Upper Arlington resident William DiMascio is a retired journalist.
Oink! Oink!
The glutinous pig never gets enough.
President Donald Trump continues to support "good person" Max Miller.
That same Max Miller is busy seeking reelection to Ohio's 7th Congressional District and denying allegations he physically abused his 2-year-old daughter, his ex-wife Emily Moreno, the daughter ofSen. Bernie Moreno, his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Grisham, a former White House communications director, and another woman.
Trump is bilking the U.S. Treasury for a planehe intends to keep.
He is directing a war he cannot win. He is undermining the First Amendment and destabilizing our elections.
He is imposing tariffs that disrupt world trade and undercut our domestic economy.
And, having spotted a flaw in our immigration system, he is damaging our country’s reputation as a land of opportunity for all while terrorizing and killing law-abiding citizens.
Then there is the deep, long-lasting damage he is doing by destroying the balance between Congress and the presidency. With threats to their careers and intimidation, he is holding slim majorities in the House and Senate to do his bidding with scant regard to behavioral norms or ethical violations.
He overcame opposition to getting his personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, in position to be approved as attorney general.
All this and more are in the name of his personal glory and ego gratification.
Oink!
Trump's coherent message
Did his parents never correct him for such narcissistic behavior?
Fortunately, time has a way of diminishing even the most boorish personalities. In two recent speeches, the president displayed his increasing inability to deliver a coherent message.
The first occasion was his ballyhooed, prime time talk aboutforeign interference in our elections; it was so inflated that two of the three major television networks refused to carry it.
The speech, which promised to expose highly classified information, relied on data made public six or more years ago. Additionally, it was full of disinformation designed to incite interest in his failing effort to federalize the elections system, which is constitutionally a prerogative of the individual states.
Despite the buildup, his delivery was weak.
He appeared tired, jaded, and devoid of the magnetism of his earlier days as a television celebrity. CBS News, the network that carried the talk, desperately tried to portray it as a legitimate news event while its fact-checkers attempted to keep up with the deluge of misrepresentations - that is, to say, lies.
Trump's fear
His "Save Act" was designed to repress the vote in the upcoming midterm elections.
It appears his party, the lemmings, who lack the spine to do anything he opposes, are headed for a defeat in the House and, possibly, the Senate.
The consequences, he and his sycophants fear are potential investigations of wrongdoing and a third round of impeachment. The Save Act will make it extremely difficult for many people to vote without hard-to-get proof of citizenship, not to mention the difficulties for married and/or divorced women who have changed their names.
Oink! Oink!
The other event was his keynote address at the White House Correspondents' Dinner which was delayed after a failed alleged assassination attempt disrupted the original setting.
The event is held each year by members of the news media who invite guests from the administration they are covering. It is an opportunity to honor freedom of the press enshrined in the First Amendment.
Ironically, the current administration, which was well represented at the dinner, has been trying intently to diminish the work of the media.
The Department of Defense, for example, even at a time when the nation is at war, has been trying to rid the pentagon of reporters and providing false information about casualties in the war in Iran.
And the hog-in-chief is leading the assault on the press by filing – then dropping – billion-dollar suits against newspapers, issuing – then withdrawing – subpoenas on reporters who cover the news, and constantly referring to the news media as enemies and representatives of the “fake” news.
Presidents traditionally have been invited to speak at these dinners, and usually they handle the occasion with self-deprecation and an honest appreciation for the importance of a free press. Why the association invited this guy to speak was an exercise in extreme magnanimity. And why they asked him to return next year remains a mystery.
Oink!
Infatuated with himself as he is, the president attempted to charm the press, as if he actually supported the First Amendment.
Then he delved into a lackluster description of the ballroom he is building. And when that failed to capture the attention of the audience, he went on the attack, repeating his time-worn criticisms of individuals who, in some cases, were being honored for their work by the association at the dinner.
Droning on for an hour and appearing listless as he did in his primetime speech, he eventually drifted into his campaign rhetoric before attendees that remained mostly quiet or engaged with their cell phones.
The perks of the highest ranks of governance in the U.S. have been made available in deference to the office of the president.
How sad it is to see such honorifics turned into a trough where the porcine crowd of hangers-on can indulge their vainglorious appetite.
Oink! Oink!
William DiMascio is a former Associated Press Bureau chief for the state of Ohio, executive editor of the Cleveland Press and communications consultant. Now retired, he lives in Upper Arlington.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Oink, oink! Max Miller support latest proof Trump reigns as 'hog-in-chief' | Opinion
