“Saturday Night Live” can’t out-skit Donald Trump.
If you didn’t see President Trump’s news conference live on Thursday to announce his new Labor secretary pick, Alexander Acosta, in the wake of Andrew Puzder’s flame-out, then you should log on to your favorite news site and watch it replay in full.
It was – and is – one hoot after another. Sadly.
The president mentioned Acosta exactly three times. After about four sentences on Acosta, Trump launched into full presidential campaign mode. Again. Rambling for nearly 20 minutes, he touted what he called his accomplishments and complained about the “dishonest” media.
“I turn on the news and I see stories of ‘chaos.’ And yet it is the exact opposite. The administration is running like a fine-tuned machine.”
Trump did not mention the millions of protesters or the hundreds of protest marches. He did not mention (until questioned about it later) the botched roll-out of his poorly crafted immigration ban. He did not mention (until questioned) the short tenure of his National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, whom he fired after Flynn talked with Russia before Trump’s inauguration over Obama sanctions against Russia for meddling in our election.
But he did fear monger about ISIS and the “mess” he “inherited.” And, oh, yes, he patted himself on the back about eliminating regulations, winning “the biggest electoral college win since Ronald Reagan” (it wasn’t the biggest).
And yes, he bragged: “Look at where I am, and I got here without a cabinet.”
Indeed. Look at where he is. Less than a month in, and even Republicans already are calling for investigations into the Trump administration’s links with Russia. Trump’s White House is leaking like a sieve because lifelong public servants are horrified with what they’re seeing. His national security adviser should never have been hired and lasted just over three weeks. And perhaps his cabinet can’t get approved (as Trump complained) in a majority GOP Senate because – like Flynn – they were lousy picks in the first place.
But there was some real news – though Trump will surely have called it “fake” news by the time you read this with your coffee: During the Q & A portion of the news conference, Trump was asked point blank: Did you direct Mike Flynn to discuss sanctions with the Russian ambassador?
“No, I didn’t direct him, but I would have directed him if he didn’t do it,” Trump said.
So, there you have it. Trump would have directed his national security adviser to violate the law – specifically the obscure Logan Act, which prohibits unauthorized Americans from corresponding with foreign governments “relating to controversies or disputes which do or shall exist.” Flynn was unauthorized at the time because President Obama was still in office and then-President-elect Trump was weeks away from his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Yes, look where President Trump is in just 28 short days.