For a man claiming that Los Angeles has descended into such violent chaos that it requires the immediate and illegal deployment of federal troops, President Donald Trump sure seems to have time to fixate on trivial things. This is not a man behaving like the government is on war footing, but instead is the same old Trump, flitting from grievance to grievance. And he’s not the only one.
On Monday, when Trump was taking questions about reporters from the California protests, he was asked about his decision to send active-duty Marines to Los Angeles. That is a very important question, given that it is unprecedented and illegal. But Trump used the opportunity to bash California’s high-speed rail project connecting Los Angeles with San Francisco.
What?
If that wasn’t enough, he explained that the reason high-speed rail was unnecessary was because you can fly from Los Angeles to San Francisco for $2. Also, per Trump, it would be cheaper to give every passenger “the finest limousine service in the history of our world, the most expensive chauffeur-driven white-glove limousine service back and forth, we would have saved billions of dollars.”
Again, what?
These ramblings are preposterous on their face, highlighting just how out of touch Trump is with reality. But they’re also indicative of how Trump is just toddling along, doing typical Trump things, which is not what a president would presumably be doing if a major American city were genuinely under siege by undocumented immigrants.
You never have to hand it to former President George H. W. Bush, but it’s impossible to imagine him waxing rhapsodic about cheap flights during the deployment of the National Guard to LA during the 1992 riots following the acquittal of the police who beat Rodney King. Here’s his detailed statement about why he was federalizing the National Guard and calling up troops.
Trump also had time Monday to convene a round table of CEOs to officially announce his dumb “Trump accounts” initiative, where the administration will contribute $1,000 to tax-deferred investment accounts for “every US citizen” born between Dec. 31, 2024, and Jan. 1, 2029.
The White House played host to a dozen CEOs, including the leaders of Goldman Sachs and Dell. The head of Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, even made sure to publicly gush over Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Trump made sure to gush in return, calling the CEOs “really the greatest business minds we have today.” Trump also promoted the accounts on Tuesday over on Truth Social.
It’s neat how that cash giveaway only lasts as long as Trump is in office. It’s also neat how Trump specified “every US citizen” to telegraph that he doesn’t plan on paying out that $1,000 to any undocumented parents, because he doesn’t believe their children are citizens. And it’s super neat that it wasn’t enough to call these “MAGA accounts.” No, they have to be named after Trump because his need for flattery is bottomless.
It costs roughly $18,000 just to give birth in America. Raising that child until age 18 will run you about $389,000. That $1,000 doesn’t mean a thing. But even if it was substantially more money, having a flashy roundtable to announce it undercuts the notion that California is a war zone.
Over on Truth Social, for almost every post about LA, there’s a business-as-usual post. On Tuesday, he bragged about how his administration is providing higher pay for workers and passing the largest tax cut in history. He pimped his Tuesday night speech at Fort Bragg. He also posted a video of his Saturday night jaunt to go see some UFC fights, which he was doing at the same time that he was illegally federalizing the California National Guard.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s most loyal and racist foot soldier
Even Stephen Miller, Trump’s most loyal and racist foot soldier, made some time to push for the “Big, Beautiful Bill.” To stand with ICE, Miller said on X, pass the BBB. Miller isn’t wrong—the “Big, Beautiful Bill” includes $150 billion in new funding for immigration crackdowns and a plan to hire 10,000 more ICE officers.
But it’s odd to stump for a budget bill while also calling the LA protests an “insurrection” and saying California is trying to nullify election results, national sovereignty, and the “bedrock constitutional command of one national government.”
If America is being invaded by hordes of criminal migrants, so much so that Trump has decided to basically occupy America’s second-largest city, how does he also have time to do his typical self-promotion and lying? It’s grimly hilarious that the man thinks you can fly anywhere for $2, but it’s just straight-up grim that while he’s insisting that the country is falling apart, he’s behaving as if nothing is wrong.
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