One of the reasons Trump is so successful is that his administration mirrors a reality show and is perfect for television. Who could script a dysfunctional White House any better? Seeing his cabinet sit around that long oval table with red caps before them and praising Trump in turn is pure comedy, yet we are supposed to take it seriously. Of course, the late night talk show hosts have had a field day with these scenes, earning the ire of the Orange King, with repeated threats to their shows. He almost got away with it with Jimmy Kimmel, whose late night show was briefly pulled only for ABC to reinstate him after the severe backlash, not to mention lawsuits that would have ensued. It's well known Donnie can't take a joke, which is why his subordinates all coddle up to him.
What's worse is that foreign leaders are coddling up to him as well, ever fearful of a trade war that could damage their fragile economies. In case anyone didn't know it, we are on the cusp of another major recession. How severe depends a lot on how much the international banks hold in reserve. So, we see similar scenes play out where foreign leaders go around the table praising Trump as a great peacemaker so as not to incur his wrath. They also lavish gifts on him, ranging from autographed golf bags to private planes, putting a big smile on his face. Too bad he can't keep any of it.
Meanwhile, people anxiously wait to see someone stand up to him other than late night comics. This is why there was such a positive reaction to Ontario's governor standing up to Trump. Needless to say, the Donald was not happy. Neither was Prime Minister Carney for that matter, but the ad successfully called attention to what has been an absurd trade war that Trump initiated, firmly expecting every country on his infamous "reciprocal tariff list" to roll over for him. Even Elon Musk called the punitive tariffs absurd, noting the bad math that Pete Navarro used to compile those numbers. This led to one of the more comical exchanges behind closed doors that resulted in a fist fight with Scott Bessent over the direction of the economic policy set by this administration.
There has been a lot of grumbling within the Republican Party but no one has really stood up to him yet, as they too are afraid to incur his wrath. Some Republicans, like Thom Tillis, have chosen not to run for reelection to avoid being "primaried" in the midterms coming up. Trump wants 100% subservience. There's no halfway or even quarter way with him. This sets up key Senate seats that the Democrats might be able to nab if they develop a spine themselves. They should take cues from Illinois Gov. Pritzker and California Gov. Newsom who haven't been afraid to spar with Trump.
Meanwhile, the stock market rises as if serving as Nielsen ratings for his administration. Donald is pleased as punch the Dow crossed 47,000 for the first time. It was a good month for him. The Dow seemed totally unaffected by the government shutdown. There was a dip on Oct. 10 when he announced new tariffs. He sat down with Charmain Pooh and ironed out a new trade deal and all is well again.
Talk of the Epstein Files has died down with most of the focus on former Prince Andrew, who had all his titles stripped and was evicted from his "royal lodge." Long overdue but then he was Queen Liz's favorite son. King Charles must have enjoyed defrocking his brother, much as William has enjoyed putting his younger brother in his place. Not like Harry was ever the problem.
This allowed the Great Pumpkin to thoroughly enjoy his Halloween Party at Mar-a-Lago modeled on The Great Gatsby. Soon he will be able to host these lavish balls at the White House, having torn down the East Wing last week to make room for his big beautiful ballroom. Let's hope it doesn't turn out like this artful cartoon.
Needless to say, all is not well. Very far from it, but you would never know it if you followed the ever-growing conservative network that now sees most of our national media, traditional and social, controlled by conservative media syndicates. Musk wants to buy MSNBC now. He's also announced his own version of Wikipedia, which he calls Grokipedia. He claims Wiki is too woke for its own good. I kid you not. We already saw CBS bought out by Larry Ellison's son, David, which led to the cancellation of Stephen Colbert, but not South Park, which has been far more critical of His Trumpness. I guess if you shape your criticism in the form of a cartoon then it's OK.
How long this Dow climb will last is an open question? My wife and I bought tickets to Japan next Spring. We hope the economy holds up at least until then but it is hard to say. The Dow could crash at any moment and with it the dreams of all these wealthy tech industrialists along with the 401K's of everyone else. So much of our retirement funds are tied up in the stock market these days that it will be painful for everyone. The only question is whether there will be anyone to bail us out if the Republicans are able to hold onto Congress with all the redistricting taking place? These midterms are going to be nasty!
Meanwhile, the Donald acts if everything is coming up roses, even if there is no Rose Garden anymore. It's just a patio now for his outdoor Gatsby cotillions. At what point his MAGA cult wakes up to the fact they have been duped remains to be seen. Their favorite pundits continue to insist it is a good thing even as their SNAP benefits and other forms of assistance are scheduled to expire this month. It's all about projecting power and wealth, Glenn Beck tells his gullible audience. Well, the last time a king tried to project so much power and wealth, he lost his head and so did his wife. Here's to King Louis XVI, the so-called "Sun King," and his lovely wife, Marie Antoinette.
Let them eat cake!
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