Years from now, when all the books authored by Trump administration officials have been written, what will stand out most is the ingenuity displayed by a few members of Donald Trump's staff. It took over a year for them to figure it out, but it paid off "bigly."
Trump stated what he wanted to do as president during the campaign, so we should not be surprised that he is now trying to put those policies in place. The biggest problem was that Trump could never see the intricacies involved in setting policy, nor could he understand how changing policy in one area affected others. This may account for the high turnover rate in the administration and the confusion in interpreting Trump's executive orders. Trump also has a limited range of vocabulary and oratory is not his strong suit, which does not help in communicating with Congress.
The solution implemented by the White House staff was simple diversion. Here's an example. Trump imposes tariffs on a number of countries which endangers the economy, places dairy farms in bankruptcy, and causes a number of companies to move out of the country. The media would have a field day on this. But what if we divert the media's attention? Send Trump to Montana for a rally! This accomplishes so much! Trump is in his element. He loves to have a crowd of "his people" waving banners and cheering. He needs no prepared statement. He starts talking about his rally crowds being larger than Elton John's (they weren't, but no matter). He says Elton needs an organ to get his crowds (for the record, Elton John plays piano). Trump states he "has no organ." He does not need a musical instrument, only his mouth. A mouth "attached to a brain." The brain is "much more important." He has implied in the past that his IQ is higher than most others.
Then Trump goes on to mock Senator John McCain, and again praises himself as someone who "gets things passed." Then he criticized George H.W. Bush by wondering what was meant by a "thousand points of lights." In the same fashion he called out Rep. Maxine Waters as having a "low IQ," Obama, NATO, his 2016 electoral college victory, and to top it off, he referred to journalists as "dishonest," "fake," and "really bad people." He suggests that Senator Elizabeth Warren take a DNA test to establish her ancestry to Native Americans. But do it gently because she's a woman and we have to be sensitive to her needs.
So, what does this have to do with the genius of Trump's staff? Because they know what Trump is: a person without the skills to be a leader, who has no interest in the details of any issue and finds it much easier to make fun of his political enemies than to reach out to them and find real answers. Rather than having to explain his position on tariffs or budget negotiations which would provide plenty of fodder for the press to use against Trump, let the media report on the stupid, immature and comical statements made to a crowd of people who are just like him!
Why report on a lack of progress on substantive issues when the press can make commentary about Trump's idiotic comments? Wave the shiny object, talk about how pretty it is, and ignore the train coming right behind you.
Yes, I do see the irony. I am writing about Trump's rambling incoherencies rather than intellectually debating his policies. But at least I recognize the irony. I'm not sure others who report on such things do. Recognition of a fault is the first step in correcting the fault.
Shiny objects aside, I wonder why Senator Warren didn't offer to take the DNA test if Trump would take an IQ test? Inquiring minds want to know.
-- Devin Houston is the president/CEO of Houston Enzymes. Send comments or questions to [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 07/11/2018