A Vision in Blue

 

Laid out in repose at the Pope's funeral whilst resplendent in blue was President Trump, kept somewhat upright by virtue of his belt. Alongside him as she occasionally is, was First Lady Melania, we are fairly certain, in the more usual black, or as she likes to put it, "Widow Practice." 

Despite at least being some kind of dressed up, funeral observers are questioning whether he should actually be taken anywhere, but a variety of more interesting locations have been suggested. 

TWGB: Would You Buy a Watch from this Man?

 

So, obviously this thing where Trump is selling watches is a part of the "Trump campaign as business plan" ethos that the media doesn't quite know what to do with. It's at least as good as the NFT racket. It's better than the Trump DC Hotel racket, that Trump even found a new way to lose money at. 

We might not be able to really talk about things like the $10 million that flowed to Trump (allegedly) from Egypt in 2016, probably, or even fully investigate his business interests in China. But we could definitely ask why he's got the Mrs. out here pounding her book (which he hasn't read), her jewelry line, and fucking Chreestmas ornaments as a kind of Trump "lifestyle brand". 

Is this what serious people do? Like, if people can't afford bacon and eggs, is this really how you demonstrate solidarity with them? 

So, here's the thing--back in 2017, Trump trotted out a lawyer and like a pallet of blank paper in file folders to pretend he divested from his businesses, and LOL, no he did not do that. But dipstick MAGA  brainwashed cult members will tell you all about what he gave up to be president. That's right MAGA--he never did spend most of his time between Trump Tower, Bedminster and Mar-a-Lago. He wasn't still CEO of Trump Org when he was directing the payment of hush money from the White House. He didn't direct funds to his various properties from the US government whenever possible. 

Family Values

 

Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen testified that Melania Trump was the one who suggested that the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape be spun as “locker-room talk.” https://t.co/HFjiQhYgDO

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 14, 2024

Some folks might have wondered what effect this trial would have on Trump's marriage, but I don't really care, do you? 

And as for Trump himself:

But during his testimony, Cohen suggested that his former boss didn’t particularly care about protecting his family. He said he asked Trump what Melania would think about the scandal. “He goes, ‘How long do you think I’ll be on the market for? Not long,’” Cohen said. “He wasn’t thinking about Melania. This was all about the campaign.”

Some might say that's just Cohen's testimony--but given what we know about Trump's serial philandering, doesn't that ring true?  He just sheds people when they become a hassle and finds someone else who can do the job.  "Wife" is a job. 

They Really Don't Care, Do You?

It simply isn't in me to care that much about what comes out of Melania Trump's mouth or what she wears on her back. I can, however, note, that the tailored military look befitting a would-be dictator's wife is certainly more appropriate than the "I Really Don't  Care, Do You?" jacket she wore to visit immigrant children. The overall message of the evening's RNC events, however, was pretty much the same: They really don't care.

Is it a violation of the Hatch Act for political speeches to take place on the White House premises? They really don't care. Is it a misuse of his office for Trump to publicize a pardon or US naturalization ceremonies to the benefit of his campaign? They really don't care. Is is wrong for Sec. of State Mike Pompeo to speak for Trump's campaign--ditto. There is no part of the office of the executive branch that they won't use to Trump's ends.

Chief of Staff Mark Meadows says as much: "Nobody outside of the Beltway really cares." And the events were arranged to demonstrate that to be a Trumper is not to care, either.

Mixed messages from the RNC so far defy the observer to make them cohere: a speech decrying nepotism was followed by speeches from Trump's extraordinarily lucky adult children.  We were treated to a speech on "cancel culture" by a young person who was not canceled because he didn't actually have anything to be canceled from yet.

But spectacle doesn't have to make logical sense. It's just as well if it doesn't. They don't really care.

The question is, do you?

This Story has a Whiff of the Aquatic Life About It

Trump on his trip to Walter Reed: “I went for a physical and I came back. My wife said, ‘Darling are you okay? What’s wrong? Oh, they’re reporting you may have had a heart attack.’ I said, ‘Why did I have a heart attack?’ ‘Because you went to Walter Reed Medical Center.”

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) November 19, 2019

Now, I know that dwelling on this is just obsessive, but if the First Lady knew very well that her husband was going in for a planned check-up, why in the world would she be concerned about speculative information out on the media? She would have been "in the loop" about what was going on! It seems like some kind of needless embellishment to chide others about making any minimally-informed speculation (which I guess is fair; it does border on the ghoulish). She would have known he was ok, so she....sigh.

Before I spend another brain cell on this, suffice it to say maybe he's just jealous of Rep. Steve Scalise for having the kind of wife who would cry if he was in the hospital. You know, not every wife would do that.