The only thing consistent about Donald Trump and his presidency is the fact that it’s completely unpredictable — that he will do anything, anytime, anywhere so long as it’s exactly what he wants to do. In fact, Trump’s near two years in office have actually given rise to the phrase “norm shattering,” as in, he abides by literally zero rules that presidents normally do.
This post-midterm week has been especially hard to track, however, because Trump seems surprised by the democratic process of counting votes, and horrified at the prospect of Republicans losing even more ground than the ass-kicking they got last Tuesday across the country in the biggest gains for Democrats in the House since Watergate.
When Trump is distressed, he wants to take his ball and go home. When he’s in a good mood, nothing can stop him.
That’s why last month, in the middle of Hurricane Michael, as Americans’ homes were being destroyed and lives being upended, Trump decided that the important thing was that he didn’t keep his fans waiting for a rally in Pennsylvania — they had been waiting for hours, he insisted, and what’s a little weather?
Apparently, a little weather is a lot. Trump is in Paris, where to his unending surprise, it also occasionally rains, no doubt summoned by some dirty liberals or possibly Jim Acosta. And on the anniversary of the end of World War I, he canceled his trip to the largest cemetery in which Americans from that war are interred because there’s “a little rain.”
Now, I’m not one to draw distinctions, but even this picture of our last President is confused by Trump’s inconsistency:
Journalist David Frum offered some perspective on Trump’s cancellation:
It’s not even 60 miles from central Paris to the monument. If the weather is too wet & windy for helicopters, a presidential motorcade could drive the distance in an hour.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) November 10, 2018
On site, presidential advance could easily erect a tent to protect the dignitaries (and the the presidential hair-do) from inclement weather
— David Frum (@davidfrum) November 10, 2018
Visiting the close-to-Paris monument is anyway already a climb-down from what any normally patriotic president would wish to do on the centenary of the 1918 Armistice: pay respects at the Meuse-Argonne cemetery, the large US military burying place in Europe.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) November 10, 2018
It’s incredible that a president would travel to France for this significant anniversary – and then remain in his hotel room watching TV rather than pay in person his respects to the Americans who gave their lives in France for the victory gained 100 years ago tomorrow
— David Frum (@davidfrum) November 10, 2018
Incredible, yes. Inconsistent? Trump? No, this is just his style.
Featured image via screen capture
