For Trump, A Ballroom And A Parade! For Your Daughter, THREE DOLLS AND FIVE PENCILS.
It’s your Trump on 'Meet The Press' Sunday shows rundown!
When anchor Kristen Welker opened Sunday’s broadcast of “Meet The Press” by calling it a “special edition,” the word “special” was doing a lot of heavy lifting. While certainly different than most weeks, it’s hard to call it “special” when this is the third time President Donald Trump has appeared since Welker took over for Chuck Todd.
We guess she just really likes talking to him.
Both versions of the interview, the broadcast one and the uncut, were long so we are going to just spotlight the “highlights” for all our sanities.
Who’s The Boss?
Welker began by trying to get Trump to acknowledge some common truth.
WELKER: You've been arguing all week that this is President Biden's economy. Is this now your economy, sir?
Trump rambled for a minute about bringing costs down and his tariffs before Welker asked again:
WELKER: When does it become the Trump economy?
Trump, in typical fashion, made it clear “the buck stops” somewhere else.
TRUMP: It partially is right now. And I really mean this. I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he’s done a terrible job.
That’s some Cobra Commander levels of leadership.
Screw Your Kids, Says The Senile Old Man
Speaking of Saturday morning cartoons villainy, Trump was asked if he now admits his tariffs will cause prices to go up after he openly admitted kids will probably have less this year for Christmas. But, just as before, Trump will either take no responsibility, or will pass on the blame to Americans if they don’t agree to this completely unnecessary “shared sacrifice” nobody asked for, from which Trump’s rich pals are of course exempt.
WELKER: Are you saying that your tariffs will cause some prices to go up?
TRUMP: No. I think tariffs are going to be great for us because it’s going to make us rich. […]
WELKER: Isn't that an acknowledgment […]
TRUMP: […] I don't think that a beautiful baby girl needs — that's 11 years old — needs to have 30 dolls. […] I'm saying they don't need to have 30 dolls —
WELKER: … that Americans could see empty store shelves?
TRUMP: No. No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying they don't need to have 30 dolls. They can have three. They don't need to have 250 pencils. They can have five.
Yes, who amongst us parents hasn’t read our children’s wish lists asking if they could please get 250 pencils for Christmas? I’m so glad Trump is teaching all our 11-year-old baby teen adult retirees about the true meaning of moderation.
But don’t worry, everyone! Trump deftly put Americans at ease by clearly answering how long everyone (except the rich) will have to suffer this “transition cost.”
TRUMP: I can't tell you that. I can tell you that we're making a lot of money. We're doing great. […] And right now, we're going to be at a point very soon where we're making money every day.
Ooops, we meant he was vague as hell. But like your uncle’s old bookie used to say, “you’re just around the corner from hitting it big!”
Fuck Your Small Business
Considering the lip service the Trump administration pays to “working americans,” Welker asked if small business would see some tariff relief. Trump then made it clear who he really cares about.
TRUMP: Why do you always mention that? You know, you pick up a couple of little businesses. What about the car business? They're going to make a fortune because of the tariffs.
So that, again, is some cartoon villain shit.
If you’d like some schadenfreude, here, read about MAGA merch retailers being undone by their “hero.” Just those little small businesses he doesn’t care about.
The Constitution? What’s That?
With the executive branch being controlled by a wannabe tyrant and the legislative branch being so submissive that I fear they need a new “safe word,” the only check to Trump has been the judicial branch.
When Welker noted that it seems that Trump declared the “emergency” on the border now over because “we have the most secure border we've ever had,” Trump redefined it to add his new enemy while trying to retain his legally dubious powers.
TRUMP: No, no, no. We have an emergency. We have a massive emergency overall. It's an overall emergency on immigration. And the — if the courts don't allow us to take people out, if we had to have a court case every single — think of it. Every single person, we have millions of people. If you have millions of court cases, figure two weeks a court case, it would be 300 years.
Imagine it! Who told these people they had rights? Due process? WTF is that!
After Trump admitted last week that he could easily bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia home, and uphold the decision of the Supreme Court, Welker asked the obvious question.
WELKER: You said in a recent interview you could bring him back but you won't. Are you defying the Supreme Court, sir?
TRUMP: No. I'm relying on the attorney general of the United States, Pam Bondi, who's very capable, doing a great job.
Trump is Schrödinger's Dictator. He is both all powerful and powerless. He diverts any responsibility to his subordinates.
WELKER: Your secretary of state says everyone who's here, citizens and non-citizens, deserve due process. Do you agree, Mr. President?
TRUMP: I don't know. I'm not, I’m not a lawyer. I don't know.
WELKER: Well, the Fifth Amendment says as much.
TRUMP: I don't know. It seems — it might say that.
It might say that. The thing he swore an oath to uphold and defend. It might say that. how would he know?
WELKER: But even given those numbers that you're talking about, don't you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?
TRUMP: I don't know.
In a normal universe, the president of the United States stating that he doesn’t know if he has to uphold the Constitution would be the end of their presidency. But Trump seems to somehow live by General M. Bison rules.
The broadcast version of the interview ended in a quasi “Lifestyles Of The Rich and Famous” segment.
Trump talked about checking off a few items out of his dictator dream journal by adding an ornate ballroom to the White House and throwing a North Korean-style military parade for his 79th birthday.
But as Americans look ahead to a possible recession, Trump dismissed any worry about cost.
WELKER: What's the price tag? Do you know?
TRUMP: Peanuts compared to the value of doing it. We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we're going to celebrate it.
It’s $92 million. That’s not “peanuts.”
We guess they can take it from the funding they’re trying to steal from Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus.
Have a week.
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"I'm just saying they don't need to have 30 dolls. They can have three. They don't need to have 250 pencils. They can have five."
"Welp, I never thought the mythical 'let them eat cake' comment would be outdone, but I bow to perfection!"
- Marie Antoinette
About the pencils, I'm not sure he has a point.