ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?
The highest profile of U.S. presidents always end up being remembered for a signature quote of some kind. For FDR, it was “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” For Richard Nixon, it was “I’m not a crook.” For Donald Trump, he’s so erratic and incoherent, well, we’ve almost lost track.
But yesterday, Donald Trump seemed to try to pull off the kind of line that he’d want to be remembered by. Either that or he was just really confused. Trump was holding a joint press conference with the President of Finland that quickly dissolved into a disastrous back and forth with the media about the whistleblower scandal. Trump didn’t like a question from reporter Jeff Mason, so he demanded that Mason ask the President of Finland a question instead. Then Trump wasn’t sure what was going on, and he blurted out, “Are you talking to me?”
Just about everyone is familiar with that famous line from Robert De Niro. It’s sometimes used in pop culture to try to take a defiant stand against someone, but it’s just as often used to sarcastically mock such a scenario. Similarly, we don’t know if Trump was trying to quote De Niro to show just how tough he could be, or if he really was that befuddled and confused about whom the reporter was addressing.
The kicker is that over the weekend, Robert De Niro appeared on CNN and made very profanely clear just how little he thinks of Donald Trump and his remaining apologists. Trump was surely aware of this when he was giving his press conference. Whether Trump quoted De Niro on purpose or by accident, it was a really bad look for him either way. It’s a small thing, but it’s nonetheless a reminder that Trump really is firing on no cylinders.
