The final full week of Donald Trump’s presidency ended with a nation in disarray – fearful about the threats surrounding Inauguration Day in a capital city that has become a fortress; unsettled by new details of the harm that rioters could have inflicted on lawmakers during last week’s insurrection; and angry at the revelation that the administration’s pledge to release a reserve of Covid-19 vaccine doses was hollow.
In the midst of those grave security threats and the frustrating news that there is no such vaccine reserve, the President was still conspicuously missing in action at the White House Friday. It was Vice President Mike Pence who was seen doing the work normally required of a commander-in-chief – from visiting the National Guard troops guarding the Capitol to making the long-delayed phone call to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to offer assistance in the presidential transition
The President met on Friday with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who was captured by a Washington Post photographer outside the West Wing carrying notes with references to the lie that the election was stolen and the possible implementation of martial law – which Trump has discussed while indulging his fantasy that he could overturn the election. Trump also drilled his staff about the 20 House Republicans who voted to impeach him this week, inquiring about whether they could be challenged during the midterm primaries in 2022, according to CNN’s Jim Acosta.
Trump’s narcissistic detachment from the grief and fear gripping the nation, while all too familiar, was no less breathtaking in his final days after four years in which he has shirked the most solemn duties of the presidency. After these last days characterized by incompetence, poor planning, negligence and Trump’s utter lack of contrition for the mob he incited to attack the Capitol, America finally seems ready to see him head for the exits.
His political capital has cratered. A Pew Research Center poll released Friday showed that 54% of Americans want to see Trump removed from office and 68% said they don’t want to see him continue to be a major national political figure in the years to come. His overall approval rating fell to 29%, the lowest it has ebbed during his presidency in the Pew poll. (CNN)
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