All The Trappings Of An Autocracy

The Washington Post reported that Ivanka— beauty, according to Trump, to Pompeo’s beast— played a prominent role in the Trumpanzee excursion to North Korea. Ivanka also got a signed album from EXO, a top K-pop band. Did you know the presidential daughter is a high level diplomat. I guess if her dad qualifies to be president she can be Secretary of State or… whatever. Same for the talentless husband. CNN reported that “back in Washington, national security officials bristled at the large presence Ivanka assumed while overseas. But those close to the President described it as business as usual.”

EXO

The administration-- the East Wing, in particular-- has made it clear that Ivanka Trump is not the first lady. But Melania Trump, who accompanied the President on recent trips to Europe and Tokyo, skipped the visit to Osaka for the G20 summit and following trip to Seoul. Her communications director and now White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, declined to provide a reason for the absence. In turn, the first daughter asserted herself abroad this week in unique and unprecedented fashion as both a member of the US delegation and a member of the President's family.

Never before has a President's child had the proximity, influence and the marketing savvy to create a space in an administration, and that was on display from the G20 to the demilitarized zone as she appeared on equal footing with Cabinet-level officials. One sign of that: Her efforts to build relationships with world leaders at gatherings such as these.

Over the course of the four-day trip, Ivanka Trump attended multiple bilateral meetings at the G20 in Osaka. She was on stage for a women's economic empowerment forum with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, delivering remarks on her Women's Global Development and Prosperity initiative. The French government released a video of her trying to make conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, IMF chairwoman Christine Lagarde and British Prime Minister Theresa May.

She appeared on camera in a video published by the White House giving a readout of a trilateral meeting between the President, Indian President Narendra Modi and Abe, a responsibility traditionally carried out by a national security staffer in a written statement. In the video, Trump speaks directly to the camera about the "productive morning, to say the least," occasionally averting her eyes.

Trump also traveled with the delegation to Seoul, where she attended the dinner at the Blue House, had a discussion on women in the global economy with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and visited the DMZ, where her father shook hands with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and became the first sitting US president to step into North Korea.

Trump's national security adviser was absent from the stop because an aide said he had already departed Korea for a scheduled visit to Mongolia to "discuss regional security, infrastructure and economic issues." And Pompeo remained largely in the background during the high-profile trip, only appearing on camera behind the President as he made closing remarks. But while her father met with Kim inside for approximately 50 minutes, Trump crossed the line into North Korea-- inside a blue shelter and away from the cameras-- while senior officials like acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney waited outside. Asked by a reporter in the traveling press pool how North Korea was, she replied, "Surreal."

Ivanka Trump previously raised eyebrows among Trump critics during her attendance at the 2017 G20 summit in Hamburg when she briefly sat in for her father during one of the meetings with world leaders. She has since become more neatly tailored to issues of women's economic empowerment and workforce development. Yet she still advises her father on a myriad of issues internally. She has been one of his longest and most-trusted advisers, starting with her time in the family real estate business.

Former Obama State Department spokesperson, Pentagon press secretary and CNN analyst John Kirby said that her outsized role during the trip raises "legitimate concerns" regarding the transparency of Trump's responsibilities as a White House official, and, subsequently, her lack of accountability mechanisms as an unelected staffer.

"It raises real questions about what policy issues does she have a stake in and does she have authority to speak for the United States on," Kirby said to CNN.

To him, her visibility is an "optics problem" for the administration.

"I found it fairly stunning that she had a seat at so many tables and was involved in so many bilateral policy discussions," he said. "It certainly doesn't help America's standing on the world's stage as a democratic representative government because she wasn't elected by anybody and hasn't been formally appointed to any position."

…"If she ever wanted to run for president," Donald Trump said in an interview with The Atlantic earlier this year, "I think she'd be very, very hard to beat."

Meanwhile one of Trump’s other top-advisors, Tucker Carlson, defended his effusive praise of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, saying part of leading a country “means killing people.” Who knew? Putin, of course. Carlson added “Not on the scale the North Koreans do, but a lot of countries commit atrocities, including a number that we are closely allied with.”

We all love a parade

Hopefully Trump isn’t planning to kill anyone to show what a strong leader he is. He just wants tanks in his parade Thursday. He wanted them last year too. But the Pentagon talked him out of it. Yesterday, Rolling Stone reported that his “Salute to America” extravaganza, really a salute to Señor Trumpanzee, extravaganza on the National Mall “is poised to be one of the gaudiest, most over-the-top displays of jingoism in American history. President Trump wouldn’t have it any other way. [Trumpanzee himself] “has advised on just about every aspect of the event’s aesthetics, which, if he gets his wish, will feature ‘tanks or other armored military vehicles’ stationed around the National Mall.” No one will say how much this is going to cost or how much damage the tanks will do to DC streets. And as far as that idiot's parade... according to a new Monmouth poll, just 20% of Americans have heard anything about it. Among those who have heard about it-- and are presumably aware of the controversy surrounding this decision-- just 37% approve and 56% disapprove.

Midnight Meme Of The Day!

by Noah

Something to think about as we celebrate Veterans Day. I dedicate this meme to President Bone Spurs.

Trump Loves A Parade

Trump already had his parade

Trump, who apparently never bothered reading the Constitution, wants Mr. Magoo to arrest Omarosa and lock her up. Gee, what a sore loser! So far the idiot has fallen into every Trumpian trap she's et for him and he knows exactly what's coming, just not the order it's coming in. All his advisors and relatives and advisor/relatives told him to ignore Unhinged and her self-serving provocations. He didn't have the self-control and he's managed to create a best-seller for her and make her a household name, exactly the opposite of what he hoped to do. What would Mr. Magoo arrest her for? Lèse-majesté?

I bet that kook Supreme Court nominee of his, Kavanaugh, would uphold that.

He's not getting any work done-- and preventing people in the White House who actually do work-- because the only thing on his mind is his death struggle with Omarosa.

Trump's Parade by Nancy Ohanian

Oh, wait! There is one thing the grifter-in-chief still manages to working: his parade-- and how, of course, to steal money by staging it. Remember when he claimed it would "only" cost $12 million to put it on (November 10, a couple days after either the Democrats regain control of Congress or everyone is talking how the Russians did it again). In any case, the new estimate for the cost is... $92 million. That's 80 million more than the original price-- a typical used car/condo/time-share salesman trick, which is what Trump excels at. [UPDATE: The Pentagon put Trump's parade off 'til "next year," apparently hoping he'll be too busy being impeached by them to keep bothering them about a parade.] [UPDATE on the UPDATE: Trumpanzee cancelled the parade altogether this morning, blaming the local DC elected officials, who just happen to be African Americans, always his favorite target for attacks.]

The official also said that experts put to rest concerns about whether the Abrams tank, which weighs just shy of 70 tons, would ruin infrastructure in Washington. Their analysis found that, because of the vehicle's distributed weight and track pads, the streets of the nation's capital would not be compromised.

The parade is also expected to include helicopter, fighter jet, transport aircraft as well as historical military plane flyovers. Troops in period uniforms representing the past, present and future forces will march in the parade, as well.

The ceremony is said to be largely inspired by Trump's front-row seat at France's Bastille Day military parade in Paris.

Trump's Parade II by Nancy Ohanian

Midnight Meme Of The Day!

by Noah

Dear Mr. So-called President:

You want a parade? Here's your fucking parade! We have no doubt that you will steal a jet ski to ride out and be in the middle of things.

Piss off!

Noah

Midnight Meme Of The Day!

by Noah

The word is that Señor Trumpanzee wants his $30,000,000 penis compensation parade of mighty missile might on Veterans Day. It's the least he can do to sort out the problems of caring for our veterans, so, the least is exactly what he's doing. But, really our vets have nothing to do with it. As always, it's all about Trump. Cadet Bone Spurs doesn't have a caring or patriotic bone in his bloated body.

Maybe Señor Trumpanzee will even invite his crazy brother from another mother, Kim Jong-un. Would it surprise you if they both stood there, together on the Pennsylvania Avenue reviewing stand while the rockets rolled by? I wouldn't be surprised if they got matching haircuts, wore $150 "Trump, The Real Rocket Man" shirts, and announced that their deal includes gold-tipped Trump Towers all over North Korea. What a fine tribute that would be to all our vets who served in the Korean War, eh? Meanwhile, Trump will turn to his new buddy and say, "See, mine's bigger than yours."

Midnight Meme Of The Day!

-by Noah

When President Bone Spurs announced that he wants an old Soviet-style military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, my first thought was that the only military parade he should get is the one that we may have to resort to. That would be the sad spectacle of the military having to march into the White House and physically remove Trump and all his vermin. If it was up to me, Trump and his staff would all then get new accommodations at GITMO.

Obviously, he's been reading his Hitler and Stalin books again. He fondly hits the playback button in his mind to film of the massive displays of military might that both fellow crazies held. Mussolini did them, too. So does Kim Jong-un and, more recently, the French had one for Bastille Day (Maybe the Trumps should read up on what happened on the original Bastille Day). Seeing truckloads of big, potent missiles no doubt serves a need in the mind of Señor Trumpanzee. Maybe he would have seen enough horror in Vietnam to cure his lust for things that go boom in the night, but, instead he conjured up a case of fake bone spurs and a tiny fistful of deferments and dodged Vietnam. He got a lying note from his doctor, just like he got a note from his doctor that said he was sane and healthy when he decided to run for president.

It's all about his insecurities and his need for expressions of praise and loyalty. He wants to stand there being saluted. I'm sure he'll demand full live TV coverage just like Kim Jong-un enjoys. Any network that balks at that will be called treasonous, as will any politicians that don't attend the festivities. Will he demand that the troops goose step in unison as they parade past his reviewing stand? I'm sure that's how he sees it in his mind's eye. He probably sees a naked Stormy Daniels riding by straddling a rocket with his name on it. Melania will love that one.

Will it be on May 1st, aka May Day. That's when the old Soviet Union had their military parades. He'll want to show his buddy Putin something. In his mind, his parade will be a tremendous parade, the best parade with the best warheads, the best tanks, and the biggest and best military bands. Will he bus in his "very fine people" from Charlottesville so they can march again? Cheerleaders? Do I hear cheerleaders? With Trump-emblazoned sweaters?

If Trumpanzee wants this parade, and he's as damn rich as he says he is, why doesn't he pay for it? He already wants money for "The Wall." Why should we pay for either? Maybe he can split the cost with the Koch brothers. After those heavy tanks chew up Pennsylvania Avenue and all the other costs that will be incurred, the bill to pay for Trump's sick megalomania will be in the tens of millions. Just a small 1991 victory parade after Operation Desert Storm cost us $12,000,000, and that was 27 years ago. Who knows how much the cost of this insanity will set this country back; all to please the insane, out of control ego of a madman.

A final thought: Maybe, Trump should just go visit the Vietnam Memorial and spend some time looking at the names of those who died in his place while he was faking "bone spurs." He could take Dick "I had other priorities" Cheney along for company. Maybe Cheney could accidentally shoot him in the face. Wouldn't that be terrible!