Commenting on a plan to honor Donald Trump on the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the United States, a retired U.S. Navy officer called out the president and his supporters for going all out to name everything they can after the scandal-plagued president.
In a no-nonsense column for the Washington Post, Navy vet Theodore R. Johnson noted a proposal by the Treasury Department to mint a $1 coin with the likeness of Trump on the front and on the backside, “[the] president’s effigy, fist pumping in front of a billowing American flag.”
Stating that there are legal restrictions over putting "a portrait of a living person” on the back of the special edition coins, Johnson cut to the chase and called the very idea of it “sacrilegious.”
As he wrote, Trump’s supporters are “thrilled at the idea that he’d ‘forever be the face’ of the 250th. It’s an invaluable currency in the civic church for America, where uncritical patriotism is a decree and noncompliance can be grounds for presidential penalty.”
“The anniversary, the flag, our money and emblazoned national motto — have long held special significance for American culture and identity,” he wrote before adding, “Trump’s approach to the presidency has been the same as his business strategy, one that’s uncommon for democracies: putting his name and personal brand on everything, building monuments to himself along the way.”
Pointing to massive banners flying on government buildings with Trump’s face on them, suggestions his profile should be added to Mt. Rushmore and a GOP proposal to make his birthday a national holiday, Johnson wrote, “Every president employs civil religion; it comes with the territory. Presidential inaugurations and addresses have long been hallmarks. They often include retellings of the American story as a promised land for a people in exodus, paying homage to the sacrifices required for survival and prosperity and offering testimony about the nation’s destiny and purpose in the world. But Trump’s version paints himself as the chosen one.”
Noting Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), who has also proposed a $250 bill with Trump’s face on it, recently wrote, “As the 250th anniversary approaches, let us unite around a bold symbol of that renewal. Let us honor the president who has made America great again,” Johnson replied, “It’s probably illegal, but in the eyes of his party apostles, not making the nation’s anniversary about Trump would be something worse: sacrilegious.”
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