A Few Thousand Words About Our Very Serious Commander-in-Chief

Or "Things to do while the military has an excursion."

Source: Official White House Photo

So, I was picking a photo from the White House Flickr page for another post and saw the above. It’s Trump goofing around with podcaster and boxer Jake Paul last Friday. You know, while the military is engaged in a “little excursion” in the Middle East.

As of this writing, 13 US service members have died in said “excursion.”

Here are some other events the President has been engaged in of late.

March 5:

Official White House photo

March 9:

Official White House Photo

March 11:

Official White House Photo

March 13:

Official White House Photo

He has also played more golf than I have since the “excursion” started, despite the fact that I am a retired person with little in the way of serious duties to attend to. Granted, I don’t own my own golf courses.

Now, I am honestly not one to usually play such gotcha games, but I would note that Trump has time for all of the above (and more) while still not having ever made a major address about the war to the American public, nor having spelled out in coherent terms what it is that we are allegedly trying to accomplish.

And, really, for an administration that allegedly is all about respecting our “warriors,” this looks like the opposite to me.

FILED UNDER: National Security, Photography, US Politics, ,
Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter and/or BlueSky.

Comments

  1. James Joyner says:

    I continue to note the comparatively low quality of the photos in the Official White House Flickr. Every administration since I’ve been keeping track (likely late GWB) has used nothing but hero shots. A lot of the pics are very unflattering, yet they go right on up.

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  2. Scott F. says:

    He has surrounded himself with supplicants who will clap wildly when he dances or cosplays. Why would Trump spare a thought war or its consequences when all around him are simultaneously afraid of him and rewarding him for being a jester?

    Of course, he thinks we are winning in Iran and only good will come from the destruction we’ve wrought. No one will tell him otherwise.

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  3. Daryl says:

    Maybe not in the chosen timeframe but I wish you had displayed the image of Fatso at the Dignified Transfer in his campaign truckers cap. Simply the most disrespectful act, in that context, that I can imagine.

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