There is a theory gaining traction. Donald Trump isn’t interested in winning, or isn’t planning on winning, at least, and is thus now all-in, doing what he wants in his last days. We cannot know. What we can know is that people all around Trump (Grassley, for example) are furious, and letting him know exactly what’s wrong and what he needs to do to turn it around it. A WSJ editorial also said as much just three days ago.

In terms of what’s been said to him, the advice he’s been given, the specifics don’t matter for our purposes. It can likely all be distilled down to: “We need a plan where you like you care, form a damned plan! You are getting killed, turn a corner.” Something to that effect.

Donald Trump is ignoring the most critical period since 9-11. Think of all that is coming quickly on his plate now:

COVID roaring, record highs threatening to shut down the south, from Arizona to Florida, and the economic hit.

NYT revelations, Trump ignored reports that Russia was paying Taliban fighters to kill Americans. Trump invites Russia into G8

The SCOTUS is about to order on his taxes, sending us squarely toward a possible constitutional crisis.

BLM uniting the country, violent protests are an issue, but it doesn’t negate the new need to unify, the country is yearning to come together.

Barr is in real trouble firing attorneys investigating Trump.

The economy teeters on another shutdown.

His health is now in question.

He is way down in the polls, rallies seem disastrous.

Now you would think that if there was ever a time that Trump would call everyone to the White House and rally his entire team to fight each of the above and come out all on the same page. It would also comfort the country some, easing economic and health concerns.

Yet he has done nothing. He canceled a trip to his club in NJ, but only because NJ had quarantine rules. A perfect opportunity to get some stuff done for the country, or at least put in the effort to look like it. But that’s not Trump, he feeds his needs. This ad isn’t the hardest hitting in terms of behaviors called out. But damn, the timing is elegant, hammering, and strangely emotional. We so want to come together and be challenged. We have been let down the by abusive “father figure,” he’s nearly hitting us, hurting us, with optical indifference:

Unreal. Trump snuck out of the White House #SaturdayMorning to go golfing, rather than deal with the new coronavirus spikes across the country. Once again, #TrumpGolfsYouDie. pic.twitter.com/blybHo8yCU

— MeidasTouch.com (@MeidasTouch) June 27, 2020

So well done. So needed.

And again, it is just sad. We have been kicked around as a nation. We are falling behind in the world. We want to come back, we want to be rallied ourselves, challenged to fight. We need it, we’re yearning, and it is just out of reach because the policies, the challenge, must come from the top.

But the root of the problem is that we’re the top, Trump is now beneath us, seen and treated that way. It feels lonely, hard to organize, but we’re doing it anyway.

****

Peace, y’all
Jason
[email protected] and on Twitter @Miciakzoom