Reality TV Takes Over the White House
Distractions play into this regime's hand.
Take nothing this administration is doing seriously. Including the nonsense that is happening with trump and musk. One more distraction.
I feel like the rest of the world understands that the Donald cannot be taken seriously. I will lay out several recent events that indicate why this is so.
But, first, a reminder. Donald Trump did not get to where he is by demonstrating leadership, or behaving courageously, or even running a successful business. No, he got to where he is by starring on a reality TV show, The Apprentice, where he became adept at saying, “You’re fired!” to people. No other skills were necessary. And this show, in spite of claims to the contrary, was not based on his business acumen.
Trump is nothing more than a reality TV “star.” Reality TV is an oxymoron by the way. But I digress. When Trump ambushed President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, he made a statement at the end of that fiasco. He said, “This is going to be great television!” The ambush, a serious offense against an ally and world leader, was nothing more than reality TV from the White House in Trump’s mind. I suspect that much of what is happening between Trump and Musk may fall into the same category. Oh, I am sure they are mad at each other and saying things they will regret in the morning (some morning anyway). They are narcissists and eventually a blowup was bound to happen. But they need each other. But in the back of his weaselly mind, Trump is thinking, “This is great TV! Look at our ratings!”
Everyone is watching the very public breakup and enjoying their popcorn. But, what is happening behind the scenes? That is what we need to be paying attention to.
Let’s take a walk through the past week, shall we?
Let’s begin with the most recent calamity first. Yesterday, June 5, Trump met with the new German chancellor, Friedrich Merz. The meeting was intended to discuss ways in which the Russian-Ukrainian war could be brought to a close. Merz stated, “I'm here, Mr. President, to talk with you later on on how we could contribute to that goal. And we all are looking for measures and for instruments to bring this terror war to an end. And may I remind you that we are having June 6 tomorrow. This is D-Day anniversary when the Americans once ended a war in Europe.”1
Trump, always the smartest man in the room, made an attempt at a joke saying, “That was not a pleasant day for you.” Merz responded, “In the long run, Mr. President, this was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship.” Trump needed to be educated about what June 6 represents to Germany and the rest of Europe.
Trump is so embarrassing. But that is not all. Trump went on to question the wisdom of Germany re-arming, citing General Douglas MacArthur who warned that Germany should never be allowed re re-arm. This of course was after two world wars and 81 years ago. Perhaps Trump was joking again, but it was not how one would expect a serious person to talk about international politics when the U.S. has left it’s role as a world leader.
Speaking of world leaders, I very much doubt any world leaders look forward to visiting the White House these days. They are never sure of the reception they might receive. An ambush like Zelenskyy faced, an attempt to embarrass South Africa’s president, which ended up showing the world how small and petty Trump is, or a schooling like Chancellor Merz was forced to provide on the spur of the moment.
The day before that little fiasco, in another demonstration of the lack of seriousness in this regime, Trump appointed Thomas Fugate, a 22-year-old kid fresh out of college to head up the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3). CP3 is the lead department designated to prevent hate crimes, school shootings, and other types of targetted violence. Fugate has no experience in this field having worked on Trump’s campaign and being a go-fer for a grocery store in Texas. Oh and he was a landscaper. Quite the chops. Essentially he was an intern at Homeland Security, so this is more than a promotion. It makes you wonder what the “quid” was for Trump’s “pro quo.”
I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. Trump does not appoint people with experience to these cabinet positions. I mean, look at this cabinet. Hegseth, Gabbard, Vought, Lutnick, RFK, Jr., Bondi, McMahon, Noem, and Rubio. I’m depressed after that. Qualifications, nil. Loyalty to Trump, 100%. Trump appoints the most loyal person he can find. Loyal to Trump that is. So Mr. Fugate is a loyal fan of the orange buffoon and look where it landed him. Loyalty is all the “experience” Mr. Fugate seems to have. God help us.
In other unserious news this week, Trump asked Congress to cut $1.1 billion in federal funding for public broadcasting. Why? Because Trump believes that NPR and PBS are “RADICAL LEFT MONSTERS.”2 No, they simply report what is true. The fact that it does not always (ever?) neatly align with republican talking points is not their fault. They are also one of the main news sources for a very large section of the country. Which may explain why Trump wants to cut their funding. Tyranny blooms in ignorance.
And while the DUI hire Pete Hegseth was ignoring a meeting of Defense chiefs from NATO to discuss coordinating military aid to Ukraine, Ukraine was preparing to launch a long planned strike into Russian territory where it damaged billions of dollars worth of Russian bombers. Ukraine is serious and believe me no one knows that more today than Putin. However, Trump’s response was to call Putin and warn of a Russian counter strike that “would not be pretty.” No word if trump spoke to Zelenskyy.
There is your ‘unserious’ week in review.
Along with the ongoing attacks against institutions of higher education and research centers, this is another example of where the Project 2025 plan takes us. Serious people look at the world differently than people like Vought and Trump. The world is complex, diverse, with rapid changes, therefore it takes skill and open eyed responses to the challenges that come forth. Unfortunately, in the Trump circle, the loyalists are not looking at the complexities of the world, they are looking to see which way the wind is blowing in Trump’s mind. Regardless of how idiotic his directions may be or how often they change direction, the yes men surrounding him will nod in acquiescence and seek to outdo one another in praising the dear leaders brilliance.
And in the meantime, we are expected to watch the White House Reality TV show of “The Breakup of the Bromance.”
Enjoy your popcorn.
Thanks for reading.
Knowledge is Power.
Greg
Feinberg, A. (June 5, 2025). Trump tells German leader WWII defeat ‘was not a pleasant day for you’ as chancellor is forced to school him on Nazis. The Independent. https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-germany-merz-visit-d-day-anniversary-nazis-b2764628.html
Walsh, D., & Folkenflik, D. (2025, June 4). Partisan battle lines form over Trump’s plan to defund NPR & PBS. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/06/04/g-s1-70455/democrats-oppose-trump-public-media-cuts-request-as-gop-plans-vote-to-defund-npr-pbs
Right again, Greg!