Let’s start with Dozing Donald.
There’s a lot of chatter on the internet today about Trump dozing in public again. This time, he head-bobbed at a memorial service commemorating 9/11, of all things. Well, it was worse than “head-bobbing.” He was full on eyes-closed, mouth-curled in a strange position, out of it.
It would be pretty humiliating if Trump had any sense of shame. At the least, it’s not a good sign when the 80-year-old autocrat who used to ridicule President Biden as “Sleepy Joe” can’t seem to stay awake, except when he is the one who’s talking.
The late night internet posting frenzies with his 35-year-old aide may be taking their toll. Or it may be something else. I should emphasize that I am not “alarmed” about this, as my regular readers know. Even so, I think we should have some perspective on Dozing Donald. He does a lot less harm asleep than awake.
When he’s asleep, he isn’t posting AI slop portraying himself as Dolly Parton’s boyfriend, George Washington’s buddy, or a brave soldier who, despite his bone spurs, is a veritable killing machine. Nor is he demanding that his political opponents be prosecuted, making allegations of vandalism, or suggesting things that should be named after him. Nor is he blundering into a war that strengthens the opponent, disrupts international energy flows, raises prices for everyday Americans, and makes the US look stupid and impotent. (When Trump’s asleep, Pete Hegseth has to commit the war screw-ups on his own.)
And when Trump’s asleep, he isn’t wading into the long, fraught, and tragic complexities of the status of Northern Ireland–an issue that sparked what seemed like endless cycles of sectarian violence in the past and that actually isn’t any of his damned business, though apparently there is nothing in life that Trump thinks is not his business.
And finally, when Trump’s asleep, he isn’t manufacturing disastrous distractions from the Epstein files.
So before you criticize Trump for continually falling asleep in public, ask yourself whether you’d prefer him to be awake.
Me time.
Now let’s take a break from the unpleasantness of Donald Trump. Let’s talk about me.
Yesterday, I ran on a new bike/running trail in the Kalamazoo area. Fun fact: Kalamazoo is in Michigan and is a real place.
As I jogged along, I passed a man and woman who appeared to be in their sixties, just like me. The guy in the couple said “Looking good” as I ran by. “That’s nice,” I thought. “Midwestern people are nice.” (Except when they are driving behind you and you are going too slowly, but that’s for another day.)
A little while later, I passed a man who was walking alone and who also seemed to be in his sixties. He too said, “Looking good,” as I ran by.
Now, one “looking good” during a 30-minute, rather relaxed and slow run is nice. Two “looking goods,” however, are alarming. They mean either “Not looking good at all” or “Wow, I’m surprised that a guy of your mature years can still put one foot in front of the other.”
At least, nobody said, “Hey, you smell nice.” That would have been really alarming.