Tag: Trump ego

Trump is headlining fireworks at Mount Rushmore. Experts worry two things could spread: virus and wildfire.

Washington Post logoNational Park Service and local fire marshal officials have warned for years about dangers in resuming fireworks at the memorial

President Trump is planning a massive fireworks display at Mount Rushmore on July 3, despite a decade-long ban on pyrotechnics at the iconic spot because of concerns about public health, environmental and safety risks.

Trump has wanted to stage fireworks at the national memorial in South Dakota’s Black Hills since 2018, according to two individuals familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. But the idea was scuttled or delayed by a number of his advisers, these individuals said.

The National Park Service stopped staging pyrotechnics at Mount Rushmore in 2010 out of concern that it could ignite wildfires under drought conditions. The memorial is surrounded by 1,200 acres of forested lands, including ponderosa pines, and lies next to the Black Hills National Forest’s Black Elk Wilderness. Continue reading.

Beyond His Engorged Ego, Trump Sees Nothing

That Associated Press photo of a disheveled, exhausted Boss Trump trudging across the White House lawn with his tie undone clutching MAGA hat in his hand appears destined to become the classic portrait of his reign of misrule: the beginning of the end.

As usual, the debacle in Tulsa, with its acres of empty blue seats, was everybody’s fault but Donald J. Trump’s. A classic case of over-promising and under-delivering. “We’ve never had an empty seat, and we certainly won’t in Oklahoma,” Trump had boasted. Oops!

Hundreds of thousands were anticipated; maybe 10,000 showed. Maybe. The Big Crybaby’s campaign alibis that non-violent protesters scared his supporters away from the Tulsa rally. Protesters and the news media that is, which unfairly publicized rising Covid-19 infections there and across Oklahoma. Continue reading.

Trump makes defiant return to campaign stage amid controversies

The Hill logoPresident Trump on Saturday made a defiant return to the campaign stage under a number of dark clouds looming over his presidency, seeking a reset in his reelection campaign even as the event itself was overshadowed by controversy.

Trump’s 90-minute speech was heavy on the same grievances and boasts that have been a hallmark of his campaign style for years. But Saturday’s rally came after a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, which is still widespread around the country.

“I stand before you today to declare the silent majority is stronger than ever before,” Trump told a boisterous crowd in Tulsa, Okla. Continue reading.

Police Arrest Peaceful Protester Sitting Alone By Trump Rally Venue

The woman was sitting on the ground wearing an “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt. Trump campaign staff wanted her out.

At the request of President Donald Trump’s campaign staff, police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, arrested a single peaceful protester in a black “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt who was sitting outside the venue where Trump is expected to hold a rally on Saturday.

Officers could be seen grabbing the protester by her armpits shortly before noon before dragging her off. She was accused of trespassing, though she said that she had a ticket to the rally.

The Tulsa Police Department said that the woman, a Tulsa resident named Sheila Buck, was in a secure area accessible only by ticketholders. Continue reading.

White House dismissal of COVID-19 concerns draws criticism

The Hill logoThe White House has flouted public health advice on the coronavirus, drawing harsh criticisms from experts who fear the administration is sending the wrong message.

Even as cases surge in Oklahoma, President Trump is moving forward with an indoor rally in Tulsa on Saturday, despite guidelines against holding such large gatherings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Trump and Vice President Pence have mostly brushed off the rising numbers of cases in states across the country, largely attributing them to increased testing.

Trump heads to West Point amid fresh military tensions

The Hill logoPresident Trump will address a group of West Point Military Academy graduates Saturday against a backdrop of disagreements with current and former military officials over his handling of demonstrations against racial injustice.

Former military officials have increasingly spoken out to rebuke Trump over his response to recent protests against the police-involved death of George Floyd and the president’s threat to dispatch active-duty troops to cities to quell violence and looting that accompanied some of the demonstrations.

In an extraordinary statement Thursday, the top U.S. general expressed regret for his involvement in Trump’s photo opportunity at St. John’s Episcopal Church earlier this month that followed an aggressive clearing of protesters. The general, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, noted that the military is traditionally apolitical. Continue reading.

As coronavirus cases spike, Fauci warns Trump rally attendees that large gatherings are ‘risky’

NOTE: This article is being provided free of charge by The Washington Post.

Washington Post logoAnthony S. Fauci said Friday that it is a “danger” and “risky” for people to be gathering in large groups — whether at a Trump rally or a protest. The nation’s top infectious-disease expert advised on a podcast that if gatherings take place, people should “make sure” to wear a mask. President Trump plans to hold his first rally in months next week in Tulsa.

Meanwhile, across the South and West, coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are on the rise. In Texas, more than 2,100 people in the state were hospitalized with covid-19 as of Friday, according to state data tracked by The Washington Post, and intensive care units are reportedly at 88 percent capacity in the Houston area. Arkansas reported 731 new cases, the largest since the pandemic began. And in North Carolina, cases topped 40,000 after its highest single-day increase.

“We continue to see a decrease in social distancing,” Mecklenburg County, N.C., health director Gibbie Harris said Friday, “and before long we will be back to where we were when we put the stay-at-home order in place.” Continue reading.

Jacksonville to host 2020 Republican National Convention

The most prominent parts of the Republican National Convention are coming to Jacksonville, including President Trump’s acceptance speech

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel announced Thursday night that Jacksonville, Florida has been selected as the host city to celebrate the renomination of President Donald J. Trump.

Jacksonville is going to be in the national spotlight in late August as the River City hosts major parts of the Republican National Convention for the first time. It’s also the first time in history that the convention will be split, as some of the business parts of the event will still be held in Charlotte, the original host city.

President Trump and the GOP pulled the convention from North Carolina because the Governor would not guarantee that a full crowd would be allowed inside the city’s 19,000-seat Spectrum Center for events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including nomination acceptance speeches by President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Instead those events, along with many of the publicly viewed parts of the convention, will be held in Jacksonville’s 15,000-seat Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena.

Jacksonville beat out other cities under consideration including Nashville, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Orlando.  Republican Mayor Lenny Curry lobbied publicly for the event to be held on the First Coast and Governor Ron Desantis said the state would welcome the event with open arms.

If Trump loses in November, he will thrust the U.S. into a legitimacy crisis

AlterNet logoOne month ago, the polling aggregator at RealClearPolitics showed Joe Biden with a four-point lead over Donald Trump. As of Wednesday, that lead had jumped to eight points. Additionally, Gallup reports that Trump’s approval rating has dropped ten points in the last month. In other words, things aren’t looking very good for the president’s re-election.

In the month before the 2016 election, this is what Trump was tweeting.

It is probably fair to say that, at the time, Trump was preparing an excuse for why he lost—something that everyone was expecting. But the stakes are much higher in 2020. Failing to win a second term would brand Trump as a loser, something his narcissistic ego cannot tolerate. Even more importantly, it is very possible that the president could face criminal charges once he is out of office. So he’s picked up the mantra of a rigged election once again. Continue reading.

Trump seeks to regain 2020 momentum with campaign rallies

The Hill logoPresident Trump is returning to the campaign trail after a three-month hiatus that has seen his reelection prospects weakened over his handling of the novel coronavirus and police brutality protests.

Trump will attend a fundraiser in Dallas on Thursday and is scheduled to resume his campaign rallies next week, events that are sure to energize the president as he embarks on a five-month fight for reelection and seeks to draw a contrast with presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

The president has been eager to restart normal campaign activities after weeks of being cooped up at the White House amid the coronavirus pandemic. He eased back into occasional travel in early May — making trips roughly once a week — but Thursday’s fundraiser will be his first foray into in-person campaign business since March. Continue reading.