Trump's Return From The Hospital Was A Pathetic Photo-Op

 

Donald Trump had it all planned out. His return to the White House from the hospital would be heroic. He would be viewed as a hero who had conquered COVID-19, and it would save his faltering re-election campaign.

But it didn't turn out that way. Instead, it just looked like a pathetic photo-op by a sick man.

Here's how conservative commentator Charlie Sykes described it at The Bulwark:

You thought the upside down bible photo-op was bad? It turns out that it was just a dress rehearsal for the awfulness to come.

Last night, we got the full cinematic roll-out of “The Orange Evita,” PRODUCED, DIRECTED, AND STARRED IN by DONALD J. TRUMP.

It was a fiasco for the ages.

The video production of his triumphant return to the White House was quintessentially Trumpian. All the power moves: the helicopter, the music, the pageantry, the balcony, the dramatic removal of the mask — all perfectly choreographed by a man famous for his finely honed instincts for entertainment.

But it all went sideways.

Trump had a choice: he could have gone for the sympathy vote; he could have shown a flash of empathy. According to the NYT, some campaign staffers thought that if Trump recovered quickly “and then appeared sympathetic to the public in how he talked about his own experience and that of millions of other Americans, he could have something of a political reset.”

In TrumpWorld, though, empathy is for cucks, so he opted for STRENGTH instead. Or at least the video version.

But as he stood there, maskless, breathing heavily, and about to enter a White house ravaged by the pandemic, Trump didn’t look strong. He looked reckless. He looked sick. He looked like a man whose presidency was in the last stages of decadence.

Everything about his dramatic exit felt wrong. Trump insisted that he “gets it now,” but he quickly demonstrated that he doesn’t. He suggested that he may be immune to the disease, despite having actually contracted it. He urged people not to fear COVID-19, even as the death toll topped 210,000.

NOT A Historic Moment (Just Another Trump Photo-Op)

(Image of Trump and Kim Jong-Un standing in North Korea is from abc7ny.com.)

Donald Trump took a short trip from the G20 summit in Japan to the DMZ between North and South Korea to have a short meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. While there, he stepped over the tiny concrete barrier between the two Koreas and walked a few steps into North Korea.

And the U.S. media went wild. Some called it a historic moment (which Trump loved), saying he was the first sitting U.S. president to enter North Korea.

Frankly, it makes me ashamed of the media. It was NOT a historic moment. It was nothing more than a photo-op. A made-up event to make the two failed leaders try to look important.

Historic moments change history. This stunt by Trump (and Kim Jong-Un) changed nothing. Do you believe this is a moment that will be in future history books? A moment that will be taught in future history classes as meaningful? Of course not!

That's because it changed nothing.

North Korea still has its nuclear weapons and missiles -- and it continues to build up its stockpile of both. And the North Korean dictator continues to play Trump like a violin. The only person to benefit from this publicity stunt is Kim Jong-Un, because it gives the impression that he is important enough to have a U.S. president at his beck and call (while giving up nothing). It just makes Trump look like a fool.

NOTE -- Don't you think Iranian leaders are watching? They should be more convinced than ever that they need to develop nuclear weapons of their own. It should be clear to them now that the way to get respect from Trump is to be a nuclear power (like the murderous regime of North Korea). Abiding by a treaty to not develop nuclear weapons got them nothing but sanctions and threats of war from Trump.

So, while Trump's North Korean photo-op fiasco has not made anything better, it will make the world a more dangerous place. Trump is not smart enough to know that, and doesn't seem to care (since photo-ops are more important than diplomacy to him).

Where Was The Compassion From Trump ?

Trump came to Texas on Tuesday. For most presidents, that trip would have been an opportunity to show they cared about the victims of the Hurricane, and to give them hope for the future. It would have been an opportunity to show compassion and caring. For Trump, it was just a photo op to make himself look good.

He met with state and federal officials in Corpus Christi. He made a speech to a crowd of a couple of hundred people at the Corpus Christi airport -- bragging about what a "huge" crowd it was. Then he went to Austin and toured the state's Emergency Management Center. And he made sure he was photographed doing all of that. And he wore his campaign cap while doing all that (which he'll be glad to sell you for a mere $40).

But he did not meet with the victims of the hurricane, did not shake their hands, or offer them words of encouragement. He failed to show even a minuscule amount of compassion for the real victims.

This was just another campaign trip for Trump. He had an opportunity to do some good with that trip, but he blew it. All he did was once again demonstrate that he only cares about one person -- himself.

Really Bad Photo Op

Some politicians just can't help themselves. If there's a photo opportunity, they just have to be there -- no matter how silly it makes them look. I found this photo on Mi blog es tu blog. It was taken at a conference of border governors hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger (fourth from the right). Among several Mexican governors, we also have Janet Napolitano from Arizona (second from the right).

You might know that old 39% wouldn't be able to resist an opportunity to embarrass himself and Texas. Rick Perry is standing by Arnold (fourth from the left). The only U.S. border governor not in the picture is New Mexico's Bill Richardson. I don't know whether he wasn't at the conference, or had the good sense to stay out of this picture. I'd like to think it was the latter.

You can click on the picture to see it larger (but I don't recommend it).