Trump鈥榮 ‘Carnival of resistance’
It was a spectacular scene.
A U.S. president was on foreign soil when his image appeared on a giant screen – and it ignited exuberant cheers.
Twenty thousand people gave him a rousing standing ovation – with chants of “MVP” clearly audible.
Of course, that was ex-President Barack Obama, who was shown on the Jumbotron at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, while he took in an NBA finals game last Sunday night.
It was a far cry from what our current president experienced last Sunday morning.
After President Trump spent the morning golfing, he engaged in a curious activity that placed him in front of people who didn’t quite understand what to make of him.
“President Donald J. Trump is visiting McLean Bible Church in Vienna, VA, to visit with the Pastor and pray for the victims and community of Virginia Beach,” said presidential spokesperson, Judd Deere, in a formal statement.
If a President of the United States shares somber moments after a mass-murder like the one in Virginia Beach, it would be laudable.
That’s not what Trump did.
Instead, he walked onto the stage at the Mclean Bible Church, wearing crumpled clothes, in golf shoes and a ballcap (after playing a round of golf).
The church’s bewildered preacher, Rev. David Platt, who knew little about the president’s intentions, proceeded to offer a prayer, with Trump standing in the background.
After a ten-minute visit, while nobody even mentioned the carnage at Virginia Beach, Trump left.
That led to Rev. Platt having to issue a public apology for getting pulled into such an awkward situation.
“I know that some within our church, for a variety of valid reasons, are hurt that I made this decision. This weighs heavy on my heart”, he wrote.
That wasn’t the only time that week when Trump’s presence wasn’t fully appreciated.
He was soon off to England.
An estimated crowd of 75,000 flooded onto the streets of London for something they called a “Carnival of Resistance,” which left little doubt that most people in England don’t think very highly of Mr. Trump.
It’s not been reported if he actually saw that large sign that was emblazoned across the face of the Tower of London, with his and Obama’s popularity ratings on full view.
According to the survey that sign was based on, only 21 percent of U.K. residents have a positive opinion of Trump. While a whopping 72 percent had a favorable opinion of Obama.
That’s probably why, among the hordes of protestors, they carried signs that said things like, “Trump is worse than my cancer.” And, “Climate change is real. Your tan is not.”
This isn’t to say that Trump’s visit didn’t have some normal moments.
He appeared to truly enjoy himself in the company of the Queen of England and her family.
He even managed to look presidential.
But the fact that people give him points for “looking presidential,” doesn’t really say much, does it?
It’s like saying that while he was at Buckingham Palace, he didn’t rob a bank.
While overseas, he took the time to do a wide-ranging interview with British journalist Piers Morgan. (For the record, Morgan won the seventh season of Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice)
Morgan asked Trump about his avoiding military service during the Vietnam War. (Trump got several military deferments. Most notably, once for having something called “bone spurs” on his feet).
With that, Trump came clean.
“I was not a fan of that war. I’ll be honest with you. I thought it was a terrible war. It was very far away. At that time nobody had ever heard of that country,” he told Morgan.
Thus, he got a convenient case of “bone spurs?”
If he’d shown a conscientious objection to the war at the time, that may have been forgiven and forgotten.
Instead, he’s trying to convince us it was OK to avoid serving because it was a lousy war.
For the record, all wars are lousy.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight and 20-year TV news veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.