What did Donald Trump do today?

He shared his thoughts on Americans who work. (He's not a fan.)

Trump has never had to earn a private sector job he could be fired from, the way most Americans do. His position as head of the Trump Organization suite of businesses was an inheritance from his father. He did have a separate entertainment career starting in the 90s, which ranged from appearances ranging from cameos in soft-core pornography to hosting the game show The Apprentice. But that work—while arguably the only real success he's had that doesn't trace back to political corruption—was built on the erratic publicity-hound reputation he earned in the 1980s while trying to keep from running his father's real estate empire entirely into the ground.

That background is relevant to several remarks he made today showing how he thinks other Americans approach work. 

As of last night, the current government shutdown is apparently headed for a resolution sometime this week. That means that essential government workers, including air traffic controllers, have been going without pay for nearly six weeks, and may end up missing two whole months before their paychecks catch up with them. This is a real financial hardship for many Americans, and some air traffic controllers took leave in order to do short-term work that actually came with a paycheck. Others were forced to call out in order to cut down on costs like child care they'd normally be able to afford.

Trump responded on his private microblogging website with a furious tirade against those air traffic controllers:

All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn't will be substantially "docked." For those Air Traffic Controllers who who were GREAT PATRIOTS, and didn't take ANY TIME OFF for the "Democrat Shutdown Hoax," I will be recommending a BONUS of $10,000 per person for distinguished service to our Country. For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU. You didn't step up to help the U.S.A. against the FAKE DEMOCRAT ATTACK that was only meant to hurt our Country. You will have a negative mark, at least in my mind, against your record. If you want to leave service in the near future, please do not hesitate to do so, with NO payment or severance of any kind! You will be quickly replaced by true Patriots, who will do a better job on the Brand New State of the Art Equipment, the best in the World, that we are in the process of ordering. The last "Administration" wasted Billions of Dollars trying to fix antiquated "junk." They had no idea what they were doing! Again, to our great American Patriots, GOD BLESS YOU - I won't be able to send your money fast enough! To all others, REPORT TO WORK IMMEDIATELY. GOD BLESS AMERICA! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP

Whether or not the controllers care if trump is NOT HAPPY WITH them, there are two things worth pointing out here. First, Trump's "recommendation" for bonuses carries no legal weight whatsoever, even if he intended to try to pay it out. Second, neither air traffic controllers nor any other government employee "new they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future." Trump himself threatened to permanently withhold back pay as leverage, and to punish workers he thought worked for programs favored by his political enemies.

Later in the day, Fox News aired an interview in which Trump shared his opinion about the roughly 42,000,000 Americans who received food assistance through SNAP—or did, until he illegally refused to pay it out during the shutdown. He claimed that lazy Americans were going on food assistance because "it's easier" than working:

Q: Can we reform SNAP? So they're used for the people who really need them?

TRUMP: Yeah, it's — It's meant for people and — You know what it does, is it really puts the company — the country in jeopardy, People that need it have to get it, I'm all for it, but people that are able-bodied can do a job, they leave their job because they figure they can pick this up, it's easier. That's not — that's not the purpose of it.

In reality, SNAP has strictly enforced work requirements: anyone between the ages of 18 and 59 who is not physically or mentally disabled, a single parent, or in school or rehabilitation must work 30 hours a week to be eligible. The average SNAP credit, which is restricted to being spent on food, was $320 per month.

In other words, Trump appears to genuinely believe that Americans voluntarily choose to live on no income other than a few hundred dollars a month in food stamps per month because it's "easier."

Why does this matter?

• Presidents should worry more about whether American workers are happy with them, and not the other way around. 

• It's not a sin to be poor, but it is a sin to hate people because they're poor. 

• Holding workers' paychecks hostage for political gain is evil.

• One of the reasons it's a good idea to actually get a job—even if you're a trust fund baby—is that it teaches you how people feel about bosses who write that kind of memo.