Donald Trump just can’t stop hurting himself
Donald Trump changes gears again. What a surprise. He’s now not holding the G-7 at his Doral resort. Trump blames the “hostile media” and Democrats for his decision. Typical Trump: Make a bad decision, blame someone else. Unfortunately for him, no one is buying it. Presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Julian Castro say that Trump’s reversal is too little too late. They believe, correctly, that it won’t stop the flow of funds into Trump’s pockets via foreign nationals who stay at his properties. It is a complete mystery why Trump continues to try things that are clearly corrupt and believes that others will silently allow his corruption to go unchallenged.
Politico gave some good reasons for Trump’s reversal, which apparently have nothing to do with him suddenly growing a brain and realizing his activities are merely making his impeachment pile larger. Politico points to members of Trump’s staff, who, behind his back of course, wonder whether his continued involvement in and driving business to his properties is influencing U.S. foreign policy. Well, duh. Just about anyone could have seen that coming. Politico shares that Trump brags about his (failing) properties to foreign leaders with whom he meets, from Emmanuel Macron to Angela Merkel, whom he first told he may choose one of his Florida properties for the G-7 summit. “We haven’t found anything that could even come close to competing with it,” he bragged. Competing with it for bed bug infestations but little else.
One White House staffer claims that because Trump has promoted his properties for the last 50 years “it’s almost out of force of habit, that’s what he does.” Bullshit. Trump knows he’s no longer allowed to promote his properties. He is merely trying to refurbish his properties via taxpayer money and shore up his bank account for the next bankruptcy. That’s what he does. The problem for Trump is that he’s in the midst of an impeachment inquiry, and directing foreign leaders to his properties is a violation of the emoluments clause. As much as that phrase has been bandied about, surely he knows what it means. Trump is just determined to do what Trump wants to do, damn the consequences, but this time, that attitude bit him in his substantial ass.
As soon as Trump made the announcements, Congress began requesting documents. It isn’t just Democrats pointing out corruption in the Trump administration. Ethics experts and Trump’s former favorite, Fox “News” also called him out on awarding a very large government contract to himself. Most frightening for Trump, however, is that Politico reports that several Republicans put pressure on Trump. Considering that he’s going to need every, single one of them to avoid impeachment, that likely got his attention. In public, however, he attempts to save face by blaming Democrats and the media. He can blame all he wants, but the public that will or won’t be reelecting him in 2020 were also outraged. There is only so much American taxpayers can take from a corrupt president, and this one crossed that line a long time ago. To continue these types of activities is nothing more than a slap in the face to every taxpaying American. Remember this in 2020.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years