Donald Trump didn’t have the stamina, the will, the dignity or the class to attend a World War I memorial ceremony in France with world leaders over the weekend. Citing “rain” as an excuse, Donald Trump opted not to attend numerous, high visibility events. Of course, other world leaders did attend the solemn memorial and as you can see, and there didn’t appear to be any rain in sight as they honored the fallen soldiers of World War I.
The criticism was worldwide and back in the United States, he must be feeling the heat because days after returning, he has finally offered a new excuse.
[Update: He had to delete that tweet and send a new one because he misspelled the word “cemetery.”]
By the way! By the way! By the way! Strange the rest of the world’s leaders were able to make the trip. And the media didn’t offer the rain excuse, the Trump administration said that was the reason for his absence.
Once they were back in Paris, world leaders gathered to march shoulder-to-shoulder in the rain to the Arc de Triomphe for another ceremony, but Trump couldn’t be bothered, hanging back in his guest room at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence.
In truth, French President Emmanuel Macron took aim at Donald Trump’s recent message of (white) nationalism in a speech to world leaders, with Donald Trump sitting right in front of him. Macron said, "Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. By saying our interests first, who cares about the others, we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what makes it great and what is essential: its moral values."
It’s not at all inconceivable that Donald Trump skipped the ceremony because his ego was so bruised by the public rebuke. Because Donald Trump is a weak, weak man and an even weaker president. He is quite simply outmatched and outclassed any time he interacts with actual world leaders. And they all know it.
Back in the United States, Donald Trump decided NOT to drive across the bridge from Washington, D.C., to Arlington National Cemetery to honor America’s fallen servicemen and women on Veteran’s Day. He didn’t lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier as every American president before him has done. Can you imagine? What sitting president doesn’t attend any events on Veterans Day? Arlington National Cemetery is a mere six miles from the White House.
But, the French were there. And they did some magnifique trolling on Twitter.
It has taken Donald Trump only two years to alienate our most favored allies. We can all laugh at his missteps. We can be angry at his phony patriotism. But, in truth, we should all be worried about the danger his ego and incompetence put us in every single day. We have to fire him in 2020 and restore America’s dignity and relationships around the world. It’s just that simple.