Is it us or has Trump’s political sphere morphed into a work of surreal art this week? It just keeps getting weirder and weirder, doesn’t it?
What Trump said before he was elected:
“Remember, we are competing in a rigged election. They even want to try and rig the election at the polling booths, where so many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is all too common.” (October, 2016 rally in Wisconsin.)
What Trump’s transition team said about the C.I.A.’s finding that Russia hacked into DNC emails, arguably helping him to get elected by embarrassing his opponent — and, in essence, rigging the election:
It’s time to “move on.” (Dec. 9.)
What he said about Rick Perry in July of last year:
“He should be forced to take an IQ test before being allowed to enter the GOP debate.” (Trump on Twitter ahead of the first primary debate in 2015, two months before Perry dropped out of the race.)
What Rick Perry said about Trump last year:
He’s a “cancer,” a “barking carnival act,” a “toxic mix of demagoguery and mean-spiritedness and nonsense.” (Speech in Washington, D.C., July 22, 2015.)
What Trump did on Tuesday:
Named the former Texas governor the head of the Department of Energy — an agency that Perry said he’d abolish if elected (though he couldn’t remember its name during a debate). As Energy Secretary, Perry would be charged with handling complex energy policy and aspects of homeland security.
What Trump said about the kinds of people he would help if elected:
“The forgotten men and women of our country — people who work hard but no longer have a voice: I am your voice.” (July, 2016, Republican National Convention in Cleveland.)
The kinds of people he’s hired for many cabinet posts:
Mega-wealthy corporate executives, like his Secretary of State pick, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, whom Trump praised for his “deep understanding of geopolitics” and “business skills,” describing Tillerson’s career as “the embodiment of the American dream.”
The kinds of people Rex Tillerson likes to help:
Russian oligarchs.
What Trump said about clean air and water on the campaign trail:
“We want clean beautiful air and we want crystal clear water.” (October 2016, Lakeland, FL campaign rally.)
His pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency:
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt — because, explained the prez-elect, Pruitt “brings a deep understanding of the impact of regulations on both the environment and the economy.”
In other words:
Pruitt opposes environmental regulations that would help ensure there’s clean beautiful air and crystal clear water.
What Trump said about public education on the campaign trail:
Not much, except for statements like this one: “School choice we want, Common Core we don’t want. We’ve got to get rid of Common Core, bring educational…” — and then he drifted off to the next subject. (Aug. 9, Wilmington, NC.)
What Trump’s pick for Education Secretary wants to do for public education:
Next to nothing. Her big cause? School vouchers as a means of supporting privatization and Christian schooling. DeVos (another of Trump’s billionaires, thanks to her own family’s wealth and the Amway fortune of her husband) supports foundations like the Heartland Institute, whose president, Joseph Bast, has said, “Complete privatization of schooling might be desirable, but this objective is politically impossible for the time being. Vouchers are a type of reform that is possible now.” (Quote taken from People for the American Way and the New York Times).
What he tweeted on Nov. 30:
“I will be holding a major news conference in New York City with my children on December 15 to discuss the fact that I will be leaving my great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country in order to make America great again!”
What he tweeted on Dec. 12:
“I will hold a press conference in the near future to discuss the business, Cabinet picks and all other topics of interest. Busy times!”
What "busy times" consist of:
Meeting with Kanye West on Dec. 13 to discuss “life" (Trump) and "multicultural issues" (Kanye).
What this could mean:
Kanye West, Secretary of Entertainment?
