This being that time of year when we are supposed to remember and be grateful, it is highly appropriate that we in the damned media — we, the enemy of the public; we, the ink-stained wretches; we, the writers of history’s first draft — should pause a moment and give thanks for President Donald J. Trump, politician extraordinaire.
This is a man who is truly larger than life in a Shakespearean kind of way. He is an entertainer always fearlessly on the ledge of a high-rise. He is a master promoter, a media maestro and — standing all alone as a party of one — the most successful single politician we have seen in 50 years.
Perhaps ever in America. Although, if the great chronicler of all things important, A.J. Liebling, were still alive, he would tell you that Louisiana Gov. Earl Long might have given Mr. Trump a run for his money in the audacity and showmanship departments.
Regardless, if Liebling were alive today, he would be following Mr. Trump from rally to rally and summit to summit like some kind of traveling roadie recording every delicious morsel of the great man’s political works. He would never miss an utterance, especially the tweets.
But he never flinches.
Mr. Trump is flawed. But he knows he still has so much to offer that he doesn’t just pack up his carnival tent and go home. He just sells it harder.
In today’s hopelessly detached and sheltered media, Mr. Trump and his antics are pearls before swine.
It tells you something that the best-rated show on television today is MSNBC’s insufferable Rachel Maddow. Ms. Maddow is one of those people terrified of having anyone on her show smarter than her.
That’s fine. The real problem is that she is just so tedious and scolding and professorial.
In addition, Ms. Maddow is incapable of humor. All fun dies on her desk.
Mr. Trump’s latest triumphant tour of the Middle East and Old Europe was covered by Ms. Maddow and the tedious media as the Trip of Seven Scandals. And the scandals were petty and silly.
French whatever Emmanuel Macron was hailed for supposedly humiliating Mr. Trump by shaking his hand really hard. (I am not making this up.) I guess for a guy robbed from his cradle, this is big boy kind of stuff.
Then there was the hand-holding — and lack thereof — between Mr. Trump and the first lady. It was not fake news that Melania Trump really did appear to pull her hand away and even smack Mr. Trump’s when he tried holding her hand.
A) This is NOT a scandal. Happens all the time. B) Our first lady is one tough cookie.
But, oh my goodness, to hear the Ms. Maddows of the world go on and on about this nonsense. They truly take all the fun out of everything.
Perhaps the best scandal of the entire trip came when Mr. Trump wiggled like a bull salmon swimming upstream to get to the front of the crowd of world leaders so as to make himself front and center.
The media freaked out.
First of all, the guy is a New Yorker. Have you ever tried to get on a train in New York City? Have you ever seen Sen. Chuck Schumer slice through a crowd to get to a microphone?
They’re New Yorkers, and it is how they are.
Secondly, Mr. Trump is president of the United States of America, by God. He damned well better be on the front row, dead center, no matter how many leaders of little pipsqueak countries he has to shove aside to get there.
With that, Mr. Trump once again proved that he is worthy to be commander in chief of the greatest country on earth.
• Charles Hurt can be reached at churt@washingtontimes.com; follow him on Twitter via @charleshurt
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