Today, I watched the President’s cabinet meeting from start to finish. Seeing this live meeting was an extraordinary experience, with the caveat that the department heads and associates' reports were highly orchestrated. I started watching on MSNBC, however, I switched channels because MSNBC chose to leave the audio portion of the meeting and to comment over the news.
Why did MSNBC do that? Likely, they observed the commentary as being Trump propaganda and, in many instances, making claims in the absence of fact. MSNBC stayed plugged into the meeting though chose to deny The White House the opportunity for undeserved air time, they must have believed.
I switched to CNN because I wanted to hear every word each participant had to say. I wanted to hear everything the President said. I wanted to hear answers to the questions asked by the authorized press.
Without providing copious analysis of the scripts, I observed the continuation of propaganda and unsubstantiated claims, and deplorable actions pertaining to immgrants.
What I found most interesting was the repeated explanation by Trump about his use of tariffs to offset the imbalances in the trade situation that leaves America in perpetual deficit that he claims is unsustainable.
I agree that the trade deficit is intolerable and applaud his attention to it. I think thoughtful and deliberate negotiations with all trading partners are long overdue. About the problem and the outcome, I do not disagree. So, what is the problem?
The Trump brand of problem-solving is brute force and combative, often disrespectful of people, whether they be immigrants or citizens. His cabinet members were chosen based on loyalty and their possessing Trump-like arrogant qualities. We can debate that later if you wish.
Because Trump wants immediate results, he has no patience for how things get done via laws and regulations. He wants a shorter path and is willing to disregard the Constitution and professional means of getting things done. The consequence is a high risk of failure and little assurance of results accompanied by injuring innocent people and other unintended consequences.
What must be confusing to those who catch snippets of the news is hearing Trump say things that sort of make sense, followed by brash noise that undermines his credibility. For this viewer, since Trump’s foundation is lies, I can’t believe a word they say.
