March 24th in TrumpWorld
Let's see how easy it is, again, to demonstrate the chaos that was the Trump Administration.
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March 24, 2017
"When Speaker Paul D. Ryan arrived at the White House on Friday to inform President Trump that the health care bill he had made his first major legislative push could not pass, Mr. Trump had one reaction: He wanted revenge."
From the New York Times: In Dropping Health Vote, Trump Swallowed Need for a Showdown
That's pretty tame by Trump standards but I think it makes two points: Trump wasn't very good at getting legislation passed, and he always wants revenge. By the way, that's the first article I found in my search. So far, this has been easy.
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March 24, 2018
"Inside the West Wing, aides described an atmosphere of bewildered resignation as they grappled with the all-too-familiar task of predicting and reacting in real time to Mr. Trump’s shifting moods.
Aides said there was no grand strategy to the president’s actions, and that he got up each morning this week not knowing what he would do. Much as he did as a New York businessman at Trump Tower, Mr. Trump watched television, reacted to what he saw on television and then reacted to the reaction."
From the New York Times: After Another Week of Chaos, Trump Repairs to Palm Beach. No One Knows What Comes Next.
Nope. Not hard at all. By the way, I wrote "demonstrate the chaos" before I ever started my search and got "Another Week of Chaos". And once again, this is the first story I found about Trump, simply by searching the New York Times archives for the date: March 24, 2018. I never have figured out how he avoided the moniker "Captain Chaos". It's his superpower. (Along with his lack of shame.) He thrives on it.
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March 24, 2019
"Unlike Mr. Mueller, whose mandate was largely focused on any links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, the federal prosecutors in Manhattan take an expansive view of their jurisdiction. That authority has enabled them, along with F.B.I. agents, to scrutinize a broader orbit around the president, including his family business.
Mr. Trump told The New York Times in 2017 that any examination of his family’s finances, beyond any relationship to Russia, would cross a red line, and last year he privately asked the former acting attorney general, Matthew G. Whitaker, if someone he viewed as loyal could be put in charge of the investigations at the Manhattan office, The Times reported last month."
From the New York Times: As Mueller Report Lands, Prosecutorial Focus Moves to New York
Yep. First article I came across. Russia. Family. Loyalty. We know who this guy is. At nearly 80 years old, he is not going to change.
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March 24, 2020
"Relaxing those restrictions could significantly increase the death toll from the virus, public health officials warn. Many economists say there is no positive trade-off — resuming normal activity prematurely would only strain hospitals and result in even more deaths, while exacerbating a recession that has most likely already arrived."
From the New York Times: Trump Considers Reopening Economy, Over Health Experts’ Objections
If you don't remember how many people died, you should refresh your memory. And refresh your memory about how many more Americans died than in other comparable counties. (Hey, we beat Romania, Greece and Hungary. Remember Trump's pal, Victor Orban of Hungray?)
This was the second story in the search cue. The first was about the Fed saving the economy.
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March 24, 2021 -- Trump is gone but not forgotten.
"President Trump has relentlessly attacked mail voting, calling it a free-for-all for cheating and a Democratic scheme to rig elections.
None of the charges are true.
But as eight states and the District of Columbia vote on Tuesday in the biggest Election Day since the coronavirus forced a pause in the primary calendar, it is clear that Mr. Trump’s message has sunk in deeply with Republicans, who have shunned mail ballots.
Republican officials and strategists warned that if a wide partisan gap over mail voting continues in November, Republicans could be at a disadvantage,..."
Republicans Fear Trump’s Criticism of Mail-In Ballots Will Hurt Them
That was all the way down on page A15. Not bad for an ex-President, I guess, seeing as most Presidents usually try to stay quiet for a year or more to give the new guy a fair shake to govern.
By the way, I think the abortion issue has hurt Republicans more than Trump. But then again, "the abortion issue" became their problem because Mitch McConnell "stole" a Supreme Court seat from Obama and gave it to Trump. It will be hard to tell how bad mail-in ballots will hurt them, with abortion on the ballot, but I'm pretty sure it won't help them.
But Trump will call the election "rigged" no matter what happens. I hope you've already thought that far. If you haven't, you've lost The Flick. The second Trump became nominee, that was back on the table. Unless Trump wins -- overwhelmingly -- he'll say the election was rigged. And if he drags the rest of the Republicans down with him -- like I expect him to -- they'll join him this time.
You do remember last time, right? A bunch of Republicans -- just elected in a free and fair election -- decided to leave logic behind and challenge the election. The very same election that got them elected. They took their oaths of office on January 3rd -- "We won!" -- and on January 6th they objected to the election because Trump didn't win. The very same election they had silently acknowledged was fair just three days before.
Imagine if, this year, the vast majority of Republican candidates for the House of Representatives lose. Trump drags them all down with him Do you think they'll hesitate to jump on the "the election was rigged!" bandwagon with Trump? Yeah, I don't think so either.
Remember, the members of the House have to run for reelection every two years. All of them. And the Republican Party has been sacrificing their own -- purging the moderates. (Liz Cheney? A "moderate"? Since when?) Mike Johnson -- a ringleader in challenging the last election -- is about to be challenged by members even crazier than him. He might be thrown out of the Speakership just like Kevin McCarthy was. Do you think these Outright Crazy Republicans will hesitate to follow their Master into the darkness?
One Election to rule them all, One Election to find them,
One Election to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them
Don Brown
March 22, 2024
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