Tuesday, May 28, 2019

What did Donald Trump do today?

He tweeted about Joe Biden—which is also what he's been doing all through our holiday hiatus.

Trump traveled to Japan over the Memorial Day weekend, although the way he ended up spending it looked more like his usual White House "executive time." In particular, he was once again fixated on former Vice-President Joe Biden, whom Trump reportedly fears more than any other potential Democratic nominee. Both on Twitter, and in front of a grim-faced Prime Minister Abe, Trump gloated over a North Korean propaganda piece that insulted Biden's intelligence.

Trump seemed less interested in the actual North Korean news of the weekend: its testing of short-range missiles capable of hitting Japan. He said he wasn't "personally bothered" by the threat to Japan.

Today, in a tweet, Trump tried to redirect attention to the North Korean insult to Biden again. It's not clear that it's a good move politically, though. Republicans in Congress who are normally staunch allies dragged Trump over it, and even a Fox News panel called it "shameful."

The same state media outlet that insulted Biden also famously called Trump a "dotard" and a "frightened dog."

Why should I care about this?

  • It shouldn't be this easy for a hostile nuclear-armed dictator to emotionally manipulate the President of the United States.
  • It's bad if the president pays more attention to North Korean propaganda than his own intelligence briefings.