Letter to the Editor: Joke of a presidency

It came in Tulsa, Oklahoma where the president went to kick off his re-election campaign with a much publicized rally he predicted would draw upwards of 100,000 people.

The irony of it all is that the switch that triggered the implosion of this buffoonish lout's joke of a presidency was flipped by none other than Trump himself.

In a one hour and 41 minute diatribe delivered to a Bank of Oklahoma Center crowd of some 6,200 worshippers, Trump exposed himself once — and for all the world to see — what a liar, fraud and idiot he is.

In reality, he needn't had wasted so much of the rally attendees' time.

Trump's incompetence is nothing if not efficient. He actually totaled out his 2020 re-election campaign in the first half-hour or so of his remarks.

Forget about acknowledging any of the huge problems our country is now embroiled in (race relations, massive unemployment, 120,000-plus deaths due to COVID-19). Instead, President Bone Spurs kicked off his show by riffing on the self-described ordeal he suffered two weeks ago at the hands of the graduating class of West Point cadets.

In classic Trumpian style, the president shone the spotlight squarely on himself as he described in cringeworthy detail his by now famous baby steps down a ramp and clumsy sip of water. Both of which caused people to wonder if our obese, draft dodging leader's health is in play.

If the president's comedy performance bombed, at least he didn't disappoint in other ways. Predictably, his entire speech was rife with lies, self-adoration and pity, race-baiting conspiracy theories, and inaccuracies.

Perhaps the worst of it all came by way of one of the few truthful things he said. Midway through his address the president admitted that he told "his people" to slow down coronavirus testing because they were finding out that too many Americans are infected. 

This is what our president thinks of you and me.

Later on, his campaign swung into full clean-up mode to proclaim Trump was "just kidding" about slowing down testing.

Yeah, that's right. Surely Trump was joking at a time when, in only four months, more Americans have succumbed to a virus than were killed fighting in World War I. ("Did you hear the one about the Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz who....?")

Incidentally, it was revealed early Saturday that six members of Trump's campaign advance team had themselves tested positive for the virus while in Tulsa. In other words, there's a very real possibility that "his people" may have infected their Oklahoma hosts.

Donald Trump once again showed himself Saturday to be exactly what all the scared, old white folks wanted four years ago.

The only real question is whether or not they'll buy his act again? Not likely. 

Donald Trump needs a new shtick. Unfortunately, what he showed us on Saturday is all he's got.

Don Shinkaruk

Paragould