He’s not a (good) politician
President Trump’s army of supporters, defenders, surrogates and dissemblers who’re just apologists are quick to point out one thing; “He’s not a politician.”
He’s not a very good one. But he most certainly is a politician.
Ever since he and Melania took that fateful ride down that escalator at Trump Tower on June 16th, 2015 (846 very long days ago), he’s hidden behind that “not a politician” ruse as cover for his less-than-politician’s hold on clarity and common sense.
Whenever Trump engages in his ill-conceived Twitter wars, or he appears to delight in his own public buffoonery (that paper towel toss in Puerto Rico), you don’t have to wait long before a Trump devotee appears on a cable news show and proclaims, “Well, he’s not a politician.”
I repeat: he IS a politician. People don’t occupy the Oval Office without being one.
It’s just that in this nation’s history, Trump is, most likely, the first president who is both a politician and a 6-year-old simultaneously.
(Granted, I haven’t had a chance to investigate the Twitter accounts of the previous 44 presidents to see if they’ve ever attacked Rosie O’Donnell or Meryl Streep)
Those same surrogates are emphatic when they say that since Trump has been such a “successful businessman,” he’s really good at making deals.
So far, where are those deals?
In his first eight months in office, he’s been unable to lay claim to helping to forge any substantial legislation.
Instead of being The Great Dealmaker, he’s been on the sidelines, only offering bold predictions about legislation that he appears to have never read.
While Republicans in the U.S. Senate were hurriedly putting together the latest bill to kill Obamacare, Mr. Trump claimed he was busily trying to make deals with his fellow Republicans to secure its passage.
The end results? Trump made no deals. The Senate didn’t even bother to vote on it.
He immediately took to Twitter to blame John McCain for the defeat.
He blames John McCain for a lot of things.
And when he isn’t, he needs to find a new victim of his Twitter-wrath daily.
Those riders on the Trump-train, though, enjoy that kind of thing.
They’ll say, so what if he’s “plain-spoken?” He’s being “authentic.” “That’s what people voted for.”
Hogwash.
People didn’t really vote for an “Attacker-in-chief.”
They didn’t expect him to begin each day of his presidency with a fresh insult aimed directly at people who don’t kiss his ring.
Donald Trump isn’t Don Rickles or Triumph the Insult Dog.
Those same apologists who build buffers between Trump’s un-presidential behavior and his daily political pratfalls, by claiming, “He’s not a politician;” that, “He’s really a successful businessman,” or “That’s what people voted for,” can’t help but to add, “He vowed to drain the swamp,” if everything else fails.
He certainly hasn’t done that either.
So far, the Trump presidency is, well, awash in the swamp.
In early February, just days after taking office, he had to get rid of his National Security Advisor, Mike Flynn … something about his ill-timed contacts with Russians pre-inauguration.
And since then, there have been lots of questions about the spending habits of at least five of his cabinet members.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and, of course, Tom Price, the former Secretary of Health and Human Services, have all been sources of questions about their questionable use of taxpayer dollars.
And Price’s departure for spending money on chartered flights, when commercial flights would have sufficed, just might not be the last.
Then there’s Trump himself.
The “Drainer-in-chief,” is now notorious for spending taxpayer money on his frequent visits to golf courses.
So much so, that there’s even a web site — trumpgolfcount.com — devoted to the estimated $71,890,808 he’s spent on 64 visits to golf courses since he’s taken office.
How’s that for NOT draining the swamp.
All of these things (Swamp-drainer, non-politician, dealmaker, consummate communicator) are supposedly why his adoring masses voted for Trump.
He’s done none of those things.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter and anchor for Entertainment Tonight and 20-year TV news veteran. Email him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.