Politics U.S. Reuters Politics U.S.<
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Jeff Mason, White House correspondent |
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It’s holiday season at the White House. Ribboned wreaths are hanging from the windows, Christmas trees are stationed on the state floor, and, er, “We Are The Champions,” is playing in the Rose Garden. That’s right. Not Christmas carols -- Queen rock anthems. The choice of music is just one of the contradictions coming out of President Donald Trump’s White House these days. |
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Paradox on policy, politics and personal behavior |
If you ask the president about his stamina, prepare to be told that he’s the fittest man ever to hold office. Trump, who used to slam his predecessor as “Sleepy Joe,” said this week he had gotten “all As” at his physical and felt sharper now than he did 25 years ago. Yet the 79-year-old Republican repeatedly struggled to keep his eyes open at a more-than-two-hour-long cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Welcome to the world of Trumpian contradiction. Be it policy, politics or personal behavior, Trump and many of his associates often make eyebrow-raising decisions and statements that require a measure of “huh?” to reconcile. Take Trump’s stance on illegal drugs. The president has painted himself as a crusader against fentanyl and other substances that cause American deaths and used that as justification for strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean and a potential land operation in Venezuela. But this week he also pardoned the former president of Honduras, who was serving a 45-year sentence for conspiring to import tons of cocaine into the United States. Contradiction. |
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Now on politics: The president won the 2024 election, resoundingly as he likes to make clear, in large part because of his promise to bring prices down and his criticism of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for the economy they oversaw. It worked well for him. That economy is his now, however, and polls show that voters are still upset. Instead of convincing them that his policies are delivering, he called the opposition party’s use of his own tactic against him a hoax. “The word affordability is a con job by the Democrats,” he said at the cabinet meeting. Ironic. Back to Christmas at the White House, where some irony is coming out as well. I joined a press tour on Monday of the White House’s state floor, which featured a portrait of Trump made of Legos along with decorated trees and a gingerbread model of the executive mansion. Holiday cheer all around. But only one holiday was featured. Though Trump has pursued pro-Israel policies and punished universities for what he views as tolerance of anti-Semitic behavior on their campuses, staff did not put up a menorah that used to be featured at the White House this time of year. A spokesman for the first lady confirmed that it was not used. Why? That was introduced by the Bidens, he said. |
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