Emil Guillermo: The President gets a D for D-Day
I wonder if Trump could imagine an Asian American war hero like Dan Inouye, the former Hawaii Senator awarded the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart for what he did in the south of France during World War II? Or would he see a Democratic firebrand who was leading the charge against him?
Too complicated for Trump. He's a "moment" guy. as in "right now." Twitter-time. And when that's done, it's gone. History? Who needs it. On to the next "now," the new moment. The future? Don't get too ahead of yourself. As Trump likes to say, "We'll see what happens." But the past? Imminently forgettable. The better to be manipulated.
Or simply to publicly state "I do not recall." That's how he answered the Mueller questions on Russian contacts and the Trump Tower meeting.
Long term or short term, history is just not Trump's strong suit. Unless he can change it all as America's gaslighter- in-chief.
So it was hard for me to see Trump knee-deep in it with his own invasion of Normandy 2019, honoring the veterans with his elevated "thank you for your service" demeanor in the manner he honors all veterans not named John McCain.
It was difficult to see Trump–whose sense of self-preservation is the only apparent religion he follows—even metaphorically use the phrase, "We are gathered here on freedom's altar."
Of course, Trump could have mentioned he's the greatest threat to the stability of what could be Normandy's greatest legacy, NATO. And why would we expect him to truly appreciate an event that happened 75 years ago?
He wasn't even born then. Was life worth living?
All we have is Trump making a mockery of the whole event by his mere presence. And then blaspheming the memory by using gravestones of the American servicemen as a backdrop for a no-holds barred political diatribe against the Democrats on his propaganda tool, Fox News.
Anything goes at freedom's altar, even the misuse of history by Trump, who doesn't mind honoring it for a speech, and then promptly devaluing it all for a photo op.
I just finished correcting a bunch of student papers. I'd give the president a D for D-Day. That's barely passing. Sort of like winning the electoral college but losing the popular vote.
One wonders if Trump could go beyond the platitudes from his speechwriters and say why we were even fighting in WWII. Or where exactly– European Theatre? Pacific Theatre? Does he recall the Niseis of the 442nd, the Japanese American "Go for Brokers" from Hawaii, like Inouye, who were in the European Theater, mostly in Italy, but also in southern France? They weren't permitted to fight in Asia. Or does Trump see an Asian American of Japanese descent and think foreign enemy?
A president who doesn't read lacks the perspective to understand the meaning of history and the humility to learn from it.
History usually makes news when there's nothing new going on.
But this 75th anniversary of D-Day is all the more newsworthy when America's leader is Trump–a man who values the art of forgetfulness and the creation of new narratives that threaten the truth.