Tweetizen Trump – 2017-08-27: “Hurricane (and other stuff)!”

So this is going to be a lot shorter installment of this series than usual, even with the huge number of tweets you’ve been generating. Most of them, since Friday, have been about Hurricane Harvey (21 that I counted, with 12 more, some of them retweets, over on @POTUS), about which I can only say:

1. You are clearly bound and determined not to appear hands-off in the face of this disaster, especially given the huge gaps in appointees nominated for FEMA, etc. It’s good to see Dubya’s lesson still remains in place.

2. An actual post mortem of your efforts, and the work of the Federal Government, in dealing with the hurricane will come by and by. No use anticipating that analysis.

But in between the copious hurricane tweets the past few days, you and/or your Social Media Minion slipped in a few nuggets of other business, both profound and mundane. Let’s take a look at those, Donald.

I am pleased to inform you that I have just granted a full Pardon to 85 year old American patriot Sheriff Joe Arpaio. He kept Arizona safe!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2017

Unless you’re Hispanic, in which case he kept Arizona (excuse me, his county in Arizona) miserable by his department’s racist antics — antics which landed him with a conviction in the first place.

Oh, he also kept Arizona Maricopa County poorer from the $140M paid to litigate and settle brutality claims against his deputies between ’93 and ’15, and made Arizona a scandal when it comes to law enforcement and penal policy.

He is a loathsome individual, Donald. But, hey, he was your loyal campaign buddy and your partner in Birtherism, and pardoning him lets you appeal to your base, insult both Hispanics and the judicial system, and gives a broad wink to your friends embroiled in the Russia scandal investigations that they needn’t worry about doing any time, either.

I won’t go on, because I’ve discussed it (and been disgusted by it) at length elsewhere.

The only other comment I’ll make is that it was a remarkable thing to announce at 8pm on a Friday night while everyone was focused on a major disaster.

I would call this the nadir of your presidency thus far, but you continue to surprise me, Donald, at how low you can go. Oh, well. It’s not like you have a posse of awful sheriffs to show your love for …

A great book by a great guy, highly recommended! https://t.co/3jbDDN8YmJ

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

… which connected to a link from Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee about his brand new book. Clarke is the right-wing, anti-immigrant, prisoner–killing, plagiarizing, medal–festooned, wannabe-DHS honcho who would probably get along beautifully with Joe Arpaio.

Why you’re giving a book review (putting aside doubts that you’ve actually read the book) in the middle of a natural disaster is beyond me, Donald.

After more hurricane coverage, then noting you would visit Texas once a trip wouldn’t disrupt recovery efforts there (a perfectly legit argument that Obama made as well under similar circumstances), you added …

I will also be going to a wonderful state, Missouri, that I won by a lot in '16. Dem C.M. is opposed to big tax cuts. Republican will win S!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

Because let’s both brag about 2016 (again) and talk about campaigning for the 2018 election in the middle of that big disaster, right? (Those cryptic references, for those without a program, are “C.M.” for Claire McCaskill and “S” for Senate.)

After another tweet about the hurricane, which maybe brought Texas’ southern neighbor to mind, you added …

With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

Yes, just what those people in Texas are worried about right now, Donald.

You are correct that Mexico has a lot of crime problems. That “THE WALL” is a necessary solution to that remains unclear, and that you’ll find a way to get Mexico to eventually pay for it even more so.

Speaking of which, are you still threatening to shut down the federal government if you don’t get your money for “THE WALL”? [11] Is that the flooded beach you’re going willing to die on, Donald?

And since “THE WALL” reminded you of that other Mexico thing, you then went on …

We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

I’m shocked, shocked that Mexico and Canada are not rolling over for you on NAFTA.

Of course, how you plan on just “terminating” the agreement without throwing a wrench into the $267B in exports we sell to Canada, or the $231B we sell in exports to Mexico remains to be seen. And how importing less from those countries (in favor of, presumably, American manufactures that are, presumably, more expensive) won’t raise prices for consumers similarly remains a mystery.

At that point you returned to more hurricane tweets. Because you’ve got your priorities. 

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