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Actually, a serious question. I mean this.
If Donald Trump next week began demolishing the Washington Monument—because he wanted to change the structure of the Washington Monument and make it look more like Mar-a-Lago or the shape of a T for Trump or whatever—would any Republican say anything?
I mean that. Would any Republican object? Would anybody on Fox News say, “Stop. That’s too far”? Would any of Trump’s voters, any of his MAGA supporters say anything?
If Trump took a backhoe to the Washington Monument, if Trump took a bulldozer to the Washington Monument, if Donald Trump on his own next week began tearing down part of the Washington Monument or tearing the whole monument down and restructuring it, would any of his supporters, would any Republican say anything?
Now, simply asking that question, for all of us, should be so fucking troubling, right? Like, seriously? A President of the United States on his own decides he’s going to demolish a sacred monument in Washington, D.C., a historic monument in Washington DC, the Washington Monument?
“Like, Joe, are you serious? Like, why are you even asking this question? That’s unheard of. Of course not. A President of the United States can’t do something like that.”
To which I say, really? Really? Donald Trump is demolishing the White House right now as we speak, and no Republican has said anything. No Trump supporter has said anything. Nobody on Fox News or OAN or Newsmax or right-wing talk radio, my former home, has said anything. Donald Trump has basically torn the East Wing of the White House down all by himself, and Republicans haven’t said shit.
The White House is our house. The White House isn’t his house. “The Washington Monument isn’t his,” you would scream. “Well, the White House isn’t his,” I would respond. “But, Joe, the Washington Monument, that’s a historic landmark.” “The White House,” I would respond, “is a historic landmark.”
“But, Joe, there’s got to be a process, you know, to redo the Washington Monument. There’s got to be a laborious, rigorous process that you’ve got to go through. Congressional approval, permits and vetting, and you’ve got to get all the historic groups to approve, and the committees and commissions and the National Park Service, and blah blah blah. All of that’s got to be done. That whole vetting process, permits, and all the rest before you even touch the Washington Monument, Joe.”
To which I would respond, “Same with the White House.” And Trump ignored all of that.
It’s the exact same with the White House. All the vetting, Trump ignored. The entire process that one must go through to restructure, to change the structure of the White House—Trump ignored all of it. Didn’t involve Congress at all. No vetting at all. No approval by any of the historic groups, the committees, the commissions, the National Park Service. No approval. No permits.
Trump ignored all of it. He’s doing what he’s doing to the White House all by himself. One man has taken a wrecking ball to the historic landmark that is the White House, the people’s house. And not one fucking Republican has said a thing. Not one Trump supporter has screamed and shouted. Nobody on Fox News has made a big deal of it.
So excuse me. Don’t insult my intelligence and tell me that if Trump began demolishing the Washington Monument next week, don’t tell me there’d be a great hue and cry from Republicans and Trump’s supporters. There wouldn’t be.
And how sick and sad and scary and pathetic is that? Because really, the lesson here, boys and girls, is what Donald Trump is doing to our house, the people’s house, that historic landmark, this is part and parcel of what he’s done for 10 years. He’s said anything he’s wanted to say. He’s done anything he’s wanted to do. Fuck the norms. Fuck the laws. Fuck the institutions.
Donald Trump has taken a wrecking ball to anything and everything these last 10 years that is America, and Republicans have let him do it. His enablers, his appeasers, his cowards, his court jesters, his cheerleaders—they’ve all allowed him to do it. And demolishing the White House is just the latest example of this.
God, that’s scary. Here we are.
So I say then with absolute clarity and confidence that if Trump began on his own a demolition next week of the Washington Monument, Republicans wouldn’t say a thing. His supporters wouldn’t say a thing. Nobody on Fox News would say a thing. Because my former political party is a cult, he is their cult leader, and they are scared to death to come out and say anything against the cult leader.
You see, Trump is a problem, a big problem. He’s everything our Founders feared. He’s an utterly corrupt, dishonest, cruel, ignorant, psychopathic, lawless fascist. That’s a big, big problem to have that in the White House.
But the much, much, much, much, much bigger problem are all the fascist enablers—every enabler and appeaser over the years, these past 10 years, who have allowed Trump to do what he does. Trump could not be demolishing the White House as we speak if his enablers didn’t let him.
Trump would not be demanding $230 million from the Justice Department if his enablers didn’t let him. Trump could not have tried to overthrow an American election if his enablers didn’t let him. Trump couldn’t have dismantled USAID, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of children around the world, if his enablers had not let him. Trump couldn’t be going after and trying to imprison his political opponents if his enablers did not let him.
Blame Trump, but blame his enablers a hell of a lot more. And if Trump does begin demolishing the Washington Monument next week to make it more of a Trump Monument, blame Trump, but blame his enablers much, much, much more.
This Week
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Tuesday with Jim Acosta [ [link removed] ] (click if you missed it)
Thursday AMA for Paid Subscribers Only at 7pm ET
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Did you catch Walsh Wednesday, my weekly meetup with Michael Cohen? If you missed it, here it is:
THIS WEEK’S INTERVIEWS & QUOTES
On Anderson Cooper 360 [ [link removed] ] —CNN
John Fetterman Reacts to Trump’s Bid to Pay Himself with Taxpayer Cash: ‘That’s Small Ball’ [ [link removed] ] —NJ.com
White House Dismisses ‘Fake Outrage’ over East Wing Renovations [ [link removed] ] —Christian Post
‘Vile Degradation’: Trump Ally Dinesh D’Souza Shocked to Discover MAGA’s Anti-India Rhetoric [ [link removed] ] —The Times of India
Utter Desecration: Walking Wrecking Balls, All Of ‘Em [ [link removed] ] —Common Dreams
Construction Begins on Trump’s $250m White House Ballroom [ [link removed] ] —The Guardian
White House Demolition Photo for Trump Ballroom Takes Off Online [ [link removed] ] —Newsweek
‘Defeating That King’: Ex-Tea Party Congressman Warns of Trump Spies at Weekend Protests [ [link removed] ] —NewsBreak
Trump Just Sent a Sinister ‘Signal’ to Every Republican: Ex-Tea Party Lawmaker [ [link removed] ] —Raw Story
Social Media Erupts After Trump Press Secretary Hurls Major Insult at Democrats: ‘Beyond the Pale’ [ [link removed] ] —NJ.com
‘Every Accusation Is a Confession’: Observers Bash Trump’s Sweeping Changes at the IRS [ [link removed] ] —Raw Story
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