Jill Abramson: The man does not seem capable of being magnanimous

Trump takes oath of office and gives first speech as US president
Jill Abramson, Steven W Thrasher
Friday 20 January 2017 18.11 GMT Last modified on Friday 20 January 2017 20.59 GMT

Jill Abramson: The man does not seem capable of being magnanimous

His inaugural address sounded like any speech at a Trump rally. The scene was a campaign event writ large, with a massive cheering crowd of white people wearing “Make America Great Again” red caps. Like his tone as a candidate, the new president’s voice was angry and dripping with pessimism. Like his speech at the Republican convention, President Trump drew a dark picture of a country under siege from foreign trade competitors, Muslim terrorists and Washington insiders. There were no grace notes.

His base no doubt loved it. But there was no reassurance or olive branch extended to the majority of Americans who did not vote for him. While he named President Bill Clinton, there was no mention of his wife, the vanquished opponent. There were no good wishes extended to President George HW Bush or his wife, who were hospitalized, but did not endorse him. The man does not seem capable of being magnanimous.

Indeed, after calling the Obamas “magnificent,” he was then overtly rude to them, portraying a do-nothing Washington that had betrayed the people and enriched itself. Meanwhile, the unprepared billionaires who displayed their ignorance at hearings last week await confirmation to his cabinet. In a gratuitous slap that echoed his wild and crazy insult to Rep John Lewis on Twitter, he lambasted politicians, presumably all the Democrats on the reviewing stand behind him, who “complain” but fail to get things done.

And the biggest lie of all when the narcissist proclaimed, “I will never let you down.”

He already has.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/j...-donald-trump-speech

Steven Thrasher: Dumbness and xenophobia were baked into Trump’s speech

From the white bodies in the crowd, to the white faces of the performers, to the intended white audience for his words, Trump’s inauguration was a blatant moment of white reconciliation.

His excoriation of “welfare” and the “inner city,” his fear mongering about borders, his praise of “American hands and American labor:” it was all meant to stoke the excitement of the majority of white voters who supported him.

Like all projects of white supremacy, the inauguration was aided by exceptional black people who gave it legitimacy – like Justice Clarence Thomas, who used more words to swear in Mike Pence than he uses most years on the Supreme Court. In chastising politicians who are “all talk and no action,” Trump worked in a dig at John Lewis, a critical Black politician who questioned his legitimacy (and commendably didn’t attend).

Trump’s nods to lack of prejudice were insincere. His call that “when you open your heart to patriotism there is no room for prejudice” was sandwiched sentences stoking Islamophobia and praising the Christian Bible. And while the cliche that “whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood” got a rousing cheer from the largely white crowd, it was followed by the lie that “we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms” regardless of race.

The dumbness and xenophobia baked into Trump’s speech weren’t surprising. Perhaps more alarming was seeing Democratic leaders from Bernie Sanders to Hillary Clinton sitting there, silently, granting legitimacy to this idiotic ugliness.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/j...-donald-trump-speech

who gives a phuck about magnanimity ::confused:: ::confused::

allyuh 2 must have fallen out of A-LI-ANA and bounce allyuh head on allyuh way to earth.

reality is all and american magnanimity can be found today on-going in Syria, Libya, Afghanitsan, Somalia, Pakistan, Venezuela, Brasil, Argentina etc.

Edward Snoden cud use some..and Julian Assange.  where is it ::confused::  and skunt Trump wasn't even around when all that started.

is as if america was a perfect place, heaven on earth until Trump appeared and in the middle and spoil everything

allyuh bline tuh rarse....silly too!

AS usual to help his mania

He rattles on about every thing other than the gist of the thread.

I realized it's beyond his ugly rass... ;D ;D ;D

yuh idiot..magnanimous my arse..in what way,,how many ways..every phuckin way!! what the hell are you and whoever talking about ::confused::

its just a skunt attack on Trump dat is all it is skunt.  it is biased and subjective with no message save political attack..propaganda against Trunp. there is nutten to it but that... so I pan it.  what phucking jiss! fock jiss

Alien said Trump dare  NOT ....."Grab her Pussy"  >

Like I noted ..if you had a brain you would understand. ;D ;D ;D