Gail, you've inspired me to post my first ever comment on the NYT website:
"What would you call it if somebody established a charity and then used a large chunk of other people’s donations to buy ..."
I believe the word you're looking for is "embezzlement".
That goes together neatly with the other "e-word" inflicted on the Ukrainian president: "extortion".
44
Trump is already miserable, the man thinks he is the dictator have no sense of humor, lies constantly.
His wife Melania is equally bad being the birther queen, so she can not channel trump in the right direction.
The whole world is laughing at trump already, so let him have a miserable Christmas.
17
Certainly, Gail, the selection is "C)" - anything Pelosi does is a good idea and who's to worry when she's just the third in the line!
3
The ultimate insult for him would be if he missed a hole in one by 2 "!!!!
2
If Trump is feeling bad now, wait until Greta Thunberg wins the Nobel Peace Prize!
30
It's a bad thing for any Democrat or Republican to be corrupt. It's downright evil and vile for the entire Republican party to be this corrupt and shamelessly depraved.
"1984" by George Orwell, Chapter 7
"...The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right.
...Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows…"
25
My ex always accused me of not having a sense of humor, though I would claim he was the reason for that. But I guess now I might have to say he was right, because this is just not funny anymore. I laugh at your lines, dear Gail, and I am grateful every time your name pops up in the Opinion section, but this joke of a president just doesn't lighten my life. He's amazing, that's for sure, but somewhere in the category of how algae blooms kill all marine life. Happy whichever holiday you celebrate.
11
He is a Scrooge worthy of Charles Dickens.
6
Oh for sure, Gail, with you 1000%.
I say, let him marinate in the humiliation of the 'I' word for all long as possible ... or at least through the holidays.
It's karma : he's ruined so many holidays for so many in such short period ... let him deal with it for a change.
11
Thumbs up, Ms. Collins, and thank you.
6
Maybe the three ghosts of Xmas will visit and we'll wake up Xmas Morning to a "new" Trump. A changed man.
Then impeach him.
7
Robert Strauss's second edition of his biography of Buchanan can be titled “Second. Worst. President. Ever. Edition.”
5
the word is embezzlement
11
Mr. Strauss praises Buchanan as a nice guy who took in poor students. Then how can he claim that Buchanan is still the worst president ever? Any president with even a smidgen of decency or humanity will win hands down over Trump, who has yet to notch a single selfless deed during his tenure.
I think Mr. Strauss just does not want to admit that the title of his book has been seriously overtaken by events.
In fact, it is not enough to say that Trump is the worst president ever. That actually gives him too much credit. It puts him on some kind of par with the other presidents, just lowest on the list.
The reality is that there is a vast gulf, a yawning abyss, between Trump and the second-worst president, whoever he may be. Therefore, we actually need TWO lists: One exclusively for Trump and one for the remaining forty-four.
10
Gosh. We really don't like Trump as president.
But we also know that in the Spirit of Christmas, only the miserable stoop to wishing people a miserable Christmas.
And that's the miserable state of politics today.
1
I wonder if George W. Bush will speak out about Trump not being Presidential. I know it is tradition for past Presidents not to criticize their successors, but is Trump even being Preidentail.
2
I am just tired of all the drama. These past almost three years have been exhausting and depressing. There are no adequate words to describe how dastardly Trump and his fellow co-conspirators (Republicans) are. I have run out. I am 74 and really don't want to wish my life away, but I just want to fast forward to next November, and hope and pray we rid this country of all the malfeasance continuously being perpetrated by Trump, his Administration, and the soulless Republicans. May they all find a lump of coal in their stockings.
The impeachment defense the Republicans seem to be putting forth is that the Democrats have hurt Trump's feelings by saying bad things about him. Never mind the obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. Never mind that Trump daily and continuously lies, belittles, bullies, desecrates the Constitution, perverts the law, and has no clue as to what common decency is.
I hope that next Christmas will be a joyous holiday with real reason to celebrate.
12
With Trump it's always the same, new twists on his old tricks. Anyone who watched the Republicans in the Judiciary Committee today would have thought they read and heard entirely different facts from the rest of us. Tired tropes, half-truths, downright falsehoods and silly amendment after silly amendment to the articles of impeachment. Trump is not a leader at all, just a con man fulfilling the Peter Principle.
7
One cannot be surprised that Trump's presidency has been quite honestly a joke. Since his campaign in 2016 Trump made a name for himself by doing what was easiest, blaming the minorities. This overused strategy has always been successful in the past, and he took advantage of that. Who thought it was a good idea to let a man who has never before held a position in public office, run this country? I mean seriously, even after reading those ridiculous tweets, people still thought it was a good idea to allow him into the White House? When there is a problem, people desperately need to find someone to blame and that is when minorities come into play. Mexicans are stealing jobs and bringing drugs, the country would be so much better if we just kicked them out. Let's put kids in cages and let people die. But according to Replublicans this isn't what they're doing at all they're "giving them shelter and food." Simply unbelievable that human beings can act this way. Trump brings America shame, and yet people continue to stand behind him.
10
Trump is apt to tweet more zealously
when his tweets are sparked by jealousy
I'd like to give a mighty cheer
for the 16 year old Person of the Year!
Yes, Greta Thunberg has upstaged him...
a choice we know that has enraged him
His tweets on this are more than low
Donald Trump has got to go.
16
Funniest comment, Years from now AP students will be writing profiles of Jerry Nadler. Maybe a trivial pursuit question, but "profiles" -- I kind of doubt it. Fat Jerry is not like a good wine; he will not age well.
2
Donald Trump definitely deserves to be as miserable as he has made me — and I believe, many, many, millions of Americans. And, oh, people all over the world.
13
Who could be more focused yet so innocent AND fierce in the defense of our planet than Greta Thunberg? No one.
She has thunder in her voice. And the mountain mists in her heart.
Trump can't dirty this heroine. She is miles above him and his attempt to pull her down makes him look oh so small.
I am honored to be on the planet at the same time as Thunberg. What a woman.
13
Trump has won in some regards....many are so sick of is vile remarks, lack of ethics or morals, that they are starting to t urn away from this mess and look forward to the next election.
The fact that Republican legislators seem ok with this poor excuse of a human being means the swamp has reached epic proportions.
6
There are all kinds of evil-doers , but I cannot think of one so immersed in selfish aggrandizement and claiming perfection as Trump, hurting {even leading to death) by his unwarranted ire and irresponsible actions innocents such as the migrants and their children, as the Kurds who had been loyal allies,as the Ukrainians who merited the assistance that would have cut into the casualties at the Russian front, as the minorities in our own country including Moslems, blacks, and other targets of hate-groups he has condoned, as the poor whose food assistance he has cut substantially, as the whistle-blower and other patriots who have stood up to speak truth to power and thus merited his and his supporters condemnation----so much evil he has done and at the same time claim again and again that all he did and does is absolutely perfect---just as his phone call to Zelensky, which clearly speaks of quid pro quo ("do me a favor though" ), is far , far, far from perfect. and yet he seems to believe that all he does is perfect. Perfect economy (in spite of small manufacturing slowdowns and transfer of jobs due to his tariffs and small farmers bankruptcies and slow wage growth) because everyone can find a job flipping hamburgers at a little better than minimum or two or three jobs if need be; good weather due to his governance of course (climate change a hoax); and few terrorist attacks by those Moslems within our borders (only American citizens involved)---all is perfect as he is.
5
I hope Trump has as miserable a Christmas as the rest of us. I’m tired of protesting our corrupt president every week. I hope he’s impeached and loses in 2020. Is there twitter in prison?
6
The coup has already happened. Trump, with the aid of his treasonous republican allies has inserted his enforcers throughout the administration. Now we can watch as King Trump enjoys the spoils of victory.
A mere election will not remove this now appointed King.
5
I prefer truth in labeling, and that would be “stealing.”
Trump’s an immoral, unethical, lying crook, and his supporters unwitting cads or worse.
5
Trump's rally in Hersey PA ruined my chocolate kiss buying for 2019. Can't look at anything by Hersey, holiday or no. Or perhaps ever again.
7
Unfortunately, and due to their big incomplete, undramatic rush on impeachment, it will be the Dems who have a bad Christmas
2
Hi Gail,
I'm a life long Democrat. I support with donations and time to my local Democratic party. I want more than ever to be rid of the person currently in our White House. But the last sentence in your opinion piece,
"Meanwhile, the holidays have to be a little bit brighter when you contemplate the fact that Donald Trump is definitely not having his best Christmas ever."
Is vengeful, hateful, and below level of civility I expect from The New York Times!
2
Gail: I'm in a quandary. (i) Trump is a bum, a terrible president and dishonest; and (ii) the stock markets are at all time highs and unemployment and inflation rates at all time lows. For whom should I vote?
2
Trump's behavior is entirely in keeping with his pre-presidential time but with all of the honor given anyone who has been elected, we deserved more from Trump. His actions are familiar and thuggish, as always but he should have been able to step up into the role America gave him.
2
"Meanwhile, the holidays have to be a little bit brighter when you contemplate the fact that Donald Trump is definitely not having his best Christmas ever."
Don't count on it, I can see him coming back and saying: "I had the most beautiful Christmas ever."
6
This impeachment is about the survival of our democracy not one individual. This divide between the Republicans and the Democrats has been for decades. Where was the outrage when Clinton was hounded his whole first term, two special councils when the first one found nothing, a blatant attempt to bring down a duly elected President? I didn't even vote for him. This attack on the Constitution and our government and laws has gone unchecked for decades. I thought our Constitution and our laws would right things in its inspired brilliance. Now we are all involved as we should be in a democracy. Be thoughtful of your nation when you vote.
7
I don't really believe students fifty years hence will have history texts available that aren't heavily censored or "redacted." They may read about an American democracy that may once have existed, like one reads about the Roman Senate, but their own lives will be lived under the yoke of fascism.
11
Since the former Republican side of Congress no longer is a check on the Executive it is way past time for both of them to go. Trump will never go away of course. He will
be on Fox dividing the country in his own perverse way.
We must protect our children from this monster and let them know this is not the America we all grew up in.
The Press has got to step up the attacks. I watched the media in a cage at a rally in South Florida never protesting. They did not have to cover the event but let themselves be used. " Democracy sows the seeds of it's own destruction" We must be pro-active and
confront the Republicans and Trump from destroying this country. As a white I know the great unspoken fear is that soon we will be a minority in this country.
Republicans will not turn a democracy over to a black and brown majority. Destroy the Press, the judiciary,
and make the new majority rebuild this country. The era of the White Protestant majority is coming to an end and it looks like they want to take all the good people down with them.
7
“They said these two things — they’re not even a crime!” Donald Trump shrieked after Democratic leaders announced the House was going to vote on whether he should be impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Don't worry Mr. President, you're not being sent to jail for this, you're just being fired. Your crimes can be addressed once you're a regular citizen again. This January, next January, it matters not. We can wait.
18
Wow, hard to believe that any president could even be close to this one on the "worst of" list. I'd say that conspiring with a hostile foreign power and breaking any number of laws and emoluments clauses would more than qualify him.
12
I am going to buy a nice little bottle of champagne and I am going to celebrate that day and I will thank all the people who helped turned the House, and I will thank the whistle blower and the people who testified in the hearings. They made this possible. Merry Christmas to them! Cheers
27
I believe champagne gets better with age so.. enjoy that bottle in 2024 after our President has completed his second term.
2
Sadly, 2019 probably won't be anybody else's best Christmas ever, either. If the world is lucky and the US electorate wise, we shall need to wait until 2020 for that holiday treat.
Eat healthily, drink modestly, exercise regularly, observe the speed limit, and remember that friends are God's way of saying, "I'm really sorry about the family I gave you."
8
Gail, you gave me the first laugh I’ve had since 2016. The visual of “sculpting Trump’s head out of mashed potatoes and squishing gravy all over it” did the trick. Now, if we could actually get him convicted on the impeachment charges, I would begin to think we, as a nation, have a chance of survival.
196
@Practical Realities :
Famous movie reference: Close Encounters of a Third Kind....
4
@Practical Realities
I think mashed butternut squash more closely resembles
Mr. Trump. Let’s pour on the gravy!
14
Check Out Time Extended
All the Times peeps all horsed up and running
Are all anti-Trump, all of ‘them gunning
To gin up the lefties to throw the bum out
Get a replacement, a full turnabout
From misspoken English he picked up in Queens
To language in black tie – a Lincoln with means
To grant civil rights, racial justice for all -
And end with a bang the billionaire’s ball;
Nice work lefty losers but just in your dreams -
The rich will stay rich despite all your schemes;
With grand aspirations there’s no turnabout –
The rich will get richer, he’ll never check out.
I am waiting for the release of Trump's next book, "The Art of the (Raw) Deal", when he takes a break from wreaking havoc
in what used to be our wonderful country. Maybe when he's in prison after he serves his second term? Perhaps, the only thing we can hope for. In any case, it will be a bestseller.
6
This type of hate is what fuels Trump and his base. When it comes to the point where people are wishing that the president does not have a Merry Christmas, it seems that those people really different than the man they attack. While the president has inspired plenty of hate, a fact that cannot be denied. This hate is only inflamed when you all fire back. Whether it's true or not, Trump and his base run with the idea that he is oppressed and is the underdog, and articles like will only push that idea forward.
4
@Michael Scott
I’m tired of being told that I need to be nice to trump supporters so that I don’t risk offending their dainty sensibilities. I have a trump supporter in my family and, not surprisingly, he’s a bigot. He hates women, minorities, anyone who is LGBT, etc. He expresses these views frequently to the rest of us. Instead of coddling him, I’ve started calling him out on his views and he hates it. He even told my mother that I was being mean to him and that it hurt his feelings.
If you give hate, don’t be surprised if people refuse to accept it.
15
@Michael Scott The piece is titled LET Trump have a miserable Christmas.
It's his responsibility whether he has a bad holiday or not., and if not, it's because of HIS ACTIONS. Get it? He is responsible for his behavior! And he is finally being held to account for it.
11
You gotta admit, it feels good to do. I guess that’s why people will keep on pumping them out.
Let's bring this back to the roots. When Biden was serving the United States of America as Vice President, he bribed Ukraine for his own personal benefit. Donald Trump was simply seeking the corruption of other government officials who have served and/or are serving our country. The Democrats are playing a game off "pin the tail on the impeachment theory" with insufficient evidence for any of the allegations being said.
7
@Intellectual Dear, Biden enforced the condition on which World Bank funding was allocated, namely that a corrupt prosecutor be removed. That removal in turn increased the likelihood of a real investigation into Burisma. That investigation was conducted and cleared Hunter Biden of illegality (but certainly not of terrible judgment). Since you call yourself "intellectual," I hope this isn't too complicated for you.
8
I didn't vote for trump, I didn't vote for Clinton. For the first time I voted independent (I'm 67 y). Now I get it. Many people are/were sick of 'business as usual' and 'politispeak' in Washington. Trump is a rebellion vote. We have the President we deserve!!
7
Today’s kids will forever remember Trump and GOP as the Scrooge and Grinches that ruined Christmas 2019.
6
I keep wondering why the so called "deep state" hasn't come to a consensus decision to leak leak leak ever y single Trump misdeed since the dawn of time. Then I remember that he just does it out in the open for everyone to see and just shrugs.
18
In the end, he is the president and the people voted for him. He is a human being and everyone deserves to be loved during the holidays and everyone deserves a great Christmas.
5
@Angie
And do you think that Trump was wishing poor people a great Christmas when he took away their food stamps?
I have been around this country for 86 years and he is the meanest person in public life I have ever witnessed.
26
@Angie Actually, no, the people did NOT vote for him. He soundly lost the popular vote. In the time since then, he has earned no one's love - far from it. Like Pelosi, I don't hate him; he's not worth the effort.
29
Stop calling him a human being. There’s no proof.
4
The comparison of Trump to other notably bad presidents is quite fascinating. It would be interesting to see further comparisons on the conduct of each, as well as the legal actions they took in office that qualify them for the position of "worst president ever," as in this article we're given only a short explanation of each's reputation relative to Trump's.
1
All Americans should consider, despite their party identification, whether Trump truly abuses his power in office and obstructing Congress. We need to take a look at who people would vote for if they had to choose someone from the opposing party.
We need to be careful about how these articles are being presented and whether or not they can be proven factually and if it's just a fallacy.
3
Trump's supporters who contributes to Trump expects he will use the money for himself, and not the country. So let his donors contribute all they can to Trump's whims, because it will just end up in his bank account. Trump's supporters are paying for entertainment, and not for anything else.
15
Re: waiting for words to use in lieu of "stole, past tense of steal." How about "misappropriate," sounds like a mistake, but means "wrongly appropriate," which entails "mens rea, or criminal intent. Maybe a creative defense lawyer could do something with that. The lawyer could claim the defendant's extended adolescence (through age 55) was so seeped in underhandedness that the defendant was unable to discern right from wrong.
10
Better word than steal? I suggest “embezzle” as a candidate because it's a bit more specific as to what Trump did with his charity.
28
Thanks for making me laugh, Gail. I find the news increasingly depressing these days, so perhaps I will make yours the last column I read for today and quit while I'm ahead. I'm going to have to go with:
A) Nobody should talk about anything but the terribleness of Donald Trump. I sculpted his head out of mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving and squished gravy all over it.
If ever America had a president who was completely full of stuffing, it would be Donald J. Trump.
20
I don’t think JamesBuchanan is still our worst president.The worst was George W Bush who lied us into the second Iraq war which was a war of aggression and ordered torture both of which are war crimes. Trump therefore is second worst thereby moving Buchanan up to third worst.
18
We still have another year for him to compete for the first place
9
I dunno...I kinda like the idea of Trump being visited by three spirits. Especially if they include the shade of Roy Cohn, in chains and smoking around the edges.
17
"Let Trump Have a Miserable Little Christmas"
Nice headline Ms. Collins. Shows your humanity perfectly.
6
Gail, can't we just wait for Melania's tour of the White House Christmans (pluralistic, inclusive, diverse holiday?) TV tour to judge Trump's response to impeachment? Will they all be that horrible scarlet of last year?, feature dead trees?, black bunting?, dead reindeer? I have heard that the Trump family will be giving each other money losing golf resorts for presents....talk about merry!
5
Santa......please make him stop!
13
Imagine there’s no Donnie...
I wonder if you can
No con to scream and die for...
A brotherhood of man!
You may say I’m a dreamer...
But I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you’ll join us
And free the seat from the flim flam man!
21
It takes NO intellect to view the damage this man has done to America and the world.. You can try to rationalize it, deny it,look the other way,support your party shortcomings or do any of the other things to try and detract from the truth.IT IS A STINKING MESS!
27
Bravo!
8
I, for one, want to know how Gail writes these columns that somehow make us laugh at such abominable circumstances.
Typing with one hand while scratching her dogs ears with the other? CBD oil? Laughing gas?
Do they always publish on a full moon?
9
Gail, you are the Grinch !
Merry Christmas anyway....
2
The Narcissist-in-Chief deserves not only impeachment but every other misery this Christmas season for attacking Greta Thunberg, who beat him in winning Time's Man of the Year award. The only award he deserves is Polluter of the Year. Deck his halls with folly.
27
Why is Trump complaining? He’s already racked up Times’ “Most Despicable Human on the Planet Award “ for the past 3 years.
1
@Christy
Coal in his stocking.
2
Trump might not be having his best Christmas ever, but it’s not nearly bad enough for me to glean a hint of satisfaction from it either. He’s still spending it as this country’s leader, so it’s still worse for us than it is for him.
17
Long Live the Mashed Potato Putsch!
7
Gail is so angry. Again.
She knows Trump will win next year...so she’s freaking out. Again.
3
@Cjmesq0
Read the comments. She's not the only one "freaking out"... again.
The prospect of 4 more years of Trump doesn't sit well with the MAJORITY of Americans.
Look at the hearings -- you'll see why.
2
Hi, Ho, Hi, Ho, or should that be Ho, Ho, Ho lets not ever allow Gail to go 🎄
And Gail all the best Christmas ever for your family and all of who take joy with your fantastic mind and humor!
10
Nancy should run. She could win.
11
A woman cannot win in this country. Religions (mostly male dominated) won't allow it.
2
Conflicts of interest are just sweet treats for this fraudster crook. This was obviously the way he was going to behave as this is who he is and it's all horrible! We must rid our country of his stench then fumigate any institution he has had contact with, all of this while he is in Siberia with Putin forever. Amen
7
Are you really this vicious and petty at Christmas?
To my Democratic friends ... maybe get out of the NYT/CNN echo chamber? Do you folks get how badly this is going for you?
You just got Trump re-elected.
3
@JRC, are you not worried at all that Trumps Twitter attacks on decorated military veterans and 16-year-old girls will get him defeated?
3
@JRC My taxes just went up around $5K with Trump's new tax law and the sea level is rising. Perhaps you should visit us.
1
@JRC
And the same thing can be said to you and yours.
Get out of the FOX/right-wing media echo chamber.
And don't forget.
It's HATE that will get Trump reelected.
Merry Christmas.
1
You forgot to mention that Ted Yoho is retiring from Congress. Yo ho ho and happy holidaze!
8
"...kids who’ve been watching..."
Yeah, what about the kids who have been watching? What messages are republican acolytes of trump sending to our children about morality, honesty and proper behavior? Seems to me one message is, you too can cheat and prosper. How do we undo all that damage after trump and his team are gone if we don't put them in orange jumpsuits?
8
Thank, Ms. Collins. I always enjoy your pieces.
His worst Christmas ever, eh? Could be. Here's my proposed title for a children's book someone someday might try and write.
HOW CHRISTMAS STOLE THE GRINCH.
Well--I did my best. And (as you dolefully suggest) I do believe--we ALL believe--our GOP senators (such an upstanding lot of men and women)--
--plan on leaving the Grinch in place.
Ho ho ho.
Sigh.
3
Thank heavens for Gail Collins.
8
What’s with the three time married fellow—who frequently cheated on wives—criticizingWarren’s marriage?
Heck, Melania has separate bedroom in White House and in all the Trump homes.
And when in DC area, she doesn’t even sleep at the White House most nights. She stays overnight usually at her parents’ suburban home, closer to her son’s school!
19
Gail, I love you.
6
He's definitely the worst president ever, no contest.
Self-dealing, Putin-appeasing, oath-violating, gaslighting, projecting, cruel, vindictive, juvenile, bigoted, misogynistic — what's not to admire? Everything.
He endangers America.
Save democracy.
Impeach corrupt Trump.
21
Gail Collins: the bitter harbinger of envy and malcontent, thoroughly exhausted from convincing herself outward looks don't matter, and consistently catching her own gaze in the mirror telling her otherwise.
You make mashed potatoes president heads and pray to a non-existent god and ask for things that don't matter. Your sin isn't your ignorance or your puerile level of moral accountability, it's your hubris of taking your bad ideas to market in spite of your repeated failures.
3
"Repeated failures"? Surely you're thinking of Donald Trump & his 4 bankruptcies...
9
@ABC I thought it was six bankruptcies and thousands out of work as a result.
3
@PaulMc Read it again. Gail is always good. Trump is not funny so it is hard to be happy with him as president.
3
It seems all comments about our country's current predicament boil down to one question - how long will red state working class white Americans continue to fall for the baloney they've been sold for the last 60 plus years by movement conservatives. Or, to put it more succinctly, how long will the stupid people who are determining our political destiny remain stupid? And don't kid yourselves readers. These people are stupid - desperately, maybe even hopelessly, dumb. How else can you explain their political choices? How else can you explain their bovine like submission to their own immiseration? Common sense, let alone common human decency, should have made Trump's and the GOP's current ascendancy impossible. And yet, here we are!
14
@mather
I used to think that and to some extent it's still true, but there are a lot of apparently educated people willing to risk a lifetime taint. For whatever reason altruism should be at the bottom of any list.
Maybe the Donald exudes some sort of psychic pheromone that incapacitates the free will and compassion centres. Many seem to be grifters hitching along for the ride.
" . . . an awful guy in the wrong job."
Gail, that is probably one of the best descriptions of DJT ever written.
17
Just watching Trump melt down is fun.
10
Trump is perpetually miserable. That explains why he acts like he does.
11
Pretty sad IMO that Gail Collins can do nothing more than express her deep and visceral hatred for Donald Trump as her main focus of thought for the upcoming holidays. No Trump fan myself, but come on Gail...really? You can recommence hating him in the New Year you know.
Us for me, I have better things to do...like thinking positive.
3
@Steven: "Us for me?"
You nailed it- the verb for Trump is “shriek”.
6
As poor as an administrator he has shown himself to be, his constant stchick is utterly boring. The inane yammering never ceases.
13
"Let Trump Have a Miserable Little Christmas"
Let Gail Collins Have a Miserable Little Christmas.
3
Oh, that was so clever & original!
16
They should have included in the impeachments that Trump is a disgusting, corrupt, incompetent and on that charge alone he should be removed from office.
8
A miserable little Christmas? Why should Christmas be any different from any other day for this miserable little man?
11
So bored of these faux cheery sarcasm columns from Gail. Need some new liberal and progressive voices up in here, stat.
7
A president who dreams of dating his daughter.. neither J Buchanan nor Andrew Johnson stooped this low. Trump is disgusting, beyond the shadow of a doubt; but his GOP enablers, his WH minions, his base of millions - they are disgusting beyond measure and a disgrace to our 240 years of democracy. This too shall pass, but how awful!
13
Oh no, you are mistaken, Ms Collins: Trump is far from miserable. Look at your article's photo again. He's feelin' good.
2
My grandmother, who was living in Kansas City when Pendergast* was running it, would say that she would take one competent crook over 12 honest idiots when deciding who should run the city. However, trump is both a crook and incompetent. And a very unpleasant person. Yes, trump is a triple threat.
*possibly the most corrupt politician ever
15
People forget, Trump used to be a Democrat. All his children were Democrats and had to change their party affiliation to vote in primaries for Dad. He was always a liar, bully, narcissist and anything else you want to conjure up for him. He now thinks he is a Republican and does no wrong. He does not obey his marriage vows (3 of them), the 10 Commandments or any part of the constitution.
He is undeniably disgusting!
14
Yes, lets all wish Trump a Miserable Little Christmas to match his miserable little self. Thank God this Christmas for blessing our country with some representatives that value decency.
7
I hope the Trump family's Christmas is just like the Christmas of the parentless children he's holding in detention camps.
17
Happy Holidays, Donald!
1
Ms. Collins, where is Charles Dickens when "A Christmas Carol" is just begging for a big rewrite? Or maybe a sequel. Scrooge? Small-time sniveler. Now we've got the All-Star Liar stepping up -- the Scofflaw President with zero integrity and an ultra-fragile ego. Let's all rattle our chains together.
Because that petulant little boy in the Oval Office has no sense of history, he hasn't a clue that it's barrelling down on him. Welcome to the Elite Gallery of the Impeached, Grifter-in-Chief. I love that big letter "I" emblazoned on your forehead. Your legacy forever.
7
He will have a miserable Christmas. Because he's a miserable person.
7
You really don't get the core concept of being a Christian do you?
Love your enemy??? Turn the other cheek??? Remember ANY of that??
This is the time of year we should search our souls to find the good in others- everyone has some.... We should look to put the arguments of 2019 behind us and look for common ground to solve our difference in 2020. This is not the time of year to continue to be hateful. Well maybe that impeachment thing can be reset, but you understand the concept.
SO---Ms. Collins- Merry Christmas. To the crazy leftie liberals here and at MSNBC- Merry Christmas. To the Trump- kool-aid chugging group crazies at Fox News and Breitbart- Merry Christmas.
To those who celebrate other holidays, Happy Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Festivus or whatever.
Yes even to those who see us as "the great satan" my holiday wishes and hopes we can find common ground next year.
Perhaps a reading of "A Christmas Carol" would help refresh what should be in your heart....
2
@Bill Herrmann
Wishing you an Exceptional Solstice from the Far North, where we enjoying the gorgeous calm of our beautiful midwinter season. You are spot on, and here in Interior Alaska we honor both nature's and people's need to pause, take a deep breath while the sun hovers for hours on the southern horizon, and appreciate this (warming) world and all its denizens.
3
Ms. Collins - are you not even slightly concerned that all 308 previous reader comments in this space agree with you?
Yes, he and his third wife are having a merry little Christmas in the WH. But who's paying for the extravaganza, and how much does it cost???
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/first-lady-melania-trump-officially-unveils-white-house-christmas-decorations-2019-12-02/
5
I was watching Colbert tonight. He always has his little clips of you know who... What I was struck by is how anybody can listen to him? He meanders, he’s malicious, he slurs his speech and he makes no sense! And yet they cheer him. I’m dumbfounded. When did America get so stupid?
10
When Republicans eviscerated our public school systems.
1
When they elected Trump.
Trump’s supporters sure are snowflakes about Christmas.
8
Why must Times columnists paint Trump as better than he is?
5
"Let Trump Have a Miserable Little Christmas"
Let Gail Collins Have a Miserable Little Christmas
3
Let all Americans send Trump a lump pf coal! Ho, ho, ho!
5
He loves coal, unfortunately.
2
the Dems are too soft...how about bribery, extortion and treason..that would make my Xmas even better
4
He deserves his lump of coal, although I suspect Greta Thunberg would suggest something more environmentally appropriate, like manure.
14
@Slr
But that would be redundant.
7
It's a good thing Donnie doesn't read the not-so-failing NYT because I don't even want to think about the nasty nickname he'd christen Gail with after reading her column today. Gail speaks the truth. And writes it pretty too.
9
As long as both this columnist, all the others at the NYT, and 100% of the left wing commenters below mine try to destroy Mr. Trump based on yes, their personal hatred of the man. . .the more he will beat you like a drum. You and your minions will be hoisted on your own petard come November 2020 and I will be glad to bake you all the biggest crow pie in history.
4
@GailCollins: "Still waiting for the word"
I suppose you could use "misappropriated," but as a general rule, I prefer to use the shorter, more pithy Anglo-Saxon words; the longer, Latin-derived ones too often sound like euphemisms. "Stole" strikes me as perfect.
3
I vote "B" and "C". Richard Dreyfus ( "Close Encounters" ) is the only one who is any good at sculpting mashed potatoes.
3
Ms. Collins writes: "Fifty years from now, kids who’ve been watching all this action from their college dorms will be able to answer their grandchildren’s questions about Trump’s bad hair and worse values." Must have been awhile since the writer was anywhere near a college campus or "kids" for that matter. Not sure how to break this to her, but they're not sitting around their dorms watching the impeachment hearings.
4
Half the country is awake, and the other have will eventually have to wake up. This will however be the Christmas of Christmases, but it will be brought to you from up there, which has a way of making situations down here really unconvincing.
3
I do not like the way the Democrats are conducting themselves during these impeachment hearings. They are not acting fairly towards the Republicans and are not allowing them to question these proceedings. I am no fan of Nancy Pelosi, Jerrold Nadler, or Adam Schiff but I would never wish a miserable Christmas or holiday season to anyone.
As a Christian, this is what I was taught to do. Jesus would never approve of the behavior of those who wish ill of others. Let’s act like Jesus and the way he would want us to do at this Christmas. Merry Christmas.
5
@KMW
Are we watching the same thing?
Because it seems to me that Republican Rep. Gaetz, Rep. Jim Jordan, in addition to Rep. Collins and several others are getting an equal amount of time in having their say, but in not defending the U.S. Constitution, instead they are defending this president.
Just to be clear.
This is not about who "likes" or "dislikes" Donald Trump anymore than it has to do with being a fan of Nancy Pelosi, Jerrold Nadler, or anyone else you've mentioned.
This is about the law.
This is about facts.
And the facts speak for themselves.
Merry Christmas.
34
Just to take the cheap shot that deserves, if the Infant Baby Jesus showed up today, born to parents in the same situation, he’d be in a cage someplace near El Paso.
And y’all better hope He hasn’t been, because somebody’d be due for a whuppin’.
11
@KMW
Are you holding up the Republicans as doing the things, Jesus would do? OMG, that is a laugh!
10
Making Trump miserable over the holidays is not the main purpose of impeaching him. But it's a nice side benefit.
21
Funny, as I read opinions from Ms. Collins and the editorial board over the last 3 years, I cannot help but believe that Trump's claim of 'fake news' and a 'deep state' actually exist. I'm glad they are not at these hearings in DC as it would be impossible to believe that partisanship where not at the core of the inquiries.
Wishing the President a Miserable Little Christmas is beyond inappropriate. Understand you hate this man and nothing will ever change that sentiment, but you need to search your soul and ask yourself if your hatred makes you or any of us better people. Merry Christmas!
7
Just another day to recall lessons from the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Or, one of my favorites, "The fish rots from the head."
Maybe Trump should spend Christmas with Putin, in Russia.
16
Let's not forget the trump Christmas gift to low income families: no more school lunch subsidies!
No more SNAP assistance for poor families, even as milk and cheese waste away in government warehouses.
Grinch didn't even try to starve poor kids, USA kids.
The South American kids are in prisons.
19
Presidents Buchanan, Pierce and A. Johnson will all move up a notch on the list of worst American Presidents. In common, they all failed at the worst of times. Trump fails at the best of times. He could have spent his entire presidency shaking hands and golfing in Mara Lago and the world would have been a much better place.
12
We simply must get off our couches and vote!
Not only are we afflicted with the incompetent fool Trump who is also evil and narcisstic, but also we are plagued by spineless Republicans in Congress, bought and paid for by the rich and large companies.
At all levels of government, we must vote the Republicans out - until and unless - they wake up and reform their ways.
"Vote Blue No Matter Who"!!!
20
Amen brother!
6
Totally hypothetical but researchable question: How many people in the chain of succession would have to experience sad, regrettable, tragic, and totally natural demise for Nancy Pelosi to become President?
2
@JL Williams
2
3
@Juana
Meaning this: if Pence is part of the threat to Ukr. then Pelosi takes Power. She might like it & STAY!!!!!Yay!!!!
Who Benefits from the Impeachment and removal of the president? Has anyone in the media stopped to ask this question? The benefactor is Nancy Pelosi would become the VP, is there a hidden agenda?
1
@Exec01776 Not how it works. The Speaker is third in line. She doesn't ascend to the presidency unless both people in front of her are unable to serve. But if Trump is removed and Pence becomes president, he will nominate his own VP. Pelosi will remain as speaker.
8
Re: "Still waiting for the word …"
How about "embezzlement"?
7
@Steve
How about "Emoluments"?
5
Best holiday gift ever. Do not discuss him until January 2nd. Twitter don't post political streets for 2 weeks. News organizations - after coveri,g the impeachment do not discuss anything about this horrible man. A little peace on earth not hearing from him is called for during the rest of this year. Maybe 2020 will be better.
2
Request to Gail Collins: Any chance that you could look over your column and check it for readability before inflicting it on readers? Just wondering.
4
Request to the folks who like to assign themselves Impressive Names: any chance you’d consider learning to capitalize and punctuate first?
6
Baltimore Nancy as gavel queen and most of her ilk are doing
next to nothing .. which in a twisted way is a good thing. The impeachment effort is dissolving ever deeper by the second.
The electorate is now very much tuned in to the reality of the '
Mueller fiasco and now the Nadler penny carnival. Count on
the "worm" turning daily. This Democratic Party ruse will be rewarded in November 2020 more than amply..
3
It occurred to me last night that we'll soon be "treated" to another creepy, dystopic Christmas extravaganza at the White House courtesy of the (thankfully) mostly invisible "first" lady. Will it be basic black this year? Or acidic highlighter green? Or possibly some of the beautiful new LED deep blue lights--just to show solidarity with our Jewish friends and relatives? But then I realized that I really don't care. Do U?
9
@Paula Or, to be more accurate, "The Third Escort."
2
It's already been presented.
President Trump makes James Buchanon look like Lincoln
5
Here's a Christmas message, "God save us everyone...from trump."
8
It’s always 40% or so that like the Prez. What’s up with that? Do they really like him? Is he sending each of them a $5 bill to insure their unshakable support? Or...... is that the part of the electorate that values lying, kids in cages, swearing by govt officials, million dollar bills for him to play golf, his allegiance to those that lie about him, his great grammar, his love of speaking in front of running helicopters? What can it be?
11
@BCY123
All the things you mention are utterly unknown to Trump supporters.
They live in a world of Fox News and AM radio which simply do not tell them about these things. And they have no desire to learn anything outside of what they're told.
Or they truly don't care.
Either way, their ignorance is appalling.
"Still waiting for the word …" purloin?
3
Yes, Gail, but in defence of Trump, well, ah, give me a minute . . . oh, never mind.
7
Trump could commit capital mass murder and Mitch McConnell and his spineless Republican yes men and women would acquit him.
10
Waiting for the Democrat Presidential Candidate that runs on the promise to bring back truth, justice, decency, integrity, morals, and more to the office of President.
1
I read this entire editorial and did not come across one joke about the "Grinch That Stole Christmas"!
2
Please. Make my head hurting stop. Please.
1
Trump's abuse of power + lack of character at every level of his being demonstrated in his capacity as POTUS+ being a Russian asset should produce a slam dunk verdict of removal from Office. His behavior should have been enough to stop him being elected in the first place. Never underestimate the stupidity of the American electorate - H. L. Mencken
5
Gail,
Take a break and love your neighbors and family. Your rhetoric is getting
very old.
5
@Cecelia Trump first. Oh, that's right, he is incapable of loving anything but his own bloated self.
3
And yet here you are, lost in his misery.
I wish you a Merry Christmas, but I fear like all my liberal friends, you'll miss some of the good cheer of family and friends with IMPEACHMENT!!!!
You'll be...... Just like Trump.
4
@profwilliams
Here's a suggestion, prof. -- READ the U.S. Constitution.
Merry Christmas.
5
@N. Smith Read it. Studied it. Taught it. But you make my point about missing the good cheer of the season.
So step out of your corner, feel the sun on your face, smile and be merry!!!
Politics of hate will put him agin the White House for another four years...I’m not a fan of him ... but please stop the HATE !!!
4
I don't feel any satisfaction in Trump's supposedly miserable Christmas, as he will in his anger, like the wretched and forlorn Grinch, scheme to make the rest of us despair through the remainder of the year and dread the potential outcome of his reelection. His vile rage is now repeatedly boiling up during his public appearances and rallies. His outbursts lamenting his victimhood and blaming a fictitious cabal of democrats for all our ills remind me of Hitler's speeches blaming the socialists and communists for Germany's ills during his ascendency to the German chancellorship. Like Hitler and other present and past autocrats, Trump is weakening our democratic institutions, stuffing the courts with his people and condemning all who disagree with him. He already has half of Congress unabashedly in his pocket, as well as the Department of Justice and likely the Supreme Court. Will we have fair and unobstructed elections next year? and if affirmative for the Democrats, will there be a smooth transition in view that nearly half the voters would believe Trump lost through deceit and will not accept the results peacefully. Thinking about this existential quagmire and even ignoring other threats like inaction on climate change, is sufficient to render this Christmas season, if not miserable, at least subdued, reflective and even tense.
Happy Holidays to all, nevertheless.
4
It can’t be easy writing these columns: Molly Ivins was equally funny, but she had the advantage of writing about pols who were frequently stupid and corrupt, but who generally weren’t mean-spirited jerks lacking even the simplest sense of humor.
I mean, I thought her funniest comment ever was likely the time she noted that she’d written something truly nasty about a Texas pol, and the next time he saw her, he ran up, gave her a big hug, and said, “Honey! Yew put mah name in the PAPER!”
5
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) topped them all, arguing that the failure to find political bias proved there was political bias. “Is not the lack of evidence that you’re talking about itself evidence of bias?” he asked Horowitz.
Amazing times? Try nauseating.
4
Evil Batman master villain or dotard, hard to say.
4
Dear America:
Pardon us, excuse us, we’re so sorry, (plus all other known forms of our famous Canadian self-abasement) but you look really ludicrous to us.
Sincerely,
The Neighbours (that live upstairs)
P.S. kindly keep your self-immolation down to a low roar-you’re a bit too noisy for us.
7
@Lewis Sternberg
Really cute. But in case you don't know what Democracy looks like -- this is it.
And nobody ever said it isn't messy.
Another thing.
Don't like the noise?
Change the channel.
1
My Christmas wish for trump is for him to see himself as most Americans do. To face FACTS and be silent before the truth. To have his thumbs frozen and his mouth shut.
May the ghosts of Washington, Lincoln, and just for fun, JFK visit him and pin his eyes open to see the truth of what an awful man he is. What a terrible leader. What a traitor, a liar, a conman, and for sure, an awful man in the wrong job.
7
You Americans should give yourselves a really good Christmas present and buy a one way ticket for another country. Can you imagine that there have now been at least three mass shootings of Jews in one year? Your country is not a safe place to live.
6
@Robert Dole
The only person who needs a one-way ticket out of the country is Trump.
4
I think Dems should sit on voting on the articles until next fall. Let the impeachment threat hang over his head.
If Nancy Pelosi or another powerful woman got into a room with Trump they could egg him on, play him, and get him to confess to numerous crimes.
If Nancy said: 'So Donald, we know you really are not in cahoots with Putin, because we know you are not smart enough to conspire with him.'
Trump would immediately call her a name and then confess to all the ways he has conspired with Putin.
3
Well, with present POTUS at least we know we won't run out of Christmas fruitcake. Pity it's such a despised present.
2
While Gail is busy decking her halls with boughs of contempt, her hostility for the President will leave her few gifts under the tree. With Schiff and Nadler imploding as stars fading quickly in the night, and FBI duplicity now simmering on the hearth, it is just moments before the Democrats cast their fateful ballots to put their current front runner, among a cast of hand me downs, as the main course for the holiday dinner. With the Wheel of Fortune dizzily spinning, it has landed on loser and so the turkey ready for carving is the Biden family. Sadly, flights to Ukraine are now restricted.
5
"Let Trump Have a Miserable Little Christmas"
Same to you.
3
George W Bush holds pride of place as worst prez ever. Trump is a disaster but to be worse than W in his 1st term he’s got a loooong way to go
2
He thinks someone else's marriage is disgusting?
8
And in perfect "character" he mocked (and was made a fool by) Greta Thunberg when he threw a snit over her being selected Time magazine's Person of the Year. What a tiny, tiny, tiny man. Thank you, Ms. Rowling.
5
All roads lead to Putin.
6
Repubiicans continue their lying. Trump confessed
he got himself
when they service trump do they spit or swallow
2
The dirty little secret is that Trump is America's worst president ever just because he's the Confederacy's best president ever.
7
"claimed that Elizabeth Warren’s marriage was a “phony, disgusting deal.”
That's rich considering that Melania can't stand ever holding hands with him. And who could blame her since he's let the world know that he was getting busy with Stormy Daniels (or was it Karen McDougal?) while Melania was still pregnant with their son, Baron.
How did such a nasty man get any votes at all?! Seriously!
6
"Still waiting for the word …"
How about "appropriate"? Not the adjective, the verb.
1
The criticism of the president from NYT columnists is like biting the hand that feeds you. He is the best president ever - in the category of selling newspapers. He is the gifted that keeps on giving.
1
Yes and no. The NYT echo chamber is predictable. Where else would one encounter an opinion with the byline: Let the president of the United States, a man voted into officie by 60, 000, 000 people, let this man have a miserable little christmas. Let one say, for the sake of argument, that Mr Trump was a Democrat. Would not the Times fall over itself to defend, support, rally around the man in the White House? Bill Clinton, any one? Yes, in November 2020 vote for the best woman or man, according to their competence and caring and courage. Impeachment? To quote the late Nancy Reagan, just say no. And yes, Merry Christmas to Mr Trump and to everyone.
4
The President didn't "shriek" anything. I watched the video.
Only very small people have to go around lying to get their way.
Ms. Collins is so full of blind hate that she has forgotten the significance of Christmas. What a horrible sentiment to have towards anyone.
Shame on you.
6
Its laughable that he is commenting on Elizabeth Warren's marriage when all his three marriages are nothing but laughable tabloid fodder. And which normal father says his daughter is hot and would like to date her.
7
We are all collectively fiddling while Rome burns. There will not be any future generations if we do not do something about climate change. It is pretty much too late to stop it and we are not even developing plans to mitigate it’s effect on human life. I used to enjoy Gail’s humor but these are no ordinary times. Trump is sucking up all the oxygen in our public life, distracting us from the existential threat to planet earth, while carbon dioxide and methane spews into the atmosphere. Trump has been a disaster for the environment, as well as our democracy. Yet, the Presidential election will dominate the media 24/7. News about the coming climate catastrophe will take a back seat for another year. More time lost warning the public about what must be done after Trump is gone.
1
Thanks Gail. This may be the final NYT column that causes me to drop my subscription. Disgusting.
4
I wonder how many people thought when Donnie calls it Light Impeachment, he’s deflecting the inventible! His standard mental defense he is never wrong!
1
If Pelosi is a combination of Eleanor Roosevelt, Madame Curie and Meryl Streep, Trump is a human cassowary ("...if provoked, they become extremely aggressive and attack viciously. The powerful legs and sharp claws are primary weapons of cassowaries. With one blow, using these claws, they could even break the bones of a human. When attacking, cassowaries jump over the victim and attack in both forward and backward directions."
Cassowaries are also both vain and ugly. But Trump is worse than a large vicious bird because he has obviously taken a great deal of money from Russia and is the real traitor in this place at this time. Hang 'em high, and watch out for those legs and claws.
2
BTW Trump doesn't celebrate "Christmas" he celebrates "Griftmas"...
7
Mashed Potato POTUS? That’s one for ages!
2
Another excellent Gail Collins column.
4
Buchanan floundered pre Civil War. What a LOSER. Donald J. Trump could singlehandedly start another Civil War, this time with Nukes. The BEST War in Human History, and probably the last.
Thanks, GOP/NRA Party. 2020.
5
The most depressing thing about all of this is the absolute fealty Republicans have to this most corrupt of leaders. Someday, when the history of this period is written (if the country isn't a wholly owned subsidiary of Russia by then), these traitors -- including Stephen Miller, Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham and the rest -- will be remembered in the same way that Goebbels and Goering are today.
3
We’ll impeach this Christmas season.
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Nancy gave us two good reasons.
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Tho’ the Senate acts with caution.
Fa la la, fa la la, fa la la.
We still know it was extortion.
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
276
@Queenie See the blazing tool before us
Fa la la la la la la la la
Twists the Christmas message for us
Fa la la la la la la la la
7
@Queenie
While Mitch Mitchie waits to acquit
Fa la la, la la la la la
Don we now our giddy superiority
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Watch out please for being too happy
"We'll see" what happens come 2020.
1
@Queenie
Outstanding. And thanks to the others for additional verses.
5
“I sculpted his head out of mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving and squished gravy all over it.”
Gail, as much as I love the idea of Trump as “Mr. Mashed Potato Head,” please do not give him anymore “gravy”- he’s been using the presidency as his personal “gravy boat” ever since he arrived in the Oval Office.
4
Let's face it. Trump is a dreadful human being. Whenever forced to say something in sympathy he sounds strangulated with unease because it is entirely unnatural for him. He constantly snipes and comments on people's physical features regardless of the fact that he is himself grossly obese with comedy hair. He's a lifelong con man and serial liar and now without doubt the laughing stock among world leaders as he is jiggled like a puppet by Putin and has rings run round him by Kim Jong-Un. You will know how embittered he is at Christmas by the number of bile-filled tweets that emit from his lonely bedroom.
6
I'd wait until after Trump's second term to determine his historical ranking.
3
@SinNombre
We are talking about jail terms, right?
:)
6
@SinNombre A second trump term could spell the end of this democratic republic.
1
Considering two of the last three presidents entered office after losing the popular vote (which decides all other national offices) it should be obvious we have to abolish the Electoral College. It is extremely undemocratic, and while it may have been a good idea once (more likely a carrot to the slave states), it is a horrible idea now. This is another of those issues, like addressing climate change, or making it easy for all citizens to vote, that should not be partisan, and yet it is. Why, GOP, why?
10
I watch the republicans at the hearings in constant attack mode, shrill in their demeanor and close to shrieking in Their volume. But chess masters in their ability to evade the only subject in the table. I want to read an article about the consultant who prepared them for their speech delivery behavior of when precisely to jab their index fingers, project the most sarcastic facial expressions and, especially, speak so forcefully an octave above normal man-speech without ever spitting, drooling, or otherwise ejecting saliva among their peers, let alone saying anything whatsoever that relates to the subject of impeachment.
10
I continue to believe that the House is failing to recognize that Trump has committed a very "high crime" in using his pardon powers and position of Commander in Chief to forgive military personnel who have murdered surrendered prisoners in their care. The Secretary of the Navy complained about this abuse of authority and Trump fired him. Trump's pardons are a major breach of International law and an impeachable offense if there ever was one. My House district in my new home in Indiana has an incompetent Republican. How do I get a message to Nancy Pelosi?
6
When the President of the United States finds time to diss a 16 year old girl for making the cover of Time magazine one must ask “who’s minding the store”? It may play well to his base or those who are so cynical as to find humor in putting others down I prefer a thoughtful intelligent well read individual at the helm of our country.
13
ONE VOTE --- DONALD WHO?
It is possible; indeed increasingly probable that the House of Representatives will send to the senate, Articles of Impeachment regarding President Donald Trump’s activities. This will provide each Senator the opportunity to cast a vote to remove from office, a president who believes himself to be above the law The universal thought is that if a republican senator were to vote against the president, they would immediately be primaried or otherwise attacked, thus reducing their chances for reelection.
However, many pundits say that Republicans privately despise Trump and it is only their fear of reprisal that keeps them in his camp. Thus conventional wisdom would have it that very few Republican senators will have the tenacity and courage to take the risk and vote to convict Trump.
But wait! The solution could be simple and straightforward. The president can only inflict retribution if he is in fact the president. What if the republican senators were to get together and say: “We are going to vote to convict the president”? The second the votes are counted and Trump is convicted - Duh!! - He is in fact not the president and becomes the irrelevant Donald who? Sure some will say that he will still have FOX News as a platform to rail from – yeah, really, big wow!
3
To do what is constitutionally required against an abusive president, to instill some credibility in our laws/congress, and to deter current and future presidents from abusing their power in novel ways, are three good reasons for impeachment. That it gives so much anguish and turmoil to an infantile, peevish, and overly-sensitive old man Trump is a fourth good reason for said impeachment. Sure, let's do anything possible to make his presidency as painful as possible because Trump deserves that.
There is a moment caught on camera showing Trump's face while he's looking at a TV screen and finding out that that he won the 2016 election. He is not happy, he is not elated, and he is not surprised. In that moment of lucidity, Trump realized that his life will turn awful because he is totally unfit to be president and that he will be constantly attacked, criticized, and mocked. His narcissism does not arise from an unbounded self-confidence but is rather a defense mechanism to the realization of his own inadequacies. Deep inside him, Trump was never a confident adult, but only a scared, insecure, hyper-sensitive child whose emotional traumas never healed. That's why today he is unable to cope with criticism, unable to live without praises, unable to enjoy his presidency. Should we really pile up on that ? Yeah, why not ? Kids can be so cruel !
7
Do Congresspersons really need to continue to go through sham oaths-of-office and swearing to uphold the Constitution anymore? The GOP has turned it into such a cynical farce. Let’s just skip all that from now on and save everybody the time and embarrassment.
2
Our president makes Ebenezer Scrooge look like a saint. He should have a lump of coal for every lie, fabricated fact or misstated quote he tweets or retweets. Merry Christmas indeed.
3
You know, Gail, that it really says a lot about your position in life, the happiness that is inside you (or NOT inside you), when you wish someone would have a "not happy" day. I suspect that many NYT readers are actively wishing harm to the President, in addition to not having a good Christmas. I don't have any idea how religious you are, or any of you, but it is decidedly unchristian to wish or pray for someone to something unfortunate to happen to them. And to be completely serious, I truly hope all of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
2
Love to watch leftists like Collins wring their hands in despair while Trump continues to carry out his agenda for the renewal of America. The partisan two year old impeachment fiasco is fizzling out, the economy is booming, unemployment is at record lows for every racial group, inflation is well in check, a more advantageous trade deal with Mexico and Canada is all but delivered, America is nearly energy independent, and Trump is forcing China to the fair trade table. So Collins can wail, gnash her teeth, and hurl all the insults she wants at Trump. He's winning, big time.
2
C), definitely C).
2
Most of us know what a rotten president ( and human being) Trump is.
The harsh spotlight should be focused on every Republican member of Congress. Many of them have no business in public office.
The 40% who continue to support Trump in spite of the evidence? They’re lost causes for one reason or another. There’s no merit in talking to them or about them.
4
Trump is with his family that loves him. What else can he ask for? There's nothing miserable in having a Christmas surrounded by the people that really loves you. So, despite all your hate and like always, Trump will have a wonderful Christmas.
1
Today in the impeachment hearings at goal throughout the halls of Congress that this president or any president have the power of a monarchy. Pres. Donald Trump and his Republican Party. The misery he brought forth the last three years people on the border, stopping 700,000 Americans from food stamps for the holiday mills. And tears to the concentration camps on the border tears of the young kids stripped away from their families. This president will not stop unless he's not removed from office Pres. Donald Trump.
But even through the impeachment hearing this week is able to tweet out about Greta thunber a 16 year I Actavis even Pres. Donald Trump will strike out against her. She cares about the world climates and president Donald Trump does not. I'm glad the times picked her person of the year thank you Greta for great job.
2
The word...I first thought of absconded, but decided against since he does his crime in plain sight. How about ‘pilfered’? Though the amount of money taken was significant, it was used to buy something (a painting of the Donald) of such little value.
1
STOLE is exactly the right word.
3
You'll excuse me, but I'm going full "Bah! Humbug!" here.
After watching what Donald Trump has managed to do to this country within the short time of his administration, and after watching hours of the arguments on both sides of the House Impeachment hearings, along with all the evidence admitted therein, there's no doubt in my mind that this president deserves the "miserable little Christmas" he deserves.
And best of all -- he has brought it all upon himself.
4
I dont know about Mm. Curie (I don’t think Nancy has a science background), but I vote C. Happy Holidays from an evil Warrior Against Christmas. And a Happy De-Trumpified New Year.
1
It is a mean title but I get it.
Still does anyone with sense really believe that this man is ever anything but miserable through and through?
3
... plus a new year's hangover.
2
With both his outsized ego and thin skin, trump will tweet away Christmas calling nearly everyone a stupid name or expounding his deep state theories. Most of all he'll have a good cry. Maybe his bud Putin will give him a Merry Christmas call and his marching orders for the new year.
3
Being witness to the seemingly endless onslaught of crass, malicious bile that spews from djt, I often feel something other than the obvious reaction of disgust that one would normally have. A small undercurrent of pity accompanies the revulsion when I imagine how truly awful it must be to live in his head.
I really cannot comprehend how sad, how pathetic it must be to process the journey of life the way it appears that he does. A man truly living in a lonely abyss.
1
It is this kind of sentiment that will re-elect President Trump. I thought we were better than this. I did not vote for President Obama and was not a fan but I wanted him to have a Merry Christmas. I knew others who felt the same way as I did. My conscience would not allow me to do otherwise. I am a Christian and this is how we behave.
@KMW
Ironically, Donald Trump will profess his Christianity to all willing to hear, while he signs an executive order that will leave about 700,000 without food stamps.
Is this also how a Christian behaves?
7
Give people fish or teach then how to fish?
Gail. Please be nice, Donald Trump is your President. Like everyone, he too, must have a Merry Christmas.
14
@CITIZEN Where do we send our lumps of coal?
134
@CITIZEN -- Not...
63
@CITIZEN Why don't you ask Trump to be nice? Do you think he's even capable of it? We've seen no evidence yet, but who knows?
142
I was in Australia in 1985 and had chance encounters with former newspaper reporters on two separate occasions. Ironically, both of them asked me the same question, that being "why don't you Americans elect a smart President". Reagan was President at the time and very unpopular in Australia.
My answer was that we had an uninformed electorate and Reagan, being a former screen actor, was very good at speech making, not so much as writing what he read. A majority of American voters bought into his rhetoric.
If Trump had to be elected solely on his ability to make speeches, he would not be the President. But with the assistance from Russia, Wikileaks, the Electoral College, and social media, Trump claimed victory.
Will the electorate in 2020 be any better informed than in 1985? Will the Trump lies still resonate with the voters ? Will the Russians still usurp our elections? What role will social media play in the 2020 election?
Sadly, Australia has taken a page out of the Trump playbook. They are now one of the world's largest producers of coal, while their Eastern seaboard is in flames from lack of rain.
Perhaps both countries should elect a smart Executive.
11
Consider Trump's amazement that he is being impeached over the Ukraine issue. By implication he is implying there have been so many other things he could have been impeached for.
I wish someone would bear down on his preventing anyone in the administration from testifying. If he has nothing to hide and these people can exonerate him why would he do this? I think we know the answer but he needs to be shouted out.
31
Nancy Pelosi is "a combination of Eleanor Roosevelt, Madame Curie and Meryl Streep."
No, aim higher, Gail. She's more like Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603); yes, the woman who repeatedly saved England from itself. She was fearless, smart, strategic-minded, experienced, humane, and just the right person for the job. Neither could be replaced successfully as pivotal historic leaders.
Maybe we do have a guardian angel left.
31
We celebrate Christmas to honor Jesus, who embodies all the attributes Trump lacks: humility, decency, selflessness, piety, kindness, caring, honesty, empathy, courage, integrity.
30
Gail, I sincerely hope that you are correct and Trump is not having his best Christmas ever. My fear is that his best Christmas ever will occur next year.
16
Since Vietnam, we found out, we have been lied to by every president to hold office, for personal reasons and with no more goal than protecting reputations or insuring reelection. There is a negative correlation between public attitudes and congressional voting. People who never read the constitution, complain about the violation of this or that amendment. We have been electing nationally unknown candidates since Carter. How many Democrats knew anything about him, before he got the nomination? Reagan was known as a 'B' actor nationally. Bush 1, was known nationally as a vice president How many people who voted for him could tell you what specifically he did as VP. Bush 2 was just known as Bush1's son nationaly.
It's no wonder that people, who have their own biases,don't believe what they are being told. They're aware of Trumps failings as a human being, but he has delivered a legislative victory. Many of us find it hard to understand, but there are many who feel that the government shouldn't be supporting social programs. They think it goes to the undeserving. He has the respect of the selfish and bigoted for saying and following through with policies that they wish they could enact themselves.
For a generation, We've had presidents who started wars, or blocked their resolution for purely personal, reasons. So it seems to many that asking a foreign government to help with a re-election campaign is no big deal, when it is a VERY big deal. It's the stuff of dictatorship.
11
@Lewis
Jimmy Carter had more common decency, intelligence, integrity and compassion in a single strand of hair than Donald Trump ever possessed in his entire life.
8
@Carl true. It still goes without saying that he was elected because he was unknown nationally. We didn't know how decent a man he was before we elected him.
Johnson, who arguably was the most successful president on internal policy since Roosevelt, more than likely enlarged the Vietnam war on knowingly false premises and to cement his election against Barry Goldwater.
Richard Nixon stopped a Johnson peace initiative so he could get elected.
Reagan, presided over the the Iran-Contra affair in Nicaragua.
It just never ends.
I doubt seriously that President Trump indulges himself by feeling miserable. His indulgence seem to be of another kind.
9
When they go low, we go lower. Have a Merry Christmas, if you know what that means.
1
No mention of Calvin Coolidge? Good deal for that Vermonter.
1
We have all come to learn that Trump is what he has always been, and none of those traits are what anyone I know wants in a President. (Except Putin)
The people I’m wishing a terrible Christmas are the turncoat Republican Senators. They’ve given our dead-beat President permission, just as they’ve given “the base” permission. They know better, but have no integrity, and stand for nothing. Whenever I hear people talk about disfunction in government, It’s the people who standby and do nothing who are the real villains.
We saw how government employees like Fiona Hill, Marie Yovanovitch, Lt. Col. Vindman, and others are the true patriots. I wish them a joyous holiday season, and a happy new year.
23
President Trump most likely will be impeached when the vote takes place in Congress but it will be bipartisan. Not one Republican in Congress will vote to impeach him and it will fall flat if there is a trial in the senate. The Republicans there will also not vote to impeach him and they have the majority.
What will the outcome be after this is all over? President Trump will remain in office and he will be re-elected for another term. What a terrible waste of time and money that the Democrats have caused to the American people. They are well aware of the little game the Democrats are playing. Impeach President Trump and remove him from office at all costs because we do not like him. This has occurred since day one of his election.
This will not play well with the American voters and we are now seeing more people are siding with our president. The Republicans will also gain political seats in 2020 and that was not the objective of this impeachment process. What a terrible price to pay to have tried to unseat our president and failed.
2
@KMW: Congressional Democrats are doing their duty to the country and the Constitution. They are showing much more bravery than their Republican colleagues. And Trump will go down in history as a president who was impeached. Senators who vote "not guilty" will be held to account. And if Trump stays in office, who will hold him accountable in the future? Already the Senate has passed a bi-partisan resolution that Trump can't take the US out of NATO. But what if he ignores Congress?
17
@KMW ...."What a terrible waste of time and money that the Democrats have caused to the American people.".....The violation is so flagrant and the evidence so stark, that the Democrats have no choice but to impeach. Republicans in the Senate may vote to acquit, but history will not treat them kindly. Trump by his own words and actions is a vulgar bigoted narcissist; a terrible role model - and there is not a thing political in that statement. Never mind the extortion of Ukraine for personal benefit, I can only conclude that anyone who would continue to support Trump has no regard for honor and decency in the highest office. What an ugly picture.
7
History will look back at this time and wonder why no one tried to stop Trump. At least impeachment leaves a record of dissent, that not everyone was snookered by this crook who doesn’t think there is anything wrong in what he does or says. Impeachment will stand testament that not everyone in America was blind, bedazzled or simply didn’t care.
It may well be a Pyrrhic victory but it may also be the only victory left standing to tell the ages that we were here.
6
I have to wonder if Buchanan has been blamed for the Civil War. While his actions had the effect of postponing secession until he was out of office, nothing short of giving the South everything it demanded (slavery throughout the territories, and forced return of escaped slaves) could have prevented it.
In my view, both Buchanan and Andrew Johnson have been superseded twice in this century for the title of Worst. President. Ever.
Bush the Lesser allowed the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, by ignoring repeated warnings, then started two unfunded and unwinnable wars, destabilizing the entire Middle East in the process. He capped it off by giving us the Great Recession.
And, of course, trump is by far the worst person ever to occupy the White House.
18
How uncharitable to wish someone an unmerry Christmas. President Trump will probably have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends despite all the hate and animosity coming from the left. He should. He still has his supporters and that support only grows and becomes stronger as the impeachment talk goes on and on. He will come out swinging and win against this impeachment nonsense that started back in 2016. He will be victorious.
2
@KMW: Come out "swinging"? And you worry about "hate and animosity...from the left"?
7
You think Trump has friends? And he’s at the center of a warm family? All the people around Trump are there because they are bought and paid for. Look at the history of Don Jr. He had his father’s number after the way his mother was treated, but after sulking in the woods for awhile, he decided daddy’s money was better than looking for a real job, and went slinking back. After all, it costs money to fly to Mongolia and play American Sniper with sheep.
6
"Trump himself wrote in an email to his supporters this week, adding quickly that he was activating 'Emergency Double-Match on All Contributions.'” This reeks of desperation, and you know he's lying because he'll never put a penny of however much money he says he has into his campaign.
8
I’m curious about how some Republican, vying for his party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election, is going to look to us while trying to copy Trump’s bombastic, puerile personality and behavior traits. You just know someone is working out that performance in the mirror today.
7
"...established a charity and then used a large chunk of other people’s donations to buy portraits of himself — one six feet tall — purchase sports memorabilia and pay off legal settlements for his private businesses..."
This is Trump in a nutshell: narcissistic, shallow, and grossly corrupt.
I scratch my head whenever I hear the Republican argument that by impeaching Trump the Democrats are trying to void the votes of the millions of people. By this logic, Trump can coerce a foreign power to help himself in an election, ignore the Emoluments Clause by having financial conflicts of interest, and in every way he can be unfit for office, yet all of his terrible behavior is okay because 46 million people voted for him? That simply does not make sense.
10
You assume that 50yrs from now there will still be a republic; I'm worried about one year from now
13
In the history books, I want Donald Trump to have served prison time..........most likely the conviction will have been served after his presidency when the state of New York did it's job. I want it to be shown that the U.S. democracy worked and that people who misuse the power of leadership for personal gain get their logical consequences in the end.
15
I agree that Robert Strauss mis-titled his biography of Buchanan as "Worst President Ever," especially if Buchanan was a good person but simply in the wrong job for his skill set and temperament. Trump not only lacks the skill set and temperament to be President; he is a terrible human being as well.
In fact, accumulating evidence indicates Buchanan is not the "worst president ever"; Trump is.
Fact 1. Despite GOP fact-free spin, Trump lost the popular vote by 3 million votes. Trump is an unpopular president!!
Fact 2. Supporting Fact 1, more than half of Americans (52-59%) consistently tell Gallup poll that they "disapprove" of Trump's job performance as president; plus, Trump's approval rating (32-43%) has never been higher than his disapproval rating in Gallup polls.
Fact 3. Trump is such a bad president that he has earned the official designation of America's worst president: The American Political Science Association ranked Trump at the bottom of the presidential list (#45 out of 45 presidents), and presidential historians also rated Trump as a bad president, noting that businessmen have not made good presidents in the 20th and 21st centuries (Harding, Hoover, G.W. Bush, Trump).
So maybe Strauss should re-title the Buchanan biography to do Buchanan a favor and more accurately convey the kind of person Buchanan was: "Bad President, Good Person." Then he could write a biography of Trump and title it: "Bad President, Bad Person, Worst President Ever."
11
With regard to Buchanan or Trump being "worst president ever": "Obviously, secession tops being laughed at by leaders of other democratic powers at a cocktail party. But Trump could qualify for the bottom of the barrel if you throw in personal behavior...." You could also throw in colluding with other countries (including Russia, of all countries!) for his personal benefit and to undermine our national security, and empowering Putin to attempt to destabilize Europe (and ultimately everyone). I think that qualifies for "worse president."
6
Trump's Christmas will be as unhappy as he makes it. With his anger, jealousy, spite and mean spiritedness, he makes the Grinch seem like St. Paul the Apostle.
One of the issues that will make his holidays a misery is knowing that a young girl with a mission is Time's Person of the Year and he is not. He believed he should get the Nobel and didn't.
And now he faces being impeached.
Happy Holidays, Mr. Trump!!
11
We have a thing at our house when we get together for happy events. We don't invite trump nor any of his crowd, nor any of his pundits, liars, crooks, or criminals. We don't let them in by refusing to talk about them, not watching them on the video feed, not wishing for a decent set of leaders. For that short time we enjoy our company, our lives, our good luck to be alive and present.
We are much happier.
Until the bubble breaks, the party is over and it's back to reality.
6
Jimmy Carter is arguably also a nice man, but a terrible president. However, he is probably the most successful ex-president in modern history. His good works continue and his God--in whom he sincerely believes but which belief he never wielded as a political cudgel--has granted him a long life in which to continue them. Also, let's not forget, he brokered the only lasting--to this day--peace treaty in the middle east. Give me a nice but incompetent president any day over one who is corrupt and mean to the bones.
19
@DL Thank you for mentioning President Carter. A Democrat who has truly embodied what it means to be a follower of Christ - unlike the oh-so-pious Republicans who claim to follow while spouting lies and making excuses for a man who embodies the complete opposite of a Christ-like spirit.
4
Gail--When I look back on some of the things that you wrote before the Clinton/Trump election, I can not help but notice that you had something to do with the outcome of that election with your many snide and underhanded attacks of Clinton. Your memory seems pretty short about this issue but many of us do remember. So, have the Christmas that you deserve as well.
2
Way to go, Mr Trump. Nothing says maturity and integrity like trashing a 16 year old environmentalist.
15
Trump represents the collapse of capitalism as a valid base for a society. I also feel that McConnell should go down with Benedict Arnold as a historic traitor to our country. I can't think of a government official who has done more to shame our country in the eyes of the world, weaken our system, and drag our integrity through the mud. It would be nice to see a few Republican Senators stand against McConnell and demonstrate that they have something inside themselves besides power lust and cowardice. But alas... that won't happen. The old Republican Party (with whom I sometimes voted) is gone.
9
@Siara Delyn
I would tend to suspect that the collapse of capitalism actually started in 2008. The failure of the government to hold the financial industry responsible for its destruction of the economy and rewarding them destroyed any illusion that the economy is not rigged.
1
Forgive Trump, the sinner, for he hath no idea what he's doing.
2
Oh he knows darn well that he makes things up and cheats.
6
My not too unreasonable prediction of early 2020: The Senate, as expected, finds Trump not guilty thus ending this impeachment event. Trump gloats, mocks, struts, and fluffs. Then, openly, he again violates his oath of office. The House, unashamed and not cowed, impeaches him again. A new record! First president ever to be impeached twice!
It could happen.
9
Typical Dem thought-process: Yes we're hypocrites and yes normally it's wrong to attack someone on their physical characteristics, but we'll make exceptions, because, well we never quite believed in those values ourselves. We use them as a cloak to protect ourselves and point fingers when others do it.
1
I disagree that Mr. Trump is not having his best Christmas ever. As long as he is the center of world attention - be it negative or positive - he is a happy, mentally deranged narrastcist. He thrives on his self-justifying anger. He loves coal in his stocking so he can throughly enjoy his self-pity - which is a pity in and of itself.
6
@logic what a great idea— buy a lump of coal, help a miner, and mail it to the White House! We should all get behind this.
1
Has Trump ever achieved anything in his life with honesty?
9
How about “embezzlement”?
My guilty secret is that I think Trump’s hair looks great. There, I’ve said one nice thing about Donald Trump. Merry Christmas.
1
I agree these are not boring times we live in but The Donny John Clown Show has become a bit tedious.
If you're going to set the bar for worst president ever at secession all I can say is if Trump wins another term he may hit the mark. A lot of folks in the Bear Republic are pretty fed up. When the Senate acquits we're in for Trump Unchained. The whole left coast might be looking for a more perfect union.
Oh yeah, and "B".
4
Hallelujah to that is all I can say! Or is that too mean spirited at this time of year?
1
If only he'll have a terrible new year as well!
5
By next Christmas I predict the words on the streets will be Lock him up, Hohoho!
3
Trump could not have stolen the money, because when you steal, you go to jail. He is not going to jail, ergo, he did not steal.
3
Our biggest worry may be when Trump loses in 2020 will he have AG Barr declare the election null and void and cliam the people want Trump to be president for life,. GEO is building internment camps for dissidents and FOX STATE TV will be the only media allowed by the new FCC headed by Hannity and Tucker Carlson. Reality will be defined by Trump tweets which are mandatory for all Americans to read and issue praise for Trump much like North Korea Trump yearns absolute praise under the pain of death for dissidents.
5
@REBCO I plan to be out of the US in a country where my spouse has dual citizenship next November.
1
It’s fair compliment to say “Almost anything Nancy Pelosi does is a good idea.”
In that vein, the Speaker of the House might consider inviting Greta Thunberg to speak before a joint committee of the House on the need for government action on climate.
Ms. Thunberg has the credentials, Time Cover Person of the Year global recognition, and a recent speaking engagement before the United Nations General Assembly. Oh, and her ability to charmingly counter Presidential tweets mocking her.
Such a speech might be a charming riposte to the outcome of the Senate vote to convict a sitting President.
8
@Ed C Man I love that a child legitimately made Time's Person of the Year. This president created a fake cover of himself, framed it, and hung it in his ostentatious resorts. A young girl bests Trump! Where are all the Christians? Why aren't they dancing in the streets? "And a child shall lead them." That's gospel I can get behind.
5
Donnie slithering into the Oval Office was a tragedy for the U.S. and the world. At least there's some satisfaction in knowing it's making him miserable, too.
14
The “word” is EMBEZZLEMENT.
TRUMP EMBEZZLED from his own CHARITY.
26
Sorry but George W Bush who got us in two unnecessary wars and all that goes with war is the worst president.
2
Two Op-Ed headlines in NY Times's Today's Headlines, including Gail's: Let Trump Have a Miserable Little Christmas; and Britain’s Miserable Election.
Well said. 'Tis the season to be jolly!
6
@RPC verbal bashing slamming has never been as high in both conventional and social media. It’s almost as though verbal diarrhea is a symptom of modern times where brain filters have disappeared or become so porous we can read or hear everyone’s thoughts whether we like it or not. To shut this kind of noise, a diet of digital free media gives our soul bit of respite and rest.
2
All of this is good for lotsa laffs. Big yuks!
Unfortunately, while we’re all being amused, the Trumpublican regime is dismantling the EPA, rolling back workplace safety regulations, appointing federal judges who have been drinking the Federalist kool aid and can’t even find their way to the courthouse. Our infrastructure continues to rot, children are separated from their parents and caged like animals. When it isn’t just laughing at us, the rest of the world looks on in horror.
But the rich just keep getting richer, beyond their wildest dreams of greed and avarice; while about 500,000 personal bankruptcies are filed each year because folks who get sick in this ‘land of plenty’ can’t bear the crushing weight of the most expensive healthcare on the planet. Suicides, opioid addiction and declining life expectancy are raging on. And guns, lotsa guns, lotsa ‘mass shootings,’ and those 30,000 plus deaths by gunfire every year, like clockwork.
Lest we forget, the deficit will soon top $1 trillion. Because ‘the tax cuts will pay for themselves.’
And we haven’t even gotten to the fires, freaky weather, rising sea level and eventual human extinction while our stable genius prohibits any mention of climate change.
For some screwy reason, I’m not laughing. I find none of this funny. Instead, the very thought of our current “President” — and the army of Trumpublican Party members who have followed Donald J. Trump on a journey to The Twilight Zone — makes me violently ill.
19
Trump's attitude is that if the economy is strong, that gives him the right to be a criminal.
14
One sign of distress is the amazing number of teaparty notices I receive-5-7 a day!I have no idea how I got on their list but the asking for money and insults to Dems is flooding my emails.
I also get requests to buy Trump Xmas wrapping, coffee mugs, and Don Jr Book on why and how to hate liberals. Yhjey are sending out the alarm for support and$$$.
3
The motto of the Times is, of course, all the news fit to print. Well, I posit that nothing that Trump does or says is fit to print, but obviously they must cover our liar in chief, so how about a compromise, as a protest against his treatment of journalists, I prose a TRUMP FREE NY TIMES, for one day only, as a protest. Boy, would that be an enjoyable read, even if for just one day.
10
Excellent Idea!
1
@A Citizen That would drive him completely around the bend! And maybe the real news networks could do the same.
1
with a vengeance, voting All-Blue in November 2020
14
We will need an everlasting Wall of Shame that names all of the Republican toadies.
10
It is "C", of course.
2
Trump and Fans: “I’m Dreaming of a WHITE Christmas “.
Pelosi: “ I hear Siberia’s Nice “.
Cheers.
14
C, definitely C
3
Waiting for "very grand larceny"?
4
Still can't figure out if, deep down, in the recesses of his brain, Trump actually truly believes his bizarre statements and tweets or whether he is just the ultimate cynical liar.
Is he completely delusional, completely amoral, or some bizarre combination of both?
Only his medulla knows for sure. Or maybe even it doesn't. Maybe it's just as confused as the rest of us.
8
Wait...what? trump has a brain?
2
Hi,
thanks again for a nice take. I fault the NYT and WaPo for not putting stories like "Trump has coughed up $2 million to repay money he stole from his foundation" on the front page this week. You/they should stop reacting to his nonsense and start responding. He will get annoyed, when he no longer can control the news cycle with a silly, but perfectly aimed, tweet.
Simple short factual front page articles. Most times Trump is forced to admit his wrong doing, so quote that directly, Prez admits he stole money from a charity ... this week he repaid 2m as ordered by the Judge on the case....
9
@stutt I recall days of excellent front page coverage in the NYTimes around the questionable origins of little Donny's wealth, along with the family's fraudulent tax practices. The response was a big yawn.
I don't know what is going to take this man down.
4
With all his billions I doubt he'll be having a miserable little Christmas! lol! Banksy just did a new graffiti artwork in England and it's the homeless that will be having a miserable little Christmas so play Santa and give them a new waterproof sleeping bag or whatever!
3
Trump is the Worst.President.Ever. Republicans are complicit in his treacherous, racist and inhumane policies. Democrats are following the constitution and the rule of the law in their impeachment proceedings but republicans consider themselves beyond the law or human decency of any kind.
9
It's not even about Trump anymore.
His GOP enablers have succeeded in framing the issue thus:
To Trump supporters. This is not now nor has it ever been about alleged misdeeds by Trump.
It's all about you.
The Democrats hate you. They think they're better than you. They look down on you. They think you're stupid. And want to overturn the results of the last election by any means possible.
They've been obsessed with removing "your" choice for President since before day one.
But Trump loves you. He's one of us. And agrees with us.
The Democrats aren't attacking Trump.
They're attacking YOU!
So stand up for yourself. Fight back. Support Trump and teach the "elites" who look down on you a lesson.
5
Even if the senate reneges on its constitutional duty and fails to throw the bum out the trump brand will be always and forever stained the the scarlet letter "I": Impeached. May it apply to his adult children too for they are administration "officials".
5
@Bailey:
And may well run for office, too. Ugh! The thought of that is tooooooo much. Ugh.
2
November 4, 2020 News: Trump is re-elected.
2
Pssst. . .Gail, the word is "stole".
4
One can hope Trump suffers from his misdeeds, but whatever he suffers will pale beside the suffering of refugees in detention in both the Mexican and the US camps.
6
In honor of President Trump`s resurrection of the banned greeting `Merry Christmas`, Democrats are buying him an impeachment to celebrate!
This is awesome!!
A perfect example...of the hatred spewed by the Left for our President.
Which is contrary to Pelosi's "fake claim" that she does not hate our President - she certainly does!
Pelosi would probably garner more respect from the Right if she just owned up to her truth. But like most Dems, she could care less about getting respect from any Republican - although its the Reps in the Senate who could give the Left (however misguided) what they want - impeachment of our President.
But that's Ok, we are probably better off with Leftists like Gail Collins hating our President - especially since he will be reelected in 2020!!
2
I'm creating Russian Dolls of Trump and his cronnies.
Some of those dolls are in jail. But they are still inside him.
4
Let's just have a landslide election in 2020 and get the evil doers out of the White House and the Senate ( and you know who I'm referring to)!
4
Media, investigate more of his corruption and non payment to his workers and what about his racism and misogyny
5
Thanks for this early present, Gail Collins. And for including "shriek" in your description of Trump's latest outbreak of hysteria. How fitting that he has a batch of choirboys performing in similar ways as they huff and puff, squeak, snarl and bark in the hallowed chambers of Congress.
Lots of coal in Donnie's Christmas sock, this year especially. Meanwhile, he may be begging some artist to paint a picture of him as the blessed one lying in that famous manger.
4
@teach Sheesh, maybe THAT is what he means by stable genius! It’s even worse than we thought!
2
I’m actually giddy this Christmas. Most years I can hardly wait for these paean,s to commercialism to end. This year may be different. Scrooge himself is about to be impeached. Happy holidays everyone!
6
Trump has coughed up $2 million to repay money he stole from his foundation so he won't have any money to buy Melania and Ivanka any holiday presents. Boo Hoo.
5
I worry about what trump and his mob of thugs will do before they are voted out (please God) - they will not leave willingly nor quietly- very scary.
5
Do you know if Donald Trump care for big Christmas celebrations?
Which will die first, the remains of the Republican Party or the melting, heating, storming, flooding disaster of planet Earth?
3
Let's all send a piece coal to Trump for is stocking.
2
I picture Santa Trump surrounded by his trusty elves, Billy and Lindsay and Betsy and Ben and Rick who needs glasses and even Little Jeff. Ho ho ho. Let us look in on a wired but grinning Santa after he has delivered tweets to every deserving boy and girl Speaker of the House.
Use the gauze filter for this shot:
… and the whole family celebrated that night, especially Emoluments Claus, who sleazily shouted, "Merry Christmas to All, cash on the barrelhead, and none of this Happy Holidays!"
2
The answer on Nancy Pelosi is always C. She is fabulous.
4
“And claimed that Elizabeth Warren’s marriage was a “phony, disgusting deal.””
Trump, the master of projection, finally tells us the truth about his marriage.
9
Gail, just trying to help you find "the word." May I submit for your consideration the verb:
filch
someone filched two pies from the bake sale: steal, take for oneself, help oneself to, loot, pilfer, abscond with, carry off
Which becomes the noun:
filcher
As in Filcher in Chief, Filcher of the United States.
6
The best photo of the year was Pelosi giving Trump her "good boy" clap after his State of the Union address. Laminated, the photo would make a nice ornament for his tree.
BTW, "embezzlement"?
5
That was truly cringe-worthy behavior on Pelosis' part. Nobody should have to see that rerun. My prayer for Pelosi is a speedy retirement, through the grace of her constituents.
If you're rich and have plenty, don the con and the merry band of tricksters have a wassail bowl of unfunded tax cuts which will be push a couple$Trillion onto your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
If you're poor and need a bit of help with things like ... well .. feeding your family, don the con and the GOP That Stole Christmas thinks $4B for food is an outrageous abuse of public funds.
since it's the season, I ask you, WWJD?
5
When it comes to horrible people in the White House I don't think you can find two worse presidents than Andrew, Trail of tears, Jackson and James, war against Mexico, Polk. Both of which could have been charged with mass murder and terrorism.
2
My business is booming. My 401k is taking off. Consumer confidence is soaring. All the lib democrats are missing it and so is the liberal media. We are living in the best of times. Fake news must think we are dumber than a bag of rocks. In a little more than a year from now President Trump will be working with a Republican House AND Senate.
2
@Lazarus My husband’s business is booming. My 401k is taking off. With the planet on fire, that doesn’t seem too important at the moment
4
@Lazarus .... "Fake news must think we are dumber than a bag of rocks."....Name one thing Trump has done that makes him responsible for the present economy. And of course you haven't noticed that the budget deficit under Trump has nearly doubled in 3 years. The trade deficit has increased as well. Even if your ignore the blatant extortion of Ukraine, Trump is a vulgar bigoted narcissist. And since you mentioned it, people who continue to support him are dumber than a bag of rocks.
5
As a foreigner living in the United States, I'll have to give you Americans 10/10 stars for the entertainment value of this country. Spanning from insane gunmen, regularly shooting up entire communities while NRA is selling AR15s out the back door, over total repealing of health care, aircraft manufacturers supplying mystery boxes, to beaver grabbing presidents cursing out the executive branch of the federal government, it's totally like living in a Quentin Tarantino movie! Or a real time Florida style destruction derby!
8
Why poison Christmas by talking about Trump? This kind of talk is a poison you drink expecting it to hurt Trump.
You are wrong about the worst president ever. Even Donald Trump can't win that prize, yet.
The worst president by far has to be George W. Bush, as much as I hate to say it. Indeed, I think I could actually like the guy now that he has discovered a bit of humility. But that fact does not erase the fact that he, along with Cheney and Rumsfeld, led America into a war of aggression that resulted in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. That, to put it simply, is an egregious war crime, the type of thing which brought about the deaths of Nazi's by hanging after WWII. Of course, in this unjust world, no American leader is going to face a Nuremberg type war crime trial, no matter what they do.
As despicable as Trump is in so many ways, puerile, corrupt, narcissistic, egotistical, amoral, ignorant, and lacking all concern for just everybody but himself, he still has not plunged the world into the depths of unnecessary violence that Bush and company did. For me, that is his one saving grace and the reason he is not the worst president this country has ever anointed with the power of that office.
2
@Tom Krebsbach ...."The worst president by far has to be George W. Bush,"....While I readily acknowledge that George Bush was in over his head, he was a decent person who treated the office of the President with honor and dignity. Trump on the other hand is a vulgar bigoted narcissist who has made the U.S the world's laughing stock. Never mind the extortion of Ukraine for political benefit.
2
And yet 93 year old men still wobble into Pulbix wearing MAGA hats. Trump is a grotesque statement, not a man.
9
Wonder if he will ask himself this Holiday time, if ever, what would Jesus do?
2
I could scream, but it would do no good...!!!
5
What I cannot wrap my head around is why people support him.
What do they think he has accomplished during his term of office? What fear drives them to vote for him? What do they think he is doing for them personally? These are questions that keep me up at night.
8
@Kris
"What fear drives them to vote for him?"
Not a fear of our President.
The fear is.... allowing a socialist, leftist, harmful Dem becoming President.
Have a great night's sleep...and you're welcome.
@DB ..."The fear is.... allowing a socialist, leftist, harmful Dem becoming President."....I guess honor and decency don't matter, never mind that a socialist leftist President couldn't get even one tenth of their agenda passed by Congress.
2
I fear Trump and Barr will use the powers of the WH and DOJ to not just put a thumb on the scale of the election but both feet!
And if it STILL is clear he'll lose, he may well manufacture a "Reichstag Fire" to cancel ("postpone") the election ("until the crisis passes").
I seriously believe that Donald Trump will NEVER leave office willingly, will burn down every shred of Law and the Constitution that he can, and either destroy our Democratic Republic, or have to be physically "escorted" (dragged) from the White House.
6
Great headline, Gail.
Trump certainly will be miserable by Christmas, given the impeachment verdict he'll find at the top of his filthy stocking.
9
@Ken
But his Christmas gift will be delivered post-holiday, when our President is acquitted of these ridiculous impeachment charges!
So our President will not be impeached, will not be removed from office and will win again in 2020!!
So in the end - our country will enjoy a splendid Christmas after all this Dem led impeachment nonsense dies its rightful death in the Senate.
1
If the "stole" fits, he has to wear it. I hear that regular Americans often find themselves on the wrong side of a criminal indictment if they steal for personal benefit from a tax exempt entity. Trump skates....
Recall, too, that, to date, when Trump was a candidate he castigated Mr. Obama for his golfing outings. Trump's, of course, have attained a much higher number in three years, far exceeding Obama's two full terms.
Trump said he'd not have time to golf as president. Some voters took him at his word. Accordingly, Trump rightly deserves a bill from the U.S. Treasury for $115 Million, and counting, for his golf dates to the moment. Credit him for $1.2 Million in salary he reportedly has declined.
But, alas, public policy trumps Trump. At a rally the day before the 2018 election Mr. Trump told a rally and the wider American ppl that he would, with then Way/Means Chairman Kevin Brady of Texas, that he'd introduce a dedicated middle class tax cut in two or so weeks. He asked Mr. Brady in the rally audience for confirmation of this .... fact. Brady obliged with a vigorous assent. Still waiting.
A happy holiday to Mr. Trump and family. Special thanks to Ms. Ivanka Trump from 14 million American families. Why 14 million? It seems father/boss Mr. Trump credits her for creating 14 Million new American jobs. On behalf of the 14 million and their loving families, let us say a special thank you.
3
GOP partisanship is today rooted in the notion that left is evil and any action is justified that keeps power in their sanctimonious, if dirty, hands.
7
@Stephen I agree with you 100%. The Democrats in the House will show a great deal of bi-partisanship when they bring this to a vote. There will be some number of Democrats that put truth, honesty and the country ahead of party.
3
@Mike
"The Democrats in the House will show a great deal of bi-partisanship when they bring this to a vote"
You have got to be kidding!!!
Not a chance...the vote will be incredibly partisan for the Dems...
1
We can dismiss with the viewing of “ A Christmas Carol”because we have Bah Humbug in office.
6
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is for the current President to be impeached and removed from office. That's not just for me, but for my children and grandchildren too. It's the only way left to get peace on earth and goodwill toward all men and women.
Best regards to you and Mrs. Claus and the elves and reindeer.
Your Friend,
Enough
p.s. I don't want to sound greedy, but could you throw in getting rid of McConnell and Lindsey Graham ?
11
"What would you call it if somebody established a charity and then used a large chunk of other people’s donations to buy portraits of himself ... purchase sports memorabilia and pay off legal settlements for his private businesses?
Still waiting for the word …"
I got it... "Fraud". No, wait... how about "detestable"? Ah, not strong enough... oh, it's "scam", right? No? Or, "loathsome"? Sheesh, this is tough...
I know! Pick me! Pick me! It's ALL of them. Especially the last one.
Yeah, that's the ticket.
9
I would prefer to see him resoundingly voted out of office by my fellow citizens in the general election anyway. Ditto for the invertebrates in the Senate.
6
@Amanda Respectfully disagree. No one is above the law. When you break the law, you get punished. We shouldn't have to vote on whether criminals are going to face the law.
4
I’ve protested against Trump for 151 straight weeks here in the critical state of Pennsylvania, and sometimes feel that too many citizens are growing numb and/or remain in denial of his serial corruption and stupid insults and racial slurs. He is the worst president in modern history (though the most destructive president to date would be George W Bush IMO). Still, he could literally steal another election and the public must not fall into passivity. It must not just find amusement in what Gail Collins wrote, but see the perilous position our Republic finds itself. It must resist at all costs.
7
I call it swindling, something he is a master at.
8
Still waiting for the word …
Gail, the word is "fraud". Also "scam". And "cheat"
Trump just keeps on giving... Christmas - and, you get three words for one criminal fraud, scammer, and cheater.
Merry Christmas, Gail. Thanks for brightening my year with your columns.
5
Maybe deep in his Christmas slumber, our bah humbug president will be visited by the three ghosts (the ghost of Christmas future played by Mitch McConnell)...see the sins of his past and present and decide to resign for the future of our country...
I know, I know...but Christmas miracles happen, right?
Great writing, Gail. Ho Ho Ho.
2
Trump more than deserves to be removed from office and eventually imprisoned for his crimes. Would it be uncharitable to also wish for outbreaks of food poisoning at all of his hotels? Bedbugs will do in a pinch.
And then there's Barr …….
5
Such a miserable sort as trump. did he ever have a good Christmas? Or does one of his ill gotten properties have an over-sized Christmas Tree adorned with some caricature of his likeness replacing the Angel to ease the pain of people celebrating something else beside him. He personifies Humbug.
2
A richly deserved impeachment! He is a disgrace. I just read the summary of his rally on Tuesday night in Hershey, PA. Everything about it is disgusting and revolting. Especially his remarks about Elizabeth Warren. His outright belligerence was on display as never before. Hard to predict, but maybe we're in for a personal appearance by Trump at his forthcoming trial in the Senate. Maybe he will go so far with his ranting and demagoguery that even the Republican senators will understand that they must convict him and throw him out.
3
@C.L.S. , a pipe dream. McConnell will orchestrate this down to a handful of hours. There will certainly be no appearance by his lowness trump. Such an appearance would force the hand of his enablers, and that is exactly what McConnell will prevent from occurring. Oz will not be exposed.
1
Until the hearings, I had thought at least a few Republicans would admit that evidence of impeachable wrongdoing was overwhelming. Then I listened to one after the other use their 5 minutes to repeat the same silly excuses and complain about Hunter Biden and the whistle blower, and the GOP attorney spin a yarn that should be entered in annual The World's Biggest Liar Contest. You know Trump can only continue his disheartening and disgusting rally speeches because he knows none of these fools will vote to impeach.
2
".....Strauss is still sticking with Buchanan".
I don't know anything about Buchanan other than what's in this article. He is seems to have been a fool, but an honest & kind one.
Trump doesn't have an honest or kind bone in his body. The sooner he's gone the better.
5
Gail, you have definitely given me reason for Christmas cheer. I cannot tell you how much it tickles me and my Republican friends to see how miserable and obsessed liberals have become about Donald Trump. In the meantime, he laughs at you with tens of thousands of people at stadiums all over the country. Oh how it must kill you to hear the words ‘fake news’ be repeated over and over again, especially now that the IG report verifies that most of what was written early on about FISA abuse in the main stream media was indeed fake news. Happy holidays!
1
Yes, and the rest of the world laughs at Trump and his supporters. He really has made a mockery out of our country.
5
Those who will have a not so good Christmas are the people at the southern border who are living in cages and whose families are in shreds.
Trump, who likely wouldn't know who Jesus was if it weren't for Pence, has no clue about his teachings. The many people who support DJT also miss the message of the man whose birth they celebrate. Can you imagine what Trump would say to a man walking a donkey with a pregnant women on it who was looking for a place to stay and couldn't afford one of his hotel rooms? Lock him up? Millions of people who cheer him no matter what he says or does and elected representatives in Congress who know who he is and stand behind him anyway. Jesus would be horrified. Them? No so much.
6
"Let Trump Have a Miserable Little Christmas."
That's exactly what I hope that you have, Ms. Collins. What you wish for the President.
Donald J. Trump is singlehandedly attempting to disprove the adage that cheaters never win. He's proven throughout his adult life that in fact if you cheat at everything you do, you can win. He's cheated in business, he's cheated in marriage, he's cheated in parenthood, and now he's cheating in politics. He's only president because he cheated. He will destroy our country through cheating.
Soon, Trump's name will be synonymous with how cheaters win, and win big.
3
@snarkqueen - Great role model for children.
Cheating has now become sanctified.
5
I’m nit picking but my comment won’t be posted anyway, so here goes.
Re the brief reference to Congress taking time to “celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge,” I think they will commemorate it, not celebrate it. It was the bloodiest battle of World War II. It began with a surprise attack by the Germans, so it wasn’t some carefully planned Allied offensive like D-day. There were something like 75,000 American casualties. Eventually the tide turned and the Allies beat back the Germans. But it’s an event to commemorate, not celebrate.
4
Trump being Trump I am sure Trump will have a miserable little Christmas bashing others and tweeting epithets. trump can no more escape being himself any more than Scrooge could escape Marley. And if three ghosts representing the spirit of Christmas should appear he would claim they were all Democrats and try to send them to prison.
4
Why is Trump insulting Elizabeth Warren by calling her marriage a "phony, disgusting deal?" Senator Warren has been married to the same man longer than Trump has been married to all three of his wives combined. Does Trump thinks it's disgusting and phony if a person has only one spouse in her life?
10
@Linda , Trump is so low that of course it's astonishing. Yet somehow he gets away with criticizing the marriage of one of his key opponents. That's a deal breaker for me: someone on the left needs to expose Melania-- stat. Can't be too hard, and trump deserves it. she is nothing but a former prostitute who wanted a couple of items from this monster: money, an anchor baby, a path to her parents moving here. She got the three items, time to destroy her.
You can stop waiting, Ms. Collins.
I got the answer for you. Instead of stole, how about embezzled?
Or misappropriated?
Will that be polite or at least "not harsh" enough
1
Trump IS winning...the race to the bottom.
3
All I can say is I thank the inventor of the mute button on the tv remote. I never have to listen to Doug Collins scream at me again.
Impeach. Convict. Indict. Convict. Imprison.
Merry Christmas all!
7
Impeachment - Best Christmas Gift EVER!
3
I've been wondering: is it possible that if the media suddenly and completely ignored Trump by not reporting anything about him, if it would be a better strategy than going on and on about what a crook he is and how corrupt and incompetent?
To my mind, it has not been an effective use of the news media and has only made moderates and left-leaning persons look desperate and vindictive.
The guy got elected, period. He's horrible and possibly dangerous, okay. But, we need to focus on the solutions, not on him to the exclusion of everything else.
Find another tack, please! We're all sick of hearing people state the obvious. Think outside the gosh darn box!
1
Will Trump have another 'unscheduled' visit to the hospital over Christmas?
3
I'm partial to Walt Kelly's xmas parody: Nora's freezing on the trolley, swallow dollar cauliflower kallamazoo. But I can't remember the rest so....
Lock Him Up!
Lock Him Up!
Lock Him Up!
Now, I know republicans love Trump and will follow him down into that pit he's dug. That albatross will hang around their necks for many a year.
2
Schadenfreude in lieu of his usual gold, frankincense and myrrh? I doubt the President even notices Christmas; he doesn't go out, and he can always get a jolt from his lunatic media. Still, I'd have walked barefoot over a carpet in one of his hotels for that vision of your sculpture of mashed potatoes in its final moments. This was a prickly, morally ambiguous column, but with telling flashes of where it came from.
Republicans’ delay tactics during these proceedings have been infuriating. The recesses drag on and on, as every GOP member’s bathroom visit requires between ten and fifteen flushes.
How about "embezzlement" for that word.
3
I do like the image of a Donald Trump bust fashioned from mashed potatoes. Maybe we should have a holiday contest?
Term limits...
While I hope the president is impeached, I want him out of office for reasons that have nothing to do with Ukraine. I am sick of the lying, narcissism, bullying, bigotry, crassness, name calling, ignorance, paranoia, incompetence and pettiness — and I'm sick of Republicans pretending none of that matters. I'm sick of hearing, "Trump is a terrible person, but..." Conservatives have decided that character, integrity and virtue don't matter any more. But, I bet they'll matter the next time we elect a Democratic president. The hypocrisy of Republicans like Lindsey Graham sickens me. Well, in my world character does count, and integrity does matter, and Trump’s shortcomings prove it daily.
5
Did the screaming banshee speaking style common among the Trump and Republican members of congress originate in Nuremberg or Fox News? My teeth hurt whenever Rep. Doug Collins shouts, Sen. Lindsey yells and president Trump rants.
My Trumper neighbors have taken up these examples, apparently believing this makes for better conversation, conflating high-decibels with effective discourse.
I just bought a pair of new high-tech ear plugs.
2
At his latest rally, Trump once again encouraged potential thugs to attack a protester. Yes, a president is once seeking to have an American assaulted.
2
So Trump says Elizabeth Warren has a "phony" and "disgusting " marriage. He should certainly be an expert on phony marriages.
4
The hate spewed in this article, and all your articles about our President, amazes me. How can one person have so much hate inside? In a world where you can be anything, you’ve chosen to be mean, when you can be kind. How sad!
'Happy holidays, Mr. President!'
Your Friend
Mr. Hankey
(Keep flushing sir! I'm still here!)
Gee Gail, your column makes me wish that James Buchanan was president today. It couldn't possibly be worse!
Hoping you are right, that Donald’s Christmas is miserable.
And please, please, please no gala TV tour of Melania’s gaudy White House Christmas decorations. To think our tax money goes for that trashy misuse of trying to make Christmas beautiful is nauseating.
Of course we can change the channel, and we do....click!
Is that Big Bird in the background?
I hope he resigns from office then lock him up . If his Pence is as corrupt as Trump he won’t last long either.
"Let Trump have a miserable little Christmas", the desire of the majority of Americans and of almost every other human being on planet earth..
He started tweeting at 6:51 this morning. Still going strong at 11:05. So far? 92 tweets and re-tweets. Proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the President of the United States of America is hard at work.
8
And remember, our “Commander-in-Chief” never requested, that even though he’d had dozens of contacts with former Soviet officials, President Trump was never subjected, so never passed, any security clearance.
@Chris 12:53 pm. Up to 106 tweets. I suppose he is doing this to help insure that none of his base hears anything other than what he wants them to hear about the impeachment process going on.
1
How did the party of Lincoln become the party of Putin?
523
Asking it differently, how did GOP come to stand for Good Ol' Putie?
10
@John Galuszka
CINOs
Conservative in Name Only
12
Succinct and right to the heart of our problem. I would so like to know what Trump and Lavrov talked about in their White House meeting this past week. I am quite sure it was not the interests of the US and our teetering democracy.
6
The cognitive dissonance of knowing and understanding the urgency of climate science and the need to change course now in order for there to be a world that, in 50 years time, resembles the world today - while also talking about what kids will be reading in history books 50 years from today...
If anything, these hypothetical history books will focus on the lunacy of being distracted from the on-the-ground realities of climate change happening in our time by whatever is happening in domestic politics. And the hypothetical readers of these history books, as well as our own children, will never forgive us.
If you read this comment and think I am an alarmist it simply means you haven’t read or understand the science. Start there.
5
I heard that the Trump faux library will be in Moscow. That's just a rumor right?
4
His library will consist of tweets. And the Russians have totally infiltrated the electronic media....so, yes. In fact Moscow already has al, the material!
2
Merry Christmas, Comrades! This must be the way the holiday season is celebrated in Moscow, or Beijing, or Pyongyang. With gallows humor that makes you want to cry instead of laugh.
Season's Greetings, Gail!
2
Such a harsh sentiment! I’m not sure where you were during the Obama era? However, I do know that a lot of middle states suffered severely during that time. Factories and manufacturing left for other countries. Jobs were eliminated and a lot of working class citizens took up opioids. A severe problem for this nation. Obama declared that these jobs would never come back. Fortunately he was wrong and there are more opportunities than ever for these people. Trump is bringing back jobs through the trade pressures on other countries. I watched Obama take vacations and family trips with the taxpayers money consistently and probably monthly throughout his presidency. How many weeklong “vacations” have we seen Trump take? Of course we wouldn’t even know because the media won’t even cover anything other than his wrongdoings. How would you act if someone was continually throwing daggers at you? I would suspect that you might get pretty defensive over a very short time. Especially if you were trying to run a country, keep your businesses afloat, be a husband, and a father all at the same time with very little “off” time.
We can all agree that he is not the most like able person and one that we hope our kids don’t emulate. However, he is getting things done!! How can that be disputed?
Why is there such hatred for a man that is getting things accomplished.
Most people would hope for a president to have a nice Christmas! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
6
@Jennifer Muench
Yes he's getting things done - he's bankrupting the United States, giving hand-outs to farmers whose livelihoods are imperiled by trade wars, cozying up to dictators and tyrants the world over, while he hangs our most loyal, long-term allies out to dry.
in addition he's pushing through incompetent judges, has models acting as ambassadors, and is gutting the agencies that stand between us and spoiled food, bad drugs, polluted water, unbreathable air, and oh yes - global warming.
Spare me from his "accomplishments".
21
@Jennifer Muench, I hope the Trump family has a nice Christmas, too. However, this is ridiculous: “ I watched Obama take vacations and family trips with the taxpayers money consistently and probably monthly throughout his presidency.” Your source for that gem of “information”?
11
@Jennifer Muench
There's a group that's keeping track of Trump's golfing days (check them online) that shows, so far, 228 days -- plus several millions of taxpayers' dollars for his little jaunts. In Obama's 8 years, he played golf about 300 times. (Where are the stats about all those jobs winging their way back to us, by the way? I can't find them.)
16
The ranking of Presidents should have something to do with their legacy. The impeachment charges will not stick. They would have if they were strong enough. All those Senators who you complain about would dump Trump if they had a good excuse. The Democrats failed.
Obamacare is supposedly a great legacy. Since it went into effect life expectancy has dropped.
Democrats argue that their failures are successes. Fake news.
2
Trump had House and Senate and got nothing done but tax cuts to corporations and very top percent. GOP has done nothing to improve health care or provide safety net to homelessness or drug addicts that drag down life expectancy. GOP believes in self reliance but won’t acknowledge the White privilege that has prevented others from getting ahead.
7
@michjas: Regarding life expectancy, maybe you have heard of the opioid epidemic, the loss of life due to shootings.
While people with cancer are living longer, we are literally killing ourselves for the profit of business.
Regrettably this phenomenon is equally ignored by politicians who prefer their job to fighting for their constituents lives.
Everyone must vote to make changes.
4
Oh right, I forgot. Obamacare is the proximate cause of our sorry national plunge in life expectancy. Kick tens of millions more Americans from health care coverage and watch that expectancy soar!
6
I think President Trump has been a wonderful President as do many others. This Christmas will be a bright one for many with more money in their pockets and a robust economy. This is in large part due to our president improving the state of the union. He deserves much credit and gratitude for a job well done. 2020 is looking very bright.
2
Yes, I especially liked it when he caged children. Wonder how their Christmas will be?
7
Awwwa, you must be that recipient of the increased $1.50 tax increase that ex-speaker Ryan was crowing about.... Merry Christmas!
6
Let’s see. The average middle class tax cut - $1,000, the average cost to middle class families of Trump’s deranged trade wars - nearly $900. America has become a widely distrusted laughingstock due to Trump’s frightening ignorance and toddler-like behavior. Manufacturing jobs are reaching historical lows while low paid jobs replace them. Sure, the state of the union is good for the uber wealthy, but not actually for you. It’s going to be a real shock for you if and when the scales fall from your eyes.
4
We wish the media would end their addiction to making fun of "him"-- stop giving him so much air time and print space--stop being addicted to his horrendous tweets. Thats why he does it! He is using us. There are important events going on in addition to all this and making fun of him is just adding fuel to the fire. We want to see him go down in flames in 2020. Be busy and help organize voters. For all our sakes.
13
@Blue Moon
That’s a great idea. The Times (perhaps along with ProPublica, WaPo, CBS’ 60 Minutes and PBS’ Frontline) should establish a U.S. national election security team and stay on top of this issue with investigative as well as breaking news content, delivered free of charge on digital platforms, including podcasts, with an accompanying marketing campaign to reach every possible voter group.
5
I'm 60 and I certainly don't remember ever being so tired of hearing any one name in my life other than perhaps my own. I've known a lot of people who I despise to their core, but none to this level. Eventually I will be no more and my name will fade only to be remembered for a few years by my direct relatives, but names in infamy last far longer.
If historians get this right and I kind of doubt they will this particular name will go down as one to forget forever.
20
Here in Missouri, small family farms are unable to compete in a corrupted marketplace with no umpire. Farm income is down because of the trade war, entered for the purpose of throwing red meat to the incumbent's base. The article describes well the vitriolic diatribes that have so successfully divided our country, serving Russian interests as well as the Trump kleptocratic regime preparing to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Any and all damage to this area is fundamentally irreversible. At least with the real Scrooge, his heart grew two sizes. The incumbent is content to jail 10,000 children for the Holidays, that is his Promise Kept.
30
At first glance the picture at the top of this piece looks like Trump in front of a burning cross.
(I doubt this post will get past the censors.)
7
Enjoy this holiday season, because it does not take the Ghost of Christmas Future to predict that the next one will be grim. A vicious 2020 campaign will have fractured America into warring camps, with the loser convinced the election was stolen and that the president, whoever that might be, is illegitimate. Resentment and division will pervade this nation like no time since the Civil War. And that is the America that must confront our next national crisis, whether it be war or depression or climate catastrophe. Merry Christmas.
4
Ok, I’ll start:
‘Tis the season to im-pe-ach, fa la lala la, la la, la la!
Next line anyone? Feel free to add on!
169
@Harmon Smith Under the circumstances, I think the following line can stay as written:
"Fill the meadcup, drain the barrel,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!"
;)
19
@Harmon Smith Walla Walla Wash 'n Kalamazoo?
5
‘We’ve narrowed down the focus
All the laws Trump breached’
Or
‘Mitch McConnell find your soul
I do beseech’
22
When I consider everything that has gone on over the past three years, it results to the inevitable conclusion that Trump is somehow doing the bidding of Putin. Whether Putin has something on him or not, which I deeply suspect, Trump has caused the United States to be little more than a performing monkey for the Russians. This has all succeeded for them beyond their wildest dreams, as America has completely reversed its foreign policy to align with the Russians in virtually every regard. Interesting how all of those patriots in the American congress don't seem to have realised this ...
9
@Fergal OhEarga Anti-Russian hysteria put aside, do you really believe what you are saying? How specifically are the Russians controlling the government of the USA? Leave the Russians alone and spend your holidays hating your own president, we don't care.
Much ado about nothing. As you say Gail, "Of course, watching the impeachment drama loses a little zip when you remember that the Senate Republicans are never actually going to toss the president out of office." What a waste of our money. We will have to vote him out, that's what we should be concentrating on. And by the way, what's going on with the budget (are they even working on it)? The continuing resolution expires soon.
2
Merry Christmas? Merry nothing.
trump's whole life is a never-ending war on "merry."
7
Trump is easily the worst president in our history. Not even a close call.
14
Anyone who has followed the treason of Republicans and their President and understands its implications for our Democracy is going to have a miserable Christmas.
Donald J. Trump just warmly hosted the Russian Foreign Minister in the Oval Office on the eve of a critical meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky. If the phone calls, the pressure campaigns of Barr, Pence, Pompeo, Mulvaney and Giuliani, along with the open declarations on the White House lawn didn't get Trump the election interference he wanted, that meeting surely will let every other country know what happens when you say no to Donald Trump.
My only hope of a bit of Christmas cheer will be the gift I'm giving everyone on my list this year. It's a lovely framed copy of Greta Thunberg on the cover of Time Magazine with two boxes cut out for Trump's agonized Tweet this morning next to her updated profile, “A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend.”
2
Trump has done something I thought impossible 4 years ago. He has unified the GOP. The GOP is now the Trump Party. All it took was for the GOP leader to come out of the closet on the true basis of their unity. Racism.
17
You’ve narrowed it down too much. The basis of Republican unity is hatred of their fellow humans. Racism is just one piece of that.
"Meanwhile, the holidays have to be a little bit brighter when you contemplate the fact that Donald Trump is definitely not having his best Christmas ever."
Just before Christmas last year, the president reneged on a budget deal and shut down the government in response to Ann Coulter whining about a border wall. One Christmas Eve presidential tweet lamented: "I'm all alone (poor me)." It would be hard for anyone else to match that pathetic display and sink that low again, but not this president. Thanks to Gail Collins for reminding us of his boundless narcissism and vindictiveness and his amazing capacity to fabricate nonsense to feed his followers (i.e., trashing Senator Warren's marriage).
6
May your holidays be Trump free. What are the odds he'll leave us alone?
3
All’s I want for Christmas is for Trump to shut his mouth for 24 hrs. No twitter, no words, no ugly name calling, no bullying, no whining, just, please God, 24 hrs of peace. Living in this country these days is like living with an abusive person, it’s the constant attack, attack, attack mentally and emotionally. It hasn’t reached the physical abuse stage yet but I have no doubt that if push came to shove he would order “his” generals to do his physical abuse dirty work for him. All’s I want for Christmas is 24 hrs of peace, is that to much to ask for?
16
"Truly we live in not-boring times." I'm not so sure about this. I am so up to my ear lobes in President Trump's gratuitously venomous, intellectually and morally bereft expulsion of verbal and digital malevolence that I find no emotion but weary disgust.
Meanwhile his namesake son wantonly kills endangered species life forms in Mongolia. Son-in law Jared waxes mindlessly about a presidential executive order banning criticism of Israel on university campuses in violation of the First Amendment. Ivanka elevates intellectual vacuity to an art form. Eric is just, well, Eric, not really there.
The whole dullard nest of corrupt Trumpian nepotism is an enervating bore but the resulting indigestion certainly keeps me on my toes.
14
Beautifully said. We are truly living in an age of idiots.
This article is deeply offensive. I consider Trump a disaster but this approach is beneath the dignity of the NYT and the American people.
That’s funny. Dignity is absent from the office of the president and his republican cohorts, but sure, go ahead and lecture NYT readers about lacking dignity. Ok boomer.
3
@Doug Ferrell
It is called irony, sometimes sarcasm but it is always humorous.
2
@Doug Ferrell
I agree. Everyone is complaining about the lack of civility, yet they just carry on by displaying a total lack of civilty. It is discouraging. Once upon a time, we had the ability to disagree with one another while still adhering to manners and decorum.
Sorry, but Nadler is a muddler, and did not instill confidence, or command...... Sargent at Arms: please remove these protesters.
We might assume that voters will not recycle their votes in 2020, as in 2016, however, we do know that your partner, B. Stephens, is on the record and will vote for anyone but E. Warren, and Trump; just another recycler.
I don't read him anymore.....why bother, he is not a participant.
1
You do realize that when Rs take over the House in Jan. 2021, they will annul and expunge the impeachment for "failure of fair process"?
You know that, right?
Meanwhile, dozens of Ds voting for it will lose their seats.
It's a win-win for Trump.
2
Guess you missed the fact that Republicans in Congress are fleeing Washington by the dozens leaving their seats open to Democrats in any district with marginally patriotic and informed voters.
2
I, for one, wish our President and his family a Very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!!
3
Randy L.,
I second that. I hope President Trump and his family have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year too. I also hope it is one of their merriest.
10
@KMW And Merry Christmas to Putin, Kim Yong Un, and the crown prince of Saudi Arabia as well. Congratulations on your goodwill for mankind, KMW.
17
@Randy L. As far as I'm concerned, your understanding of the holidays doesn't amount to squat, no matter how hard you pound the Bible.
7
Two once-great world powers, the U.S. and the UK, brought to their knees by narcissistic, lying, ill-informed, incurious, corrupt politicians, are on the verge of a fall greater then Rome ever experienced. At least we here in the U.S. will have some measure of satisfaction for a short period of time between the impeachment and the election. The poor Brits are stuck with whichever bad option wins (Cornyn or Johnson), without the least bit of satisfaction.
4
"I wish Trooge aka Trump" a very Christmas from SDNY and an even worse New Year. And as for the Russian GOP, one can only hope they get run over by (not a reindeer), but by the voters in the next election. The beat of of the drum of justice is coming. Pa rum pum pum pum.
1
Living in the "Times of Trump" is like having the worst possible tooth ache. You know the tooth will be pulled out-but you just don't know when. If we have to live with this ache for 5 more years I am going to have to take a lot more medication to survive the pain.
Maybe marijuana would help!
6
It couldn’t hurt.
3
All Trump wants for Christmas is his too fun tweets.
2
@Lawrence Zajac Very Punny!
1
I'm stunned that there is zero mention here of kids dying in cages, or of hideous, ongoing damage to the planet and our children's futures. I'm pretty sure that puts this monster in the category of worst President.
Not even a mention of Bush Jr. and the real, incalculable harm he caused.
Unconscionable. This piece needs to be retracted.
Before the whistleblower, every day seemed dark, the news was humdrum, "impeachment" a distant and unintelligible song of the DC jungle drums.
Now, the House chieftains have come into council and the tribe soon will vote.
Will the senate swords remain short and dull or surprise us, spring into action and cut the claws of the predator, THE Big Baby Boy? Take him out to another jungle where he can do no harm and the DC jungle can be once more be governed with a modicum of sanity?
Richer but not wiser, the senate can then once again resume their descent to unforced errors and stupidity.
Not likely but it's fun to imagine.
Merry Christmas, Trump. Enjoy your lump of coal.
1
Remember Gail how the Russia probe ended.
Trump will not be impeached by the Senate and when election time rolls around, the liberal left will look even more like radical democratic socialist than ever before. One can only hope it comes down to Bloomberg vs Trump or he may win another 4 years.
2
“I sculpted his head out of mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving and squished gravy all over it.”
Squash would have been a better choice for more realistic coloring.
7
This is the kind of tripe that has young people calling out "Hey, Boomer:"
"Fifty years from now, kids who’ve been watching all this action from their college dorms will be able to answer their grandchildren’s questions about Trump’s bad hair and worse values."
Fifty years from now this country may not even stand and Wahington DC will be under water. WAKE UP!!!
4
Love this piece! And wondering, could that word you are waiting for be 'fanarcissism'? Yes it has been invented - especially for Trump - because a 'fanatical narcissist' of Trump's dimensions might do anything to see his reflection in objects like shiny sports trophies and outsize portraits of himself.
2
I detest everything that the Donald stands for. But have we gone so low that we are wishing anyone -- even him -- a miserable Christmas? Wow, Gail.
2
Let’s closed our eyes tight for a moment and pretend he gets impeached and removed from office; no more of his corrosively voice, no more insults and demeaning words against the people. No more Saudis, Turkey and no more Putin.
A delightfully thoughtful thought!
3
Shame on you Gail. Writing an article wishing misery and ill will upon any other human is inexcusable regardless of the character and behavior of the target, particularly offensive this time of year. Do you have children? Do you teach them this kind of behavior that exemplifies exactly one of our worst problems in the world today--not living up to the golden rule and treating all with respect, regardless of differences in beliefs, religions, races, etc? As an alternative to writing a maleficent article for the world to read I for one have higher hopes for a time when if folks don't have something nice to say....
3
I think the title of this article is unnecessarily mean spirited...especially given the time of year. I am disappointed when I see journalism like this. People have every right to disagree with President Trump. However, please do it in a civil way.
2
If Senate Republicans had brains, they'd vote to impeach Mr. Trump. That would put Mr. Pence in the White House in excellent position for two more terms. Plus, Republicans would get out of the thrall of one who treats them as mere bootlickers, and who humiliates them whenever it suits his needs. And Little Marco and the oft-emasculated Lindsey Graham et. al. might even not stand in the way of a prison term for the former president, who could be taken down for any of a hundred reasons.
2
Old Man Potter himself from It's a Wonderful Life would blush at the sheer criminal shadiness of Trump. For the sake of the Republic let us all hope this particular nasty goose is cooked and on the way out by next Christmas and the spirits willing let a set of manacles be in Trump's Christmas future.
4
Trump is maybe the most disgusting President ever, but far from the worst.
George W. Bush lied to the American people and pushed us into a horrible war against Iraq, who had nothing to do with 9/11 and no WMDs. This cost hundreds of thousands of lives and trillions of dollars. How can Trump even compare?
George W. Bush guided our economy into the Great Recession, thanks to his lack of bank oversight. Cost millions of people their jobs and homes. How can Trump compare?
So you'd rather enjoy a beer with W., while Trump makes you want to vomit. That's apparently not a good test of Presidential efficacy in terms of benefiting the nation.
3
The Republican Party should get lumps of coal in there stocking.......Ted Cruz already got his lump from Chuck Todd on Meet the Press last Sunday. So funny when Todd asked the senator about conspiracies that Trump made up about Cruz durning his run for presidency, from birtherism to Cruz’s faith and let’s not forget when Trump eluded that Cruz father was in on Kennedy assassination. Republicans have a) nano second memories, b) they all are cuckoo for cocoa puff or c) delusional
4
Unfortunately, having a terrible Christmas might be the only way in which Trump 'suffers' for his misdeeds.
Even the impeachment will roll off his back with the help of Lindsay and Mitch and for the nations #1 victim having that as part of your history is of no consequence because who reads books anymore? Trump knows his cult and they won't worry about legacy either.
No, it looks like Trump is where he always puts himself. In the middle of a huge mess made of incompetence, cruelty and self-interest just waiting for others to clean it up. And they always do. From Daddy to Roy Cohn to now the GOP other people are always there for him.
Amazing really when you ponder this fact. Some of us never catch a break but ole Donald has caught them all so far.
1
I keep trying to find that silver lining in the big ugly dark cloud that has been hovering over the White House for 3 years now.Of course when you have someone who is clueless about the meaning of Christmas; there is no point expecting the spirit of the Holy Season to possibly penetrate the heart of Grinch; whose heart shrinks 3 times it size ;unlike the fairy tale with the happy ending. There is no happy ending with such a morally bankrupt shell of a man; and his merry band of disinformation; formerly known as the Republican Party. To all the Americans who do understand what Christmas is all about; I wish you joy, peace, and love. As for the Grinch...Bah Humbug!
1
Every day for Donald Trump is a miserable day. The man is full of (to use an old fashioned word) bile. He scans his environment looking for enemies whom he always finds. Then his tiny, hateful heart immediately comes up with spiteful, belittling nick names for those enemies. There are no friends in his environment, only people he uses to vent his frustrations, whom he knows will eventually turn on him because he knows no one can stand him, no one trusts him. Too bad he is incapable of work, otherwise he could distract himself by usefully reading and studying what he should digest every day as president. But no, he will not do that. Instead he will go off to one of his rallies where the faithful assemble for one of his hate shows, his self pity shows. He and they are addicted to that adrenalin high. After the rally, reality sets in again and the grudges, the hate rise up and another miserable day of tweets and enemies.
2
I have to ask why all the pols are shedding crocodile tears about why impeachment is such a sad event? To my way of thinking, it is a glorious and necessary step to help rid our nation of the most corrupt, venal and disgraceful President -- ever.
Out with heavy hearts and hang dog expressions. Cmon. Anything that moves us closer to the end of the Trump regime is a positive, happy, cheerful moment in time.
4
Trump really wants a spot in history as the best at something....anything.
I’ll bet if he gets re-elected he will work really hard at getting himself impeached again so he can go down as the only president impeached twice.
2
I don’t think he is capable of any other type of Christmas, he’s a miserable man, everyone is out to get him, even deep state Santa.
5
If Trump was a Santa, he’d put a lump of coal into every citizen’s Xmas stocking...
1
Just in time for the holiday gatherings may I suggest you ask the trump supporters there these simple questions:
1. Would you trust your sweet 16 daughter to be alone in a room with trump?
2. Would you send your son to trump University?
3. Would you do work for trump without prepayment?
4.would you give money to a trump foundation?
5. Would you like to be in a foxhole with trump?
6. Would you trust him at cards?
7. Would you buy a used car from the man?
...the list does go on, but for our purposes we we might well stop here.
10
@Tom Hayden you'd let your 16 year old daughter alone with any of the candidates?
1
The last straw: helping his son kill endangered species.
4
Remember that dress that half the people saw as one color and half the people saw as another? Remember that audio recording of a woman's name that half heard pronounced one way and half heard another?
That's how our country now is divided on 45. I, and a good chunk of the country, see this man as totally unfit for office, a grifter, corrupt, self-serving. . .etc. etc. Alas, the other half of the country think he's just terrific. And those opinions are baked into our souls now. It's why we cannot talk with one another.
Bottom line, though, is that history is on our side. If the compromised Republicans and this nasty, nasty man don't completely destroy our lovely country, history will pass judgment and we WILL be vindicated. Alas, that is cold comfort.
2
As it is nauseating to focus on the content (completely accurate) of the article, I will send kudos to Ms. Collins for bringing back the obsolete term “span of horses”. Etymology is far more enjoyable than focusing on the despicable current occupant of the White House!
2
So tiresome, this money-making obsession with Trump. Where would 'the media' be without him. The impeachment is a sham, the IG report a corker, he's acquitted in the Senate and wins handy reelection against a weak (name your pick) Dem in 2020. Happy New Year.
1
Left-wing hatred for this president has reached its zenith. The Socialist-Democrat Party is in trouble. When they lose in 2020, pushing policies The majority of Americans don’t want, then what? Will they become even more unhinged—as the country continues to prosper?
2
Looks like a miserable little Christmas for Pelosi and you, too, Gail.
If it isn't hate at work amongst the progressive libs, it's Trump dislike of a nuclear order.
Your having once been raised Catholic suggests presidential prayers are in order. He may not do the same for you, but others will.
2
Thank you, Gail. I feel a little better.
3
Donald Trump is proof (if anyone needed it) that the Republican party and criminal behavior in its many manifestations are braided together. The propaganda infrastructure has been created to attempt minority rule by a party that understands that it cannot win a majority as it currently stands due to demographics and ideology. Therefore, Donald Trump's lies, misuse of charity funds, support of the most violent and terrifying elements in our country (war criminals, white supremacists, and militant gun rights activists) fit right in with the Republican playbook. No matter how you cheat and destroy the rules, Winning is everything.
Donald Trump is deplorable, but so far he has not started a bogus was under the pretenses of Weapon s of Mass Destruction.
I'm a geezer and statistically unlikely to survive Trump's second term, if that utter catastrophe comes to pass. And I'm revolted by the possibility that the Transition from President Obama to Trump will be the last bit of political history I'll experience personally. For me this transition has been from national pride to international embarrassment, truth to lies, courage to cowardice, democracy to plutocracy, grace to ugly incompetence, intelligence to idiocy, elegance to pettiness, patrician to lumpen, morality to criminality, love to hate, empathy to the apotheosis of narcissism...I could go on, and probably will, far (I hope) into the 2020's.
5
Using his foundations money to pay for paintings. done by a guy who paints your cat for a small fee, of Trump himself with painted eyes that follow you no matter where you go which he then gives to himself and you have to pay for the experience . Hey it's a win win deal ". All of that luscious Trumpness sends a chill through my soul. No banana and duct tape but real art and it looks just like him.
1
That swipe about Elizabeth Warren's marriage summed it all up again. No class, no vocabulary, no nothing!
2
As always Gail your columns are a breath of fresh air. I could support Trump’s having a miserable little Christmas if he didn’t project his misery on to the rest of us who would like to have a peaceful holiday. His behavior at the recent rally in PA was so repugnant it is hard to imagine anyone in the US being able to find a safe haven from this maniacal man who just happens to be the president of our beloved country.
3
I wish that a Marley type character, say Roy Cohn, would haunt Trump and tell him of all the horror that awaits him if does not change his vile ways. Or, any of the republicans that refuse to admit the truth of Trumps misdeeds. Beware of ignorance want for they will spell all our doom! Republicans seem to want to encourage that horror.
3
I guess the real problem is that even as the author rubs her hands in glee at the impeachment the reasons that half the country is opposed to it still elude her. The more that Democrats focus on Trump and this process the less air in the room for the presidential hopefuls, and the fly in the ointment is that Trump demanding that Ukraine investigate the Bidens is bolstered by the inconvenient truth that Biden jr., a dishonorably-discharged navy officer with a severe drug problem and no relevant expertise received a 50k per MONTH “job” “advising” Burisima while Joe was VP and overseeing Ukraine. It is easy to dismiss that last fact with all the platitudes and lame excuses that It was fine and legal but people are not so stupid as to imagine that that position was anything other than an obvious bribe. Voters are clear when politicians are circling the wagons to protect their chosen candidates, the perception is that BOTH parties are doing this to protect disreputable behavior which is why impeachment is not proceeding on a Nixon arc but more a Clinton arc. The coming election therefore promises to be even more divisive and the stench of Ukraine on BOTH sides will not go away but will probably harm Biden more because voters know what they are getting with Trump. As the old saying goes, “be careful what you wish for, you might just get it”.
1
Stole, embezzled, or perhaps “monetary relocation”?
Your sense of humor much needed and appreciated. If we didn't laugh a bit, the entire amoral sham of Donald J Trump, the Republican Party and the millions who naively or cynically put trust and support in them would make us weep.
If Gail ever loses her sense of humor about what's going on in Washington, I'll know we're in deep, deep trouble.
Trump will have a wonderful Christmas because he knows that his cronies in the House and Senate are behind him 100% regarding impeachment. No matter how awful, how unpatriotic, how un-American, how pro-Russian, how ignorant, how deceitful, how etc., etc., etc., he may be, he knows that his sycophantic base will cover his back. Trump is a totally shameless & narcissistic person who thrives on negativity. With impeachment actually something that is all about him, it is exponentially better for his ego than anything he ever has accomplished -- he is the star of his own reality show. Attempting to analyze any of Trump's thoughts or actions through the usual prism of normalcy is a fool's errand. His evident mental illness is both his greatest weakness and his greatest strength, the former for obvious reasons, but the latter because it shields him from understanding what is real. The prospect of impeachment would be daunting & alarming for a normal, rational person. But for Trump, it's just another day at the office in Crazytown.
Sorry, “stole” IS NOT “pretty harsh”.
1
I see they are going to have a follow up live performance of All in the Family in a week or two. Why not change it to All in the White House. We need to stop, step back, and find humor in a bigoted, hate filled, misogynistic man. Have a new show...Archie Bunker 2.0 as it were. I am sure there were many who were angered at the portrayal of a true blue, Christian conservative as a narrow minded bigot. Just like there would be many people now that would boycott the show and it's advertisers if it were about Trump. But please, we need a good laugh. Archie Bunker didn't end bigotry and misogyny. We certainly know that. But he did give us a break from worrying about it.
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is ONE Resignation.
Your cookies and champagne will be waiting.
Seriously.
6
Is Trump actually The Grinch? Nah, that tale finds that the Grinch actually has a heart...Trump has nothing.
3
How is Himself having a bad Christmas if every single press and media article is all about him? Isn't that exactly what he has always wanted for Christmas?
As of this posting? President Obama has a better popularity rating than this guy.
Greed is one of the deadly sins right? President Barack Obama wasn't greedy. He was cooler than the other side of the pillow.
This guy isn't cool at all. He's insulting, and most of us see right through his nonsense.
Merry Christmas everyone.
3
The times we live in... ugh.
Gail, you have the right word in regards to Trump and his 'charity' -- "STOLE" is what he did. And, of course, this is perfectly fine with his Evangelical base -- those valued Christians led by Mike Pence, Bill Barr, and Mike Pompeo -- bastions of integrity all.
2
Just loved the headline. Says it all.
What makes you think that Trump ever had a Merry Christmas? He is a miserable person. He is trapped in a mind that is so empty and wanting, he can never be satisfied with anything.
If he weren't so destructive to everyone else, I might actually have sympathy for the guy.
2
Hopefully President Pelosi next year, if only temporary, after this criminal and fellow travelers are consigned to the dustbin of history.
Trump is sending everyone he can to his golf resorts and they're still not making money. Sad!
Politics as holiday fun? Ms. Collins, you need a day off ;-)
Nice column. Thanks.
Mr. Trump needs Republican senators to be totally loyal to his glorious self; that gives GOP Senators a handle they can use to extract concessions from his great and unmatched wisdom. I wonder what they're asking for?
Picture this: senator says, "Hey Donald, if you told us what Vladimir has on you, maybe we can help."
Senator says, "How about you forget about your goofy wall?"
Senator says, "You know, that stupid trade war of yours is really hurting farmers in my state."
Senator says, "Nice little job you have here. Shame if something bad happened to it."
Senator says, "My state could really use a large military base."
Senator says, "I'll try to defend you, but first, I need a favor ..."
"What would you call it if somebody established a charity and then used a large chunk of other people’s donations to buy portraits of himself — one six feet tall — purchase sports memorabilia and pay off legal settlements for his private businesses?"
One word: TRUMPS
The sleaze DNA runs deep in all his family.
I want photos of the White House Christmas tree, instead. And by the way, stealing is the right word.
Oh my gosh! In that photo, I thought Trump was holding a rally and burning copies of the Constitution. Fortunately, it was only the lighting of the National Christmas Tree.
1
Sadly, I’m finding it harder to find anything at all amusing about Donald Trump, not even the thought of his having an awful Christmas, surrounded by his usual bootlickers. I think we will need decent people moving to Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin to offset the deplorable’s electoral college gerrymandered advantage. Surely, someone could come up with a list of counties where an influx of blue could tip the scale. After last night’s performance, I think I’m physically ill.
1
And to think how Trump used to whine that wishes of ‘Happy holidays’ and neutral Starbucks cups destroyed Christmas! How’s this Donald? I hope this December leave you wishing that a lump of coal were the worst thing coming your way. And by next Christmas, may you be packing your boxes to leave the White House.
1
Yes. Nancy Pelosi does seem to be a combination of Eleanor Roosevelt, Meryl Streep and Madame Curie.
365
@JKP Since you agree so eagerly , please share and elaborate which virtues or accomplishments or talents Madam Pelosi shares with those women.
2
@JKP
Arya Stark, the Slayer of the Night King???
3
@JKP What about Mother Theresa??
Nancy says she prays for Trump very night.
Roll over Buchanan, a bigger dog is moving in.
361
@Michele Underhill , I think W's record of damage to this country makes him the worst. Being a gentleman and not a crook does not clear his record as president.
2
@marc heilweil
As bad as W was, and he looked like he had the lock on worst president ever. Individual 1 blows him out of the water, hands down
7
@marc heilweil Considering the sweetheart deal he got on a football team, and his sudden sale of stock from his failing oil company, I think Bush also qualifies as a crook, along with being a war criminal.
2
Gloomy prediction: Ideology-driven violence wil increase in 2020.
1
I care nothing about how Trump feels while having a gaudy Xmas in his modern version of a moat, Mar a Lago.
But I do care about the poor who will be cut from food stamps by the Scrooge in the White House.
And I care about all those veterans who suffered the trauma of repeated tours of duty in Afghanistan, but who now from a released report that Geo W. Bush, Obama and Trump knew it was a senseless war that wasted the health of our troops and wasted tax payer monies.
I also care about civil news coverage is on PBS, versus how shrill the news coverage is on Fox, and often shrill on CNN.
Let’s get back to factual and calm coverage, and regain some mental health.
10
@Jean and yet it was Trump who had the courage to order the troops home. That fact doesn't, however, fit neatly into your hate-filled narrative.
You are correct Trump ordered the troops home.
If Trump is so certain of vindication, why is he so not-confident that his every utterance is at the decibel level of a foghorn? I'd love to play against Trump in a poker game. Talk about tells. This guy's face would be better than a mirror that reflects the cards in his hand directly into your eyeballs. He's almost shouting out, "I've got A-2-3-4-6," and the game is not Hi-Low Split.
Trump's act reminds me of a scene from the film "Jeremiah Johnson" where Johnson (Robert Redford, just in case your didn't know) and his mountain man mentor, "Bear Claw" Lapp (Will Geer), encounter a band of Indians led by "Paints His Shirt Red." During Johnson's first run-in with "Paints His Shirt Red, not a single word was spoken. But this time, everything Paints His Shirt Red says he shouts at them at the top of his lungs. Jeremiah, not understanding a word of the Indian language and a bit startled at the vocal ferocity, asks Bear Claw, "What's he yelling like that for?" Replies Bear Claw, "Because he's skeered of ya."
What better explanation for Trump's behavior?
4
interesting that all the commentators respond to Gail's humor with anguished hand-writing over Trump. Would that everybody--or at least a majority--would follow Gail's lead (and that of the NATO leaders) and just laugh at the silly goose. Being laughed at is the one thing he cannot stand and for which he has no direct come-back, being totally devoid of humor himself.
9
@Ed laugh. November 8, 2016.
1
Gail, the House will do "the right thing" and impeach Trump. The Senate will do its "right thing" and let him off. Isn't that called, "same old, same old?"
Personally, I'm sort of hoping the Democrats untangle this debate ruse, come up with a solid candidate choice, and then do everything possible to get that person elected President next year.
Let's face it, Trump smell to high heaven and needs to go.
3
Thanks to Trump we can all say Merry Christmas again. We just won't be saying it to him.
1
We got the the best Christmas impeachment present last night. Not the markup. It's the news that Lev Parnas received a $1M payment from Russia this summer right in the middle of this conspiracy. Remember when the news about Parnas' company paid $500K to Giuliani (last year) came out in October? Giuliani made a specific point about proving the money came from the US. Protest too much? If Giuliani's Ukrainian "corruption" fight was funded by Russia, this should be game over. SDNY has asked the judge to revoke Parnas' bail. He's been shopping his cooperation. He's going to need to drop the asking price. Christmas is on sale!
6
Yes, Trump is upset he is being impeached. While he touts the achievements of his Presidency (really?), the asterisk indicating he was impeached features in the history books. BTW, his claim of filling in conservative judges? That comes from Mitch McConnel's efforts - stonewalling judges during the Obama era. Rising economy? It has slowed down since Obama's stimulus. Jobs? yes, but lower paying ones. Many of his supporters pay has not budged, or lessened with respect to inflation. My point is that having a great economy, as he calls it, is both not due to his efforts AND should not deflect from his illegal and unethical practices. He is our worse President ever.
11
All Americans should ask: "Regardless of my party, did Trump abuse his office OR did Trump obstruct Congress?" Every Democrat should ask how they would vote if they were a Republican. And every Republican should ask how they would vote if they were a Democrat.
When you ask those simple questions, and then listen to Congress, you can only reach one conclusion. Many, if not all, Republicans in Congress are going to violate their oath of office.
789
@Richard Lee The Republicans have been violating their oaths by kowtowing and genuflecting before the altar of trump. They sold their souls for him. You gotta ask, WHY?
78
It is beyond passing strange to read how so many Americans expect their political representatives to vote on impeaching a POTUS along party lines - NOT on whether what the POTUS did was wrong, flouted the Constitution or went against the national interest. Absence of any functioning moral compass in a whole population influencing decision making is truly astonishing ... but it explains the dystopian society which is today's America.
85
@R A Go bucks: The same reasons as old as time itself - power and money.
6
Not sure of the outcome of all this, but I am proud of the Democrats for impeaching Trump. Yes, the Senate will set him free to lie again, and the same Senate will not bring a vote on the Democratic bill on drug prices, or anything else they put forward. The Republicans think they can freeze time, fight environmental degradation by ignoring it and allow the very very rich to party on with no consequences. That’s not how life works. Trump is the pied piper of the moment leading the unwitting children away from safety. As one of the remaining adults, I’m not sure how the next four years will turn out, both politically and environmentally, but I’m hoping Democrats will be elected down tickets throughout the U.S., and the coming primaries strongly foretell it, starting a push to November 2020.
In the meantime, Trump’s face gets more and more orange while his rants become crazier - he’s started on toilet flushing (how much do we have to listen to?) - and his tweets multiply exponentially. And Gail is right, he is not moral. I’m amazed that men like Cosby an Weinstein, who have both had much more power than he throughout their lives, can be brought down based on less evidence than there is now available about Trump’s very bad behavior.
This whole thing will end one of three ways. Trump will loose in November and people forget the whole thing, all Republicans loose and politicians successfully clean up our voting system and Government, Trump wins and chaos is permanent.
10
"I sculpted his head out of mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving and squished gravy all over it."
I usually believe it's a cheap shot to depict a person's physical anomalies as a character flaw regardless of how reprehensible he or she may be in areas that matter. But I do make exceptions. Gail, next time you get the urge to sculpt Trump's bust out of a food product, use yams.
11
Why, Gail, those sentiments are absolutely snarky and I couldn't agree more.
I will amend, if I may, your comment about Nancy Pelosi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Madame Curie, and Meryl Streep; I would have added Joan of Arc.
7
Let me give you an anecdote for Christmas.
Two days ago a family member who has his own successful business and lives in Florida, a lifelong Republican, officially dropped his Republican status and registered as a Democrat.
If this family member changed his party registration, I'm guessing this is quietly happening with more frequency.
Cheers!
968
@Pat Boice that’s the first bit of hopeful news I’ve heard in months! Thanks for sharing.
114
@Pat Boice: It may not mean what you think it means. In Texas, Republicans regularly register as Democrats so that they can vote in the primary for the candidate they think will be the easiest for the Republicans to beat. Then they re-register as Republicans for the general election. I have heard more than one person boasting about this doing this myself, and heard other stories from friends who have relatives who do the same thing. I've always thought it was unethical behavior, but they see nothing wrong with it -- as usual, cheating or unethical behavior seems to be perfectly acceptable behavior among Republicans. They embrace the notion "win by any means necessary." Which is probably why they also don't think that obstruction and abuse of power are crimes. State Republicans also trying to pare back the voter rolls by any means necessary, making it difficult for college students and seniors all across the state to vote, by removing mobile polling stations for the disabled and requiring proof of residency that is onerous to obtain. I certainly hope your relatives have other, more honorable motives than Texas Republicans. Of course, the latter have been in absolute power since 1994 in this state, and as the old saying goes, "absolute power corrupts absolutely," so Texas Republicans may be especially spoiled by their grip on power.
74
@Tired That is a practice that happens in Idaho as well but not until right before the primaries. I don't think that is the situation here.
11
I understand that Pelosi wanted this impeachment over before the primaries, but only two articles of impeachment?
They should have thrown the book at Trump. They had the evidence for at least six. Do emolument violations now not matter?
Every President forthcoming will now say...You let Trump get away with making money off the presidency.
3
Donald Trump and Bill Barr essentially argue that a sitting president cannot be investigated for anything by anyone, not the FBI or DOJ (because they are part of the Executive Branch run by the president) and not even Congress, despite the express right of impeachment set forth in Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution. Taking this to its (il)logical conclusion, Trump presumably would not be bound by decisions of the Supreme Court, either.
So before we even debate the facts, our Constitution has been re-imagined by Trump and his Republican sycophants to create a king, not a president. George Washington and the other Founders who fought for independence must be spinning in their graves.
8
If only there were a way to appoint Santa to the Senate in time to find out who’s naughty and who’s nice. Unfortunately, Mitch McConnell would block that move in a New York minute.
Wait a second! Donald Trump is now planning to have Alan Dershowitz lead his defense team when the case moves to the Senate. There's a way to turn that into another bad Trump decision .
It’s a perfect opportunity to have Speaker Nancy Pelosi bring in Santa as a final witness just before the full House votes on Trump’s impeachment. Then, the Democratic case managers sent over from the House to the Senate can call Santa as an expert witness on naughty-nice distinctions.
McConnell’s objections probably will be overruled quickly by Chief Justice John Roberts, who wants an excuse to recede into the deep background on anything Trump. An open-and-shut case following Santa’s definitive opinion would allow Roberts to resume his anonymity.
Dershowitz and McConnell will fume because this is one Claus they cannot ignore in parsing the Constitution.
There is hope across the land. Be of good cheer, citizens. Anything which ruins Donald Trump's day, brightens ours.
3
Saving American democracy, saving the U.S. Constitution rests on keeping the House Blue and flipping the Senate and White House to Blue in November. Ordinarily, I'm not a fan of one-party government. But these times are not ordinary. Our future as a nation of laws depends upon voting Blue in November. We all must pledge on doing whatever we can to get out the vote!!!
6
I have a nagging feeling we've seen something similar occur during the O.J. Simpson trial.
The prosecution presented their evidence.
The defense pivoted and largely based their case upon questioning the "motives" of Detective Mark Fuhrman, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office and the L.A.P.D.
The prosecution was now on trial. The evidence presented against the "accused" became an after thought.
On that basis....we all remember the verdict. To date....I assume the case must still be open. The "actual" perpetrator or perpetrators of the crime remain unknown and at large.... and the victims, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman and their families have never received justice.
But the "accused," the defense teams client, O.J. Simpson was found not guilty...and they celebrated the outcome. Mission Accomplished? I wondered though, at what future cost?
1
it's one thing to write about all the ugliness and reasons why Trump is not fit for office. Gail, you make us laugh so we don't cry. But anyone who has children, or otherwise feels accountable for the future, absolutely MUST take whatever ACTION they have bandwidth for to stop Trump and the Republicans at all costs.
7
If Nancy Pelosi decides to keep the impeachment from moving from the House to the Senate until after the Nov 2020 elections, Trump will have all the time between now and then to twist in the wind, deciding whether he can solicit more illegal activities abroad or not. It should tie his tweets in knots; or not. Anyway, I'd rather hit the Pause button after the House vote and watch Mitch McConnell go nuts having a Merrick Garland move placed on himself (too close to an election to send the impeachment to the Senate).
1
I wish that for Mr. Trump's Christmas present, his star evangelical supporters show up at the White House, lay hands on him and force Trump to pretend to "pray" with them.
That is when he looks the most uncomfortable to me. I always wonder: What is he thinking about as he pretends to "pray"?
3
I’d say “appropriation” would work. Much as he appropriated money to repair substandard housing for military families to build his border wall. He is nothing if not a master of using other people’s money.
1
You can hate and admire.
The Yankees were both hated and admired by the National League Fans.
Very few people change the course of history.
As an example, Lincoln was not one of them.
At that point in time, either the country was going to break up or it was going to be Missouri-Kansas plus.
It turned out to be Missouri-Kansas plus.
Lincoln just happened to be there.
Trump has single handedly turned the trajectory of the US from becoming a third world country to a place yet to be determined.
He did this in the face of all that he faced.
In a way, impeachment will herald his accomplishment that much more.
Comparing Trump to Buchanan or Johnson is difficult. Trump is what scholars politely refer to as a dichotomous president. Someone who is both great and terrible depending on which aspects of their presidency you choose to ignore. Trump is also what scholars call a schizoid president. Someone who is hard to compare with other administrations because, frankly, the president isn't entirely there. Trump fits both descriptions simultaneously.
The worshiping adoration of an irrational base is dichotomous when compared to the general public. Meanwhile, Trump's behavior is so erratic and unhinged, we've had serious discussions about the 25th Amendment. That really only leaves three choices for comparison. Wilson after the stroke. Reagan after dementia. And possibly Nixon.
Trump is certainly no Wilson. Trump isn't a Reagan either. That really only leaves Nixon which is a tough comparison. Nixon was a schizoid and dichotomous but not necessarily all at the same time. That and Nixon's accomplishments were mostly real rather than imagined and/or self-proclaimed.
One scholar said of Nixon, "How can one evaluate such an idiosyncratic president, so brilliant and so morally lacking?"
Of Trump you might say, "How did one so idiosyncratic and morally lacking become president?"
Either way, Trump is in the running for bottom of the barrel. As much as we can compare Trump at all, he's way, way down on the list. I mean he makes GWB look thoughtful and intelligent. That's saying something.
4
People need to be in the streets.
It may not influence Trump to do anything but lock the door, but are no Republicans any longer able to feel shame?
Really, if we're not in the streets about THIS, what would bring us there?!
3
Wouldn't it have been a great surprise if the Democrats, after reading off the articles of impeachment for Trump, had said to the Republicans who were lungeing to rant, "Hold on, we have a few articles of impeachment for some of you as well"? Then they could have held up one of those big posters like those at the hearings that showed a smiling emoji.
2
oh Ms. Collins, thank you for this, I needed this. Wonderful piece.
I had a visit from a friend last night. He being a European, and not quite understanding what we gringos are all going through daily with The Donald, and what an assault it is on every aspect of civilized, decent, honest behavior. There are days where I find myself walking around just shaking my head in disbelief. I hope I live long enough to read the history books that will review and assess this horrendous era properly and tell us many things that we still don't know about the level of corruption and dishonesty, not to mention the horrific behavior on all levels.
May he get a lump of coal for Christmas, which is more than he deserves.
2
Determining the worst president in history is difficult when we now have the expanse of the internet, a global perspective of reflecting on Trump's behavior, and mass media coverage spilling its content on the public.
All that can make matters appear worse than they are.
However, it's also possible that things are, ironically, much worse than they are. That the frog that is at a slow simmer in the pot is closer to a full boil than imagined. Trump and his allies are turning up the heat (speaking of climate change) to the point that our institutions are melting, the truth is turning to steam, and democracy is being transformed to dictatorship.
Right now, we think of Trump and his allies and base as terrible -- but as history marches, and boils, on -- I wonder what 2020 and 2024 and beyond could mean if his re-elections could turn America into a state we cannot imagine now except as a Putin-type nightmare.
2
Maybe, just maybe, when the family is gathered in their
tasteless gilt, they might hundle and see the wisdom of
pulling Daddy off the track for mental evaluation and treatment,
then who needs impeachment?
The issue of Trump's mental state is not being given enough
attention and could actually/seriously be an Article of
Impeachment.
How much more chaos is he going to be allowed to cause?
Ol' Mitch McConnell's holiday should be spent discovering how
un-American he is being, and how his party's chances next year
would be improved with a nominee other than the Nutty One.
3
The unique problem for Democrats, a president so corrupt that the impeachment counts could look like a menu in a Chinese restaurant. The only choice to reach folks who actually work for a living, was to take one from column A and one from column B, disregarding columns C and D entirely. Since there is no hope that Trump's coconspirators in Congress will flip on him, maybe Democrats should have thrown the book at Trump - emoluments, unsecured communications, the Syria debacle, conflicts of interest, etc. . It would be a thick book that almost nobody would read but it would be more satisfying than just two counts for such a comprehensively corrupt man.
1
Impeachment will fail, not only in the Senate where it is a foregone conclusion, but also in November of 2020 when Trump and the Republican majority, with the help of their buddy Vlad, and the Koch cabal, buy the election. Can the Russians change the results in antiquated voting machines? Of course they can, has anybody been able to prove they didn't in 2016? Democracy may survive at the local level for awhile, but with half the country uniformed or brainwashed by Fox, a wake up call is a long time off.
2
Speaker Pelosi — Please DO NOT send the articles of impeachment to the senate to vote on. You know what that outcome will be: dismissal, or even worse, acquittal.
Let it just sit out there — and after you get more evidence of actual criminal behavior (from his tax returns), bring them up again, adding even more articles.
Then yes, watch all the Republicans’ heads explode.
3
The most perplexing thing is who are the people that voted for Donald and after all the corruption and unimaginable nastiness, who are the people that stand behind this madness. Is our country really deserving of this?
3
This is the famed Magnificat of Mary, recorded in Luke’s Gospel:
My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart....put down the mighty from their thrones....filled the hungry with good things....sent the rich away empty.
The message of Christmas turns the world of human moral value and achievement upside down. Evangelicalism does not understand this. Trump does not understand this.
It is a message received only by the humble, truly open to the mystery of grace.
2
As an avid political follower, now, 73, it is beyond my comprehension, the support from republicans for this clearly inept ,cruel, ignorant law breaker. Basic clear facts and truth are ignored. I feel like our Nation is living in Alice's Wonderland. Until the difference between fact and opinion is understood, I have little hope. There is no defense for the behavior of 45 in the phone call to Zelinsky so we are subjected to distractions, temper tantrums, and irrelevancies. Our hope to continue as a Democratic Republic is to vote blue in 2020.
3
Who would have guessed that the two most formidable forces resisting the collapse of our democracy into a sick, white, male dominated cult would be two elderly women - Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Nancy Pelosi. I always felt respected, appreciated and safe around my grandmothers.
5
Gail, always displaying your open heart. Ok. enjoy the holidays, Gail.
may your mind be at peace, and your heart open even to those with different political views.
1
Santa will be delivering a very, very special present from the House to that lump of coal in the White House.
1
Jesse Jackson, Jr. and his former wife, Sandy went to prison for pilfering his campaign fund to make similar personal purchases. They did not include a six foot oil portrait, but JJ, Jr. would certainly look a lot better than Trump. Maybe the New York DA should accuse Trump of aesthetic crimes as well as embezzlement.
1
Gail, I've decided what I really want for Christmas -- a Recession! Because the only way we can get rid of Trump in the 2020 election is to have one. And even though a recession would most adversely affect the poor and the middle class, they will all be better off in the long run if we could kick every Republican out of office next November.
2
Are you so hate filled that you want a recession in which millions of people mostly the poor will lose their jobs, homes, their health will suffer. Older people will lose their 401 k retirement plans. Way to feed into the republicans hands that the Democrats don’t truly care about the little people.
I don’t see the point I wishing the president a bad Christmas. It just plays into his long term strategy of Divide And Conquer (and own the libs).
I look forward to the day (if it comes), when the US president will run the office in an official manner, instead of making 339,000,000 people whip around and swerve according to his moods as expressed on the privately owned Twitter electronic platform.
117
@Paul
I'm wishing trump a happy holiday.
5
@Paul
While you don't see the point I don't see the harm
8
@Paul
Like you, I look forward to the day (if it comes) when we have a real President again, and I am going to do everything in my power to make that blessed day happen. But in the meantime, I see no harm in wishing Agent Orange the horrendous & humiliating Christmas he has so stubbornly earned for himself.
17
Ah, remembering the Summer of ‘73 and the Watergate hearings. I was one of those college students attentive to those hearings.
Living off campus with a group of friends, our old Victorian in Brookline, MA with a large balcony was a much better setting than any dorm room.
My classmate (& neighbor), with my long hair & his scruffy beard (my attempt at one going mostly unnoticed) had trouble finding summer jobs. So we took matters into our own hands and decided to leaflet the neighborhood, offering our services for odd jobs — painting, washing windows, whatever we could do.
Needing a handle for our “business”, we found inspiration in the hearings. Hence we called ourselves
“Watergate Home Maintenance”
with the tag line of
“We get the bugs out”.
Nowadays, we’d have to say “We get the slime out”, but I don’t know if we’d be able to deliver on our promises.
5
Love your article Gail. Personally I think the dems should plaster the constitution on social and print media highlighting why he was impeached. Maybe some trump supporters may actually read and insist the GOP to find him guilty. It is the public that needs to be engaged!
10
This is the first time since I retired that I achingly miss my classroom. I taught: American History, American Civics, American Government and Constitutional Law. Miss. It. Every. Day. All. Day. Long. I truly believe the reason Individual 1 was elected is because our electorate is not being required to attend Civics and Government classes.
13
So it’s come to this. The best we can hope for is that he has a bad Christmas.
2
These are amazing times, like being in a civics class that never ends. Weary from the shady and unethical antics of Trump, I must say the Democrats are eloquent in their defense of the Constitution. I can only imagine how weary our legislators are, in fighting the corruption of this unethical president. While how history will view an event will always be uncertain, when it can be viewed as a retrospective, I imagine the bravery of our men and women in the Congress, such as Nancy Pelosi, who have continued to stay true to their pledge to defend the Constitution, will go down in history as a significant turning point in our country. I see statues of Nancy Pelosi and Elijah Cummings in the great halls of our Congress.
15
When Gail Collins asks: "What would you call it if somebody established a charity and then used a large chunk of other people’s donations to buy portraits of himself..." My first thought was 'purloined' but that opened the door to 'pilfered' and 'looted' - gorgeous words, which perfectly describe the actions of a man who has adopted 'Charity begins at home' as his life-long mantra.
13
This is a cheery pre-Christmas column if I ever read one. But I beg to differ about: “Fifty years from now, kids who’ve been watching all this action from their college dorms will be able to answer their grandchildren’s questions about Trump’s bad hair and worse values.”
Fifty years from now when Baron Trump has ascended to the presidency, following the amendments to the Constitution and their firmly established rules of succession, and after his positions as Governor of Mexico and then Canada, the young men (Evangelical Women are at home) in college dorms will be at their Russian lessons.
Disrespectful talk about the founder of Great Again America, who did “NOTHING wrong” will not be tolerated under law.
6
The Whitewater investigation was about Clinton's personal finances before he was president.
And it cost $100 Million in today's dollars.
I'd go for that with Trump.
4
He enjoys the chaos and attention. He'll have a great Christmas. I wish it were otherwise.
4
@Sarah D. It’s all about attention and grabbing headlines. Whether it is ridicule or praise Trump thrives in attention, holding his audience captive either in disgust or in fawning.
1
Gail, well said, but the real problem is the future of democracy.
Trump leaves, sooner or later, but if we lose democracy, we die!
Let me, again, urge you to write about the "Democracy" song.
"Democracy is coming to the USA" (Leonard Cohen, 1992)
You can find the song on YouTube and the lyrics online.
"Democracy is coming to the USA"
4
I'd send Trump a couple of lumps of coal for his stocking, except that he seems to see absolutely everything as vindication of him, and so he'd probably declare that it was a secret-Santa gift from the coal industry, and brag about it.
13
And yet. Several friends see clearly what is going on and maintain that even this debasing of the Presidency is better than we would have gotten with HRC, who might get the 1956 Adlai Stevenson treatment (he lost to Ike in 52, so he'll beat Ike the next time!) in 20. As someone once said, it's the party of no ideas up against the party of bad ideas.
As for DJT, I imagine that he is having the Christmas of his life, what with getting to treat America the way Fred Trump treated him. I hear that the Grinch has signed on as a holiday temp just to study how it's done by the best in the business.
It's sad that we are so distracted by his boorishness that the baleful results of his policy decisions become almost invisible. Journalists who criticize the Saudi or Russian governments are treated as enemies of the people. It seems appropriate that on Christmas, a holiday that celebrates the utter credulity of human beings by basing one myth on the reality of another myth, we can be regaled by fiction presented as fact, as hatred presented as love.
So, yes, I imagine that our dear leader is enjoying himself, and that's pretty much the best Christmas present any of us could ask for.
6
There were stories for years about his corrupt business practices in NYC; along with the corrupt Trump University, Trump Institute, and Trump Foundation. I heard him tell Howard Stern in real time that his "Personal Vietnam" was avoiding STDs while partying in the sixties and seventies. There is little doubt that the Soviet block countries began to recruit him decades ago. That will go down as the most successful compromise operation in history.
All of this information, and more, was available prior to the 2016 election. An enormous number of registered voters chose to not vote, or voted for Stein and Johnson, or wrote in Sanders and Mickey Mouse over the Democratic Party nominee. Now people are watching her interview with Stern and realizing what has been lost.
The greatest tragedy of it all is the people Trump is appointing to life-long federal judge positions. Pitiful.
23
Not pitiful, but rather tragic. It will affect this country for a generation.
9
@L T Who is the "her" you refer to in your second paragraph? Hillary Clinton?
It is hard to get past the fact that our Glorious Leader used his Charity like his personal ATM.
He has said that using other people’s money is a savvy business strategy. But stealing charitable donations? The Salvation Army might have to defend the kettles when Trump walks by.
I suspect future movie versions of “A Christmas Carol” will have Scrooge look like Trump. And the ending, of course, will change. Mr. Scrooge will choose the path of greed, despair, and destruction.
But, at least for the rest of 2019, we can be of good cheer. After all, we still have a Constitution that allows debate on whether we want a Constitutional representative democracy or a monarchy.
14
@Rita I think of Charlie Chaplin’s little dictator. Apparently it is too scary to make a really forceful movie about Trump at this time.
Citizen Kane is another example of how to do it. There isn’t any mystery about why he does what he does but there’s a most dramatic mystery about what is Russia doing in his life.
3
Gail,
Nancy Pelosi has been speaker for a long time and has been standing up to Trump since he was elected. I agree that she is extraordinary but puzzled why it took you until only a few months ago to realize this.
18
All I want for Christmas is not my two front teeth, but the return of my youth and sanity to my nation both of which seem far away. Perhaps the second might become a little closer with the impeachment and removal of Trump, but then again there is Pence waiting in the wings. Oh will, maybe next year with the elections.
14
@just Robert—Sycophant Pence, with his expectant look, waiting in the wings: oh no! I guess I'll hope for 2020 and one of those several Democrats vying for the job.
who can imagine what horrors will happen when Trump is required to leave office? You know he won't go peacefully. He will deny all reality while casting slanderous lies on everyone else. Not merely handcuffs but a straight jacket and possibly a ball gag as authorities physically remove him all because he is and has been divorced from reality.
21
I often ponder how Trump will be presented in history textbooks. The red states will most likely have different versions than the blue states since they are still battling creationism versus evolution. The number one question is will there ever again be a foundation of truths on which there is agreement? Listening to the GOP during the impeachment proceedings is akin to entering an alternate reality. I feel like if Nadler held up an apple, the GOP would blast him and declare it a watermelon and the base would fervently agree. How can we function as a society if there are no longer evidence-based facts upon which we agree? Trump has perfected the art of labeling everything that displeases him as fake news, a witch-hunt, a hoax. Facts have become irrelevant and superfluous. Has he succeeded in creating a new template for governance in which norms are ignored when they serve the personal interests of our leaders?
I did laugh at the image of Ms. Collins creating a likeness of 45 out of mashed potatoes and I do appreciate the momentary escape from the Trumpean nightmare, but he has made lying, corruption, sexual predation, crass and crude behavior and complete violation of constitutional norms acceptable to the 63 million people who cheer him on. I can’t seem to find anything funny about that. I am going out to buy some potatoes today to try and sculpt Mitch McConnell, the Darth Vader of the Senate. Maybe it will mitigate my dreary wearies. Maybe not.
826
@Patricia Caiozzo "The red states will most likely have different versions than the blue states since they are still battling creationism versus evolution." Perfecto.
93
@Patricia Caiozzo - I agree with your sentiment, but not some of your words. Labeling everything that displeases him is not an art. It is lying. Prevarication. There is nothing artistic about it. It is a daily, never-ending abomination made worse by the fact that the media covers every lie, every deceit, every tainted word he utters or tweets.
I would love to see his reaction to not being covered ad nauseum for one week. A tweet blackout by the entire media for one week. Now THAT would be a real Christmas gift to America.
68
@Patricia Caiozzo
Mitch McConnell is much more like Sheev Palpatine, in my opinion
13
Donald Trump invented Twitter, the perfect instrument for him to stay in the spotlight; he knows there is no such thing as bad publicity, even if the publicity focuses on one's contemptible behavior. He loves the whole impeachment process, it gives him almost as much publicity as a nestful of tweets. He's already beginning to relish the pleasure he will bath in next November when he demolishes the Democratic candidate at the polls. So, give up Democrats, don't even bother to vote.
1
@eclectico — Surely you jest, sir-madam! Please say "yes"!
Thanks Boris
All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth..... biting into a cake to celebrate his impeachment.
And in 2020, I would love to see some Republican senators put their country before their loyalty to Trump.
14
You provide comic relief, Gail, when you list the instances of Trump's egregious, even criminal, behavior which sadly is no laughing matter. Deadly serious, however, the greater assault on our mental health as a nation, are these grievances which so far have shamefully failed to move the thinking needle among Republicans and the GOP, all of whom who should know better. Denial of the gravity of serial offenses committed by this President, despot, yes, benevolent, no, in the face of hard, incontrovertible facts is reprehensible, especially when the consequences of letting Trump off the hook - for example, the imminent creation of total autocracy - are clearly dire.
4
When the ship is sinking and the Captain keeps screaming, "Stay the course, stay the course" the crew will eventually throw the Captain overboard if that's what it takes to save the ship. Senate Republicans, you're up.
12
@no kidding, that's what they believed in the Weimar Republic, too. Grab a life preserver.
HoHoHo this sham will end President Trump will be re-elected and Republicans will control both the House and the Senate.
Merry Christmas
3
Lucky for me I am not a trump supporter and so receive no emails or text from the guy. Don't use Twitter either.
But based on what you quote from his letter to his supporters, trump is clearly insane.
20
Bit taken aback and not by Trump. Americans I have met travelling or living in Australia have invariably been very polite. Many of you complain about how ill mannered Trump is but this is quite shocking. But then to be fair America appears to have gone mad.
218
@Ros I travel quite a lot internationally, and I've yet to meet any other American overseas who doesn't think Trump is a dangerous loon.
61
@Ros
Good morning,
A simplistic answer is; the folks you met are the ones that got a passport and are interested in the rest of world, or at least want to take a look.
The MAGA charmers are only interested in chanting ‘’ USA, USA...’’.
70
@Ros -maybe if you lived in our country and had to listen to Trump's stupidities day after day after day you would understand why Americans have gone mad. I envy you living on the other side of the world and having a leader who is smart and compassionate.
47