The result was that Trump – a man who loves putting his name on things – wound up with almost no physical evidence of his charitable giving.
I searched for any items that a charity had named in Trump’s honor, and came up with a theater seat in New Jersey, a theater seat in Florida, and a park bench in New York. By thinking only in the short-term, and tending to relationships rather than seeking a broader cause, Trump had missed a chance to make a real difference in the world – and to burnish his personal brand with a monument to his philanthropy.
As president, of course, Trump has seemed to prize personal relationships, and short-term wins, above long-term policy aims. He backed off tough rhetoric about China’s role in North Korea, after getting a 10-minute tutorial from Chinese President Xi Jinping. He was pulled away from his campaign-trail rhetoric on health care – promising to “take care of everybody” – by a desire for a policy “win,” and the wiles of a strong negotiator: House Freedom Caucus leader Mark Meadows (R-N.C.). In fits of pique, Trump has Twitter-roasted the very people whose help he will need later to make deals, like Freedom Caucus members and top Senate Democrat Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.).
The result, after nearly 100 days, is a familiar one. Trump’s list of presidential achievements so far looks like the policy equivalent of two theater seats and a park bench. (our emphasis)Really, should any vaguely sentient person have expected different outcomes from this "unitelligable" 70- year- old sociopath with malignant Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
But does that keep Trump from imagining otherwise? For a "clue," check out this annotated version of his recent boastful, blame- shifting interview with the Associated Press. Here's a brief taste of the delusional cray- cray:
On his tense meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel:
TRUMP: Yeah, it's funny: One of the best chemistries I had was with (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel.
(Crosstalk) AP: Really?
TRUMP: Chancellor Merkel.On his State of the Union speech:
TRUMP: A lot of the people have said that, some people said it was the single best speech ever made in that chamber.On the "bigness" of the Federal government (speaking in his Giant Toddler voice):
AP: Can I ask you, over your first 100 days — you're not quite there yet — how do you feel like the office has changed you?
TRUMP: Well the one thing I would say — and I say this to people — I never realized how big it was. Everything's so (unintelligible) like, you know the orders are so massive. I was talking to — [snip]
TRUMP: It's massive. And every agency is, like, bigger than any company. So you know, I really just see the bigness of it all...On his belief that the press should like him more since his win:
TRUMP: ... I used to get great press. I get the worst press. I get such dishonest reporting with the media. That's another thing that really has — I've never had anything like it before. It happened during the primaries, and I said, you know, when I won, I said, “Well the one thing good is now I'll get good press.” And it got worse. (unintelligible) So that was one thing that a little bit of a surprise to me. I thought the press would become better, and it actually, in my opinion, got more nasty.On his obsession with t.v. ratings:
TRUMP: It had 9.2 million people. It's the highest they've ever had. On any, on air, (CBS “Face the Nation” host John) Dickerson had 5.2 million people. It's the highest for “Face the Nation” or as I call it, “Deface the Nation.” It's the highest for “Deface the Nation” since the World Trade Center. Since the World Trade Center came down. It's a tremendous advantage.There's enough right there in that one interview to serve as the text for a course on delusional personalities. To pretend otherwise is to deny reality in the most basic sense.
Heading for 100 days with an ignorant, shallow twit in the most powerful office in the world. Sic transit gloria, America (rough English translation: "We're well and truly f*cked").
BONUS: More takes on the interview from Charles Pierce and Tengrain. Steve M. turns one segment into poetry.
