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It was a sad sight. Here’s an aging comic faced with a shrunken audience, its jokes landing with a thud, its star starting to fade.
Donald Trump suddenly finds himself where he has never been: a side story, overshadowed by Joe Biden, no longer dominating the news cycle.
On Tuesday, Biden showcased the smart adults in his pending government at a weighty event with lofty talks about restoring America’s moral leadership and saving the planet from the climate crisis.
An hour later, at the White House, a turkey was pardoned by a lame duck discovering how fickle the media circus can be.
The gathering in the rose garden was naturally curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic, but its latest Thanksgiving ceremony was a muted affair that also struggled to break through on cable news.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States and Mrs. Trump,” said one announcer, the words suddenly elegiac as an abnormal administration fades to black.
Trump, true to himself to the very end, began by hailing for the first time the Dow Jones Industrial Average which exceeded 30,000. He praised his wife, Melania, for revamping the rose garden, and welcomed his daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared, who may be considering their bumpy re-entry into New York society.
Trump spoke of the tradition of presidents sparing the birds of the Thanksgiving table, dating back to Abraham Lincoln and receiving official pardons every year since George HW Bush. This year’s couple, Corn and Cob, were selected from the official presidential herd of 30, he said. “Real beauties.”
The President spoke of the nation’s love for farmers and the 400th anniversary of the pilgrims’ arrival on the Mayflower. He thanked the doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and scientists who fought the coronavirus pandemic and rushed for a vaccine, but could not resist the use of the term “Chinese virus” for the good old days or resolve to offer condolences to the families of the neighborhood millions of dead Americans.
“We send our love to all members of the military and law enforcement heroes who risk their lives to keep America safe, to keep America great and, as I said, ‘America first’, ”Trump said. “We must not stray from it: America first.”
It sounded like a weak plea from a dying monarch, given that Biden had just sharply handed over Barack Obama’s group with an explicit “America First” repudiation.
What was missing from Trump’s brief remarks were the puns of Obama’s years that made his daughters cringe, or Trump’s own cheeky 2018 jokes about an online vote on which turkey should survive – “It was a fair election. Sadly, Carrots refused to concede and demanded a recount, and we’re still fighting with Carrots ”- or his grim humor about his own arraignment a year ago.
The reality of losing, for a self-proclaimed lifetime winner, is obviously no laughing matter. Earlier Tuesday, Trump retweeted a photo of himself mulling over the Resolute desk in the Oval Office with the caption: “I won’t concede ANYTHING !!!!!”
A man picked up corn from a table adorned with autumn flowers and mini pumpkins. Trump and Melania approached. With his hand raised, Trump said, “Look at this beautiful, beautiful bird. Oh, so lucky. He’s a lucky bird. But, I hereby grant you complete forgiveness. Thanks, Corn. What a bird. Thank you.”
He added, “Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Thank you so much. Thank you everybody. Had a good time.”
So, as Biden prepares to take the reins of power, Trump finds himself with the equivalent of a ribbon cut. The former champion of attention has lost his crown to a challenger he deems unworthy. As they left, the journalists shouted: “Mr. President, will you forgive yourself?” and “Are you inviting President-elect Biden?”
Answer there was none. The man who couldn’t stop talking to reporters has now taken a vow of silence. Calling out the election result is as awkward as arguing at a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by a divorcing couple.
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