10/18/17: The stock market closes above 23,000 for the first time. Trump is still an ass; but the market is hot.
For this president, the buck stops in the past.
The president spends the day embroiled in another controversy of his making. When asked by reporters on Monday, October 16, why he had not spoken about, to, or tweeted regarding four U.S. soldiers killed in Niger, twelve days before, Trump did what Trump does. Unlike President Truman, for whom the buck always stopped on his desk, Trump has a different conception. For this president, the buck stops in the past. He tried to deflect blame by piling it on predecessors. First, he implied other presidents had failed to contact families of fallen soldiers.
Not him! He called them all.
Naturally, he mentioned Obama. Trump can’t help himself,
politicizing even fallen heroes.
Accusations soon begin to fly. Democratic Congresswoman Frederica Wilson claims Trump botched a condolence call she overheard, to the widow of one of the dead soldiers. Trump insists Wilson “fabricated” the story. The widow backs her up. Assorted veterans, generals and Gold Star families weigh in from all sides. Some say they appreciate what Trump told them during talks. One Gold Star father says Trump promised to personally send him a check for $25,000. (The check had not been sent as of Wednesday morning, the day the story breaks.)
It also becomes clear Trump’s predecessors had regularly
contacted the families of the fallen. (See:
10/20/17.)
___
10/19/17: Reporters ask Trump to give himself
a mark for his work on hurricane relief. Is anyone surprised? He gives himself
a “10.” He was going to say, “20,” but he’s trying to learn to be humble.
___
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White House Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly with the president. |
10/20/17: General Kelly gives a moving speech, calling on Americans to hold sacred the sacrifices of our servicemen and women. For the first half of his talk he keeps the focus on the four who died in Niger (see: 10/18/17). His words regarding the death of his son in combat bring tears to every parent’s eye.
When women and religion were held sacred.
Unfortunately, Kelly also decides to talk about the good old days, when women and religion were held sacred. It’s hard not to note he works for a president who has never held women “sacred,” not even his wives. And religion? Please! The guy breaks at least two of the Ten Commandments every day. Kelly tarnishes his image when he calls Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who has been critical of Trump’s response in a call to the widow of a dead soldier, an “empty barrel.”
He says she tried to claim credit for getting funding for an F.B.I. building going up in Miami two years ago. Kelly says Wilson never mentioned two dead agents, for whom the building was being named.
Alas, if you value veracity, a tape shows she did.
Agreeing that Kelly is in error: Factcheck.org, the Tampa Bay Times, the Miami Herald, USA Today, CBS, NBC, CNN, The New York Times, the New York Daily News, the Los Angeles Times, McClatchy, Newsweek, the Business Insider, the Washington Post and the Sun Sentinel (a South Florida newspaper).
Later, White House Press Secretary Pinocchio Sanders tells
reporters and the American people tuning in that no one should ever question General Kelly – because he’s a
four-star general.
BLOGGER’S NOTE: See: 2/13/2020, for more on Gen. Kelly, his assessment
of his old boss, and Trump’s own criticism of the four-star general.)
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