It will go down in history as the “Bah! Humbug!” address.
But this was not an address by a self-confident man dishing out Christmas presents to the nation. It smacked of desperation from one who can feel the December windchill of opinion polls – a Reuters/ Ipsos poll on Tuesday showed just 33% of US adults approve of how Trump has handled the economy – dissent in his own Republican ranks and the Jeffrey Epstein files looming on Friday.
The speech also revealed Trump’s need for a reliable foil. Over the years Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been useful nemeses for a man and movement defined less by what they are for than what they are against.
Trump desperately hoping the mindset in the military is like “I would never follow illegal orders for only $1,775 dollars! Show me the money!”. Trump mistakenly believing he can buy and sell honour because he does not have any and cannot recognize it. He doesn’t understand how standing up for a principle doesn’t make you an automatic sucker or loser.
Haha, stupid donald, ikr? The US military servicemembers will follow illegal genocidal orders for free, as long as there are brown people getting maimed or killed. The cheque would be a nice bonus at most.