Art of the Con

| 10:30 am EDT August 10, 2020
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Donald Trump’s next biography should be called “Art of the Con,” as that is what he does best. He is constantly doing things to distract us from what he is really doing. He is currently trying to force states into participating in his coronavirus economic relief scheme, for which he has signed an executive order. Democrats have vowed to sue to stop Trump’s arbitrary actions.

Trump keeps trying to “sneak” items into coronavirus relief bills that benefit him in some way. First, it was revamping the FBI building to prevent them moving and leaving the property open for, in his mind, a hotel that wants to compete with his. Recently, he slipped in $337 million to “renovate” the West Wing. He might as well leave that job for Biden. The more he and his Republican enablers try to screw American citizens, the more likely they will all be put out to pasture come November.

Trump blames Democrats for having to sign an executive order. One of the sticking points was disagreement on the amount of expanded unemployment benefits. CNN reports that Trump crafted a compromise by including $400 per week instead of the $600 Democrats wanted and the $200 proposed by Republicans. Trump’s plan, however, requires states to cover 25% of the expanded benefits, which they cannot afford. CNN reported that this “law” (Trump’s word, not theirs) “comes with plenty of strings” and reiterates that it will not help the unemployed. Trump pushed back by saying that it has not yet been signed into law but that “everybody wants it.” This man is something else. This is obviously not what “everybody” wants; it is what Trump wants, and for him, that is good enough. Not according to Nancy Pelosi.

Appearing on “State of the Union,” Pelosi said that Trump’s executive order is “unconstitutional.” Her statement is supported by Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), who is said, “The pen-and-phone theory of executive lawmaking is unconstitutional slop. President Obama did not have the power to unilaterally rewrite immigration law with DACA, and President Trump does not have the power to unilaterally rewrite the payroll tax law.” Both Pelosi and Sasse are correct, and Trump once again shows his ignorance to the world. Trump cannot unilaterally make changes to laws. He may think he is a dictator, but he is far from being or becoming one.

Trump continues to erroneously believe himself the smartest person in the room. His latest stunt will do no more than cost tax dollars that could be going to people in need. He hinted that he did this to bring the parties back to the negotiation table, but that is pointless. The Democrats had already reduced their proposal by $1 trillion, but Mark Meadows and Steve Mnuchin shut down talks. Who is stonewalling and to what end? People in need are suffering while Trump plays games. According to Pelosi, Trump purposely left out assistance for schools, helping people feed their families, and helping people stay in their homes. Trump is merely showing, once again, that he is nothing more than a reality star looking for ratings.