| | | | Donald Trump's shameful silence on John McCain | | Until 4 p.m. ET on Monday, here was the totality of President Donald Trump's reaction to the death of Arizona Sen. John McCain over the weekend: "My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!"
That was a tweet Trump sent on Saturday night shortly after the news of McCain's passing was made public. On Monday, during a series of events at the White House, Trump was asked on five occasions if he wanted to add anything to that tweet or say anything at all about McCain. He said nothing. Meanwhile, the flag over the White House, which had flown at half-staff since McCain's death Saturday night, was returned to full-staff on Monday morning.
After a day's worth of incoming negative attention, the White House moved the flag back to half-staff and released an official statement on McCain's death. Here's how it started: "Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Senator John McCain's service to our country and, in his honor, have signed a proclamation to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff until the day of his interment."
Despite our differences? The man is dead! He spent more than five years in a North Vietnamese prison camp! He served in elected office for almost four decades! (The rest of the four-paragraph statement dealt mostly with logistical details Trump had approved for the weeklong remembrance ceremonies, CNN's Kevin Liptak reported). That the President of the United States -- a man who famously/infamously said McCain was only a war hero because he had been captured -- had to be led, kicking and screaming, to do the most basic honoring of someone who spent a lifetime in service of the country is appalling. There's simply no other word for it.
But Trump's smallness highlights two important things to remember about him:
1) He NEVER takes the high road. Presidents prior to Trump believed the office to be, in part, about demonstrating moral leadership. Of course they had their own ambitions, hopes and desires but they at least made a bow to the idea that in being president, you have to put the "we" before the "me." That the high road is the one you take even if it's not nearly as satisfying in the short term. Because this isn't about you -- any president is simply renting the office, which ultimately belongs to the people and the country. Trump has given all sorts of examples that demonstrate he doesn't believe in the moral leadership element of the presidency -- from his reaction to the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 to his lack of grace in response to McCain's death.
2) He doesn't DO empathy for his enemies. I'm not convinced Trump does empathy even for his friends. But he definitely doesn't do it for people who he considered his opponents. McCain and Trump had feuded in the past -- the whole not-a-war-hero thing didn't go over well, and McCain's health care vote has been a common punching bag for Trump at rallies -- and there's no question the Arizona Republican was a frequent Trump critic who offered no olive branch by making clear he didn't want Trump at his funeral. That said, McCain was not only a war hero but a leader within the Republican Party -- don't forget he was the GOP presidential nominee in 2008. To put aside personal enmity and grieve for the loss of someone who sacrificed so much for the country seems like such an easy thing to do. But not for Donald Trump.
The Point: The death of a long-serving Republican senator and war hero should be an absolute slam dunk for a Republican president, politically speaking. Honor his service, mourn for his family and ask that people remember the sacrifice he made. Donald Trump did none of those things, turning what should be a celebration of a life well lived in service of the country into a grudging and belated acknowledgment of a man who gave so much.
-- Chris | | "Anybody who in any way tarnishes the reputation of John McCain deserves a whipping. I would say to the President or anybody in the world it's time to pause and say, 'This was a great man who gave everything for us'."
--Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia on the Senate floor Monday, making a direct appeal to President Trump to stop and pause in memory of Sen. John McCain | | | On Monday morning, President Trump announced a new trade agreement with Mexico from the Oval Office with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto dialed in on a conference call.
During a separate call with reporters, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer highlighted some big changes that negotiators from both countries agreed to: - Auto manufacturing: The new deal would require that 75% of the parts in any car sold in North America be produced in the United States or Mexico. Currently, about 62% of parts are required to be produced in the United States, Mexico or Canada.
- Higher labor standards: The new deal would require that 40% to 45% of auto parts in cars sold be made by workers earning at least $16 USD per hour.
- Sunset clause: The agreement will last for 16 years, and will be reviewed every six years.
While Trump said that he's ditching NAFTA for this new agreement, CNN's Jeremy Diamond broke down what's actually happening: - Is the United States terminating NAFTA? No, the agreement between the United States and Mexico today was a significant marker in the yearlong effort to renegotiate NAFTA, eliminating obstacles impacting the United States and Mexico that had held up talks in the past.
- Is Canada included? As we heard on the phone today, Peña Nieto was adamant that Canada "will also be able to be incorporated in this." However, senior Trump administration officials said during a call Monday afternoon with reporters that there is the possibility of a bilateral deal between the United States and Mexico if a trilateral deal with Canada cannot be reached.
Read more from Jeremy's story here. | | | The new Phosphorescent tune -- "New Birth in New England" -- has Chris SUPER excited about his new album. | | | Today's topic: Donald Trump faces backlash over his McCain response. | | On the day that President Trump announced a new trade arrangement with Mexico, a new AP-NORC poll conducted last week found that a majority of Americans disapprove of the way Trump is handling trade negotiations between the United States and foreign nations. Here's a breakdown of the poll's key takeaways: - 39% of Americans approve, while 61% disapprove of how Trump has handled negotiations
- The disapproval rate has increased 6 points since the poll was last conducted in June.
- The majority of those polled said the effect on US jobs is the most important issue when negotiating trade agreements with other countries, with 81% saying it is extremely or very important
- 40% oppose possible tariffs on certain imported goods, while 38% say they favor the taxes
Read more takeaways in CNN's Grace Sparks' story here. | | President Trump has barely mentioned the late. Sen. John McCain since his death, but he spent Monday morning tweeting about a few athletes.
"The Fake News Media worked hard to get Tiger Woods to say something that he didn't want to say. Tiger wouldn't play the game - he is very smart. More importantly, he is playing great golf again!" Trump tweeted about golfer Tiger Woods.
Trump's tweet responded to a reporter who asked the golfer about his relationship with the President last week at the Northern Trust PGA tournament. "He's the president of the United States," Woods responded at the time. "You have to respect the office. No matter who's in the office, you may like, dislike personality or the politics, but we all must respect the office." | | | C-SPAN tweeted this image of the late Sen. John McCain's desk in the Senate draped in black. Here is the memorial service schedule for McCain, including the events in both Arizona and Washington. | | | From Brenna: "Exhibit Y in my case that speaker phones/conference calls are out to get all of us -- even the President! Earlier today, President Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto were trying to speak on the phone on camera during a trade announcement. Don't drop your friends' calls for the latest political news! Tell them to subscribe to The Point." | | | | | | |
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