISS Nixon.
Seriously.
10
@Phyliss DalmatianThat is an amazing statement for those of us who witnessed Watergate and its fallout live. Unfortunately, it is true.
3
Many commenters, and Blow, have compared Trump and Bill Clintons. After all the years, and millions, spent investigating both Clintons, and accusations of fraud, murder, treason, and even witchcraft, all that they found was that Bill lied about fooling around at the office, and that Republicans really, really hate the Clintons.
Trump has lied to the people as often as he tweets, canoodles with our enemies, accepts foreign emoluments, and obstructs justice in broad daylight.
I'll take Bill and Hillary any day.
43
"When you hate, you destroy yourself." Nixon said that on the day he left the White House. Everyone, including Trump and opinion writers, should keep that in mind.
6
The GOP survived Nixon, sort of. The Democratic Party survived Clinton, sort of.
Will the Trumpuglican personality cult survive Trump, even sort of?
4
Can even Rudy “Truth-Isn’t-Truth” Giuliani save President Trump from President Nixon’s fate?
Mouthpiece Rudy Giuliani advises President Donald Trump never to testify before Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Giuliani repeatedly warns: Beware the “perjury trap.”
If testifying before Mr. Mueller is a perjury trap, is standing next to someone whose wallet protrudes from his hip pocket a pickpocket trap? Or does the character of the person doing the testifying or standing determine whether or not there is a trap?
President Trump has scant respect for the truth. Worse yet, he lies so often and so impulsively that he can’t even keep his lies consistent with one another.
Every time President Trump opens his mouth he opens a mendacity trap.
The man formerly known as “America’s Mayor” has grave cause for concern..
15
Thank you, Mr. Blow, for clearly writing how awful trump is as a human being. He is president because Russian helped and because Fox News set up Hillary as “the fall guy” for years before. The 2016 election must be voided so that Pence should not inherit the presidency.
27
Trump has lied over 2,000 times, but according to Mr. Guliani, his latest apologist in chief and distorter of reality, these lies are just Trump’s version of the truth. Clinton he says “I didn’t have sexual relations with that woman”. There’s a commonality here except the dozen women who claim Trump did, well Trump’s latest consigliere (who has better Italian bona fides than Cohen), says it’s only Trump’s version of the truth and his version of this “truth” is the real truth. Lies don’t exist in Guliani’s unverse. When Guliani worked in court and the witness swore “to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth”, I guess Guliani would never have asked for them to be cited for perjury because their lies would have simply been their versions of the truth? The truth is a bedrock of democracy, as Comey recently wrote. But Trump knows nothing about the truth, and is an unabashed unfit for the office and surrounded by contemptible sycophants like Guliani who lie for the liar in equal measure.
8
According to Trump everyone else is liar. I am sick and tired of as long as the economy is good he is a winner? Where was he during the O''Bama years ? Setting up his campaign run by he untruthful news. Making America Great really meant make America Hate even if it was Harding working Americans and Americans Businesses you were told to boycott not just ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. He even copies Nixon's Witch hunt. Poor Trump getting caught up in his lies.
4
The U.S. has survived Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich and Dick Cheney.
Uncle Sam is a scarred and battle worried survivor, it will he survive this current Trumpuglican onslaught?
7
Trump is a con man and a grifter. The basis of that is projecting a false persona. He is an empty vessel born into privilege who imagines his purported success to be a Horatio Alger story. In fact he has gone bankrupt more than once and has been caught in outrageous scams like Trump University. He makes money from licensing his name to people who imagine it still carries some cachet. His most successful scan was his election. He never imagined he would win, but he did. He has no background in or idea of governance, diplomacy, international relations, domestic issues or anything else to be POTUS. Intellectually incurious, lazy, petty, insecure that his vacuity will be exposed. He is disloyal, dishonest, and lacks character and integrity. He has never done anything altruistic in his life. So, he will do anything to save his skin in the face of the Mueller investigation, even throw team and family members under the bus. After all, everything is about him and only him. His hubris has reached its zenith and now in Shakespearean fashion, he will meet his downfall. Godspeed Mr. Mueller.
18
To me Trump's worst sin, even worse than his greediness, is sloth: he's lazy, can't be bothered to learn anything, and can't be bothered to pay attention for more than five seconds.
That's what clears the decks for the crew of crooks and bigots he's got around him. Take Giuliani; it isn't just that he was dumb enough to throw a golden quote like "Truth isn't truth," out there while Chuck Todd dissolved into helpless giggles; it's that he couldn't be bothered to think for five seconds, and say what he meant, which is something like, "Look...if truth were enough on its own, nobody'd need lawyers. We're there to help sort out different views of the truth, and try and keep our clients out of teouble."
At the same time, incompetence born of sloth is Trump's saving grace, and ours too. The danger is that if the good gals and guys don't get up off their duffs, sooner or later we're gonna elect somebody like Cheney: all the malice and hate, none of the dumb and the lazy.
26
The more cornered Trump becomes the more he counterattacks with unbound viciousness. Trump is the most corrupt person to ever hold high office in the United States and the Republican leadership, being fully aware of this does everything they can to protect him. Therein lies the greatest danger to our democracy.
We live in a highly polarized nation where a minority of voters believe the Big Lie that Trump is their savior. Trump is a lying racist whose ignorance and incompetence is part and parcel of the "deconstruction" of our government sought by the ultra-right owners of the Republican Party, the Mercers, Kochs, Adelsons and their kind.
There was a time when many could rightly say: "Republicans, Democrats- they are all the same." This is no longer the case as the Republican Party has become the voice of the extreme right. Apathetic voters who have felt it made no difference who won, and especially Republicans who have even a shred of patriotism left must reject this country's descent into the ultra-right corporatist world of Trump and his Republican enablers in Congress. It is a matter of national security, a matter of restoring decency, a matter of saving our democracy.
Trump, like Nixon, is a crook. He has told more than 4000 lies since taking office and uses the US government as part of his private business world. He is a only a symptom of the Republican plague on our nation that must be stamped out by loyal Americans going to the polls in massive numbers.
37
Karma.
Trump perpetrated and perpetuated birther lies, brought them to everyone's attention, and got other nationally known figures (Joe Arpaio) to climb on board. Obama was forced into publishing his birth certificate, something that no other president was ever asked to do.
When Trump was exposed as a liar, he wanted to start another round of lies - something about investigating Obama's college credentials.
Now who's screaming unceremoniously about a witch hunt and a hoax?
I have absolutely no pity (or patience) for Trump, but I do feel sorry for his followers in their red T-shirts and ball caps who continue to believe that he's the one being slimed.
14
Thank you, Mr. Blow, once more, for another fine column !
While the pathetic and insecure Donald Trump fears being embarrassed and exposed, he is, oddly enough exposing himself by his increasingly bizarre and volatile behavior. His malignant narcissism is on full display as he relentlessly rants and Tweets his hateful comments for all the world to view. For someone who claims innocence, he is clearly acting like one who is guilty.
12
My first political awareness was a television address by President Eisenhower in 1957. I was transfixed by the fact that this small image of a man on the screen could command the absolute undivided attention of my father, then a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army. I watched my father cry for President Kennedy, although he had voted for Nixon; the only time in my life I saw my father cry, silently, standing without moving for the entire march down Washington Avenue. President Johnson, despite his flaws, pushed through headwinds for a morally proper agenda, destroying his own political future. Then came President Nixon. (Senator Ervin was an example to citizens of conscience during Watergate; there is a lesson in that for the current Senate.) Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and Bush, Jr. contributed to the ongoing degradation of the moral standing of the office, yet still maintained a degree of respect for the norms and values of our society. Presidents Carter, Bush, Sr., and Obama strove to reverse the trend with some small successes. All these men were flawed, some more so than others, yet all ultimately recognized the limits to their power. Not so much now.
Since that first awareness of the power of the office in 1957, I have seen Presidential conduct slowly and inexorably slide towards maintenance of power over principles. That pace has accelerated dramatically under President Trump; I fear worse is yet to come and we will not be able to reverse the decline.
22
@Billfer
Charles Blow would be well served to read one of the few excellent comments.
If and when it becomes necessary, there are many officers and actual Americans like your father who will see that Donald Trump is removed from office.
Mr Blow. We got eyes and ears. We read. Each and every one of us knows a rich kid sicko. We tire of the same. Your editor?
Blow, get your facts in order:
There was never any evidence that Nixon knew about the Watergate break in prior to its occurrence. Nixon’s White House tapes do not yield any evidence of prior knowledge.
What got Nixon into trouble was the cover-up that occurred afterward. That was the so called “smoking gun” tape. It was the cover-up, not the break-in, that was Nixon’s undoing. If Nixon had come clean immediately after the break-in and there were no cover-up, there is a good chance that he would have survived Watergate just as Reagan, who claimed ignorance of the Iran-Contra fiasco, survived his ordeal.
Nixon’s margin of victory in 1972 was 17,995,488 votes—the largest pleurality in American election history— bigger than Reagan in 1984, LBJ in 1964 or FDR in any of his four victories. The American people were not deceived. Nixon’s accomplishments in his first term were numerous, highly consequential, and of lasting value. Even George Mc Govern, his opponent in 1972, eventually conceded that.
4
Some version of swatts's "worst case scenario" for the POTUS (a Pence pardon) seems quite likely, unless he manages to finish his term without any indictments or impeachment. And even a second term seems likely to me. So many polls predicted a loss for him in his first term, as we all know. And now, even after his Hel-stinky performance & on & on, still his base is loyal as all get out ~ forevermore.
But I am encouraged by my ignorance of the deep inner workings of politics - I think he might remain a resident of the Big Oval too long - but I am a political dummy.
And I'm discouraged by the pundits own apparent ignorance of the same (it seems). I could have sworn I kept peeking at my TV (when I dared) & Clinton was ahead by a wee bit. But oh those Trump country states started turning Red like political Pac-Man...
in spite of everything I heard, the man who used to sell steaks on TV is now on my premium YouTube channel everyday. I don't have a TV anymore.
2
I agree, the attacks on our military, justice, and intelligence services are very similar to Nixon. Misdirecting, abusing, manipulating these services and their key personnel and their leadership is occurring on a scale that's inexcusable, it's an assault on our country, a call to action.
Trumps goal is to weaken those institutions' statutory authority and throw them into chaos so the president's office becomes more indispensable and more powerful. This is not 'draining the swamp', this is creating a monster, a dictator, and this is our constitutional crisis.
The US President is not a king.
We have a 'deep state' decentralized democratic leadership inscribed in our codes and laws because history has proven repeatedly that all powerful all knowing dictators fail tragically, always taking innocent good people along with them, often bloodbaths in the millions.
There are no other interpretations or conclusions about Trump, only slight differences in shading or degree.
Trump must be stopped because he Trump blew thru high crimes and misdemeanors his first months in office without a single peep from his 'law and order' tough guy party.
I say go after the most physically cowardly of all our presidents, a nauseating coward that's such a repulsive shirker he has zero history of personal courage anywhere in his entire life, and do it now. Trump is so personally physically spineless it's a screaming white flag of weakness. When, oh when, will you ever call out Trump on this?
5
True to narcissistic form, Trump teeters between craving media attention on the one hand, and like a sociopath on the other, resenting the accountability it imposes.
His compulsive lying, blame mongering and denials all provide him with ever more reasons, not fewer, to feel assaulted and victimized. In short, he is, like Nixon and Clinton, making himself a victim of his own actions and words, as much as he is a victim of anyone else's. His behavior is increasingly self-destructive, even as he ostensibly seeks to protect himself. To say the least, there is ample reason to question his judgment.
Trump's die hard supporters may rant about what they label "Trump Derangement Syndrome," but it is Trump's own aberrational behavior and anger about which we, and they, should all be most concerned.
This isn't going to end well for Trump. Just ask Nixon and Clinton. It's some president's club he will be joining.
9
I can't wait for Donald Trump to go on national TV and give his version of Nixon's infamous "I am not a crook" speech.
4
Trump has much to hide, much to fear. Mr. Mueller has much to find, much to expose.
Donald Trump's life has been spent taking advantage of others, skirting the law and breaking the law. His pathological lying, mafia ties, shady business connections and attorney-fixers have covered his tracks, intimidated victims or paid them off.
Trump's sordid life and lack of accountability have made him more brazen and more prideful, leading him to believe he can do whatever he wants, no one can hold him accountable.
The sad truth is a third of America doesn't care what Mr. Mueller finds, alleges, proves. Trump's tax returns may prove conclusively he is a tax cheat and a fraud; may prove his money comes from laundering Russian mafia crime; may prove pee pee tapes are the least of Trump's depravity; may prove Trump is beholding to Russian oligarchs including Putin. No matter, a third of Americans don't care and that includes Republicans in Congress.
So what will happen when Mr. Mueller presents his findings? Trump and Republicans in Congress will attack Mr. Mueller. They will continue their campaign to undermine his credibility. They will accuse him of collusion with Democrats and conspiracy to remove the president.
Since Republicans couldn't care less about democracy, the Constitution, or the will of the people, they will not hold Trump accountable. Like Trump, Republicans in Congress have grown brazen, abusive, operating like a mafia organization that pledges loyalty to its leader.
21
@jabarry
I'm surprised that nobody seems to have noticed the parallel between Trump's language and mafia talk (Dean is a rat!). Even more striking is the parallel between the language of Trump apologists and those Catholics finding excuses for the pedophile priests. Deep religious commitments seem to underlie these faithful loyalties, beyond the reach of evidence.
4
Nixon may have been one of greatest presidents and one of our worst. All at the same time? How could it be? In an era where perfection is not only achievable but expected? Nixon lived in imperfect times and he definitely fit into them. Nixon's greatest flaw was he believed he could bomb his way to victory in Vietnam against his advisors best advice.
Now Donald Trump is being told by his predecessors best advisors the Russians are the enemy. Exactly what Trump heard during the sixties and seventies! Like many of us who experienced the cold war at its middle to end. Trump is saying we've been through this before. Does he want to go to war with Russia over a few posts on Facebook? Neither do I. How about you?
I for one do not believe nor obey what the the I intelligence community wants me to believe or obey. I can think for myself.
God bless Dick Nixon! The worst and arguably one of the best presidents we ever had.
Nixon at least had enough decency not to take the country into a ruinous battle, and enough Republican senators to advise him to act for the good of the nation. Trump has no decency—he’ll fight like a cornered rat. And the Republicans in Congress are as bad, sold out long ago to Russian money, and American super wealth. These are different times.
8
"One of Trump’s greatest fears and greatest insecurities is being embarrassed and being exposed."
I agree, but I also see Trump exposing himself, making a fool of himself, embarrassing himself, almost daily. From his offensive tweets, to his rabid blustering at his rallies, we all see the unmasked, real Trump. There is no facade. And his base loves it.
I would argue that his trick is making the ugly and grotesque seem normal and acceptable, even American. He spins his racism, his misogyny into a version of White Male American Power of yesteryear that many voters adore. The lack of a mask, the lack of a filter is the attraction. They see themselves in him. Disturbingly, they aspire to be him. For them, any Trump take-down, any Trump impeachment will be blamed on FBI corruption. Trump has worked very hard to build THAT facade for his base. Esoteric, lawerly proof of his obstruction or conspiracy will not reveal the real Trump to his base. In this way Trump's vanity is bullet proof -- to his base. I am still trying to figure out what will make his most loyal fanatics turn against him and see him for what he really is. Perhaps they can't do that, they can't really see him, because it would mean really seeing themselves.
11
To correct Blow's clear attempt to obfuscate:
"...Nixon said:
I said on May 22 that I had no prior knowledge of the Watergate operation. In all the testimony, there is not the slightest evidence to the contrary. Not a single witness has testified that I had any knowledge of the planning for the Watergate break‐in. It is also true, as I said on May 22, that I took no part in, and was not aware of, any subsequent efforts to cover up the illegal acts associated with the Watergate break‐in.
We now know, of course, that that was a lie..."
Actually, the only thing in that statement that is a lie is the last sentence. It is correct that Nixon was involved with trying to deflect the investigation. That statement was proven false with taped conversations, which initiated impeachment discussions in the Senate.
In fact, there is still no evidence whatsoever that he was involved with the planning of, had prior knowledge of, or ordered, the Watergate break-in.
3
Actually, there's a boatload of circumstantial evidence; just nothing direct.
1
I think, when all is said and done, this will be looked upon as Trump’s final reckoning. He is not responding as Nixon or Clinton because he’s not merely a politician looking to extend his time in the main stage of a long career. Trump is a mobbed-up hoodlum from way back, and a reason he is running scared is that—beyond mere conspiracy with foreign nations—the crimes he has committed will prove more ugly, more grotesque than anyone could imagine. And being an utter and complete narcissist, he has implicated his entire family but will throw them all under the bus to save himself.
Trump is a mere shadow of the figure he’s able to claim in the public sphere: he abhors being exposed as such, almost as much as he hates anyone seeing his bald pate. The logical end of his karma doesn’t play out well for him, and he’s escaped scrutiny and indictment until now but it can’t last.
9
He fears having his mask removed. The majority of this nation can already see through the mask. It's blindingly obvious how insecure and desperate he is. He's more like a little kid who squeezes his eyes tight shut and thinks that no one can see him.
13
A man with trump's history has no valor, has no honor and least of all has any respect for our laws, our Constitution or our historical values. Trump reminds me of a rat trapped in an inescapable hole with its offspring. He will eat his own to survive. The desperation that he and those around him are exhibiting will lead to many being sacrificed in his attempt to save himself. We can change all of this, vote in November and stop voting Republican. It is time to return sanity to our government.
5
Trump makes Nixon look like Abraham Lincoln.
19
@James
Well said.
I have this fantasy of seeing Dishonest Don being tried before a jury of his peers. The jury box is packed with assorted con men and women/sexual predators/tax cheats/failed business scammers, all with awful comb-overs and hair pieces. Rudy can stay as lead defense attorney as long as he grows his hair long enough to redo his awful comb-over.
Just think of the hilarity of trying to get the lies through the liars club.
Prison is too easy an out for DD - he should be sentenced to working in one of Trump's Gilded golf slums as a caddy and a bus boy.
5
I fully agree with Mr. Blow, Trumps biggest fear is being officially exposed for the fraud he is. Once he has been officially exposed the fight is over. He can no longer claim that he is the victim which means that he must face up to the fact that he has lost the means to continue painting himself as something he never was. Gods gift to humanity. He will be allocated the status of just another commoner.
5
Interesting that Trump calls John Dean, whose testimony exposed Richard Nixon's crimes,
a "RAT".
The rest of the world sees John Dean as a hero.
15
Will we ever again view the presidency as a level above even the most moral politician. President Obama certainly cleared that bar only to have a destructive menace like Trump slip into the presidency on a wave of anger and racism.
Largely through journalists like yourself will we see our way through. Time will ultimately place Mr. Trump on the ash heap of history.
4
Behind the mask is another one, just as thin, just as flimsy, he is an empty vessel, morally bankrupt and he will never relent. There is only one version of the truth and it thrives in his own self aggrandizing, twisted brain. He believes he is a saviour and his enablers continue to foster that belief. Apparently, it will be left to the voters to show him what reality and democracy looks like.
4
Trump is consummate gas-lighter, exaggerator and liar not only to the people he is addressing but also to himself.
I’m also very concerned.
If forced to confront the Truth about himself it seems likely he will become a raving madman and people are going to get hurt.
3
Dear Democrats... If we take the House and the Senate on November 6th, do not impeach Donald Trump. We must allow Trump and the Republican Party to steep in their fetid swamp for the full four-year term. Impeachment proceedings will inspire the Republican base to boil over, when what we desire is for the white nationalist movement to peter out. For now, stop obsessing on Trump's every utterance. He has become a broken record, repetitive and boring. Not one American has to obey him, because he is not legitimate. Without credibility, Trump is just another Harvey Weinstein.
7
@poodlefreeHi,
Is your idea dangerous, a sort of quietism,
however aware? I fear a liberal will to seethe
but stay home from the polls because voting is beneath their morality and condescension
to events and News. Or to show their integrity
but voting for a third candidate or party that
cannot win, as with Jill Stein, who garnered 16 million votes that might have tipped the Electoral College. Hillary won by 3 million...
not enough.
2
The obvious trade is narcissism. Neither Clinton nor Nixon had that personal disorder. Trump will do absolutely anything to save his face and will never ever admit anything. He rather gives up his family and all his possessions if needed. Narcissists just operate like that. Always.
5
President Clinton's brief address to the nation on August 17, 1998, seems to be truthful. His earlier public statement, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky," is also true, given that most baby boomer heterosexuals use the expressions "have sex with" and "have sexual relations with" to mean coitus only and not oral sex. This is important, because many people reflexively take that famous denial as a lie. It was intended to mislead, but was not a lie. In contrast, President Trump tells something like 7.5 lies per day. There is no comparison between Clinton's truthful statements and Trump's barrage of lies.
3
@Joel Rubinstein I had not thought about it in terms of other people defining sex in different ways. I just thought about Clinton's statement as lying.
But it's really simple: sex is sex. Oral sex, anal sex, or standard sex is still sex.
A rose is a rose. Sex is sex.
1
It seems likely that BLOTUS (Biggest Liar of the U.S.) deceives himself as frequently, if not more often, than he tries to deceive the rest of us. I can’t imagine what it would take to make this twisted, insecure little child realize that the jig is up and his presiduncey has come to an ignominious end. If that were to happen, however, it would not end quietly or peacefully.
14
Loved "BLOTUS" . I'm definitely using that one. Thanks.
2
Nixon was an experienced and competent politician with a character flaw. Trump has the character flaw but none of the experience and competency. Poor comparison. Bill Clinton was highly competent and I fail to see how he might have became involved in the discussion other than his sexual proclivities which are basically beside the point.
7
Recent revelations about McGahn's extensive interviews with Mueller, reported here in the Times, appears to have set off a definite panic among all the president's men. As usual, Trump continues with ever-more virulent denials, insisting publicly there was no collusion and that he's the victim of a witch hunt, but what's happening behind the scenes suggests what's become the all-too-obvious: that there's something to hide. As if verging on farce, this administration seems incapable of maintaining even the decorum of innocence. Trump is a chronic liar, but his bigger problem is that he's a bad liar.
7
Judge Charles Blow has ruled that there is enough evidence to convict Trump of "at least attempting" to conspire with Russians to tilt the election. As I understand it, in this regard, his campaign was no different from Hillary's, who also sought dirt on Trump. I'm no fan of Trumpolini, but he is still miles from becoming our worst President...that honor still belongs to George W. Bush, the Child King who lied and blundered us into the Pointless War with Iraq with its two trillion dollar price tag; approved torture by US intelligence agencies for the first time in American history; and mismanaged our economy into the Great Recession, from which we are still recovering. And yet, Judge Blow and his court perseverate on Trump's "attempt" at getting dirt on Hillary. Get some perspective!
3
@Unconventional Liberal
The difference of course being that Hillary was not accepting illegal assistance from a foreign government. That's the collusion here, and we know it happened, so Judge Blow is right to bring the gavel down. The W administration is guilty of terrible crimes, but W himself was not a sociopath who not only didn't know what he was doing but refused to learn or to hire anyone competent. Can you imagine if a 9/11 -type event happens on Trump's watch?
5
It comes down to this:
- If the Democrats win a majority in both the House and Senate, Trump will resign rather than be impeached and convicted; he’ll claim, for posterity sake, that he was the “victim” of a “witch hunt”; whatever, who cares...
- If the Democrats only win a majority in the House, Democrats will seek impeachment and Trump will fight it to the bitter end, expecting no Republican Senator to cross him or else! Trump will continue issuing his edicts while a split Congress limps along.
- If the Republicans retain a majority in the House, but somehow lose the Senate, House Republicans will refuse impeachment, Trump will continue to issue edicts from the Oval office and the Country will limp along until the 2020 election;
- If the Republicans retain their majority in the House and Senate, the American experiment will die as the checks and balances of government are eliminated by a subservient Congress and packed judiciary and the Constitution is “reinterpreted” by an evangelical Christian autocratic government run by a two-bit despot.
7
Trump will not admit to any wrongdoing and his base will never, ever believe he ever did anything wrong. Trump’s ego would never allow him the humility necessary to admit a personal wrong. In his eyes, he is the victim. Trump’s base cannot believe he did anything wrong because if they did they would admit to themselves he conned them, something no one likes to do. In the end, it is the country that will suffer. God help us.
4
@CEA Some of his "base" are worse than that. At recent allies, a few of them carry signs thanking Russia for Trump's presidency.
President Nixon was fundamentally corrupt. At the time, Republican die-hards either didn't care or couldn't bring themselves to face the facts. Sound familiar?
President Clinton had a personal failure of morals. The Starr (and Kavanaugh) investigation attempted to impeach and remove him on that basis. Even Mr. Kavanaugh now believes their puritanical pursuit of Clinton was wrong. Though that could just be more Republican immoral opportunism.
Mr. Trump is several orders of magnitude worse than Nixon. Trump couldn't care less about our democracy. He has betrayed the nation by failing to protect our democratic elections. He and his friends are stealing trillions from the rest of us. Trump's racism and white nationalism are vile.
To be sure, Trump is cornered like Nixon was cornered. They both obstructed justice, abused their power, etc. Like Nixon, Trump can't get out of this by firing people, lying, or attacking the free press and free speech. Trump, however, believes he can get out of it with the Goebbel-ian "big lie." With treason. By turning the federal government against the people. With violence.
8
We know that Nixon told Haldeman, soon before the 1968 election, to make sure that peace talks planned by Johnson, the Russians, and the North Vietnamese did not take place. Haldeman was to let the president of South Vietnam know that if Nixon became president of the US, the regime in S. Vietnam would be secure.
Haldeman did as he was told, the war continued for another 5 years. Haldeman's notes of that meeting were finally found about two years ago; there had always been rumors but strong denials by Nixon and his traitorous minions. It is interesting to bring this up now with Nixon boosters; he still has some, and they still deny, despite documented certainty.
No one has accused Clinton of treason. But there is no doubt about what Nixon did, and no doubt that Trump would have been eager to collude with the Russians personally, even if -- unlikely, I think -- he did not. Nixon's treason led directly to 20,000 American dead, and uncountable Vietnamese dead. We're waiting on Trump's toll, which may well be much larger, once Europe collapses and Russia is ascendant.
The forces that have kept European nationalism in check are receding; I see frequent commentary about the "bloodless bureaucrats of Brussels" not satisfying the emerging blood lusts of new generations of Poles, Hungarians, Germans, British, Russians, and so on. Peace and slow economic growth do not suffice.
Anyone want to bet against????
8
"I believe he has absolutely no plans to personally cooperate with the investigation by sitting for an interview. He may have once believed that he could bluff his way through such an experience, but now his hostility and fear about the inquiry’s conclusion has clipped his courage."
Exactly! I don't think anything will make Trump testify, not even a directive from the Supreme Court. Trump's defied every standard and every limit, and I'd expect him to defy the Court as well, and DARE it and Congress to stop him...and his base would cheer and threaten to "primary" any Republican who defies him.
I believe the only way Trump can be stopped is to somehow, some way, get 67 Senators to convict in an Impeachment trial...and I see NO path to that happening.
3
When I think of Trump cannot help but think of Isaac Newton and Richard Wagner.
Before you head bump the table let me explain. It snaps something into focus for me: the cognitive dissonance often required when it comes to accepting people as they are.
The latter two by about any personality measure I value were in a nutshell pretty despicable - loathsome I'd say. Eccentric not in a cute way - mean not in a just way.
But boy am I glad they walked the Earth. They were geniuses who shaped the World for the better - their greatness will live on and on thorough the awesomeness of their accomplishments/contributions.
I know some don't really think about what Newton gave to us and care little about him; double ditto for Wagner I suspect. But when clinically assessed it in a fair court the verdict aligns with my esteem for them. Not a matter of taste - but is a matter of fact.
The former (Trump) is like the latter two - a loathsome despicable person. But unlike them he is a waste of space as a REAL contributor to the advancement of humankind.
I can tolerate ugly personality if glorifying genus is unfolding, but I have no reason to tolerate Trump.
Some do because he is harmonic with their fears, insecurities, prejudices, and regressive-ness; momentarily heady that their champion is winning for them. Their victories will eventually fall into the dust bin of history.
Who lauds Wagner because he was a great anti-Semite?
Who lauds Newton because he was a great alchemist?
1
One of Trump’s greatest fears and greatest insecurities is being embarrassed and being exposed. Trump is petrified that someone will remove the mask he has been crafting for seven decades, or of having it be revealed that that mask is made of paper rather than steel.
Sorry Charles, but most people already know what under that mask.
That's why New Yorkers VOTED AGAINST Trump by over 90%.
That's why urban and metro cities and cities voted against Trump so overwhelmingly.
They (we) know a scam when they (we) see and hear one.
Maybe rural areas around the country are impressed by the reportedly rich guy with buildings named after him, but city folks, in general, knows how he made his money.
He cheats and hires lawyers who delay his day in court, a situation most people can't afford.
So when they either just drop the matter or just agree to a reduced payoff, Trump declares victory.
It's sad to say this but even Richard Nixon had more character than Trump.
And was probably more of a fighter.
Remember how at one of Trump's rallies, the tough guy reacted when he heard loud music that probably sounded to him like a gunshot.
The look on his face was priceless.
I know his actions were.
9
If only Trump didn't act so guilty, and there were not so many 'coincidences'.....
If only he had a good reputation....
If only he could come up with something other than alternative facts...
If only alternative facts were not lies....
6
Trumpsters rationalize Trump as the lesser-of-two-evils.
No matter how much he lies, Trump says Democrats as worse.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trump and the Right fight fire, with fire. That is their rationalization.
I think that in order to win the House, Democrats need to show, in the simplest terms, that Trump and the Right are far worse.
I believe Democrats must say that Trump lies are destroying democracy, here and around the world. It must be stopped, now.
I suggest Democrats hold "idea contests" to find better campaign ideas, so they can take the House. Time is running out!
1
Trump thinks he is invincible, partly because of the irresistible force of his personality, and partly because of the unswerving loyalty of his base. But history seems to teach us that no one remains invincible forever, not even the brilliant Napoléon Bonaparte, and once his coerced allies lost their fear of him, they turned on him. Perhaps Trump will beat the odds, but as Damon Runyon would tell us, that's not the way to bet.
5
He is doing everything a guilty man would do.
7
The mask Trump wears is that of a “billionaire.” The coward behind the mask knows the illusion is propped up only by loaned and laundered Russian money, and that coward is in the fight of his life to defend the illusion. Or should I say delusion.
6
Perhaps at least some of the popular minority that raised Trump from reality show host to president will now be able to admit to themselves that their ‘emperor’ indeed has no clothes. America laid down with a dog and now must find a way to rid itself of the resulting fleas.
3
I agree with Charles that Trump will not react like Nixon or Clinton to whatever Mueller's investigation uncovers. Since his team has fought to get FBI investigation reports I think he's already preparing his "alternative" report to counter the Mueller findings. It will blame all the usual subjects: the FBI, the CIA,the Democrats, and the "Deep State" for framing him.
The real danger for America will be an indictment of Jr and Jared for conspiracy to undermine an election. ("I love it", says Jr) He will strike back tenfold to destroy everything in sight. Or maybe he'll just pardon everyone in sight. Couldn't have his namesake in federal lock-up.
I've always thought Senior's jeopardy will be his years of questionable financing. Bank fraud? Money laundering? We know he lies as he breathes...bank fraud is almost a given. He has a history of exaggerating, overpaying, and over leveraging projects like the casinos and the Plaza Hotel in New York. I wouldn't be surprised to learn he is really underwater... a bankrupt. Has Mueller's team analysed his tax returns? Is his empire really an ongoing Ponzi scheme needing more and more cashflow to keep it afloat? Maybe Mueller can answer why Russia and Putin, alone, have never been criticised. What is it about the sanctions?
Fasten your seatbelts we're in for a bumpy ride.
11
The most important difference between the Nixon scandal and the Trump scandal is Congress. While the one during Nixon was doing its job, the one right now is nothing but the enabler of a fraudster. Trump is bad, but Congress is worse, way worse. Vote, vote, vote!
5
Mewittys: Nixon, Clinton and Trump.
Sounds like the title of a law firm, a child's bedtime book or a limerick.
"Nixon, Clinton and Trump, together form a clump: One was dumped, one was stumped, and one really, really needs to be trumped."
3
Trump loves himself 100%. Trump loves money 99%. Ivanka gets 95% and the rest in life gets nothing from Trump.
Trump equates being rich with being a superior human being. Being rich means you are smart and successful and entitled to life lived at a superior level. The best of everything is yours and you are the envy of the nation or world. Being POTUS is just a 'natural' outcome of Trump's superiority and a way to get more money. It has absolutely nothing to do with service to country.
Trump fears the Russia 'thing' and Michael Cohen because they may bring out the truth about how rich he is and how he got rich.
If it is shown that Trump used fraud and tax evasion and other sorts of financial shenanigans to amass his wealth his ego would be tainted. Can't have that.
Trump has a malignant narcissistic ego which will cause him to break and destroy anything that threatens including our democracy and rule of law. His GOP enablers are by his side for their own reasons but they too would rather destroy than lose their power.
Mueller and the FBI and the Justice Department have the mechanisms of exposure of Trump's fraud. This is why he is willing to commit obstruction of justice. To keep that orange coif in place.
Because he is not bald. Trump has his truth in a can of hair spray.
4
Of course there are similarities between Nixon and Trump, but at least Nixon was a statesman. And he gave us the EPA. For all his domestic foibles, he claimed successes abroad with his visits to China and Russia. Every time Trump steps foot outside the U.S., he makes the majority of world cringe.
In the game of "compare and contrast" the only similarities between the two men that interest me anymore are that Nixon left office disgraced, and I hope Trump does as well -- though absent a pardon.
I was no fan of Nixon's, but lately I often think back to a bumper sticker I saw during the Reagan era: Bring Back Tricky Dick.
9
I am suffering from serious Trump fatigue. Thank you, Charles for your relentless pursuit of the truth. But I can’t wait until—-as John Brennan so eloquently put it—Trump is relegated to “the trash heap of history “
10
Donald Trump's mask is made neither of paper nor of steel. It is made of something infinitely more vile, but not nearly as vile as the figure who inhabits that hollow suit that hangs in the darkest recess of the Oval Office.
2
As always, Mr. Blow is right on. He continues to give the explanations for 45’s behavior.
4
Mr. Trump's image is the whole of him.
2
Nixon was a bad penny but his achievements are many:
* Ended the draft, 1973
* Arms limitation talks with Brezhnev
* Founded the EPA, 1970
* Signed ABM treaty
* Opened the door to China
* Assigned $100M to begin "war on cancer" -- led to creation of national cancer centers
* Southern school desegregation
* Lowered voting age to 18
And then there's Trump, who has done zilch for the good of the country beyond the one percenters.
14
Oh, well and masterfully stated, Mr. Blow. I don't always agree with you (when you recently suggested Elvis was racist, for example) but this time what you write is spot on. I was a journalist during the Watergate era. And that whole thing was child's play compared to the Russia investigation. As many have stated: a third-rate burglary that morphed into obstruction of justice which could easily have been avoided if Nixon had admitted the burglary and apologized. And, of course, I remember the Clinton/Lewinsky debacle. To me, that should have been an issue for Clinton and his wife to parse out. But point being, neither of those situations put our country at risk. Like Mr. Blow, I, also, don't believe Trump will apologize, resign, or do anything buy use all his power to stay in office. My hope is that Mr. Mueller's investigation will circumvent his lies and return our country to democracy.
4
Mr. Blow says it is clear to him that Mr. Trump had Russian help to swing his election victory. Please, Mr. Blow, convey your evidence to Mr. Mueller; he needs all the help he can get.
4
Most infuriating is the fact that Republicans continue to obstruct investigations of an attack - an undeclared war - by our primary foreign foe on the Democratic party while inciting divisions of our nation all ON BEHALF OF TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS.
Indeed, Republicans are facilitating Russian goals of dismantling American alliances and institutions - especially those who are our first line of defense against the Russians - like the CIA and FBI.
Everyone should question every single Republican WHY are they defending and protecting the Russians before they go to the ballot box in November. They should also ask them WHY would our nuclear enemy of 70 years favor trump and the Republicans - 'cause voting Republican is voting for our nation's enemy.
At least Nixon and Clinton were lone individuals fighting justice. This time around we are up against trump AND the entire Republican party enforcing their one-party rule against the interests of our country - conspiring to obstruct justice and allow Russia to escape with impunity. Wasn't that the GOP platform in their nomination convention? The first two are mere firecrackers while the latter is nuclear - radioactive contamination - not yet detonated.
Trump is not a fighter and certainly has zero valor. He simply uses others, demands the loyalty and personal sacrifice of others. He has no intentions of ever giving up power - ever - and he has the nukes and Republicans on his side to keep him in office for life.
3
"Days after Clinton made his admission, Donald Trump gave an interview to Chris Matthews in which he said of Clinton: "
The above was not supposed to be the main takeaway of this column, but this simple statement is astounding. It reminds me of the years of pathetic fawning of the media/press over this charlatan. Why in God's name is Trump weighing in on Clinton with Chris Matthews? What about Trump's profession at the time (presumably real estate magnate?) resulted in Mr. Matthews interviewing Trump about Bill Clinton?
The media/press have unwittingly and wittingly laid the groundwork for this man's legitimacy for decades. The books (despite mea culpa from Tony Schwartz). The interviews. The articles. Forbes admitted to adding him to its "richest" list despite being bullied into it and knowing it was a lie.
Birtherism was going on since 2011 when Trump was still a reality TV "star." Press conferences given and covered where Trump talks about the non-existent investigators he has in Hawaii. Why exactly?
Even now .... hours and hours of Guiliani interviews. Oh look! Congrats to Chuck Todd - he didn't let Rudy lie. Too late - the sound bite is there. MSNBC interviewed Steve Bannon last week and barely got a word in edgewise as he controlled the narrative. Trump supposedly hates CNN, but they hired Lewandowski to spread Trump's propaganda.
The notion that the media is "under fire" by Trump is a ruse. The symbiotic relationship is still going strong.
6
In my personal opinion, Trump matches every aspect of being a sociopath. Sociopaths have no empathy so don't expect Trump to get a conscience.
I was reading Martha Stout's "The Sociopath Next Door" during the 2016 campaign. Please read it, talk to psychologists, and form your own opinion. Psychologists won't render an opinion without interviewing the subject. If this is so, I just ask the public reporters to cover his stories with sociopath in mind so that you don't encourage his behavior. His behavior is being fueled with response to every distraction.
7
Totally agree. Trump will never voluntarily leave the White House even after two terms are up.
2
To rephrase Mr. Trump's attorney: "A lie isn't a lie." So there's no problem. End of story.
3
Dear Charles,
Mr. Trump is not leaving office. The "resistance" has failed. Pelosi and Waters are the aged faces of a party now embracing socialism. The Obamas and the Clintons are now part of history. Racism, poverty, the family breakdown, gun violence, and suppression of free speech are as problematic as corporate greed, lobbyists, and political donors. The Republican solutions are always the same: lower taxes on the rich who pay all the taxes, and a good economy will do the rest. It's working for many. America needs two vibrant parties to forge and test new ideas. Why are Democrats wallowing in the sea of hate rather than entering the crucible of new ideas?
3
@JDL
Just a reminder. The "resistance" never voted for Trump in the first place, which is why he got over 3 million less popular votes.
And the economy is only working now because it was the previous administration that pulled us out of a Recession.
And NO. The resistance has not failed. And it will not fail -- because resistance is what made America great to begin with.
3
@N. Smith
The "resistance" has failed in their effort to remove Trump from office, no? And only an electoral victory in 2020 will replace Trump with a Democrat, no? And whether you attribute the economy to Obama or Trump, it is surging forward to the benefit of many with low unemployment, no? And the Democrats are now embracing socialism, no? Your comment is similar in its dearth of ideas and abundance of negativity as the author Mr. Blow. Can Democrats defend new ideas, create a vision for a better America, inspire greatness, ingenuity, and leadership? The article and your comment seem to answer a resounding "no!"
@JDL
FYI. It's bever been about removing Trump from office, as much as it's been about keeping a bright light shining on the amount, and the frequency of lies he's passing off as 'truths' to the American public.
You may not be watching and counting -- but plenty of us are.
"Trump is petrified that someone will remove the mask he has been crafting for seven decades, or of having it be revealed that that mask is made of paper rather than steel."
The American people will see his taxes and will see that Trump is indeed the "king of debt," as he puts it. His whole persona is based on that veneer of wealth and success.
Those in the know know that he is a fake.
3
An injured, cornered animal is a very dangerous thing.
9
I think the suspense of how this investigation will play out is getting to all of us. Trump's words and actions will forever convince me of his guilt simply because, like Nixon and Clinton, he behaves like a guilty man. A man with a clear conscience doesn't attempt to obstruct an investigation, publicly insult and attempt to discredit the investigators and boldly show loyalty to the leader of an adversary country.
Looking back, it's clear that Trump has spent his life conniving, scheming, scamming and grifting. He has past and present associations with criminals, and has surrounded himself with these people professionally and socially. The truth is trickling out, and Trump calls it "fake news," but the stories are verified. This country should take a lesson from it and not accept a candidate for president until they're thoroughly vetted. You can't become a teacher, police officer, bank teller, or prison guard without being investigated; but here we are, giving the nuclear codes and war powers to a thug and lowlife who cannot breathe without telling a lie.
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@trump basher
The vetting process used to be in place. Each party had mechanisms to make sure the candidate met minimum qualifications. Those that didn't qualify would be kept off the ballots. Unfortunately, the American people saw this necessary protection in a negative light. In their eyes this was back room king-making. Consequently, it was decided to let the American people decide for themselves who their party candidate should be through the primary process.
Well, the American people flunked . . . big time!
@trump basher.....
Good comparisons on all the occupations that need vetting, but not the president. And let's add the Trump was sued for 25 million by students of Trump U. That's unique for a US president, yet the media hardly ever cites it.
It's ridiculous that, in a political culture that hands its election campaigns over to the richest mega donors for financing. we don't even demand the income taxes and complete financial background of a future president. Our politics is in capitivity to warped ethics. What grifter types does this attract?
NYTimes front page 2 Aug 2015: “Small Pool of Rich Donors Dominates Election Giving.” The citizen majority has no clout. We get candidates warped by these norms----Trump is the most extreme.
The road out of this swamp starts with reforms of campaign finance, the electoral college, and primaries.
Only then can we attract and promote public spirited candidates that respects ethics and rule of law.
We must start climbing out the Swamp our politics has deepened---before other Trump-like denizens swim to the top--even if not as criminal as Trump---still poisonous to our politics.
@trump basher
How exactly would this vetting process be conducted? Should a bi-partisan review board conduct the vetting? Wouldn't the opposition strongly oppose approving any potential candidates which they would consider to be the hardest to defeat? I'm sorry, but I think that the election process is up to the people. If the people fail to show up at election time, then democracy dies.
Thank you Mr. Blow for another excellent analysis of the man Donald J. Trump. The truth eventually came out about Presidents Nixon and Clinton. The citizens in this country who are concerned about honesty and integrity in government and the rule of law also hope that the Mueller report and the Senate Intelligence Committee report will provide the information needed to shine a bright light on the misdeeds of our morally bankrupt president, Donald Trump. One big difference is that neither Nixon nor Clinton waged a sustained, aggressive war against our intelligence agencies and the media. Because of that, it is uncertain just how the public will accept findings of either of these investigative groups. At least now (finally) some major players in the intelligence community and the media are beginning to fight back.
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@RF ( rather Douglas Mac Niel)
Look at old You Tube interviews of Trump to realize how, whatever he was then—flim flam man, con-artist, etc., he was not always the malevolent, toxic, madman he has become. You are right that there are of Dorian Grey in this story, and there are echoes of Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”.
To a certain degree the people forgave Clinton for his failings and regain his footing. Admitting he was wrong and apologizing helped. Nixing was the opposite, never admitted he was wrong or lied until it was to late. His paranoia and arrogance didn’t help. InTrump we have a more deeply flawed individual who as his lawyer put it “The truth isn’t the truth”, but this is only because Trump and his cronies attemp to make it so. His narcissism will be his undoing because he sure acts like a guilty man not just someone with a fragile ego.
74
@Dawn Clinton also didn't compromise the integrity of the presidency to any degree close to what Trump does every day.
2
@Dawn
Both. I expect they are fatqally intertwined.
Narcissism isn’t necessarily going to hold him back. The only thing that will take a billionaire like trump down is iron-clad evidence.
I have lived through 2 of the three Special Counsel national adventures, and hope to see this third through.
Nixon really was done in by a second rate burglary--and his own paranoia. He was going to win the election handily, without the "plumbers". There is little or no reason to believe what the plumbers did swung a single state, and likely not so much as a precinct.
Clinton's adventure was the result of what amounts to a Republican dirty trick--the special council did not find any problems with the nonsense lies he investigated, but was able to exploit two Clinton weaknesses--he was vulnerable to sexual temptation, and he valued a continuing relationship with his wife and daughter and was willing to lie to help protect that relationship.
Trump's misadventures make both earlier instances look like nothing. We have collusion with an adversary to successfully steal an election, lots of financial theft, misuse of government funds, illegal policies (I hope it is illegal in the US to willfully torture and orphan infants and children), and uncountable instances of lying on subjects large and small. We also have a cabinet, administration, and president determined to destroy the air we breath, submerge the land we live on and farm, and generally raise havoc. Trump has broken his oath of office countless times.
Nixon and Clinton were not threats to the republic. Trump is. And to the planet.
270
@Mark Johnson Particularly to the planet. Allied with coal and Big Oil, he is a party to planetary destruction.
Excellent post. Thank you.
1
Why would anyone be surprised by Trump's behavior? He was and always will be someone who places himself above others. Go back and review the articles and interviews that he had done before he entered politics. He did not hide who he was or how he approached dealing with other people. He demands unfettered loyalty and constant attention. He has taken malignant narcissism to another level . The question is how does this end? Whether he is impeached , which I doubt will happen, or is voted out of office, which is possible, the ending of his tenure will not be pleasant. The more he is cornered the more enraged he and his fervent supporters become. Mr. Blow has written another well thought out opinion column. I disagree though that when cornered Trump becomes like Nixon. He is now going beyond Nixon's tactics and in turn cleaving a certain percentage of the population from the rest. The damage that Trump's malicious unprincipled conduct has done may never be repaired. When a priceless artifact is broken and put back together while
whole it is never quite the same. So it is with our representative democracy. Perhaps some of the damage done can be repaired but the whole cloth of our nation will never be the same after Trump. That will be part of his legacy that cannot be white washed over by future historians.
63
Vanity and ego will ultimately be his undoing. In a just, lawful world, punishment of life imprisonment for this vile, vulgar and felonious individual, fraudulently elected to the most powerful position in the world would be a critical first step to restore faith in democracy and honor to the office of the president of the United States. A national "Trump Behind Bars" parade would be the appropriate celebration for the vast majority of Americans who did not vote for this fraud to begin the healing process.
86
There is one big difference between Trump and both, Nixon and Clinton. Both, the president who resigned and the president who was impeached, had spent a lifetime in politics and public service, before they became president. Trump wasn’t a politician and didn’t hold public office until he became president. In fact, Trump’s entire life, even in the private sector, was in a private company with no public stock ownership, and hence no accountability to shareholders.
It is what makes Trump so prone to authoritarian tendencies and so averse to being criticized – when you are used to being a boss surrounded by sycophants all of your life, it’s difficult to suddenly adapt to being a servant of the people. Trump finds it hard to accept that a majority of the people disapprove of him.
So yes, “One of Trump’s greatest fears and greatest insecurities is being embarrassed and being exposed.” This is why he never released his tax returns–they most likely would expose that even his business life was not the great success story that he made it out to be. They might even expose that he is indeed financially indebted to Russians, who “make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets,” as Don Trump Jr. confessed back in 2008.
And yes, “Trump lies about almost everything,” including repeatedly crying wolf, when it comes to “collusion” with his Russian benefactors in the 2016 presidential election. But, as Nixon and Clinton both learned, in the end, truth will prevail!
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@Jack Nargundkar
I agree with you Jack, although Donald Trump was the chairman of the board of Trump Hotels and Casinos, that went public in 1995. The company lost money every year they were public, while "The Donald" received ample compensation. Eventually, they filed for bankruptcy, and he lost control. The those history buffs, the stock traded on the NYSE with the symbol DJT.
Here is a link to the whole story - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/donald-trump-was-a-stock-market-disast...
2
@steve p Yes, I remember Trump Hotels and Casinos going public but didn't realize that it crashed and burned so badly. If DJT had net losses of $13 million in 1995 that ballooned to $134 million by 1999, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average ballooned at a CAGR of 24.56% from 3834.44 to 11497.12 during those same years, it speaks volumes about the performance of Donald J. Trump! Reinforces my point - he simply cannot do well under public scrutiny!
These three presidents brought shame to the highest office of the land. Nixon fooled the nation that he had a secret plan to end the Vietnam War but simply extended it with more American and Vietnamese deaths. He was known as tricky Dick for good reason. Clinton did not do any damage to the nation in terms of his domestic and foreign policies but helped elect George W Bush who will go down as one of the worst presidents. Clinton did not help his wife's campaign by meeting the Attorney General on the airport tarmac. One wonders if he did not want her elected.
Trump is a total disaster for the nation. His tax cuts, his budget, his Cabinet appointments, his lies, his racism, his rollback of environmental legislation and his dismal foreign policy agenda will hurt the nation. He is totally inept.
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@JAB Trump is the worst of the three by far. Clinton merely lied about a foolish affair with an intern; Nixon had his hit list but he stepped down because he, in the end, had reverence for the law. Trump won't step down without taking every law agency down with him because he has no respect for the law, the Constitution, or democracy itself. His sense of entitlement is boundless and he'd rather go out as the "disrupter" he is regardless of the debris field in his wake.
I cannot forgive the people who voted for him.
@JAB Clinton did do damage to the nation in terms of his domestic and foreign policies.
He pushed NAFTA through the Congress in 1994, despite having said he would work to save American jobs.
NAFTA cost over a million jobs, affecting at minimum 4.5 to 5 million people who lost their jobs plus their family members. NAFTA also affected several hundred thousand small businesses that depended on being suppliers for the closed-down factories. It affected electricians, plumbers, and Mom-and-Pop grocers and cafes.
The families who lost their jobs became recipients of tax dollars, through unemployment compensation, food stamps, Medicaid and welfare. These were people, black and white, who had always worked, who took pride in being self-supporting, who paid taxes to their communities, states, and their country.
That's painful - that's damage.
1
@JAB...sadly, Clinton did pass laws that damaged the nation. He and some Dems cooperated with GOP to repeal protective Glass Steagal bank regulations that were on the books from the great Depression. That repeal gave a green light to future bank recklessness and crime that ushered in the 08 biggest banking Crash since the 30s,
Clinton repealed anti monopoly laws for media that had kept media less concentrated. This led to the growth of the Fox News Empire, now the state media of the party dominating our 3 branches, putting out fake news across the land.
And Clinton passed laws reducing welfare and expanding prisons, with negative effects on millions of families. Some of his associates resigned in protest in the 90s.
Of course compared to Tsar Trump, Clinton was great.
1
I remember Watergate very well. Mueller skeptics need to keep in mind the time frame of Nixon/Watergate/ the special council/ and the roll of the press. Watergate occurred in June 1972, Nixon was elected in a landslide in November, 1972, inaugurated in January 1973 and left office in disgrace in August 1974. About 26 months start to finish. To me Mueller maybe just getting started and will work very hard to find the truth with Russia, the election, and Trump. If Trump is so all fired innocent you would think he would keep in mind the Nixon time frame. My guess is he is guilty as sin of trying to influence the outcome of the 2016 election or he wouldn't be so edgy. He is wearing his guilt on his sleeve every time he he speaks of the Mueller probe.
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@Curt: Rather than give us your prejudices, your biased opinions, why not tell us something that we did not know before, information that would lead Alexander Harrison to say, "Merci pour le renseignement" I didn't know that! Take a sondage of students at U. of Wisconsin, ask them what actions of Nixon were unlawful, whether Judge John Sirika had underworld ties, and how the US was a better place under Ford, who foolishly endorsed findings of the Warren Commission ,than under RN.Believe you would draw blank stares. Am reminded of the Sanders supporter and U. of W. student who, when asked by a reporter to define socialism, replied,"Gosh, that's a tough one!Hope no one at home is watching this on t.v.!"Interviewed John Erlichmann in 1989 in Santa Fe while with LS, and when he entered the restaurant where we arranged to meet, he was greeted with a loud roar of approval!Yet he was RN's chief of staff!You mistake conjecture for fact!Recall how liberal media soft pedaled O's links to Chicago mobster, Tony Resko,who sold Obama a choice property in center of the city for a very low price, and this sweetheart arrangement never received the coverage it deserved in the media!Not an example of fake news?
1
If Trump is impeached and removed from office or is forced to resign in disgrace he will no longer be of any use to his Russian mafia financiers. They will see him as a liability rather than an asset. They will cease to prop him up. He and his once coveted brand will be shunned and his empire will crumble. For Trump, this scenario would probably be worse than prison. I believe that this scenario would be cheered by millions. It would also make the emergence of another would be tyrant a bit less likely.
25
In my opinion Trump is not a competent businessman or president. He has not even attempted to cooperate with an investigation he precipitated by firing Comey. He has gone out of his way to divide Americans, lie to Americans, malign those who disagree with him in the slightest. He is not a politician and not worthy of the office of president of anything.
Nixon did his share of interfering with the election in 1968 when he told the South Vietnamese to turn down a possible deal with LBJ. That not only extended the Vietnam war but was illegal. Nixon, like Trump, had an enemy's list. Trump's list can be defined as everyone but him. Nixon, like Trump, despised minorities and he too wanted to dismantle the social safety net as much as possible. In Nixon's case the GOP was forced to act. In Trump's case they are enabling him because they too are as corrupt as he is but in different ways. They are in love with being in control. Trump's continual provocations are allowing the GOP to proceed with its agenda to destroy America for all but their rich donors/owners.
The Greasy Odious Perpetrators of Perfidy need to be thrown out of office. We need to rewrite our campaign finance rules. And we need to elect people who will serve us, not their rich owners. But that cannot happen until Americans decide that the GOP is not composed of politicians who care about working Americans.
The GOP is interested solely in keeping the wealth for itself. Trump is the camouflage.
150
I was following Blow until he started talking about masks. I agree Trump is a fighter. Removing him from office under any circumstances will likely require a major constitutional crisis. However, I don't think Trump is conscious of his own fraudulence. The emperor believes he's wearing a fine suit of clothing. If you'll recall, the emperor continued the procession even after the town recognized he wasn't wearing anything.
The exact ending goes:
"The Emperor shivered, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, "This procession has got to go on." So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn't there at all."
That's Trump in a nutshell.
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@Andy: He knows what he's doing. He told Leslie Stahl " President Trump once told her that he attacks the press so no one will believe the negative stories written about him. Stahl said at the Deadline Club awards dinner on Tuesday that she met with the then-GOP presidential nominee at Trump Tower in July 2016. “And at one point he started to attack the press, and it’s just me and my boss and him … he’s attacking the press and there were no cameras, there was nothing going on,” Stahl said. “And I said, 'You know that is getting tired, why are you doing this? You are doing it over and over, it’s boring, it’s time to end that. You won the nomination, why do you keep hammering at this?' ” “And he said, ‘You know why I do it? I do it to demean you all and discredit you all, so that when you write negative stories about me no one will believe you,’ ” Stahl said." http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/388855-60-minutes-corresponde...
I agree with Charles Blow that it is Trump's vanity that drives him.
I think the greatest punishment would be a week in the stocks. Outside the fence to the White House, on open and public land.
If this happens, I will personally provide the tomatoes for the first day.
8
That's a lot of tomatoes.
2
The "YUGE" difference between Nixon and Trump is that Nixon would never have considered an association with Russians for any reason.
100
@Question Everything, Perhaps, but the Nixon team did have direct contact with the North Vietnamese government during the campaign. They told them that Johnson was not negotiating a peace plan in good faith but that Nixon would give them favorable terms if he won the election, thereby undermining the Johnson peace process. Of course the lack of a peace agreement helped Nixon win the election and also gave us five more years of war. The collusion with a foreign enemy to gain an electoral advantage seems very relevant today and another striking similarity to Trump.
81
He did not conspire with the Russians to steal the election. This is the Brennan thesis, which is completely politically motivated. The never Trump furor which the news media has latched onto with such vehemence is based on Hillary Clinton's dreadful defeat. Brennan and the Steele Dossier clearly present Trump with no dangerous political risk. But as with the Starr investigation Mueller is looking for anything to get Trump.
1
@c harris Wrong, Mr. Harris. The never Trump furor is based on the stench of constant lies, viciousness, divisiveness, corruption and venality emanating from the White House on a daily basis, not to mention the systematic dismantling of the institutions, policies and foundation of a democratic society, with the complicity of a spineless, corrupt Congress and a deplorable, know-nothing Republican base. It has nothing to do with Hillary Clinton. The buck stops with you.
3
Defenders of Trump keep shoving into the background the fact that Russia meddled in, and continues to meddle in, our affairs, our elections, our foreign policy decisions, via Trump mainly. They have their hooks in him, whether it's through massive debt obligations or money laundering operations. They've had him on a short leash for a long time and do what they want. He gets the message. His wanton destruction of western alliances, his blow torching of US politics, his adoption of autocratic methods, elevation of oligarch-like (Russian style) cronyism and corruption couldn't be any closer to Putin's game plan.
2
Blame the New York AG's office. This criminal and crime boss should have been reined in years ago. I'd be curious to know why and how he got away with so much.
21
Anyone with even an iota of intelligence knew Trump is a fraud . The last three years have proven that fact over and over again . The problem however is much deeper than Trump . More people than I thought have either lost their conscience or , more likely , never had one to begin with .
29
Trump is the 2 2=5 guy. He will simply never admit to the truth, but will distort any fact simply for the sake of pure power, pure control...over both circumstances and our minds. We are indeed in trouble as just less than half of the voting public are lost in a house of mirrors anyway.
19
Essentially Nixon was brought down by tapes following a cover up of a burglary of all things.
This President may be brought down by tapes as well (perhaps relating to some sort of cover up), or he may be brought down by someone from his multiple inner circles flipping on him. (In this regard, me money is on Flynn and son)
Having said that, I think the ultimate result will be dollars and cents that bring him down. It will be about decimal points and what schemes (with Russians and their banks) were done by moving money and papers all around trying to hide any trail to avoid paying taxes.
It brought down Capone & it likely be the same for this guy.
19
Essentially Nixon was brought down by tapes following a cover up of a burglary of all things.
This President may be brought down by tapes as well (perhaps relating to some sort of cover up), or he may be brought down by someone from his multiple inner circles flipping on him. (In this regard, me money is on Flynn and son)
Having said that, I think the ultimate result will be dollars and cents that bring him down. It will be about decimal points and what schemes (with Russians and their banks) were done by moving money and papers all around trying to hide any trail to avoid paying taxes.
It brought down Capone & it likely be the same for this guy.
6
For all that, I don't think Trump mirrors Nixon's dedication to Pat, his wife.
7
Trump is a gadfly. Gadflyness is his principal area of expertise. It is the reason why the media have chosen to give him a platform for decades. Howard Sterne, NBC, and NYC print media gave a man of mediocre education and no understanding of complex issues opportunity to strut the stage and so he does. What good reason was there for Chris Matthews to seek Trump’s opinion on the Clinton/Lewinsky affair? None, other than to see how a gadfly reacts to the situation and maybe titillate one’s audience. There is a bitter irony in looking to the media to save us from this national nightmare, when the nightmare was to a large extent created by the media.
24
@Rue, The responsibility for Trump lies entirely with fools who vote for a rabble-rousing nihilist whose claims to wealth are belied by his inability to explain where it came from.
1
@Rue
Gadfly is spot on.
Besides the guests, many of the cable news shows are hosted by gadflies, not news people.
Who often give someone a platform to say something ludicrous or unhinged.
The media didn’t elect him, and can’t save us. That’s on every voter who fails to separate a platform from principles.
2
Dear Mr. Blow,
To understand the support for President Trump, all you have to do is travel 20 years into the past and remember the solid Democratic support for former President Bill Clinton by House and Senate Democrats and the so-called 'Clintonista's' during his Impeachment! Even the so-called Women's Rights Groups protected him.
The Republicans, and I might add even the Evangelical Christians saw and remember how that worked in President Clinton's favor. If you think that the constant attacks against President Trump is hurting him, think again. Maybe with the Liberal Democrats it is, but with Independents and Republicans, just remember the 2016 polls!
It wasn't until HRC lost the election in 2016, and how she reacted to the loss that any Democrat dared criticize either Clinton. The 'Fear Factor' so long associated with crossing the Clintons was damaged. The #MeToo movement and their association with Hollywood in particular Harvey Weinstein added to the loss of the 'Fear Factor' plus the Democrats criticizing them were looking at their own presidential prospects, and HRC still loomed / looms a distinct threat to them.
Note: I'm a registered Democrat who voted Third Party, so I don't have an ax to grind in favor of President Trump.
Dennis
3
@Dennis, What Clinton did was try to protect the reputation of a woman whose life has been wrecked by taking the bad advice of a false friend.
2
@Dennis. The 2016 polls were right. Clinton won the popular vote by 3%. Maybe it’s time to admit it and get over it.
I think Trump believes his lies.
And that this is scarier than if he was doing a con.
This sequence in history is so full of delusion. Everywhere you look.
So much public shame, he's reeling.
He behaves similarly to someone for whom a stimulant medication has become toxic.
Imagine defending yourself from criminal accusations to a billion people, three times a day. Is the human mind meant for that?
No matter what pertains there is the same outraged defense.
The lack of sleep, self contradiction, and the rage. The selection of WH doctor Ronny Jackson, a man said to be free and easy with prescriptions, to head the Department of Homeland Security. Prior, overextended, use of Adderrall.
There has not been a credible physical examination of him yet.
People on too many stimulants believe their invented stories. Can make something up from whole cloth and in hours it becomes so real that they are genuinely angry at anyone who doubts them. It's not a story anymore. It's not a lie.
They fight fiercely and use all their resources. Depending on the degree of toxicity, they stay somewhere in the realm of what looks like reasonable delusion. Or they go off the deep end, where people are chasing them in the dark.
I can't prove that he's on stimulants, but he behaves just like it.
So what's the difference?
There's so much delusion and anxiety around his world.
I think he's crazy.
And crazy making.
Enough already.
6
@Eric
I find this interesting. Some close to Trump have mentioned his drinking a dozen diet cokes a day, which would get him jacked up on caffein for sure. If he needs sleeping drugs to counter that it reminds me of Elvis going off the deep end with drugs to help him sleep or stay awake. Trump has outlived Elvis by a long ways, but he doesn't look healthy. Add the toxicity of anger to the mix of chemicals and you have a prescription for madness. The stress of the Mueller probe and the stream of stories about those turning against him to save themselves from jail along with lawsuits related to sex scandals, financial scandals, the knowledge he has of his financial dependence on Putin, the head of the Russian Mafia, and his obesity most doctors suggest could lead to a heart attack--he has all this and more on his plate. It suggests a man who started with great physical endurance but is aging and feeling things crumbling inside and around him. He looks bad and more wrinkled, as most presidents do, the longer they stay in this stressful job. The latest pictures show a very wrinkled, angry man and it isn't pretty. Sad!
1
Just this weekend, Trump threw another Twitter tantrum and compared Mueller's inquiry ("the rigged witch hunt!") with McCarthyism. Ironically, Trump said that people should read up on the history of Joe McCarthy. Well, they should - and then would appreciate the absurdity of Trump's false analogy.
21
None of this matters. Half of the population fully support this cretinous liar of a president.
Sadly, "facts" or "truth" or integrity or simple logic do not matter to a large segment of our citizenry.
The only thing that will save this country is the regaining of governmental control via elections-- which will require a massive effort on the opposition to combat voter suppression, voter apathy, and voter disengagement.
I hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
17
@Dismayed he has at best a 40% approval rating, so there is some hope.
1
Trump is pulling an ages old tactic oft-times employed by the Mafia; especially their bosses. Denial. Deny, deny and deny some more. And when caught deny again. Make them prove it categorically then deny anyway. Deny it all the way to jail, and deny it in jail, Which some form of, I suspect, is where Trump and some of his minions will end up.
The best thing we can do, as interested onlookers to this situation, is what is always done by prosecutors. Ignore the smoke-screen and concentrate on the facts. The guy is, and his minions are by association, guilty as sin. Put him, and them, away.
John~
American Net'Zen
7
"Trump lies about almost everything, but one thing that he says is true: He is a fighter. But he’s not a fighter because he is fearsome or brave. Valor has no relationship to the man. Trump fights for vanity."
Valor has no relationship to the man ... Brilliant and spot on.
Great column, thank you.
I do wonder though, since there is no there, there, except shallow, vindictive vanities, that with such lack of substance, and a dark hole void within, that when his time is up, he'll implode and flame out dramatically and quickly. But he's going to cast a large ashen shadow on this nation to remind us of who and what he was, an embodiment of the worst of our nature.
10
Once again....and this seems to continue to fall on either deaf ears of the press or coward ears of the press...the problem is no longer Trump. The problem is entirely with his base, which defends Trump no matter what, and apathetic Americans, which then allows Republicans in Congress to go silent or stutter out mealy-mouthed rationalizations regarding Trump and their refusal to act against this dangerous president, as is their job. Remember, Franken was forced out of Congress because he, like an adult, admitted he had done a wrong thing in the past (who among us can't say that?), while Republicans and Trump supporters actually defended his leaving and defended Trumps' staying by saying that Franken admitted it and Trump denied what we heard with our own ears! We are truly in the Twilight Zone now with that kind of thinking. Trump behaves as he does because he can; no one holds him accountable for anything, and Republicans and his base like it that way. The crisis is not Trump; the Crisis is the culture within his base and within the GOP where, so long as it's Trump (his base) or a Republican (the GOP), he really could murder someone on Fifth Ave. and not lose one supporter. That is a far bigger problem for us as a country than is Donald Trump. When, oh when, are we going to stop listing the endless list of Trump offenses and start shaming those who would defend him at every turn? They are responsible. Trump is a symptom of the disease.
18
Nixon and Trump share one person in common: Roy Cohn. The ongoing influence of one of the most hypocritical and self serving "men" in the history of the past 65 years is truly frightening. Cohn's stance of fight against all critics by demeaning and insulting them is the template Nixon and Trump both learned.
14
There was another president that Mr. Blow could have also referenced - the president who was in office in 2016 and who assured the nation, 2 weeks before the election, that there had been no interference with the election by outside sources. That president - whose name escapes me momentarily but Mr. Blow could check it out - should have also been mentioned for his bold-faced lie.
3
@Maurice Gatien that 2016 president did not assure the nation that there had been no interference with the election by outside sources. Please don't twist the facts. That president publicly pushed back against the false narrative that Trump was spreading at the time, i.e. that there was massive voter fraud at the polls, that people were going in person to vote who shouldn't be voting. Trump was calling for "poll watchers" to go and find millions of "voters" who were supposedly illegally voting. That president was saying there was no evidence that in person voter fraud was a real and serious issue. That president NEVER said there was no outside interference as it related to Russia.
3
CORRECTED VERSION:
The U.S. has survived Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich and Dick Cheney.
Uncle Sam is a scarred, tested and battle-worn survivor, but will he survive this current Trumpuglican onslaught?
9
Truth isn't Truth?
But Truth is stranger than Fiction.
And the Truth is Trump and his blathering court jester Giuliani, have been hustling the public their entire careers. Giuliani, whom I never liked, is a racist jerk and egotist.
America's Mayor? Hogwash. After the first attack on the World Trade Center, Giuliani was warned by security experts not to put the Emergency Preparedness Center in the World Trade Center for obvious reasons : The WTC was a primary target for terrorists. Giuliani, like Trump, doesn't listen to experts. Both men's egos won't allow it. They think they're the smartest guys in the room. Thus, that is why on 9/11/01 we witnessed "America's Mayor" walking through the rubble. He was not going toward the WTC to provide aid and comfort. He walking away from the WTC. He was fleeing the scene since his HQ was about to become pulverized dust.
That's the Truth about our ex-Mayor. The Truth is Giuliani, like Trump, are guided by their sheer egos, not by doing what is right, prudent and logical. Giuliani negating the advice of security specialists made him America's Mayor. Giuliani has ridden that canard ever since. He ran for president on it. America wisely rejected him. They should have rejected Trump. Both are prime examples of the worse trash New York City exports. Shame on all who support them.
DD
Manhattan
25
@Dennis D. On 9/11, Giuliani blew off the advice given to him originating from the architect who designed the buildings, and could see them burning from his window, that they would inevitably collapse due to their lightweight design using bar joists to span column-free floors.
7
Trump is far worse then Nixon. I dont understand why republicans stand for the lies. It makes me want to cry that they would rather see democracy disappear then stand up and act like the republicans who impeached Nixon.
13
Brilliantly said
6
President Reagan conducted an illegal war against Nicaragua and even sold missiles to Iran, America's enemy. Yet the TIMES did not call him a "traitor." President Bush mislead the country into war with Iraq with his untruthful "weapons of mass destruction" claim. Yet the TIMES did not call him a "liar."
Yet everyday your paper labels President Trump a liar and even a traitor.
It is because I completely oppose President Trump as a racist demagogue that I wish you had not got down in the gutter with him. Insults, name calling and accusations of disloyalty have replaced rational arguments. You play right into Trump's game with these tactics. Haven't your heard, that if you wrestle with a pig, you're going to get dirty?
@Red Allover But he is a liar. He does not even tell the truth by accident. On average, it has been shown that he lies nearly 5 times every day to the public. Second, Iran was not a national security threat when Reagan sold the weapons. Russia is. And Trump won't even let his advisors know what Putin tells him. Trump tried, with Erik Prince's trip to the Seychelles, to set up a secret means of communication with Putin to avoid the U. S. intelligence services. That is what spies do, not what officials of the U.S. Government do. Trump is a traitor.
2
Trump is a bully and a coward. He’s way too scared to face Mueller. Trump knows he’s been lying, complicit and colluding in a conspiracy to defraud the nation aided and abetted by a foriegn power - that’s called Treason. Let’s get on with this.
13
Donnie is a coward and a bully. Those who still support him are beneath contempt. Thank you, Charles, for never joining the liberal pundit class that keeps telling me that I should listen to these folks.
8
Whatever Nixon's faults may have been, was an extremely intelligent man and a wily politician. He could see how things were going and what he had to do to mitigate the damage.
But Trump is stupid, arrogant, and used to getting away with everything. Don't count on him to do the right thing. Ever.
38
Interesting how on Sunday Trump referred to WH lawyer Dan McGhan as not being a "John Dean type rat" who betrayed Nixon. One huge difference between Trump and Nixon is that Nixon was "tricky" (as in "Tricky Dick") while Trump is blunt, obnoxious and in-your face.
5
Mr. Blow is reading that Trump person quite accurately in my opinion. Please continue to comment.
12
Thank you, Mr. Blow. As usual.
6
nixon was smarter and his crimes were smaller. trump is purely evil and incompetent.
8
@true patriot
Nixon's crimes, while certainly serious, completely pale as compared to what the nation is presently experiencing under Trump. Further, in the context of the '72 presidential election, breaking into the DNC office was overkill, monumentally unnecessary. Nixon would have won over McGovern had he remained in the White House throughout and totally ignored the election!
“...his hostility and fear...have clipped his courage.
What courage? Do you mean the kind that had his daddy pleading with the local draft board to declare his son hors de combat because of bone spurs? Was it daddy’s “courage” in the form of bank notes secreted beneath a table? Was it his predatory stalking of Hillary Clinton during one of their three debates, a lion hunting a gazelle?
It requires courage—perhaps a great deal of it—to tell the truth. We got a glimpse of “the truth” in Trump’s world earlier on Sunday when Rudy Giuliani stumbled from one television studio to another with an astonishing declaration that “no truth is truth.” Say what? This man is a lawyer? A lawyer swears to uphold the laws of the place where he (or she) does business as well as the Constitution. So, how is “no truth is truth?”
This brings me to Richard Nixon, a villain if there ever was one. H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman (“the Prussian Guard”) weren’t Nixon’s pit bulls for nothing. They both lied their way into disgrace, Haldeman taking the bullet that passed through him and lodging in his boss’s breast. They were all dirty: John Dean; Dwight Chapin; John Newton; Patrick Gray; Richard Kleindienst. They all lied to protect Nixon.
Liars keep company because decent men and women shun them. Who will be surprised when other powerful names emerge from the cesspool?
Even a denial (Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, are you listening?) is a lie. When you turn your back on the truth, you’re a liar.
11
At least Nixon served his country in the Navy. Trump is a coward and the commander in chief. Gotta love the 99 percent who don't serve in this country electing someone from the one-percent (the rich jerks, not those who serve.) Pathetic. Thanks Republicans.
6
When progressives get control of the house in November , Donald will be impeached-- book it!
1
I don't remember Nixon having a lot of crooks and incompetents in his cabinet. They were professionals, by and large. Of course, there was also Earl Butts. Mr. Blow, you probably dislike Nixon because of the off-color jokes told by his Agriculture Secretary. Get over it!
Not that everything was all hunky-dory in the early 70's. Nixon's reelection team had its issues. However, Nixon knew his limits. He didn't take America down with him.
So, lay off the poor guy. Besides, he's probably spinning in his grave right now.
3
“One of Trump’s greatest fears and greatest insecurities is being embarrassed and being exposed.”
If Donald Trump doesn’t yet feel embarrassed and exposed, after news reports that his former cronies are sitting down with Mueller and spilling the beans in exchange for shorter jail sentences, then he’s not only vain. He’s a moron.
Thank you, Mr. Blow.
11
The Moron Who Would be President has doubled his number of daily lies and destructive actions as more of his crimes and incompetence are brought to light.
That's not a sign of someone fighting back, it's a sign of a sick, sick person unraveling before our eyes. An intervention is needed before he takes us all down with him. Will the November mid term election be soon enough?
We better hope so.
9
During Watergate, truth was truth.
During Monicagate, truth was truth.
During Trumpgate, "truth isn't truth!" --
so said this president's personal lawyer.
Truth is above semantics.
Our president is a liar,
has always been a liar,
will never excuse,
never explain.
And Trump said on the record that
"Bill Clinton should have taken the Fifth!"
in 1998,when he was being investigated for his
sexual transgressions with a White House intern.
"And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born"?
(Yeats, 1920, "The Second Coming")
This time, the "rough [orange] beast" is none other than America's 45th President.
9
For me, it is clear that there was at least an attempt by members of the Trump team to conspire with Russians to influence the elections. The evidence of that is now public record. And, it is just as clear that Trump has attempted to obstruct justice by hampering the investigation and continues to do so.
Really? If you know of evidence please tell us. Or take it to Mueller Or quit living your rich fantasy life in public. You have nothing of substance. If you did you would be dancing in the streets and shouting it to the rafters. What weak journalism this is.
at the core of narcissism is the knowledge that oneself is worthless and unlovable. this is what drives trump. and in his case, the core belief is reality. he is human garbage. his fraudulent presidency belongs on the trash heap of history.
14
Another thing Trump said that was true, and we have to give him credit for this one; “republicans are so dumb they believe anything I say”. I had no idea that there were so many dump people who vote Republican. And the degree of their stupidly seems boundless. You see them at Trump rallies and they look like normal people. They are far from it. It’s like bodysnatchers have taken them over. They don’t think for themselves. They are the Trump cultist.
Sad? No! Scary!
11
Anyone think that Trump wouldn't burn the world to the ground before he lifted a finger to hurt his personal brand? Oh right, he has America's nuclear arsenal and CAN burn the world to the ground.
4
Oh goodness gracious Mr. Blow—what a waste of space your piece is today. It’s totally based on “conclusions” about Donald Trump’s specific mental processes and psychological state. And you are simply not qualified as a lay person to render such observations.
3
It might be grand if someone has to take Donald Trump down to the Situation Room a la Omarosa.
2
Trump (and the people who have so eagerly brainwashed themselves into bowing and scraping for his every lie and whim) are the weak little man-babies of the world who value those who have no honor and whose integrity is for sale to the highest bidder. The Hannity's and David Duke's of the world have convinced the low iq set that these qualities are what's cool and what's "in" and the low iq's got duped into voting the lowest iq of all into the presidency of the US. And these fools think they've won something. Honor and integrity can't ever be "regained" if you never had them, you never will (and you will, sadly, never know the difference)
6
Truly amazing author pretends to know so well someone he has never met, The Donald, nor has ever done interviews in heartland of America, where Trump's vast support is found. Quoting paragraphs from what others have said is padding, filling up precious editorial space. Ask average person what precisely is impeachment, and about the gravity of the charges against RN, why he resigned from office, and doubt he or she would be able to tell you.Mr. Blow should take as his role model in investigative journalism Berkeley sociologist who has lived for 5 years with Tea Partiers in a La. bayou, built "bridges of empathy "and written a fine book,"Foreigners in their own land" which has credibility.Noted "en passant" in other comments my hands-on research for dissertation on social movements in Algeria 1954-1962 in which I interviewed "une centaine"of OAS activists involved in keeping Algeria French,"Dissimulation of Prof. Richard Hull,"Youtube,com,and suggest that Mr. Blow adopt similar methods of research. On tarmac of skydiving facility where I did static line jumps in my younger days, there is a sign,"No pain no gain!"Ur articles about ur nemesis in life,Mr. Blow, will not be credible until u r willing to "vous mouiller(get your feet wet)"take the plunge and actually interview the president as well as his millions of supporters."Il faut plonger!" Go where others fear to tread,and u will be believed!Secondary, tertiary sources do not make for compelling reading!
3
The last thing spanky wants is to be questioned by the special prosecutor's team. He lies and talks tough for his "base", knowing that he can hide behind his "lawyers".
2
So many posters herein decry the completely appalling DJT as a liar but were, I suspect, more than willing to foist the venal and duplicitous Hillary Clinton and her predator husband back on this nation.
Lousy election, huh...
2
@EGD
Never compare trump to Hillary or Bill. Or pretty much any human being.
trump is a waste of time and space.
While I fully share Mr. Blow's revulsion with Donald Trump, I think we should all realize that Trump, as odious and vile as he is, is merely the most obvious symptom of the real disease: the Republican Party, less a political party, and more a criminal mafia masquerading as a political party dedicated to reducing Americans to serfs on behalf of their owners, the Koch brothers. The GOP must be punished, at the ballot box, and in a court of law, for knowingly elevating a racist sociopathic traitor to the highest office in the land, along with his criminal cronies and his crooked family. They ALL knew - McConnell (Obama TOLD him!), Ryan, McCarthy, Nunes, , exactly what Trump was up to and with whom he and his gang conspired with to throw the election. And they were ALL in on it - they ALL got millions in Russian money laundered through the NRA. They are traitors and should be treated as such.
And I wouldn't trust for a moment the outcome of any close race involving Republicans in general, and Trump Republicans in particular, seeing as we have more and more evidence of direct Russian interference in voting machines and the computers that tally the results. All those so called "squeakers" in which the Republican wins by a couple of thousand votes should be considered suspect. Were the Russians passed information on which races the GOP wanted hacked during the July 4th Republican Treason tour in Moscow, which received scant mention (why?) in the Times and other media?
6
Blow's weekly Opinions attacking Trump are mind numbing .
Is there any reason to read another one?
The weekly battering of readers with his vitriolic political rhetoric is no different than propaganda.
4
@jck You know, I feel the same way about Boss Tweet. I bet if we get rid of him, we solve this problem.
1
Over the weekend, while Trump was declaring his innocence against any allegations of collusion with the Russians, Mr. Giuliani was battling with Meet the Press host, Chuck Todd over the definition of "truth" while expressing concerns about a potential "perjury trap" if Trump meets with Mueller.
If Trump is innocent (an unlikely scenario), he should have no worries about the perjury trap fears. But Trump's entire legal team, past and present, knows that their client has spent his life lying and denying his way to wealth and fame.
So perhaps Giuliani is worried that his client will lie when he is innocent, simply out of force of habit. Trump has spent his life uncomfortable with truth in any form. He cannot control "truth" but he can construct his own universe built atop the sewage of fraud and intimidation.
This new version of a "Teflon Don" knows he has no skill whatsoever in truthful discourse. Even if there the remotest possibility that he DIDN'T collude with the Russians, he would still fabricate some story for the interview to polish his resume.
C'mon, Rudy. Let him talk to Mueller. What does he have to lose? His job? His company? His fortune? His freedom?
11
Trump always gets his vocabulary right anyway- even though he thinks he is slinging poo at others he is always 100% talking about himself: “Crooked”, “puppet”, “disgraceful”, etc.
His latest is right on target for the Man in the mirror: “Rat”.
He’s like a Kafka character. Rudy too.
16
Frist time I have totally agreed with Charles Blow.
You hit it right on the nose.
4
Even Nixon, with all his faults, can be viewed in a better light as a leader than Trump, is apparently a traitorous "useful idiot" controlled by Putin and Russian Oligarchs through years o laundering their money since the early 1980's. Consider this new very revealing book by Craig Under: House of TRUMP, House of PUTIN, the Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Mafia. Why else has he accepted Russian interference and continuing interference in our elections, and attacked NATO and our allies?
21
I completely agree. Trump will never resign. He’s too stupid, and stubborn. He still thinks he can bully and bluster his way out of this, as he’s done his entire life. And don’t look towards his GOP Collaborators for any action, they will absolutely go down with the huge garbage barge. Within weeks of HIS leaving office, under any circumstances, the GOP will be proclaiming that HE was a DEMOCRAT. “ Not really a conservative “. “ Never a true conservative “. Sound familiar ????? I guarantee it.
Seriously.
14
to finish your last sentence: and that he is NOT in the "three-comma club"
2
When "Truth isn't truth" goes unchallenged by the guardians of our Constitution, the light at the end of the tunnel flickers and dims.
12
Trump is neither fearsome or brave. He is a coward. And, as all cowards do, lies continually in order to attempt a cover-up of his actions or his previous lies. He will not change from this. It is ingrained in who he is. It is time for the American public to awaken and realize that the head of the free world is first, I liar, and second, a coward. Just the type of person you would want to head this country in a conflict with another country. NOT.
16
And Gov. Cuomo has started to chip away at that mask with his most recent remarks. More chisels needed for dealing with our Chiseler-in-Chief.
2
Trump is the quintessential person that thinks he can beat the polygraph. It's not a lie if you believe it's true. He is a psychopath who believes that there is a deep state, that there is a conspiracy, that they are out to get him.
I pray that Mueller can put the nail in the coffin quickly and stop this maniac from destroying our country. He's already done a good job of it. As you say, Mr. Blow, all for vanity, for his ego.
HEY Government Owned by Putin (GOP)! WAKE UP! Stop this destruction now.
18
Another home run Mr. Blow. Well done...and keep 'em coming!
16
Trump is a self centered narcissist and bully.
He cares only about himself and appearances.
He is really deeply insecure and at heart a coward.
He is afraid that he and his campaign’s collusion with
Russia will be exposed. More importantly he fears that his Trump’s organization corrupt business practices and its long term money laundering for kleptocrats and Russian oligarchs will be shown to be criminal as well.
Then he truly will be the Emperor without clothes and be revealed to be a vacuous fraud and the con artist he is.
25
How can readers continually be exposed to your essays without learning anything other than your hate for Trump is immense. You would serve the public much more efficiently by hating the hate in Chicago.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-weekend-violence-at-least-...
3
Trump has lied his whole life, asked/demanded others lie with him and attacked those who called him on his lies. Only when courts have found against him, as in Trump University, did he pay up, not confess, be embarrassed or show contrition. He is such a convincing liar that millions believe his lies in the face of proof he is a liar. He has proven he has no shame, that winning is his only principle. In all of his life, has there been an example of Trump showing shame, that he is capable of shame, of him telling a joke or showing affection for a human or animal? Trying to determine why he lies or what he fears is a waste of time. Whatever his problem is would only lead some to feel sorry for him, letting him off the hook. Does it matter when dealing such a person?
18
Charles should read the Mask of Sanity by Hervey Cleckley. Also take a look at the PCL-R.
"......One of Trump’s greatest fears and greatest insecurities is being embarrassed and being exposed. Trump is petrified that someone will remove the mask...."
Therein lies the seed for History's revenge. Trump might be able to bluff his way through his term of office, and possibly to death. But History will condemn him as the idiot and villain that he really is. His punishment will be the thought of eternal shame.
33
To paraphrase Marx, “History repeats itself. The first time is tragedy. The second time is farce.” We have a much stupider version of Nixon in the White House today, but I wonder if we also have a much stupider version of America.
20
A writer on this forum suggested a split screen with Trump compared to Nixon.
I’d like to see the MSM and comedians running split screens of Trump thrusting his chest out at his rallies, yelling and pointing at the cheering crowds, with vintage film clips of Hitler and Il Duce. I think it might turn some voters. The resemblances are uncanny and frightening.
If many Americans won’t read a newspaper or a history book, they may be able to assimilate graphic images. Perhaps some wealthy donors would buy ad time with these clips on channels like FOX (not) News.
Thank you, yet again, Mr. Blow, for your thoughtful analysis.
25
Hard to believe now that Clinton was impeached because he lied about having an affair with a consenting adult.
25
Of course he lied. Who wouldn’t? It was no ones business. He was also protecting the woman. He broke no laws. That was a witch hunt that traveled the landscape looking for any gotcha to be found. And it lasted 80 months. Five times longer than the very serious inquiry that’s going on now with the Russian attack on our democracy. You’d think Democrats would’ve stood up for him instead of playing the holier than thou position many did. Contrast that to Republicans who stand lockstep with this president who committed treason, obstruction, money laundering and conspiracy.
3
@Willy E
It gets better... remember the timeline of the affair:
1. All investigations into Whitewater end a full year before the Lewinski affair began.
2. Linda Tripp coaxes Lewinski into starting an affair with Clinton, and then leaks the details to the Jones legal team such that Lewinski is added to it's roster of witnesses. At some point during this year Tripp develops contact with Ken Starr as well.
3. At Ken Starr's direction Tripp convinces Lewinski to ask Clinton to ask if his friend Vernon Jordon could help her find a job (Vernon Jordon was a family friend of the Clintons and was their lawyer during the Whitewater land deal years earlier).
4. The second Lewinski accepts a job offer from Revlon, brokered by Jordon, Starr immediately links the Whitewater and Jones cases (nearly two years after stopping any investigations at all into Whitewater) and uses this as justification to dive into investigating every alleged sex scandal he could find on the Clintons... most of which turned out to be completely fictitious, but he did nail Clinton for his affair with Lewinski.
5. Starr states in the Starr Report that Clinton claiming that the affair started in December, while Lewinski stated that it started in November is an "impeachable offence".
And all Trump did was conspire with an enemy power to subvert our electoral process and steal the Presidency. The amateur.
You have hit the nail on the head.
23
Trump has repeatedly been “exposed” and if he were a normal person would have been embarrassed over and over, but he is not normal and never will be. He is disgusting and so are those who support him.
20
Yes, Trump is an insecure, psychopath. Psychopaths do not admit that they are wrong about anything because they believe that whatever they do is right. Combine that personality disorder with a congenital liar's inability to tell the truth and you have a complete mess of a human being. Our president. His followers suffer some of the same personality issues as well. That along with Willful ignorance supported by Fox News, except for Shep Smith.
Laura Ingraham, for example, believes that Twitter blocks conservatives from tweeting. Actually, they can tweet just a much as any normal person. They just don't attract followers. Who wants to exchange ideas with an idiot?
My advice to conservative who wish to tweet is to do so. If they don't have access to the internet they can go to the libarry. Facetious with a touch of sarcasm but they deserve it.
16
"One of trump's greatest fears and greatest insecurities is being embarrassed and being exposed." Too late. That's already happened for 50+ percent of the population. He received the lowest amount of support in his presidential run in his hometown of Manhattan for the simple reason that the locals have been on to his scam from day one. The only people who are still impressed with him and still can't suss out the con are the uneducated, the highly partisan and the deplorables. I think your argument is also given credence by how many people think his impetus for running coincided with his public humiliation at the Correspondence Dinner. Petty, childlike, stupid, unserious, incurious and unloved. I would say the only thing Trump has, honestly, ever earned in his life are his insecurities.
36
However evil we may think Nixon and Clinton behaved, they were saints when compared to the ferocity of Trump's iniquities, straight lies whenever he opens his mouth, and malevolent ignorance (as it is by choice and at his convenience), full of spite for the truth when counter to his unscrupulous behavior. Trump is a disgrace not only for these United States but to the world, sowing discord as a matter of ego.
16
Trump's view of reality is what suits his fantasies about himself: e.g. as a ladies' man when he boasted of fictitious conquests pretending to be someone else on the phone. So his inauguration crowd was the largest ever. He is the greatest president bar none, not even Lincoln. By definition, Mueller must then be on a witch hunt. Trump has been a pathological liar and cheat all his life. He is a predator with no scruples - which always takes his critics and adversaries by surprise. He will not suddenly change to play by rules. Trump's departure from office is likely to be shameful, prolonged, and forced.
24
@Hari Prasad If Mueller is on a witch hunt, does that make trump a witch?
There were 16 other GOP Candidates who ran for the nomination. Some had the best and brightest party strategists. Yet, none could craft a compelling narrative over the bullhorn blowhard. The cretin with the fractured ego is the vanity mirror trumpeted across the twitterscape. Those 16 contenders have had time to dispel, dispute or repudiate actions of the strumpet whose a flibbertigibbet. Silence is acceptance and concurrence?
18
Please remember CANDIDATETrump thumped that the upcoming election is rigged....even before the voting occurred......did he know something?......he did not expect to be elected and therefore started a platform to harrange Clinton after SHE was elected. Surprise, surprise. HE Was elected......and now what should he do, after saying the campaign and voting was rigged? Just what he's doing.....claiming it's a witch hunt on him, by the Feds who have only been doing what they're supposed to....he obviously knows his Russia connection is about to be exposed and is desperately trying to save himself.
15
Nearly every adverse statement he made during the campaign against his competition seemed to reflect on items in his campaign.
1
Trump is a Terrestrial Embarrassment. To imagine that 304 individuals selected this person to be the leader of our nation is still shocking.
12
Accuse, Blame, Criticize, Deny; the ABCD's of deflection and confusion. The way to wiggle yourself out of a compromised position. Trump is a master at this. A truly despicable man with nary one redeeming value. His hard core supporters are no better and his sycophants in Congress have sold their souls to this baseless man.
19
I disagree
Clinton did not "confess". He evaded
Watch him say
"I did not have sexual relations with that woman. These allegations are false"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rS0O7UKH4Y
No admirer of Trump, but Clinton was as shifty as they come
https://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/640-width/image...
3
@Gerhard Hogwash. Clinton was as shifty as ALL men who cheat on their wives. And Clinton really WAS the target of a very long (seven years) and winding witch hunt. See: The Arkansas Project. And why Americans believe he, or any president, including Trump, owes them sexual fidelity is beyond me. I could care less that Clinton had an affair, or even that he lied about it (I don't feel it was any of my beeswax and I expect to be lied to about stuff that is none of my business, including other people's marriages an affairs), just as I could care less about Trump's consensual extra-marital affairs. The difference here is that Clinton didn't pay anyone off in order to protect his election, which is illegal; and the right wing, which had a FIT about a consensual affair is now silent about FAR worse in Trump.
This writer is ignoring crimes and misdemeanors.
Clinton lied about having sex with a woman.
Trump is lying about conspiracy, Fraud, obstruction, money laundering, and more than 4000 other things.
3
Unlike Nixon Trump is an incompetent.
Nixon respected the institutions of government.
Trump is busy securing his place as worst
President in history.
16
Trump is a narcissist. He can rationalize ANY Action, Words, Statement or Scheme to justify his behavior. He serves his own insatiable EGO and GREED. He does NOT serve the American People. I don't believe Trump is fearful of being embarrassed or exposed. I believe he is anxious because people, agencies, and staff are hassling him to behave and speak in accountable, responsible, honest terms, Trump has no time for such directives. It's all a game to him. Sad... Tragic...
12
Trump is guilty of campaigning to win, that’s all. Sore losers are just that and thanks to you, Charles, we know exactly how they feel. You could have just let it go with Trayvon but unfortunately you let it go to your head. Too bad, for that was a worthwhile cause.
2
I want politics to be boring again.
#45 must go.
11
His paper mask has been apparent from the beginning!
9
take your pick, any Congress any presidency (will exclude Lincoln so as not to question all myths) and you get the “good ole boys” cutting their deals with the usual suspects. An “enlightening” piece, back to the sport pagei
1
As long as the Reprussiacans stay silent, Trump has free reign to wreak havoc. VOTE
9
So long as there are republican office holders aiding and abetting treasonous, amoral, inhuman, criminal behavior, human survival is imperiled.
No reconciliation without truth.
Resist.
Vote.
18
Trump thinks he still has a mask. That's the kind of bonehead he is. New Yorkers have known for decades what a user he is.
7
Why on earth was Donald Trump interviewed by Chris Matthews, or the NYTimes, or any reputable news outlet, about Clinton 20 years ago? What insights did he offer that made his opinions newsworthy? When the history of the Trump train wreck is written, I hope the role of the press is not neglected. It's an example of a life-long ignorant blowhard and bigot being coddled and taken seriously simply by virtue of having money. And it's a key part of why we are where we are today.
17
@KAN - I wondered the same thing. Over the decades, you see news clips where tRump was being interviewed about various political policies. Why would news outlets think to talk to a real estate developer about topics outside that scope? Did DJT call them? Wouldn't put it past him.
What is old is new again.
"Have You Left No Sense of Decency?"
Army–McCarthy hearings (9 June 1954)
12
@faivel1
The actual quote from Joseph Welch is "At long last, sir, have you no decency?" Your version doesn't parse and your syntax is ambiguous--although your intent does come across in a sort of skewed way.
2
Trump and Nixon my be twins, for all that would matter.
Nixon had the misfortune of attempting to rule at a time when there were actual patriots in Congress.
Not the rah-rah, good-ole-boy boneheads and traitors of today, but people with concern for the well being of the nation, with respect for the law and tradition and propriety.
Trump is running in a nihilist crowd of power addicts and insecure little men who will do anything in their power to maintain influence.
The issue here is not Trump, an incompetent clown in his best moments, it is traitorous enablers in Congress and SCOTUS who decided to play for every advantage regardless of consequences for the country.
Trump is a bit player, valuable because he is a fool.
17
Waiting and waiting for you to turn off the Trump noise machine, Mr Muller. Please, please, I beg you, before the midterms....
7
Simply put, Trump and his 8th grade lackeys are trying to play Mueller. just like the thugs he looks up to are playing him. Won't work. He's going down.
11
It is true that Donald Trump will never admit wrongdoing. Charles Blow believes that Trump is fighting tooth and nail out of vanity, and that may be correct.
There is, on the other hand, another explanation which does not require delving into either the self-absorbed greed of Trump or his thin-skinned insecurity.
Donald Trump is not a particularly smart man, but he knows that the minute he admits crossing the line on one thing – even a relatively minor thing – it will be like pulling his finger out of a small hole in the dike. A torrent of sins and crimes will come gushing out, and it will be the end of everything.
5
Trump does not fear being exposed. His blatant racism, sexism, homophobia and greed are repeatedly and undeniably illustrated virtually every day. His only fear is losing power and notoriety. He is an egomaniac who requires constant public stroking, and it does not matter whether commentary is flattering or critical.
4
Charles, as usual, you've capped it beautifully. Yes, the buffoon-in-chief is a fighter only to protect himself from being discovered by his base to be a total loser, a stooge, a coward, and a moron. He lies because the truth is too difficult to substantiate to a simple mind like his.
5
Poor Mr. Blow. The economy is booming. The world is at peace. Blacks are working en masse. The country is prospering. What's a Trump hating leftist to do? Oh yea, write another column of drivel and collect another paycheck from the NY Times.
6
@Steve - the economy is continuing a boom that began under Obama, ditto for black unemployment falling. The country is not prospering - the 1% is prospering, as they are getting 80% of the tax cut. The corporate tax cut was "supposed" to increase wages, when in truth it only increased stock buy-backs. Many people in blue states (which support the welfare red states) will have their taxes significantly raised because of the $10K deduction limit. All while adding $1.5 trillion to the deficit. (Remember the deficit? Oh right, it's only bad when Democrats are in power.)
Meanwhile the yield curve continues to flash red, and the current occupant of the White House starts fruitless and destructive trade wars just to appear "tough." (Smoot Hawley, anyone?) So yeah, maybe the corrupt crime family running the country into the ground *does* bother those of us who are paying attention.
3
@Steve In your booming economy, the rich get much richer while the rest of us barely get raises. My 1% raise last year doesn't keep up with inflation. Many people need 2 jobs to survive. And if you think the world is at peace you simply aren't reading the world section of the New York Times. Our soldiers are still fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are involved in Syria and Yemen too. You read Charles Blow but perhaps you should consider reading other news in the Times as well.
2
Blow has it backwards. Trump has nothing in common with Nixon. He's the polar opposite. Whatever you think of his politics Nixon fell on his sword. He didn't have to take that way out. He could have burned the tapes as his advisors urged him to do. Trump will never resign. It doesn't matter if a two hour tape of him & Putin conspiring to rig the election comes to light. He won't resign. Congress won't convict him. His supporters won't desert him. This is about raw power. He has it. You don't. Trump knows exactly what he's doing. Trump's crassness isn't surprising, isn't accidental, it's intentional, it's carefully calculated & it's working quite well. It plays perfectly to his base & they love it, so he'll keep doing it as much as possible. From a strategic & tactical standpoint, it's brilliant. It's open season on liberals & progressives like Blow. There's absolutely no downside to attacking, shaming, & irritating them with relentless abandon. The mainstream press can rage & shout about his tweets until there's ice on the equator...it won't change the mind of one person who voted for Trump. The more you complain the more he will do it. What progressives & their co-dependents will never be able to see is that Trump supporters revel in the non-stop drama, are galvanized when he punches back. Far from being embarrassed by his antics, they're thrilled by it & in their heart of hearts can't get enough of it. Fasten your seat belts. Trump is here until 2020, maybe longer.
1
Does Charles Blow write about anything other than Trump?
Predictability is a bore. Move on, please.
4
It’s summer re-run season
1
@Skippy Deplorables and the low-educated would like Charles Blow to "Move on" from his trenchant critiques of Trump, but those of us who care about our democracy and about truth are grateful for Mr. Blow's persistence and eloquence.
2
Likening Trump to Nixon appears to be an easy comparison but here we have apples and oranges. Nixon stated that his enemies list was a means to "screw" his political and personal foes. In one of Nixon's memos, he refers to "how we can maximize the fact of our incumbency in dealing with persons active in their opposition to our Administration." He also wrote of "how we can use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies." Clearly, the Donald and Tricky Dick are soulmates in this regard, but Trump openly uses Twitter, which is yugely different from Nixon having the decency to try to conceal his vengefulness and hate. Trump lets it all hang out. And his base cheers him on. We are not in Kansas anymore.
In addition, many Republicans participated in the congressional investigation of Nixon's transgressions. Howard Baker was relentless in his questioning and asked: "What did the president know and when did he know it?" It was Republican senators who went to the White House to advise Nixon he could not avoid impeachment.
Can you imagine the present spineless GOP acting with any moral integrity and putting country and honor before party affiliation? No. Neither can I. We live in a bizarro Trump World of alternative facts where "truth isn't truth." In the time of Nixon, facts and truth still mattered, even to the GOP.
In 1974, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected Nixon's claims of executive privilege. Today? Don't count on it.
Teflon Don survives.
4
Charles Blow is always ON POINT
11
Good reminders of what we've been through.
Remember when the US was called a "Paper lion?" That's Trump. It's why he is naturally obsessed with accusing so many others of being fake: if everyone else is a phony, he's not any worse - only smarter because he's rich and the President.
His worst trait: he brings nothing to the table. But he'll walk away with the table if you let him. Or smash it if your don't.
In his public life, he maximized his name as a brand - a shell, no substance - an egg sucked dry and decorated. He takes, from anyone with whom he does business, and regards those he takes from as suckers - and/or as if they should be honored that he interacts with them.
As President - he has his every need provided for - food, security, transportation, and anyone anxious to do business with him will use his hotel or his golf clubs to get into his good graces. Since he is gaining materially, and he externalizes responsibility for failures, I don't think he will voluntarily leave the office.
A more normal person might get to a point where they think: "this is too much stress - I should leave." His response would be as it has been: "those people are giving me too much trouble - I'll get rid of them."
23
@cheryl:How is Alexander Harrison enlightened by your highly emotional,biased view of someone whom you have never met, much less interviewed? It was a level headed member of the EB, surname Sullivan, who reminded commenters to, above all, be informative,change hearts and minds if possible, make a positive contribution to the public discourse, and avoid ad hominem name calling.But that is all I seem to read in the Comments section, dominated completely by those who agree with the far left opinions of the author!Mr. Blow's heart is on the left, but making a nice living writing in my view shallow opinion pieces for TIMES newspaper plus chance to cash in on lucrative college lecture circuit via the Speakers Bureau, his "portefeuille" is on the right!By the way, how come ALEXANDER HARRISON signs his real name but 90 percent of commenters do not! Yorktown is 1 of the ritziest, most expensive places to live on the planet. So much for democratic socialism,"n'est ce pas!"
1
Another nice piece Charles, thanks much. As for the TRUMP masquerade and sham, nothing lasts forever. Ultimately, whether you are POTUS or not, the truth will come out....it will. No one is above reproach....no one.
12
Mr. Blow, you sure have any easy job: rant and rave about Don Trump in each and every column. 29 more months of writing variations on that theme. You used to write good, informative columns on many issues. Maybe you can get back to that one day.
8
@Gordon Wiggerhaus - wouldn't it be nice if our whol nation could recover a state of grace easily defined at this point, as, "Before TRump." Don't resent the messengers, however, get rid of Trump and it will be like lifting a boulder off the world's shoulders. Unfortunately we'll have to clean up the mess he's going to leave behind, and that includes a planet hurtling to thermal disaster.
9
There's a good reason Mr. Blow writes such critical articles. Once that reason is gone, I'm sure he will return to other topics. But he needs to rant on until that happens.
4
Scary times demand serious focus.
2
I was born in Manhattan, raised in NYC. It is my opinion that a overwhelming majority there dislike him. He a liar and a cheat, a bigot, a money launderer. He is forced throughout his life to buy and force people’s silence. He cheated on his pregnant wife. Bragged that paying his fair share of our tax burden was not for him. He has hidden his tax returns, even though it is our right to see who would be leading us. He doesn’t pay workers who have done their end of a bargain. In other words, he is a terrible human being. No one is above the law. He will find that out. His name belongs in the gutter along with most of those who associate with him. Vote
29
“Truth isn’t truth” Wow, Trump's lawyer is sounding like Bill Clinton. The world is getting crazier and crazier.
4
I’ve often commented “not since Nixon” ...
Trump will eventually surpass Nixon as a national embarrassment as he will never admit his own shortcomings...and there are many and multitudes yet to come.
I wish he would just shut up, stop tweeting and do his job.
That is probably too much to ask of the biggest egomaniac that has ever served and who is now President.
14
@Rlkorte One edit:
not "will eventually" but
"has already" grossly surpassed tricky Dick. Tricky Dick had nothing on Trump.
12
Corrupt Donnie's reaction to public congressional hearings will be to resign within 30 days. He will no longer be able to establish the initiative and control the news cycle. He will take a (back room) deal and leave.
5
@JMM I so wish that would happen. But I think The VSG (Very Stable Genius) will hang on until the bitter end.
@JMM
My bet is Sean Hannity will be sent to the WH to encourage Trump to resign.
If the odious Mr. Trump is re-elected, it will be entirely because the Democrats have become the War Party and the American people do not want war with Russia. The feverish build up of NATO military men and equipment on Russia's borders await the next Democratic Administration. Within a few weeks or months of the Restoration, the US military will be defending America's freedom (with the 101st Airborne), valiantly aiding freedom-loving Estonia. Meanwhile the mainstream media will beat the war drums day and night. Hate the foreign enemy! Attack them now! Their spies are everywhere!
"Oh when will they ever learn?"--Sholokov/Seeger
1
@Red Allover Well, at least your avatar is accurately named.
2
I tend to be a relativist on the subject of good and evil. Trump and his gang of thieves could make me believe evil is incarnate in their persons.
However, is Trump the disease or the symptom? You really need to explore the power base for Trump created by white grievance.
17
@goofnoff That the feelings of victimhood by his base are caused by the GOP is the ultimate con. They have managed to convince their base that somehow, they have their backs - when in fact - it is the rich they serve. Naive
Given Trump's utterly perverse way of reckoning, a piece this wincingly true will rise to the top of this week's "fake news."
Trump is a cosmic imposter. The only hint we get of his having a sliver of self-knowledge is his ability to scent exposure of his profound failure to convince more than a sorry handful of us that he is God's greatest gift to this country.
2
Donald Trump has lied about so many things. He has lied about his schooling, he has lied about his wealth, he probably had his WIFE lie about his sexual prowess, he has lied about his knowledge, he has lied about knowing Russians, he has even lied about how tall one of his buildings actually is. He has lied about his health, he has lied about the authorship of his books, he has lied about Trump University, he has lied about crowd size, he has lied about Obama’s birth certificate, he has lied about locking up children, he has lied about his son’s meeting with Russians and his dictating a letter covering it up. He has lied about his intelligence. He has lied about who he knows and how he knows them. He probably can’t even begin to remember what he has lied about, as he’s in the middle of a lie at this moment.
The secret of the narcissist is that deep down they feel like frauds. Therefore, they must act as if they are big-shots and they live in constant fear of exposure. There is SO much to expose when it comes to The Donald. And, so he lies even more. Just like that scene in “The Wizard of Oz,” he’s terrified that the curtain will be pulled back revealing the truth. He’s a silly, little, puffed-up nothing, a loser, a fake. The Republicans know this truth but they aid and abet Trump anyway. If they stand idly by, they are a big part of the lie. How do they sleep at night?
12
Many thanks, Charles, for your many insights. Big fan.
And let's not forget: "When you negate the frame, you activate the frame". (George Lakoff; cognitive linguistics scholar)
Nixon: "I am not a crook".
Clinton: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman".
Trump: "There IS NO collusion". (etc,etc, etc, etc...)
...And remember when Sarah H Sanders said, "I can definitively say the president is not a liar."
No surprise that desperate people say and do desperate things.
*Election day: Nov. 6th. YOUR VOTE MATTERS! Vote for civility, vote to save our hard won democracy!
32
I believe that Trump will have to be forced from office. By what means, I don't know. He is a stupid but cunning man and surely understands that as long as he is president, there are certain limitations that have been placed on indicting a president. However, we shall see how Mueller's investigation plays out. What pressure can be brought to bear that would force a resignation?
11
@TrueKansan While I would hope so, for a person who only knows ATTACK in the face of criticism, resigning would require unique behavior from the Trump. He would certainly appreciate that resigning is admitting error, defeat, and worse, shame. He fears that more than others - and is willing to use any scheme or mechanism to avoid failure.
@TrueKansan, what will convince Congress that its unregulated militia won't deploy for Trump with its assault weapons?
Trump is a fighter like a trapped rat is a fighter. He's going to bite and claw any and everything in his path to get away with the crime he's committed. And if he takes down the whole country with him, it's obvious he doesn't care.
Speaking of rats, the silence of the members of Congress, especially the Republicans is nauseating. There was a time when Americans stood for something. Now, they'll kneel and crawl for anything.
21
His actions and words reveal complete and total lack of respect for laws, customs, institutions, truth. He is singularly unfit for public service.
His actions and words in office reveal fear of revelation and personal conflict, low self esteem, excessive veneers, a complete and total loveless life. When this ends, it could be messy.
We need a real leader now, to make clear to #45* that if he resigns he can leave on top, but that if he delays, he will see his family revealed as minor league grifters and his empire liquidated to pay for his crimes. (This will happen, but he need not see it in his lifetime.)
No such leader will be found within his sanctum, and he distrusts all politicians (no senatorial savior).
It may soon be time for that Russian state visit and the conversation that will bring the end.
Donny’s usefulness will end when Vlad’s fortunes begin to wither.
2
So helpful having Mr. “Ludicrous “ writing such frequent comments. It spares me from having to watch occasional episodes of Fox to see what the other side is disseminating.
2
Watergate, Part II. And the sequels are rarely as good as the original, just longer and dumber. Seriously.
17
Trump is devoid of originality in his ideas and in his behavior. This fact, plus the observation that he is a fighter, make him a brilliant agent for other peoples ideas. He vowed to fight for a repellent and dangerous constellation of ideas that were developed in the minds of his supporters.
He has fought tooth and nail to establish his power and to perpetuate the naivete of his base. The weakness of his immigration and environmental policies have been revealed as has his own ignorance and unworthiness to be in office.
As his administration collapses the glue holding his bunch of foolish ideas will disappear. The majority of citizens do not want to live in a racist and sexist society that practices the worst planet hygiene whilst being adversarial and rude to all our previous friends and allies.
His pugilistic attitude will cause his demise. He is old and in poor condition for a fighter. He is on the ropes and in the wings is an army of younger fighters in better shape. Roll on Nov. 6 and get the vote out.
7
@GRAHAM ASHTON Yes - a majority does not want to a Trump Whitehouse. That was true last time we had an election. Imagine that you are one of the naive people who have been conned. What will be your reaction when he is gone - removed or just not re-elected? The rabid supporters will be more than upset. The consequences will be severe. Look what happened after 9/11. Our millitary might invaded a country that had nothing to do with the attack, just to vent the anger. Be alert, be way.
I am 66 and lived through the Watergate Hearings. There I sat in my rental house in Eugene ,Oregon with my roommates glued to the tv...daily. We never missed a minute. There was a certain elegance to various chapters as they unfolded and the various personalities emerged. Haldeman, Erlichman, Dean, Segretti, Mitchell, E Howard Hunt, G. Gordon Liddy...and the roles they played . When Butterfeld revealed the existence of the tapes we were transfixed. The end was in sight. Nixon would have to go...and he finally did. With Clinton it was a different story. He was a man of seemingly voracious and insatiable sexual appetites. He, like Senator Bob Packwood who resigned in disgrace for a series of similar deeds, used women like Kleenex. But, the actions of Clinton, Nixon, or Packwood for that matter, never rise to the level of Trump's behavior. I believe Clinton paid a huge price for his infidelity, Nixon did the right thing and left, Packwood gave a speech to the full chamber and resigned. By doing so they preserved the dignity of their various offices...Trump has no such respect for the office he holds. It is merely a game to him. When and if he is forced out he'll go back to renting real estate in NYC....he simply does not care. Not one wit.
304
@Harley Leiber Actually, Nixon does rise to Trumps level when he scuttled Lyndon Johnson's attempt to make peace with the North Vietnamese. Instead of allowing the peace process to continue unhindered, Nixon gave us the lie of peace with honor with years of continued fighting.
4
@Harley Leiber
"He has no such respect for the office he holds" because he doesn't understand the office he holds, hence all the tweeting, the golfing, the hate-speak, the name-calling, the t.v. watching and responding. He wastes time in order to avoid the job he doesn't know how to do.
2
@Harley Leiber - I hope you're wrong. Political tricks, lying to investigators, sex scandals are certainly worthy of condemnation but just don't compare to selling out your country to our major adversary. Some time behind bars would send a message for any future would-be betrayers.
1
Back in 1999, I attended a real estate expo at the Jacob Javits Center that had as its drawing card a featured talk by Donald Trump. Figuring I would learn some tips from the master, I eagerly took my seat at the appointed hour. However, after 20 minutes I walked out in complete disgust having listened to someone completely full of himself endlessly toot his own horn. What I did not understand was why the rest of the audience was not walking out along with me.
And now this egotistical, narcissistic man is President of the United States.
I agree with Mr. Blow that one of Mr. Trump’s greatest insecurities is of being embarrassed - one of the reasons he is so quick to humiliate and embarrass others.
However, until his base can see through his facade and stop being impressed by his ostentatious wealth, they will be unable to recognize that the emperor has no clothes.
15
Nixon was way better than Trump! Trump has no integrity and there is not one honest bone in his whole body.
7
If there is one thing I hope for it is for trump to be unmasked and exposed. I`m not a lock him up person. I would be happy to see him impeached but impeachment may allow his enablers to wear the mantel of prosecutor and allow his enablers to hide behind that, Just unmask him, strip him of his facade, of his lies and pillory him in public. Then we can move on to the enablers.
3
What mask? His supporters, fed on the cruel spectacle of reality TV, like what they see. As for Clinton, he should have resigned for lying. Shame on him and his equally obtuse supporters. Hillary could have won if she had had a little Clytemnestra in her but she was also blinded by hubris. Are there any real leaders left?
Nixon, Clinton and this president are liars. What Nixon has going for him is that he resigned rather than commit perjury. Clinton lied under oath and skated. He escaped removal from office but disgraced himself for all time.
The sitting president doesn't know what the truth is but his mask is being ripped off, not by Robert Mueller but by Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort. One look at them will tell people who the president is.
3
The description of Trump’s insecurities in the final paragraph reminds me of the last scene of the screen classic The Wizard of Oz. The all-powerful wizard, who physically bears a certain resemblance to Trump, is revealed as a sham; a pathetic old man hiding behind a curtain, manipulating levers to terrorize the world beyond. As Charles observes, Trump’s cowardice, venality and thirst for revenge have poisoned the presidency. We just have to hope that a Dorothy figure is waiting in the wings, and will pull the curtain away very very soon.
6
@Karina FWIW, Dorothy was a mesmerized by Oz the Great and Terrible as anyone. It was Toto, the dog--unencumbered by public relations and unimpressed by the trappings of power--who revealed the wizard as a fake.
It will take the same clear-eyed truth-seeking to expose our wretched excuse for a wizard as the sham he is.
2
For the Fake President and his lawyer's evangelical enablers:
37 "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice."
38 Pilate saith unto him, "What is truth?"
2
Trump himself is a terrible president, person and human being. I say this not because of how he won, and not because he is a racist megalomaniac-many presidents have been that but because he appears to be profoundly uninterested in the world outside himself. Trump aspires to be a tin-pot dictator, and he would probably be a good one: entertaining and, as dictators go, among the less evil.
As the U.S. president we are rightly concerned about his authoritarian aspirations, but those very concerns, and his lack of broad-based support, make his wishes unlikely to be realized. We are forewarned and will resist by all means necessary.
3
It should be such a no brainer to get rid of the Congressional Republican Majority. It should be absolutely crystal clear to anyone with half a brain that this party is utterly corrupt and morally and intellectually bankrupt. Hand's down.
It will be very interesting and dreadfully entertaining to see what desperate cheating the Republicans will employ to try and maintain their hold on power. Expect even bolder treachery. Won't anyone besides Flake and Corker step up and call this party's bluff?
4
It's called "preemptive delegitimization" and it's Trump's modis operandi.
This may have started with a look into an attack on our democratic process, but as such, there are tenticles to this thing.
The Trump family has been in bed with organized crime since Fred Trump was introduced to real estate. You cannot build houses and apartments in the tri-state area, especially in that era, without knowing how to dance with organized crime.
The record shows Donald's own links to organized crime, through his concrete contracts, his attorney, his special guests at his casinos, and his known personal associations.
How many times has Donny seen "Goodfella's" or "Casino" or "The Godfather" with his boys and daughter at his side?
The wall idea surely came from Sunday nights with the kids, watching Game of Thrones; another mob story, set in a time of dragons and blue illegal aliens.
This is where we are. Mueller has Cohen. He has Manafort. Trump uses the language of mobsters, calling people "rats" and attacking our cornerstone law enforcement institutions.
Collusion with Russian agents to undermine our democratic process is treason. Doing the bidding of Putin, siding against our intelligence community is treason. It is aiding and abetting the enemy.
Because Trump's loyal base has proven to be insane and prone to violence, the potential for civil unrest must be addressed by the integrity of Mueller's process. Dot every i. Cross every t.
Save our democracy.
14
In all the intervening years, Trump has learned nothing, not even new words. Someone get this man a thesaurus, because his 'best words' are wearing thin, as he endlessly repeats them. As of his presidency, and the man himself, 'disaster' fits the bill.
Completely bald, except for the front and back, yet with a full head of hair! Ironic? Perhaps. Disaster? Decidedly so.
7
Charles, you helpfully remind us that this Presidency will not end with this president's dignity intact. However, there are good grounds for assuming that Trump's ignorance, stupidity, arrogance, vanity, magical thinking and lack of insight will ultimately bring about his downfall. A tipping point will be reached. Friends and associates will desert him and/or turn on him and the current nightmare will be over. But what next? President Pence? Out of the frying pan....etc.
Also, consider this. If Trump is ultimately the architect of his own downfall what does this say about the institutions of government or law or the constitution itself? Logic dictates that a clever and self aware and insightful replacement from the alt right, perhaps working with an authoritarian foreign power or two, will realise that America is there for the taking.
As a concerned observer from afar I would like to see much more attention being paid to managing this risk. All our futures are at stake.
4
Great column, Mr. Blow. But let us not forget one thing. Although the impeachment clause of the Constitution contains the phrase "high crimes and misdemeanors," it has not in principle been interpreted to require a state or federal crime as a predicate to impecahment. As President Ford once said, and he spent decades in the House, "high crimes and misdemeanors" means whatever a majority of the House says it means. Although we have had only 2 presidents impeached (Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton) many inferior officers and many judges with lifetime appointments have been impeached and convicted by the House and the Senate. Some have even come back to have second lives. Judge Hastings was impeached and convicted and later elected to the House and seated by the House. "Impeachment" is a political and not a crimial endeavor. Mueller's conclusions about crimes may have nothing to do with whether the conduct he finds occurred constitutes an "impeachable offense."
3
A man as corrupt and compromised as Trump could only have run for President if he were just as delusional or still more corrupt and compromised. Now he has destroyed his family as well as himself, and has threatened the nation’s values and wealth in the name of sycophants like Bannon and Miller who are singularly uninteresting minds riddled by bigotry. Trump will be purged because up may tilt but it won’t become down and the incompetent minions of his regime will always humiliate themselves on behalf of their arrogance. Trump bankrupted six times, lost eleven billion dollars and therefore managed to earn 2 1/4 percent per year across 45 years after he inherited a $200 million dollar business. He will do to America what he did to his family inheritance. Unless he is removed sooner rather than later by legal means. If not legal then political and political ranges wide between peace and something other. I haven’t lived 70 years here to abide a pitiful instance of upright life as Mr Trump.
8
I've said it before and I'll say it again: If our mango mussolini hadn't been born rich, he would be dealing dope out the back door of a used car lot in Queens. Or worse.
He's got to go.
I hear St. Helena is lovely this time of year. Or Guantanamo in the autumn. Moscow in January...not so nice.
Anything can happen. Where are the Praetorian Guard when we need them?
8
To pick up on the psychological assessment: Trump is a tyrant, unconsciously acting out his anger and abandonment he suffered as a child. He longs for safety and security and will do anything to satisfy these needs but has limited, adolescent means. The more cornered the more dangerous and destructive.
8
Mr. Blow’s opinion is absolutely accurate. I think it’s also kind of sad.
6
'House of Trump House of Putin' makes the Mueller report 'Old News' even before it's released.
1
Donald Trump has been the gauche, ostentatious joke of New York for his entire life. Now the joke’s on us.
Thank God I don’t have children.
13
I don't know of any evidence that shows Nixon knew about the break in before it happened. And as time has past I believe that he didn't. He covered it up alright. Nixon had a few wild people like G. Gordan Liddy working for the Republicans. It makes sense they would do something like this without him knowing. I am tired of these comparisons. Most times, as this, they are a stretch and make no sense. Watergate as far as I am concerned, and also Clinton's transgressions, were nothing compared to what's going on with Trump. I believe that Trump esp., and part of his admin are traitors to this country. There's reasons like money laundering and his borrowing from Russian mobsters. The fact that people like Sessions are obsessed with ramming through an ultra-right agenda, and the Russians were and are willing to help. They were guided by these people. .. I'm sorry but Blow is a weak writer and hardly ever comes up with any original ideas.
2
@Doctor Woo Actually, there was evidence that Nixon not only knew in advance of the breakin, he actually helped plan it. BUT, yes, there is no real comparison between Nixon and Trump. (Clinton isn't even in the league of Nixon). Trump's continuing embarassing behavior and breaking of norms is beyond anything previously seen or even envisioned. Lock him up.
@Bruce Maier** I would like to see what 'evidence' you are referring too.
Nixon? Not even close. Try Caligula. Or Nero. Or Mussolini.
Nixon was surrounded by some scary thugs -- Erlichman, Haldeman, John Mitchell. Nixon was sinister not scary like Trump (both scary as in monster and scary as in cancer).
Nixon was like an infected man; Trump is like a disease.
Nixon signed into law the Environmental Protection Agency; Trump put the EPA on a four year lease to Corporate Polluters (with 4 year renewal option) and sabotaged the hard won global consensus on Climate Change, a crime against earth and humanity that will stain Trump's legacy and progeny for all of history.
Nixon listened to his advisors; Trump yells at his and then fires them by tweet. Nixon brought China back into the world; Trump is helping China dominate the world.
As VP Nixon debated Soviet Leader Khrushchev; Trump whispers sweet nothings into Putin's ear (and hidden bug).
Khrushchev told Nixon "We'll bury you!"; Putin told Trump "Let my people help Mueller investigate collusion."
Nixon was a meteor that vaporized before impact. Trump is a golf-resort size asteroid on a trajectory towards earth. Nizon, a pimple; Trump, the you know what.
Nixon threatened the presidency. Trump, the nation and the world.
Nixon was slime. Trump is a malignancy.
27
I remember in 1960, when I was eight years old, asking my father about the upcoming presidential election. He angrily described Nixon as a McCarthy-ite and a red-baiter and a thoroughly despicable man.
Fast-forward to the present and my father's concerns seem almost quaint. It's a good thing he didn't live to see the grotesque Trump and his impenetrable supporters; it would have killed him.
11
The emperor REALLY has no clothes...
5
American voters, “old fashioned” white ones in particular, sent Trump to the White House to be a middle finger in the face of a government that has been representing them poorly ever since Richard Nixon left office. Trump was sent to Washington to humiliate everybody and make their lives miserable. Yes, he represents the worst of Nixon and Clinton, and that’s not the half of it. That’s why he is popular. “Drain the swamp” turns out to be more like burn down it by adding Trump as an accelerant, which makes for even better TV. As long as the economy remains strong, its win/win/win.
3
@Peter
Soon it will become lose/lose/lose, because the economy can't withstand this onslaught of idiocy for very long, and the disaster that we're being set up for is going to be costly and ugly. Bad economy, no social services, no sympathy from other countries, and a United States divided by click driven media into competing camps of ignorant yahoos and unicorn riding socialists. On the bright side, a Space Force. And Space is going to pay for it.
Is this how others view us?
[Excerpts from TS Eliot' The Hollow Men (1925)]
We are the Hollow Men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw, Alas
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are like wind in dry grass ...
Paralyzed force, gesture without motion, ....
We grope together
and avoid speech
Gathered on this beach of the tumid river
Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act ....
Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response....
Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
And the existence...
Between the essence
And the descent
Falls the shadow...
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
??
14
@John Edwards
Thank you for sharing. It has been said that poetry helps us to feel things we don’t know we are feeling, it puts words to an experience. Your sharing of Eliot’s words here has done the same.
5
Trump will never admit defeat. I wonder if impeached he would leave office. I also wonder in 2021 if he will leave office when voted out. He is a dictator and as far as he is concerned he is god.
6
The one thing that concerns me about the difference between Trump and Nixon is that Richard Nixon was a politician who had a distinguished political career to fall back upon. Trump is an egomaniacal one-hit wonder who is holding on to his ten minutes in the spotlight. Like the singing dogs singing a Christmas carol, he wants to hold on to his fleeting moment in the spotlight and his lack of ability, sense or knowledge doesn’t matter. Also, like the singing dogs, he seems to appeal to the ill informed, the tasteless and insensitive.
15
A large majority of craven and cowardly Republicans double down when Trump is exposed as a liar, con man, thug, traitor and criminal because they don't want to admit that they were shamefully wrong in supporting and helping to elect this fake and dangerous human being. It is a response similar to when a student is caught cheating, a spouse or partner is caught in an affair, or a child is caught lying. The shame at being exposed is perceived as worse than the consequences of remaining in denial and continuing to lie or attack one's accusers.
5
@David Macauley Sorry, it is worse than that. They are fearful that if they criticize Trump, they will not win their next primary. It is all about holding on to power, and they will do ANYTHING to hold onto power. There is no shame, no patriotism, no integrity to the GOP. It has always been about giving the rich what they pay for, which ironically hurt their rank and file supporters, but the naive conned folks may never understand the depth of the evil that is the GOP party today.
Great and insightful column. Can we go further regarding the Republican congress-complicit-with-Russia thing and find out WHY Rand Paul et al are going to Russia?????
6
“ Truth isn’t Truth “. Yeah, right. A LIE is a LIE is a LIE. And THAT is what Juries are for. Seriously.
2
"...a relationship with Miss Lewinsky..." " ...no prior knowledge of the Watergate operation..." How quaint! Now we have to worry about a traitorous Russian stooge gaining the white house through attacks on our elections that he, at a minimum, encouraged. He brought with him a long list of admitted criminals, thieves and sycophants.The late historian, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., called his book about Nixon during Watergate "The Imperial Presidency". I wonder what he might have called the Trump Presidency. What do you call a presidency where the person entrusted to uphold the constitution and foundations of our democracy works full-time to tear them down, allowing our enemies to continually attack our elections while railing against those trying to protect us? Can this even be called a Presidency? Maybe the book would have to be called The Occupier-in-Chief.
11
Wow - great article Mr. Blow.
It is very obvious who trump is if you take a look at what he has said, and how he has acted over the years. It is obvious he is a racist, a liar, and a con man. When Omarosa went on TV to confirm these trump traits, it really wasn't much of a surprise.
It is expected that trump lies about everything, and it is expected that trump will contradict those lies with more lies. It is expected that trump will always lie and deny when accused of wrong doing - It is expected that trump will threaten and lie about all critics and all accusers. It is expected that trump will act petty and narcissistic.
It is blatantly obvious that trump is not going to change - in fact, it appears as if he only gets more emboldened in his actions as GOP politicians fail to condemn him.
8
Don't believe that Trump will go quietly; he wont! Even with an impeachment pass by the Congress Trump will fight the Congress.The GOP has created a vicious monster and this will terminate violently.Sad
6
The mask is wax, not wrinkled paper, and it’s melting in the face of truth and justice...
3
Is it possible that American newspapers and cable networks are giving us more news about the evil un-American Trump Presidency than is good for our health and the well-being of the country?
I look at his daily output of lies, unconstitutional behavior and attacks on innocent people and say to myself, “enough, enough, way too much.”
Maybe the coverage could just be made briefer.
Something on the order of, “Well, he lied about Brennan again today.”
Or “He insulted black people three times today.”
Or “No roads, bridges or tunnels were fixed in this country during July.”
“Bad things were done to migrant children again by the Justice Department today” gets the point across without going into all of the awful details of what is being done to them.
Leaving some blank space in the paper now and again as a reminder of everything that he is doing to aggravate the huge social divide in this country could be just as useful as rehearsing it over and over every day.
The most awful U.S. President the world has ever heard of shouldn’t be dignified and magnified by an excess of news coverage.
Sundays and holidays could be treated as days of rest for the country that are celebrated by no mention of him.
I would begin, of course, by eliminating all further coverage of his Twitter account.
The outright banning of all further mention of Giuliani's name should come next.
6
It's so simple and Trummp will love this: Ready?: TELEVISE THE TALK...
2
Washington - “I can not tell a lie, I cut down the cherry tree.”
Trump - “There was no conspiracy to cut down the tree. And even if there was, it’s not illegal.”
7
Trump's "mask" is made of Saran Wrap. Who he is, what he is, has been obvious his entire life. Not seeing him for the liar, con man and thief he has repeatedly proved himself to be takes an act of such profound denial that it amounts to a form of mental illness.
And yet, more than a third of my fellow Americans are either so-afflicted, or simply refuse to take a clear-eyed look at him. This is a problem that transcends the Trump "presidency," as it suggests there is fertile ground for a future demagogue once Trump is out of office. That is why we must hold him to account and punish him so publicly, so severely, that no one is tempted to take the same path.
Yes, even if it means Pence becomes president.
4
With Nixon, it was the coverup of a bungled burglary. With Clinton, it was denying and lying about sexual infidelity. With Donald Trump, it is a crime-in-progress. His abuses of power continue daily. The coverup of an attack on the U.S. goes on and on. Nixon famously said, "I am not a crook." Donald Trump has been, is and always will be crooked. We see it every day.
15
A scary portrait of our President's inner motivation. Scary because we don't know what will happen if/when the supposed self-made facade collapses.
However, we voters don't need to agree on WHY this President does what he does. We need only to look at WHAT he does to conclude he is damaging our country and democracy.
Our best recourse right now is to work, work, work to elect as Washington lawmakers enough people in November to restrain Trump's excesses legislatively. Until we can oust Trump himself in the 2020 election.
8
If Trump hates all the scrutiny that comes with being president, why exactly did he run for office?
@J.F. For the power and he did not expect to win.
In the eyes of many, the vanity mask shrouding trump melted long before he entered the White House. There is an image fixated in my mind of Toto pulling back the curtain and exposing the Wizard in Oz. It is ironic that a movie from the 1930s could foretell the events of today so vividly. At least the Wizard was contrite in the end. In the present case, it will take more than just the squad of white coats to drag this narcissist away kicking and screaming. We will need a major effort to flush his grifters and profiteers out of the system as well. The damage being done to our system of government and society will not just fade away. It will take a major effort at a time when other more important issues like drug abuse and climate change need our full attention.
12
Impeachment would probably backfire if the Democrats somehow had the numbers to do it w/o the Republicans, but seeing Trump humiliated would almost be worth it. In addition, impeachment would demonstrate to the world that we won't tolerate a person like Trump to remain in office in our country.
1
@Pat Boice
Impeachment backfired on the Republicans when they went after Clinton because the basis of that impeachment, the Starr Report, was utter nonsense.
Seriously, one of only three "impeachable" offenses that Starr listed was: Lewinski claimed that the relationship started in November, Clinton claimed that it began in December. With the other two offenses being:
2. On a particular date Lewinski said that Clinton touched her breast, Clinton said he didn't remember that happening.
3. Clinton claimed that he didn't believe that the Jones (very convoluted) definition of sex included oral sex.
(and remember at the time Monica Lewinski was ruled as being an immaterial witness by the presiding judge in the Jones case, so literally nothing either said by her or about her had ANY legal bearing on any case... which is sort of a prerequisite for both perjury and obstruction charges in any courtroom in the country)
Seriously, this is 7 years worth of investigation and $70 million spent in a nutshell.
Somehow I'm pretty sure that Bob Muller's report will have a little more substance.
1
So obvious the type person our system nominates and elects, to this office of the Presidency, we so depend on. We have had some stellar modern day Presidents, starting with FDR, followed by Truman, Ike, a sincerely honest individual like Carter, a Gerald Ford who sat in for a Nixon, and of course Ronald Reagan. Obama hasn't been gone long enough for a proper post assessment . If the Democrats and Mueller are successful , Trump will be impeached, for nothing short of Treason, because of the Bear. One has to ask, who is on the bench as the back up quarterback? Greed is now a major motivator for our culture and Trump is feeding that model big time.
1
So far, there's no evidence that Trump the Elder was working with the Russians to take down Hillary. His son Trump Junior and son-in-law Jared were trying to get dirt on Hillary, but the president says this was fair game -- Presidential Apprentice stuff. So far, his supporters continue to staunchly defend him and most of the rest of us don't like him but aren't ready to indict him. What he's doing to our country is disastrous, but not impeachable.
1
No amount of evidence is going to sway this president or his supporters. A clear and unequivocal path to sending Donald Jr. and Jared to prison *might*get this president to resign.
1
Charles, would appreciate that you consider not repeating this ..."has clipped his courage"... regarding #45. #45 has no courage and a rubber backbone. Courage is defined by the truth.
8
Once I gave Trump enough credit to believe that he understood 'plausible deniability' even after he insisted on drafting that phony reaction to a NY Times revelation about Don Jr., Kushner, and Manafort palling around with Russians in Trump Tower, even after he confessed to Lester Holt that he fired the man leading the Russia investigation to evade his culpability for his crimes. But his agitation and ridiculous remonstrations indicate that he does have his fingerprints all over his campaign's conspiracy with Russian intelligence agents. He stole the election and Republicans applauded because ultimately they do not concern themselves with how they take power. Even though the American system of governance is currently under tremendous pressure, just the same as during Watergate, I now believe the system will deliver the final rebuke to this phony and the political party who supports him.
13
What do you mean Trump won’t resign? What happened to all the predictions that when Trump realized that the job of being President is a lot more difficult and frustrating than being the CEO he would quit? Do you believe that he now actually enjoys the job? If so, you can add masochist to the list of his admirable qualities.
1
Clinton committed perjury and was disbarred. Nixon would have been impeached so he resigned. I do not support Trump but the last time I checked he has not been charged with a crime. Nor have articles of impeachment been passed against Trump in a House committee. Shouldn't we wait for the facts before making damaging assumptions. That is what Trump does. Take the high road. Act honorably.
5
No one in this Congress is willing to get to the truth. If they were, they would be subjecting Trump to the same inquiries they had for Clinton on Benghazi.
Trump has already been embarrassed and exposed- he is not fighting for his good name!He is fighting because he wants to vanquish his foes, real or imagined.He has no sense of history or the ethics of the presidency.Nixon had been a political fighter for years and famously declared after losing an election that “you will not have Nixon to kick around anymore”.Both men have fragile egos and would throw anyone under the bus to save their own skins.Unfortunately the rule of law is the first thing they dispose of in order to mount a fragile defense.
7
Mr. Blow,
Nice Article, This is a wizard of oz moment for the President. Who is the man behind the curtain? You are spot on, Trump is afraid, that we will see the scared little boy that is behind his bluster and tweets.
1
One question: why was Chris Matthews interviewing the real estate nyc gadfly Donald Trump twenty years ago about Bill Clinton’s confession speech? Trump's comments are in fact of great interest today. But he had no credentials then that made him worthy of being interviewed about the presidency on national tv, just as he has no business being in the White House today. Why has this liar always been given such a voice? Our culture is very broken.
8
Lies, lies, and, yes, more lies. It's a primary modus operandi of our supposedly "democratic" federal government, underpinned by agencies such as the CIA that daily employ that strategy. One lie leads to another, eventually to an entire network of lies that keep the populace guessing and off-balance, instead of well-informed, with the media only too content to mouthpiece what becomes a narrative devoid of real information. I was coming into adulthood in '68, and have spent the remainder of my adult life fielding lies from politicians of both parties. Take the focus off Trump, for once and place it where it belongs: on a political system where truth has become yet another marketable commodity, and where this system manages to efficiently eradicate voices of transformation, particularly as they call for de-militarization of both our foreign policy and our domestic police forces. RIP-- the anti-war movement.
2
Giving Richard Nixon a bad name. Would that Trump be like him and at least have the skills and interest to do the job of being president.
7
Nixon didn’t resort to colluding with the Russians to do his dirty work nor did he stand with Brezhnev to denigrate our CIA and FBI. He resigned rather than be impeached. Clinton did not besmirch the rule of law to save his own skin for his peccadilloes.
Only Trump thinks that he is above the law, has partnered with Putin to the detriment of our nation, and would rather have the republic be destroyed than to utter an iota of the truth.
He has befouled our institutions of government, and has tried to bludgeon the media and the Intelligence Services to silence.
He is a clear and present danger that increases daily.
We can thank the free press, strong believers in speaking the truth such as John Brennan and McCraven, and those who will stand up for democracy and against authoritarianism.
Between now and November, we must stand in unison for Mueller’s investigation to continue unimpeded.
4
@Ichabod Aikem
Nixon a home-grown US President never capable of being a great leader in as much he was reliant on Henry Kissinger to get him out of Vietnam. If only the US had such an easy exit from AFGHANISTAN? When confronted by Khrushchev the simple side of Nixon came into full view. At the Worlds Fair in Moscow 1962 Khrushchev was not taken by Nixons "you don't know everything" remark; the Russian leader responded in kind "then you Mr President know nothing about communism; except fear of it". Nixon was left wondering what he really did know about Russia besides being the red bear as prescribed by the Pentagon; like today?
1
Trump and "logical reasoning" should not be used in the same sentence. But, some how he survives and even thrives.
He seems to able to exploit his inherited status and money. He manages to manipulate clingers to support him in serial fashion.
After one is "FIYAD!" There always seems to be another to take their place. As the trials continue this should become apparent.
Is Trump anti-social or just a narcissist with a severe anxiety disorder. One way he seems to relieve tension is by intellectualization, which often manifests itself by one's creation of fantasies to replace painful realities. Lies are not lies in his imagination.
He hates the press because they constantly remind him that the world is neither flat nor his pet rock.
Keep the pressure on, Charles. Maybe the glass house will crack.
3
Our columnist Charles Bow asserts "there was an attempt to conspire with Russians to influence the elections....a matter of public record" as a statement hardly gets off the ground. Some Facebook ads by various organizations not exactly the deciding factor proof; beyond all reasonable doubt in law. Granted Russia believed Hillary R Clinton would be a disaster for US relations however besides throwing a few spanners in the works the fact is Russia did not decide the US election result at the end of the day; Americans are not fools. Of interest RT TV showed Hillary Clinton bragging about the downfall of the Libyan leader repeatedly. Her record nothing special as US Security of State or very exciting after reading her personal emails. John Kerry far more accomplished in that key role. Her assistant and her husband did her no favours either. The "suspicion" why Trump won the election due to Russian media stories rings hollow; lingering on without anything substantial to impeach the elected President of the United States of America. Trump will find out the hard way being President is mostly symbolic. Richard M Nixon was no charmer either as the White House tapes revealed but he was big enough to say sorry to David Frost.
4
Trump is the president, but he is not, and never has been, a politician. He's a fraudster who has carried off the greatest swindle of all time by becoming president. And unlike Nixon, Trump doesn't believe that there is any interest greater than himself--not the law, not the constitution, not the country. Consider two similar episodes which reveal the differences of character of Nixon and Trump. In the first, Republican leaders from the Hill came to the White House to tell Nixon to resign over Watergate, and he did. In the second, Priebus told Trump to quit the 2106 race because of the Access Hollywood tape, and he didn't. For all of his failings, Nixon knew when his time was up. Trump, in his infinite shamefulness, will not.
13
Likely Mueller doesn't need to interview him, really. Giuliani's weekly statements about the conditions under which Trump would be interviewed seem mostly to keep their 'control' over that possibility alive for their base. That and to keep giving news headlines for the press.
Another thing that's becoming clear over the months is that whatever Trump accuses others of doing is exactly what he's doing himself. I remind you of 'You're the puppet!". It's a way to blur sound bites for the base and to divert twitter handles I'm sure.
2
Donald Trump knows what he did. He knows how bad it will be when he is found out. That is why I told everyone before the 2016 election that a Trump presidency would be a national security nightmare that could end in the destruction of our country.
So did 150 national security experts and every major newspaper in America warn the American people that Trump was unfit for the office. But abortion and gun rights are more important to Trump supporters than saving our country.
2
@Ronny
Neither abortion, which I support, nor gun rights (never owned a gun) had anything to do with my vote for Trump. I simply and absolutely despise the Clintons and their decades of corruption, lies upon endless lies, immorality, pay to play, et al., and I hoped Trump would close duplicative agencies and otherwise rein in government. I can’t stand him but will vote for him again because Democrats want open borders and a free lunch for all. You should learn who Trump supporters really are; Democrats demonize them at their peril.
Rocktumbler, Ph.D
1
The cornered or trapped animal behaves in much the same way. Mr Nixon had sufficient personal qualities to eventually be ashamed and resign. We will be waiting until doomsday for this current WH resident to display either quality.
2
When you really compare what Trump, his cabinet and/or his complicit GOP congress has accomplished in just under 2 years, any comparisons to prior presidents become meaningless.
I could create a long list, but for brevity, I'll list 3 things:
1 Trump's "so called" tax reform has in effect transferred a huge amount of our wealth to the ultra wealthy. This will have to be paid for and according to Ryan and others of his ilk, the way will be from the dismantling and/or privatization of Medicare, Medical an other social services.
2 Since not being able to destroy "Obamacare" by congressional vote, Trump has been taking the steps to do it internally and so far it is working. We are still the only western country in the world to not have some form of nationalized health care. (By the way, the last Western country to implement this was Israel in 1996, 22 years ago!)
3 Trump's program of hate has been very successful in dividing our country along political, racial, religious, social and gender lines. We haven't seen such upheaval since the 1960's!
If there is anything good to come from this joke of a presidency, perhaps it's how we've now learned how fast the United States can be turned turned from a representative democratic republic into an oligarchy.
If we smart and diligent, we'll take back the house this fall and began a repair process. If we don't, I shudder to think of what will happen and it will not be pretty!!
9
Clinton, much like Obama, was an immediate target of the GOP establishment and White Water, that after seven years produced evidence of only "sex in the White House" underscores the remarkable effort to nail Clinton on whatever could be had. Obama, with no such luggage, was simply stonewalled, with his SCOTUS pick not even getting a hearing, as a final insult.
Nixon was different and yes we as a nation were different back then. The Nixon presidency marked the end of Kennedy's hopefulness in "Ask not what your country can do for, but what you can do for your country." Watergate, while a meaningless burglary in the overall scheme of things (Nixon was popular and was destined to win re-election Watergate or no Watergate). But the unfolding events unveiled a White House that was convinced it could do anything to anyone without retribution.
Like Trump, Nixon entered the White House with a ton of bad luggage. No doubt the political skeletons in Nixon's closet, and I believe there were many dark secrets including knowledge of Kennedy assassination (Nixon, Liddy & Sturgis were in Dallas around the time Kennedy was hit), forced this popular president to resign in disgrace (although he knew the "pardon"was coming), rather than have his decades of dirty "skull and bones" deeds exposed.
The Nixon resignation gave us the image of a broken man trying to salvage grace. Trump has none of these characteristics and would easily let the country spiral along with his own disgrace.
11
@RichardS
Kennedy was the most ruthless of them all.
@RichardS. Yes, with Nixon we felt as if we were witnessing a tragedy of hubris. Trump is a whirling dervish of destruction and debasement. The only thing I’ll feel when Trump leaves office is relief. It can’t be soon enough.
None of these three Presidents have much moral fiber. Compare them to President Obama and their abject failures.
But what is most frightening about Trump over Nixon and Clinton is, the wrecking ball he has taken to our Constitution, our Democratic principles, our Environment, our Healthcare, our Immigration policies, and a host of others that form the backbone for what the United States stands for.
Trump by far, will go down in history as the worst President in history.
12
Mr. Blow,
You left out some critical "truths"
Clinton did ask people to lie for him and his
personal secretary to hide evidence, via a box
she was supposed to take home so if he received
a subpoena to hand integral evidence over -
Clinton could say it was not in his possession and
and he did not specifically ask anyone to knowingly
hide or take possession of it - he being the lawyer who
later deceive via: Well it depends on what the meaning
of "is" is, and: I did not consider oral relations to be
sex.
If Nixon, Clinton and Trump were all impeached and found
guilty and removed from Office it would have been and be a
better America.
3
@John Brown
Monica Lewinski was ruled as an irrelevant witness by Judge White, the presiding judge in the Jones case. Since this ruling has never been challenged, much less revoked, that means that nothing either said by or said about Ms. Lewinski has any merit or legal impact on the Jones case.
Exactly what "integral evidence" are you talking about? Because if it involves Ms. Lewinski you are talking legal nonsense.
@James Constantino
And while Starr contends the president tried to hide legal evidence by sending his secretary to retrieve gifts he'd given his young friend, Currie insisted that it was Lewinsky – not Clinton – who had asked her to claim the box of subpoenaed presents.
Just the facts, James, just the facts.
There's an old saying, "the bigger the front, the bigger the back". So every time I see and hear trump act so tough I know that inside he is really quaking with fear. Just a scared freaked out little boy covered over by extreme bluster. I'd actually feel sorry for him if he wasn't ruining our country.
6
The parallels of Trump and Nixon are especially surreal. Even down to their personalities.
Add in Nixon's wiretapping proclivities--- and Trump's direct support for Russia to hack Democrats' emails.
Both delighting in politics of division and grievance during their campaign and throughout their reign.
Mortified by inquiries--- and in a bubble of their own making. While nearing Section 4 of the 25th Amendment of "inability to discharge duties.
Nixon ordering the firing of Cox, who headed up the investigation. Trump firing Comey, and threatening Muller's continued tenure.
Their concerned white house counsels move to do something about it.
Both presidents visibly aging, perhaps ill-fated, and hard-working reporters strongly suspecting a cover-up.
6
I do not believe Trump has fears. This is the strength that sociopaths possess that is so difficult for almost everyone else to understand. People like Trump actually relish the challenge to counter their opposition because it spurs creativity for more unprecedented behavior. He is likely even amused at all of the efforts of the opposition to attribute his behavior to something so ordinary and logical as fear.
Trump will never resign or back down from his assertion of legitimacy. Trump knows exactly why the indictments of the 12 Russian agents were timed just prior to his meeting with Putin. The sad truth is that all of the rational elements in our government are acting as if Trump is a rational being, when he is instead a sociopath without shame or conscience and only energized by opposition.
4
The important differences here between Trump and Nixon is that Nixon at least understood the constitution and how our government works. Not only does Trump not understand either, he doesn't care; Nixon was paranoid and said that the president, as opposed to himself personally, is above the law. Trump believes HE is above the law by virtue of being Donald Trump. Trump is a megalomaniac; even supporters of Pres. Nixon had not lost their collective minds and taken on a cult-like devotion to Nixon whereas Trump supporters have done so toward Trump. We cannot rely on a good 40% of the electorate now to be swayed by any objective information to hold Trump accountable and to put the Constitution and the country above Donald Trump.
3
When 45's mask of vanity, impetuosity, and crudeness disintegrates, because of the tenacious, forthright, and courageous legal efforts of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, what will we see. Will it be like "Lord of the Rings" Golem losing his "Precious", the ring. Will we see a pathetic creature, shriveled, starved, and his sanity on the wain. 45's public relations lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, does not help declaring "There isn't any truth". That just places 45 in the wilderness of uncertainty with no terra firma upon which to stand. And 45's followers, are they like the ancient Hebrews wandering about the Sinai following some cow path to their promised home? How long will they stay the course? 40 years? Is there a majority in America who have the integrity, courage, and commitment to justice and democracy to stand up to 45 as they did to Nixon and take a different path that leads to a beter home for all?
10
One only needs to remember the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner to know that everything you say here is the truth. That was when Donald Trump was publicly skewered (and rightfully so) by President Obama in front of the U.S. press, and the entire country. He never got over that, and never will. His own presidency has become nothing more than a revenge filled dismantling of Obama’s signature accomplishments.
17
The media needs to move from the Trump-Mueller issue to the GOP-Mueller issue and investigate what Putin has on the GOP that has them in such fear of action.
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/08/03/tangled-web-con...
I get that Republicans fear the base, but Mueller could give them even greater to fear.
But the MSM is content to run the same Trump clips or Rudy clips over and over because, hey, it's almost Friday and it will be the weekend!
The only thing Trump fears is being held accountable and having to pay the consequences. Oh yes, and being ridiculed.
1
Trump is a disaster but 40% of the people seem ok with that. That's the problem.
3
A year and a half into this Trump presidency I feel constantly assaulted by Donald Trump. I have never felt this way before about a president. His lies, his extraordinary lack of statesmanship, his constant reactionary tweeting, his infatuation with everything Russia, his thoughtless attacks on our security agencies and his degrading of the press is viserally disturbing. His complete lack of appreciation of the impact his words and actions have on us as a nation and as a member of the international community is mind boggling. Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon had the intellegence, knowledge and experience to run this country. I did not like Richard Nixon but I knew he had the intellect to be president. I did not respect Bill Clinton's handling of his affair but when he spoke he was clear and articulate. I believe that Trump is somehow involved with some type of impeachable action. Just look at who he surrounds himself with: from his lawyer Michael Cohen who grew with the Russian mob at his uncle's country club, to Paul Mannafort and his connections to Russian oligarchs to his sainted son in law whoes father has a criminal record Trump surrounds him self with people who like to side step the law. And there are more --business associates and friends all who are dicey, dicey people. I hate Trump's policies but his character is deplorable. I don't know if Trump will be found guilty but it would not surprise me. Its the old addage about smoke and fire. And there is so much smoke.
2
Trump never does the right thing. Don't expect him to start. He will lie like he always does. Then change his story and lie again.
1
Calm resolve is the antidote to this delirium. Trump has unquestionably sullied the presidency in innumerable ways, and we're sure to discover more when he's long gone (e.g. use of the bully pulpit to manipulate markets . . . fair bet someone in the Trump orbit knows what's coming and is betting markets).
History is sure to consign him to infamy, and the idea that he'll irreversibly break our institutions is silly. Calmly resist. Win the House in November to neutralize him until 2020 when an honest leader (whether Biden, Kasich or new blood) to reverse the damage.
5
Follow the money. That’s where the real crime exists.
2
From the outset, I thought that Trump and Nixon were halves of the same bad apple. But Trump has eclipsed Nixon as the most odious president ever. I'm not sure a Democratic-controlled Congress will be "the" answer, but it will certainly give us a better chance to rein in the insanity emanating from Trump and his Republican enablers. We can't go on like this much longer.
5
Ultimately, Trump should be so lucky to come out looking like Nixon in Watergate. A hotel break-in is mild next to this.
Trump and his campaign are being investigated for collusion with one of the world's most villainous governments. The Trump family has been, um, less than consistent or believable with the Trump Tower meeting. Members of Trump's campaign had suspect connections with Russia (Flynn, Manafort, Gates). Trump remains curiously deferential to Putin. Comey was unjustly fired, Trump attacks the intelligence community past and present, and torments Sessions, Mueller and Rosenstein.
And there's no reason to think we've seen the worst of it yet.
2
Beyond “vanity” Mr. Blow, I firmly believe that the increasingly desperate, outrageous, and reckless behavior of this Fake President is caused by a profound fear that has seized him, a stark recognition that the end of not only his presidency but, more importantly, his private business interests is now quite possible. Trump’s original purpose in running for high office, expecting to lose, was to crassly promote the Trump Organization, but an historic electoral “accident” intervened. Now the future existence of that core element of his life, and his family’s, is being seriously jeopardized. Trump, being Trump, is capable of doing anything to protect and preserve his sense of entitlement to riches and a way of private life that such great wealth secures. America comes in a distant second place to our corrupt and criminal resident in the White House.
10
You must not stop or be deflected from portraying this man as he is. Reality-based media are showing signs of exhaustion in dealing with the hydra-headed Trump creature. I count on you to reassure me that to become numb to this bizarre behavior is to admit defeat. Don't stop. You have been, and continue to be, utterly right. Don't stop.
2
Nixon disgraced the presidency with his lies at least a while into his term of office. trump disgraced his candidacy day one of his campaign.
3
In sum, an insecure and vain man is being propped up by a hostile foreign power, and even worse, our majority-led Senate and House.
Anyone condoning by verbal or silent support needs to be voted out of office.
The only way to remove this cancer from the presidency is to vote in representatives who will act with integrity by putting country above party.
4
Charles: You posit that "the more Trump is cornered, the more he mirrors Richard Nixon." I thought you were going to go on to argue that just as Nixon's accomplishments as President (e.g. becoming the first President to visit China, signing the ABM Treaty with the USSR, founding the EPA, ending the draft) did not save him from being forced to resign because of the Watergate scandal, so too any claimed accomplishments of Trump in the end will not save his Presidency. But then you go on to say that unlike Nixon, Trump will not resign. So what you're left with simply is that Nixon was a liar and Trump is a liar. But so were many other Presidents.
As someone who would very much like to see an early end to Trump's Presidency, I like to use the Nixon comparison to respond to Trump supporters, who argue that Trump's numerous ethical and personality defects should be ignored in light of his actions (e.g. cutting taxes, visiting North Korea, appointing conservatives to the Supreme Court). I point out that need look no further than Nixon to see that a corrupt President's domestic and foreign policy accomplishments will not prevent that corruption from cutting short his Presidency.
2
A few random thoughts:
I recall an address to the nation Mr. Nixon made--way back when. When, for the first time, he uttered the fateful word "Watergate."
He paused for a moment--with a slight, almost imperceptible grimace--then mastered himself and went on. Something to the effect of. . . .
". . .what has come to be called the WATERGATE affair. . . ."
He urged us not to lose faith in our government--our institutions. I remember being moved and swayed by that seeming sincerity. . .
. . .though, of course, Mr. Dan Rather had some tart comments. There was was no question, he said, of American presidents--American institutions--American government losing our confidence, our trust.
"No. People only have a problem with THIS president and THIS government. . . .. "
Boy! He was on the money. Wouldn't you say?
Apropos of Mr. Trump's evaluation of Mr. Clinton:
Are you not struck by the TONE of those remarks? (Regardless of what the man is actually SAYING) So calm. So judicious. So balanced. Such a vivid contrast. . . .
. .. with the ever mounting anger and hysteria discernible in tweets Mr. Trump has bombarded us with over the last year and a half.
Goodness! I didn't know he was CAPABLE of sounding so detached, so rational.
But HE wasn't the guy (back then) whose feet some special prosecutor was holding to the fire.
He is now.
Makes a difference.
Wouldn't you say?
1
I'd take Nixon in a heartbeat over Trump.
Trump's bottomless insecurity and vanity control all of his decision making.
As lawless as Nixon was, he was an intelligent, competent and rational government technocrat who at the very least possessed a modicum of shame which compelled him to resign the office when he knew it was over.
It could be argued whether an element of Nixon's decision was for "the good of the country", but at least the argument can be made with a straight face.
That same argument could not be made for Trump if he were to be presented with similar circumstances.
Trump is singularly dangerous and unfit for the job in a way no previous president has ever been, rendering any comparisons to them irrelevant.
He'd blow up the country to save himself.
2
" Trump is petrified that someone will remove the mask he has been crafting for seven decades". You have to be kidding. Trump isn't wearing a mask...his supporters are.
6
Chris Matthews gave Trump a platform. Did MSNBC believe Trump possessed a great wisdom that had to be disseminated? They didn’t know what he was? Meredith Viera interviewed Trump during his unconscionable birtherism lie. What point wringing hands about him now when they bear some responsibility for his rise?
4
@Diane It is our responsibility to do the work of learning about the people running for office. The media report on what they learn, but it's ridiculous to expect everything to be served on a silver platter. I do my own research. I certainly don't depend on the TV to tell me. Blaming the media is blaming your own failure to be responsible for what you know.
"Trump lies about almost everything, but one thing that he says is true: He is a fighter. But he’s not a fighter because he is fearsome or brave. Valor has no relationship to the man. Trump fights for vanity."
Mr. Blow, you cannot really know of course what is in Mr. Trump's head. It makes no difference why he fights. Even vain people need to be brave to fight. Otherwise they would run away.
By your own admission, Mr. Trump digs his heels in, stands his ground and then attacks. He may fight for vanity, but that does not mean he is not brave to do so. Your hatred, Mr. Blow, blinds you and you underestimate your enemy. That has often been a fatal mistake.
3
With all respect to Charles Blow, who has been terrific in exposing this mess, I would argue that Trump is not really a fighter, just someone who poses as one.
Trump has a history of backing down and quietly going away when cornered.
The settlement over his phony university is an example. He started out blowing hot air as usual when it was challenged, but eventually settled and never mentioned it again. Also, casinos, marriages, affairs, other disputes.
Trump is more of a bully than a fighter. And a bully who is exposed has lost his power and usually quietly disappears.
23
@Baba Hopefully like Joe McCarthy.......
And don't forget the lies that Nixon told about not using foreign governments, i.e, the Thieu government in South Vietnam to sabotage the Paris peace talks in 1968, and subsequently the 1968 election.
This column is exhibit one for why Trump will not go down, and for that matter, why he was elected in the first place. He may very well deserve to be impeached and removed from office, but it will not happen. Democrats and liberal pundits have been defending the indefensible by Bill Clinton ever since his crimes came to light. They have set the precedent that from now on no party (nor their media allies) will ever hold a president from their own party accountable. When Clinton declared, "At no time did I ask anyone to lie, to hide or destroy evidence or to take any other unlawful action," he was not splitting hairs--he was lying. Clinton repeatedly lied under oath, attempted to suborn false testimony by his secretary, and used the entire force of the executive branch to attempt to smear and intimidate witnesses, including Monica Lewinsky, all in attempt to deny justice to one of the victims of his sexual predatory conduct, Paula Jones. His speech made no admission of anything that was not already irrefutable, but piled up more lies. Republicans held Nixon accountable. Democrats refused to hold Clinton accountable. Now Republicans have learned their lesson, and Trump will skate.
3
He lies pathologically, he has no empathy, nor moral compass. He is narcisstic, over-estimates his ability to make world-affecting decisions without studying the issues.
He appears not to respect our Constitution, has temporary loyalty only to those who praise and flatter him. He has no sense of humor. He divides the country. He was not voted in by a majority of Americans. How do we solve this dilemma and make sure it never happens again?
5
"But a full reading of Nixon’s statements sound mild compared to the viciousness with which Trump is attacking...."
A reading sounds mild. Nixon's statement is not the subject of this sentence, the full reading is - any reading. Just a comment.
Having said that, Trump looks and sounds phonier and lost every day. Mr. Blow is correct in that he will likely not resign nor offer an apology as either of his predecessors rightfully did. He's a shallow tin pot. A poseur. He is likely to continue to bluster until there is nothing left to bluster with.
We, as a nation, have never seen an impeachment fully (and peacefully) executed to its full extent under the consitution with an outcome different than acquittal. Dick Nixon dodged a figurative bullet. Maybe this time will be different?
1
You are right. There could be a tape of Trump at the tower meeting and he would lie. Little does Trump realize that his pettiness, vindictiveness and astoundingly deep insecurities are there daily in front of us in his tweets and public statements. We never knew how small a man he was until he began venting on Twitter. The comparison with a toddler or teenager is so apt because those are the ages at which most of us learn to mask and master our own deepest fears and selfishness. Trump never learned.
5
Trump is a lot worse than Nixon. In all respects.
14
@Larry Figdill -- Trump is both stupider and more ignorant than Nixon was.
Whether this is better or worse depends on one's perspective. It certainly makes him the lesser man compared to Nixon, but Trump's stupidity is what limits the damage he does. If Trump were as smart as Nixon ... he'd be very dangerous indeed.
1
It is almost insulting to Nixon's memory to be compared to the awful Trump. Nixon created the EPA and would have been horrified to see it totally debased by the cast or rogue characters running it now.
No, Trump is his own 'gold' standard - as gaudy and tasteless as the gold toilets he so admires.
12
After Cohen, comes Donnie, jr. and Kushner. And if Blow thinks that Trump's diatribes are vicious now, just you wait Henry Higgens, just you wait.
5
Trump's greatest fear is the public finding out he's not rich, his ego couldn't handle it. I think he's deeply in debt to Putin and company.
2
WILL remove the mask? The mask fell off during the campaign. Many just choose to see the emperor’s new clothes. But many more see the man for what he is.
2
Nixon's smoking gun was his admission that he tried to kill the Watergate inquiry six days after the break-in. Trump's smoking gun will be when we learn just what goods the Kremlin has on him, be it embarrassment or a financial cutoff, and the moment he decided to accept its blackmail.
17
I lived in DC and worked on the Hill during the Johnson and Nixon eras. That was when, despite the political foibles of both parties, there was at least a working government. We are on the precipice of a Constitutional crisis, yet almost half (maybe more if you consider the Congressional crickets) of America wants to follow a snake-oil salesman over the cliff. Meanwhile, from my vantage point, I see the foundations of democracy crumbling. It is not just one wall...it is domestic, economic, and international.
I am trying to be hopeful that the surge of energy on the liberal left will be enough to shift this maelstrom. But I have a gnawing doomsayer at the back of my mind that says we didn't think Trump win the presidency, and look what happened.
IF the American voters don't sit home with political fatigue, and IF gerrymandering can be knocked asunder by massive turnout, and IF the cyber-meddling can be neutralized, and IF Independents aren't beaten down by Trump, MAYBE we can survive.
It is up to each and every one of us to heed Liberty's clarion. Resist, raise your voices, call out the hypocricies, donate, volunteer and VOTE!
88
I'm with you Mr. Mountain Dragon fly! I founded a movement called the Grayroots Movement a year ago which encourages and inspires our older generation to become politically active and get involved in our national resistance to these monsters.
I close my business one hour early each day and go to our local grocery store with my partner in Grayroots. We set up a table outside with all kinds of info pertaining to how to get active. We sell tee shirts, etc to raise money for a month long campaign road trip on the East Coast. If ALL of us Democrats do what we can campaign wise and then vote, we will win back our country!
@Mountain Dragonfly I feel the same exact way. We are at a point of no return if at least the House isn't flipped to Democratic control this November.
@Mountain Dragonfly, and,,, if we don't vote in droves and Democratic this time and in the foreseeable future we can kiss Democracy in the USA GOODBYE !
The truth is we know enough about the lack of character and fitness of this man. We’ve had daily doses of his morally reprehensible behavior and the list of the ways that he has abused the privilege he has been given is long and well documented.
Presently, since I know where I stand regarding his lack of fitness, I am unable to stop worrying about how much more damage will occur to the American system, our stature in the world and the planet itself with systematic attempts at undoing any progressive initiative and his venal self absorption. I think many of us are feeling this sense of urgency. A Democratic majority in the local, state and federal legislatures would be a start. It is not enough to place all hope in the Mueller investigation without having enough leaders in opposition who can curtail the power he is so willing to abuse.
48
@MG, a Democratic victory is not a start, without it we will not have a democracy in the US anymore !
If Trump had even an iota of self awareness, he'd need to face the fact that his "mask" was ripped off years ago. The man is a buffoon. Only being born rich saved him from becoming nothing but a second tier mediocrity.
37
Personally, trump fights out of vanity, but more than that, out of fear. First he fears for himself, then some of the members of his family, but friends? I’m not sure he actually has any of those. Trump fights out of cowardice, not out of any sense of courage, or for the welfare of others. In the end, his legacy will be worse than Tricky Dick’s. Like Akhenaton in ancient Egypt, we, as a country will do all in our power to forget him. The best that can come of this is improved vetting of presidential candidates, and limitations on certain presidential powers that will go a long way to protecting our democracy.
39
@Wayne We will need some improved vetting for all office holders along the lines of South Africa's truth and reconciliation commissions. Until the traitors in the republican party that have been fully complicit in the seditious attack on our Constitutional democracy are held to account we will simply cycle to a more competent autocratic political actor.
1
The BIG difference between "Nixon, Clinton and Trump" is not lying, it's respect for the Constitution. Donald Trump, as his relentless attacks against the "free press" as "fake news" and the Department of Justice and the national intelligence agencies as promoters of the Russia "witch hunt," has absolutely no respect for the Constitution and the "rule of law" that is the bedrock of our democracy. And in this he has been joined by the entire Congressional Republican Party. What we are witnessing goes well beyond lying and constant coverups, but a slow-motion coup d'etat aided and abetted by "willing accomplices" in Congress like Speaker Paul Ryan who has authorized co-conspirators Reps. Devin Nunes, Bob Goodlatte, and Jim Jordan in their attacks on the Special Counsel investigation, and also Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who initiated the attack on the Constitution when he denied providing the required "advice and consent" on Obama nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland. If the voters fail to realize that the midterm elections are about whether or not they support the Constitution, they will have chosen a Trump autocracy where, to paraphrase Rudy "The Mouth" Giuliani, "Trump's lies are our truth."
37
@Paul Wortman
Well written. Thank you. Only registering people to vote and voting in a responsible Congress can rid us of this evil man and his administration and even that is not a sure thing.
@Paul Wortman....your post could use some paragraphs for easier reading. Hit enter a few x.
Yes a slow motion coup de'etat---but it's hard to face since the US was once a role model of democracy to the world.
The political science classes will study how it happened---that the GOP rw party controls the 3 branches of govt, a rw GOP state media manipulates public opinion, and a GOP authoritarian leader was elected.
Then let's analyze, since Clinton and even Obama, how much of a strong opposition party have the Dems been? Hillary got millions from speeches to banks, and refused to reinstate bank regulations Bill had repealed.
Obama passed a GOP health plan, protecting insurance profits.
A pattern here.
Can Dems now be strong enough if they must raise big money to compete with GOP. Maybe we'll get rid of Trump, but then what? Can we really reverse the slow motion coup?
Good topic for a NYT column.
Perhaps Trump will just refuse to leave the White House once he is voted out of office or term-limited. Will the republicans insist that he go? It isn't a spurious question given the resistance this man has to playing by the rules. Would the military insist that he go? Would the Supreme Court?
16
@Susan-------------------------Military, yes; Supreme Court. no, because, alas, it will have been so foully compromised.
1
Many of the comments here are predicting how it might end for the Trump presidency; with a bang or a whimper ? My prognostication is that if Trump is confronted with an eviction notice he will call for an armed insurrection by his heavily armed white supremacist followers. This follows the logic of this era: if you think what's going on now is bad wait until you see what's around the corner. There is no depth Trump will not sink to in order to maintain power, including overt violence. Think about those campaign rallies both before and after his election. Then think of all that screaming mob with automatic weapons in its hands. Far fetched, inconceivable, some may say. I wish it were so.
47
@andy b Have you seen videos or photographs of his "armed" supporters? It is doubtful many of them can put down the remote long enough and stray far enough from their bags of Cheetos to participate in a rebellion. It does not take much courage to waste money on an AR15 that could be better spent on the welfare of their families.
@andy b
If you don't think this is possible, you haven't been paying attention. However, I think it's far more likely that, when confronted with irrefutable evidence that Trump conspired with Russia to steal the 2016 election, Trump will simply continue to say none of it is true, and the spineless Republicans will do nothing.
1
@andy b: Am a supporter of The Donald, neither own a gun, nor am a hunter, and in fact despise those who do!Having sponsored my Ghanaian born spouse and her entire family--chain immigration--who are all enjoying the fruits of living in this land of abundance, I could hardly be called a white supremacist! Recall Dem. Party precinct captain, Bernie bro, who opened fire on the baseball field against Republicans, 1 of whom was Cong. Scalise, and about whom an MSNBC commentator remarked , I paraphrase, that Scalise had it coming because of his conservative views. Recall BOB Kremer, Dem Party activist, who organized demonstrators who attacked attendees at Trump's rallies, all teleguided, my hunch from the WH.After Tea Party rallies, folks always cleaned up. Not so with aficionados of Anti-Fa,just an example. Do not recall any harassment of Dem. Party politicians out for an evening meal at a local restaurant. 1 columnist justified the uncivil treatment of SHS when she and her kids were at dinner, to which 1 witty commenter responded,"Baby, you don't want to see the right become uncivil!"Robert Altman's film, "Nashville" should be seen by extremists on both sides of the barricades!As AJP Taylor wrote in his obra magister, "ORIGINS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR,"1 thing led to another, and when the Petite Entente in 1939 declared war on Germany after its invasion of Poland, no one was more surprised than Hitler himself, whom Taylor compared to a riverboat gambler.
Trump's response to a Mueller report that documents his criminal behavior and the need for his impeachment and/or resignation will be to call for his followers to take to the streets armed and keep him in office through violence and sheer physical force. In short, he will call for a second civil war and rule through martial law. The GOP will most likely remain silent--thus giving their consent. If we haven't heard the words signalling this from both Trump and his supporters, we all need to pay closer attention. Trump won't give up the presidency--no matter what lengths he has to go to to keep it.
30
Maybe they will take to the streets, but where? Trump’s base is not located in urban areas, they are mostly in fly-over farm county with some support in the rust belt. Are they going to march on the now-fallow soybean fields and empty Sears stores of suburbia?
Trump is the face of the the Administration, Ryan the face of the House and McConnell the Senate all three have absorbed the political system into a black hole with the force of gravity being the super PACS and endless conservative think tanks.
Gary Cohn's mission was to promote and achieve the tax plan that would create benefits for himself and for those in his orbit. Forget the deficit they all knowingly created and the shaft to the majority of citizens his mission was accomplished. He bailed when that wrapped up. He participated in the bigotry, ignored the lies, wallowed in the mud but what's that compared to his financial gain.
Don McGahn's is supposed to be council to the Office of the Presidency or the White House both innate and nebulous since the the man with the title has sinned against all that he is supposed to represent. However McGahn's recommendations for judges, no experience necessary, incompetence ok, just conservative credentials has been achieved at an alarming rate and keeps rolling along. Neil Gorsuch has already harmed the majority of citizens and Kavanaugh will nail the coffin. Sure McGahn might book after that's achieved but his sacrifice of dignity will be remembered in each conservative decision for decades.
Overall it appears until those in the Trump Administration destroy the function of every Cabinet, the Department of Justice, credibility of elections and free press, squeeze the lemon dry on the majority Trump will remain in office.
22
People may have hated Richard Nixon but no one can deny that he was an intelligent man. He was capable of doing whatever it took to be elected and understood the agony of defeat and the ecstacy of victory of dirty politics.
Once elected he had great respect for the office of the President and always acted in a manner (however misguided) that he thought was in the best interests of the country. He was sincerely insulted that anyone would think he would use the Presidency to enhance his personal fortune. He was willing to defy his own party and go to China. He was willing to install wage and price controls when needed. He proposed a national health care system similar to the Affordable Care Act (rejected by Democrats hoping for a better plan). He was responsible for much of its damage and destruction but he did end the war in Vietnam. Finally, he knew when his effectiveness as President was over.
Trump uses the Presidency to enhance his personal power and prestige by placing the Trump brand on everything. To resign would be act of a loser; to apologize is a sign of weakness; to admit a lie would be to deny his infallibility.
Clinton knew how to skirt but not cross the boundary of legality. Nixon was willing to cross the boundary if he thought it was for the greater good of the country. Donald Trump is not willing to admit there is a boundary.
Trump resigning for the good of the country is a oxymoron.
37
@BRUCE You mention the national health care plan proposed by Nixon, similar to the Affordable Care Act, and state it was rejected by Democrats hoping for a better plan.
The Democrats rejected Nixon's plan because THEY wanted to be the party to put forth a national health care plan.
Jimmy Carter held Ted Kennedy responsible for blocking Carter's plan for a national health care plan - still does! Kennedy worked to win the DNC nomination thus unseating his own party's sitting president. Chappaquiddick put an end to that, as Kennedy became persona non grata for years.
There's a saying in business and in life: It's amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.
That doesn't work in politics!! Block your opponent's plan even though it's good........YOU want the credit.
2
Trump doesn't have the guts to talk with Mueller. Or at least if it's sold this way, he might consider it a challenge to do so. If his bone spurs aren't hurting too bad.
17
Trump wanted the presidency for no particular reason other than stick it to Obama and everyone else who never paid him the respect he felt he properly deserved. In other words he wanted the presidency for the worst imaginable reasons. Then, with a little help from the worst imaginable people he won the presidency to become the worst president anyone could ever imagine. Nixon was hardly any great shakes as POTUS but he tried to maintain what shreds remained of his dignity when the jig was up, and even succeeded in doing so to some extent. Trump, on the other hand, who hasn't a shred of dignity remaining, will only leave office at the last possible moment and in the worst imaginable way.
37
The disdain that the guy in the White House has for the American people by constantly lying to protect himself is mind boggling enough. Now he has a surrogate in his lawyer, Giuliani, being deliberately sent out to lie interview after interview.
So much so that Miriam Webster has taken to Twitter
To define the word truth after Giuliani declared yesterday that “truth isn’t truth”.
If this was a movie or a book of fiction, it might be received as satire or a comedy, depicting that there are millions of the electorate who will believe anything; and accept any action of the current president no matter how dangerous. But this spectacle is real life.
The seriousness of the disaster that is happening in our country has prompted the unprecedented public criticism by more than 60 former high level national security professionals of Trump’s vicious attacks, and retaliation on any one in government that dare question him.
We must vote into Congress people who see their job as protecting the rights of the electorate, not saving the skin of the current president. They must put a check on this guy’s blatant, and gleeful abuse of power, and destruction of our country.
27
@Memma "Truth isn't truth". Reminds me of "It depends on what your definition of is is".
1
"For me, it is clear that there was at least an attempt by members of the Trump team to conspire with Russians to influence the elections. The evidence of that is now public record."
Until you can provide hardcore evidence that President Trump was complicit in any such attempt to have the Russians alter the election, you should refrain from making such judgements. I know that is a difficult task for you since you hate him, but fair and honest journalism demands it.
6
@MCH - Trump has admitted that the meeting at Trump tower with the Russians was to get dirt on his opponent - in other words to influence the election.
How about Trump's lawyer admitting publicly that Trump's son met with Russians to get dirt on Clinton?
2
June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower. What more do you need to know. Or do you still believe it was a “nothing burger”?
2
The before and after "caught in a lie" quotes of Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon. Trump can't be chronicled in succinct, complete nuggets. He's a tsunami of meaningless backwash.
Those men resisted their downfalls; but, in the end, they acquiesced to the power of our democracy. Trump's quote on Bill Clinton? Predicts Trump's presidency as a SHAMELESS, self-serving junket to never-be-surrendered.
Pegging President Trump "lies about almost everything, but one thing that he says is true: He is a fighter", Mr Blow highlights the weakness in the fighter's mask.
How is this spray-on, coiffed, and pressed "mask" successful? To start, his supporters are already "sold" on the crab's RED MEAT. They are impressed with the colorful hard shell, the "power pincer" hand shake; and the constant sidestepping from one battle to the next BRINGS ENDLESS AMUSEMENT.
Trump supporters MISTAKE - a scavenging salesman obsessed with the size of his shell - for a president leading a nation. Donald J. Trump is "too small" to fit that bill.
12
I hated Nixon for so many decades that I actually developed a sort of affection for him. I will never do that for Trump. He has no good qualities - not one. Walking with his grandchildren looks like a photo-op.
8
The difference is the GOP. John Cornyn's reaction with a chuckle to Trump's lying and racist statements.reflects the moral cowardice of the GOP. "I have more important things to do," he said. If Barry Goldwater, John Rhodes, and Hugh Scott - all Republicans - had said the same thing, Nixon would never have resigned. Instead, they displayed courage and integrity when they met with Nixon, told him he had . lost support and wouldn't survive an impeachment vote. Trump has no such worry. The GOP would never do that, even if Trump did shoot someone on Fifth Ave. The cowardice of Mitch McConnell, Cornyn, and the rest of the GOP ostriches will be prominent when history records this sordid chapter of American history.
29
I'm interested to see how far the deranged Trump will go to cling to power once more truth is revealed bu Mueller.
As Nixon deteriorated, Secretary of Defense Schlesinger was rumored to have instructed the Joint Chiefs not to carry out any presidential instructions unless Schlesinger signed off on them. If this is true, he clearly understood just how unstable and deperate Nixon was.
There has been no acknowledgement of Trump's instability among his minions. On the contrary, they appear to feel that the egregious acts he commits daily are normal, justified and even admirable.
I was comforted by the open letter by the leaders of the CIA, FBI and military condemning Trump's actions against Brennan. I hope this is a veiled message to those whose job it is to protect us that their highest commitment is to the Constitution and not to the madman who holds the office of President of the United States.
35
This is all true. But also dangerous. It makes too much of Trump the damaged personality and too little of the 21st Century manifestation of white nationalism and white supremacy that powers him, his backers and his enablers. He isn’t Nixon or Clinton. He is Jefferson Davis. That is the life and death struggle that matters in the end.
15
What is perhaps just as disheartening and disturbing about the Nixon, Clinton, and Trump phenomena of transgressions is the mind-set of the electorate, of the voters, and how our society has changed...not for the better. The reactions to these past and present far from honorable presidents have become a reflection of our own if not lost then at least weakened community moral compass.
The best way to explain this is to juxtapose Watergate with for lack of a better description Russia-gate. For those of us who remember it, think how we as a nation were both angry and fairly disgusted with Richard Nixon. And we were absolutely right, even though in hind-sight that low point in our history pales to what is occurring now. Now fast forward to 2016/18. We have a blatant liar, adulterer, misogynistic, bigoted, egotist taking up space in the Oval Office. Our Republican Congress abets its leader through its silence or defense of the indefensible. But it is to us that the onus lies. We are daily giving a green light and actually encouraging Mr. Trump to continue his vitriolic words and calloused actions. We are the ones who need to look in the mirror and see what we have become. It is not too late, however. We are capable of doing better; we can and must.
12
These wonderful comments speak for themselves. If they were to have a trickle-down effect and slip meaningfully into the minds of trump's suspect supporters. much good would be accomplished.
With each passing day it becomes more and more obvious that Trump is grossly incompetent, but then, we already know that.
One cure for all this uncertainty and chaos would be to have Mr. Mueller speak out and get started. We Americans have been waiting a long time.
6
If Trump finishes like Nixon, and resigns before he's impeached, I have NO problem with that. Not at all.
8
I share your opinion that Trump won’t submit to questioning by Mueller, and won’t confess to any wrongdoing. And while I always thought Trump didn’t really want to be president and would eventually quit, my confidence in resignation has lessened. The man is drunk on power and has no shame. No lie is out of bounds. No accusation is too crazy. Especially when no one in his party is actually stepping up to stop him. But I still think it is possible he’ll resign. A lot is going to happen in the next few months. There is a real possibility that Don Jr and/or Jared could be indicted. Manafort could be found guilty. Michael Cohen could be charged. Trump Inc and/or his foundation could be open to criminal charges. Any of these things could strain even his shameless ability to lie, and throw other people under the bus, and could hasten the unraveling that is already apparent from his and Rudy’s conduct. So at some point I could still see him walking away and saying he was the best president ever, but the evil dark state ran him out of office. He could then start a new tv show called The Martyr.
19
We’ve had dishonest presidents and we’ve had incompetent presidents but until now I don’t believe that we’ve ever had a president who would willingly and openly betray his own country for personal financial gain. That we now have a political party that would protect and even conspire with such a man is incomprehensible.
45
"Days after Clinton made his admission, Donald Trump gave an interview to Chris Matthews..." And this, of course, was years after Trump's nasty, racist behavior in the case of the Central Park Five. Why did anyone at that time think Trump had any valuable insight to offer on the Clinton matter? This "interview" stands as part of the build-up of a wealthy, racist know-all whose progress to the White House was paved by entertainment TV that masqueraded at times as thoughtful discussion.
16
The three presidents provide an interesting arc when taken together as a continuum.
Nixon lied and then got out fast when they caught him. We were shocked but relieved he was gone.
Clinton got caught out, lied and then snake-oil-salesmanned his way back in. The stature of the presidency was diminished in the eyes of most.
Trump gets caught, over and over again, lies and then attacks viciously dragging those who know the truth down to his incoherent level. Lies and truths are twisted beyond recognition, morality and immorality melt like Dali’s clock, the hands spinning forwards and backwards madly. This is not once and done. It continues without end, spiralling us all into the abyss.
The actions of all three presidents have made us morally poorer but it is the base venality of Trump that will damage us forever.
14
Another great column!
But, I fear that behind Trump’s paper mask is another stack of papers that will show his wealth is 90%, possibly more than 100% non-existent.
It’s something I once watched play out in Bankruptcy Court - in that case the bankrupt was the world’s best car salesman.
He was also the world’s greatest sucker for the great salesman.
With the help of another who bought the line at GMAC, he leveraged one dealership off another - then someone at GMAC got a look at the books.
The problem here is Trump is not backed by a US finance operation - he’s backed by Russia, source of his loans for 30 years plus, according to his son.
Which leaves Vladimir Putin the guy who can pull the mask, and crush the Trump empire within a day.
10
More frightening are the parallels with Germany in the early 1930’s. The capacity of a demagogue to shape and influence public opinion by defining “truth” by frequency of misleading denials, repeated attacks on the pillars of freedom, and unreasoned verbal assaults on his detractors is a pathway to fascism.
21
As John Dean said today, Trump will not go willingly or graciously.
Buckle your seat belts America, we're in for a bumpy ride.
15
Trump rather obviously has no plans to sit down and actually cooperate with Mueller, but it wouldn't surprise me if Trump's narcissistic personality issues are still goading him to meet with Mueller so he can lie his way out of trouble. Trump certainly went out of his way, earlier on, to state how eager he was to meet with Mueller.
Despite his lawyers' advice, that part of Trump likely still feels capable of out-maneuvering his nemesis, and this arguably helps explain why the possibility of his agreeing to a meeting has lingered on so long. Trump's lawyers, in this scenario, simply haven't been able to convince him to take the meeting entirely off their side of the table, so they are forced to play along and make various counter offers to Mueller's proposals.
Ironically, if Trump is guilty of doing very bad things, and if he thinks Mueller has the goods on him, and even if he is panicking, at this point Trump is probably still dreaming of going up against Mueller, as he may think that's his best option to avoid a very bad outcome. If I were Trump, and had Trump's team of special lawyers as my other defensive option, I'd be thinking about meeting with Mueller too.
1
For possibly as many as 40% of voters, Trump can do no wrong. He is a Messiah, parting the troubled waters for safe passage to nirvana. For these folks, there is no logic, no fact, no analysis that can impinge upon their pure belief.
There is no point in attempting their conversion to sanity.
For the remaining 60%, Trump is imperfect, to put things mildly. This realization is so well underlined by long lists of reprehensible statements, actions, and appointments. There is no value in beating this dead horse.
Instead, Charles and others would be more usefully employed in tracking down the venal rascals in the GOP Congress and making clear that their days in Congress need to end. Likewise the iniquities of the billionaire backers of these supine villains needs to be laid out, and corruption laid bare.
That is where Charles and other commentators and reporters can do the most good. Not by idly repeating Trump’s more current failings.
16
@John Brews ..✅✅
The 40% are lost in the web of deceit. And Congress is refusing to carry out it’s constitutional purpose. These explanations for the savage and intentional assaults on our society have been addressed in previous comments.
This column is a great piece of writing, but I believe we need to be faced each day with writing about the actual destruction of our country. Contamination of air, water, the crumbling of our national parks, the continuing assault on voting rights, the corruption of our judiciary, tax breaks solely for the wealthiest class, the destruction of our infrastructure by inattention, all need to be on the front pages of our newspapers, in opinion columns, on tv. There is so much political chaos these days that the real life-changing issues are being lost in the noise.
I live each of my days now with “fear and loathing” watching what I love about us as a country die. It is making me sick.
2
Every morning the news becomes more and more cartoonists. Watching this man emerge from his tanning bed and hour long hair regime, to rail against the latest injustice to his brand of venality is beyond depressing. Even if we get pass Trump with some semblance of this country's political, economic, and military infrastructure still in place, what comes next after Trump? Establishment figures are too boring; intellectuals too smart; and now business types too rich---who is left? Our Republic cannot survive two or three more Trump-lite presidents.
14
Extraordinary piece of writing!
5
The Nixon daughters must be relieved to have cast off the burden of their father being the most corrupt President in American history. Trump has it all over Nixon in terms of corruption and cover-ups. Moreover, Nixon did not humiliate us on a world stage, as Admiral McRaven stated that Trump has done and continues to do.
32
@SCZ Richard Nixon is far from being the most corrupt President in American history.
The difference between Nixon and others is the difference between the caught and the uncaught.
Nixon got caught.
A third-rate burglary, with no reason to do it and no knowledge that Nixon authorized it, brought him down. Had he gone on national TV and laid out what happened, apologized for what happened, and said the offenders would be prosecuted, he might have finished out his term.
Nixon was so far ahead in the polls it was unthinkable that George McGovern would win. Nixon won 49 states. McGovern didn't even win his own state (South Dakota). He won Massachusetts plus the District of Columbia.
3
"One of Trump’s greatest fears and greatest insecurities is being embarrassed and being exposed."
The fact is, he embarrasses and exposes himself every day with every utterance and every tweet.
But he has protection, and not just the singular protections of the presidency. His psychosis includes an impenetrable border wall of denial which shields himself from crippling embarrassment that comes with being Donald Trump.
For this reason it will end badly: I agree he'll go down hard, real hard, and I believe he'll take a large part of our country, morality, and decency with him. The worst is yet to come, by far. And when he's gone, the greatest celebration: VT Day across the land.
20
Mr. Blow writes the truth. Except for one thing: Trump is gonna skate. At the very worst Mueller will hand his findings to Congress and let it make the final decisions. And this Congress is going to impeach Trump? Not a chance. If its composition remains Republican after November impeachment will never make it to the floor for a vote. If Democrats top out in both houses will they honestly go for Trump's throat with Pence waiting in the wings? Pence is way more dangerous than Trump and if he gets into the White House via a Trump impeachment the way is paved for him to win outright in 2020.
9
As Mr. Blow notes, presidential lying is not new. It has been around a very long time: http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-trump-presidential-lies-2017-story... . As for lashing out when cornered, that might be true of most of us.
Maybe the press and public were a bit more lenient in olden days, but Trump is the most prolific and nasty liar in US presidential history. Does he deserve leniency? Not any more.
Nixon, who could read and analyze white papers, was also far more intelligent than Trump. Not that this was an excuse for much--but Nixon was not running the office for the same degrees of personal and familial gain.
For those who question the idea of the applicability of the emoluments clause to Trump's behavior, take a look at a late 18th or early 19th century dictionary. It is a short definition: profit and advantage. That is what it meant to the Founders.
4
Of course Trump is mirroring Richard Nixon. But this nation will not rid itself of Trump as we were able to with Nixon. I'm in my sixties, and I recall the Watergate era quite well. While many Republicans continued to support Nixon at the outset of the investigation, as the months wore on, and as proof was presented of his wrongdoing, Republican voters turned against him. This is why there were enough Republican Senators willing to cross the aisle and vote for Nixon's removal from office.
Here, while Trump may mirror Nixon, in no way do current Republican voters mirror Republican voters of the Nixon era. We have some 45% of the public who know they are being lied to, and simply don't care. This was not the case in the Nixon era.
Trump voters are driven by their racism and by their hate, and do not care what crimes he commits. They do not care that Trump has destroyed this nation's international standing in eighteen months, and has made us the laughing stock of the world. Nor do they care that hate crimes have skyrocketed under Trump's tenure. In fact, they are pleased to have a president as hateful and bigoted as they are, who grants them license to act on their disgusting views.
John Brennan has recently said that Trump is drunk with power. That may be true, but it is his cult-like supporters who keep filling his glass. Trump knows he will not suffer Nixon's fate. And this is entirely because of his rabid supporters, who will do literally anything to keep him in power.
30
Trump will call for armed resistance from his followers before he submits to law and order. The nation is in peril.
16
I agree Mr. Blow that there is little chance that Trump will ever admit his crimes. Taking responsibility is not in his nature. No matter the evidence, whatever went wrong is someone else's fault. More important to our democracy is the question of whether or not his supporters will be able to admit that he has commited crimes. The further down the road to perdition Trumpsters follow their mad leader, the harder it will be to admit they were wrong. If we as a nation are ever to heal the rifts caused by this Divider in Cheif, it essential that Trump supporters finally see him for who he truly is.
21
Donald Trump may well resign as the details of his kleptocracy emerge, especially if there is strong evidence of money laundering or even more scurrilous evidence of his enlisting Russian or the Ukraine in his 2016 election coup. As many have observed, it's doubtful that Mr. Trump wanted to be president until he was elected - he just wanted to bask in attention, and perhaps set up a Hard(er) Right Fox News.
I think "being president" is for Mr. Trump not particularly fun (hence all the time off and the weird post-election campaign rallies). If he has an excuse to resign while claiming it's the result of a "witch hunt" (and thus saving face with his base) - especially if that resignation comes with a promise of pardon from Mike Pence - Mr. Trump will do so.
And Mr. Pence will do all he can to facilitate Mr. Trump's exit without blinking. He purposely lays low, hoping to be able to disassociate from Mr. Trump in the future, and take the reins of the presidency to drive the USA back 60 years.
21
Give control of Congress to the Democrats in November.
This is the Constitutional solution to the Trump problem.
30
Excellent assessment and analysis. If Mueller finds grounds and Congress finds a backbone and conscience, I fear that Trump would provoke violence and insurrection to the peril of our nation to spare his fragile ego.
7
A related outrage is congressional Republicans standing behind Trump, just like they did for Nixon, only breaking from him when that position became totally untenable. Has the party of Nixon learned nothing?
16
When I heard that Michael Cohen, Trump's ex-lawyer, is under investigation for bank fraud in excess of $20 million, my thoughts turned to that famous Watergate-era Wanted poster in which 'apprehended' was splashed across the faces and names of all those in Nixon's circle, with Nixon being the only exception. I imagine it's only a matter of time before a similar poster is created for Trump and his crew are similarly portrayed.
Nixon had plenty of faults, but utter contempt for the institutions that make America great was not one of them. He also had his demons, but deep down I think there was semblance of honor, of integrity. Trump, on the other hand, has exhibited shameless contempt for American institutions, and particularly for the rule of law. And there is absolutely no sense of what anyone can conceivably call 'honor' in his makeup.
Trump's biggest demon perhaps is all-consuming vanity for which he is willing to fight so fiercely. I agree with Mr. Blow that one of Trump's greatest fears is 'being embarrassed an being exposed', but I disagree with the characterization that his mask is made of paper rather than steel. The mask is weaker than paper; it, and all it represents, is nothing but ephemera.
6
Unfortunately there is one thing that Donald Trump said that was true - that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and it wouldn’t cost him any votes.
Republican votes, that is.
11
If he had shrugged at the accusations of collusion and acknowledged Russian involvement, and assigned even just one person to address it, he wouldn't be cornered right now. He's been told over and over, shown over and over, by intelligence officers from all stripes. It's not just a fear of being considered illegitimate. There's something not right about him. His admin team is doing their best to hide it, but it's not going to work. He's a crazed, injured animal.
9
The noose is tightening and Trump gets more desperate each and every day. His erratic behaviour and rambling tweets reinforce the image of a man out of control. The Trump oversized ego will do anything to save his presidency. Hopefully the Military will refuse to act when Trump orders a nuclear strike. I know this seems preposterous. But is it?
12
Your analysis is right on. Trump is all about himself and his image in his own eyes has to be good even if it is all made out of straw. Nothing else really matters. He is probably always thinking of how he looks,sounds, acts, appears and he wants to appear big and fearsome, like he thinks Putin is. He is all on the surface with nothing of inner thought or comprehension. It is the way he was raised or the way he is made and adjusted to his life. He can't change, what you see is what you get. He will do anything to save his image. He is in a terrible, for him, corner now and who knows what he will do?
This is a dangerous predicament for all of us-to be in this together with Trump. There is no precedent for this and anything can happen.
4
Please stop comparing the current occupant of the White House to President Nixon. The gap between them in political knowledge, raw intelligence, and administrative competence is just too wide to make any comparisons fair to the late President.
34
The mask came off of Trump when he was inaugurated.
His first lie as President was that he had the biggest crowd ever. Sean spicer defended it and lied himself. As has everyone who has been appointed by Trump.
From the White House appointees to Cabinet Appointees. From a Supreme Court appointee to Sarah Huckabee Sanders. And let us not forget John Kelly who has made the Military look bad, as well as the fact he embarrassed himself spouting the integrity and ethics of a military officer which he, himself does not live by.
So the mask is off. When is it going to lead to Trump's departure.
25
The big difference here is that for Trump “truth isn’t truth.”
Nixon and Clinton both appreciated the fact there is only one truth. Clinton tried to weasel his way around it and was saved by the skin of hs teeth, less because he won out over truth than because some believed removal from office for sexual peccadillos might be more than the system could bear. Nixon was revealed a liar by his own audio-taped words and, pushed by the Goldwater envoy, he resigned for the good of the country when the real truth of his Watergate role finally caught up with him.
Unlike Clinton and Nixon, Trump doen’t give a fig for the truth one way or the other. For him the only thing that matters is what he can convince people to believe. So he will contnue to fight with his ever-heavier blitzkrieg of claims of being framed by a Hillary-loving “Deep State.” And because the only thing that truly matters to him is his own skin, he will fight to the death—either of his presidency or of truth itself and with it, the rule of law on which our republic was founded.
Regardless the ultimate winner, forty percent of the American public will believe what he has told them—or at least say they do. And whether we actually lose our republic or whether it is just ripped to shreds in Trump’s battle royal to save himself, we will all lose the country we once loved and thought we knew.
3
The "collusion" and obstruction is in plain sight, what we know already makes this clear as day. Republicans have done nothing. They will do nothing if a Mueller report would come out with a tape of Trump and Putin planning the whole thing. Nothing matters at this point except voting for a Democrat in November.
13
Trump’s insecurities require that he's constantly praised and reassuranced of how great he is. This is something Putin does well, he can lead Trump in any direction he wants because he knows just when and how to praise Trump.
Trump also has a persecution complex. He believes everyone is out to get him which is why he lashes out at the press and his detractors on a daily basis. It consumes him. It prevents him from discharging his duties as President.
The presidency is the highest office in our government yet has low eligibility standards. It’s time that all candidates running for office have psychological testing. It time for a Constitutional amendment to correct this.
9
The zealous pursuit of the Clintons in the 90s followed by the stolen election of 2000. The Republican Mueller was for all that. I’m not against him, but I’m not convinced he is the good man he is being made out to be.
4
I agree that the more investigators zero in on Trump's misdeeds, the more desperate his responses become. As devious as Richard Nixon was, at least he was an educated and intelligent man. No one has ever accused Trump of being smart.
8
Good job comparing and contrasting Trump and Nixon (and Clinton). I would also bet that those who supported Nixon, even after he confessed and resigned and the evidence was presented, are now (or literally, gave birth to) Trump's core.
I guess in some odd way I'm envious of people with egos so distorted and certain that they can justify such bold, unequivocal lies because they "know" they are the only people that can get a job done. But in every case I know of (and there are many more than the three you've discussed), the world would have been a better place on balance had each been removed from power and universally shamed.
3
"One of Trump’s greatest fears and greatest insecurities is being embarrassed and being exposed. Trump is petrified that someone will remove the mask he has been crafting for seven decades".
And that's why he's so dangerous. A person whose entire self-image and self-esteem has been built on a series of lies and fantasies will do anything to avoid it crashing down and exposing him for the loser he is.
Due to the office Trump occupies, he has access to a lot of very dangerous tactics that he may well decide to use if he suspects that crash is imminent, up to and including starting wars, imprisoning specific members of ethnic or racial groups--or occupational groups such as journalists--suspending habeas corpus (it's been done before, remember), imposing economic policies that lead to crashes . . .
He may not be entirely or even a little successful at all of these, but can any of us doubt he'd try anything to keep from being exposed?
THAT'S the argument that should be made to Republicans with consciences and to anyone else who may have supported him in the past, as well as to all of the intermittent voters who wonder why they should be bothered to show up at the polls in November.
12
Perhaps I missed it - was there some evidence presented that President Trump engages in criminal conduct of some kind ?
I know the FBI assigned an agent who expressly stated his goal as investigator was to prevent President Trump from winning the election, but did he produce an indictment against President Trump or any of the President’s senior staff for collusion ?
If there’s no indictment, and let’s face it, as the saying goes - a prosecutor can indict a ham sandwich - isn’t this column premature and inappropriate ?
4
An “official” indictment? No. But that’s Blow’s point. We’re in the period where all of the evidence is right in front of us and all any one of us needs to do is to connect the dots. If you’re willing to open your eyes.
3
Trump: " I can shoot someone of 5th avenue and they will still vote for me!"
No amount of evidence from Mueller will change the minds of his supporters. I am not sure that there is any evidence that will convince Republican Senators to do what is right instead of political.
I just do not see where this ends. Trump will never tell the truth, Congress will not act, and even if they do, his supporters will not turn on him.. What happens then?
7
Exactly so, and you’ve explained the facts very well. The clarity of the situation gives me hope that Trump will be gone me before long, but the process will be terrible for all of us.
2
Mr. Blow mentions what Mueller finds. We do know at the least that Trump has been compromised by the Russians. And that the criminality of the money laundering was known by Deutsche Bank. Then there are the tax returns (has anyone asked lately when the audit will be finished). Was there fraud here, and the investigation is covering up culpability on the part of the IRS, just as it appears there is a cover-up of any blame for not reporting the Russian ties before the election. The Republican Congress just passed a law to cover up any illegal campaign contributions to the NRA from the Russians. There is also a continuing effort to fix the elections, including no mandatory paper trail in the vote counting.
7
The Constitution is like an Operating System, designed with certain features and limitations the depend on the state of technology and the demands placed on it. Hackers probe the limits of the Operating System for scenarios that are out of scope of the design and unimagined by its designers. The Extreme Right began hacking the System almost from the beginning of the New Deal. It regards democracy as fundamentally immoral -- that is, a way for "other people" to take "their stuff." The Hacking has been incremental. Perhaps the greatest Hack was the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine and the elination of restrictions on media ownership. For the past 40 years, the electorate has been systematically subjected to small scale versions of Trump-like falsehoods. Think of New Gingrich's rule. More recently, think of Mitch McConnell's. Trump is the ultimate hack of the system. The OS is now corrupted. I fear that the reboot will be violent.
12
Amen! So true. Trump will have to be tarred and feathered before he leaves--and he will be--metaphorically of course. Count on it. The circle gets tighter and tighter every day.
Thank God.
2
There is no way he testifies under oath. He will find a way to not testify without firing Mueller and without having to take the fifth. This will probably go all the way into a constitutional crisis .. all the way to the Supreme court (where Mr.Kavannaugh will deliver).
A lot hinges on what happens this November.
6
Trump will always fight because his ego will not allow him to lose even if he drags the country down with it. Mueller investigation won't matter because the senator won't convict regardless of evidences. The only way to preserve the union is through the ballot box this November and in 2010. The stake cannot be higher.
7
I went to a birthday party last night. One of the adult attendees had several surgeries which saved his life. He's been out of work for 8 months. His company sponsored health insurance recently dumped him from coverage, which is not supposed to happen under the ACA. Available ACA fall back plans would cost him $1,100 per month to cover him and his eligible daughter - who is under 26 years of age. Obamacare premiums have gone up because Trump eliminated the individual mandate to help keep premium costs in check. He's suing his company. I asked this college educated white man with two daughters of mixed African and European parentage if he voted for Trump. He smiled broadly and said "I like him." I asked him two more times if he voted for Trump. Same sarcastic response both times.
Trump is literally an existential threat to this man and his family and yet he still supports him. That's how deep the Trump cult goes.
15
Show us his tax returns; the public should start there. Even Nixon released his. Shouldn't the American public deserve to know and to acknowledge to honesty of they who would govern? No brainer. Sad.
14
John W. Dean's Twitter comments on all this have been fascinating. He gives Nixon credit for being competent but bungling the entire Watergate issue. He also pointed out that Nixon knew he (Dean) was talking to investigators but didn't realize that he was telling the truth (as a response to Trump's rat tweet per Mr. McGahn). Dean further said that Nixon did not realize that he represented not the president personally but the office of the president.
Nixon actually accomplished quite a bit including expanding Civil Rights protections to cover sexual discrimination and expanding affirmative action, as well as creation of the EPA and so forth. Many of the destructions by Trump are against this GOP legacy.
Trump doesn't seem to realize that once you enter the public sphere, especially on the level of the presidency, everything will eventually be exposed. He is now the property of historians and posterity, and judgments will be made.
Lies won't work against history, the courts, or a preponderance of brave whistleblowers who keep coming forward. Trump, the golden idol of evangelicals, should remember the words of that Bible he claims is his favorite book: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, ...,"
Live your life more honestly or ethically, and you don't have to worry about tapes, videos, disgruntled former employees, fact checkers, kompromat, etc.
15
"One of Trump's greatest fears and greatest insecurities is being embarrassed and being exposed."
The myth, or fraud, that is Donald Trump cannot exist without the willing rejection of objective reality in favor of fantasy by Trump's supporters. Trump feeds off of that. He lives for it.
Truth is the existential enemy of Donald Trump, which is why he will do anything in his power to discredit it. This cornered, uber-egotist presents, perhaps, a more dangerous situation than most people realize.
9
The mask will fall. The magnifying glass of the presidency will expose Trump for all his shortcomings, every single little detail about his personal and professional life will be revealed, detailed and documented for "posterity". Trump's name will be mocked and ridiculed for centuries to come. And to think that if his vanity had not pushed him to go down that gold elevator's ride to infamy, he could have died living the lie thinking he was a great man. Vanity, my favorite sin, said the devil in him...
8
I'm afraid that Chris Christie is the model for what we can expect of the Trump administration Russian influence scandal: a few petty henchmen (or henchwomen) go to jail; Trump skates.
In practice it ends up being far harder to remove a sitting president than a governor. The former has never been completed literally (Nixon resigned under the certain threat of it however), the latter is regrettably common, by direct criminal conviction. 8 governors have been impeached and removed too.
The citizens of NJ could not get rid of Christie, even though the Bridge closing was a criminal act done by his subordinates and on his direct personal behalf.
Like Henry II and the killing of Thomas a Becket, the leader claimed his henchmen acted beyond orders. Unlike it Christie suffered no punishment beyond serving out his term in disgrace. (Henry II did public penance for the killing of Becket, including parading bare-backed and being ceremoniously flogged through the streets ... but only after a public revolt against his authority.)
There seems to always be an ample supply of Briget Kellys and Bill Baronis. The interesting question in this case is whether Don Jr. or Jared Kushner are among them.
It's a new twist on family dynasty politics when your children are your fall-guys ... but Trump's narcissism seems more than sufficient for that.
6
I'm sure it's just a coincidence that Trump's pick for the Supreme Court believes that the President is above the law. At least, Republican presidents.
4
"Trump is petrified that someone will remove the mask he has been crafting for seven decades, or of having it be revealed that that mask is made of paper rather than steel."
Mr. Blow, I couldn't have made a better analogy. And he has gotten away with so much while in disguise. Then the facade started cracking. During his campaign, and afterward, Trump announced he would not release his tax return information. In my mind, this suggested two things: one, that he wasn't serious about becoming president; and two, that he had a lot to hide. Today, I am less sure about one, but extremely certain about two. Throughout his career, he has presented to the public an alternate reality of who is Donald Trump. He has done so with lawsuits, threats, lies and other evasive language.
Too much has already been said about how so many millions of voters fell for the promises and rhetoric of Trump's alter-egos, Mssrs. Flim and Flam. 2016 was the year of The Great Gullibility, and it got renewed for a second year. For people like me and Mr. Bloomberg and other New Yorkers who know a con when we see one, it amazes me that so few people in this country recognize Trump's con-artist qualities. To me, that mask he's hiding behind is made more from saran wrap than paper or steel.
9
Nixon and Trump are similar: moderate Republicans who ran to the left of triangulating Democrats like Carter, Clinton, and Obama.
2
Old enough to remember Watergate. We got our news from Walter Chronchite, not propaganda from FOX. Also democrats controlled congress. This republican congress has few leaders with a spine, they would rather go down with Trump than stand up for what is good for their country.
5
bravo! on rereading clinton's apology it mirrors nixon. truly the triumvirate of misdirection.
1
The difference between Nixon and Trump is that Nixon had enough of a sense of shame to know that the truth had finally caught up with him. Trump not only has no shame, he places no value on truth. And for those reasons he will wage a battle royal to the death—either of his presidency or of the rule of law on which our country was founded.
Regardless the winner, forty percent of the American public will always believe he was framed by a Hillary-obsessed “Deep State.” And every last one of us will lose the country we thought was ours.
4
I wouldn’t automatically dismiss the possibility that Trump could resign. After all he did file for bankruptcy 6 times and went through 2 divorces.
3
Just two points:
1. John Dean squealed and Monica Lewinsky revealed to bring down their respective presidents. Until now we have a few insiders cooperating with the Special Counsel's investigation, but no smoking gun in the form of secret tapes or a smeared dress. One can only hope a tape emerges that removes any Trump denial of collusion, such as:
"O.K., Jared, go after that source and dig up as much dirt as possible on Hillary. I have definite proof she's been authorized by Putin to do so. He wants me to win."
Anything short of the above, in his own words, would be too weak for a conviction or even an impeachment.
2. We all know Trump's credo is that "attack is the best form of defence." So being meek and humble in the face of his obscenities, vulgarities and lies will only encourage his base and increase his own self-confidence.
A giant felled with a single blow occurs only in the Bible. In today's vitriolic atmosphere fire must be fought with fire. In particular, the IRS, the nation's most powerful body, must go after Trump's and his relatives' finances with as much intensity as Mueller is investigating collusion. I am amazed not to have read one word in the mainstream media of any IRS actions re Cyprus, Deutsche Bank, sources of funds, preferential bank loans (which are taxed as income in Germany).
The IRS freezes accounts and seizes the homes of ordinary people on mere suspicion. Why not Trump, Jr. and Jared?
9
The calm ( if you can call it that ) before the storm Charles. Nixon resigned to save face, not because he was a stellar patriot. Like Trump he was insecure, vindictive and arrogant - unlike Trump he was more constrained and less volatile. Mueller has Trump clearly in his crosshairs and as more of the inner swamp rats circle flee the ship or are taken down POTUS can sense the writing on the wall - to await his fate, admit his wrongdoing is not going to happen. For the good of the country (and the world) he should like Nixon take the next marine helicopter out of town. He can save face by simply blaming anyone in sight and proclaiming he can no longer govern because of all the people and institutions who are throwing up repeated roadblocks … or he can start a war somewhere and create one big mess and one more distraction, as he now hears the voice of an old mentor, Roy Cohen, and rants about Mueller and McCarthyism So let's all hope he takes the Nixon path and hops on that helicopter. That will truly make America great again.
4
I am reassured that the inquiry Mueller is leading seems to be progressing in a professional manner, Trump’s baseless attempts to discredit Mueller and the inquiry notwithstanding. But rather than having Trump removed from office, charged, or suffer any consequence from the inquiry, I would much prefer to see Trump and the entire GOP sent on a soul-searching mission with a *thorough* trouncing in November and again two years later. A trouncing at the ballot box would avert the disaster of some sort of armed uprising of Trump supporters against the imaginary deep state; it would also reassure me, for one, that a majority of Americans have not drunk the Kool-Aid.
Then again, with Trump’s support in the 40% range rather than 40ppm where it belongs, it ain’t Denmark where something is rotten...
6
Being compared unfavorably to Nixon -- hardly flattering for the man driven by vanity.
2
Clinton could have saved the country years of misery by being a man and telling the truth. It's not like he didn't have a long, long record of infidelity. The public never seemed to mind in all the other instances. Since he was stuck and had to confess he hoped, and he was right, that the public didn't care. He's now revered. Trump looked at that and said "I can do that better than he did. My supporters won't care." and he was right. For those who have any interest in voting, Republican or Democrat, it doesn't matter what politicians do nor what they say, it's only the letter beside their name that matters.
I hope everything I say is proved WRONG!
Trump will revoke Mueller’s security clearance, so he will not have the resources to prosecute. Then, the Greedy Ole’ Party will continuous with their obsequious sycophancy and do nothing. If Dems do not capture either congressional chamber then the party of trump, (GOT) Greedy Ornery Trumpists will probably rule for years to come.
Nothing short of civil disobedience will then be required to correct the madness into which we are plunging.
(My heart goes out to those innocent folks who always bear the brunt of social discord).
4
As a nurse, it angers me that all this time, energy, and money has been spent on trying to get corrupt individuals, who are supposed to be leaders, either off the hook, protecting them, or even feeding them and giving them housing in the White House.
People are working numerous jobs to stay afloat. Public schools are being decimated, homeless people are dying on the streets, individuals are struggling g to find and pay for decent healthcare.
And we’re paying g for schmoozers and liars to lead our country. I’ve worked too hard and too long to say that’s ok.
We need to be very careful for what we wish for. So let’s start wishing for people to make elections count and elect people with morals, and character, and the frame of mind to think and consider others instead of their own selfish needs and greed, either psychologically or materially.
9
The ultimate protection of our legitimate government will be a change in congress come November. Mueller is likely to deliver a crushing blow to Team Trump, but our guy in the Oval Office is shielded by quislings in the House and Senate. Trump has the 24/7 propaganda machine in Fox News. Nixon had no comparable cover. Trump can and will fight back and this country will face a Constitutional crisis it hasn't seen since the 1860's. One last thing: Put Trump's pal Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court and then see who comes out on top. Russian collusion and treason or truth and punishment?
3
Great, effective and provocative deleniations between Nixon, Clinton and Trump - especially prescient are Trump's 'take the fifth' admonishment to Clinton's swing toward 'truthfulness'.
Trump will never tell the truth. Period. And neither will any of his sycophants. Which makes for a very high bar for Meuller, congress, the 4th estate and voting America.
Accepting or not, Trump needs to be held for his responsibilities.
5
“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”
Every time I read about "Russiagate" I see the image of Hillary Clinton - feeling blocked in her sense of entitlement, accusing Trump of that of which she was so very guilty herself with her Clinton Foundation: being bribed by foreign governments.
Trump wants better relations with Russia and a very large segment of the US population supports him in that. Unfortunately that point of view is invisible in Congress. So rather than investigate Trump for being bribed by Russia one should investigate many members of Congress for being improperly influenced by the neocons and the military-industrial complex.
Blow's article shows the same defects as many other anti-Trump articles: by attacking the man they avoid attacking his policies. It looks like it is too painful to admit that many of his policies don't differ that much from what Obama did in his last term.
5
Trump does not appear to be losing strength in any way or on any platform. He continues to exude a confidence in his own veracity by every word, deed, text or tweet. He projects a tone of voice and a body language which continues to satisfy his base and draws others to him. The actual words are neither heard nor understood. It is the shouting and the fist in the air that are getting the attention now. MAGA and so much more to come. If only there were something or someone whom he fears.
17
@Marie...whether bravado or fear, it's his only option. To change will have the whole house of lies fall down on him. And he knows that the GOP will not blink in replacing him.
4
@Marie -- that appearance is charade. Trump is being emasculated as president as we speak. That his why he and his base are furious, and so desperate to stop the investigations.
Trump is unlikely to be impeached, but he is on track to be like Bill after Monica or Christie after the bridge, even without that.
1
@Marie There is someone he fears. Vladimir Putin.
You are right that "Trump is not going to confess as Clinton did , or resign as Nixon did ". He is too weak for that . He is terrified under the posture of a strong and decisive man . What you are witnessing is the melting down of a President on prime time and , may I say , with very good ratings . Stay tuned in the next few weeks and months for the greatest show on Earth .
36
@Bernardo Izaguirre MD We can only hope Trump will not enmesh us in some war or disaster as a clumsy attempt to distract us (as clearly the misdated revocation of clearances for Brennan was to distract us from a former tv star/Trump sycophant treating Trump with the same disloyalty he displays to others.)
One big difference, Nixon was smarter. He initiated entente with China and never incriminated himself nearly as often as Trump.
33