On Monday, writing for The New York Times, columnist Michelle Cottle tore into President Donald Trump for using the presidency as a tool to create photo-ops, even when it runs contrary to the bests interests of America.
"Once again, President Trump is taking heat for treating the presidency like a branding exercise," wrote Cottle. "This time, instead of brandishing a Bible he doesn’t read next to a church he doesn’t attend, the president is resuming huge, made-for-TV campaign rallies. The first is set for Saturday in Tulsa, Okla. It will take place in a 19,000-seat arena that, in deference to the coronavirus pandemic that’s still raging, had canceled all other events through the end of July."
The president has raised concerns given that his rally will be the ideal place to spread coronavirus — a fact the Trump campaign itself appears to know, as they have required supporters to approve a waiver giving up their right to sue if they are infected. Outwardly, however, the campaign denies there will be any issue, with Vice President Mike Pence falsely claiming that Oklahoma has "flattened the curve."
"It is important to stress that there is nothing wrong with presidential photo ops per se," wrote Cottle. "Think about Ronald Reagan at the Berlin Wall; George W. Bush throwing out the first pitch in Game 3 of the World Series in Yankee Stadium not long after the Sept. 11 attacks; Barack Obama sitting alone on the Rosa Parks bus ... But, on the whole, presidential theater is a powerful tool of the trade, one that Mr. Trump should understand better than most. He is, after all, a former reality TV star, long obsessed with image and ratings."
"To give the president his moment — complete with a 21-gun salute — some 1,100 young men and women, all of whom had been sent home in March because of the pandemic, were summoned back to campus to quarantine together for two weeks before the ceremony," wrote Cottle. "More than a dozen initially tested positive for the coronavirus. The graduates’ friends and family were not allowed to attend the ceremony, which drew protesters carrying signs with messages such as 'Cadets Aren’t Props.'"
"Now Mr. Trump is thinking even bigger — and demanding greater risk from his most faithful followers," wrote Cottle. "From a public health standpoint, resuming large, crowded, indoor rallies is madness. But the president is not content simply to endanger the lives of his supporters. He is demanding they sign away their rights for the privilege."
"As promised, Mr. Trump continues to disrupt and redefine presidential norms. Downward," Cottle concluded.
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