If you missed Donald Trump's press conference this morning, don't worry. Apart from the now standard lies and the bizzare spectacle that surrounds his being, you didn't miss much; especially from a policy perspective. If you want to watch Trump's press conference, but don't have the time to sit through it, you will be happy to know I watched. Call it my civic duty.
Here's my take on what transpired, which I posted on my FB page after the press conference ended:
After complaining and denying what's in the intelligence reports, Trump turned his press conference over to a tax attorney who simply read off a prepared statement (why don't they just put it online?).
He then started lying about things like Obamacare (premiums are rising at a slower pace than before, while subsidies cover rising costs).
Then he belittled press groups ("fake news") he dislikes, and continued to cover for Putin (expected) ...
I'm sure Trump's supporters think this is great. Then again, they also believe Mexico will pay for the wall, and have no problem with Trump's 6 bankruptcies and his serial philandering.
If this is what our future looks like, welcome to the circus.
After thinking about this a bit more, there are several additional takeaways ...
First, Donald Trump clearly doesn't like being held to account for the things he says. He made this clear when he refused to call on the CNN correspondent who tried desperately to respond to Trump's attack on the network's reporting. Trump told him not to be "rude."
As well, you might disagree but it seems like Donald Trump is turning something that should be taken seriously into a WWE-style smoke & mirrors show. The press have effectively become referee-like props, who Trump can ignore or call on when the WWE moment requires. He's already Tweeting past them so, in many ways, they are there simply to provide an air of propriety on Trump's Presidentialmania Smackdown stage.
Finally, in the "you can't make this stuff up" moment, Sherri Dillon, the tax attorney who read off a prepared statement during the press conference - with the appropriate props at her side - left without answering a single question. Was she the WWE diva, given a role simply to distract?
The real strange twist regarding Sherri Dillon is that she works for Morgan Lewis, a company that was recognized as Russia Law Firm of the Year, 2016. Seriously.
Again, welcome to the circus.
Sigh ...
- Mark
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