A combination of questions about his health, legal setbacks and a summit of world leaders in China that seemed to have been pulled together to needle Donald Trump turned the Labor Day weekend into one of “humiliation” for the president, writes columnist Amanda Marcotte.
Reflecting on Trump’s abbreviated, by the president’s standards, 45-minute press conference held on Tuesday, the Salon columnist observed it appeared the White House was doing damage control after a weekend of weakness and, instead, may have made matters worse.
On Wednesday, Marcotte wrote that, for those who hoped Trump was actually not well, there was a “consolation prize,” that being that the president scrambling, but not succeeding entirely, in putting out all the fires of the past few days.
“He and the White House reacted with over-the-top defensiveness, removing all doubt that the infamous narcissist was feeling deeply embarrassed by the gleeful speculation of his demise,” she wrote before adding, “Both Trump and White House staff scrambled to conceal his ego injury, but in doing so, they only drew more attention to how much this is all getting under his paper-thin skin.”
Add to that, she noted that Trump did indeed seem “frail” despite his best efforts to be his usual self.
Calling his press conference a “proof of life press availability,” she suggested, “He sounded exactly like an elderly person struggling to hide dementia, but unfortunately, that’s indistinguishable from his lifelong personality as an incurious person BSing his way through life.”
“The Republican officials who flanked Trump during the event, including Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, looked wound as tight as springs. The president’s hair looked weird, as if his hairdresser didn’t have enough time to work it into the elaborate combover he’s sported for years. The intense makeup couldn’t hide the swelling around his eyes. Despite leaning heavily on his regularly repeated catchphrases and fixations, Trump struggled to generate his usual manic energy,” she reported before dryly adding, “He’s not dead, but his appearance failed to persuade anyone outside of MAGA diehards that he’s doing well.”
Marcotte concluded, “The president’s repeated humiliations this weekend also offer some hope. His efforts to be a terrifying figure are routinely undercut by his clownishness. The more he tries to appear mighty, the more he seems increasingly frail in his rapidly aging body.”
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