Donald Trump’s “freedom fries” moment
Former Presidents of the United States can lend their voices and ideas to helping America move forward and inspire meaningful change. Former twice-impeached Presidents who incite attacks on the U.S. Capitol on their way out of office are a different story. Here’s a recent example that captures the lunacy, affront, and waste that is Donald Trump.
On Friday, Trump released a campaign video prioritizing America’s speedy transformation into a Jetsons society. With a focus on “vertical takeoff-and-landing vehicles,” Trump wants to create “hives of industry” so that America would beat China as the leader in the air mobility “revolution.” Trump claimed this would trigger a “new baby boom” and the government would start paying “baby bonuses” to ensure this “quantum leap” for our country.
Forgetting about the fact that technology is not on the verge of making flying-car cities a reality, Trump failed to provide details about his plan, especially its funding. When Trump proposed building a wall along the Mexican border on the campaign trail in 2016, he insisted in vain that Mexico would pay for it. Now, Trump isn’t bothering to explain how costs would be met or even the qualifications of this new payment.
While the idea of an alliterative baby bonus may sound catchy, an enhanced child tax credit that recently cut childhood poverty in half was just halted in December by Republicans. Nevertheless, Trump’s nebulous description of a seemingly similar reincarnation perhaps decades into the future is something we are meant to cheer.
Topping all the fluff is Trump’s name for the futuristic cities that would rise on federal land: “freedom cities.” Trump explained he would hold a contest to create up to 10 freedom cities on undeveloped federal land that would resemble Washington, D.C. except with flying cars.
In early 2003, Republicans led a mission to turn “French fries” and “French toast” into “Freedom fries” and “Freedom toast.” This was a childish way of somehow punishing France for not salivating at the idea of military intervention in Iraq, even after the United Nations could not find evidence of weapons of mass destruction in that country.
Trump’s decision to tack on the word “freedom” before “cities” in his new proposal is a reminder of that failed Republican effort from 20 years ago. It’s also a lame attempt at suggesting that simply because an idea incorporates a traditionally patriotic word, then embracing that idea could not be more American. It’s time for Trump to go back to the drawing board—or, better yet, he should just quit while he’s behind.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month