Something else for Trump to whine about
It was nice seeing the presidents sitting beside each other during President Carter’s funeral. At one point, Trump and President Obama had their heads together talking, with Trump smiling. This is likely the one time we’ve seen Donald Trump act like a regular human being in public. Of course, it won’t last. Trump will return to being, well, Trump. Vice President Harris put on the best face, sitting immediately in front of Trump with her husband the Second Gentleman and never even turning around. George Bush topped them all: he completely ignored Trump and declined to shake his hand.
We all know how Trump can turn on a proverbial dime, so no need to put on a show. He’s already angry that President Biden has declared a 30-day period of mourning for President Carter, which goes past Trump’s inauguration day, January 20. If any deceased president deserves this honor, it was Jimmy Carter. What a legacy he left behind in his drive to help people from all walks of life. It is rather ironic that this is happening right at the beginning of the presidency of a man who cares about little but himself.
According to the Intelligencer, Trump is not happy that flags will be flying half-mast during his inauguration in honor of President Carter. This declaration is a precedence and not an attempt to mar Trump’s special day, but Delaware online reported that he is not happy: “President-elect Donald Trump has lashed out over flags being flown at half-staff during his upcoming inauguration.” Delaware online calls the action “a sign of respect for late former President Jimmy Carter.” Trump, of course, took to Truth Social to vent: “The Democrats are all ‘giddy’ about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at ‘half mast [sic]’ during my Inauguration. They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don’t love our Country, they only think about themselves.” Careful, Trump, you’re projecting again.
Trump’s concern is that he won’t have a proper inauguration. That’s fitting; he’s not a proper president. Trump claimed that “no one wants to see this.” Only Trump will be paying special attention to the flags. For him, it’s an affront. As the Intelligencer reported, Trump is obsessed about the inauguration. He even lied about attendance the last time, but Intelligencer hit the proverbial nail on the head: “Without much question, the president-elect is a globally acknowledged expert on thinking of oneself, as his lack of interest in offering Carter the traditional honors indicated. But he has no power to raise flags until he’s taken the oath of office, grumble and whine as he might.” They have Trump pegged. He cares only for himself. It doesn’t matter if there are millions who disagree (and there are). He just doesn’t care. Adding to Trump’s woes, while he quickly named his (incompetent) cabinet picks, only a handful have been approved. No one gets everything they want in life. Trump is no different. He may have to get used to disappointments.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years