Donald Trump woke up on Tuesday morning itching to show America more of how he can be more presidential than anyone. Because nothing says bringing the nation together like attacking football players for a peaceful protest.
And nothing says “not a white supremacist” than taking time to follow this up with a post attacking an African American broadcaster who dared to comment on Trump’s statements following Charlottesville.
Hill has been suspended for two weeks for the crime of making a very reasoned series of posts explaining why the pressure on black football players makes bans like the one imposed in Dallas unfair. Trump’s comment about her is, not surprisingly, a lie.
But of course, Trump had more to say on his Very Presidential Morning. He promoted a book about his favorite subject. Declared that Democrats don’t care about America. And made what has to be his scariest tweet of the morning.
This tweet follows weeks—months—of Trump’s actions to keep health care away from millions, by doing everything from cutting advertising for the ACA to doing every possible to disrupt markets across the country. The tweet likely represents Trump dashing off yet another executive order to allow that much-talked about Republican cure-all “plans that go across state lines,” which is not only pointless but already legal.
Trump’s executive order is also expected to boost “association” plans—healthcare plans offered through organizations and trade groups. Association plans are a favorite of Rand Paul. Meaning that Paul’s joining in opposition to the last attempt at a Republican healthcare plan seems to have netted him an immediate Donald Trump order. Which is likely not exactly what Mitch McConnell wants senators to take away as the results of failing to fall in line.
Jemele Hill’s unacceptable tweets consisted of:
Hill went on to explain her position in a series of very not-flaming tweets, detailing how black players felt pressured from both sides and how some actions from fans might have poor results.
Hill’s tweets are aimed at bringing more understanding to the situation and making people understand both the NFL protests and how the actions of Trump, Jerry Jones, and others are specifically designed to hurt black players. Meanwhile, Trump’s positions are explicitly designed to be divisive, cause pain, and reflect the spiteful attitude of a middle-school bully. A racist middle-school bully.
One of these people really does need to be suspended.