When the president of the United States angrily pointed at a journalist and called her a “piggy” last week, I wish he had gone full Muppet: “WHO? My?“
Of course, Bloomberg White House reporter Catherine Lucey did nothing of the sort. She was a consummate professional and did not respond to President Trump's gratuitous insult after he asked why she hasn't already released Epstein's files if she has nothing to hide. But Trump's comment to him aboard Air Force One was so childish, so absurd, and so beneath the dignity of his office that it seemed as if he were parodying himself.
Except it wasn't. This is exactly who he is.
Trump has been publicly denigrating women for years. Especially journalists.
In 2011, he sent New York Times columnist Gail Collins a copy of his own column, in which she described him as a “financially troubled billionaire.” He had circled his photo and scrawled “A dog's face!” through it.
In 2015, during her first debate with Republican presidential hopefuls, moderator Megyn Kelly, then of Fox News, opened by citing some of the misogynistic insults she had hurled at women over the years, including “fat pigs,” “dogs,” “bums” and “disgusting animals.”
“You once told a contestant on 'The Celebrity Apprentice' that it would be a nice sight to see her on her knees. Does that sound like the temperament of a man we should elect president?” -Kelly asked. Trump sputtered, then issued a veiled threat: “I've been very kind to you, although I probably might not be, based on the way you've treated me.”
The next day, as you may recall, Trump implied that Kelly had been on her period, with “blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of everywhere.”
In 2016, Trump memorably called his Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton, “such a nasty woman,” which instantly became a badge of honor for progressive American women.
A few days after Piggygate, Trump welcomed Saudi Arabia's dictator Mohammed bin Salman to the Oval Office and put on another sexist display, praising the crown prince's human rights record and touting the administration's deal to sell the Saudis our most sophisticated fighter jets and the Saudi promise to invest $1 trillion in the United States.
Did Trump really think the press would be so obsessed with his deals that they wouldn't ask the prince about the grotesque 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a priority for any American journalist covering the visit?
Kudos to ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce for raising this and for alluding to Saudi involvement in the attack that led to the worst incident of mass murder ever to occur in our country. (In August, a federal judge cleared the way for a lawsuit brought by 9/11 families against Saudi Arabia to proceed to trial.)
“Your Royal Highness,” Bruce said, “American intelligence has concluded that you orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist; the 9/11 families are furious that you are here in the Oval Office. Why should Americans trust you?”
“You're mentioning someone who was extremely controversial,” Trump said of Khashoggi. “A lot of people didn't like the gentleman you're talking about. Whether you like him or not, things happen.” (Imagine if a Democratic elected official had been similarly dismissive of the murder of right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk.)
But of course, Trump wasn't done. He also personally attacked Bruce, saying that she had asked a “horrible, insubordinate and just terrible question.” Only a man who surrounds himself with bootlicking sycophants and fawns over royalty would consider a journalist's direct question an insult. How dare a pawn confront a prince?
“There's no need to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that,” Trump said. The prince, however, did not seem embarrassed in the least. He denied all responsibility for Khashoggi's murder and dismemberment, calling it “a big mistake.”
It is pathetic and revealing how Trump loses control when women challenge him.
He dismissed writer E. Jean Carroll, who has prevailed in sexual abuse and defamation lawsuits against him, as “crazy,” “crazy,” “liar,” “fraud,” and—as if this were the ultimate insult—“not my type.”
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, until recently one of the president's most ardent supporters, has been outspoken about Republican responsibility for skyrocketing Obamacare premiums, and was one of three Republican congresswomen who supported releasing the Epstein files ahead of the rest of the House and then the Senate last week. She is now a “traitor” in Trump's opinion, an insult he hurls regardless of the death threats it inspires.
He did it again Thursday, after six Democratic members of Congress, all of them former military or intelligence officers, released a video reminding American soldiers that they have a duty not to follow illegal orders.
Trump said members of Congress were guilty of “seditious behavior at the highest level” “punishable by death” and reposted a Truth Social comment calling for them to be hanged.
I can understand Trump's growing bouts of resentment. He's had a terrible few weeks: his party was defeated in the off-year election, the Senate rejected his demand to end the filibuster to quickly end the government shutdown. After calling the demand for Epstein's files a Democratic “hoax,” he relented and signed the bill ordering the Justice Department to release them. The economy continues to falter, despite their lies to the contrary.
Expecting a sensitive-skinned man like Trump to be respectful to those who harass him with questions about his failures (especially when they are women) is a recipe for disappointment.
I didn't think it was possible, but this time Trump has hit a new low.
Blue sky: @rabcarian
Rags: @rabcarian
