"Abraham Lincoln was treated supposedly very badly."
Ya think? He was assassinated. Maybe that was a relief for him from having to put up with all the abuse he had to take from the traitors who were ripping the country apart to "make slavery great again".
18
If he loves Florida so much, perhaps we should send him back there for good in 2020.
10
Donald Trump, the Prince of Wails.
21
Trump never did drain the swamp, but he certainly has shined the spotlight on it!
6
Trump is a spoiled brat. I can't for the life of me understand the people who seem to think he is a genius. His speeches are all the same, oh, sometimes he picks on different people but say the same thing. He is uneducated and a disgrace to our history. What will future generations think of us????
14
Ms. Collins, you make me laugh, even in these dark times! He will run (more like crawl through the swamp), he will do everything he does and his followers will vote for him again. We are doomed, unless we make a pledge to 'VOTE HIM OUT'!
7
Love your sense of humor! Gail.
5
“Abraham Lincoln was treated supposedly very badly. But nobody’s been treated badly like me.”
O. K., the last one was from George Stephanopoulos’s ABC News interview. But when you’ve got somebody believing he’s been more abused by his opponents than a victim of assassination, that information needs to be shared.
Thank you Gail! From the bottom of my heart. Keep up the good work.
10
"on behalf of Donald Trump’s first home, I think I can safely say that New York is willing to turn him over to the competition. Really, he’s yours."
Do we NYers need to offer sincere apology as well?
7
I’m glad that conservatives, including Trump supporters, contribute to these comments. All opinions should be welcomed in a forum such as this.
However, with regard to comments from those who jump to the president’s defense, I’ve grown weary of the “fake news” excuse. It makes no sense to me and never did.
My opinion of Mr. Trump is not based on what news writers or pundits have to say about him. It is entirely based on observation.
I listen to Trump rudely call his political opponents names. I hear him grandly declare himself to be a “genius,” “one of the best, if not THE best president ever,” etc. I listen to him reveal his amazing ignorance — “I just found out that Lincoln was a Republican. It’s true. Same party as me. Look it up.
Most people don’t know this, but Lincoln was a Republican.”
Wow!
Where does fake news come into this picture? I’m watching the POTUS on my television! No one needs to tell me that he’s ill-mannered, unbelievably conceited, arrogant, and phenomenally ignorant about nearly everything.
Trump is 73 years old and hasn’t yet developed the manners and social skills my classmates and I had when we were in primary school. (Primary school is grades 1 through 3, Don. Did you know that? Most people don’t know that...)
Trump is a fraud, a liar and an unbalanced nitwit.
Fake news didn’t make him unfit for office. He shows us that he’s unfit every time he speaks in public or writes a tweet.
Quit trying to make Trump a victim. He’s not.
We the People are!
34
Trump will win if we have people like Tom Steyer leading the charge against him. I had no interest or idea who Tom Steyer was until he went out of his way to get into my orbit. I do not enjoy insulting people, but if that is the only recourse one has to provoke a retreat on his part--putting some of his misdeeds out in the open--then it must be done until the attacks on my family stop. It isn't just one attack. It is a whole year worth of attacks on a handful of my family members. Hopefully, he will retreat or I will have to turn the pressure up a notch. I never wanted any association with the guy, and yet he atttacked me viciously--as far as I can tell he is doing the same thing to Trump--and its fairly obvious that his whole impeachment thing is rooted in jealousy.
I do not enjoy defending Trump or attacking Democrats, but we cannot let a man as evil as Tom Steyer take over the Democratic Party. Hopefully the attacks on my family will stop. I do not want to continue but whether I do or not is up to him. Lock him up or at least leave my family alone.
@nickgregor
What are you talking about?
13
Gail, don’t accuse the president of lying when he says he had the biggest tax cut ever. He meant personally.
98
“No president has ever ‘done what we have done in two and a half years.’”
These may be the only true words ever to come out of his mouth.
100
If trump wins a second term despite everything that we hear and read daily, I'm spending the next four years on a secluded island with no access to news of any sort. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried for an entire day after Ms. Clinton lost to that sorry excuse for a human who now occupies the White House. Another loss to trump will shorten my lifespan, unless I find that secluded island.
22
Thanks for the laughs Gail, we need them! Future topics for your consideration might be outrunning the Pompei eruption, swimming frolics Titanic style and entering a Saudi embassy while on its bad journalist's list.
6
Trump's rally crowds aren't all they seem. Sure a core group drive or are bused in from all over. They are always the same. The rest of the crowd is made up of the curious. I know Canadians and other, mostly European, tourists go to experience the odd rally. How many in the crowd are hard core believers?
8
My favorite line: "A) No president has ever 'done what we have done in two and a half years.'"
Thank goodness that's true. We would never have reached this point if other presidents were as hostile, inept and incompetent as this one.
Other presidents have made mistakes and sometimes lied and even put us into wars that were unnecessary, but Trump still wins for sheer lack of policy, let alone a cohesive policy.
10
How can he add himself to Mount Rushmore? Or maybe his face on the border wall?
11
One thing that I noticed at the Trump rally, was a lack of young people in general. If Trump is to be defeated it will because the younger generations come out in droves.
1057
@MikeC they are indeed mobilizing. they are very concerned about the EPA and climate change. and the other good part, some of these older voters will not be voting again.
179
@MikeC: What I noticed about the crowd behind him was (1) he has one black person who has been behind him before and (2) they seemed kind of bored, talking among themselves instead of listening to him say the same things that he's been saying since 2015.
I observed about myself that I am sick to death of him.
110
@MikeC The rank and file of the DFL, those actually registered as democrats, is also very old. Why else is Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders the front runners? The Rank and file of the DFL are frightened old and indecisive people who are not willing to personally sacrifice anything.
3
The GOP held on to the Senate in the mid-term elections, and in fact, gained a few seats. I considered that a bad omen for the anti-trumpers in 2020. I have to start mentally preparing myself for his re-election to another term. We should not put all of our eggs in the Presidential race basket. If we can win back the Senate and keep the Congress, we will be in better positions to check Trump.
5
I know columnists have a job to do - they have to produce output - but let's not get too overwrought about Trump and his rally-attendee followers. They are not some unstoppable force of 12-foot transformers. They just make a lot of noise, at Trump's behest. They still have only one vote apiece, and there are more of us than there are of them. No matter how dire he makes it sound, it shouldn't be that hard to push Trump out the door in 2020. The question will be, what to do when he loses but refuses to leave office on some made-up pretext or "emergency". No doubt he'll claim he was "cheated" out of parts of his original term (he's already running that argument out there). THAT'S what Americans need to be preparing for. The congressional Republicans will stand behind him no matter what. So Dems better have a solid plan for how to extract him from the WH, when all gov't agencies needed to force him out are now seeded with his Republican loyalists.
9
The only way that Trump will make America great again is if he decides to not run for a second term.
16
The DNC could assemble every last Democratic and Socialist candidate together in one place - and still not draw the crowds of 100,000 that President Trump does.
@Dr. John
So what's your point? Trump was elected by a minority, got stomped in the 2018 midterms, and in spite of a "roaring economy" (which somehow needs Fed rate cuts to continue), still only has minority support in this country.
15
@Dr. John 100,000?! He has drawn 100,000 people since his inauguration where he barely drew 500,000 making it the lowest attended inauguration since FDRs third in the middle of a war.
13
@Stephen Fox
125,000 requested entry into his Orlando speech two days ago.
The 2020 election, if we have it , will determine whether the United states returns to democracy or continues as a dictatorship.
9
Thanks Gail. Your light-hearted skewering of Trump makes me feel a little better - a little less frightened at the prospect of (Oh My God) a 2nd term. We are in your debt.
64
@Tomasi
A little smile at the Mountains of Mordor!
NEVER GIVE UP - the election is not over yet and Trump is a first class criminal. He will do everything illegal or otherwise to steal this one. Don't give up for a second until he is where he belongs, looking outward at the exercise area (which he will not use anyway).
28
I know someone who went to a Trump rally in Tampa last year. I wondered what the rally was like, and he said that it was "the greatest experience of my life".
I asked what was it that made it so great, and he said that the energy Trump brought to the arena was "amazing"! He said that he and others had waited for hours to get inside on a very hot day in Florida, but it was "totally worth it". After they got in, he said they waited another two hours before "the show" began, and that when Trump spoke, he brought "incredible energy" to the place - "he raised the roof".
This exchange made me think that Trump has a great formula for the wild rallies he throws. First, talk it up online and on Fox, creating interest. Next, get the people there early, and make 'em wait in the heat/rain/cold, so that when they're in, they're thrilled to finally be in a better environment, then make 'em wait some more. Finally, make a grand entrance (he's great at that - think golden escalator) and give 'em a great show. He's a great salesman - you have to give him that.
He's honed his brand perfectly, appealing to people who, like him, have a limited interest in the world. His rallies are tailored to appeal to a certain personality, which like Trump's, is angry, bigoted, and focused not on doing what's right, but on doing what's right for him.
187
@Chris Wildman
Trump rallies are a sports event and Disney World for retrograde religious and aggrieved immature men all rolled into one. It appeals to the megachurch mentality that's been a growing motif since the Reagan 1980s.
45
@Chris Wildman Agreed except for the great salesman part. He's a true con, the opposite of a great salesman.
47
@Chris Wildman
Your friend's reaction to hearing Trump in action seems to me to be fairly mild compared to the reactions of friends of mine who were able to get in to see Barack Obama perform, especially before he was elected in 2008.
They came away convinced that if he were to be elected, the nation would embark on a fantastic journey to a place that it had never before been. As I recall, they used the word 'transformational' quite a bit immediately after hearing him speak.
My hope is that Democrats nominate a candidate capable of engaging successfully with the performances that Trump is bound to deliver on the debate stage.
10
Everyone always knew there is something crazed, deranged about America. We are seeing this shadow of ourselves come out of the closet now.
It is a scary picture. Listening to his endless spiel of lies last night makes one rightfully recall other famous dictators.This is pure unadulterated madness. That any sane person would find his ranting believable is very hard to comprehend.
Those cheering throngs have been fed a decades long 24 hour, 365 days a year, stream of the most noxious propaganda. As Chomsky once wrote, ''the spectacular achievements of propaganda'' sic. This is their deliverance, in human form in very substantial ways.
Those still in the middle and somewhat sane still must be brought over to the Dems. This is going to have elements of not merely being right, but also of talking people off ledges and down to safety.
Democrats need to take extra care to not inflict wounds on one another on the way to the nomination. We can not afford to blow another one.
218
@bluecairn. Did you also notice the uncanny resemblance to the way Mussolini bore his own head and body when addressing the crowds? Body habitus tells you a lot about how a person views themselves.
31
@B. Rothman That is so spot on. I have thought of the films of Mussolini, his posture, his strutting and turned down mouth ever since Trump came on the scene! The way he puffs out his chest and folds his arms ...perfect.
27
@B. Rothman
yes i did notice the El Dulce qualities-
18
How can Trump complain about being treated badly? Mueller declined to say he had obstructed justice when he clearly did. The House Democrats are reluctant to impeach the most impeachable president in history. He has lied over 10,000 times as president with no consequences. The economy has not yet crashed despite his constant attempts to wreck it. He's getting millions in donations. A third of the voters can't get enough of him. All in all, considering the amount of abuse he actually deserves, it would be fair to say that no president has ever had it so good.
275
@GBM - and that's why he says he's been treated badly. Because Donald J. Trump never passes up an opportunity to lie, or to play the victim, no matter what.
68
@GBM
And if he was removed from office he'd have to go back to being just another multi billionaire former TV host living in a Manhattan penthouse with maid service...
Imagine how far he could have gotten if there wasn't so much bias in this country against Caucasians born to wealth!
21
@GBM. Really? His first 2 yrs were marred by the Dems and the deep states’ phony investigations and attempted coup. And that’s no big deal to you?
2
Obviously we can ridicule of much of what Trump says, but don't forget that what he's very good at is creating a spectacle and generating energy among his base so that they show up to vote. The media help him do this, even when (or maybe especially when) criticizing him. The media are rewarded for doing so with clicks and ratings, but Trump may benefit even more.
For a Democrat to win, he or she will have to generate their own energy and excitement to get out to vote, counter Trump's attempts to hog media coverage, and above all else, convey a narrative to swing state voters about how Democratic policies will improve voters' lives. Sniping at the bad guy will not be sufficient.
289
@Jim C.
Some jazzy musical festivals; highlights of American history across a flashing national screen; notable and honorable States moments and persons, Past and Now. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island; soaring birds across Our Heartland; children at play, footage of The International Year of The Child forty years ago, in lots of ecological green; a revisit of The Gettysburg Address on text; our Troops overseas, and a photo of David Duncan's Marine 'Give me Tomorrow', for some of us have forgotten, or never known what makes America so beautiful and worthy of living in the Land of The Free, challenging us once again, to stand as one Nation under the Sun.
18
@Jim C.
If democrats can't get excited about voting out of office a wannabe authoritarian dictator who threatens the freedom of every US citizen then nothing will.
37
@Jim C.
An don't forget his base is only 32% of the people.
Do the arithmetic. That mean 68% is NOT who he can count on.
20
Interesting to contrast this rally with the football stadium-full rallies for Bernie Sanders in 2016. Bernie's proposals were (and are) based on what he would actually work diligently to do once in office, while Trump's punchline proposals were (except for the Wall) based on cynicism and falsehoods.
4
Last night at his rally, Trump talked about jobs, border security, and keeping America great.
So far, the Democrats have been talking about Trump, impeachment, Russia, Mueller, gun control, gay and transgender rights, abortion on demand, open borders, reparations for slavery, the Green New Deal, raising taxes, Medicare for all, free college, and a host of other far-left wing policies that would be the end of America as we know it.
So, jobs, security, and greatness, or... All that other stuff?
Is it really so hard to understand how Trump could win again?
74
@Elfego You're right. Trump talks and talks and talks about "jobs, border security, and keeping America great". That's the problem - he TALKS about these things at length, but did you notice that there are no specifics? Did you notice the number of times he brought up Hillary Clinton? Why? She's not running!
Jobs, and the economy, have been improving for 110 months - Trump has only been "president" for 29 months - do the math.
And why do you think the Democrats are so concerned about "Trump, impeachment, and Russia"? Because we KNOW that the Russians interfered with the 2016 election, and that they're already ramping it up again for 2020. Do you welcome that interference? I don't.
"The Green New Deal" attacks an issue that should be of importance to all Americans because unless we get back on track after Trump rolled back ALL of President Obama's attempts to curb global warming, dire consequences will be felt across the planet. That Trump's base doesn't care about that is deeply troubling, especially given the insane weather patterns our country and others have experienced just this year.
So yeah - it really is "hard to understand how Trump could win again". It really is.
312
@Elfego. Okay, so now tell us one substantively constructive thing that Trump said either about jobs, security or American greatness.
216
@Elfego: Trump hasn't been talking about those things as much as he's been lying about them. Now please tell us about the government programs that you and/or your family members take advantage of that you're willing to see flushed down the WC of Affluent Conservatives.
124
There are no "empty acres" in this country. New York and California both have more acres in farm land than cities, and the states liberals so disdainfully refer to as "fly-over states" are populated with PEOPLE! :)
These aren't the United States of New York and California and the liberalist paradigm isn't the only way to perceive and manage our world.
5
@Raz
Yes, but the "liberalist paradigm" is responsible for bringing many good things into your life, and the "conservative paradigm" is responsible for bringing us President Trump.
31
@Raz Of course you are right. But of course the “Trump paradigm” isn’t the only way either. Time to come together.
@Raz
You don't like being dismissed and your way of showing it is to dismiss others. The use of the term "liberal" as some sort of catch all for your problems, the countries problems tells us two things: The propaganda machine is doing its work and, three people in Montana really should have the same voting power as 3 million in New York or California.
You see, when you claim your bias and prejudice and misinformation and propaganda is better than everyone else's (in particular of the "liberals") you have turned politics into a religion of sorts and we are all diminished.
If you cannot offer something constructive, and all you can do is sit in your own and spout "liberal, liberal, liberal" with a sneer, then who is the problem and who do you think you are being ignored?
Just think about it.
18
It must be devastating for the Resistance to have so much blind hatred and rage towards Trump and to see him marching steadily to re-election.
1
@ras. In time, it will be devastating for the nation and if you rejoice in this, shame on you! It will eventually be devastating for you and your ilk too—unfairly including all those of us who don’t deserve it; those of us who have seen through this grifter’s empty promises (e.g. a beautifully healthcare plan to replace ACÁ, s beautiful wall paid by Mexico, an infrastructure plan and more) ; yrs, those of us who deplore Trump’s defiance of the rule of law, violations if the constitution, destruction of the environment, cozying up to dictators at the expense of our standing in the world. I can assure you as someone who lives abroad part of the year, that the US image in Europe st least had been severely sullied and damaged by Don the Con and that for the first time in my life I’m ashamed to let it be known that I‘m
a U S Citizen. Contrary to Trump’s pronouncements, we are the laughing stock of the world, no one trusts us, and KAG is just a fiction concocted by a demagogue who has convinced millions like you that he is the Messiah. Do yourself a favor, get off FOX news and try to find legitimate ste sources of information for a change.
14
@ras No. What’s devastating is seeing so many, although not, thank goodness, most, blindly following in his racist, misogynistic, fraudulent, calamitist wake.
11
@ras
Are you even aware that "Resistance," with a capital "R," is mainly associated with good, with bravery, with honor, with humankind at its best?
So thanks for referring to us as such.
11
Yes, Donald J. Trump is running for re-election and he will win. He will win big and better than in 2016. His opponents can not fill stadiums like him; they can barely fill a town hall. My concern is what will the nation do once his second term is up? The nation may want to consider repealing the law that limits presidents to two terms. I support the President. I support Trump. America first, not last as it was before he became president. KAG! Thank you.
7
It’s not a law that can be repealed. It’s a Constitutional Amendment.
43
@Southern Boy Yeah and the stadiums keep getting smaller and the buses to bring people in keep getting more frequent. He’s a shame and a showman and the show will soon be over.
44
@Southern Boy
His opponents will fill the voting booths, Southern Boy, and that's all that matters. Any con man can fill a stadium in Florida with cheering multitudes.
I have a prediction too: That he will be resoundingly defeated and will not get more than 35% of the vote, which is the percentage of people like you who blindly follow him. You don't win elections with 35% of the vote. Trump hasn't put America first. He's put Trump first. Maybe at some point you will see that.
19
It seems ironic that the President who sides with racists should compare himself to President Lincoln. Also, since many of his voters probably think slavery should still be in place, I doubt they would like President Lincoln.
10
A) No president has ever “done what we have done in two and a half years.” Never thought I'd see a true statement come out of Trump's mouth!
Let's hope no one ever again does what he has done in the past two and a half years!!! VOTE BLUE as if your life depends on it.
11
Trump supporters are fine with the President insulting people and lying on average 12 times per day. I guess as long as he is insulting the people they hate and he is telling lies that support their beliefs they are good with it.
I for one, am done with them.
10
New slogan, new red hats, new royalties.
11
"Everything political is interesting right now"---
4 Pinocchio's
Gail, you are always funny and interesting but politics is boring, exasperating and almost fruitless.
I have made a conscious effort not to read about the 247 democratic Clinton want to be's. It is obvious that the Times is pushing Warren, disparaging Bernie, and sighing for Biden and asking important questions like 'what do you do for comfort food' for all the rest.
American politics is a joke and I'm tired of it. Where are the Greens like in Germany with a real change of focus and interest? Where are the conservative money, free market reform people of conscious on the right? Where is a serious plan for Universal Health Care that all the other civilized countries in the world have? Where is the Times economic analysis of how bad and overpriced our health care is?
We have a woman. A veteran. A gay. A black Woman. An hispanic. A native American (do we or don't we?) Everyone can divide into their tiny circles and divide and divide.
Wake me up when politics is about ideas and competence.
Boring, Boring, Boring. Same old, Same old.
#notmakingtheworldabetterplace
@kevinThe US public doesn't grasp the inherent difference between the public and private sectors of mixed economies. Private sectors operate under capitalism, and public sectors conduct socialism. Paranoia about "socialism" disables all rational discussion of how money raised by taxation should be spent for the general welfare.
1
Candidate Harris is also Asian, which the media continue to ignore, as is often the case with Tiger Woods and tennis great, Naomi Osaka.
2
Suggestions for Democratic Party candidates:
Don't use the phrase, "basket of deplorables" or any phrase that contains the word "basket."
If asked to find one nice thing to say about the GOP opponent, don't compliment him on how nice his children turned out. They didn't, and everyone will know you're lying.
Take out a restraining order in advance of one-on-one debates specifying that he has to keep a distance of 10 feet while you're talking. Beats me how Clinton resisted the urge to whip around and yell, "Back off!"
May the best woman or man win this thing.
5
I read Ms. Collins religiously. She's usually good, and like us all has her occasional down day.
But she's outdone herself with this one, it's absolutely brilliant from beginning to end. Once I was able to clear the laughter tears from my eyes I passed it along to family and friends that I knew would appreciate it.
And congrats to the writer(s) of the headline and sub-head, they're brilliant as well.
5
If the man could read he would have found out that Hillary is alive and well and not paying any attention to the Idiot that beat her out of becoming the first woman President.
Apparently in his almost 3 years in office he has accomplished so little that he needs to back track and still ask for her emails to be investigated once again. WHO CARES?
His anger at not being able to LEAD our country must be unbearable so he shouts and spouts about the evil NY Times, and the rest of the press, the Mueller report that we all know he has NEVER read, and his inability to understand that we are the United States of America and have a CONSTITUTION that says he can only serve 2 terms.
I am so tired of this infliction that we are having to deal with. I cannot be the only one. Please Democrats come up with a winner.
7
From the man who will not give up any information: still whining about Hillary Clinton's emails?
As for Abraham Lincoln, he was murdered. How do you get to say you were treated worse than that.
As for his accomplishments? How about longest federal shutdown ever. Ballooning deficit. Most expensive presidency ever, and it is not ever over. Best of all, most lies told by a president ever, also still counting.
Yeah, we've got superlatives for you, Donnie.
4
I've been a loyal watcher of MSNBC and reader of the NY Times, but I wonder some days if I'll make it through the next 1.5 years. The ugliness Trump spews into the atmosphere is breathtaking. At moments I think it's making me physically ill.
Make no mistake-he's fighting for what his post White House existence will look like; (which could well be the interior of a cell) he cares even less about this beautiful country of ours...
I hope all Democrats running for office will rally around whoever pushes to the surface as our nominee. We have to win-we have to shut down this awful daily assault...in every way now, our lives depend on it.
7
Seriously, you couldn't think about something more important than writing about a Trump rally? You might want to read the Times story featured today about the looming cost and decisions to be made about which coastal areas will be reinforced to protect against rising seas. We are so behind in processing what global warming will present to us in the form of monetary and lifestyle challenges.
1
Trump is like Elvis in 1977, lumbering around the stage, sweating profusely while pathetically belting out his greatest hits to the aging faithful who still worship him as "the king."
3
Some have commented, one in reply to my earlier comment, that no one attended the Trump rally in Orlando. That is wrong! So wrong! Over 20,000 packed the civic auditorium from which President Donald J. Trump announced that he would run for reelection. Thousands more wanted to attend. They camped out the night before outside the auditorium hoping to get in to see the man who will go down in history as the greatest US president, if not the greatest American of all time, perhaps the greatest in the history of the world. In comparison, the Democrats can barely fill a town hall. In his appearances in Nashville, Tennessee, over 20,000 attended his rallies, more would have but the venues could not hold them. Outside of the venue, thousands more snaked around downtown wanting to see him. The liberal opposition may want to people to believe that no one comes to his rallies, but they do come, and they come in the tens of thousands. No Democrat running now, then, or in the future will draw that kind of popularity. I support the President. I support Trump. KAG! Thank you.
3
I often reflect on Obama opining that he was elected too soon, thus enabling Trump. Hillary's election would have been more of the same, electing someone other than a white man. There are still women who won't vote for a woman for president and I wonder why they vote at all, for if a woman doesn't deserve to be considered for the presidency, than the woman who believes that certainly doesn't deserve to pick the president.
3
Thanks Gail for such an amusing piece on Trump’s first re-election rally analogous to a hootenanny - you are a raconteur extraordinaire indeed.
This article reaffirms in my mind that Trump is an uber-exhibitionistic and solipsistic narcissist who is full of never ending bombastic bravado, braggadocio and of course bloviation. He is also desperately trying to dissolve our democracy into a dysfunctional dystopia through his discursive and divisive demagoguery. In reality, Trump is a “Shock Jock” provocateur masquerading as a politician.
Unfortunately, the Democrat field is also underwhelming and is hopelessly fragmented at best. Incurably gaffe-prone septuagenarian Biden is leading the field with his cringe-worthy comments about the collegiality of his segregationist former colleagues. Also let’s not forget his propensity to make unwelcome physical contacts with women.
Democrats need to be cognizant of the fact that just demonizing Trump may not win the election in 2020. They need to deliver a pragmatic and cohesive national agenda and a commonsensical legislative roadmap for all Americans - not just liberals. These proposals need to incremental as Nancy Pelosi suggested. Let’s not aim for “Pie in the Sky”.
Finally, please don’t waste congressional time sending subpoenas to Trump or preparing for his impeachment. These efforts will solidify Trump’s “Deep State” conspiracy theories. If Trump was impeached, he would be a MARTYR for the alt-right forever. Oy Vey!
1
Have you figured it out yet? Trump's not leaving. No matter the results in Nov., '20, he ain't leaving. If the GOP can't rig a win for Trump, he will simply declare a Dem election victory all a fake and he's the POTUS and he ain't leaving. So, then what do we do? Eh? What? Believe me, that's what is going to happen. As Mike Cohen said, there will be no peaceful transfer of power.
@Cody McCall-Once a new president has been inaugurated, he or she will be Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and direct the military to "escort" Donald out of the White House.
7
So looking at these many photos and videos of Trump rallies and heating the insane cheering for the worst president ever, I see the contagion effect at work, which is what happens when people in crowds give themselves over to a crowd mentality that is volatile and potentially dangerous.
Like many an authoritarian dictator, the charismatic, Machiavellian Trump acts to ratchet up the emotional volatility and has irresponsibly even recommended to crowds that if they don't like the way things are going for Trump, violence is an option and acceptable to him.
But, I wonder if anyone knows whether there is intentional crowd manipulation engineered by Trump advisors, such as paid agitators in Trump's crowds, whose job is to get the crowd going emotionally and to gin up the likelihood of mass crowd behavior?
Also, Trump clearly is not the president of all Americans, since there is very tight control over who gets in to Trump's rallies and who is denied. How is that handled by Trump's staff?
4
Should Trump lose in 2020, I fully expect him to declare the election results invalid and refuse to leave the White House. And I fully expect the quisling GOP to support him doing so. So, it really doesn't matter what happens at the ballot box, democracy in this country will be over and the point will be moot.
RIP, Constitution. Approximate time of official death: November 2020.
“If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy.” - David Frum
1
Did you see Colbert last night? His news team were denied press credentials so they went online and bought tickets to the "sold-out" event. Once inside they filmed the empty tiers and then filmed the empty trash strewn field set up for the "hundred thousand" people who couldn't get tickets. Trump, his team and his supporters put the cognitive in dissonance. You couldn't make this up.
11
Why can’t Democrat’s draw crowds of 100,000+ ?
@Dr. John - They do.
4
Many of the people who requested tickets to the Orlando rally did so with no intention of showing up. They wanted empty seats. I know many people who did that, and only one person who actually went. 100000 is an exaggeration.
3
@DR
Where? When?
1
"A) No president has ever “done what we have done in two and a half years.”
As much as i hate to admit it, I think that one's true. It's been one long dumpster fire since he was elected.
8
Has there ever been another politician so unpopular yet in such need of adulation?
I love presidential historian Jon Meacham’s observation about Trump: “If he knew who King Lear was, it would be like King Lear.”
3
Over 30,000,000 Americans voted for this man and are still enchanted by him?
5
Of course, he is repeating the same things he said in 2016.
First, because he thinks that if it worked once, it will work again.
Second, because that's the only idea he has. He is incapable of thinking of another.
The change from MAGA to KAG may be a campaign marketing idea to sell more hats. Like soccer teams that change their jerseys so fans will buy the new ones.
I expect that a rerun of his campaign will be as interesting as the umpteenth rerun of a movie that you have seen during one of your insomnia period.
7
Please, news media, stop giving his campaign rallies free publicity. They are commercials, not news events.
6
Ah...... the one who got away.....
Don will pine for her forever.....
Was that KAG or GAG?
But one serious question: Have you heard why Pence's name has been removed from all the merchandise?
Is he out?
Was it a pool boy?
6
The whole thing was bizarre, unbalanced and disturbing; have we devolved that much as a country? And, by the way, Donnie, jr, is the dumbest box of rocks out there, no contest.
5
It's almost impossible to tell who is worse, Trump or his supporters. My vote is his supporters. I never thought so many people could be so dumb. They proved me and most of the country wrong. It is clear now that a man or woman can go through life and learn to be dumb and enjoy their ignorance.
6
@Elfago: You say that policy proposals by Democrats "would be the end of America as we know it." Do you realize that argument was made against the original New Deal, Social Security, and Medicare, among other programs? Programs that you are either benefiting from now, or plan to benefit from in the future? Or are you going to decline your Medicare and Social security benefits on principle?
7
Here's is the stark reality for Trump, 2020: he's run out of issues. He has nothing new to offer. He's supposed to be in charge but instead he can only complain.
What has Trump done other than brag and attack anyone who doesn't profess love for his greatness?
When the Republicans controlled both the House and Senate, they couldn't get funding for the "big, beautiful wall" that Trump promised Mexico would pay for. His own party turned him down.
There was supposed to be health insurance for "everybody" that would be less expensive and "the best the world has ever known". Not happening.
One trillion dollars for infrastructure repair and rebuilding. Not happening. Republicans slammed the door because they didn't have a way to pay for it.
Tax increases on the wealthy including, Trump said, people "like me"? No, tax CUTS for the wealthy, including Trump.
Ah. Trade wars would solve everything. Instead, the US govt. is giving additional billions to farmers who were getting billions previously. That's SOCIALISM of an immediate and direct sort.
No new deal with Iran on nuclear, instead marching toward war.
No substantial new deal with North Korea, instead they go on their way testing missiles.
A weak, new version of NAFTA that changes almost nothing.
What is the buddy-buddy with Putin getting us? An increased threat to undermine our elections.
A few more years of this kind of "greatness" and the US will be an isolated weakling that no other nation wants anything to do with.
10
@Doug Terry
You miss the point of autocrats, dictators and every garden variety preacher. Those men don't need new - there is no new, they just have to nonstop hit the same refresh button to juice up the adoring crowd. Human tend to never admit they were wrong and failed to see what was in front of them. Btw, this has worked for the Democratic Party, as well. Reality bites and is always tough to swallow for those uninterested in applied history and thoughtful bona fide analysis.
Nothing in life or politics just "happens" and there are no accidents. We are in this weakened condition due to 40 years of poor governance by power hungry grifters and egomaniacs, as well as due to the disinterested arrogance if the American people, the belief that our nation and democracy is impenetrable and made of granite. We were wrong. History forever speaks to the present but only to those willing to listen.
There's a reason that much of Europe in the 1930s fell victim to nationalism, henchmen militarism and isolation. As did the U.S. become both nationalist and isolationist, the militarism headed off at the pass by FDR.
Europe turned to a baker's dozen of despots, fascists, communists, socialists and effete old men propped up by your standard bloodythirsty jackboot military on one side of the equation and on the other naive, solipsistic fops. We'll see what America chooses in 2020.
1
What's most frightening of all is just this: Left, right, or center, we've only been as seriously divided as we are now only once before in the history of this country: The run-up to the Civil War.
Those who do not remember the past...
6
Never fear. Warren is in the wings. Or, in her feathers.
Ms. Collins and her husband, a big shot with the well known objective news organization, CBS, should check the scoreboard. Economy gangbusters, stock market high, unemployment infinitesimal, inflation non existent, wages rising, no new wars, a long delayed and courageous trade war with the thieving dictators in China, Iran being confronted and North Korea a possible breakthrough. Even if North Korea remains intransigent, Trump gave it a try. B+ performance over all.
1
@Tim Dowd
Plus, according to the Washington Post, 10,800 presidential lies provided to the American people by our pathological president at no charge, thrown in for good measure.
As a liar, Trump stands alone. No other president even comes close.
8
Black armbands, red hats, no real difference.
12
Whatever happened to the Palace Guard that got tired of the brutal excesses of such as Nero and Caligula and removed them from the gene pool? Today we live with a political dictator that Nero and Caligula would admire. Has our Palace Guard gone to sleep?
7
Why was the klavern covered by CNN? CSpan was bad enough, but come on...Credit must be given though where credit is deserved. Thank heaven for small favors, but, every network didn’t break from regular programming to show AirFarce 1, sitting on some runway waiting to take off, as happened during his 2016 campaign. CNN didn’t have to do what they did, but MSNBC is really happy they did it.
5
But he's been running for re-election since 2016 hasn't he? I mean he's never in the WH, he's either on the golf course, or a rally he's taken more time than away than Obama did in his two terms. I watched the rally (some of it) and it scared me, like alot, I thought as I heard the chants that the only thing missing were the Brown Shirts among all of those red caps. These are scary times made scarier by the occupant in the WH. Hopefully he'll be evicted in 2020 willingly or not.
19
I'm not above begging.
Please, Gail, find another source of laugh lines.
I know Trump is low-hanging fruit in that regard, what with his hypocrisy, idiocy, dishonesty and irrational sense of victimization in constant competition to outdo each other. But he's taken up too much of everyone's collective oxygen, and it's time to starve the proverbial beast of air.
Can you devote less ink to Trump? Puh-leeeze?
C'mon, Gail, take one for the team.
11
As I have said from the very start of the Nightmare that is Trump's Presidency .
'Elect A Clown, Expect A Circus'
That in a nutshell is where we are at .
18
Gotta change the slogan to sell more hats. Come on now. Out with it!
6
Of course he's coining a new slogan. He needs to sell more hats. There's always and angle that includes making money for himself.
8
I'm sorry you felt it necessary to mention "Rick Perry." I had not had to think about that taxidermy specimen in months, years, who knows how long it's been?
12
Gail, this was not one of your best, couple smiles, no LOL, and we know how you feel. I'm sure you would love to write a fantastic non-Trump article but Trump is on everyone's mind, what else do readers want to read but some more negative Trump. You are fenced in, tied down, no place for your shoot from the hip humor, no use of that unbelievable wit or yours, every thing has already been said about Trump, you cannot beat a dead horse, what more can you add. We feel for you.
2
I'm not above begging.
Please, Gail, find another source of laugh lines.
I know Trump is low-hanging fruit in that regard, what with his hypocrisy, idiocy, dishonesty and irrational sense of victimization in constant competition to outdo each other. But he's taken up too much of everyone's collective oxygen, and it's time to suffocate the beast.
Can you devote less ink to Trump? Puh-leeeze?
C'mon, Gail, take one for the team.
Trump's brain is incapable of suffering. The assassinated Lincoln is suffering more now than Trump has ever suffered in his entire life.
3
While watching the Copa America games on Univision last night. one of the announcers said that Trump is going to be interviewed in Mexico today. Bet that's going to be interesting.
I'm not above begging.
Please, Gail, find another source of laugh lines.
I know Trump is low-hanging fruit in that regard, what with his hypocrisy, idiocy, dishonesty and irrational sense of victimization in constant competition to outdo each other. But he's taken up too much of everyone's collective oxygen, and it's time to suffocate the beast.
Can you devote less ink to Trump? Puh-leeeze?
C'mon, Gail, take one for the team.
Amen, Gail. Just amen. (So are his rallies now "KAG parties"?)
5
To the cheering multitudes wearing those red MAGA hats at his rallies, all I can say is how can you be so easily duped by this con man? As they cheer him with chants of "Lock her up!", doesn't it dawn on them that he is playing them like shills?
Ben Franklin said it best: "We are all born ignorant, but we must work hard to remain stupid."
12
I'm not above begging.
Please, Gail, find another source of laugh lines.
I know Trump is low-hanging fruit in that regard, what with his hypocrisy, idiocy, dishonesty and irrational sense of victimization in constant competition to outdo each other. But he's taken up too much of everyone's collective oxygen, and it's time to suffocate the beast.
Can you devote less ink to Trump? Puh-leeeze?
C'mon, Gail, take one for the team.
Trumps entire agenda is pure racism and dedicated to undoing everything President Obama did for the world, nothing more.
8
Fascist rallies are nothing to joke about. They are proof that our democracy is fragile and can easily be corrupted with the rule of law and the Constitution made into a mockery while the executive branch manipulates its base with outrageous fantasies.
First get your head around a war chest of over 100 million dollars from Trump donors, who have a vested interested in keeping the neo fascist regime in office. Second the Dems have very little to overcome the fact that our economy is doing great.
The base loves these rallies as Trump entertains them like children at a clown show. They do not care how big the lie is. Frightening!
5
As I always suspected, Trump descended from the "Super Father" Genghis Khan!
So he too, must be a super human via the X chromosome.
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/06/09/genghis-khan/
They say, Nero fiddled while Rome burned and Trump lied while America went to the Russians.
Yes, we can see from our history books, that Trump is trying to make the world great again. I hope he exceeds on Planet Xigon or wherever he comes from. Don't worry about his base. They will follow him regardless of where he goes or what he does!
2
Maybe, just maybe enough people have come to realize what an untruthful and horridly unkind our president is, and will not vote for him or his enabling party. The millions of people who support him is mind boggling, but can we get along if we don’t have his braying to stoke up their hatred and resentment for living in the richest country in the world. Of course, once his “beautiful health plan” kicks in, they might just realize how badly they’ve been duped, but that’s a story for another of Gail’s columns.
5
“You got what you wanted, Mike, now leave me alone.” I am stunned and deeply disappointed that the New York Times doesn’t have this on an embroidered pillow yet.
5
Leftist media’s collective heads exploding all over again in living color.
The crowd size alone should send shivers down the spines to the 800 Dems running for president. And on his first day, he raised $24M. Not a single Dem came close to that.
2
So much hate in Trump, his speeches are full of it, he must be a very sad man. I would say this to him "Whenever you feel like criticising anyone... just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had." (The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.)
5
I see Biden is battling Trump for the segregationist vote . This might be a winning strategy for the Dems .
1
No health plan, no infrastructure plan, no housing plan, no education plan, no allies, no nafta, no japan deal, no korea deal, no Russia deal, no china deal, wars in afghan Syria yemen and wants another in iran.
Trump’s greatest and most cynical skill, honed during the 1980s and 1990s, was learning how to win by silencing truth-tellers and suppressing the truth when it matters most.
He wants all his political enemies in jail on treason, along with newspapers.
8
I'm glad to see MSM NOT broadcasting these horrible freak shows, start to finish, thereby providing tRump with $billions of free advertising. If they're going to do that, AGAIN, they must do it for every candidate. Please spare us. We don't appreciate it.
9
Who proposes a health plan that can deal with millions of cases of PTSD after this election gets officially under way?
The daily barrage of insults and lies and terrifying threats and condescending obeisance to foreign dictators is overwhelming.
If Donald loses the election, we will be like Anne Frank, who was startled awake by the silence when the bombing stopped.
3
Well I guess we can be glad he didn't use Get America Going! or Great America Great! both of which would describe my feelings about him. GAG....
One thing I heard from the pundit crowd regarding his rally was the number of empty seats by the end of his so called speech.
The Morning Joe panel compared him to a fading pop singer trying to do his greatest hits while he staggers and sweats his way across the stage.
I had the great fortune to see the touring Royal Shakespeare Theater's production of King Lear with Sir Ian McKellen. The audience witnessed a man going insane right in front of them.
We are seeing a wanna be king descending into madness ever time he opens his mouth.
9
This Democratic Party casting call for the presidency has far greater significance for the party’s future than many Dems realize or are even aware of. This group of 23 who are currently, and will likely forever be, squabbling amongst themselves is full of, if not totally composed of political lightweights. Yes, lightweights. The most prominent and experienced of them: Biden, Sanders and Warren are all unremarkable in their political careers. Biden has spent the time since his announcement backtracking and flip-flopping on issues as far back as 30 years ago. He was never brainy but always mouthy and very often wrong. Think of all the impacting legislation he put through Congress...keep thinking. Bernie is a Socialist/Communist. Since arriving in Wash DC he has been recognized as far and away the most radical leftist in Congress and has accomplished nothing. Warren is laughable as a candidate, her Indian heritage announcement showed that clearly. Her gaming of the affirmative action gambit to advance her career is telling. And they’re all over 70...and white. The rest are just jokers taking a shot hoping, they can stick until 2024 or 2028 - remember Michele Bachman, Scott Walker?..frontrunners of elections past. The Democratic Party is dissolving.
1
Denial.
The gleeful folks in the red hats, the ones cheering at every sentence Trump speaks, seem to be caught up in some kind of mass self-inflicted denial.
Logically, Trump’s declaration that he is running for a second term should cause wild celebration by Trump’s opponents.
“We’ve got him! He can’t win. We have hundreds of hours of time-stamped video —> Trump telling lies, Trump contradicting himself, Trump creating crises and pretending to solve the problems he made...
“We’ve got this pathological liar dead to rights! More than 10,000 lies, either spoken or tweeted. 10,000 lies directed by the president to the American people.
“All we need to do is organize video clips with well-written narration. Show them to the electorate. And Trump loses. He has to!!!”
But then, an aberrant factor rears its pathological head — mass denial. Trump’s loyal lemmings are blind to obvious lies, contradictions, bizarre claims and flights of insanity. Simply showing them a fair and balanced picture of the mess our current president has made of doing his job has no effect on them. None.
The true foundation on which our democracy rests is not checks and balances. It is not our constitution, not even the rule of law. Ultimately, American democracy rests on the collective wisdom and common sense of the American people.
These are dark days. Tens of millions of our countrymen are choosing lies and imaginary accomplishment over truth and reason.
5
One hopeful sign was during Chris Matthews Dayton show when he asked a crowd of supporters and non-supporters if they thought trump was truthful, that he tells the truth. Not ONE of the people in room said yes, nor raised their hands. Including his very dedicated followers in the room.
As Chris Matthews said, "crickets." I see many people, all over, many, many people that see the man behind the curtain and know he's a fraud, a liar, and a conman.
6
@Lock Him Up - Matthews should have then asked the crowd who among them saw that as a bad thing, and who saw it as a good.
2
There are serious decisions being made while folks make fun of the word “KAG” like Gag.
SCOTUS reversed lower court ruling on removing a large cross on public land...so religion clause has been tossed by Neil, “I like beer” and 3 other conservatives. Alito wrote the majority opinion. My state of Hawai’i got rid of all crosses erected on public land as it reduced us Buddhists, Sikhs, and secular to an inferior class.
https://www.npr.org/2019/06/20/731824045/supreme-court-cross-can-stand-on-public-land-in-separation-of-church-and-state-c
We are headed for a collision in Iran as neither Trump nor the clerics will back off. Trump wants a regime change OR just wants to starve 82 million ppl w more severe sanctions as Iran shot down a US drone. Trump and Bolton have no plan other than bluster...and the world thinks we are weak.
More caged children, Trump wants millions of undocumented workers deported...while only ELEVEN employers were fined. Sorta like jailing prostitutes while their johns and pimps roam free.
Seems as if Tom Jones’ song: "It's a Man's Man's Man's World” should be Trump’s entrance song rather than “You can’t always get what you want.” (Never did understand that.)
Luis Alvarez, the 9/11 worker with Jon Stewart appeared before a nearly empty Senate hearing has been diagnosed with tumors engulfing his liver. His doctors told him nothing more can be done and Luis was placed in hospice.
McConnell LAUGHED at our 9/11 workers and Stewart.
This is SERIOUS!
10
Perhaps Gail's getting a wee better about Trump's utterances:
"First time around, it’s sort of fun yelling back whenever you hear Trump tell a whopper. But the president is utterly indifferent when his facts turn out to be lies."
It's "very sad" that she isn't "very strong" in describing statements as lies. It's not that some of Trump's facts "turn out to be lies." They're lies! And if they're lies, I think it's important to refer to our esteemed president as a liar.
Another "very sad" item that Trump said The Times committed a "virtual act of treason." That statement sounds like more "fake news" from the real "enemy of the people."
2
Trump has been running all of his life.
From his father's inheritance windfall, that he decimated.
From his wife cheating adulteries
From his tax cheating and business frauds.
From his 4,000 + lawsuits.
From his money laundering for Putin and the Saudis.
Trump has been running backwards his whole life.
4
@Joe Miksis and still looks like a choir boy compared to Hillary. If the Dems only run criminals or insane radicals it may be the end of the Democratic party
1
Love this column, but Gail Collins you have given Donald Trump exactly what he wants. Attention, doesn't matter if it is pictures with a porn star or snapping at an aide for coughing during an interview. He craves attention and Americans are stuck with him screaming, "Look at me!" for two more years.
2
"(“33,000 emails deleted! Think of it!”)"
(488 pages of the Mueller Report, not deleted, Think of it!)
"We Are Thinking Of It, A Lot!"
5
Washington, Jefferson, John Adams, Monroe, Madison, Hamilton, Lincoln, Grant, Robert E Lee, Wilson, FDR, George Marshall, Truman, Eisenhower, JFK, Reagan, and George HW Bush would be appalled by everything about Trump and his lack of integrity, honesty, and competence. Only Roy Cohn would be proud of Donald, his protegee. George Will is right: Trump remains a "low life from Queens," and will be known forever in history as the accidental occupant of the White House who put children in cages and didn't care.
10
He drained the swamp and replaced it with a cess pool.
9
The best, most perfect justice would be for Hilary to run again and bury him in a landslide. How delicious that would be.
4
On top of everything else, this guy has got to be the most whiniest President E.V.E.R.
9
Do they still do the ''lock her up'' cheer?
@Lawrence
Well, if you're referring to Ianka who also used her home server for government-related emails, then the answer would be no.
3
as crazy as these rallies are, the scarier thing is that we have 20 democratic candidates in the field.
Even though the debates will clear the field, I am not sure the dems can get their act together and hope they have again learned how to count electoral college votes.
And that hanging out with Beyonce on the night before the election is not the way to go.
Although Biden is doing fundraising dinners, he also has spent more time with the regular voters than Hillary in the last election, this gives some hope.
Films of Hitler giving his speeches show a similar pattern: the rants and attacks ramble on and on; some lines get exuberant cheers back: others get a bit less. Rally after rally, the speaker uses the crowds’ responses to remove the weaker lines, and to condense his message into a non-stop screed that the crowd embraces orgiastically.
In other words, Hitler did not write the speeches, his crowds did.
Thus, Trump gives voice to the visceral sentiments of an inarticulate public that feels unheard and ignored.
We’ve seen this movie before.
9
Thanks, Gail. As always, your words bring joy and laughter. That bit you tossed in about Pence and his wife "...for absolutely no reason except that I enjoy it," was a genuine hoot!
As for Trump's new tag-line, KAG, I offer that it could easily stand for Keep America Gagging! Seems appropriate.
4
Earliest inauguration crowd ever - though it looks like a lot of these folks are Canadians who sneaked over the border...
Ohh, sorry - thought Orlando, Florida was in Wisconsin...
PS
Regarding Lincoln being treated badly - did somebody do something to him...
3
Very entertaining.
1
The banality of evil has its personification in Donald Trump. His serial lying, racist demagoguery, and sheer policy ignorance, mark him as the ultimate " clear and present danger " to the general welfare of American society. His attempt to hijack the 4th of July for his insidious political agenda should be boycotted by every print and broadcast media outlet that still practices the dying entity of " responsible journalism ".
9
@Don Shipp.
You are correct regarding “the banality of evil” and Trump is the poster boy of mundane, normalized evil. The book by
M. Scott Peck “People of the Lie” should be required reading these days.
5
I wonder how much the Vatican is paying Rick Santorum. They seem to be fond of throwing money down the drain for causes that would make Jesus weep.
3
It sure sounds like “ Hillary “ was the one that got away.
Just saying.
5
Just look at that crowd in the background. It's got "Stupid" written all over.
4
Gail, it is so easy to be angry all the time these days. Thank you for reminding me to laugh at this utter clown show. What a joke.
3
@Maureen
The clown show is next week - Democrat debates. How many are there now...40? And the media mocked the GOP field four years ago.
1
See if you can find the folks who most likely planted in this crowd.
1
Poor Karen Pence, she prays that Mike never ever leaves Washington to spend more time with his family.
2
@Prunellat
Just like Bill Clinton prays every night...hoping Hillary stays on the road so he can be with the Energizer.
1
Sinclair Lewis, were he a contemporary author, would have given his novel, “Elmer Gantry” a different name:
“Donald Trump"
5
So, MAGA is out, KAG is in. Now he can sell lots more of those hats that are made in China.
3
Sinclair Lewis, were he a contemporary author, would have given his novel, “Elmer Gantry” a different name:
“Donald Trump"
1
Trump exposes his ignorant, immature, immoral, intemperate and insecure diva narcissist nature by tweeting and speaking nicknames and slurs while watching Fox News and playing golf.
As long as Trump still has the smiling and smirking support of Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin there is no reason for him to change anything at these greatest hits campaign revivals.
After all Trump built the wall that Mexico paid for. Then Trump got North Korea to get rid of it's nukes and then he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump repealed and replaced Obamacare. Trump balanced the federal budget and reduced the national debt. Right?
5
Trump is an empty vessel which needs daily doses of admiration and adoration.He cannot get enough attention, enough of the center stage.This is why he has discarded his press secretary in favor of south lawn Q and A while his helicopter is waiting for him.He is so eager to be front row center that has taken over the 4th of July and intends to speak from the Lincoln Memorial.This narcissistic person needs to have a nickname attached to him-the most accurate would be Delusional Don.
4
He's getting re-elected. For all your rage and fury and outrage, he's getting re-elected. Why? We are tired of YOU!
@Foxx Drake
Well friend, that statement shows the depth of reasoning WE have come to expect from folks at the kool-aid stand.
5
“Relax,” she said. I love it when Gail Collins tells me to relax. For Trump fatigue and the nightmares caused when Trump comes in to me dreams where he mocks Jim Acosta while standing at podiums in high school gyms, looking a lot like Mussolini, Collins is better than a therapist teaching mindfulness.
3
Hummm.
Let's see, Honest Abe; Dishonest Don.
Very similar.
I'd swear they're the same guy.
Wonder if I can get a Black stove top with the new slogan?
Keep Abe Gasping
1
I'd like to thank the Trump Re-Election Committee for inventing the slogan Keep America Great = KAG.
For me, it will ALWAYS come to mind as 'GAG'.
So apropos....
NOT my president
4
As Citizen Kane had “rosebud” as his last utterance, someday Trump will have “Hillary” as his.
7
I truly hope we have decent people still left. I truly love my nation and I do not want it to be destroyed by a perverted con man.
3
Now that "Make America Great Again" has been retired by the Republicans, I believe that 4 years of Donald Trump should cause the Democrats to adopt it as their slogan.
Sure seems appropriate!
4
You missed the point on switching from MAGA to KAG. It’s not about government, it’s about marketing. All those fools who bought the first hats will now run out and buy the second. It’s a marketer’s dream. Swap slogans sell more hats. Another con by the Don.
9
Pick your favorite historical comparison: (And response)
A) No president has ever “done what we have done in two and a half years.”
TRUE: No president has trampled the Constitution with such gusto and sneering, supported by a breath-taking number of Russian hackers.
B) His race in 2016 was “the greatest campaign and the greatest election probably in the history of our country.”
TRUE: But only if you consider attacking American democracy a “great” thing.
C) “Abraham Lincoln was treated supposedly very badly. But nobody’s been treated badly like me.”
NOT YET: Wait, we are far from finished with you. First, we get to begin with impeachment and will continue prosecutions after you leave office. At least, your jumpsuit will match your make-up.
6
"...the Democrats who do well will be elevated to a whole new level on the Trump enemies list, assigned a dumb nickname and attacked in the rants our president thinks of as speeches."
Gail, you are such a good writer! Thank you for the levity and sunlight!
3
Makes me wonder, Gail, if Hillary is kinda like Romney's "dog on the roof" that a NYT pundit kept repeating over and over again.
It's a kinda syndrome of senseless repetition known among the pundit's many followers and often called, "Collins Cacophony."
More of this nonsense we do not need....from Trump, Collins and all those whose words are stuck on their collective roofs.
1
Perhaps Liberals could factually tell us how President Trump has made their personal lives worse?
@Dr. John
So is that now the way to evaluate a president’s performance in office, merely how he or she had affected one’s personal life? The sound of bars lowering everywhere is deafening!
6
@Dr. John
Sir,
I am a relatively secure, well-off old white guy so “personally” Trump hasn’t effected me. Very directly I hope to live long enough to personally defile his grave because I understand the definition of the word “empathy” and I detest how he has defiled this country I love.
7
@Dr. John - My bi-racial grandchildren and black friends have been subjected to more harassment. My health care is in jeopardy, my air and water is being poisoned, my social security is at risk, my gay friends are being treated like second class citizens..... That's just for starters.
4
Thanks for the levity Gail now can you please call someone at MSNBC and tell them to stop showing "Fat Donnie's" rallies in the bottom right hand corner of the screen during their shows. It's $5000.00 a minute of free advertising and it contributed to his election in the first place which has left most of us looking for laughter to ease the pain of our 'cancer of the White House.'
6
How about a DEAL involving the World's Greatest Dealmaker: Florida, you take tRump and his whole family as permanent residents, and NY, we'll continue to supply our expertise and Federal tax dollars (remember, we send more to DC than we receive) when your coasts sink beneath the phony waves caused by the Great Chinese Climate Hoax.
2
What a pitiful and disgusting demonstration of a vapid mind at work. His vocabulary of hatred and discord and self praise are embarrassing to watch.
I feel like I turned on the TV and tuned in 2016.
I'm sorry, did I miss something? Is Hillary running again?
If he wins a second term, it will define who and what we are as a nation, and the picture isn't pretty.
If he wins a second term, for the first time in my life I will truly be ashamed to be an American.
Fool me once...
6
During Trump’s kickoff he complained about the $40M or so spent by Mueller. Nowhere did he mention the $102M approximately taxpayers have shelled out for him to go play golf in Florida. Politicians disgust me.
5
Watching some of what Potus Defile-Us would call "fake news" programs, plus Stephen Colbert, I see snippets of trump on stage during his cult-of-maga-mania rallies … and I think to myself "Wouldn't we be better served -- and entertained --by Andrew Dice Clay?"
Then I think, "Maybe that guy fouling 'our stage' is Andrew Dice Clay in trump-disguise."
1
Did he ever stop campaigning? Let's face it, being the center of attention is what Trump craves most. That and money of course. I don't get the fascination some Americans have for this guy. I can only hope Americans come out in massive droves to vote him out of office before he starts a war! Especially considering when America called on him to serve, he refused using a bogus medical condition 5x. Add insult to injury, he goes on to mock and belittle veterans who did serve! Trump is a disgrace and embarrassment to all Americans...
4
Rumor has it he intended to say he’s suffered more than Jesus but was convinced not to by advisers who told him that while that’s true he ran the risk of:
1. Offending a small minority of Fundamentalists
2. Offending Mitch McConnel’s supporters (but not Mitch who is only offended by mirrors)
3. Offending God (who may in fact be paying attention)
10
"you’ve got somebody believing he’s been more abused by his opponents than a victim of assassination" ... priceless! The big question is: Who are these tens (or hundred) of thousands of people still coming to his rallies and hollering along with their ranting jeer leader and what are they going to do when this sideshow finally goes away? They worry me. A lot.
6
Why do we wring our hands over his faithful followers? There have always been died in the wool Republicans. So what? We could not move them in the past. Why obsess now?
Okay, this is the Third Way’s game. They are DINOs posing as liberals and want their Republican friends to vote for their choice. Mystery solved.
1
Clinton’s email? Is that the best you can come up with after all these years?
By shear volume of scandals, you are the greatest, president Trump. Perhaps you should spend more time talking up those achievements.
2
It's a shame that George Carlin is gone--he'd skewer Trump with his insight and wicked humor.
5
"It was Mrs. Pence who reportedly told her husband, when he tried to kiss her on election night: “You got what you wanted, Mike, now leave me alone.” The story is from Michael Lewis’s book “The Fifth Risk” and I am repeating it today for absolutely no reason except that I enjoy it." Thanks for making me laugh out loud. :)
6
Barry Goldwater was defeated when an ad showed a mushroom cloud and a child. Trump has a larger Achilles heel: Loyalty to Russia.
Have uniformed soldiers ask, "Who's side are you on, Mr. President?
The candidate who does that wins . . .
3
I enjoyed this as I do all your writing. But there is nothing new here. Isn't it way past the time we just ignore this guy? Next time tell us what you'll be doing on your summer vacation -- please!!
1
Will Trump's supporters never tire of his bellowing nonsense?
Probably not. It could be raining outside and Trump could
say it is sunny and they would believe him, not their eyes.
4
Hatred, bigotry and corruption will make America great again?
4
I enjoy Gail Collins, but nowadays the truths in her column just make me want to cry.
5
I wish one could believe recent polls, but after 2016, it is difficult. Many Dumbo Donnie voters will not admit they voted for him-especially to pollsters. Hopefully, the D's will get out the vote, women, millenials, and the minority communities-all of whom helped deliver the House will turn out to vote in 2020.
In addition, the D's have to start talking about taking back the Senate-it is doable. Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Georgia, and Maine, are just three states ripe with possibility. Without the Senate we are still stuck with Miserable Mitch. And Biden, for all his talk about working across the aisle-which most of us dream about-needs to address actions MM took to block everything Obama/Biden tried to do for 8 years. He needs to not talk about the long ago past, but those 8 years and how he would deal w/MM now. MM will not change his stripes and work w/Biden simply b/c he is a charming white guy, whom he has known for 30 years. I want to know how Biden will deal with this.
In fact, I want to know how each of the candidates will deal w/MM. And, what their plans are during the election to help the D's take back the Senate.
3
To the 21 Democratic hopefuls:
Here is how you can best help your country:
Recognize that when he speaks to the big crowd, Trump is traumatizing them. You have to heal them. You must use a gentle, tender voice. You must genuinely care about these American citizens, and never drop your guard, never privately speak one word against these folks who are in a trance from the fears he has triggered in them.
You must today, refute the lies and mis-statements that he made in Orlando last night. Every single time he lies or mis-states, one of you must call him out, again using your gentle and tender tone of voice. You cannot not let up, not for one lie, or his steam engine, moving downhill, will build up a momentum that cannot be stopped. Be vigilant, with a kind voice.
The 21 of you will have to all be all-hands-on deck for the whole campaign, for that one candidate, whoever it is. All of you must be out in the field, from now on, as you campaign for the one, making friends with all kinds of Americans: the homeless/the 0.1%; dems/republicans; rural/urban; newly arrived/arrived millennia ago; progressives/conservatives. See the Americans as people, not as labels.
As a whole, working together as a team, you will be formidable.
398
@NotKiddingYou are absolutely right: every candidate must be willing to support whoever comes out on top. My biggest quarrel with Sanders is that he pouted far too long, thus encouraging far too many of supporters to sit the last election out. I hope he, and all of the contenders, have learned from that.
192
@NotKidding: Completely disagree. Trump's approval ratings (such as they are) are a product of his snark and his pugilism. Democrats need to take him on by finding a fighter who's bigger and smarter than he is- and who can be just as abrasive and just as assertive. I wish even one of the Democrats would demonstrate that he/she is up to the task (Warren has the temperament but not the wit). Bring back Al Franken!
29
@stu freeman: I completely disagree and agree with NotKidding and arjayeff. The surest way to Democratic failure in this election is to be as nasty and abusive as Trump. Think for a second. Who is that method going to appeal to so well that they come out and vote in droves? Not Democratic supporters. But it will certainly drive more Trump supporters out in retaliation.
The way to bring out voters, as we have seen crystallingly clear by Trump, is to appeal to their deeply held values and concerns. One doesn't need to be bombastic; one simply needs to deliver a message that's heartfelt and true. Obama is a classic example of how that works.
What are the issues that will cause supporters and fencesitters to come to the polls? Healthcare, fair taxes, social programs, sensible gun control, climate change, et al. The smart candidate can show how all of these things can bring us closer than fake fear of immigrants and other bogeymen can force us apart.
When was the last time you went to a dinner party and the loudest and most bombastic person, regardless of the validity of their points, was the most well received. Betcha can't think of any.
43
The highlight of Trump’s FL visit was the Orlando Sentinel heralding the rally by endorsing Whomever Is Not Trump. Donald lost to No One In Particular, over a year ahead of the election. They have seen all they need to know that, literally, any other prospective candidate would be better than the incumbent. Likewise with the rest of us.
595
@NM I am seriously worried though, that Israel, the Saudis, the Chinese, and/or Russia will help him win again.
32
@NM: Even at Walt Disney World Donald Trump is projected to lose in a landslide to Donald Duck, whose campaign is being funded by his uncle, Scrooge McDuck.
28
Trump is right when he says that no president has ever “done what we have done in two and a half years.” Dead on, no argument. He just didn't say that what he's done has been good stuff, or honorable stuff, or honest stuff, or decent stuff, or stuff that is good for the American public, or stuff that is in keeping with traditional American values.
678
@Jackie
Honorable? Whats that? He is about as American as it gets. Check your history Jackie. You don't get it do you?
2
@Jackie The good stuff he did was keeping Criminal Clinton out of office and installing conservative judges. This is enough for people to vote him back in 2020
2
@RS, he's even more openly corrupt than Clinton. But she's not in the ballot anyway so I guess all you've got is the judges.
3
Large voter turnout did the trick in 2018 to rescue the House, a larger turnout in 2020 will mitigate the damage even more. I can tell you as someone with a 19 year old granddaughter that voted in 2018 that people her age are becoming energized to act. I hear it from her and her friends, I overhear it in the break room at work. Their opinion is that old male politicians are not concerned about climate change and have no business trying to control a woman's childbearing choices. Get out the vote, that's the stuff.
1119
@G Patrick. It will take a much heavier load of inspiration to motivate young people to the polls than the gerontocracy of the Democratic Party can offer. Joe Biden seems to be suiciding his own campaign. Wish him well!
13
@G Patrick Dem President in 2020 will mean little if McConnell still owns the Senate. With a Dem Congress, even a Trump win in 2020 will be to his benefit only if we don't squash that DoJ OLC memo once and for all and indict the guy. Trump would have to veto dozens of non-base-friendly bills or cave, and all the legal battles his administration has begun will begin to end in defeat after defeat, exposing more and more of his perfidy to subpoenas that can no longer be avoided.
A Dem Congress in 2021 negates a Trump win in 2020, if he manages to squeak out another one. He either loses in 2020 or he becomes the first President impeached and successfully removed in American history. Once again, he would have accomplished something unprecedented!
13
@John LeBaron
Yeah but Warren has tremendous support among young voters. I worked on her campaign out of the Worcester/Southbridge offices in 2012. Both were managed by young college students from Clark, WPI , Worcester State and Holy Cross. If she wins the nomination and runs with Buttigieg I think they'll be a formidable trump opponent.
Buttigieg also looks impressive and speaks to the young electorate. He's thoughtful, he's smart, he's eloquent, he's refreshingly honest and extremely witty, cutting trump down with intelligent wit rather than schoolyard name calling. I'm 60 years old and would love to see Buttiegieg win the primary. He's humble enough to know he doesn't know all the answers, to know that the administration serves a vital purpose: to place the best in every field in his cabinet.
Donate to David Hogg's organization to help register the young electorate in record numbers. It seems the kids are finally "woke". They are living through the worst times, even seemingly worse than the early 70's. Gig economy, explosive education costs, housing out of reach. Two incomes to afford the basic necessities. I married in the 1977. Had a baby within a year so didn't work to contribute to household income yet my blue collar job husband income enabled us to buy a home on one income and financially provide for our growing family of 5 children. Able to build our dream home in 1985 with one blue collar income.
Our children can't even afford to live on their own. They're woke.
53
All my life I've assumed that if a person is caught lying enough times, they will eventually stop lying. Who would have guessed that you can attain the most powerful position on the planet simply by defying this logic? And how can anyone look at this situation objectively and feel hopeful about the future of civilization?
1176
@Adan Schwartz
Funny, I always thought that someone who is lied to incessantly would eventually catch on to the fact that they were getting played. Apparently not so. I am worried less about one man lying than the millions believing.
190
@Adan Schwartz I know how you feel. IF he wins, I really am seriously thinking our country is gone, so might as well move somewhere else. I am confident though, that Americans, real Americans, sent a message, but now it's time to hire someone with a brain for the Presidency.
38
@Adan Schwartz Brave New World, indeed. It's here!
16
KAG?
Hmmmmm. Maybe it should be KAGB. Keep America Going Backwards
3
@Matt - Tell that to the farmers in the Midwest.
Trump's idiocy is starting to have an impact and it will continue to do so.
1
They should just drop pretense and start handing out torches at this point.
6
"The mob believes everything it is told, provided only that it be repeated over and over. Provided too that its passions, hatreds, fears are catered to. Nor need one try to stay within the limits of plausibility: on the contrary, the grosser, the bigger, the cruder the lie, the more readily is it believed and followed. Nor is there any need to avoid contradictions: the mob never notices; needless to pretend to correlate what is said to some with what is said to others: each person or group believes only what he is told, not what anyone else is told; needless to strive for coherence: the mob has no memory; needless to pretend to any truth: the mob is radically incapable of perceiving it: the mob can never comprehend that its own interests are what is at stake.”
― Alexandre Koyré, Réflexions sur le mensonge
6
I really wish that for one day we could stop the name calling, and tweeting and trolling and bashing, and get something done! Anything! Health care? Forgotten. Opioid crisis? Forgotten. Infrastructure? My God, do something! Fix a pothole, reunite immigrant families, lower the price of prescription drugs, anything! At this point I can’t abide the do-nothing Congress almost as much as I loathe the president. We are all stuck in the miasma of this unending nightmare reality show that passes for a functioning democracy nowadays. I am most worried about the message being sent and the legacy being left to our children. We must be better than this. We must do better than this.
6
I'd rather see them get nothing done than to see them accomplish things like the tax giveway
2
Trump is wise to run against Hillary-ism, now embodied in Joe Biden.
Hard as it is to believe, it appears that the Progressive women, who adored Hillary, are about to abandon all the women candidates and embrace their inner Joe.
1
While I appreciate any attempt to find a bit of humor in this present situation, it's not funny at all.
What I heard and saw of the Orlando rally was chilling. The lies were a given. His whining, boasting and projection were a given. Referring to the press, the media, Intelligence agencies, judges, as his enemy, is a given. That his supporters lap it up, also a given.
When he tells his audience that these enemies are THEIR enemies and now include any American who does not support him, he's crossed into new territory - openly inciting violence.
He said one true thing when he bragged that no president has done what he has in two and half yrs. He's turned the United States into a rogue nation and made himself indisputably the most dangerous man in the world at this time.
I have zero doubt as to the degree of harm he is capable of just because he can. There's no one to stop him.
17
An incumbent ranting about a defeated election opponent has no political salience. Obama wouldn't have gotten very far in 2012, if he had spent his time bad mouthing John McCain.
There's some encouraging signs for Trump opponents here, that the candidate may be getting complacent, and showing signs of being overly intoxicated with his adoring fan base.
2
He needs to go to Ford's Theater to see My American Cousin so he can suffer as much as Lincoln.
5
These Trump fans are the same ones that watch the Jerry Springer show and Judge Judy, and walk away impressed.
9
Trump invokes Hillary Clinton's name as a shorthand for all that his base hates about Democrats, particularly its women,. Even if Warren or Harris is the nominee, he will still use her as his rallying cry.
5
"The rally took place in Orlando, and Trump told the exuberant crowd that Florida is “my second home. In many cases, I think I could say it’s my first home.”"
It is some comfort to know that in just a few decades, due to climate change, Florida will disappear beneath the Atlantic.
7
In the declining Roman Empire the emperors gave the mob renditions of Christians zero, lions ten at the coliseum. Not much has changed in two thousand years.
3
Trump has made satire and comedy great again. I count on Stephen Colbert and John Oliver to make me laugh when I really want to be sticking needles in my eyes and wishing 2016 had never happened and that I will wake up like Dorothy knowing Trump’s reign has all been just a bad dream. After he is gone from the White House, there will be books written about how rational people survived. I was only in my 20s during Nixon’s reign but that ended as I thought it should. Now, we have a president who can not be indicted and backed by a GOP who worships at his bone-spurred feet.
Make America Rational Again or at least Make Truth Matter Again.
5
When I see these rallies I honestly wonder whether those in the audience have had a chip put in their head. The blind devotion and ignorance of the crowd stuns me. I know I am not supposed to think that way. I am supposed to see their issues and try and understand their point of view but I can’t. I see a group of uninformed people swayed by someone who they view as successful who will fix their problems. I see people incapable of doing their due diligence as citizens and refusing to learn anything except what is fed to them by conservative news. And I am sad to say this but I see a group of people that embarrasses me as an American. I have zero respect for their support of Donald Trump. At this point I can’t even bear to have a conversation with a Trump supporter. That is how little I respect them.
9
As I have said for the very start of the Nightmare that is Trump's Presidency .
'Elect A Clown, Expect A Circus'
That in a nutshell is where we are at .
4
Trump says he has suffered more than Lincoln, who of course was shot and killed and sought to eradicate slavery. He is greater than George Washington. If he actually thought that he could convince folks of these things if he just says them enough, he proves his utter intellectual deficits by simply making such choices. He is becoming more ridiculous each day. But will it be in time? Will it matter? Could the bar for the presidency go much lower? Go manage a coal mine and leave the presidency alone, Mr. Trump. Please.
3
Has there ever been a more pathetic President and candidate for office than this?
5
I am so tired of him. Please oh please let us be rid of this thief of civility.
4
Do not be distracted by the circus. Dems need to get focussed and real FAST. At this point, I fear he will be re-elected. See Guardian:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/20/four-reasons-why-trump-is-cruising-towards-re-election
They should build the wall with Hilary’s emails - because no one can get over them
6
The United States and the world would be a much better and cleaner place if Donald Trump would just die in his sleep.
I want my country back. We deserve better than a liar, a hater and a racist flushing this country down his toilet.
This country is so much better than the reprobate Trump.
5
Keep America Fearful ! First the blacks, then women, then gays, then communists, then guns, now Mexicans, China and of course Hillary and the Democrats themselves !
I for one and fearful of the ones who spread fear and believe in zero sum game !
2
"...after you’ve heard him announce for the millionth time..." sounds like an exaggeration, Ms. Collins, but you ridicule President Trump for exaggerating...hypocritical.
@Raz
Hypocritical? Really?
There's a considerable difference between hyperbole for rhetorical effect and deceitful exaggeration.
HYPERBOLE: I'd sell my firstborn for a cheeseburger right now. (No one calls the police or family services).
DECEITFUL EXAGGERATION: Almost everything djt says about his inaugural crowd size; his personal wealth (especially to banks to whom he applies for loans); the number of illegal immigrants he plans to deport; or the assertion that those crossing the southern border are, for the most part, rapists, drug traffickers, and murderers.
And for giggles, let's throw in his promise to cure cancer, if and only if he's elected.
And for stomach-churning chutzpah, let's include his claiming to be the most honest/most transparent/smartest/most beloved president--ever.
See the difference?
3
For God’s sake, he still thinks he is running against Hillary. Does anyone need further proof that he’s “lost it?!”
6
If « draining the swamp » means putting lobbyists at the helm of most federal agencies then, YES, the President has done a very fine job indeed.
18
@Pascale Luse: Trump can't recruit anyone anymore. When his existing appointees leave, the senior Civil Service bureaucrat becomes acting cabinet officer.
6
We have to assume he'll be re-elected. As long as state TV FoxNews continues pumping out propaganda to the red-hatted masses, Trump will be a danger to the nation and the world. I'm on the verge of being burned out with keeping up. Our way of life hangs in the balance.
17
OTOH, Trump, Xi, and Kim make a lovely triptych.
6
I would easily see President Trump after his presidency becoming announcer for the WWE, i'm sure that his buddy Vince McMahon could find him a spot, he would be at ease doing this it is practically the same crowd he would have to entertain.
10
@Siegfried
I can hear him now:
And in this corner we have ( masked so as not to scare her opponent ) Hillary Clinton. With her 33,000 emails.
Loud chorus of boos.
3
From now until election day, the DNC and party leaders should constantly display and amplify side-by-side comparisons between Trump's claims and the reality. I would imagine that in 80-90% of the cases, he has not at all delivered on what he has promised or claimed to accomplish. Facts do still matter to many and we should be sure that they are readily available to all who care.
It was sad to see the NYT, Washington Post, and WSJ all initially frame the Florida event in terms of crowd size and political savvy instead of doing what the US edition of The Guardian rightly did ... emphasized that his speech was based on lies and false claims. Only in later updates online did we start to see the US media triumvirate revise their emphasis to focus more on the false substance of his message.
18
They don't care about facts. The culture war has devolved into us vs them. largely driven by anger about the rich absorbing all income gain since there were 170 million in the U.S.. There are 330 million in U.S. now.
2
Trump has sailed the calm economic seas in the ship that Obama built and mismanaged foreign policy in a time of low military activity.
I feel a combination of nausea and fear of him ever having to deal with a real crisis in either.
18
I am terrified trump will be re-elected for this reason. Without the need to campaign and assuage the ignorance of his base the way he did his first term, he will have no checks on his ego driven impulses and policies. I can’t begin to predict what evil and crazy plans he will manage to implement without the threat of losing the he next election.
5
Trump gave his MAGA-hatted KnowNothings in Orlando more of the same old, same old: rants about Crooked Hillary, whines about the rigged system and how he was the winningest victim of them all. Some, having seen it before, left early; there were lots of empty seats at the end of that rally. What a contrast with Elizabeth Warren, who is surging ahead in the Democratic pack with clearly enunciated policies on a variety of issues.
16
Way back in 2016 he decided to run for President as a joke.
Obviously the joke was on us since surprisingly he won thanks to the Electoral College. Now the joke is over and it's time for him to go. We've had more than enough of this self-serving. egotistical con man. All he's doing now is re-living his 2016 rallies with nothing new. His needle is stuck on ranting about Hillary Clinton. He probably doesn't even know she isn't running. We are in a huge mess and before it becomes totally hopeless we need a change.
27
the one thing Pres. Fredo accomplished that i'm eternally grateful for is he got rid of Hillary.
@markhas
Really?
You think that things would be worse with Hillary in the White House?
Wow
3
Most striking from The Donald's infinity campaign is that it is all about hating "them".
I am proud to be one of "them".
13
The corporations are just fine. They are doing good. Trump seems like a bad president but the corporations got a big tax cut, and they own all the propaganda machines. Machines that have let us know that it is "the economy stupid". We agree. The economy is the most important thing. Sure, we would like to work on climate change, healthcare, pay increases for the serfs. But we know that if the economy crumbles it will be chaos, because we have been told. We fear that chaos.
The corporations own our elected officials and Americans are not going to do anything that might upset these overlords. So, Trump is just fine because we are not willing to do anything that would affect our own personal economic situation. In a way, it is us saying that we want all those great things we should be doing, but not if we need to scale back our lives one bit. So, it is apparently not that bad out there. At least not bad enough to make anyone do anything meaningful, or at least anything that would upset the owners of the country.
3
I knew Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was a friend of mine. President, you're no Abraham Lincoln.
12
The trump presidency will be studied by historians for decades to come. With the simple premise of how a naive loudmouth got to the top spot in the world. Trump will be tweeting and blathering for years. Till he goes completely nuts which he is well on the way to. I think even then he will be tweeting his way to immortality. More like immorality. Those of us who have seen these kind of movies know that he is pre-Alzheimer’s. The dementia is creeping in under the doors and around the window openings. Those speeches that Gail mentioned, are nothing but the same junk he has been spewing and chewing for several years. The thing that I wonder is how much of the puppet show is being stage managed by the kushners. Left on his own can you imagine what we would really see and hear.
7
It is the responsibility of intellectuals to speak the truth and expose lies. Noam Chomsky.
Perhaps cute articles and a soft approach can help. However, it seems to me that when we are faced with a political crisis that is worse than Nixon - as we have widespread corruption, proven obstruction, breach of the emoluments clause, an assault on environmental policies, tax thievery to aide the wealthiest, the shredding of European alliances, the pro-strongman policies, the new fascist American-Russian alliance, the acceptance of the murderous Saudi killers, the withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the crazed trade policies including the abandonment of TPP and the tariff wars not to mention the shattering of democratic norms, the vulgarity, the racism and the demeaning of the Presidency — it is time for day in and day out anger and strong, fact based attacks on Trump. He is not a silly joke. He is not a buffoon. He is not simply an asterisk. He is a fascist. He is effective. He is dangerous. Go after him with sharp, strong pieces from America’s best intellectuals. Meanwhile, kudos to NYT for the factual reporting on this goon, this vile, divisive would be dictator
13
It's time for the adults in the room to step up and stop this man. I'm looking at you Nancy, Chuck and Robert M as well as the Democrats and sane Republicans.
13
@MLS
I'll add Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to the list of "adults in the room" who are clear about the dangers Trump presents, and have clear plans for extricating us from the pit we're in.
2
I haven't decided. Is he running on empty or is he running on fumes.
I guess it depends on how close his podium is to those porta-potties.
3
Why do we care about the emails? Hillary was using the server for her personal and professional emails. (Dumb) To protect friends and personal contacts, she had them deleted. (Smart, under the circumstances.)
3
@Kuhlsue - The question is why don't Trumpists know or care that Trump and co. have done the exact same thing.
4
President Trump wasn't just elected by his "fans". He also got votes from those citizens who can think for themselves and rejected the Liberal agenda (unlimited immigration, subsidizing the world economy, gay and non-binary rights, abortion as a birth control device...).
As far as population and immigration are concerned, it's not a matter of race or racism, just mathematics. If we were to divide all of the land area of the Earth (including Antarctica, Greenland, all the deserts and mountains...), equally, amongst all the people of the Earth, each one of us would get about five acres. Now, imagine trying to get all your needs for subsistence from that five acres (food, clothing, shelter & materials, fuel and energy, mining...). If U.S. lands were divided equally amongst its citizens, each would get about 7.4 acres. In India, the number would be about 0.3 acres per person. Over half the people in the world live in “poverty” (over 5 billion live on ten dollars, or less, per day, 15 times our entire U.S. population), and we can’t solve that problem by allowing them to immigrate here.
WE HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO OVERPOPULATE OUR COUNTRY, just because other people have already ruined theirs with UNCONTROLLED POPULATION GROWTH.
1
@Raz
Women do not use abortions as a birth control device.
Trump has cut funding for women's health clinics both here and abroad.
THAT IS WHY GIRLS GET PREGNANT!
No access to birth control.
5
Your understanding of liberal positions is not correct. What you state as fact is what your told is liberal opinion.
Perhaps if you spoke to a number of liberals you might see there's a large number of positions held in the liberal camp. Perhaps you could (gasp) read from some of the liberal thinkers. I would suggest Thomas Paines works.
2
@Raz I'm gonna take a wild guess that you wouldn't care about "over-population" if we were talking about Canadians or (Trump's favorite) Norwegians.
4
Dear journalists, enough of Trump and his antics or we'll lose again. Get your act together and let's discuss issues and let's hash out together what will and won't work for us ALL.
5
@VM Thank you!
Trump can (literally) guarantee a win if he begins a full-scale war with Iran. It's well noted that we don't change leaders in the middle of a war.
So President Trump, it's time to review your historical notes and send our troops into Iran. Summer is here and the weather in Tehran should be splendid for a full-blown paratrooper assault on Iran's capital city.
Go for it, Sir! You'll be re-elected by an OVERWHELMING majority - no foreign interference required.
3
Unconstitutional, but that doesn’t seem bother him about anything else.
1
@James Thurber I am sure Mitch is on board, too.
@James Thurber Is this supposed to be sarcastic? As a veteran who has lost friends in combat, this comment is beyond offensive.
4
Hillary is to Trump what Moby-Dick was to Ahab.
14
The White Whale took Ahab’s leg. HRC, by decisively winning a plurality of the national vote, took Trump’s sense of being legitimately elected.
4
@Katrink I think that would be Obama.
@Katrink
An apt analogy, and let's hope she brings to Trump what Moby-Dick brought to Ahab.
3
Every time I see or hear him, I feel like throwing up. These "supporters" enhance the nausea. My anxiety is sky high. tRump is one of the worst things to ever happen to our country, and the embodiment of every hideous mistake we have made throughout our history. The USA can no longer call itself the good guy, in this world.
39
@ChesBay: The US sure has a bloated belly of depravity.
@ChesBay
Interesting. I’ve become like Buffalo Bill Cody with the mute button or if it’s recorded and Trump’s visage presents itself, fast-forward is the button of choice.
Every day I mutter to the cats or to myself something along the lines of, “Unbelievable.”
3
A recent poll in Florida: Biden 50 Trump 41. Sanders is also way above Trump in this poll. Need i say more.
5
@Tonjo Quote from MSNBC Rachel Maddow in 2016. "Even if Donald Trump wins all the toss up states it is mathematically impossible for Trump to win"
Need I say more?
I know many republicans and when they are polled they usually just lie to the pollster. I know I tell everyone that I am voting liberal so that they de-value the polling results and the candidates move on down the road. Plus it is also funny to watch the disappointment they share in trying to figure out how their "impeccable data" could be so wrong.
2
@RS At least we know where you learned to be a liar. So glad you're proud of it. Really something to be proud of.
3
@RS
Ms. Maddox was not unique in making this error. Almost no one believed Michigan, Pennsylvania, & Wisconsin would be toss-up states.
1
Trump forgets though, that he asked for Russian assistance against Hillary, and received it, within hours. He and his supporters should be reminded of that daily, along with his obstructing justice and lying to the Special Council.
20
@Chrisinauburn--YES, Collusion. Criminal conspiracy. He does it in broad daylight.
11
@Chrisinauburn no doubt about it. but the "rules/ laws" only apply to others than Trump and his supporters, according to them.
1
I'd like Trump to explain to me (and more urgently, to his minions, who would never think to ask) how, if he's made America great, he's still standing before them airing the same list of grievances he had BEFORE he did such a stellar, laudatory job.
53
@D Price His minions DO NOT Care. They will believe anything the draft dodging, pathological lying Coward tells them. I present facts and figures several times/week to some of his supporters here in upstate, they could care less. FOX news has really turned these people into Zombies . God please help us. I can't imagine what his second show of deregulating everything will be like. They just do not care.
3
Trump is running again? In fact, he never stops running. After all, this is the only part of the job that he is able to perform.
29
Trump has accomplished one thing that no other President has ever been able to do. He’s got one half of the country laughing at the other half.
53
@Donald White AND the country down the drain !
2
Laughing so hard, we cry.
1
He did drain the swamp so now the only people picking the government’s pocket (aka our tax dollars) are his family and a few close friends. But sadly, they’re taking in 50x more than all the lobbyists have ever in the history of the country.
67
If « draining the swamp » means putting lobbyists at the head of most agencies then yes the President has done a fine job indeed.
4
@Bonnie Thanks Bonnie, although I really don't need an additional reason to despair at this disaster. Nice to know though : )
(8^o) -- me after I tear my hair out!
@Lynne The $102 million total to date spent on Trump’s presidential golfing represents 255 times the annual presidential salary he volunteered not to take. It is more than three times the cost of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation that Trump continually complains about.
57
Everytime I see a photo of a Trump rally I think those peole there are the same ones that sit in the stands and watch noisy cars race around and around and around until there is 500 miles on the odometer.
69
@John Taylor You are right and there are lots of them. That is why he will be elected again!
7
@John Taylor
They are also the ones who watch WW Wrestling and believe it's real.
Of course Trump headed it or emceed for a time.
Figures those dumbbells would find each other and relate.
Doesn't Trump or his campaign pay those people to attend his rallies? Aren't they bused in or have transportation provided to them?
20
@Chris Anderson
Trump is popular with a minority and less people than in 2016. So, without help from Russia again, how do you figure he will be "elected" again?
19
It seems that 60% or more of the American public hates Trump. How he wins again without stealing the election will be almost impossible. Yet we still have the electoral college to deal with. That and vote rigging will be the only way he wins in 2020. Not out of the realm of possibilities. Also, to stop future criminal presidents, we must be allowed to indict while they are in office. The people who allow this rule are co-conspirators in Trump's criminal activity.
131
@Phil M Um, no. The Electoral College, remember? Rural counties dominate their states, which send the delegates. The numbers and ratios are largely the same as in 2018, everyone is just better informed and noisier now. If the economy doesn't tank and the Democrats can't make major gains in rural counties, he could win again just like he did before.
11
@Phil M
He won't be so lucky in those pivotal states this time.
Coal miners are still waiting for their jobs to come back. Michigan is still waiting for their manufacturing jobs to come back.
Florida elderly have lost faith and Pennsylvania just doesn't believe him the way they once did.
Nope, it'll be a Dem who wins this time. Biden/Warren?
14
@Butterfly, I can't imagine Biden picking Warren for a running mate. When he says he wants to compromise, he only means with the right, not the left in his own party who he clearly despises (just as Hillary does). No, it'll be Biden/Harris, or Biden/Booker, or maybe Abrams will change her mind.
3
Here's what we're up against: Yesterday, I saw an interview with a Trump supporter who, when asked about Trump's lies, responded to the reporter, "What's he lied about?" or words to that effect.
It's difficult to have a functional national government when there's no shared agreement as to what's real and what's not.
133
@Larry
There was a study that said that people who only watch Fox News are less in formed than people who watch no news at all.
That’s why we’re at where we’re at.
9
@Larry
I recall the Fox viewer at the Rep. Justin Amash event who stated she was unaware that the Mueller Report contained anything negative about Trump. Netflix, if you're listening, please make a series based on the events contained and described in the Mueller Report.
3
I think Trump gave something away about his comment about Florida being his first home: Florida has no personal income tax like New York does.
If we were to see Trump's tax returns, I think perhaps we would see that he declares himself a resident of Florida. If that is the case, it would certainly destroy his argument that he is New York's most successful real estate tycoon.
33
@Malt Shop Exploit
“Declaration” of State citizenship is not how our tax laws work.
4
@Malt Shop Exploit His business results destroy his argument that he is New York's most successful real estate tycoon.
12
@Malt Shop Exploit
Yes. where are those tax returns anyway?
Did the dog eat them?
6
We have been hearing the same rhetoric packaged a little differently since he took office. These rallies aren’t new or news. The only difference with this one is he officially announced his candidacy even though we knew this was going to be the Case.
I can only hope his “Oh me poor me” gets taken and run with by the new Democratic nominee when that person appears. I think no one has been treated as badly as Hillary Clinton as she has not been allowed to slowly fade into the west so to speak. She is Trump’s favorite punching bag and has been since he started office in 2017.
30
@AHW
Secretary Clinton has been the republicans favorite punching bag since the 90’s. trump just found her a convenient target.
4
@AHW I wish Trump voters would examine the reasons Trump so desperately needs to have enemies to rant about. Could it be because he has nothing of substance to offer voters and instead tries to rally them against the supposed enemy? Why can't Trump work with Democrats on anything? Is it because Mitch won't allow such a thing? Or is Trump generally unable to work compatibly with other people because of his narcissism?
1
@AHW
Until Hillary or any one of her staff is brought to justice, Hillary will always be known as “crooked.” Until that time, I continue to endorse trump’s continued harangue about her 33,000 emails etc
1
Its useful to remember that the drain the swamp metaphor comes from : "When you're up to your armpits in alligators, it is hard to remember that your original goal was to drain the swamp." So there you have it, the alligators are no longer swamp-bound and they are hungry.
37
@Susan
The alligators are in the Administration. He is right. He got them out of the swamp.
2
Everything out of his mouth is a detergent, or used car commercial, all lies, distortions, or puffery. Were he a witness in a court trial a judge would admonish him that nothing he says can now be believed. There's a thick fog over Washington that prevents us from knowing exactly what is going on with our country or how it deals with the world. 30 percent of the people are buying the used car despite the sputtering engine and the frequent visits to the repair shop. Enough of the Republican base remain faithful to scare legislators from bucking the con man. They don't read serious newspapers or any TV beyond Fox News. Perhaps the Times and Post can come out with a tabloid edition to sell in supermarkets, with the truth couched as scurrilous conspiracy and fantasies.
64
The fact that Trump can literally rehash his '16 rallies and still enthrall his worshipers says a whole lot about the depth of their gullibility. They and Trump deserve each other. They are easy and he is a one track rally to nowhere.
The grift goes on as even the republican congress lines up to grovel at his feet. And they are supposed to be the smart ones. It appears that Trump is very good at taking advantage of willful ignorance. Not so good at originality. But that is okay because his lemmings like yesterday a whole lot better than planning responsibly for the future.
60
@Zed18
Democrats and Americans who are worried about their country really have to turn out the vote. As long as no one sits it out, this guy leaves and it might send a strong message to the GOP to start to taper down the hate and racism and misogynist that has taken over their party for many years.
Also, let’s not be too easy on people when they state demonstrably false things. Call them out and that goes double for the media.
And nobody gets a pass for not voting. It is over a year to the election. No waiting for same day registration. Get the proper I.D. Even if they try to suppress your vote, don’t let them. Long lines this time? Bring a chair and a cooler. Pretend it’s a ball game. It really is that important.
If your state offers early voting, do it. Find out when they have it and get it done.
2
@Zed18 I don't disagree, but we need a new schtick too. Sneering our way to victory didn't work out the first time.
3
@Zed18
The problem, of course, is that we are at the mercy of his lemmings, because they vote.
1
Sure hope Putin and Xi don't get together to declare war on the USA suddenly. Trump would probably just surrender. His fans would still be cheering at his rallies of course.
37
I’m guessing Trump thinks he has a post-White House dacha on the Black Sea waiting for him, courtesy of Vladimir Putin, but once he’s out of the White House, he’ll be of no use to Putin. So, no dacha, no powerful position, not even a tin of caviar.
5
@David LOL. Wait. Uh oh!
1
I get so sick of the whole thing, in my intellect I try and try to understand how this came to be in this country, such a disgrace. When I spend time with people I know that voted for him I cannot help but feel resentful and blame them for bringing us along for the ride into this perpetual, vitriolic ride that I did not ask to go onto. I am so sad and feel deep despair at times but have to focus on my great life and hope that when 2020 comes, people like me are way more than the people that support this horror show. To top it all off it looks like they might bring our people into yet another war, UGH!
103
@ Rosa ... well said. I have to believe that the country has more sane, kind, intelligent and patriotic voters than trumpers.
6
@Rosa The sons of Trump voters could be pulled into war just as much as the sons of Democratic voters. His ignorance is a threat to everyone.
3
Sadly, most the public believes Trump is a swamp like creature, but, is base at least, could care less.
21
Unfortunately, the first quote ,"No president has ever done what we have done in two and a half years" is true. That's exactly why Trump is the worst president in the history of the United States.
103
Hilarious, and right on target, as usual.
21
How can anyone "miss" Hillary. Thanks to one of the worst campaigns any presidential candidate has ever run, she was not crowned, but defeated by one of the worst candidates in American history. Thanks Hillary. No, it wasn't "your turn"; you had to earn it.
Trump thrives on old material. Barnum was right, a sucker is born every minute. How many times has Trump been bankrupt, yet lenders continue to give him money. They buy into his fantasies as did the American voter. They were "with him" in 2016, and they remain with him now.
In the meantime, the Democrats have been spinning several fantasies, each geared to a slice of the electorate, but with no overarching theme. Green New Deal? Perhaps the word "NEW" offended Pelosi and her Bay Area contributors. Green? Only the colour of money appeals to Wall Street contributors.
Reparations? Sell that to workers who lost their jobs and are unemployed or working at much lower wages because of hyper-globalization. Sell it to provincial towns and small cities that have lost their tax bases as economic activity has shifted to large metropolitan areas where the beneficiaries are able to be both affluent and generous with their "virtue," which they signal incessantly while protecting their economic rents.
Come on, Dems, provide a slogan that motivates voters. Provide a theme besides "he had his turn."
19
@San Ta
Dems only have DJT to focus on, ironically just like he seems to focus on "crooked Hillary". Its kind of a weird juxtaposition these last few years but its waning. The Clintons are finished but they and the Press just dont know it yet.
You make excellent points. While DJT highlights his Economic accomplishments and they are great despite the poopooing from the Dems, The Left complains about the Electoral College, Civil War Statues,LGBTQ rights , reparations using Actors and other things that are non-issues to most people.
Notice that none of the candidates even want to go to California and help them solve all their problems with Homelessness where 1/5 of the people live below the poverty level and also the largest numbers of Billionaires live and there are rampent Illegal Aliens in the Sancturary cities..why? Because they dont have to..California is already run by the Dems and will remain so.
2
@San Ta, it really doesn't sound like Democrats could come up with any slogan that would motivate you to turn away from trump's lies, boasts and destructive ways.
There is no "he had his turn" slogan. His turn at leadership has been a dismal failure propped up by vile corrupt cronies, eager to get influence and wealth.
You cover a lot of ground in your comment, none of which address the issue of trump's lies to folks like you. Maybe a good slogan would be "Tell trump that Hillary's not running for president".
3
@San Ta, For the People!
C) “Abraham Lincoln was treated supposedly very badly. But nobody’s been treated badly like me.”
I can't bear DJT. I think his election was a disaster. But this is dishonest. He was speaking clearly in the context of his treatment BY THE PRESS. Yes it's whiny and stupid, but to say that he was comparing his treatment to assassination is dishonest. I don't want to read dishonest stuff and have my personal database corrupted. You can write things that are sufficiently appalling by sticking to the truth. Please do better.
6
@Laura
What's dishonest? You quoted Trump at the top of your comment. That's what he said. Are you saying that Trump was referring to the way Lincoln was treated badly by the press?
2
@Laura. I guess you haven't seen how the press treated Lincoln, drawing pictures of him as a baboon for instance. Do some research. The press treated Lincoln far worse than it's been treating Trump. Lincoln held steady and worked hard to keep the Union together despite constant abuse from the press and politicians and yes, he was murdered for his efforts. There's nothing dishonest about what Collins said.
4
@Laura The media report what Trump actually says, it sounds stupid, and he denies he said it. That's not the fault of the media.
3
Democrats will have a campaign platform focused on 1) the 2% fringe groups offended by something demanding special rights 2) their support of illegal immigrants over working Americans 3) reparations.
However, they will not call half of America deplorable and they will not brag on the hot sauce they always keep in their purse.
1
One problem with trump supporters is that they don't question FOX's coverage, so when they are out in public, they write dumb stuff like Dr. John here. They are SO skeptical about every single thing they see or hear, but FOX and trump? Absolutely infallible, no matter how little common sense it makes. That means trump apologists are willingly in the dark, madly insisting that most of the nation agrees with them and loves DearLeader as they do.
Dr. John, I DARE you to google the ACTUAL Democratic party's platform for 2019. You won't, because it would be uncomfortable. In order to pretend they care about factual evidence, trumpists just make up their own! With that bad faith approach, we're supposed to take them seriously in national discourse?
Dr. John, why would you think the abortion debate represents a "2% offended fringe group"? 70% of Americans want abortion to be legal, and a tiny minority want it totally illegal. Please enlighten us with your 'hot sauce' logic.
To paraphrase a well-known saying: "When hate is a trump supporter's only weapon, every Democrat looks like a traitor."
4
@Dr. John You didn’t say, “open borders!” Do disappointed.
1
@Dr. John
Good one!
Dont forget Economic reform...we need to stop this malicious tide of Economic growth and energy independence!
Maybe they can get the Poster Child for Climate change AOC out there drivng a horse and buggy saying something about the Nazi Concentration camps on the border..that should help stimulate new voters.
I wish I could laugh but the threat to our democracy by Mr. Trump is much to real. He is an ego maniac who's only thought is me, me, me,. Never mind the country.
He is about to start a war to get attention away from his failings.
Please will one of his supporters explain why in the heck they
continue to support him.
14
@NLG It seems the bond between Trump and his voters is not rational (what has he done that is beneficial to them???) but emotional. He legitimizes their fear, anger, and grievances. But that is not the same as actually solving any of their problems.
1
Trump hates Hillary Clinton (and her predatory hubby) as much as America hates her. I don't think Trump would have uttered Hillary's disgraced name again--seeing as her name is largely irrelevant--were it not for the conspiratorial hoax known as "Russian Collusion" which her campaign's fake dossier helped to foment. He beat this has-been in perhaps the most epic and upsetting fashion in the history of the race for the American presidency. The NYTimes and the rest of the state-sanctioned DNC news has not been able to get over this epic loss either. You have spent Trump's entire presidency attempted to undermine and discredit him in the eyes of the public. Trump should continue to attack Hillary. Why, you ask? Because she represents the same thing that you represent. She represents the "Establishment" in a time in which the "Establishment" is viewed as an enemy of the American people. Perhaps it always has been. But now that the gloves are off and someone in power is willing to call a spade a spade, many American's are still relieved to see that Trump disdain for dynastic political trash like Hillary Clinton and the like has not waned at all.
2
@Joshua Folds Yes, the gloves are off. Trump, McConnel, and the rest of the GOP establishment have made it clear that it's all just power now. No need to debate, inform or persuade, just smash. When the power shifts, which it will, you will face the enemies of your own making. The illusions we held of having a common interest and destiny will be long gone and the judgement on you will be harsh.
27
@Joshua Folds. America does not hate Hillary Clinton. She received more votes then Trump. Can't handle that, can you, so you pretend it doesn't exist - just like other Republicans.
3
@Joshua Folds
You should try studying Trump's history then. Trump doesn't hate Hillary Clinton for any other reason than she's a woman with power. Trump's view (as defined by his behavior since the 60s) was that women only deserve to be in the background (he felt very overshadowed by his own mother who was deeply in the shadows of his father), and Trump himself knows he has no skills, no intelligence, no - well - anything that would truly allow him to brag, so he hates any (ANY) woman with power and skill and intelligence because it's the only way he can feel better about himself. (Psychologists refer to it as projection - the idea of attributing negative traits to those you feel intimidated by that you yourself exhibit in a desperate effort to feel better) This is why Trump's most vitriolic commentary is directed at (you guessed it) any woman he feels diminished by. His behavior is most aberrant whenever a woman calls him out, or haven't you noticed?
3
My guess is that the writer of this opinion, though not running for elected office, fits into her own observation: "the Democrats who do well will be elevated to a whole new level on the Trump enemies list..." It is only fair that a journalist who is an avowed Trump hater should earn some recognition.
2
@Gene I believe that no true patriot could accept Trump, as he disrespects the Constitution, the separation of powers, and the law. He does not believe in or support democracy, and neither does the GOP.
3
@Gene Oh, years ago Trump already called Gail someone "with the face of a dog" after she referred to him in one of her columns as a "financially embattled thousandaire." She wears it as a badge of honor.
2
Oh, yes, Please!! Florida take him. Take him now. NY will even buy the ticket to send him down to you (he’d take Air Force One and we all actually pay for that anyway and his stays at Mar-a-lago as well - but it’s the thought that counts - well it’s our tax dollars going directly into his pocket that he’s certainly counting).
And when we finally put this Con in jail, it must be in any other state than NY - we have suffered this fool for way too long already.
28
The Trump cult is living proof that education and religion (add common sense) have failed in America.
41
@Seymour, perhaps it also explains why Trump states uniformly rejected the Common Core Curriculum, which sets high standards for the four pillars of learning - English-Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. The thread tying them all together is the development of critical thinking skills, so lacking in those attending Trump rallies.
39
@DB These rallies remind me of those in Germany by another dictator so very long ago. They are scary and scarier still are the white supremacists marching outside the arena. With their tired salute. I pity these small minded uneducated people who still live in another era. Such cowards.
2
@DB
And don't forget the Texas Board of Education discouraging the teaching of critical thinking, because it will lead kids to question their parents. They want to raise a bunch of mindless fascists.
3
Definitely: "A) No president has ever “done what we have done in two and a half years.” Which means no president has made so many policies that had to be reversed, sometimes in the same couple of days ("I will never call the FBI") or so many executive orders, many blocked by courts.
I agree nobody ever would think of being the clown in chief. No even Gerald Ford.
By the way, if NY wants to get rid of Trump, do not send him to Florida, pick maybe Texas or something. Exile in Moscow or Riyadh?
14
@Aurace Rengifo
I vote for Riyadh.
3
Trump is so empty of ideas, and so vain, that he tries to elevate himself on the basis of other's flaws; and finding scapegoats to escape from his own incompetence; and blaming others (i.e. Clinton) of his own crooked ways, of which he is so well endowed with. I've never read 'shameless corruption' in one phrase...but seems so right when dealing with this vulgar bully's attributes. Now, why would a free press give coverage of Trump's every utterance as free propaganda is hard to understand. Especially when he calls the Press 'the enemy of the people'. We must unite and nail this corrupt politician for what he is, a fraud, and a disgrace for this democracy.
28
@manfred marcus The media make money off the Trump reality tv president show. He gets tons of free publicity, which he loves, but relatively litte objective investigation. Read David Cay Johnston or Wayne Barrett's books for detailed Trump history. It is not pretty.
2
I sometimes imagine Trump is hastening the end of the world, and the KAG folks are just a mad as he is. They are gleefully destroying civilization together. He is a harbinger of the political and environmental horrors to come.
27
@Steph This is a little much. As horrible and no-good as he is, he is merely the pointy end of a very long spear having its origins in the country's white, blue-collor, uneducated, gullible past. And present. The nation will have to eventually deal with this root problem. Thought experiment: what if their ignorance and incapacity for rationality disqualified them from full civic participation?
@Steph elected trump reflect on his voters : can't you tell right from wrong ? can't you separate truth from lies ? ( may be they can't, just like one of his supporters asked an interviewer: what lies he was telling ?) aren't you patriots for America ? so you were fooled the first time, and you are willing to be fooled again ?
Hope Hicks had the chance to save the country, or save Trump.
She's young enough to be his granddaughter, and will be here long after he's gone.
She still can change her mind and let all of the truth out, no matter how filthy.
14
@Stephen. I'm now convinced that Ms. Hicks got by only on her looks.
How can she not see the criminality of the Trump administration?
3
@ Stephan NYC. Hope Hicks is never going to talk. Don’t assume that she is not a willing supporter/enabler of the trump machine she is a pretty young thing. She has benefited from this as much as anyone else but because she says nothing publicly people tend to project the “innocent bystander/victim” profile onto her. Don’t be fooled.
5
@Stephen Recent history suggests that those who work for Trump have to be compliant with his absence of ethics and honesty. Why would Hicks be any different?
3
Ignorant and incurious as Trump is, still he manages to get what he wants, which is attention 24 hours day. All Trump, All The Time. Clearly, he needs to be covered as President. But I have had an earful from left-wing ideologues whose every waking hours is spent talking about how much they loathe him and doing nothing but talking and tweeting. And, how many times do you have to write about the "lock her up" chants at his rallies..I voted for her and though I don't think she is jail material, I do think she and Bill are public service grifters, as greedy as Trump.
5
@Patricia Burstein Tounderstand Trump, you have to learn about his business and personal history before he became president.
One glaring omission in the litany of his fake successes is the fact that the taxpayers are paying a heavy price when he holds these rallies; yeah sure KAG away...the joke’s on you.
14
lol.. his followers actually believe that he’s helping them.
9
@Beto Buddy Disagree, actually. I'm pretty sure they are there for the spectacle. They view their lives as lost in the face of the massive change sweeping the planet and they have turned in a nihilistic direction which includes revenge and learned helplessness. They will adore anyone who tells them that their own failures are "not their fault" and point out others who are to be hurt for it instead. It's all about the hurt.
7
@George As one of his followers said not too long ago (when she was damaged by the government shutdown), "He's not hurting the right people."
1
@Beto Buddy There's a very good reason Trump loves the poorly educated.
2
yes, he is amping up the lying...... hoping he can power his way through the election. it is all he's got.
10
Collins manages to make me laugh, but the Trump horrors keep multiplying. He's a disturbed and disturbing man who could put the world at risk, emboldened by election.
I worry about Medicare and Social Security, which Trump will try to dismantle upon reelection. I worry about the Supreme Court which might codify the obscenity.
Thanks again Michigan, Pa., and Wisconsin, Thanks again non-voters, third party nihilists, and fake "independents."
You did it; you really did it.
25
@David Henry The GOP has wanted to undo Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and every other benefit program since FDR was president. Even if Trump did not exist, they would be working on that. He is useful to them, but their agenda was already in place before they acquired him.
2
Resident Trump may actually suffer in the Oval Office. But he's addicted to the spotlight. It's the singular reason he filed for re-election on the first day of his term.
What other venue provides him better means to manipulate people and promote his brand? He loves only stagecraft, nothing else. And like a moth to the flame, he'll keep going back the biggest stage he can find.
Here's hoping we pull the plugs next year.
18
Deja vu all over again??? How pathetic. But he really has nothing to show his "base" does he? Replace Obamacare? Not done. Build that wall? Mexico's going to pay for it. No, American taxpayers are going to pay for it. Infrastructure grand plan? Non starter. Tax reform. For his rich buddies but trickle for workers and no trickle down. Crude, vulgar language? You bet. The tariff man imposes them but who suffers? American farmers and consumers. So you may enjoy the show but it is totally hollow. Don't get suckered again.
24
@ibivi If you're talking to them, they aren't listening. It's clear now that they don't care about any of that. They just want the show put on to "hurt the people who need hurting", even if it isn't actually that effective.
8
@ibivi Don't feel too sorry for those farmers, they voted for him and are getting a huge bailout too kinda like the bankers got only the farmer's don't have to pay a cent back, it's all on us taxpayers. I will not shed a tear for them, they gave us this beast.
6
"KAG" - so, does this mean that we're "great" again, now? Wonderful. I honestly hadn't noticed much changed, despite 'all this president has done for you. But then, Trump has never been known for humility. Or self-awareness. By now he's mostly a caricature of himself, really.
Santorum. "a Catholic cryptocurrency". Does that mean it won't pay for contraceptives or, dare I ask, any women's reproductive care services? Asked to choose between Santorum's cryptocurrency scam, and Facebook's Libra (considering all Facebook's privacy challenges) I think I'll just stick to cash.
8
With all due respect, Trump is not suffering. These "rallies" are nothing more than a D-list, cheap, tacky, has-been lounge act for deplorables and a public self-gratification act for Trump. It's indecent to look at either one.
24
Great! He’s drained the swamp just as the “mythical” climate change is ready to fill it permanently. Keeping America Grossly Unintelligent.
13
@Pat AND the earth is getting warmer, our food-growing belt being destroyed ( by drought, flood, tornado, hurricane...) , the air we breathe is dirtier and more toxic, " swamps" getting larger and government departments are coming for your livelihood.... our descendants and our future turned into smoke ... thanks to your support for this con man !
I suppose that when one has accomplished nothing and has nothing to talk about at an election rally, one must resort to repeating previous lies from previous election rallies.
His base will never know the difference - and if they figure it out, they won't care.
30
People don't seem to understand that Trump does not need to win the whole country in order to be re-elected. There are some states that will always be "blue" (California, New York, etc.), so Trump can ignore them altogether. Some states will always be "red" (Texas, Arizona, etc.), so Trump can make a few token appearances to shore up his base. The Trump campaign really needs to focus on the "battleground" states--Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida. If he wins them again, he WILL be re-elected. Remember, the popular vote is meaningless. All that matters is the Electoral College.
26
@Jack Connolly We can't control everything, but we can work to make sure PA isn't in play. If registered Democrats come out and vote in 2020 for the Democratic presidential candidate, rather then not voting or voting for a third party, Trump will not win in PA. Get involved with your local Democratic policy and be part of getting out the vote. I find it more rewarding then yelling at the TV and the physical activity helps my overall health! Be involved!!
22
@Jack Connolly Texas may not be blue in 2020, but it could be in 2024. The red rural areas, while large, are sparsely populated and the urban and suburban growth continues to trend blue. Major cities have Dems in leadership; their suburbs are usually, but not always, red. Texas could become California, which has a few red areas, but not enough to dominate.
5
@Jack Connolly
The thing to be mindful of is the Republicans pulling their favorite election trick - sudden culling of the voter rolls of thousands for "security" reasons, only to put all but a handful back on just a few weeks after the election, stating "They voting rights weren't impinged, because they can always vote in the next election," and their supporters will all exclaim that somehow it all makes sense because their guy won. I'm sorry, but it's still impinging on voter rights for the election in question, and those temporarily purged should still be allowed to vote, even if it overturns the election. Force that to happen, and THAT particular practice would stop.
I'm sorry, but I've watched that party pull every dirty trick in the book and while the Dems have done some of them, the Reps wrote a master class on it and do it to the point of it being an automated habit. If the election is close (and really, Trump barely won, regardless of his 'bragging' because he only won 77,000 votes in 3 states that put him over the top - so don't discount the possibility of it happening again, especially if he gets 'help'), you can guarantee that those same tricks will be tried again.
The Reps know they can only drum up a guaranteed 28% of the vote. This is historical. If they can keep voter turnout (or purge the voter rolls to affect the same result) to 55% or less, they know they can win.
Trump's weekly rallies or whatever they might be called are nothing more than personal ego trips that accomplish nothing for the good of the country. He simply spouts the same old tired trash as he did at the last one. Given enough time, I fear that he will eventually preside over some national disaster like another Middle East war or a stock market crash.
53
@Clark Landrum
Never mind war and stock market. How about a dictatorial takeover? Americans are naive enough to let it happen.........it is happening.
21
@Clark Landrum No doubt he'll blame those on Obama AND Clinton. I thought his S-I-L was going to put things right in the Middle East. That's one person who is safe from being thrown under the bus.
@arp
I suppose we are in a heap of trouble when wars and stock market crashes become secondary problems.
1
Amazing how many turn out to cheer on an amazing display of complete ignorance if facts and flat out lies.
Still waiting to hear the details of all he has purportedly accomplished during his term...
49
@ghSome Americans love to display their abysmal ignorance. To many, it's a badge of honor. An unusually intelligent American would have difficulty being elected. Remember the "egghead"?
9
@gh
Regrettably, TWO supreme court justices, neither of whom should be on the bench.
10
@gh I'm making a list like opening energy exploration in Alaska Wildlife areas, stopping protection of streams from coal mining, the largest gas-oil lease sale in the Dept. of Interior's history--and the list goes on.
It'd be a really interesting experiment, if Hillary started actually showing up at Trump's rallies as an ardent Trump supporter. Would it have the opposite effect of making him unpopular among them? I kind of wish she'd try it -- of course, it might also get her killed.
29
@Brannon Perkison
Any sane person would fear for Clinton's safety, along with that of any females there with her, including the press and secret service.
It's hard to find the humor in Trump anymore. I used to chuckle with Gail's writing. Now don't get me wrong, she is still funny, but joking about Trump's lies and hypocrisy fall flat with me now. I am truly depressed about the US and how little the majority of people care about the decline of democracy. Prepare for a Trump presidency in 2020. Prepare for him to attempt to abolish term limits or foist one of his children on us for the following term. President Ivanka anyone?
64
@TW I'm afraid you are correct. My only disagreement with your post is that he will try to make HIMSELF the President for life.
13
@NLG
The American people could've prevented that. They didn't. The twin taproots remain the 63 million Americans who voted for Trump-Pence/GOP-McConnell and the failure of both broken parties to govern as tasked since the 1970s, if not since the mid-1960s.
8
@Maggie. And yet, miraculously, the government has accomplished amazing things since the sixties. I have to wonder if people like you, who are so vastly ignorant of what government does for you on a daily basis, but quick to bleatpeat the Right’s propaganda, are just sheep or something worse. I hope that if any disaster or major illness strikes you, you refuse to put your hand out for government help and encourage your fellow believers to do the same.
1
I'm guessing Xi, Un, Putin and the like are meeting to find ways to keep someone so easily manipulated in office.
61
How has the country done in the last 3 years under this President? It’d be good to know. Jobs, wages, education, poverty, healthcare, etc? What does it mean when Trump says America is “great” again? The answer, of course, is nothing, but someone should show that with data. I don’t know maybe the New York Times.
18
@Marshall Reid
According to my district representative and Republican lapdog, Subway has added more jobs for sandwich artists. Winning!
Trump may have his rallies. He may stage the 'greatest fireworks display the world has ever known on the Fourth of July'. And he can conjure up Hillary until the cows come home. But she is not running. And, for the most part, the candidates on the Democratic side do not have the baggage on unlikeability Hillary bought to the election. Whoever comes through the Democratic vetting process should carry lots of support and some pretty good ideas to help even Trump supporters. Unlike the coal miners where coal is down 17% (and falling) since Trump 'saved them'. So what we all need to keep in mind.....what should really motivate us......what should help us feel uplifted when watching the endless drone of the same old, same old Trump rally, what should help tone down our anger when Trump tries to belittle decent people......is the knowledge that when he is defeated, the party in the streets WILL be the best and biggest and most refreshing celebration in the history of the planet. And all the photographs will back that up as real news. Just picture it in your mind every day. The power of positive thinking. And Mitch can slink off to a bar with his fellow Republicans to strategize about not doing anything with the Democrats. Happy Days Will Be Here Again!!!!!!
43
@Walking Man You would think the law of averages would be in favor of Trump being on one term president considering how unhappy the majority of U.S. citizens are with his pathetic performance and destructive behavior. His aggressive efforts to please his "base" (a word I've come to despise) is as baldly obvious as is his obliviousness to the rest us and our well being.
The 'poorly educated' is one thing, but sheer hatred, ignorance, prejudice and self-righteousness is something else. There are a lot of poor people in this country who are compassionate, rational and well read, who are not at all on Trump's wild hayride into oblivion. Hillary Clinton may have put her foot in her mouth and committed political suicide in the process when she used that term to categorize Trump's minions, but she hit the nail on the head.
"The power of positive thinking" : yes, truly something to keep In mind, and good advice.
2
Remember that he comes from the world of pro wrestling, where if you want to succeed, you adopt an angry and threatening persona, and when your opponents stop being scared of you, you act all angry and threatening again. Trump's whole presidency is nothing more than the SummerSlam main event that never ends.
73
@Mark Lebow. Good analogy but a little scary because while most most of us don't pay attention to wrestling it is nonetheless very popular and has the capacity to fill big arenas with kookoo fans.
8
@Mark Lebow
...or Brother Love's Travelin' Salvation Show.
"It was Mrs. Pence who reportedly told her husband, when he tried to kiss her on election night: 'You got what you wanted, Mike, now leave me alone.' "
Makes sense to me. It would be humiliating and degrading to have to share a celebratory kiss with the man who calls you "Mother" and is now that much closer to compelling you to undergo the torture of carrying a rapist's fetus to term.
47
@Robert Much virtual ink has been spilled about this incident. It's so perfect, that it could be apocryphal. Anyway, "Mother" signed up long ago for Mike's personal Gilead. She is, by choice, an empty cypher and fully bought-in to his Iron-Age belief system of male dominance and chattel slavery. No sympathy for her.
1
@Robert - No one forced her to marry him or to stay with him and she gives every sign of being as bigoted and homophobic as he is.
It is good you have a new theme for your Don Trump columns: his re-election. That Russian conspiracy theme is pretty much played out.
4
@Gordon Wiggerhaus You mean the truth is out, and we're just waiting for his reign to end so he can be prosecuted like his 34 underlings and associates. Or is Trump just the most clueless, uninvolved boss of all time? He just sincerely didn't know what his top advisers had been up to during his campaign? Such naiveté hardly makes for a good leader, let alone president. Pick your poison.
13
@Gordon Wiggerhaus. If you payed attention to actual news, you would have heard that Russia hacked into voting rolls and is believed to have planted malware in voting machine systems. But do remain ignorant and dismissive of reality if doesn’t fit your personal needs.
Russia, are you listening? If not, who cares, by now, between the Chinese, the Israelis, Saudis and Emirates, a fair election over by here is nigh impossible. Welcome to a miserable future.
Vote your hearts out, and hope they’ll be counted.
27
I would like to read more about Trump's lonely and miserable life . Taking dinners all by himself - while Melania just watched him devour all those fries- 3 am tweets - another sleepless nights . Voices from his father's grave or perhaps his sad longing for his mother rejecting him or just watching the father sending him away . A sad , sad .lonely and miserable man in the midst of the crowd trying so hard to be a comedian or to please or get that applause . Look how much weight he gained -those puffy eyebags-that heavy makeup- he looks weird and miserable . He 's sad and terribly miserable and he's looking for company.
40
@A.DeGuzman
Well-said, sir. And the only company he gets, day to day, is a couple cheeseburgers, order of fries and the ubiquitous Diet Coke. A man who won't even order in from the White House chef! Lonely, sad, miserable and as the Portuguese say, "The most telling thing about Trump is how he deals with women. He doesn't pay them to sleep with him, he pays them to go away." Trump, the PT Barnum of our time, getting folks to pay to bow down to him, so he can pile up campaign money while getting the only company he can at his rallies, better known as Narcissism Fiestas. Between the cheeseburgers in an empty room and the Narcissism Fiestas, he only knows how to do one thing: Mainline Trump's heroin--Twitter.
10
@A.DeGuzman: So true. The end can't come soon enough.
8
Will the Mike and Karen Pence story become the “Seamus the dog strapped to the roof of Mitt Romney’s car” of the 2020 election? Man, I sure hope so!
21
@Mark H No, why would it? People care about dogs, that's why Romney was effectively derailed by that atrocity. Trump's worshipers don't care. About anything.
Thank goodness no other president has done what he and his transient administration has done or we'd be Cuba. Looks like we're heading that way...
He could have said:
No other president has caged children like me!
I ran the greatest campaign of lies and shot people along the way!
Abe was supposedly shot and killed, and it's been worse for me!
18
Khrushchev said "We Will Bury You", with Trump we America will be burying itself.
16
It’s too bad he doesn’t suffer from Pinocchio’s ailment.
If he did, his nose would have lifted him off the surface of the earth to somewhere between Saturn and Jupiter by now. His followers could chase him by climbing up that extended proboscis.
The rest of us would be better off. The Earth would be better off.
37
This is all very clever, very entertaining. Trump’s a walking caricature of himself, good material for lotsa laffs. As long as he’s in the White House, Ms. Collins’ job is secure.
Just one small problem: after two plus years of this idiocy, the mere sight of Donald Trump makes me physically ill. I can’t stand it anymore. The man is simply repulsive, like a bulbous, slimy garden slug after hitting a slab of salt. I’d rather spent a night trapped in an overflowing portapotty than listen to five minutes the lies and demented, puerile drivel that spews from that poor excuse for a human’s lips.
How he became President is beyond me. I’m sure there’s an explanation, but I don’t want to know what it is. Because the explanation has got to be symptomatic of severe psychopathology, on a grand scale, affecting millions of American voters. To think those voters could be my neighbors... although I know that in my neck of the woods, 90% of the voters rejected Trump, the way Bush rejected broccoli. His ‘base’ lives elsewhere. Trump ‘loves the uneducated,' and few of the uneducated live here.
I guess that makes us that dreaded enemy, the 'elite.' Education used to be universally accepted as a virtue. Now willful ignorance is all the rage.
88
@chambolle I read this to my husband and it made his day--the sad thing for us is we live where 90% voted for Trump--we have to keep a low profile.
2
@chambolle You still have to ask yourself how he became POTUS??? After all of this time. Clinton, and I voted for her, thought she was the heir apparent, she took a segment, a very large segment of society of this country and ignored them. Big mistake, huge. Her hubris won out and she lost. That and most people women and men (mostly men) can't stand to see a woman take charge, they are pigs, and scared.
2
@chambolle: I've no doubt that Mueller's report and the investigations of Russian meddling are the most basic reasons for the Clinton loss. trump constantly brays on about the witchhunt and that dems can't handle the loss. But everything about him, his projection, his incessant repeating of nonsense about winning shows that even he believes he was aided by the Russians. Putin, smart man that he is, saw trump for what he really is. A demented, pliable no nothing that will do anything to have the spotlight. Putin plays him like a fiddle. Russia handed him the election. He knows there isn't a chance in the world that he would have won fairly. He's spent his life cheating people, that's all he knows. But if Russian meddles again, we will need every dem vote we can get. A landslide would be the frosting on the cake. And walking him out of the white house in handcuffs would be even better.
It seems that the sewer that drains the swamp runs gurgling through the cabinet. Certainly the way out seems to be first to get appointed to some office in what we laughingly call the "administration."
13
Being President of the United States is at least a full time job and it involves representing all the people. I've never heard a satisfactory explanation on why a president can spend vast amounts of time engaged in partisan campaigning for re-election to office or campaigning for other members of his party. Is someone keeping track of this? Between playing golf and performing at Republican rallies, why is this man, or anyone who behaves like this while president, entitled to a full salary?
52
@J. Benedict
I believe he's actually donating his salary to various charities. Of course, since the emoluments he's receiving far exceed any salary that the government might pay, that's pretty much irrelevant.
16
@Murfski
He SAYS he's donating his salary. But I don't for a minute believe he's actually doing that. And neither should you.
32
@Murfski I'd like to see a detailed list of said charities benefitting from this man's charitable gifts. We'll see that after his tax returns.
15
I'm just going to throw this idea out there . . . it could well be that the people at Trump's rally in Orlando are the exact same people who attended all of his previous MAGA rallies around the country.
It is a crowd made up of true Trump acolytes who were secretly selected after successfully missing every question on a 5th grade civics quiz. They were first assembled on the grounds of Mar-A-Lago (no one allowed inside) and each given a year's travel voucher to show up wherever Trump was holding one of his lie fests. Each was also given a MAGA hat and t-shirt.
Yes, you could say these folks are just the kind of deplorables Hillary Clinton referenced way back in 2016. And yes, it is unfair and mean to cast aspersions upon them.
But really. After 2.5 years and counting, who in their right mind would go through the agony of actually traveling to see this mad narcissist in action? It has to be the same motivation for why people gawk at car crashes and sneak into county fair freak shows. Because it is creepy fun, perhaps?
47
@PaulB67
As I and others have noted over the last few years his rallies and the lemmings that attend them look act and sound a whole lot like the same folks who very ambitiously and proudly flock to world wrestling events. Near as I can discern none of them particularly care for reality. Reality just gets in the way of fun. They are easy and Trump has their number.
15
@PaulB67
Take it further. Who in their right mind would be photographed at a rally, smiling and adoring -- to be on file for all of eternity as a creep?
1
Re-election for Trump is impossible.
He won with a slim slice of “ok well let’s try him out” voters.
And they are now gone.
13
@ Jane I hope you're right, but I'm not so sure. A lot of it depends on who the Democratic nominee is. If it's Warren or Sanders, I think Trump has a good shot at reelection. Most of the centrist Republicans I know won't vote for someone that extreme. Sanders even gives me pause and I have vowed to never, ever vote for Trump. If Sanders can't get my vote, that's a huge problem for the Democrats.
14
I agree, only a centrist like Joe has the best chance.
Moderate republican friends of mine will vote for Joe, not that they want to, but he is an acceptable way to get rid of Trump.
6
@Jillian
Warren extreme? Yep, you've got a huge problem there.
1
Yes, “KAG” - - it sounds like you’re choking on your dinner as you watch the evening news. Better than the curses you’d be launching at the screen if your mouth weren’t full;). Somehow 16 more months of repetitive trump rallies seem like a long, slow uphill slog. I really hope a brilliant Democrat emerges from the pack to counterbalance the depression-inducing trump administration.
18
We will not recover as a nation until we admit that there is nothing funny about Trump nor his rise to power. Trump, whose madness becomes self-evident under the continuous stress he faces being a so-called president is no longer a source of humor. Trump is a dangerous, unstable, extreme narcissist like his favorite dictators. The extent of his ignorance and incompetence is almost as shocking as the number of people that consider Trump to be their virtual savior.
Trump was greased into office as so-called president by a mere 24% of the total US electorate. If the daily humiliation and nausea which accompanies every Trump-filled news day does not motivate a massive voter backlash against the treasonous Republicans and the walking nightmare we call Donald Trump then there is no hope for this country's future. It is that bad.
Unite and work to get out the vote in every election going forward across the country and restore dignity to the United States. We shall, we must overcome!
74
@Jefflz
Trump was elected by 24% of registered voters because 45% of registered voters did even bother to vote. I usually dislike shouting, but WAKE UP, PEOPLE! VOTE!
30
@Murfski - Agreed. Make it a party. Invite friends and family to a potluck or a meal at a local restaurant before or after you all go to the polls.
9
@Murfski
What makes you think that a good portion of the 45% of registered non-voters wouldn't be energized to vote for Trump this time? He may have more of a chance with that demographic than you think. It has been my experience that people dislike elite snobs more than they dislike bullies. Just sayin'.
2
Just please register and vote. Do it now. It's so easy. And so important.
We have a stark raving lunatic in the White House because about half of America couldn't get out to vote in 2016. Or they went nuts and pulled the lever for a hapless and hopeless third party "candidate" who was supported by GOP political operatives and by Russian Federation internet trolls (looking at you Jill Stein).
Let's put our thinking caps on this time around. Or we'll end up with a 7-2 Supreme Court right wing majority that will strike down WHATEVER any future Democratic president might do in the next 30 years - no sensible gun control, no abortion rights, no environmental protections, no worker protection, no healthcare system improvements - nothing - for a generation.
Let that sink in. Then vote.
62
@Will.
And, send a contribution to the DNC or anything not president*.
3
What if....
Everyone in the "enemy of the people" media ignored Trump for a whole week.
The NY Times put the story of his kick-off rally on page ten.
Stories on various investigations referred to Trump merely as "the president", small p, or as "the citizen in question".
The president basks in negative attention as much as positive. What he couldn't stand would to be ignored.
34
Yeah, well, there is always FOX News to take up the slack.
1
MSNBC put together a comparison video showing Trump's rally last night and (any random) rally in 2016. The slogans were exactly the same, word for word, delivered with exactly the same intonation. But they are not content-filled slogans. They are dog whistles to his lobotomized MAGA-head followers so that they can scream "Lock her up!" and "Build the Wall. This is like a Grateful Dean concert where the fans scream for the greatest hits they have heard umpteen thousand times. Trump followers clearly don't value innovation or any new information. They just want the greatest hate-filled hits to stoke their angry hysteric response. It feels so good to trash anyone who isn't white and male and presumably Christian--again, and again, and again and have no one complain. Especially not them PC libruls.
38
What we miss about Hillary is that she was never held accountable for obstruction of justice. Smashing phones? Wiping data? And now it turns out that 15 members of her State Dept misused classified information.
1
@Jackson
"... misused classified information." Like giving it to the Russians? Oh wait that was Donald.
12
@Jackson
Say again?
@Jackson "But Hillary..!" scream is so yesterday. It's like scream George Bush drove drunk...who cares but you Trump followers because he have given you substantially beneficial, just hate.
Trump lives in a parallel universe in which he's a king. He's delusional and dangerous.
27
He has suffered as much as Abe Lincoln!
Then why do his fellow Americans have to share and experience such suffering?
He is truly insufferable. His second campaign is like a horrific rerun of an absurdly demagogic and very angry rally, vacuous and ugly.
It needs to be rejected by the public and Trump needs to do his suffering in private, hopefully in jail or in one of his hotels that he wanted to build in Moscow!
16
Gail, love ya, but the Clintons are a yoke the Dems are going to have to bear for a long long time. If you were Trump (God forbid), you'd be saying her name to your crowd every chance you get... She's good for business.
2
Gail, What if Elizabeth Warren got the nomination, and you took a leave of absence from the 'Times' to serve as her debate coach?
5
@Eric L.
Better yet. Gail goes for the nomination and asks Warren to be her running mate. A whole new, wonderful America!
1
@Eric L. And Aaron Sorkin as her speech writer.
Trump continually demonizes illegal immigrants; but a legal immigrant, Rupert Murdoch, has done more to damage this country than any foreign-born person in our history. And he's also Trump's pal.
23
"So, KAG everybody! "
Now that Trump has chosen to run with KAG ..
.. his MAGA slogan and merchandise that go with it, are for sale to democratic candidates? None of them have any original ideas anyway.
(Except Tulsi Gabbard. She'll make a fine president some day, if the democrats don't rig their primary like they did with Bernie.)
Gail, the Whiner-in-Chief has reached yet a new high (low ?) in the lofty realm of 'poor poor me' Billionaire faux-victimization, copied over from the Religious Right's persecution complex that gets continuously parroted by the Right's echo chamber.
And, it cost Jane/Joe Sixpack another cool $1 million+ to fly this Republican President (and his entourage, vehicles, security, ad infinitum) down to Doral to play golf at his resort, in conjunction with his Orlando campaign speech.
The gouging of tax-payers by this Republican President is in a class unto itself.
26
In a recent interview Hillary Clinton said "I'm living rent-free inside Trump's head, and it's not a vacation resort."
18
Donald is actually running against himself.
He has been in an internal fight since he was a child.
A voice in his head tells him he is a failure and he self destructs.
18
If Florida becomes Trump's first state, I am moving back to NY.
12
Love the Pence story, with all the Schadenfreude I can muster. Could it be that the ONLY woman he can allow himself to be alone with would prefer not to?
18
“No president has ever ‘done what we have done in two and a half years.’”
This ridiculous boast and probable intentional lie, in fact, tells the awful truth of the Trump administration to date. It’s unlikely that our country could have remained the nation it is if we had withstood the ineptitude and divisiveness of other presidents the like of which Donald Trump has rained down on us.
For this unbalanced fraud to dare compare himself with Abraham Lincoln and George Washington reflects not only Trump’s profound ignorance of American history, these assinine statements point to Trump’s dangerous detachment from reality. He is a full-blown nutcase.
Re-election of this man is not within the bounds of reason. Removal from office a.s.a.p. is clearly indicated.
44
Oh yes, “Keep Trump’s America Great”
For “the other” overflowing with hate
All truth now forgotten
All that’s decent now rotten
But for the rich a terrific tax rate!
22
A new slogan, that makes sense. Just like the President to dangle the ides out there to build the anticipation of his adoring horde. To be a true believer you got to have the set, like bookends. Cha-ching.The best part of a Trump rally is you don't have to attend, watch, listen or read about it to know the substance of it, a ladle full of the same old gruel.
8
The word trump goes back 500 years.'decieve,cheat'. Trumped- up " false,concocted" first recorded 1728.
So profound it could be a warning from God if she exists.
29
There is only one reason this man in the white house feels he can win, and apparently he does. Russia and North Korea are hacking our voting infrastructure.
Just saying.
16
No. The quote was, ''Not tonight Mike, I've gotta headache. You."
9
Fantastic elating kickoff. Agree with every word. Look at the packed stadium and enthusiasm of tens of thousands supporters. The writing is on the wall Trump is going to win a second term.
At this point Trump is a Cult and the writing is on the wall he is going to be reelected. He appeals no only to his base but also to many other conservatives who would like to see America great again. I am a full Professor highly educated who always voted democrats. Not anymore. The Democrats symbolize the leftist elitist which have alienated so many Americans. Obama foreign policy was a disgrace---his support of the Palestinians; support for the Morsi terrorist presidency in Egypt; caving in in Syria; losing to Russia in every aspect; being weak dealing with illegal immigration; not standing against the intellectual robbery and flowed trade practices of China; sighing the terrible nuclear deal with Iran with no congress approval; ignoring North Korea---- all together culminated in eroding US strength and respect in the World. I want to see a strong America which is great again and the only one who can deliver it is Trump
1
@lieberma For a 'highly educated full Professor' , your praise and endorsement of the 'very stable genius' makes all the sense in the world . And , may I point out you forgot to blame Pres. Obama for the Katrina disaster .
14
This is tongue in cheek right? What are you a “full professor of?”
1
@Gerda Bekerman
Well if you say so feel free to add that to the list:)
I have blood and bone marrow cancer and Obamacare saved my life. So thanks for nothing, Donald Trump.
It's all funny until somebody gets hurt. Many people are getting hurt. Many more will be hurt if Trump wins re-election.
It's up to us. It always has been.
55
And a KAG hat really makes him lose control.
Book that 2nd term "holiday" escape now, Mrs V.P., those 3 November 2020 international flights won't last long.
1
Will the MAGA surplus marketing attire be shipped to North Korea with those containers of Wisconsin cheddar cheese? They could also be used to cloth border refugees. Needs xtra car wash rags?
Where is the Socks these days?
1
Excellent column. Wisely funny!
5
It just seems impossible that all Trump has to do is keep repeating his lies about 'all' he's done and people still don't see the con artist he is. He had people bused in from all over with a free bus ride and free food JUST to fill this rally. Did he offer to drop them all at the nearest Casino with a free roll of quarters too?
5
florida, if you're listening, can you please keep trump next time he comes down?
16
@jv
We’ll keep trump and our new governor; Ron desantis. Thanks to the socialist democrats, FL gets more conservative each year. 2020 will once again be republican country.
1
@Pvbeachbum
Don’t count on it.
3
It is a dangerous time when the inmates are running the asylum.
16
And Trump voters believe him. The ones who know he is a liar do not care. "All politicians lie", they tell themselves.
We the People of the United States get the government and the leadership we deserve. Shame on US if we do not vote against Trump and ALL Republicans.
17
@Valerie Elverton Dixon
who deserves this......maybe you do, but I know I do not, and most of the people I know do not deserve this type of treatment from this megalomanic.
It is a dysfunctional relationship with an abuser from whom there is no escape.
8
At this point Trump is a Cult and the writing is on the wall he is going to be reelected. He appeals no only to his base but also to many other conservatives who would like to see America great again. I am a full Professor highly educated who always voted democrats. Not anymore. The Democrats symbolize the leftist elitist which have alienated so many Americans. Obama foreign policy was a disgrace---his support of the Palestinians; support for the Morsi terrorist presidency in Egypt; caving in in Syria; losing to Russia in every aspect; being weak dealing with illegal immigration; not standing against the intellectual robbery and flowed trade practices of China; sighing the terrible nuclear deal with Iran with no congress approval; ignoring North Korea---- all together culminated in eroding US strength and respect in the World. I want to see a strong America which is great again and the only one who can deliver it is Trump
Gail, put up an opponent, and the race will begin.
From the looks of the Democrat field, it more resembles a group therapy session or an exorcism.
When you deliver up your candidate, I will know whether I need to be a Socialist to vote Democrat or whether I should trust a party that believes too strongly in the government. If that is the case, I will head to an alternative.
For now, your pieces are condescending noise and additional grist for those who will vote ABD (anyone but a Democrat).
2
Trump Fatigue should be listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5). I think it's a real condition and it's contagious. It's a combination of mental exhaustion and disgust mixed in with a large dose of fear. The guy is off the rails, and ,if it were possible to move any further off, I'm sure he'd find a way. That smirk he uses when delivering his caustic and dishonest rants betrays the s real contempt he feels for his supporters. In the back of his mind ( if he has one) he is wondering how far he can push before they stop cheering. For Trump there is no line too far. No lie to big. And that contributes to the fatigue. If there were some sort of medication I'd be asking for it ....
27
@Harley Leiber. Medication: turn off the tv news and do not read anything about trump for 48 hours; ignore his tweets. You will feel much better.
7
Here’s the big reality picture for Donald J. Trump. He needs to be re-elected, not to enact his vision for America, but he needs cover of a sitting president, that re-election would afford, so he can stay out of jail for his alleged crimes. That’s the best that Trump can offer. Deep down he has to be running scared. This isn’t a do-over by the American public, Mr. President, you have yet to answer for your criminal behavior during your first term, as outlined in the Mueller Report. We’re on to yours and AG Barr’s spin of the facts.
It was an embarrassment for Trump to repeat his boring Hillary attacks, as if she is running again and to bark at his rabid red base, that Democrats were coming after them, and they ate it all up. Anyone in his inner circle have the guts to tell Trump that he is boring and redundant with his same old campaign format rallies? Nothing new for America to see, but more lies and distortions.
Mr. President, you were describing how you, yourself are in hot water with Democrats, obstructing a congressional investigation. Stalling is the best you can do. We are a patient people and soon the whole truth will be exposed. Your reckless behavior and lies will only get worse, as the pressure grows. You might even make the gravest mistake and take our nation to war to create a distraction. American blood will then be on your hands.
Not a very pretty reality picture at all, Sad for America indeed. We will prevail once Donald J. Trump is gone for good!
21
Trump wants to be president for life: to perpetuate his acquisition of money and power, to garner constant attention from the media and to cement his feckless legacy by working to destroy everything that Barack Obama accomplished.
Nancy Pelosi has it right. Trump should indeed receive a life term, just not in the White House.
28
(C) I suppose it has escaped The Stable Genius notice that Lincoln was assassinated which is being "treated pretty badly" to my simple mind.
(A) Certainly true.
(B) A guy who thinks Frederick Douglass is still alive is hardly qualified to talk about American history.
Thanks for the Santorum reference. Cathio -- the Catholic crypto-currency. Straight out of The Onion.
12
It would all be so hilarious...if it were not so, so sad
10
You know, Gail, you don’t do interviews very often for your column, but maybe you could do one with Timothy Snyder at Yale, just for the fun of it — and to break the ice at the Times for the unspeakable. Listening to even five minutes of that speech raised the ghost of one particular dictator who committed the greatest crimes of the 20th century. But despite so many valid comparisons we’re not allowed to say that. Look what happened to Don Lemon. Now, with this dictator-to-be having accused the NYT of treason, should any of their writers dare make the comparison? Sure, and all they have to do is recite the specifics. Snyder will gladly help them.
4
Democrats better get their act together and fast. Trump may be the worst president ever, but he knows how to energize his base and hog the media spotlight. 2020 is going to be like no other presidential election!
4
There is a very interesting article by Cas Mudde on today’s Guardian. It explains why, in the author’s opinion, president Trump is going to be re-elected...
@Luisa
Are you trying to ruin my day? The article you refer to must describe how Putin is going to fix this election TOO!
2
@JRM
No, I am not trying to ruin your day.
The article makes no mention of Russian interference.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/20/four-reasons-why-trump-is-cruising-towards-re-election
Just read it, please
The only thing missing from the President's rally last eve was a life size v00d00 doll of Secretary Clinton and him sticking it with pins or putting the doll into some sort of cage. (although I am leery of making this point, if his minions see the idea and put it to him) Sorry I digress.
Anyways, here we are for the 546th time discussing something the President did or said (again with the outrage), as he has taken over another news cycle.
Even if Democrats (during how many debates?) are amazing with the real policy discussions, and completely ignore the President (or even republicans in general for that matter) the press will pull them back in. (doing best Pacino impression)
It is all a ''game'' of us versus them, and them versus us, and false equivalencies, and, and, and...
I making me own v00d00 doll - representing the press.
2
I love Gail Collins - the late night comedians can make me laugh at the latest absurdity in the daily, if not hourly, stream of nonsense (to be nice about it) spewing forth from the sociopath-in-chief, but Gail trumps (sorry, but that's the word) even the best of those high-paid and famous entertainers.
And how did she know about my yelling "That's not true!"?
8
Are all those jubilant Trump supporters at his rallies really that gullible they don't know they're being lied to, conned, had and used to elect Republican charlatans? Don't they know they are voting against their own best interests? Despite the promises and red meat thrown at them to fan and misdirect their anger, what else are they really actually getting besides lip service, circuses and PR slogan baseball caps?
They're losing out not because immigrants, but because they keep voting for charlatans who once they get their votes couldn't care less about them. Is it only a handful of wedge issues they can focus on, that are deliberately used to exploit their gullibility, prejudices and fears to blind them from seeing the big picture, and what is the real cause of their anger—they themselves! By allowing themselves be so gullible, blinded by the right, and voting for charlatans is why government is a problem. The problem is not government. The problem is bad government.
Democracy is too precious and rare to let it be drowned in a bathtub? Uninformed, worse misinformed voters are the Achilles heal of Democracy.
The non-existent voting fraud the Republicans claim as an excuse to make it more difficult for Democrats to vote is the actual fraud. That, and the constant lies, exploitation of wedge issues, scapegoating of Democrats, fanning and misdirecting the anger of gullible voters to deliberately con them into voting against their own best interests, etc., is the real fraud.
8
@ELB
"...allowing themselves to be so gullible..." is the definition of intellectual dysfunction. No help for it.
1
Hey, lighten up. The Trump '16 rerun show is more entertaining that watching old, old "Leave it to Beaver" reruns. I think. Maybe.
No public figure in our national history has been ever to tell more lies more quickly that the Trumpster.
A man in Washington, DC, was recently convicted of "depraved murder" by having a guy dig a bomb shelter tunnel under his house without regard to safety. The man doing the digging died when the tunnel collapsed. What does this have to do with Trump, you ask? He's not just guilty of lying, he's guilty of depraved lying. Belongs on the law books.
Depraved lying, however, would be difficult to define. Maybe telling the same lies publicly that you told four years previous? That might fit.
And what is all this harping on Hillary? There's something wrong up there in the frontal cortex, some kind of switchback mechanism that continually brings up issues that should be dead and gone. Trump is like a radio station still playing hits from the '80s.
These continual rallies are turning into, no, have long been little but circuses but now they aren't even rising to that level. Carnivals? Freaky sideshows?
Which would you rather do:
1. Have root canal?
2. Spend a few intimate hours with Putin in a steam room?
3. Hang upside down for a day on the uneven bars in a gym?
4. Go to a Trump rally and celebrate him as "the greatest there ever was in everything that was ever done"?
It seems there are more masochists among us than we ever imagined.
6
@Doug Terry
How about a sharp stick in the eye?
5
"We stared down the unholy alliance of lobbyists and donors and special interests,” announced the owner of the Trump International Hotel in Washington,..."
Really? Is the swamp's drain is clogged? The unholy alliance is still swirling around enriching itself and deeply involved in all kinds of corruption.
10
Trump did have one new line, which will resonate with many Americans, including myself: “any person who endorses sanctuary cities should not be running for president of the United States”. KAG.
1
@Pvbeachbum
Notice that when you say KAG out loud, it sounds just like GAG? (Note all you Trump followers: "Including myself" is ungrammatical.)
Trump held a rally yesterday. End of story. But thank you, Ms. Collins for reducing his nonsense to the absurd.
6
We know that Trump is an untreated schizophrenic prepared to lie about everything including the time of day. The truly sad part is that his core supporters have never questioned his methods as a demagogue in enough numbers to be counted as reformed voters who would not vote for him again. It is embarrassing to think of these people as caring about this Nation.
9
President Trump wasn't just elected by his "fans". He also got votes from those citizens who can think for themselves and rejected the Liberal agenda (unlimited immigration, subsidizing the world economy, gay and non-binary rights, abortion as a birth control device...).
As far as population and immigration are concerned, it's not a matter of race or racism, just mathematics. If we were to divide all of the land area of the Earth (including Antarctica, Greenland, all the deserts and mountains...), equally, amongst all the people of the Earth, each one of us would get about five acres. Now, imagine trying to get all your needs for subsistence from that five acres (food, clothing, shelter & materials, fuel and energy, mining...). If U.S. lands were divided equally amongst its citizens, each would get about 7.4 acres. In India, the number would be about 0.3 acres per person. Over half the people in the world live in “poverty” (over 5 billion live on ten dollars, or less, per day, 15 times our entire U.S. population), and we can’t solve that problem by allowing them to immigrate here.
WE HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO OVERPOPULATE OUR COUNTRY, just because other people have already ruined theirs with UNCONTROLLED POPULATION GROWTH.
1
@Raz
I fervently hope that you have way more than 7.4 acres all to yourself out there in Montana, Raz. And have no plans to join us.
I dread this campaign. I fear we are heading into the ugliest political campaign in the history of these United States. Hopefully, the majority of the poisonous venom-spewing comes from Trump and his cult followers. If the Democrats can focus on policy and present themselves as intelligent, truthful and empathic, the contrast will be profound.
This country is traumatized. We have lived with acute stress for the entirety of Trump’s presidency. The idea of intensified lies, name-calling, bullying, racism, unending ugliness - it’s sickening. Literally. Four more years of Trump and his sycophants and our country would be on life support.
2020. Vote them out. All of them.
16
How can so much of US electorate be enamored by a man as filthy as Trump? It is mindboggling. At least some people I know that support him know he is a liar but like his policies. The people at these rallies, though, believe he is a god. Perhaps that is because he tells them what "truth" is. I don't know.
4
Comparing Trump to Lincoln is like comparing Osama Bin Laden to Eisenhower.
6
Let me begin with the Trump’s new slogan KAG! I do not care what he thinks KAG means, for me and many sane people in the US its stands for Kill American Greatness! On a related note, Gail was talking about the next week’s Democratic candidate debate, and wrote “Democrats who do well will be elevated to a whole new level on the Trump enemies list, assigned a dumb nickname”. Democrats need not find a dumb nickname for Trump. By his actions, tweets and quips the name Donald itself has become synonymous with dumb, the only suspense is how much dumber it gets over the next two years as he gets desperate.
4
Will president Trump continue to bask in the love of his base, his idolators, his ignorant and angry people all the way to a second term of his presidency? Will the Democratic pre-caucus debates be just a pit stop in the race to 2020's presidential election? Stay tuned.
American politics and foreign policy are riveting right now, Gail! There's a scary synergy in the fossil-fuel polluted air of America -- not only Rocket Man and Xi jinping meeting in North Korea before Xi's summit at the G20 with his good pal Trump in a few days, but Iran just downed an American drone in Iranian air-space, and Trump hasn't tweeted about that yet.
Trump's rant at his re-election rally, 4 years after campaigning on Hillary's missing "acid-washed 33,000 emails"! "Lock her up!" And KAG instead of MAGA hats? Give us a break! "Our favorite president"! STOP in the name of love!
With so many hot griddles working on his golden stove, Midas Trump -- in Osaka, Japan, a 4th of July celebrating himself, and tweeting like a madman -- will be interesting for those millions of Americans who don't agree with their leader that he's the greatest president in American history. Wondering when #45 Trump will tweet, "I am not a crook", like #35 Nixon?
1
“You got what you wanted, Mike, now leave me alone.”
Delicious. Absolutely precious. Oh, I forgot; this column was about Donald Trump's re-up rally. Aren't they all the same?
In a more serious vein, I understand that the Times, WaPo, and all the other enemies of the state are compelled to cover the president's every utterance and every appearance. He is, after all, news. What if...what if something happened to him and no one was there, and...
We can't ignore him. But can't we do something to lessen the daily, the hourly, the minute-by-minute exacerbation of our last nerve? In 2016, I wrote a comment that Donald Trump was the thing in the egg that plastered itself onto Kane's faceplate. It was brought aboard ship, metamorphosed into something terribly frightening, ran loose on the ship, decimated the crew, and...that's what he's doing now.
He's eating us. And we laugh.
9
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18
Wait until the 4th. It will only get worse.
Nothing makes me feel more secure than knowing we have a delusional president. How could I not feel safe?
No matter what happens in the actual world we inhabit our president will turn it into another one of his fantasies. Do not think for one second that this guy is not the most dangerous thing to happen to this country. He is a ticking time bomb.
Then again, maybe Mitch McConnell is the most dangerous person in Washington. Hard to pick just one.
8
I'm starting to think that education, open-mindedness and whatnots do not really matter. I believe there are two types of humans. We need two planets.
8
If anyone is in doubt, read the responses to A.G. Sulzberger opinion piece in the WSJ. To me, it is clear that there is nothing, there will never be anything, that makes all of us look at Trump and see the same thing.
This has been true, of course, for all individuals, but nobody has made the contrast so stark as Donald.
2
You know when you rent a movie because something in your overwhelmed brain remembers the title. Did someone say this was a great movie? Aren't I supposed to watch this because someone told me either to watch it or to definitely NOT watch it?
This is how Trump installs himself into his base's one brain. He's done more than anybody ever did, didn't he? He's made us great again and he's done so much and it's all so great, isn't it? I've gotta stick with him because there's him and there's great and there's again!
1
I would have to agree with Trump’s statement under the choice A. He is absolutely righr. “No President has done what he has done in 21/2 years”.
Trump and his Administration have managed to drag us back to the Gilded Age in less than 21/2 years. He, Pompeo and Bolton have put us closer to Nuclear War, Trump has insulted our Allies over and over, nullified our Treaties, supported MLB in the murdered Khashoggi, defended Putin, Kim and every other Dictator regime and also said he would accept Foreign help in the next election. For the first time he has told the Truth. Not one President has ever done this.
What is really puzzling to me is that Congress has not seen fit to accuse Trump of Treason. There have been at least three instances that would indicate that he is putting our enemies before our own Country.
Anyone in Congress or the Media with enough spine to question Trump’s lack of Patriotism? He swore an Oath to protect our country and Constitution.
He has not lived up to his Oath of Office
Neither has McConnell
15
Gail. May I call you, Gail? Delightful to read your column this morning and I say that with all sincerity. I need to lighten up and you have helped in that endeavor.
Keep up the good work.
8
Trump's rallies remind me of the con governor Willie Stark in Robert Penn Warren's novel "All the King's Men." Trump is the reincarnation of Broderick Crawford in the book's film version. Stark (Crawford) told the uneducated crowds what they wanted to hear. Yet, Stark held his followers in contempt and called them hicks. Undoubtedly, the same is true of Trump.
12
You talk about Trump saying the same thing all the time so do his supporters, so do the people who write about Trump and the people who write in comments. Trump is an abhorrent human being and has such a mean and ugly following. I for one cannot believe that his followers who live here in the US, free to do almost anything still moan and groan over the same grievances. Then I read the article of the social elite who killed his father over an allowance issue. Time to round everyone up who cheers at his rallies to hop a plane and fly to Detroit, Michigan or Flint and try to get tap water or live in one of the 34 cities in America where super sludge is leaching and causing great pockets of cancer. What does make America great again mean, it means to give Elizabeth Warren the presidency because we the people are sick of how the system is rigged and our lives are not even considered. Those grievances have nothing to with Trump he is the side show the flimflam man it’s time to level the playing field.
6
With Trump's redo Tuesday of the 2016 campaign, we can see and hear what his campaign rallies will be like until Democrats have chosen a nominee. Until then "Lock Her Up" and other assorted Hillary Clinton references will continue to be the rallying cry for Trump supporters.
In true fashion, Trump will probably also entertain us with nicknames for Democratic candidates, and, by the time Democrats finally select a nominee, Trump will have told a gazillion more lies, trashed anyone and everyone who dares disagree with him and will have reminded us of just how great he is and that only he can fix the problems facing our country--problems which are all Obama's fault. His supporters will love every minute of it.
5
I hate to admit that I think his strategy is the correct one. Speak to a Trump supporter or someone that's skewing in that direction. HRC is just a placeholder, a reminder of what they voted for in the first place. She's a rhetorical device for the meantime until he has something more tangible-- more bully talk, another nickname,.. Then he simply spews the same mythology: fear of the other with all of the dog-whistling, walls, not getting played by allies, China, tariffs, and so forth... All strongman material, appealing to a demographic who feels that they're losing their footing in the world. Trump is going to do Trump; that's what he knows. He's fired advisors before for suggesting otherwise, and frankly it has gotten him to the White House.
6
Gail, always love your columns and loathe he who shall not be named. But feel I must point out that the individual mandate *was* a nightmare for young people who had gone off their parent's insurance, suffered from mental illness or developmental delays, or came from families that were struggling to begin with, *and* their parents. Worse than trying to help the seniors with medicare. I'll spare you the personal anecdotes (ours, and many friends), however, knowing what we went through gives me insight into the feelings of some of those red hat otherwise crazies. The difference is that as a Democrat I see that it was a horrible neccessary step on the road to single payer, while they see only the horrible. And blame 44. And assume the rightful 45 would have continued the situation. Too many of your readers apparently didn't have personal experience with that part of the ACA to have empathy, which is a serious problem for the Dems going forward.
Has anyone else found themselves at a loss for words to describe the dismay, anger, and, yes, fear at Trump's thinking, declarations, and actions?
I'll give him this: His vocal disregard for the truth and his lack of interest in abiding by his oath to America have been unsullied by voices of reason or opposition.
26
One wrinkle in this tsunami of lies and deceit: pretty soon even the best humorists,comics and late night hosts won’t be able to make us smile, let alone laugh. It’s all gotten too painful, not to mention frightening.
34
I read news articles that chronicle the tragedy of the Trump era. I read columns like these, as well as others that describe Trump supporters' cult-like lockstep enthusiasm. I see the photographs of Trump-rally attendees, people whom, based on the articles and columns, I am able to regard only with regret.
And then I recall Lily Tomlin's wisdom:
"No matter how cynical I get, I just can't keep up."
50
I’m not sure why President Fanservice even bothers to hold rallies anymore. He could just roll tape of an old one since the content never varies. (I’m reminded of how FDR, when campaigning for his fourth term, would whip the crowds into a frenzy by bashing Herbert Hoover.) And the Trump fans on their Medicare motor scooters (the ones who hate government spending and government-provided health care) could just stay home and watch. Maybe the campaign gets a cut of concession sales?
30
I would enjoy hearing from a mental health professional as well as the wit and wisdom of Ms. Collins, on how Trump mesmerizes so many people. Is it a scapegoat thing? None of this mess is your fault. Obama, Hillary and the NY Times did it? I read that much of his support comes from church goers who believe God put him in the presidency. Yikes. I relish Gail Collins humor because it is more pleasant to laugh than to cry.
50
@Pamela Finkelman
I think that many of us have a brain circuit that we've inherited from our ancestors that inclines us to be mesmerized by those who speak with confidence and force. It doesn't matter what they say, as long as they sound confident and strong.
3
@Pamela Finkelman
Given the brutal, random and capricious nature of god throughout history maybe they have a point.
As most of us have found out at one time or another, telling a lie involves telling more lies to keep the first on from being found out. But con men like Don the Swindler just keeps on telling more of them, and then saying he did not say them, now that would have got me a good whipping from my father, or my mother who would not tolerate such behavior. But it is not just the lies, it is the made up braggadocio that is just unimaginable, his claims to greatness, being persecuted, not given credit for all the imaginary wonderful things he has done. We have a place for people like him in California, it is Atascadero State Hospital for the Insane. Non of us have ever seen a narcissist of this caliber in a public office in our lifetimes, or have even read about one. He makes Il Duce look like a choir boy. However, even more disturbing is those who glorify him, who have convinced themselves he is a great president, and it is the media that makes up all these stories about him. I do not know now anyone can rationally explain this phenomenon, the convoluted mind that it takes to give him the slightest amount of approbation, they do not seem like cases for the funny farm, but sure act like it.
34
Generally the mainstream media provide coverage of matters that are newsworthy. Trump rallies are somewhere between a circus and an old time evangelical tent rally. Elmer Gantry would be proud of Trump.And the Music Man would sing his praises. Why so much coverage of a con man in full voice? The lies. The insults. The taunts. Reduce the coverage of a boring,spent force. Enough already.
39
A suggestion for the trump campaign. As shown in the photo, it might be a good idea to put 'this side up' on the back of signs.
13
@RNS
Educated in red states, that should you tell you all you need to know.
1
trump is "top of the world ma!" i just hope our country doesn't explode with him.
21
People are disillusioned with the Democrats that’s why you’re seeing these insane Trump rallies becoming a cultural phenomenon. No President in history has been more deserving of impeachment, but Democrats refuse to be principled and impeach. Dems are handing out slaps on the wrist when Trump’s administration defies subpoenas. I voted for Dems to hold Trump accountable, but they claim 2018 turnout was due to their position on healthcare (they’ve had the same lukewarm positions for a decade... Turnout was definitely to hold Trump accountable). Even if that were true, they aren’t offering exciting ideas or enthusiasm towards beloved programs (except maybe E. Warren and AOC). They act either helpless or asleep at the wheel. I know I’m not enthusiastic to vote Dem in 2020. They’ve underperformed so horribly since 2018 (when minimal effort could have made them really stand apart). Without good journalism this country would likely be a monarchy under Trump right now, because the Dems in Congress have subordinated just as much power to Trump as the Republicans. It makes you wonder if the wealthy Democratic donors are telling them to throw the election so that they can keep enjoying Trump’s tax cuts (or if they just don’t want to win). I’ve voted Dem the past 6 elections, but I don’t trust Dems anymore and may start advocating 3rd party. The Dems seem like controlled opposition to me, and I’m sure Democrats seem like bought and beholden creatures to everyone at that Trump rally too.
9
@Matthew Girard This right here. Very well articulated but I'd remove the "seem" from your last sentence. The Democrats have a difficult path to follow, trying to appear to be the Opposition™ while working for the same funders and desiring the same ultimate results. They represent their funders to their constituents, not their constituents to the government.
2
@Matthew Girard
Somebody put facial recognition on the rally pics.
A few of those people in the crowd as looking very familiar to me. I know I never met them. I suspect that there is a hard core, maybe compensated in swag MAGA merchandise, group that is transported (the cheapest way possible) to these rallies. I'm not too worried about the election. I'd like to see June 2019 out without a Trumped war with Iran.
Pompeo and Bolton intend Iran to be the "banana republic" of middle east. People of Iran in desperation for everyday necessities like the people of central america. Rich getting richer.
4
@Matthew Girard. Actually they just aren't in continuous noisy non stop campaign mode like Trump which is why you perceive they really aren't doing much. Truth is there are over 100 bills passed by Congress that have been sent over to the Senate where Mitch McConnell has vowed to kill them by not even letting them be introduced. The Senate has already vowed to not allow any impeachment proceedings to go through NO MATTER WHAT CRIMES OR TREASON IS UNCOVERED. No the problem is lazy voters with short attention spans that just seem motivated by big loud lies spouted by Trump. The problem is by people IN YOUR STATE that keep sending a corrupt TRAITOR like McConnell back to Washington year after year. McConnell is THE ONLY THING really keeping Trump in office. How has someone from Kentucky not puzzled that out yet? Please explain how they democrats can impeach Trump or pass anything if the SENATE keeps blocking it?? Given Kentucky's role in keeping the traitor protector in office you have some explaining to do to the rest of us. Also vote 3rd party if you want to keep Traitor Trump in office. Jill Stein voters gave us Trump. 3rd parties are basically useless unless you want to pat yourself on the back after re-electing Trump for another 4 years thinking you sure showed "them" or whatever brainless thing 3rd party voters tell themselves these days.
8
Trump tried to roll out the "keep America great" slogan a long time ago. It didn't stick. MAGA has become a ball and chain for him. Isn't America supposed to be great now that he's president? MAGA is an insult now, and he just can't shake it. Maybe the Democrats should make it their new catchphrase.
13
So funny, the Pence story!
Is this election going to be more of the same ie 2016? We'll have to stop reading and watching the news for an extended period of time I am afraid. Although itdoes offer an element of entertainment and comedy.
5
Luckily, in the area of free speech there is still greatness in the USA. This article is a shining example.
22
In his concluding remarks in Orlando, President Trump said “We are one movement, one people, one family and one glorious nation under God.”
In his 2019 State of the Nation speech he said "Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country. Embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good."
Then I reflect on Gail’s opinion piece and the comments on it....
I’m from the ‘one family’ of the UK and I’m thinking that America looks to have an interesting family too. The leader of your one family is also ‘interesting’. At least your family currently has a leader........ I could go on....
2
@Brian
Come on over. You'll see that we are most definitely not one family here. And many of us aren't under any god. Most of all, we currently have no leader -- if you use the accepted definition of "leader."
2
A broken record that keeps repeating himself.
The Democrats will beat this abhorrent president. What's just as important is that the Democrats send their best to win the senate. Mitch McConnell and his cronies need to be voted out of office. He is by far the most dangerous and cynical politician around.
That man has done more harm to the country than Trump did in the past few years.
70
Making America Great Again, hate again, white again, fed on spam, meth and the betrayed Lamb.
The last refuge of fools, tools, and broken Golden Rules, here in the land of bleeding flags, from so many needless bloody conflicts, so many empty schools.
When will someone make the people hear, someone to call out, have you/we no decency ?
or shall it just be greed and fear?
This trial it shall change us, re-arrange us, make us sit up straight, take notice, and either make or break us...
In the dark night we shall discover who we are
what we are made of, either living light, or dust to dust
into the great silence, the far far, or another chapter..
one more grateful, more respectful of this wonder, before we pass into/ through/ over
we shall have to earn it, sweat for it, maybe get real and pray for it
It is what we lost, squandered, that led us here, now we must return and become honest, noble and humble. We can. We must.
20
Donald Trump is completely correct when he says that he has done things in the last two and a half years that no other president has done. I also have done things in the last two and a half years that no president has ever done. I have even done things that no other human being has done, at least not in the combination in which I did them. Such a true statement, and so meaningless. MASA - Make America Sane Again.
28
As entertaining as the rally was, it couldn't hold a candle to the interviews with the Trump supporters outside the arena before the rally began. I kept thinking, "They can't be serious, they can't be serious, they can't be serious."
They were serious.
I think some of them are in for a rude awakening when Trump debates the eventual Democratic candidate. The truth is, Trump's first-term record is mediocre, he's accomplished virtually nothing besides packing the federal judiciary with Federalist Society hacks, and the rest of the world now dreads us while simultaneously laughing at us. Respect us? Not so much.
I actually predict Trump will duck the debates. If he shows up, he'll be filleted.
64
Hillary is having second thoughts about the immigration issue, and she's right. We've done enormous damage to ourselves for the sake of people who are not welcome by the majority of Americans, not after all the drugs, not after all the overdoses, not after reading about all the gangs, (in this newspaper, no less.)
Immigration/asylum is a peripheral issue. Why have we made it the central issue. I am waiting for a "profiles in courage" awakening by one of the candidates. Let's not nail ourselves to the cross of immigration.
Meanwhile, as our own children die by the tens of thousands every year from imported and domestic drugs, the left's response is, "who's fault is that?"
4
Wow, you’re blaming immigrants for the opioid addiction crisis? Do you actually read the news? This is a problem with much of its roots in good old American pharmaceutical companies and their overzealous and untruthful push of opioid pain killers. Immigrants didn’t do that. Gangs didn’t do that. Nice, rich white people did that.
9
@Caveman 007. Most drugs come thru ports, like the recent drug bust. Not thru Mexico.
6
@Caveman 007 Americans are responsible for their own drug use. If there wasn't a market, there wouldn't be a provider...aided and abetted by Americans.
The USG has been instrumental in the instability in many of the Central American countries. It never cared about governments' human rights records, or corruption, as long as American companies were allowed to exploit whatever major commodity they found. In some countries, we interfered to make it so.
The illicit drug issue is a domestic issue that includes not only the plant variety, but also easily available manufactured in the USA drugs.
1
It’s deja vu all over again. Thanks for the memories. We’ll always have The Wall.
I have a bad feeling about this. It’s shaping up to be Sleepy Joe Biden versus the Orange Blobular Mass at the debates. We will hear about hair plugs and plagiarism and Biden’s love of segregationists. Trump is bound to start saying ugly things about Beau. I don’t know if I have the strength to go through this all over again. We need to have the debate to end all debates.
13
Thank you Gail, as ever, always brilliant.
As per your options, I pick A, No president has ever “done what we have done in two and a half years.”
This might be one of the only true things that this man has said in 2 1/2 years.
("and that I can promise you!")
9
All true but what we need, Gail, is someone to explain why people have been duped, willing or not, and what might counter this man who has apparently brought a gun to a knife fight.
12
@Mark Marks People have been duped because the onus of belief is on the believer while the onus of Truth is on its Seeker. Not every believer needs nor seeks Truth. Further, in a world in constant flux, Truth is ever-changing and can never be fully grasped. So even Seekers of Truth must settle for less than pure substitutes of It (Knowledge). Which only complicates matters.
Despite the fact that many never accept the onus of Truth, best practices doggedly yield Knowledge. Which, over time has greatly benefitted all—even those of us who value it only to the extent that it benefits us; beyond which point, we unconsciously view knowledge, its making and the “elites” who make it, unmeritworthy of our faith and trust. Thus, we say to Seekers of Truth whose criticism of our ad hoc beliefs seem elitist, “Truth is all made up anyway, so we’ll just make our own using our own specious methods. Forget that our biases are not controlled for and that a sufficiently large sample renders them unreliable. Our way is easier, cheaper." And so it is. So as long as believers do not thirst for Truth but instead substitute biased, unreliable belief for Knowledge, fools’ gold will provide slippery traction on the already-treacherous path to Truth.
@JiMcL
Fine. But truth needs to be supported by data. Belief doesn't quality as truth -- otherwise, there really would be such things as gods and fairies and poltergeists and all sorts of thingies floating around up there.
Like most septuagenarian entertainers, Trump's fans just want to hear his greatest hits. "Hillary's 33,000 emails" is his (I Can't Get no) Satisfaction." "Build the Wall" is his, well, "Another Brick in the Wall." "A lot of people are telling me..." is his, well, "Everybody's Talkin'." He's got his set list of soundbites, and there's no reason to change it.
When his term is up, don't be surprised to see him reprise his campaign speech as a "best of" fundraising broadcast during the PBS pledge drive.
58
Please don’t insult PBS.
2
No rational thinking person could listen to Trump "speak" for 76 minutes without the expectation of a payoff. The trade-off is public disgrace and a possible criminal conviction. You also have to listen to the President speak for that long while pretending to care. For $179,700 a year plus public and black market benefits, I might consider the offer but only just barely. 76 minutes... That's a long, long time.
21
Florida - please take the Trumps and no backsies. And Dems - maybe you need to take a page from the MAGA rallies - slogans with single syllable words like "No more years!" or "Dump the Trump!" will resonate over full sentences about policy. If the predictions about this coming election will be the most negative Presidential campaign in recent memory, this is going to be ugly.
34
Rick Santorum I heard was cleaning restrooms at Chick Fil A and mumbling passages from the bible and cursing gays. And who can forget Carly Fiorina, well I guess that we all can and did. Ben Carson is sound asleep behind his super expensive custom desk at HUD while the poor go homeless. Jeb Bush, is he still in this country? Meanwhile DJT has gone stale with his TV reruns of his 2016 campaign, his followers too dumb to notice that he has filled the swamp with alligators of his own choosing (although Huckabee Sanders is leaving, bad eye shadow and all) and trump hasn't accomplished anything other than farmer busting tariffs that led him to institute a welfare program to try and save their behinds and a trillion dollar tax handout to the wealthy and big corporations, the biggest, biggest of all time. trump keeps riding on the coattails of Obama's economic success but sooner or later that will peter out without a smart guy at the helm. America Great Again, deep in debt and looking for a war to fight.
147
Democrats need to stop dwelling on the ^43% of the country that worships Trump. That segment of the country is bewildered and living in an alternate reality, from which there is no return, and they will vote for him no matter what. There is no reasoning with them, so don't even try.
Instead, Democrats need to focus on appealing to 53-55% of the country that knows this man in a phony. They did so in 2018. They need to repeat the feet in 2020
My fear is that Democrats turn 2020 into a moral argumemt, not a policy discussion. This is a mistake which will play right into Trump's hands. It's the policies and solutions stupid! That's how they won in 2018, by talking policies on bread and butter issues. Poll after poll shows staunch majority support for left leaning policies, ranging from health care, to raising taxes to make SS and Medicare solvent, to infrastructure investments, to education/training etc. I would focus on these, and point out how Trump and the GOP are one trick ponies with tax cuts for the wealthy, which by the way exploded our deficits, and little else.
74
Why are we taxpayers footing the bill for his unending campaign rallies?
91
@gern blansten
My question exactly. He's paid to lead and govern, not to campaign. I'd love to see the mileage and fuel cost for AirForce One's logged miles to rallies, golf games and Mar-A-Largo weekends these last few years. Or even how many miles its logged. And the cost of his retinue! I don't get why it's okay at all.
26
@gern blansten We are not. Trump gathered $45 million yesterday alone, after the rally, and he pays for it.
@novoad Do you believe that? Donald 'said' it was $24m, and could easily be $2m
19
So there he was. Rip Van Clumsy had fallen down while watching a televised Trump rally in 2016 and smashed his head violently against the hardwood floor, inducing a coma.
Yesterday he regained consciousness and as he came around, the TV in his hospital room was airing Trump's rally in Orlando. Trump was reliving the 33, 000 emails and the crowd was chanting, "Lock her up!"
Observing his surroundings, he asked why he was in the hospital and a nurse explained, "You bumped your head pretty hard."
"How long have I been out for?" he inquired.
"About three years," came the reply.
"No, really. Don't mess with me," he insisted, "How long was I out?"
An extended conversation ensued with the medical staff.
(Fortunately for Rip, he had good health insurance under the ACA.)
Does this tale have a moral? Why yes, it does. Turn off the boob tube. Just turn it off!
34
@tomreel Great, just great! I needed to laugh. Oh so true, a steady diet of this televised garbage is hazardous to your health. I watch the news via TV streaming, and the overall effect is toxic. But the rallies are both absurd and truly frightening. I don't want to hide my head in the sand but a daily dose of present day news is so depressing.
Your short short story is humorous, well written and on point!
9
Remember what Trump warned in 2016 of Hillary Clinton?
That her presidency would be nonstop investigations?
That Wall Street would have a friend in the White House?
That she would abuse power?
That nepotism and cronyism would thrive?
That she would be Putin’s puppet?
That she would hide skeletons in the closet?
Could Trump have envisioned his own presidency any more presciently?
396
Worth a smile, novoad. I see what you did there.. :)
2
@NM Perfectly said. And "sad".
6
@NM. It’s called “projection”. A defense mechanism of the ego — deep down Trump knows what a phony he is, and needs to cover up hid frail ego with grandiose pronouncements, lies, and stoking hatred of “the other”. His base feeds off it and so it goes for the country: a vision that most likely he ‘ll be re-elected. The Democrats are handing it to him, too busy and self interested attacking each other in this race to power and and too wimpy to do what the Constitution dictates: begin impeachment hearings and unmask Don the Con on live TV to the nation. Unfortunately, they will again shoot themselves in the foot and do nothing. Disgusting!
4
Gail, thanks so much. Your wit and humor help make this trying period more bearable. With each new article I force myself to get out from under the couch and stop whining.
25
How many times does it take before the base tires of watching reruns? To date, I haven't heard him claim of walking on water, building Rome in a day or running the four minute mile with bone spurs, but its still early.
The Whiner-in-Chief needs new material or the show will get cancelled and he will be relegated to doing infomercials for reverse mortgages.
22
D. Trump did not condemn the white supremacists, American Nazi's, who were marching in Orlando to support him.
And, I do not understand why his son-in-law , Jared Kushner, who is Jewish, does not openly condemn this, and advise his father-in-law to condemn American Nazi's?
Furthermore, there are the concentration camp types of holding pens which people coming over the boarders are being held in. That other administrations used similar camps is no justification for Mr. Kushner, his family, his wife, and D. Trump from not condemning these. There were Holocaust survivors in his family.
Never Again !
23
No, nobody seems to miss Hillary Clinton. That's right. Please for the sake of the health of the country, let it go. That's right, let it go.
5
@FunctionalIlliterate I hope Trump is listening to you.
1
Thanks, I needed this!!
11
Embarrassing display of hucksterism.
Counting the months until it's over.
14
@Pia
It’s hard to imagine why you think you can count months for it to be over. I’m counting months until he tries to call off the election.
5
A bit of levity thank you very much. I too scream at the tv- even msnbc which I watch five days a week. I too retreat, really hide, under the covers for mental relief. No relief I’m afraid. The digital infection of trump does in fact create desperation. Like fascist propaganda the donald repeats himself, subverts the rule of law, defies truth.
22
Trump's motivation, get re-elected to stay out of jail.
Don't count him out anytime soon.
20
Who picked the people in the stands rising above trump at this rally?
9
“'Abraham Lincoln was treated supposedly very badly. But nobody’s been treated badly like me.'
O. K., the last one was from George Stephanopoulos’s ABC News interview. But when you’ve got somebody believing he’s been more abused by his opponents than a victim of assassination, that information needs to be shared."
No comment.
27
I’m appalled at what I yell at the tv every time I hear trump utter a lie. It isn’t as tame as “that’s just not true”.
I’m even more appalled at the number of my fellow Americans who voted against their own best interests. Just the explanation that he’d have to be re-elected before we can find out what his “excellent” healthcare plan will be should be enough to make anyone with an iota of common sense realize that the emperor is wearing no clothes.
51
Gail, you are my absolute favorite commentator. Your humor is incomparable and always spot on. Whether it elicits fits of laughter, or a pained groan, the empathetic catharsis is priceless!
You're preserving my sanity! Thank you!!
32
Trump owns two related camps. First, the camp of those who think that if you yell something loudly enough, and with enough simmering anger, it becomes true and others will fall before your "argument." The second camp are those who think that if you believe hard enough in something, it becomes true.
A real triumph of the will, indeed.
16
I am sure that Mary Todd Lincoln would agree that her husband's martyrdom pales in comparison to Trump being called to task to all of his lies by the "real news " outlets.
The only thing our SCPOTUS excels in is projection-and he is a master at it.
25
I have to know - 29 months into this monstrosity of a presidency, are there any Democrats really still using G-rated "That’s just not true!” language to talk back to Trump? REALLY?
I can't keep my outbursts even in the R-rating range these days.
39
@The Observer Obama gave him the economy. The coup d’etat is a fantasy.
4
@Northwoods - you are 100% correct - though there is some additional growth from his deregulation but that comes at the terrifying far greater cost of Trump polluting our air, land and water with carcinogens and accelerating climate change.
3
@common sense advocate
Trump is rude & crude but his ideas are giving us the greatest jobs economy in the last couple of centuries.
Don't fotget how the Bill Clinton campaigns always emphasized the economy above ALL else.
The ''monstrosity'' is what preceeded Pres. Trump with a White House ancually setting up a spying program on the political opposition and setting a cadre of haters toward a coup d'etat against an American president - neither of which was never dreamt of before.
I know that as a happy resident here in the Liberal bubble of Seattle I'm not his target audience, but I cannot imagine anyone willingly sitting and listen to Trump spewing lies and nonsense for over an hour! He'll be heading into Castro territory before the end of the year.
37
'No president has ever “done what we have done in two and a half years.”'
That's true, but probably not in the way he thinks. He has been the most corrupt, compromised, and vile "acting president' in the history of our great nation. And he is a bad actor at that.
55
People have every right to attend these rallies but obviously no country can ever be great with this kind of division and so many gullible people.
The enemy isn't North Korea or Russia. They're A-OK. But your fellow Americans? They're the enemy. If we are ever to repair the Trump damage, we will need to unite, as we have done in the past when America really was great.
17
Just say no. Say no to racism, to lies, to corruption, for amorality, to lack of common decency and compassion, to unethical behavior, to sexism, for lack of respect for others....
8
Ms. Collins, Mr. Krugman, Ms. Goldberg, Mr. Bruni, Mr. Cohen, and Mr. Kristof have written 1,234,567,890 columns attacking Trump. If not for Trump, they would all be out of jobs. There isn't all that much to say about Trump. He's not very smart, he is very mean-spirited, he is immoral, unworthy of belief, favors the wealthy over the poor, has no respect for the rights of minorities and women, and his foreign policy is simplistic and ill-advised. You could add a few more terrible flaws, but there is no need He is a horrible President and merits his rating as the worst ever.
Each of the Times columnists mentioned could write 10 or 15 anti-Trump columns and save the rest for enlightening us about carbon emissions, inner city violence, heart disease, cancer, malaria and AIDS, sub-Saharan Africa, the Sudan, Bangladesh and China, and people who are at least as important as Trump, like Putin and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Bill Gates and the Pope.
When I compare Trump in importance with dozens of other matters and people and I look at how much is written about him and I think he gets far too much attention. In a word, Trump is a bad guy. Now let's move on to all those things that will most affect the future of the human race, acknowledging that Trump is not one of them.
24
@michjas so true! attacking trump is low-hanging fruit indeed. But can we let the other columnists address things that are more constructive? Gail is too funny to forfeit for the sake of all things serious.
6
@michjas Trump is currently the president of the United States, theoretically the most powerful man in the world. He's already affecting the future with his rejection of climate change, science, and environmental protection, among other things. He's ignoring danger signs in North Korea and kicking the wasp nest of Iran. In many ways, he could be considered the most dangerous person on earth. If he weren't so ignorant and inept
6
It makes sense that Trump is running against Hillary right now. Hillary is an avatar for all that his supporters hate. The Democratic candidates are so numerous right now that he would waste ammunition by attacking them all. He will turn on his Democratic opponents after the field shrinks.
10
Trump will use Clinton or even Romney’s dog in the car’s hood
to get as much shade as he can. Consider what happened just today: Mike Pence’s foreign policy advisor, currently an under Secretary of State (apparently negotiating with Russia) is reported tonight to have had direct links to Maria Butina, the Russian spy serving time in jail for her involvement in the Trump campaign. Or, the fact that Deutsche Bank is being investigated for money laundering involving, among others, Jared Kushner. Or, Hope Hicks’ Congressional testimony. Never mind all the other stuff that has been going on before yesterday.
20
Trump has nothing and is going for nothing beyond the most hard core and entrenched of his base. His only shot is to muddy up the waters and dirty whomever he ends up running against as a dangerous radical that will tank the economy attack "the American way of life" however one hears that dog whistle. Many voters who trend Republican that are decent reasonable people held their noses and voted Trump hoping he'd grow into the job. Those folk are lost to him unless they can be scared enough . Many who normally vote Democratic stayed home last time out , that's not going to happen again no matter who gets the nod from the blue side. The main job of the party as a whole is to avoid giving Trump easy targets that further his fear narrative.
10
When will the members media understand that Trump isn't lying, he's promoting. Remember the Sham-Wow!, Ginsu knives, and the Popeil Pocket Fisherman? It's called marketing, look it up.
Hillary's an easy target that people who like Trump already hate. So, why wouldn't he use her to stir up his crowds?
The Democratic candidates running for president are taking pot-shots at each other and driving one another farther and farther to the left. Why would Trump want to interfere? They're doing his work for him.
Remember what Napoleon purportedly said, "Never interfere with your enemy when he is the process of destroying himself." All Trump has to do is sit back and wait. Whoever comes out on top of the Democratic primary will be severely wounded by friendly fire.
When the real election starts, it's going to be ugly. Trump is good at ugly. If the Democrats don't wise up, they're going to hand him his second term on silver platter.
11
Trump is still in hyperbole mode from decades of pushing real estate. The truth matters far more in government but not to Trump. His rallies are an extension of George Wallace rallies but with some jokes. It is all about getting together and hating. Yes, when it comes to liberals nobody is more detestable to this crowd than Hillary Clinton who has been derided at the national level since the early 1990s. Trump can't find a suitable replacement for Clinton so I guess he will keep using her. I am not sure what is going on. Are these just mean-spirited conservatives or outright fascists. At least part of America has taken a sharp right turn and it is unclear where this is all headed.
11
The slogan “Keep America Great” is food for thought. One thing many people do find great, or at least satisfactory, about America today is the state of the economy. Some think the presence of Donald Trump in the office of president is absolutely essential to that state. Others suspect that it isn’t. Even if they believe that he boosted the economy, they don’t necessarily believe it would collapse without him there to talk it up.
The loyalty of Trump’s core supporters is safe. However, his fringe supporters may decide to keep the economy and get rid of Trump rather than go on risking the disaster that can result from having a loose cannon rolling about the ship of state. And without their votes, he’s a spiked cannon.
7
Imagine how excited the crowd would have been had Trump thrown paper towels to them...
None of us are sure who the Democratic nominee will be, so Trump fell back on his bogeyman / strawman arguments from 2016 instead of moving forward to what could be possible in his second term.
He doesn't think in terms of 'shining city on a hill' rhetoric. He's more the standup insult artist who thinks you can build yourself up by tearing others down. Apparently 90+ percent of Republicans agree with him which reflects poorly on both Trump and the GOP, but when that's your best shot...
It explains why he continues to target Hillary Clinton.
Guaranteed applause from his base. Go with what you know. Especially when the 'fake news' outlets are spreading your gospel for you. Your inner freeloader tells you to get as much free TV time as you can... No matter how.
8
Re: his comparison to George Washington...we know he is angling to get his image on our country's currency, perhaps even while still president, the greatest president, since, well, no one else.
We will hear him ask to have Washington's image taken off the dollar bill (old, tired president...doesn't even have his own teeth...sad) and his graven image put up in its place. The orange hair would add some flair to our otherwise boring bills, and they would become collector's items all over the world, further enhancing the dollar as the world's currency. Another win!
8
@raerni
Great thought, but would he want to be on the lowest denomination bill? Put him on the $3 bill.
5
Sadism- taking pleasure in the infliction of pain, punishment or humiliation on others.
10
Stunningly, the lame Democrats are STILL doing the same goofy stuff they did last time.
They convince each other and their desperate listeners that Trump can't win and that anyone they nominate is a shoo-in to win.
The say the same progressive-to-socialist stuff they were taught in college and they stand there expecting normal people to believe it even
though they never win with it and their ideas always harm workers.
Actually watch Tump did last night in a crowd a thousand times bigger than poor Mayor Warren Wilhelm Jr./de Blasio or P.P.M. Buttigieg can draw with a week's notice.
Trump has more ability to handle any campaign setting than anyone the Dems have seen in decades.
1
@The Observer
Mussolini was a good campaigner too.
3
@The Observer Who cares, only his base. I just listen for 5 mins in horror, then turn him off.
What particular policy harmed you?
3
Ever since I read it in Michael Lewis’ book, I’ve been surprised that Pence story hasn’t got more traction.
4
No president has ever “done what we have done in two and a half years.” You can say that again. And don't worry, he will.
4
All well said we need Robert Mueller and Stormy Daniels reading the Mueller report on a TV series like Game of Thrones Trump riding the dragon setting the world on fire. All hands on deck it is essential to defeat Trump Barr in 2020 or we will have a dictatorship who would tell Trump no he's having a military parade on july 4 in DC with military flyovers just like Kim gets.
5
The idea that people are still listening and supporting this bully and liar in chief, reminds us all that this is bigger than Trump, or McConnell or Republicans. This is part of America. These people who have been hoodwinked by Trump are our neighbors, our fellow church goers, our family. What is it going to take for these folks to see? No one is so blind as those who refuse to see. The arrogance of Trump thinking he is a 'stable genius' is magnified by thousands, who will not begin to consider that they may be wrong about Trump. How can they not be suspicious of one who lies, even when the truth would serve him better? One who continues to align himself with dictators and authoritarians versus our allies and friends, or even our own intelligence agencies and news media, while covering up his campaign and personal business with Russia in the last election. The man cares not one whit for most Americans, nor even the needs of his base, as he only cares about his own wealth and power. They are being used and abused like codependents in a dysfunctional relationship, but there seems to be little anyone can do to help them see the light. So we pray that God will help us, help them to realize their mistake before it is too late and we are no longer a democratic republic. The day of reckoning will come.
19
@GraceNeeded
God?
Trump is proof that there is no God.
2
@annaCa.expat There is a God, or we are in a heap more trouble than Trump.
1
Once again, I am reminded by a great line from one of Bob Dylan's songs, "Steal a little and they throw you in jail. Steal a lot and they make you king".
I really hope that the president is rightfully limited to a single term in office. Then, let the justice system let those big wheels turn.
I look forward to the primary process but, really, it doesn't matter all that much because I'm voting for the Democratic nominee no matter who it is.
19
Trump thinks, as many Democrats think, that Hillary was the magic
that gave us the tragedy of Trump.
And they are probably right on.
1
"Less enthusiastic citizens yelling at the television" OMG Gail thank you for this image which is a mirror! I have been yelling at the screen at the top of my lungs so often since he took the oath to serve as President: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Yeah sure!
At times my European friends get concerned for my sanity and advise me to take a break from the news. Your writing is a wonderful antidote to the madness and helps me put some perspective. Sadly as I am just a permanent resident (for many years) I cannot vote so maybe I will continue to yell alone in my room. Thank you Gail!
6
One road-bump in Trump's throw-back campaign is the drop in support among white evangelicals: down from the 80% he got in 2016 to the mid-50's. Hard to see why really. Can't be the lying...that hasn't changed. No evidence of marital infidelity since the election. Supreme Court fills have been perfect. Pious Pence is still there. Trump continues to tell evangelicals what they most like to hear, viz. that they're victims of constant scorn and discrimination, and that he is their personal protector. Trump himself must be frustrated and baffled by this slight, because he knows he's really going to need them to turn out again this time. Time to find a new scapegoat to attack for Christian grievances.
5
trump's vote total in 2020 is just about a foregone conclusion - his fanatics will turn up on polling day, period. The Democratic candidate, whoever he or she might be, will have to be someone who is capable of overcoming enthusiasm gap; and someone who can resist the temptation to run as a safe candidate, à la Hillary Clinton.
With trump, campaigning is all about the optics. It's a performance, with body language like the jutting Mussolini chin, turning of one way and then the other, each time with a dramatic pause to bask in the worship of his followers. What he says almost doesn't matter, just as long as it whips his disciples into a frenzy of hatred of their enemies and love for himslef. (I truly wonder if the likes of Senators Graham, Rubio and Scott are capable of feeling any shame at abasing themselves as members of his audience.)
I fear the worst for the Dems if Biden emerges as their nominee. Not only will he play it too "safe", he is also as gaffe prone as ever. I think their best bet is Elizabeth Warren, who has the right combination of policy, rhetorical skills and a healthy ability to make the election as little about trump as possible. If she becomes the nominee, she will have a ready-made slogan: "she persisted". It would be great to see her force it back down Mitch McConnell's throat.
00:50 EDT, 6/20
20
The only thing missing from the President's rally last eve was a life size doll of his favorite foil and him sticking it with pins or putting the doll into some sort of prop prison. (although I am leery of making this point, if his minions see the idea and put it to him) Sorry I digress.
Anyways, here we are for the 546th time discussing something the President did or said (again with the outrage), as he has taken over another news cycle.
Even if Democrats (during how many debates?) are amazing with the real policy discussions, and completely ignore the President (or even republicans in general for that matter) the press will pull them back in. (doing best Godfather
impression)
It is all a ''game'' of us versus them, and them versus us, and false equivalencies, and, and, and...
I making me own doll - representing the press.
7
Seems like the best parallel to a Trump rally is Friday night at the local sports bar after the suds have been flowing a while and the home team is only one touchdown away from winning the Superbowl. Yelling and screaming patriotic phrases for the home team.
Trump rallies are just a big circus. Excitement for a Friday night with Trump leading in the chants. "Make America Great." Ridicule the Media in attendance. Hillary was a great target: "Lock her up ... " If Trump wins it means more rallies to attend, more parties, more beer, more fun.
Strategy? Foreign Policy? Health care, better bigger cheaper. Biggest Tax Cut Ever, awesome. All of it lies? who cares. It is another Trump Circus.
11
Trump’s greatest hits, 2019 rally tour, has one striking problem. The star of the rally continues to peddle untruths and deception. His base seem too mesmerised to wake up to his scam.
His latest rally could pass for slapstick comedy. His lines are pure comedy gold, if one ignores the spite and hate. A pity there were not a few hundred at the rally, who could have laughed at each outrageous Trump falsehood.
It appears his constant need for adulation, is behind every part of his rally. There should be a link to the order of his comments, similar to the music set for a concert, where one could concentrate on the next racist, incorrect or provocative comment.
7
Gail, I appreciate your willingness to report from the swamp slime about Trump, but that's not what really needs to happen right now. I would appreciate much more you turning your clear eye towards the people (okay, the women) who are making this Trump nightmare a waking reality show: Susan Collins (unforgivable fold at the Kavanaugh table) and Nancy Pelosi ("he's self-impeaching" except for the part about him campaigning for reelection while she shrugs). The Trump fiasco continues because NOBODY will hold him accountable. Okay, maybe a federal judge every once in awhile will rule against his administration. But a federal judge cannot impeach this wholly impeachable tyrant. Please do your part to encourage the necessary.
6
Lincoln said, "we can not consecrate" the Gettysburg battlefield. "The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract." The words "Abraham Lincoln" coming out of the mouth of our current President are a desecration of the greatest American.
15
A pleasant day on this date in preparation for the official celebration of summer this Friday, an Irish phoenix from Maryland just piped in, and reminded her of 'Independence', where the oldest Founder of the Declaration at 96, outliving the others, was described as an American Cicero from her State.
Fortunately, I did not mention the Catholic cryptocurrency which bears our mutual horoscope sign, or it will interrupt the placing some i's on the dots, when finishing her work project on healthy water resources in America before midnight.
Earlier, my neighbor was beaming over 'Trump My Man', and we both laughed when I told him he was seen at The Rally in Florida. This was followed by an offer to give him a new cap 'Keep America Great' for his birthday this fall. It does not rhyme as well as 'MAGA', but the kids in our midst will be none the wiser.
This reader got a paper bill with Abraham Lincoln, stamped in red with "Vote for Trump. KAG", which is either a treasure or a dampener for the recipient of the above, but either way it reeks. Keeping it for a rainy day, while admiring the Ads for 'Jared' jewelry, because The Army has given up their call to join their ranks, one which remained ignored.
Ms. Collins, I am voting for America, and not Trump, reminiscent of a heavy branch on The National Tree, ready to collapse in high winds. It is not our fault if The Republican Party appears to be mummified and in possession of a large yellow blustering canary.
3
You can make fun of Trump all you want. He certainly provides plenty of material to use.
But, Ms. Collins and the never Trumpers refuse to acknowledge that illegal immigration is a huge issue for many Americans of all parties, and even some Democrats acknowledge that the party's policy of bending over backwards to welcome and help every illegal alien appears to come at the expense of helping American citizens.
That appearance is why Trump's mantra of "America First" resounds with so many Americans, and why it will give Trump another 4 years.
5
@helton There is no us vs them. Many private entities, who get contributions from willing contributors, help refugees. The federal government, who collects our taxes, has often helped foreign refugees when it recognized a need. Think of the refugees escaping their countries during WWI and II. Just because the skin color is different doesn't mean Central American's are less deserving of assistance after escaping dire situations in their countries.
1
If people were as focused on the lies and misdeeds of Donald Trump as much as Donald Trump is focused on Hillary Clinton (still!) the Democrats would have no worries.
2
“No president has ever ‘done what we have done in two and a half years.”
This is true, but not at all in the way he means it.
3
Entertainment, particularly farce, has a limited shelf life and it is evident that Trump's repetitive outrageousness is on the nose even among those with uncomplicated worldviews. Now monstering a lesser power with a storm of missiles - a real-time horror show - that will surely lift the polls for Mr. Trump - just as the Falklands war lifted the fortunes of Mrs. Thatcher.
3
And don't forget the biggest inauguration crowds ever!
One thing is certain, Hillary Clinton's campaign hopes for 2020 are now over -- Trump is ready for her -- but it also appears that so are Joe Biden's.
Biden can play for Trump supporters with his longing for the good ol' days working with the segregationists getting things done (on Juneteenth!), and remembering fondly when women did what they were told when all the white men were in charge (and put up with all their hand-iness), but _hopefully_ that won't get him far in the primary.
That he couldn't even bother to show up for the NY Times questions, speaks volumes about his campaign -- that he is uncomfortable outside his comfort zone of rich fundraising environments and with unscripted questions, and that he thinks he doesn't need to show up. I think that says it all.
4
It's no secret by now that Trump targets the raw emotions of his base since he admittingly courts low educated voters. That might explain why they are still chanting "lock her up". Really, don't they realize that Hillary is not running in 2020?
As far as Trump's loudest dog whistle, the last thing he wants is to actually build that wall, "We built that wall" just doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
7
@mlb4ever
Is there any emotion in the way liberals fight for their agenda? The liberal movement id almost pure, self-serving emotion, with very little logic driving it. (e.g., How do you justify letting anyone who wants to, enter the country whenever and wherever they want to, without any consideration to the long term effects of over population of our good country by unskilled, uneducated, poor people? Immigration has little to do with race, but it has everything to do with mathematics and our future.)
2
Seriously? You seriously think that’s true? The Favorite Lie of today’s GOP, nothing more, nothing less.
4
Why are the Democrats so hopeless at politics? It doesn’t matter how egregious Trump’s transgressions and prevarications are, the Dems fail to make political capital of them. It is hard to imagine how they can’t manage to generate publicity or draw public attention to what is happening. House investigations generate no results other than the boring refrain that we’ll take them to court to force testimony. Trump’s cabinet picks and other appointments are routinely corrupt or incompetent, but none are prosecuted or even publicly shamed, and he continues to claim that he has “Drained the swamp.”
2
@lvzee
The answer to your question is easy. The Democrats are not good at fascism. And our country is trending straight toward it.
3
The fact that Trump raised $24.8 Million in 24 Hours should give Democrats pause. Clearly, Democrats have not been effective these past two and a half years if this man can garner this kind of support after an almost daily onslaught of lies and aberrant behavior.
5
The 25 million was Prince Salman. If it was anyone .What we know is what 'they' tell us.
2
@Tom No doubt, contributions from foreign entities. I thought it was against the law to accept election funds from foreign sources; and, if it isn't, it should be.
Gail, thank you... you made me laugh at the utter, banal ignominy of it all. And it is... all of that.
I am nomadic by nature; I don't have a concept of home as most folks do. But if I've ever called a place, sorta home, it is NY. This comment, I think, every New-Yorker would agree with: "However, on behalf of Donald Trump’s first home, I think I can safely say that New York is willing to turn him over to the competition. Really, he’s yours."
NY is also ahead in making laws, collecting evidence to get to Mr Trump via the legal system.
I am not vindictive but I want to see justice done, this man needs to be in orange, for what has done to this country.
He has tainted us all with his mendacity,
his daily verbal cruelty, his insults,
making it easy for people to be openly racists,
inciting the worst emotions in all of us, Rep or Dem
of openly allowing feuds forming,
divisive malignant politics, seeding discontent,
and anger-violence against the other.
He has done his utter best to create Us vs. Them rhetoric, and I fear for real political violence in the streets in next two years.
He is malicious, in the true sense of the word.
Since, even that doesn't effect his support, who invoke God's protection for him, we are in much darker, deeper waters than anyone ever thought, we will be.
8
The only thing missing from the President's rally last eve was a life size d0ll of his favorite foil and him sticking it with p1ns or putting the d0ll into some sort of prop pris0n. (although I am leery of making this point, if his people see the idea and put it to him) Sorry I digress.
Anyways, here we are for the 546th time discussing something the President did or said (again with the outrage), as he has taken over another news cycle.
Even if Democrats (during how many debates?) are amazing with the real policy discussions, and completely ignore the President (or even republicans in general for that matter) the press will pull them back in. (doing best Godfather
impression)
It is all a ''game'' of us versus them, and them versus us, and false equivalencies, and, and, and...
I making me own d0ll - representing the press.
2
Some random comments from a member of Elizabeth Warren's law school class:
1) Donald is on the path to re-election because the media is obsessed with "All Trump, all the time". Much like the Roman Coliseum, that serves as entertainment for and a distraction to the masses. One true statement that he will be able to make is that his name appeared on the front page of The New York Times more than any other president;
2) Isn't it amazing how the Trump presidency is repeating the history he never read? The obvious parallels are Watergate and, most recently, the Gulf of Tonkin. Hopefully, he won't re-do Iraq and Afghanistan in the Middle East or the Korean peninsula; and
3) It continues to amaze me how the 20+ Democratic candidates are intent on throwing away a winnable election by not focusing upon how "we" (the Democratic Party) can regain control over our Constitutional processes but, rather, how "I" can become President. They, too, should read some history or at least remember and learn from the 2016 campaign.
3
So, over the years, the Stepford Wives evolved into the Stepford Voters.
How is it that no one noticed?
11
Be fair, Gail. Obviously President the Donald didn’t have the biggest tax cut for the American people, including the one percent, but who’s to say he himself didn’t receive the biggest tax cut ever? Since none of us, and possibly even himself, has the slightest idea about any of his taxes we'll have to wait to see what he made, what the taxes should have been, and how big the refund check was. Don't ya know?
3
I am SO not looking forward to the next year and a half!
6
I read these commentaries and wonder what you really want to accomplish. If it is to get this information out then that is fine, but if it is meant to do anything more you really need to realize you are not being effective. To this end you need to refashion your narrative to find a better way. You have a tremendous platform in the NYT and may be able to do something positive, but no matter how insightful you are with this line of reasoning, there is no change in attitude or direction in which we are headed.
Trump's power is derived from his base and the Republican party which remains silent despite his abuse of the Constitution. There is no reaching his base who are so mired in resentment and anger at all Right Wing Media has told them the Democrats have put them through so is it wise to try to appeal to them? The Republican party however has weaknesses. They are a minority party and yet control most of the government. It is beyond time to start focusing your wit, wisdom, and journalistic power on them and their failure to live up to their oaths. It is beyond time to show liberal bias was a fabrication of conservatives to weaken and diminish the power of the press. It is beyond time to wake up the serious people of this country and show them the falseness of conservative appeals and how they serve the wealthy.
Please figure this out for the good of the country, for the good of the world, for the sake of decency and truth. Someone needs to start - it could be you.
9
@Lucas Lynch
Considering that ALL the articles in the Times are critical of the President (when was the last time you read something, in the Times, complimentary or positive, about the President or his actions?), you can't claim that, "...liberal bias was a fabrication of conservatives...".
2
@Lucas Lynch This is an opinion column, and, I for one, appreciate Gail's attempt at humor to lessen the anxiety brought on by reading the latest news of the latest debasement of our country by the electoral college president.
1
I just keep wondering who pays for Trumps rallies. If he travels on Air Force One, it's us. His meals, clothing, Secret Service protection? Probably us. Shouldn't he be billed for this and not us, the taxpayers?
13
Since the opioid epidemic is still very much with us and affecting a major part of Trump's targeted Rust Belt demographic, maybe the campaign slogan should be a more nuanced Still Keeping America Great (SKAG).
8
The only thing missing from the President's rally last eve was a life size voodoo doll of Secretary Clinton and him sticking it with pins or putting the doll into some sort of cage. (although I am leery of making this point, if his minions see the idea and put it to him) Sorry I digress.
Anyways, here we are for the 546th time discussing something the President did or said (again with the outrage), as he has taken over another news cycle.
Even if Democrats (during how many debates?) are amazing with the real policy discussions, and completely ignore the President (or even republicans in general for that matter) the press will pull them back in. (doing best Pacino impression)
It is all a ''game'' of us versus them, and them versus us, and false equivalencies, and, and, and...
I making me own voodoo doll - representing the press.
2
When Donald Trump lowers standards, obliterates norms, and elevates ignorance, he's telling millions of American citizens that the game has changed in their favor. The old rules don't hold and they have a champion who will do anything it takes to restore them to their former glory. It matters not the glory is mythological and the champion merely the latest model in the American tradition of the con.
What matters is Trump promises revenge on the elites everyone in his cheering audience knows have cheated them of their rightful place atop the social scale. The constant "Lock her up" refrain is a cry for justice by people who knew they had been grievously wronged when a black man with an alien name became president.
Somebody has to pay, and Donald Trump is more than happy to play the Great Avenger in what has become a rerun of a reality show that made prime time only because of the fluke convergence of new media, Russian intervention, and an anachronistic notion that empty acres should have as much governmental representation as millions of people.
13
@Eric Caine
There are no "empty acres" in this country. New York and California both have more acres in farm land than cities, and the states you refer to so inaccurately, are populated with PEOPLE. :)
These aren't the United States of New York and California and liberalist paradigm isn't the only way to perceive and manage our world.
2
Trump’s response-election show is a rerun. The economy - slowing; tariffs - negatively impacting the agricultural sector and auto manufacturers; Iran - manufactured as Iraq was; southern border - another unreal crisis. But then like TV - all fake.
3
Trump is raising hundreds of millions of dollars for his reelection, much of which he will recycle into his own businesses and his pocket. Meanwhile, he golfs for free and vacations in Europe with his extended family on the taxpayer's dime. It's great to be the king.
14
I hear that Santorum’s Catholic cryptocurrency consists of only thirty pieces of silver, so it’ll take a miracle for it to get off the ground. But I digress.
Meanwhile, the president is busy touring with the catchphrase “Make America Grate Again.” His strategy is not to use this time to address important issues and describe viable plans for making progress, but to repeat worn out and uselessly snarky phrases that once made his base salivate. But the bloom may be off the rose, since nothing has been accomplished except caging a few children, separating families and making miserable lives a great deal more miserable.
It’s an unnecessary, pointless and cruel job, but somebody’s got to do it. And the president’s just the man for the job.
The president is indeed draining the swamp. He selects a swamp thing who has no qualifications, gives it an important job in his administration, and then announces that swamp thing has not worked out and will be returning to the private sector.
Florida is an important state for the President to carry. Given his denial of global warming and rising sea levels, let's hope Florida is still there come next election.
12
@gemli
What backs the U.S. dollar?...faith.
Trump will find out on Tuesday November 3, 2020, what is in his fate. If he cannot win the election, probably he resign next day paving the way for Mike Pence to be 46th and pardon him like Gerald Ford did to Nixon. Then a new dawn will arrive on January 20, 2021 with the 47th sworn in. Nation will not see anymore tweets/ fake news etc. End of an era.
2
The only people who've suffered more over the past 2.5 years than Donald Trump are the rest of us.
22
The bookies show Trump at 3-2 (or even) to win.
Go figure. I guess they are not factoring the people yelling at their tv sets.
3
It's exhausting to be angry all the time. After a while you look around and realize the problems haven't actually been solved.
7
Nothing he says surprises me any more. What's harder to accept is how many people eat it up. We can sit here mocking him but it didn't accomplish anything in 2016 so somebody's got to do something different
7
Trump's traits are so similar to many business people I've known; but his psychosis and thuggishness is on a more advanced level than most. Trump's election to the presidency astonished even him, and is a terrible lesson America didn't know it still needed, and an aberration that many folks are of course trying to exploit and take past that marker. The presidency and its electoral process must be reformed, but I have little hope of it happening. I don't think he has much of a chance of winning a second term, but it will be very ugly, and in many quarters there will be dancing in the streets when he's finally gone.
10
"Everything political is interesting right now."
It is? That depends on one's perspective. After hearing one too many repeats of the same weary Trump screams from last night's rally, I decided to watch a new police thriller set in my state.
I'd rather listen to 4-letter words every other phrase in Boston accents, than the bloviator in chief's reprise of his greatest hits.
Please somebody, tell him that Clinton is out of the country. I heard she boarded a plane after the first 15 minutes of the Disneyland rally, as I like to call it.
12
It's sad when a journalist can't see facts because of her bias.
Trump:
-Donates his salary to charities.
-He enforced President Barack Obama’s red line against Syria’s use of chemical weapons. When the regime of Bashar al-Assad used a toxic nerve agent on innocent men, women and children, Trump didn’t wring his hands. He acted quickly and decisively.
-He has taken a surprisingly tough line with Russia. Trump approved a $47 million arms package for Ukraine, sent troops to Poland’s border with Russia and imposed new sanctions on Moscow.
-He recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Four American presidents promised to do it, but only one actually did.
-He renegotiated NAFTA to our benefit.
-He got NATO allies to kick in $12 billion more toward our collective security.
-Trump removed the constraints Obama placed on our military and let it drive the terrorists from their strongholds.
-He enacted historic tax and regulatory reform that has unleashed economic growth. We are now heading into our third consecutive quarter of above 3 percent growth.
-He has brought North Korea to the bargaining table to eliminate their nuclear weapons making the world a safer place.
-We now have history low levels of unemployment among blacks and Hispanics.
-He signed the bill for prison reform. Something both Clinton and Obama failed at.
-Jobless claims hit 202,000 in September, the lowest level since December 1969.
-Trump has more women as top advisers than Obama, Bush, or Clinton.
@George Orwell, All sizzle, no steak! Most of the "negotiating" you point out has resulted in few actual results. Lots of blustery talk but "where's the beef?" Most of what you list Trump simply can't take credit for and, interestingly, what you don't list are all the counterbalancing things he's done: an enormous tax giveaway to the rich, weakened protections for our public lands and the environment, attempted to remove millions from health care coverage, the list goes on and on.
You are too easily impressed.
15
@George Orwell - Which charities is he donating to?
How much do you think he and his creepy spawn are taking from us taxpayers?
1
Gail,
While nobody's better than you at the fine art of dispensing wit and humor drier than the driest martini without vermouth, now is no time to be glib. It's empty calories. Please share your more serious side with us as we feebly struggle to preserve what's left of our democracy before it's too late. Use your skills to motivate us to action in the form of protesting, demanding and achieving a return to the decency of what America was and should be all about. We're somewhat akin to Londoners during the Blitz, yet without the guidance and leadership to see us
through. Our elected officials have become a Vichy government
on a mission to divide and conquer us at the behest of our most
formidable sworn enemies.
Gallows humor may be the medium of today, but we certainly can't afford it to be the one of tomorrow.
Organize. Mobilize. Speak truth to illegitimate power. Scream your lungs out.
Vote.
7
@Guido Malsh NO! I need to read Gail's column first, so that I can bear reading about the turmoil the electoral college president and his minions keep pouring on the country. At least a chuckle or a laugh or two once a day brace me for the reality in the serious news columns.
1
New slogan "Keep America Great" means new hats to sell (made in China of course, think they'll be tariff free) and more money for the trump organization.
12
@Jerry in NH
"Trump" is capitalized...show some respect...if not for the man, how about your country and the office of President.
1
@Raz trump does not respect the office or our country.
1
Interesting that this kickoff was held in Orlando, Fla. home of fantasy and illusion. His rallies feature these things, but along with a good dose of fear and hatred. As Tina Turner sang 'Whats love got to do with it.
9
@just Robert
Mr. Trump is sitting in the oval office, which isn't fantasy or illusion.
1
@Raz Unfortunately, trump sitting in the oval office isn't fantsy or illusion. It is however, tragic for the country and what it once stood for.
2
With all the turnover in this administration, I had forgotten about Rick Perry. How on earth could I forget that Rick Perry heads the Department of Energy and oversees our nuclear weapons program? Yikes! Maybe no news about him is good news, given the beating of the war drums right now as John Bolton and Mike Pompeo are chafing at the bit to go to war with Iran. He has somehow managed to keep a low profile on the out of control ship of state as it careens around rudderless in a storm of lies.
I'll give Trump one thing - no, "no presdent has ever done what (he has) done in two and a half years.” That is perhaps the only true thing Trump has ever uttered, because these past two and a half years have been unique in the history of this country. Allies have been scorned publicly, and foreign adversaries have become close pals, and openly admired. Immigrants have been treated like dangerous criminals, with immigrant families torn apart. The government came to a halt for a month over a campaign promise to build a wall that Trump claimed Mexico was going to pay for. I don't know for certain how many of Trump's close advisors are either in jail, awaiting trial, or awaiting sentencing. I've lost count. These past two and half years have been a nightmare from which we cannot awaken, and now there is the specter of Trump being re-elected. His base is still worshipping at his altar and his BFF Putin is still keeping his hand in our election process.
Looking for a miracle.
22
Trump's 2020 campaign is getting an endless supply of oxygen from the media, just like last time. Meanwhile most democratic candidates are being completely ignored.
The breathless coverage could be justified during the 2016 Trump campaign because his outrageous claims were a novelty coming from a presidential candidate.
After the non-stop Trump show of the last three years, his words have lost their shock value.
Why doesn't the media just ignore his rants and talk about someone or something else?
64
@AM
Why? Easy. The liberal media think they can sway the American people, which they have failed to do. They can't, however, make themselves stop!
1
I was one of probably many who winced and watched snippets of Trump's kick-off rally in Orlando. The cheering crowd was adorned in red, wearing "the hat" and looking much like the audience at a NASCAR rally or a country music festival.
Made me wonder if any of them have asked themselves if their lives are materially better with Trump in office? They certainly don't appear to be the major beneficiaries of Trump's tax overhaul. I'm assuming some of them must lost their health coverage or are paying more as "the Don" failed to deliver on HC reform.
Since they can't show up to cheer Trump's accomplishments, I guess the next best thing is to take it out on Hillary?
Go figure.
33
@Westie
None of those people want to stop and ask themselves hard questions.
9
It is scary at how little what he actually does or says matters to his followers (and he seems himself to be surprised at what they take as “gospel” coming out of his mouth). At this point, if he actually shot someone on Fifth Avenue, the majority of them would still vote for him (and, even with the smoking gun in his hand and actually seeing him shoot the gun, would say Hillary did it).
At what point will those of them who are religious (assuming some version of Christian here - given his comments about pretty much everyone else) figure out that he is their new messiah.
Move over JC, there’s a new god in town.
Will priests and ministers finally draw the line when they put a red cap on statues of Jesus? (Oh, but I bet that’s been done already).
3
@Westie
Marxists can never understand human motivation beyond economic self-interest.
When the needle gets stuck on the record you don’t keep listening you get up and move the needle.
Trump’s downfall will be his failure to move the needle.
He’s a one trick horse that was able to change venues to play his game for years, he can’t do that now. The State of the Union and the world will be in a more desperate place, he won’t be able to move and avoid.
22
@Michael Piscopiello
It is a good analogy it just is irrelevant. This is a cult of personality. These people think they're fighting a war against their fellow citizens. Yes. A war.
7
@Fincher
Cult of personality, for sure. But worse than that it's the cult of old, white male america and their chilling anthem:
"You will not replace us..."
1
Clearly Trump has run out of enemies to rouse his base. Times have changed and Mr. Inflexibility is stuck in the past thinking that his voters are back there too. Some are and others are not.
19
@Suzanne Wheat
More people were standing there waiting to see Trump speak than go to Disney World on the average day. Those thousands were there the day BEFORE he was scheduled to speak.
Looks like you believed the wrong people regarding his voters again. Find honest news sources and stick with them. Even Major Garrett made a complete fool of himself on CBS talking about Trump's people.
Trump is not the issue. Those attending his rallies with such enthusiasm is. A depressing issue. They never looked like they are those the economy left behind.
43
My biggest fear is that Trump will manipulate the press to such a degree that Trump himself ends up picking his presidential opponent.
Democrats - don't underestimate his ability to play this game.
57
Yes, President Trump trotted out his greatest hits like an aging pop singer on a revival tour. But does his base really care that the material is stale? They are all too eager to show up with their MAGA hats and Confederate flags and chant “Lock her up.” It is all bread and circus. What is truly horrifying is seeing GOP lawmakers watching him with rapt attention. It is clear they are completely under his spell. My great fear is that Trump will be unwilling to give up power if by some miracle he loses the next election. I am reminded of the chilling words of Orwell, “We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship..”
162
Relax, luluchill.
Americans were a little asleep at the wheel in 2016.
That won't happen again with this monster in the White House and his Reverse Robin Hood Robber Barons cleaning out the national treasury for four years.
Trump and the Republicans will be thrown out on the street in January 2021 by American voters.
Donald can resist US Federal Marshals and the Secret Service all he wants, but he is leaving the White House as he is replaced by the Democratic nominee.
You can be fearful all you want, but Donald is leaving when his term expires.
26
I had a strange thought after hearing trump talk about Hillary at his rally and it has to do with John McCain.
Trump criticized McCain after he died, it was pure evil.
What if, God forbid something happened to Hillary Clinton during trumps campaign?
Would he berate her and have his base yell, "lock her up?"
I would not put anything past him.
26
@Sherry Moser steiker
McCain turned against his party, even tho' Trump overdid his reaction to him.
@Sherry Moser steiker Kind of old news, though. Do recall that in 2016 he insinuated that she be assassinated - TWICE - and no one blinked an eye.
4
@The Observer McCain didn't turn against his party. He did what was best for the people he represented.
1
Another dog and pony show, and in the end, what does it matter? Trump and the Republicans do as they please. The Democrats continue to make demands and get ignored. Could they be any more impotent? Between McConnell controlling the Senate and Pelosi controlling Congress, we can be guaranteed of getting nothing accomplished for the American people. Meanwhile we are forced to watch a repeating train wreck until our sense of outrage has been totally numbed. I am beginning to blame the Democrats and Pelosi for continuing this debacle.
9
This is an absolutely brilliant piece of journalism.
24
If there's one way to Make America Great and Keep America Great, it's to hire the King of Bankruptcy and have him and his Robber Baron cronies cut revenues for billionaires and large corporations while spending like drunken Republican sailors as the national debt exploding like a massive tumor on the nation's future.
Trump and the Grand Old Patriots are currently running trillion dollar annual deficits.
When the Trump Slump comes...and it's coming, the deficits will grow much worse...but let's remember, deficits don't matter unless a black Democrat is President.
A lot of clueless Americans with zero appreciation for history will say, 'so what, Obama had huge deficits', forgetting - or unaware - that the Bush-Cheney-GOP 2008 Depression was a cataclysmic event that required some clean-up.
The Trump government spent $234 billion more than it collected in just the month of February, the largest one-month deficit ever in United States history...because Donald and a few greedy super-rich people needed a fresh coat of gold on their toenails.
Trump and the GOP now have America $22 trillion in the red.
To celebrate this incredible, deranged fiscal recklessness, Donald Trump kafkaesquely awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to fake economist Arthur Laffer, the godfather of 0.1% Republican welfare and supply-side economic nonsense.
There are 1000 good reasons to throw Trump and the GOP out of office.
The fact that they're bankrupting the United States is as good as any.
841
@Socrates Makes you wonder if the Dems should just "throw" this election in order to beat the cycle of cleanup, to let those responsible finally shoulder some blame.
16
@Socrates
Financially bankruptcy is bad. The moral bankrupting of American is worse. I fear it's the end of the grand experiment. Tragic, really.
69
Missed you. Please elaborate on the Laffer nonsense.
18
People should be taking note of Trump's fascination with Hillary and the fact that he can't let it go.
This is the product of a truly sick mind, that wants to continue to be our president.
If we truly had an independent doctor that was to examine him we would learn the truth that he is of a sick mid and body.
Always think about the fact, would anyone have voted for Reagan had they known about his mental health.
62
Trump provides both the terror at his being president and the laughter to divert us from what would normally be despair
19
The most amazing part of the news coverage to me - and this includes this article by Ms. Collins - is that none of the members of the press, who are members of the media by definition, seem to understand what marketing is.
Trump isn't a politician, he's a brand. And, the promotion that he does at his rallies is no different than the Sham-Wow! guy on TV. He is touting himself and his presidency as a product. Therefore, he only points out the good things, ignores the bad things, and make things up when he wants to promote a particular aspect of his product.
That said, even Jake Tapper on CNN last week noted that Trump has a FAR better record of keeping his campaign promises than just about any president ever -- About 80% kept or in process, so far, according to his estimate.
Trump is attacking Hillary because a) there are a LOT of people who really, really dislike Hillary, and b) it's easier to warm up on a known quantity that everybody already dislikes than to try to go after 25 candidates, 23 of whom no one has ever heard of.
When the Democrats pick a candidate or one becomes the obvious front runner - and, until the primaries are over and they stop shooting at one another - Trump will keep repeating his old lines, peppered with new ones about his many "wins."
Right now, the Democrats are going after each other, driving each other further and further to the left. This is Trump's dream situation. He'd be an idiot to get in their way.
Trump's crazy, but he's not stupid.
29
No president has ever “done what we have done in two and a half years.”
So,so true.
78
Keep America Guessing!
1. Health insurance plan.
2. Debt elimination plan.
3. Infrastructure jobs plan.
4. Afghanistan exit plan.
5. Immigration reform plan.
6. Mexico pays for wall plan.
7. Farm products trade plan.
8. Middle East peace plan.
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Let's have a few more laughs, thanks to Ms. Collins. Yes, I understand that a humor column is her job. Yes, I understand that one simply cannot live in a state of outrage 24 hours a day.
But we Democrats have done nothing but laugh. The Mueller report sets forth Trump's crimes for which he'd be in prison now but for his position, and we laugh. Trump has ordered Hispanic infants and children into cages, and we somehow manage to put all this out of our minds, and we chuckle at late night TV hosts. Trump has publicly toadied to Putin and has told us he'd accept help from Russia in the upcoming election, and we shrug our shoulders, as if to say "what's anybody to do?" And we chuckle a bit more reading columns such as this one. And we all know Trump is just one unhinged tweet away from starting a nuclear war, but what do we do? Sit at home, and find a few laughs, wherever we can get them. I get it. We're all just numb by now. So let's have a few grins.
But we now know that we have a felon in the White House, and 5 Supreme Court votes permitting him to do whatever he wants. We have a man who will manufacture an "emergency" and cancel the 2020 elections, all with the support of his rabid, heavily armed base. We have a deranged tyrant in the White House who will leave office at a time of his choosing, and not a moment sooner. In short, we have our nation's first dictator.
Now remind me again, what was so darned funny?
71
Apparently Rick Perry's "smart glasses" not only make him smart, but also render him invisible.
40
You left out two Trump sycophants who participated in the Trump rally in Florida: Senators Graham and Rubio.
Of course, they weren't always sycophants. It was but slightly over two years ago that Graham called Trump "kook" and "crazy" and Rubio called Trump a "con artist."
Now they are campaigning for the "kook" and "con artist".
Graham and Rubio have been conned by a great con artist. Let's hope the country doesn't get conned again.
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@RK
Don't think for a minute that Rubio and Graham have been conned--they just know their electorate and they want to stay in power.
6
'The Apprentice (Presidential Version)' is now in reruns.
If you didn't enjoy it the first time, you're guaranteed not to like it again.
36
"Everyone gets a fair shake..."
No. That's the problem. I would love to see a comparison of the last few reelection campaign coverage vs amount of the coverage that Trump seems to get. It seems slanted. Every single nonsensical sentence, every bald faced lie, every exaggeration uttered by this man is covered by the NYT and others. Just the facts and a few quotes ie all anyone needs.
And please don't repeat the silly nicknames. They do stick (human nature: we are all just second graders).
Please, NYT, please. A fair shake for all candidates. And some relief for the voters.
47
@TNM - yes, the current incumbent is repeating the boost of unlimited free publicity.
I'd love it if the press - even the funny opinion writers, Ms. Collins - would stop mentioning it in print with his name every time the incumbent does something that merely continues to show he's an unpleasant human being.
Think of it as a service to the country.
35
Here they are- the cheeriest of the cheerleaders, always amassed behind the podium- hats, signs, t-shirts, whoopee cushions, props galore. All wearing those "special I.D.'s" around their necks. No one is left without one toy or another. I have to wonder what 90% of them would do without their cell phones to amuse themselves? It can't be all that entertaining to listen to the same words again and again, unless they're all given noise-cancelling earphones. Since Trump hasn't come up with anything new to say after 900 days in office, the real action is over on Fox News, where the coverage is probably better than the speech itself. "And there I am, on TV!" "Hi grandma! Hi Rufus (that's my dog)!" And it's one, two, three, what are we yelling for? Don't ask me I don't think that far, next stop is the corner bar...
19
I know this is wrong on so many levels but he reminds me of Humpty Dumpty. The only problem is that he hasn't had a great fall. Or maybe he has and this is the result: a con artist, liar, and a failed businessman who can't win on his own. I have no doubt that the Russians helped him win. Decades ago the GOP would have been horrified. Now they don't even care because it got them what they wanted: power.
6/19/2019 8:15pm
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It’s concerning as to the large crowd of spectators who believe his lies- hook, line and sinker.
22
He likely does miss opponents that were able to see right through him and are no longer on the scene, with regular rants about locking Hillary up, John McCain wasn't a war hero, Muller was persecuting him, etc . Many of these people restrained him from having his every wish fulfilled, which is why him and his supporters probably feel that as reparations for being constrained that he should be able to reset the clock, delay the next election, and add that time on to his current term. Basically a play out of the typical dictator of a banana republic's playbook. Don't be too surprised if he wants to wear a uniform with lots of medals for accomplishments when he puts on his national parade in DC. When that comes off if Melania is dressed like Madonna in Evita, ask a Canadian if you can visit them and stay for an extended period.
17
I still sorely miss Molly Ivins. Thank you, Ms. Collins, for helping me bear her loss.
36
gail, i'm seconding barbara from new york and referring you to an excellent book that my father, a captain of industry (not an admiral), and i used to get a kick out of: the book of dubious references. our favorite, a given reference for a dubious former employee: you (the inquiring potential employer) will be most fortunate if you can persuade mr/mrs so n so to work for you. it sounds good, but there is a totally different and legitimate interpretation. when listening to trump statements there often maybe a missing subtext that savvy consumers will realize needs to be inserted: the biggest (in my (trump's) experience, or i (trump) believe) inauguration crowds. every thing he says is all about himself, so just insert: i, trump believe, think, feel, wish, etc. you can insert know, but realize that what trump knows is often a belief, a self belief not held by others and is a minor percentage (even down to zero or negative numbers: the opposite of what trump says is often closest to the truth) of what is known or knowledge. he can be consistent and accurate in a way: the opposite of what he says is true. and that leads me to another consistency of the plutocrat controlled republican leadership & think? (lie spout, propaganda?) tanks: do the opposite of what they want or propose; that will be what is best for the country. i can't wait to see mitch and pence out of power, trump being gone is a foregone conclusion. bless his heart for rallying the country.
5
Witty column, Gail. I wish I still had a sense of humor, but it's tough maintaining a smile with democracy crumbling all around you.
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I agree w/some other posts that the Dems shouldn't even mention Trump. They should run on a positive, bread & butter issues that gave them the House this year: affordable healthcare, affordable housing, conquering the opiate crisis. Why do American middle-aged men commit suicide at higher rates than any developed western country? Why do American women suffer more complications/deaths in childbirth?" Why is college affordable?
Don't say "abortion," say "Access to women's healthcare--including pelvic exams and screening for deadly but preventable ovarian cancer."
Don't say "abolish ICE," say, "we must secure our border, while making it safe for migrants fleeing gangs and drug violence to have a hearing."
"Microsoft's' Rekognition program has many bugs & is a serious threat to free speech; it; should not be shared w/ police depts or ICE--the chances for errors and intimation are vast."
For many people in the heartland, saving the planet is less important than saving for rent. Frame the argument in the climate crises this year--hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, extreme weather that has made it impossible to plant. Record heat waves in places that never used to have A/C.
To counter Trump's bellowing, a "still small voice" of reason may be the answer.
89
@Rocky Mtn girl - I would happily donate a paycheck to the candidate who has the sense to point out that Democratic policies reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions.
1
"“We stared down the unholy alliance of lobbyists and donors and special interests,” announced the owner of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, which is packed with guests who are there to do business for foreign governments."
Well, yeah. He stared down the lobbyists, and bet you dollars for donuts that all the ones he hired into the Administration took a pay cut. A temporary one, of course, until they get back into "free" enterprise. After picking winners like the coal company owners. Not the miners, just the owners.
20
History will ultimately judge Donald Trump. And his supporters.
Interesting how the ancestors of many of today’s most loyal Trump supporters in the South were supporters of slavery in the 1800s, Jim Crow in the early 1900s, and segregation in the rest of the 20th century. So these Trump supporters have a family history of being on the wrong side of history.
82
I hear that he said that Democrats "refuse to concede an election." He may have been referring to Stacey Abrams or maybe the investigations into his illegitimate election. The thing is folks this is projection for 2020. It's always projection with him. He's getting his supporters used to the idea.
We can't wait until 2020. Let's get rolling Congress.
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@Jenifer - getting down in the mud with the other 40 million or so base is gonna' be ugly...
"The rally took place in Orlando, and Trump told the exuberant crowd that Florida is 'my second home. In many cases, I think I could say it’s my first home.'”
Let's make Orlando Trump's retirement home and vote Trump out of office--or maybe even better for the sake of the historical record, impeach him before the 2020 election.
94
@PB: Perhaps they can open the Trump Presidential Library (maintaining a collection of all of his greatest tweets) somewhere in Walt Disney World. Fantasy Land would probably be the ideal location.
69
@stu freeman
The presence of anything Trump-related would unfortunately turn Disney World into the "Unhappiest Place on Earth".
24
@PB
Wait, is there a federal prison in Orlando? I want Trump to “retire” to any prison, anywhere, but if he loves Florida so much, that works for me.
12
Too funny. But the joke is worn threadbare, and what we end up with is the same lying braggart. The question of this campaign is: Will enough American voters continue to watch re-runs of his Apprentice and World Wrestling Federation emcee appearances--and still vote for him as president?
It should be soberly noted that, despite wide suspicions that it's HARD to be president, and that someone fluffing the role would be found out and punished, this man has totally changed the perception of what it takes. Really. Being president just takes a showman saying whatever he wants! Nobody cares whether what you say is true, or plausible, or remotely a good idea!
So here we are, at the start of a RE-election campaign for this guy, and the folks in the cheap seats are still howling for him, and the hand-picked front-of-the-arena folks are just as enthusiastic as they ever were.
"There he is.....Mister America!"
96
I appreciate the comedic value throughout Ms. Collins' article. Excellent. However, I completely disagree with the ending paragraph, despite its satire, because we cannot leave the man alone. We need to cause a loss (his) . . . .in order to create a win for this America, our America. Our bullhorn needs to be bigger, louder, and more unified than ever.
83
Trump began his 2020 campaign the moment he was inaugurated. It’s obvious that he likes running for president, but not being president.
514
@NM Campaigning is the only political skill Trump has.
33
@NM. True. Except that now that he has tasted the actual power of the presidency I don’t think he will ever give it up willingly. He has become an extremely dangerous tyrant.
60
@NM Spot on!
11
Sorry, Gail. I'm afraid I have to agree with Trump when he says, "No president has ever done what we have done in two and a half years.” Unfortunately, this is true. And I hope to god that no future president does in two and a half or 100 years what he has done to our citizens, our country and our reputation throughout the world.
825
@Barbara. You need to read the WSJ article that is entitled
"A Second Term for What"? But then again maybe you are being sarcastic. Really "our reputation throughout the world" comment was straight out of Fox News.
2
@Barbara Trump as a president has challenged Americans to examine our belief in our Constitution, our unique form of democracy and our national destiny. Trump is The Republican President. He has followed the Republican Party line consistently and unwaveringly. That is why the Republicans in the House and Senate have backed Trump.
We should remember Trump was a candidate before he was a president. As a candidate, he demonstrated a quality that every other Republican and Democratic candidate lacked. He correctly identified his base. He inspired his base. Trump campaigned vigorously and provocatively and his base understood, accepted and acted on his words even though he often failed to speak in complete sentences and changed topics in mid sentence.
Hillary Clinton won the majority of the popular vote but lost the election. We need to nominate a candidate that can speak to and inspire Democratic voters in every state that is not a deep red state.
4
@Edgar of course, Barbara was being sarcastic.
3
Fed lower rates, China/US tax war ends by the end of the year with an agreement , economy explodes Trump wins .
6
@Independent voter. I think you're right that the economy will explode, but not in a way that helps Trump win.
67
@Independent voter Tariffs depress world trade and particularly business and agricultural income in the United States. The Fed lowers rates but consumers are too leveraged to borrow further and business sees no incentive to invest given the effects of tariffs. As the economy slows, the Fed lowers rates to zero but finally has no more ammunition to turn the economy around. Trump decides a war with Iran is the "Tail that wagged the dog". The American people decide otherwise, vote the bum out of office by the end of next year.
49
@Independent voter He doesn't need the Fed, but he if gets it bonus. He just drags the threats along until the beginning of next year, then declares "All is Well" and pulls back on the tariffs. At that point, the economy gets a one-time boost, which hits just in time for the election. And the GOP base declares him somewhere between genius and king and heads out to vote early and often.
Viola! - Trump orchestrates his own economic boom for the election, without the Fed, Congress or even the World.
2
Thank you again, Gail. You are the only one at any news outlet who can still bring a smile to our faces in light of what is going on today. And please, keep telling the story about the Pences: it is even better than Romney and his dog, and we enjoy it, too!
142
@arjayeff
My gracious. This is an embarrassing comment. Bring a smile? Who are you? And you live in Atlanta?
Happy he’s running. He will win in a landslide.
4
@M You mean the way he "won" the popoular vote last time, by just making numbers up. Good luck! I don't seem him duplicating his statistcal anamoly again.
11
@M I would prefer an actual landslide.
19
@M Unlike last time, when he lost the popular vote by over three million votes, but who's counting?
12
If it can be said that Mr. Trump has nothing new to say, it's hard to think Ms. Collins does either. All of us are already tired of the 2020 campaign and it hasn't even begun yet. Maybe Mr. Trump understands the electorate correctly again, that nobody's listening, already; that all minds are already made up so why bother with new ideas. In any case, with 20+ Democrat candidates, attacking them on issues is about as useful as swatting mosquitos at a summer cookout. Wake me in November, 2020.
15
@Ronald B. Duke: If all minds are already "made up," Trump might as well just resign and sneak off to Moscow where the next President won't be able to come after him.
7
@Ronald B. Duke
Apathy means someone else makes decisions for you. Do you trust others who don't even know you? Do you trust those you don't know?
6
Trump gets all the coverage, and thus, the re-election of Trump will seem justified. No other candidate is worth talking about. You’re making the electoral college’s job easy for them.
51
@Peter, people know enough, Peter. Those who vote for him again won't be doing it but out of well-embraced and deliberate folly.
3
Dear Gail - I love most of your columns because you have the gift of humor to package tragedy. This one - one of your best, and one of your most tragic. Use your powerful voice to encourage our youth to register to vote, and to show up on the elections, not only the "big one". And also: thank you for your courage and clarity.
467
@Gabriele Fiorentino
Gabriele, thank you for saying this. I completely agree with you. Gail, there are many of us who are talking with people and encouraging youth to understand the power of their votes and show up to for elections. But you have a bullhorn we don't have; you have a voice many, many more will read and hear than we can reach. Please continue to reach out and help us get the message across. We need your bullhorn to counter the foolishness coming from the bully pulpit.
Together we can end this abberation in 2020 and relegate it to the trash heap it has spawned. We need to do this. Let's use all the voices we have; our individual voices and talented media voices.
Hey. it's time to make America great again. Let's toss that fake slogan aside and give it real meaning. Gail, we need you and your peers to keep doing what you're doing. We'll do our part. Charles Blow, et al, are you listening?
12
Not just our young people, Ms. Collins - use your intelligence and talent and wit to inspire EVERYONE to register and vote - we have to rid ourselves if this pestilence.
16
@Gabriele Fiorentino
Young people (mostly) don’t read the Times and you can probably count on one hand the number of them who would even know who Gail Collins is.
3
I haven't laughed out loud at an opinion piece in a while (I miss Dave Barry very much) but thank you for the collection of hits! 'Abraham Lincoln was treated supposedly (!?!?) very badly'. And Florida is 'my second home...you could say it's my first home' (wasn't he going to be so busy there wouldn't be time for golf?) and then the story about Mike and Karen Pence. Delicious. Maybe more so because it MIGHT just be gossip. So fun. I'm as curious as anyone how this next election pans out, but there are way too many plot twists yet to come to get very wound up and still maintain my sanity. For now, laughter is the best pain reliever.
202
So Trump has been spending his entire presidency running for office. This is a good thing! Considering how he “governs” when he’s got nothing else to do, we should feel fortunate he never stopped.
118
@Bob
"So Trump has been spending his entire presidency running for office."
and doing so at the taxpayer expense, along with his over 300 million dollar taxpayer funded vacation golf weekends that enhance his personal financial portfolio. what a waste of money this president is. nothing funny about it. all this president and his administration has done is lined their wallets and those of their millionaire and billionaire friend with cash.
28
@Bob
Unfortunately, Mitch McConnel has been very busy.
13
@Rain
Waste of money, waste of space, and waste of oxygen.
3
Yikes. I'm concerned for our country. Trump doesn't act alone. He's been enabled by the Senate, the Judicial Branch, and many Republicans up and down the ladder at the city, state and national level. They are filing in, rank and order and ready to win this battle. What type of America they're fighting for in the future, I'm really not sure.
189
@upcat
I believe they are fighting for the right to not wear those pointed hats.
6
Trump ceaselessly repeats the same things. So reminiscent of those scenes in “The Manchurian Candidate” where the various players keep repeating “Raymond Shaw is the kindest, honest, warmest and most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.”
336
@Allen Polk
More like the supporters who say:
"He has accomplished more in the last two years that any other president in the history of this country"
On cue as well.
26
@Allen Polk Brilliant observation, mate, from an excellent movie. However, I didn't think that he could actually be a mindless, foreign plant, and their thinking might've gone: "He'll be the 'Make America Great Again' plant!" Blech!
11
@Allen Polk
Trump does indeed have some repetitive verbal tics - he will stop mid-speech, even mid-sentence, and revert to one of his favorite lines such as 'Hillary's emails,' 'No collusion,' 'I've accomplished more...'
According to my Psychologist uncle, this may be a sign of a neurological degeneration. I'm inclined to agree.
17
I wish I could laugh at this more, but I'm terrified Trump will win again. Considering the the blind faith support he gets from "the base," the GOP, and now the judicial branch, there is a lot to overcome to get this guy out of office.
The USA version of democracy is in dire trouble, and there doesn't seem to any kind of solid remedy in the works.
Folks, vote, vote, vote - it's our only hope!
1229
@Otis-T
Vote all you want, the popular vote is only a poll, and the electoral college might agree or it might not. It didn’t agree last time, and I see no reason to think it will appoint anyone other than Trump this time around either.
49
@Peter His narrow win in the Electoral College was a fluke. Those states have been hit hard by Trump’s trade wars.
149
@Doug Lowenthal
Unfortunately not a fluke - it was the result of careful planning and gerrymandering by the Republican party over many years, so skillfully accomplished that they could even get Trump elected. Have the wealthy conservatives in those states been hit hard by the trade wars, or are they overall pleased with Mr. Trump? The electors have priorities.
132
A) is technically true, although not in a good way.
28
Still, indeed. When did he ever stop? What public speeches has he ever given that weren't partisan events?
269
@gary89436
Doesn't the Trump campaign pay for all those people to show up?
5
I suppose our so-called President must not really believe he "won" in 2016. He obviously wants to run against Hillary again. The Republicans simply need to disenfranchise enough Democrat-leaning U.S.-citizen voters to make his dream of winning the popular finally come true.
108
@GreystoneTX
The Hillary obsession is beyond bizarre at this point. Any functional human being would realize that this is not a healthy obsession for a POTUS who has many, many other critical items on their plate.
I'm curious, really. What resolution is Trump looking for re: Hillary. It's never going to happen so why even harp on it after 2 1/2 years?
17