Monday, July 17, 2017

What did Donald Trump do today?

He sent get-well wishes to a Republican senator he hates, and it showed.

The latest version of Trumpcare is stalled in the Senate while Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) recovers from surgery to remove a two-inch blood clot from his head. Since two Republicans have already signaled that they will not vote for the bill, every remaining GOP senator, including McCain, is needed to even begin debate on it. (UPDATE, 8:42 PM EDT: Since Trump's remarks, at least two additional senators have announced they will vote no on the motion to proceed, rendering the McCain calculation moot.)

Today at the White House, Trump sarcastically wished McCain good health, calling him "a crusty voice in Washington," adding, "plus we need his vote."

While Trump throwing shade at an octogenarian recovering from major surgery may seem harsh, it's actually one of the nicer things Trump has ever said to McCain, a frequent critic. When McCain pointed out that Trump was courting conspiracy theorists and white supremacists, draft-evader Trump attacked McCain for his seven-year stint as a POW in North Vietnam, saying, “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured? I like people who weren’t captured.” And when McCain pointed out that Trump was responsible for the death of a Navy SEAL during a botched raid in Yemen, Trump furiously tweeted back accusing McCain of emboldening the enemy and saying that he had "been losing so long he doesn't know how to win anymore."

Why is this a problem?

  • There is something to be said for a president who can stop himself from being a dick when the situation warrants.