February 10-16, 2017: Trump Gets Japanese History Wrong - Also, Presidential History

 

2/10/17: Angry in the face of sustained mockery on Saturday Night Live, Trump tweets: “I hosted SNL when it was a good show, but it’s not a good show anymore.” The show is “unwatchable.” “Sad!” 

SNL scores its highest ratings in 20 years.

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2/11/17: Trump meets with the Japanese Prime Minister but does not repeat campaign complaints about the Japanese stealing American jobs or mooching off us for defense. He does not suggest, as he did last March, that Japan could use some atomic bombs of its own. Since Trump remembers nothing from history, he may not realize Japan is the only country ever targeted for nuclear destruction.   

The Japanese are opposed to nuclear weapons.

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2/12/17: A federal appeals court unanimously strikes down the first travel ban. It seems none of the three judges can grasp what a “bad high school” student could (see: 2/8/18). They can’t even see how “beautifully” the ban is written. 

Instead, they rule the ban is inherently discriminatory and therefore …um …um … unconstitutional.

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2/13/17: Reporters credit Trump for avoiding “bombastic pronouncements on Twitter” for an entire day! 

At the White House on this Monday, he greets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and makes it through an entire meeting without insulting anyone. He’s acting “presidential” at last.

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2/14/17: General Michael J. Flynn, Trump’s National Security Adviser, resigns after it is made clear (by the free press) that he lied to Vice President Pence about meeting with Russian agents. 

Oddly enough, the president learned that Flynn had lied two weeks ago. He didn’t fire him till reporters started digging.

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2/15/17: Anthony Puzder, Trump’s choice for Secretary of Labor, withdraws from consideration. 

Mr. Puzder’s problems include employing an undocumented immigrant for years to work as a maid in his home.

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2/16/17: The president touts his November victory at a press conference and complains how unfair CNN, The New York Times and other media outlets have been. “I guess it was the biggest Electoral College win since Ronald Reagan,” he says. The media might not be happy he won. “But a lot of people are happy about it.”  

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“I guess it was the biggest Electoral College win since Ronald Reagan.” 

President Trump on his win; he’s wrong, of course.

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A reporter points out that his claim is not true. You could, for example, go all the way back to 2012, when Obama won more electoral votes. 

Mr. Trump says you can’t blame him for getting his facts wrong because that’s what he was  told.

 

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WE COULD KICK the president when he’s already down, but, come on – does this guy know anything about U.S. history? He “piled up” 304 electoral votes. Obama had 332 in 2012. Trump was wrong five times: Obama had 365 in 2008. Bill Clinton had 370 in 1992 and 379 in 1996. 

And George H.W. Bush had 426 in 1988.

George H. W. Bush did it too.

 

BLOGGER’S NOTE (July 6, 2020): Trump’s final vote is raised to 306, when the U.S. Supreme Court rules that two votes from “faithless electors” who had refused to sign his name to their ballots had to be added to his win. 

The decision of the high court was unanimous. Electors must cast their votes for the person they have sworn to voters that they will.