Dem
47
GOP
53
It is not a secret that extensive steps are taken, on a regular basis, to protect Donald Trump's ego. That applies to both insiders within the administration, and also outsiders looking to curry favor and/or to avoid his wrath. But boy howdy, there were a couple of particularly outlandish examples of this over the past few days.
Let's start with the one that got the most coverage, namely the U.S. Open tennis tournament. Trump decided that he wanted to be in attendance, presumably because he's a VERY big tennis fan:
Yes, very big, indeed. He might also have been in attendance because the U.S. Open is staged in New York City, where he was always treated as an outsider by the Big Apple's movers and shakers. So, there's undoubtedly some satisfaction in showing up, and being escorted to the prime seats.
The problem is that most of the sporting events Trump shows up for can be expected to attract a reasonably Trumpy crowd—NASCAR races, college football games in the South, UFC fights, etc. Not so much true for a tennis crowd, particularly in New York. Let us not forget that when these same fans decamp for tennis at Wimbledon, they eat strawberries and cream, not biscuits and sausage gravy.
Under these circumstances, it was predictable that, on his arrival, Trump would be booed. The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), perhaps fearing that their research grants would be canceled, tried to address the matter proactively, telling broadcaster ESPN not to show the booing. ESPN, to their credit, said that they cover the whole match, including any booing.
So, what actually happened? You can watch Trump's arrival here, if you wish. There are people (including some lefties) who were present at the match, and insist they did not hear booing. There are people (including some righties) who were present at the match, and insist they did hear booing. The truth is that there were some cheers, and some boos, and the nature of the sound is such that it's nearly impossible to tell how much of each there were.
In fairness, there is no evidence that Trump had anything to do with this request, but we're not so sure the USTA did him any favors here. The boos were going to happen anyhow, and the coverage was going to happen anyhow, and all the organization really did was prompt a huge number of stories that served to remind everyone how fragile his ego is. This does not comport so well with the tough guy image he tries to portray.
Moving on to our second example, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point gives out an award called the Sylvanus Thayer Award. The point is to honor someone who embodies the ideals the Academy tries to encourage, even if the person did not attend the Academy. It's pretty prestigious; past recipients include Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., Neil Armstrong, Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, Walter Cronkite, Colin Powell, Sandra Day O'Connor, Condoleezza Rice, Gary Sinise, Mae C. Jemison and Barack Obama.
The awardee for this year is ostensibly Sinise's Forrest Gump co-star, Tom Hanks. Hanks has been involved in various veteran-related activist causes for years, including helping to rally money and support for the building of the World War II Memorial (in D.C.), the national memorial for President Dwight D. Eisenhower (also in D.C.) and the National World War II Museum (in New Orleans). Hanks has also brought numerous common-soldier-focused stories to the big screen (or the small screen), most notably Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and The Pacific. When the award was announced, the chair of the awards committee declared:
Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans.
In theory, the award ceremony includes speeches and lots of other bells and whistles, including a parade.
There is a problem, however. Several problems, actually. First, Tom Hanks is a well-known lib. Second, Hanks is not only a lib, he's a lib who campaigned and fundraised for both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Third, there is only one person in this country who is allowed to be honored with a military parade, and it is NOT Thomas Jeffrey Hanks. (Fourth, maybe, is that Hanks first achieved stardom on a show where he dressed in drag on every episode.) As a result of some or all of this, West Point canceled the festivities, muttering something about how they really need to focus on operational readiness. Odd, since they've been able to hold the ceremony in every year since 1958, including many years in which there was an actual war going on. It would seem that Hanks at least gets to keep the award, and just doesn't get his ceremony, though nobody seems to be particularly clear on that point.
This was obviously done with Trump in mind. And while the President has no obvious connection to the tap dance that took place at the U.S. Open, he waded right into the Hanks situation. Here is what Trump posted to his bone-spur-forward social media platform:
Our great West Point (getting greater all the time!) has smartly canceled the Award Ceremony for actor Tom Hanks. Important move! We don't need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!! Hopefully the Academy Awards, and other Fake Award Shows, will review their Standards and Practices in the name of Fairness and Justice. Watch their DEAD RATINGS SURGE!
We've seen it a thousand times, but we still find it remarkable how very much Trump cares about ratings. Your reality TV show ended more than a decade ago, Mr. President.
Hanks is one of the most popular celebrities in the world, and he's done lots of good work for veterans and veterans' awareness. Poking him in the eye is a bad look, and makes Trump look small. We know the base loves to see their hero own the libs, but the base are not the voters that Trump needs to retain control of Congress next year. And every petty little gripe and grudge he indulges in erodes his support with non-MAGA voters a bit more, and a bit more, and a bit more. Note that Trump just got another week of polling that is the worst of his second term. That's happened for something like 6 of the last 7 weeks. (Z)