For a person claiming that Los Angeles has descended into such violent chaos that it requires the instant and unlawful deployment of federal troops, President Donald Trump certain appears to have time to fixate on trivial issues. This isn’t a person behaving like the federal government is on conflict footing, however as a substitute is identical previous Trump, flitting from grievance to grievance. And he’s not the one one.
On Monday, when Trump was taking questions on reporters from the California protests, he was requested about his resolution to ship active-duty Marines to Los Angeles. That may be a crucial query, provided that it’s unprecedented and unlawful. However Trump used the chance to bash California’s high-speed rail challenge connecting Los Angeles with San Francisco.
What?
If that wasn’t sufficient, he defined that the explanation high-speed rail was pointless was as a result of you may fly from Los Angeles to San Francisco for $2. Additionally, per Trump, it will be cheaper to provide each passenger “the finest limousine service in the history of our world, the most expensive chauffeur-driven white-glove limousine service back and forth, we would have saved billions of dollars.”
Once more, what?
These ramblings are preposterous on their face, highlighting simply how out of contact Trump is with actuality. However they’re additionally indicative of how Trump is simply toddling alongside, doing typical Trump issues, which isn’t what a president would presumably be doing if a significant American metropolis had been genuinely beneath siege by undocumented immigrants.
You by no means have at hand it to former President George H. W. Bush, nevertheless it’s unimaginable to think about him waxing rhapsodic about low cost flights through the deployment of the Nationwide Guard to LA through the 1992 riots following the acquittal of the police who beat Rodney King. Right here’s his detailed assertion about why he was federalizing the Nationwide Guard and calling up troops.
Trump additionally had time Monday to convene a spherical desk of CEOs to formally announce his dumb “Trump accounts” initiative, the place the administration will contribute $1,000 to tax-deferred funding accounts for “every US citizen” born between Dec. 31, 2024, and Jan. 1, 2029.
The White Home performed host to a dozen CEOs, together with the leaders of Goldman Sachs and Dell. The pinnacle of Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, even made certain to publicly gush over Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Trump made certain to gush in return, calling the CEOs “really the greatest business minds we have today.” Trump additionally promoted the accounts on Tuesday over on Fact Social.
It’s neat how that money giveaway solely lasts so long as Trump is in workplace. It’s additionally neat how Trump specified “every US citizen” to telegraph that he doesn’t plan on paying out that $1,000 to any undocumented dad and mom, as a result of he doesn’t consider their youngsters are residents. And it’s tremendous neat that it wasn’t sufficient to name these “MAGA accounts.” No, they need to be named after Trump as a result of his want for flattery is bottomless.
It prices roughly $18,000 simply to provide delivery in America. Elevating that little one till age 18 will run you about $389,000. That $1,000 doesn’t imply a factor. However even when it was considerably extra money, having a flashy roundtable to announce it undercuts the notion that California is a conflict zone.
Over on Fact Social, for nearly each publish about LA, there’s a business-as-usual publish. On Tuesday, he bragged about how his administration is offering greater pay for staff and passing the largest tax lower in historical past. He pimped his Tuesday evening speech at Fort Bragg. He additionally posted a video of his Saturday evening jaunt to go see some UFC fights, which he was doing on the identical time that he was illegally federalizing the California Nationwide Guard.
Even Stephen Miller, Trump’s most loyal and racist foot soldier, made a while to push for the “Big, Beautiful Bill.” To face with ICE, Miller stated on X, cross the BBB. Miller isn’t flawed—the “Big, Beautiful Bill” contains $150 billion in new funding for immigration crackdowns and a plan to rent 10,000 extra ICE officers.
However it’s odd to stump for a price range invoice whereas additionally calling the LA protests an “insurrection” and saying California is making an attempt to nullify election outcomes, nationwide sovereignty, and the “bedrock constitutional command of one national government.”
If America is being invaded by hordes of felony migrants, a lot in order that Trump has determined to principally occupy America’s second-largest metropolis, how does he even have time to do his typical self-promotion and mendacity? It’s grimly hilarious that the person thinks you may fly wherever for $2, nevertheless it’s simply straight-up grim that whereas he’s insisting that the nation is falling aside, he’s behaving as if nothing is flawed.
