Xi Jinping

PITY PARTY? Trump Clown Show Mocks Americans Suffering in Coronavirus Depression

Posted by on May 11, 2020 at 1:17 pm. 3 Comments :

As if it weren’t enough that Donald Trump neglected to act for two months as COVID-19 (coronavirus) spread throughout the nation – or that he trivialized it’s impact as being “totally under control” and that cases were “going down to zero” very soon, or that he blamed Democrats, China, and anyone but himself for the tragedies resulting from his incompetence – it’s agonizing to watch him continue to put the lives of more Americans at risk because his ego won’t permit him to take responsibility and act responsibly. Even worse, he actually brags about his flagrant failures.

Donald Trump, Pennywise

Trump’s rush to send Americans back into a still dangerous workplace has the stench of hypocrisy. He can’t even keep the coronavirus out of the White House with daily testing, but he expects average folks to become the “warriors” in his battle to save corporations and the stock market. And they won’t have the testing, protective gear, or medical care that he and his comrades have.

In this environment of blatant privilege for the wealthy and the politically connected elite, Trump has proven that he just doesn’t care about the hardships of others. So he sent Peter Navarro, his advisor on trade and manufacturing, out to mingle with the Trump-fluffers at Fox News. Navarro’s visit with the “Curvy Couch” potatoes of Fox and Friends (video below) was jam-packed with the sort of happy-talk propaganda that totalitarian regimes are so fond of.

Navarro lead off with a callous characterization of the hard times that most Americans are struggling to cope with. He referred to the criticism of Trump’s dreadful mishandling of the deadly coronavirus pandemic with this tone-deaf phrasing: “That was a pity party yesterday on the Sunday shows.” Of course. Because what’s a more self-indulgent demonstration of whiners feeling sorry for themselves than a population ravaged by a fatal and infectious virus? Particularly one that has resulted in the deaths of more than 80,000 people, many of which were preventable had there been competent leadership. Navarro elaborated saying that…

“This is not the Great Depression. Anybody that thinks this is the Great Depression doesn’t understand either history or economics. […] Here’s what we have here. We have President Donald J. Trump who built up the strongest and most beautiful economy in three and half years. And then the Chinese communist party dropped a virus on the world that, within sixty days, has temporarily shut us down. And all we need to do here is focus on the mission, the original mission of Donald J. Trump […]

Now it’s gonna be a long process because of the structural adjustments that are gonna take place as we adapt to the virus socially, culturally, and economically. But this Great Depression pity party stuff I saw yesterday, this aint that..”

For an economic advisor, Navarro sure sounds a lot like a PR shill. He begins by failing to grasp that the economic decline, the collapse of markets in equities and bonds, and the 20+ million Americans who are now unemployed, actually fit the definition of a depression with painful precision. And he dresses up his fan fiction in tributes to Dear Leader Trump, who he believes has that divine gift of being able to do no wrong. Naturally, he adopts his master’s habit of shoveling any and all blame unto others, in this case China. And while China shares it’s measure of blame, it was Trump who praised President Xi saying that “I think he’s handled it really well,” and that his management of the budding pandemic was “strong, sharp and powerfully focused.” Trump effusively complimented Xi well into February.

Now, suddenly, it’s all China’s fault, Trump’s lazy and lethal disregard is being ignored, and the White House rhetoric is simultaneously insisting that our tribulations are both temporary and “a long process.” The confusion emanating from the Trump administration is indicative of their utter lack of any idea of what to do. They are paralyzed by ignorance and their desperation to avoid any political fallout, especially with regard to the presidential election in November, which currently has Joe Biden beating Trump nationally, as well as in many of the crucial swing states.

Nevertheless, Navarro thought it would be a good idea to go on Fox News and demean Trump’s critics – which includes the majority of American voters – as a pity party. It’s a pity that these cretins don’t have more sympathy for the sick and the scared and the families of the deceased. But then heartless narcissism has been the Trump brand from the very beginning of his occupation of the white House. And there’s no reason to expect that to change.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

The Chosen One ‘Hereby Ordered’ American Companies to Obey the Divine Will of Trump

Posted by on August 23, 2019 at 12:09 pm. 3 Comments :

The severity of Donald Trump’s mental infirmity is expanding at breakneck speed. Just two days after Trump proclaimed himself “The Chosen One,” and retweeted an anti-Semitic conspiracy crackpot who declared that Trump is the “Second Coming of God,” his Assholiness is now barking out deranged orders to his “subjects.”

Donald Trump Tyrant Dictator

In another one of his hallmark tweetstorms, Trump went off the rails, then turned around and dug them up with a backhoe. The subject of this nine-tweet opus was the economy and his daft notion that the Federal Reserve is conspiring against him to hurt his reelection prospects and bankrupt America. Of course Trump knows something about bankruptcy, having had at least six of his own. However this tirade was utterly preposterous and downright dangerous.

For one thing, Trump (as usual) has no idea what he’s talking about. He’s furious that Fed chairman Jay Powell hasn’t cut interest rates. His reasoning is that the economy is doing spectacularly well and a rate cut would make it even better. However, anyone with any knowledge of monetary policy knows that you only cut rates when the economy is weakening. So maybe Trump is inadvertently admitting something there. What’s more, cutting rates would provide a huge financial benefit to Trump personally, which may be the real reason he’s pushing so hard for it.

Trump began his rant by insisting (again) that “The Economy is strong and good.” He ridiculed the idea that a recession might be imminent, contrary to the analyses of most credible economists. He then accused his critics of being “willing to lose their wealth” to defeat him in 2020. Which is pretty unselfish of them, don’t you think? Following that, Trump whined some more about the Fed and then fired off the big question:

That’s right. Trump thinks that the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, who he appointed, might be a more fearsome enemy of the United States than the leader of a hostile nation that carries billions of dollars of U.S. debt, has a stockpile of nuclear weapons, and a standing army of more than 2,000,000. Of course, this question is easy for Trump because he doesn’t regard Xi as an enemy at all. He has repeatedly referred to him as his friend. Which leaves only Powell as the foe who must be vanquished.

Nevertheless, Trump goes on to demean China (which won’t help with future negotiations) as an outlaw nation and asserts that “We don’t need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them.” Within minutes of that tweet the stock market took a precipitous dive. However, the most disconcerting part of it was Trump’s assumption of dictatorial powers that he definitely does not have:

There is absolutely no authority in the Constitution, or any other legal document, that allows the President to issue such orders. It is, in fact, antithetical to the concepts of democracy and free markets. It’s ironic that this Republican president who bellows incessantly about the dangers of socialism, would make statements that only a communist tyrant (i.e. Xi, Putin, Kim) could embrace. And yet, none of his fellow Republicans have said a word to refute him.

As if to underscore all of this idiocy, Trump went on to demonstrate just how ignorant he is about world affairs and economics. His last tweet in this series bragged that “Our Economy, because of our gains in the last 2 1/2 years, is MUCH larger than that of China.” The last two and half years? The U.S. economy has always been larger than China. This is like trying to take credit for the Sun being hotter than Pluto.

You have to wonder how Trump’s glassy-eyed disciples can continue to back him when he’s gushing out such ludicrous ideas and proposals. His evangelical supporters haven’t condemned his blasphemous Messiah Complex. And now his GOP backers are silent about his authoritarian commandments and his anti-free-market aspirations for control over American businesses. This type of loyalty has a name, and it’s been said before. Trumpism is not, as he calls it, “the greatest political movement in the history of our Country.” It’s a cult! And it threatens every ideal that Americans have cherished for 243 years.

UPDATE: Trump posted a tweet acknowledging the 600+ decline in the Dow, but made a joke out of it because American businesses and investors (including workers and retirees) losing a fortune is just so funny. But more importantly, he added four more tweets in the afternoon wherein he escalated the tariff disputes with China into a full-blown trade war. Enjoy the coming Great Trump Recession, everybody.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.