In accepting the
Republican nomination, Trump turned his back on the crowd and
surveyed the executive mansion, stretching out his arms in a gesture
that exemplified his vision of ultimate, unaccountable presidential
power. He boasted …
“The
fact is, I’m here — what’s the name of that building?” he
said, pointing to the White House. “The fact is, we’re here and
they’re not.”
– Donald
Trump, Acceptance Speech, White House
With all the ostentatious
pomp and reality show pageantry fit for a man-who-would-be king,
Trump gave his acceptance speech from the south lawn of the White
House on August 27, 2020. Featuring an over-elaborated red carpet
entry by the president and the first lady, the event was a gaudy
spectacle fit for his adoring Trump minions. And, oh yes, the finale
featured a dazzling fireworks show with the Washington Monument as a
theatrical backdrop.
The large screens with
their "Trump/Pence" logo were a jarring sight below the
Truman Balcony and on the grounds of a national icon financed by all
taxpayers.
“The set-up was a
defiant metaphor for Trump's willingness to crush the traditions of
the presidency, to put his own immediate gain over the dignity of the
office and to troll his enemies while he was at it.”
(Stephen Collinson
“Trump – Dark and Defiant As Ever.” kezi.com. CNN.
August 28, 2020.)
Trump shredded norms and
laws like the Hatch Act that have restrained previous presidents from
using public property as a political prop, and delivered his speech
from the White House. The result was gauche images of “TRUMP/PENCE”
signs on property that isn’t supposed to belong to any political
party.
Note – The Hatch Act is
a 1939 law that restricts federal employees' engagement in specific
partisan political activities, with the aim of preventing members of
the executive branch from interfering in elections. These prohibited
activities include running for office, hosting fundraisers, making
campaign speeches or distributing campaign materials.
Walter Shaub, former
director of the United States Office of Government Ethics, described
Trump’s decision to have the RNC at the White House as an
“abomination” that “may be the most visible misuse of official
position for private gain in America’s history.”
Julian Zelizer, a
professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, said
while it can be difficult for a president to totally separate himself
from politics, using the White House as a "prop" at a party
convention is unprecedented in recent times. Zelizer told ABC News …
"There still is a
boundary between politics and governing, and the Oval Office and
White House are a public site meant for the country that isn't meant
to be a political backdrop. To just use it as the major site for a
convention speech seems like a lot with President Trump – you just
take all the guardrails down."
The massive gathering on
the White House lawn comes after Trump canceled convention plans in
Charlotte, North Carolina, complaining that he would not be able to
hold a large celebration without masks or social distancing.
Trump's crowd of 2,000
people on the South Lawn, few wearing masks and sitting close
together, was an extraordinary scene during a pandemic that has
brought America to its knees, but it exemplified Trump's willingness
to spin a false alternative reality for political gain.
“Amazingly, he
(Trump) accused Biden of ignoring science -- and falsely said that
his opponent wanted to shut down the whole country -- after flouting
his own public health experts in a denial-laden and disastrous
response to the pandemic.”
(Stephen
Collinson “Trump – Dark and Defiant As Ever.” kezi.com.
CNN. August 28, 2020.)
In a
statement sent to Vox, Jordan Libowitz, communications director for
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), noted
that “history is littered with totalitarians who used their
government as political props.”
“With
Trump’s show in front of the White House -- the climax of a
three-and-a-half year crescendo of attacking the foundations of our
democracy -- we saw something we’ve never seen before. And it’s
terrifying.”
(Aaron Rupar. “Trump’s
RNC speech was a mess. But the optics of it were powerful.” Vox.
August 28, 2020.)
Former White House ethics
chief Walter Shaub, who served for six months under Trump and six
under President Barack Obama, said the South Lawn speech wasn’t
just an ethical lapse but “the breach of a sacred trust.” Shaub
reported …
“This abomination may
be the most visible misuse of official position for private gain in
America’s history. It is an abuse of the power entrusted to this
man, the breach of a sacred trust. It is the civic equivalent of a
mortal sin – maybe a religious one too. And it is a harbinger.”
(Ed Mazza.
“‘Abomination’: Critics Rip Trump For ‘Desecrating’ White
House With RNC Speech.” Huffington Post. August 28, 2020.)
Trump's acceptance speech
was only one of several purely political events done on government
property lately. Earlier in the week, Trump turned a naturalization
ceremony at the White House into a televised spectacle during the
RNC. And on Thursday, for Trump’s speech, the White House was
festooned with campaign signs and logos.
“What's the name of that
building?” It is evident Trump would like to put his official Trump
Organization trademark on the White House. The question remains: Can
America endure another four years of Trump's attacks on democracy?
This speech is a “harbinder” of more abuse of power says Walter
Shaub. God help us to stop this abuse in November.
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