Trump.45 has just returned from perhaps the worst 60 hour Presidential foreign jaunt in United States history (43 hours on the ground in France). Not even Fox News can fumigate and perfume this one.
Trump.45 had a unique historical opportunity to showcase America’s leadership and moral standing during the 100-Year Anniversary of the Armistice to End World War I (The Great War).
He failed completely, in public, in front of 70 World Leaders. He made Macron and Merkel (France and Germany) look uber statesmanlike. He got punked by Justin Trudeau of Canada. He was diminished by Putin’s clever “Thumbs Up” mocking gesture, which was made in full view of the World’s cameras. He insulted the U.S. Marine Corps on their 243rd Birthday (November 10, 1775); the hallowed U.S. War Dead from the War; and every serving man and woman in America’s Armed Services, all U.S. Veterans, and their families and loved ones.
Trump.45 managed to accomplish this in one bold stroke, all at once. With a single easily understood middle fingered public political gesture.
Trump.45 unleashed quite a Perfect Storm of un-statesman like conduct, coming immediately in the wake of a completely piss poor Republican performance in the 2018 Midterm Elections, led forcefully by Trump.45 himself.
Oh my, indeed!
There are lots of details to discuss about this foreign policy pratfall, but the core problem can be summed up in one good storyline: Trump.45’s Saturday Adventure.
The entire optical and practical purpose of Trump.45’s trip was to celebrate America’s power and humanity in willingly shedding blood for our Allies in WWI, and to honor America’s fighting forces, particularly the Battle Courage of the U.S. Marine Corps Devil Dogs.
Here was a no-brainer, uncontested layup opportunity for Trump.45 to visit the Battle of Belleau Wood (June 1918) battle site*, and inspect the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial where the Marines who lost their lives in that month long battle are buried. This site is hallowed ground for America, but particularly for those associated with the Marine Corps, since their fighting performance at Belleau Wood is legendary in Marine Corps history and its esprit de corps.
Trump.45 had the serious added benefit that his own Presidential Chief of Staff, former Marine Corps General John Kelly, and Marine General Joseph Dunford, current Marine Corps Commandant and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were along to provide further Military Gravitas (Trump.45, as you know, is a four-generation family lifetime, No Show for any Military Service).
Trump.45 completely blew a gimme. He emptied the pool with a massive Whale like belly flop. Not even concurrent and after the fact White House cover-up and spin and Trump.45’s continued Twits have reduced the damage.
Trump.45’s feeble responses to mitigate the horrible optics continued even through Tuesday, five days after the event and 3000 miles away,
The French are laughing, Putin is smirking somewhere, the World shakes its head, and Trump.45 rages at his own incompetence.
Here is the scenario in a nutshell.
Trump.45’s Most Excellent Visit to 2018 Armistice Day Ceremonies
Saturday morning there was some fog and rain in Paris and environs The Secret Service said they would rather not use the helicopter. The President’s itinerary always includes a motorcade option, which was fully in place for a weather situation, and immediately ready to go. Darn efficient, these Secret Service logistics folks.
Trump.45, who makes his own decisions on matters of consequence, said No Fly, No Go. Too exhausting to travel 50 miles by car (less than 90 minute) to discharge a sacred Presidential ceremonial obligation.
So Trump.45 alone cancelled the visit, and instead lolled in cosseted comfort in his suite at the American Ambassador’s Paris Residence, not venturing out in what turned out to be little more than a drizzle or light rain.
What Other World Leaders Did
On the same day, in the same geography and weather conditions, other World Leaders were faced with the same choice about whether to honor their Nation’s War Dead.
Emmanuel Macron fulfilled his duties as President of France.
Chancellor Angela Merkel fulfilled her duties as Chancellor of Germany.
Justin Trudeau fulfilled his duties as the Prime Minister of Canada.
General John Kelly took the limo and honored America’s World War I Dead buried at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, where Trump.45 should have been.
General Joseph Dunford took the limo and honored America’s World War I Dead buried at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, where Trump.45 should have been.
Trump.45 sat on his Fat Ass in air conditioned comfort and solitude to brood about his Midterm Election thrubbing. Presidential propriety and ceremonial dignity be damned.
The 2018 Umbrella Signal
Even the next day when Trump.45 showed up a Day Late and Huge Dollars Short at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial, which does not have the same arterial connection with U.S Marines as Belleau Wood, Trump.45 appeared for his abbreviated remarks armed with a sturdy black umbrella and a tepid and perfunctory set of comments badly rewritten from his intended Saturday speech. Others stood bare headed out of respect for the dead. No one else demanded personal comfort shelter from natural elements. Not dignitaries, nor visitors to the gravesites.
Trump45’s pitiful performance in France does not rate as an international crisis, since it is but a self-imposed failure of Leadership and Resolve.
However, the last time an Umbrella achieved such status on the World Stage was in 1939 when Neville Chamberlain retuned to England from appeasing Hitler in Munich (September 1938). At least Chamberlain has his umbrella furled, and not in service.
Trump.45 is no Chamberlain, but he is just as surely no Winston Churchill, either. One can only imagine the British Bulldog, in similar circumstances, showing up with a lit cigar, and delivering a stirring inspired oration of hope and strength.
We can only wish for such an American Leader in current times.
White House Shifting Stories and Cover-Up
The travelling communications staff was in full court Press Operations Mode to try and tamp down the disaster in real time on Saturday. First they blamed “no-visibility” weather conditions, until it was obvious everybody else managed to travel without incident. Then they blamed the Marines (who control the President helicopter operations) and the Secret Service for grounding the President. When those porkies were exploded, they said that Trump.45’s Sunday minor do-over visit cured the problem,
When that didn’t work, Trump went o a Twit offensive blaming Macron and France for whatever, and even threw in a jab about less than excellent French wines, compared to the Great American vintages (so says teetotal, non drinker DJT, owner of a middling quality Virginia wine bottling establishment).
We might just add for color and sparkle, that the French people and their ancestors have been vintners since the 6thcentury BC, more than 2,500 years, and more than 2,000 years before any Anglo-Europeans ever set foot on American soil, much less tried to cultivate grapes.
Having failed to still the outrage, five days later, Trump.45 seems to have settled on not so privately blaming his traveling White House staff.
Their collective crime? They didn’t insist that Trump.45 go out on the Aisne-Marne visit despite the fact that He alone had already explicitly said no.
Off with Their Heads, Slay the Messengers.
What a puny and pathetic Presidential performance.
Own it, Man. You did the right thing. All those Marines are long dead; they don’t vote anyway. Cemeteries have bad juju, and going there for some stupid non-partisan gesture is boring and a waste of time for a really busy and important Man such as yourself. Rain does a real nasty job on the hairdo outdoors to boot, and this President can’t afford to look ridiculous.
Perish the thought!
Americans now have another shameful Trump.45 memory to add to our Political Scrap Books for 2016-2020. Will it be over soon?
*The Battle of Belleau Wood deserves its own chapter in the history of the United States Marine Corps legend. Accosted by the Commander of French troops falling back in the early stages of the month long battle, Marine Captain Lloyd W. Williams of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines uttered the now-famous retort “Retreat? Hell, we just got here”
From the Wikipedia entry for Belleau Wood:
On the evening of 1 June, German forces punched a hole in the French lines to the left of the Marines’ position. In response, the U.S. reserve—consisting of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, and an element of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion—conducted a forced march over 10 km (6.2 mi) to plug the gap in the line, which they achieved by dawn. By the night of 2 June, the U.S. forces held a 20 kilometres (12 mi) front line north of the Paris-Metz Highway running through grain fields and scattered woods, from Triangle Farm west to Lucy and then north to Hill 142. The German line opposite ran from Vaux to Bouresches to Belleau.
German commanders ordered an advance on Marigny and Lucy through Belleau Wood as part of a major offensive, in which other German troops would cross the Marne River. The commander of the Marine Brigade, Army General James Harbord, countermanding a French order to dig trenches further to the rear, ordered the Marines to “hold where they stand”. With bayonets, the Marines dug shallow fighting positions from which they could fight from the prone position. In the afternoon of 3 June, German infantry attacked the Marine positions through the grain fields with bayonets fixed. The Marines waited until the Germans were within 100 yd (91 m) before opening deadly rifle fire which mowed down waves of German infantry and forced the survivors to retreat into the woods.
Having suffered heavy casualties, the Germans dug in along a defensive line from Hill 204, just east of Vaux, to Le Thiolet on the Paris-Metz Highway and northward through Belleau Wood to Torcy. After Marines were repeatedly urged to turn back by retreating French forces, Marine Captain Lloyd W. Williams of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines uttered the now-famous retort “Retreat? Hell, we just got here”. Williams’ battalion commander, Major Frederic Wise, later claimed to have said the famous words.
On 4 June, Major General Bundy—commanding the 2nd Division—took command of the American sector of the front. Over the next two days, the Marines repelled the continuous German assaults. The 167th French Division arrived, giving Bundy a chance to consolidate his 2,000 yards (1,800 m) of front. Bundy’s 3rd Brigade held the southern sector of the line, while the Marine brigade held the north of the line from Triangle Farm.
Marines at the Battle of Belleau Wood (Comic Book Style). In honor of the passing this week of famed Marvel creator, Stan Lee:
