Donald Trump, Auteur-in-Chief
Maybe you believe Donald Trump capable of involving himself in a foreign-led conspiracy that concluded with him becoming president of the United States, only to screw it up by acting in the most guilty way imaginable. But to my eyes this looks more like a case of the E word: Donald Trump was having another episode. He saw something he didn’t like in the media, got angry, and thought he could end it by sending out a pink slip. After all, “You’re fired!” had ended scores of storylines before, hadn’t it?
.. The giveaway is another word that has featured prominently in coverage of the firing and the potential candidates to assume control of the FBI: Loyalty.
.. In a strange way the Comey incident confirms that for Donald Trump almost nothing can be merely political; it’s all personal. Someone with even the most rudimentary political instincts would have counseled Trump against canning Comey while the FBI’s investigation of his campaign and associates was still ongoing, for appearances’ sake. And indeed, those with political instincts did. Steve Bannon, the supposedly vengeful Machiavelli behind the Trump throne, is said to have cautioned the boss that this was an unwise move.
.. Luckily for our nation’s place in the world, Trump treats other leaders like movie-star peers. (He has great “chemistry” with Xi.)
.. For all I know, this style of governance will work to Trump’s advantage. Cable-news ratings are up. Newspaper subscriptions, too. It may be a rolling disaster. But I can’t stop watching.