Trump Strengthens Bond With Abraham Lincoln by Melting Down Over Commercial Attacking His Leadership
President Trump is a big fan of Abraham Lincoln, the one president he believes to be his equal. Throughout his time in office, Trump has made several bizarre attempts to compare himself to “Honest Abe,” the most recent on Sunday during a Fox News town hall event in front of the Lincoln Memorial. “I am greeted with a hostile press the likes of which no president has ever seen,” Trump groused.
“The closest would be that gentleman right up there. They always said nobody got treated worse than Lincoln. I believe I am treated worse,” Trump said about a person who was literally shot in the head.
A day later, , a conservative advocacy group led by Never Trump Republicans, released a minute-long attack ad against the president, focusing on the economic devastation resulting from the coronavirus. “Under the leadership of , our country is weaker and sicker and poorer,” reads the ad, titled “Mourning in America.”
Trump wasn’t happy. Just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning, the president unloaded on The Lincoln Project, possibly after seeing the spot during a Tucker Carlson Tonight commercial break. In four tweets, he excoriated the “loser types” behind the ad, touted his accomplishments, and noted that “Abe Lincoln, Republican, is all smiles!”
….get even for all of their many failures. You see, these loser types don’t care about 252 new Federal Judges, 2 great Supreme Court Justices, a rebuilt military, a protected 2nd Amendment, biggest EVER Tax & Regulation cuts, and much more. I didn’t use any of them….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 5, 2020
Trump, among the most prolific liars in American history, repeatedly aligning himself with “Honest Abe,” is all the irony we need here. But also worth mentioning is his criticism of The Lincoln Project playing off Ronald Reagan’s “Morning in America” ad, when Trump lifted his “Make America Great Again” slogan directly from Reagan’s 1980 campaign.
Trump went on to assign nicknames to notable Never Trump Republicans. George Conway, a vocal Trump critic and husband to adviser Kellyanne Conway, is “Moonface.” Evan McMullin, who ran against Trump as an Independent in 2016, is “McMuffin.” They’re all huge losers, unlike Trump, the guy live-tweeting the commercials of a recorded cable news program at one in the morning, and Trump’s spirit brother Abe Lincoln.
….lost for Evan “McMuffin” McMullin (to me). Steve Schmidt & Reed Galvin lost for John McCain, Romney’s campaign manager (?) lost big to “O”, & Jennifer Horn got thrown out of the New Hampshire Republican Party. They’re all LOSERS, but Abe Lincoln, Republican, is all smiles!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 5, 2020
Here’s the ad that set Trump off. It’s pretty good!
? NEW VIDEO @realdonaldtrump’s failed presidency has left the nation weaker, sicker, and teetering on the verge of a new Great Depression.
There’s mourning in America. pic.twitter.com/QoEWJVNEXc
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) May 4, 2020
Trump’s early-morning outburst wasn’t surprising. Unable to insult the coronavirus into submission, the president has taken refuge in lashing out at those he feels have wronged him. On Monday morning, he ripped MSNBC hosts “Psycho Joe Scarborough” and “Crazy Mika Brzezinski],” reviving a conspiracy theory that Scarborough murdered a man. The attacks on the “Fake News” and “Sleepy Joe Biden” have also intensified. He’s even dusted off some of his Russian Witch Hunt material, promoting a tweet on Sunday claiming Barack Obama was “running it all.” What he’s not doing is informing the public about the pandemic in any consistent manner, setting aside politics to assist states struggling to combat the virus, or projecting concern over anything other than personal grievances as the nation looks for leadership.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is projecting that by June 1st the daily coronavirus death toll will balloon to 3,000, a 70-percent increase from where it stands as of early May. “The people of our country should think of themselves as warriors,” Trump said before boarding Air Force one Tuesday morning. “Our country has to open.”
Trump has sentenced Americans to fight for their lives as his inept pandemic response forces them to pick between their economic security and physical safety, but they can take comfort: Trump says Lincoln, dead since 1865, is “all smiles.”