What kind of a day was it? A day like any other in Trump Land. Except...You Are There.
So, yesterday, there's the major story in the Wall Street Journal about how Trump kept making Japan the fall guy during the presidential campaign over how unfair they were in trade, all of which deeply concerned the country's leaders. So much so that the day after Trump was elected, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called Trump and -- breaking all protocol (of course) -- he took the call and set up a meeting. When Prime Minister Abe showed up at Trump Tower, not only was Trump there in the meeting...but also, it turns out, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. And just a few months later, as it whimsically happened, a Japanese company -- whose majority owner is the Japanese government -- not only miraculously bought one of the Kushner properties (which, as we know, has a massive debt problem) that's located in an upscale part of New York City, but they paid 60% above what would be considered a fair price. AND the property, located in an upscale part of NYC which has seen a great deal of development, has sat empty for the past year since the purchase -- showing clearly how unimportant it must have been to the company (with its majority owner the Japanese government) to have rushed in and bought it. Thanks to this reporting, we have the first known instance of a foreign government paying money for a Trump family-related property. I'm going to guess that Robert Mueller has a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. Further to the point, it is not unlikely that Japan might have an investigation into this. And yesterday, as well, it was reported that in a fundraising appearance only the night before, held for Missouri Senate candidate Josh Hawley, Trump told the crowd -- actually told them, joking about it to everyone, and the Washington Post has a tape of this! -- that he made up facts in meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, blaming Canada for a trade deficit, even though Trump said to the crowd that he didn't know if it was true or not...and as it happens, no, it's not true, the reality is that the U.S. has a trade surplus with Canada. This story would appear to be wee bit problematic for Trump, but hey who knows? Maybe admitting you lied to the leader of a close ally and having it on tape is considered a good thing in some circles... You can read the Post article about it here. And it was also reported yesterday that, Trump made bizarrely foolish and demonstrably lying comments at that same fundraiser, about why he (hilariously) says the Democratic candidate Conor Lamb won this week's Pennsylvania Special Election. Among other things, Trump insisted that Democrat Lamb had said during the campaign, "I'm like Trump" (of course he didn't) and that Lamb supported the tax cuts. (He didn't.) And much more. Actually, I hope that Trump truly believes this and moreover convinces Republicans of it -- that would mean they think all's well in the GOP. So, they should keep telling themselves that! That all these literal lies to give themselves comfort are the only reason Republicans lost the election. It would be another step towards Making America Democratic Again. #MADA And finally, it was just yesterday, too, that the White House press secretary put out an official statement finally condemning Russia for the nerve chemical attack in England. Now, normally one would naturally assume that this being an official statement coming from the White House press secretary it is the president's position. But then, these are hardly normal times, since Trump himself -- who so immediately will blame Muslims for most attacks before any evidence is in -- has not yet publicly criticized Russia for this and at best has taken a "wait and see" stance, saying that it could have been anyone. (Perhaps It was a 400-pound guy who made the nerve agent in his parents' basement.) It is my hope that someone in the press asks Sarah Sanders if she went rogue and that this statement is not what the president believes. And if she did, and the president believes otherwise, then when might we expect the president to fire her? And that was all just yesterday. A day like any other in Trump Land. Except...You Are There.
2 Comments
Douglass Abramson
3/15/2018 08:29:52 pm
And reported since you posted this, is Trudeau's people are saying that the meeting Trump is bragging about didn't happen. Trade deficits were not discussed face to face and the time they came up was during a phone call. Don Don looks like he's going to change National Security Advisors again; with the name I'm seeing he most for bachelor number three being John Bolton. God help us. Then there was the totally unsubtle message to the racist Keebler Elf during the press briefing today that his job might be on the line (again) if Deputy FBI Director McCabe isn't fired before his retirement kicks in on Sunday. Because, forcing a career public servant out of government service early isn't enough. He wouldn't toady to his orangeness, so obviously you go after the guy before he's out the door and screw him out of a large chunk of his pension.
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Robert Elisberg
3/15/2018 11:21:39 pm
Honestly, I've had difficulty tracking down the story that the meeting didn't happen. The best I've found is this from the "Daily Mail", that says -- "But Canadian authorities are unsure the interaction between Trump and Trudeau ever happened, with an official telling the National Post the conversation between the two leaders may have happened over the phone since they have discussed the topic more than once." That's much less definitive, and suggests that the conversation may have taken place, but over the phone, not in person.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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