OPINION:
President Trump’s performance at the retooled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner Friday made me nostalgic for the days of Vice President Spiro Agnew, President Nixon’s media attack dog.
In a speech, Agnew called members of the media “nattering nabobs of negativism,” a phrase written by Nixon White House speechwriter William Safire.
That was mild compared with the disgusting personal insults Mr. Trump hurled at journalists who attended the dinner to support the White House Correspondents’ Association’s scholarship awards for young journalists and to honor reporters who uphold the principles of free speech. These are men and women who write the truth under often precarious and dangerous conditions, penning stories of fact that Mr. Trump does not like.
In case you were watching something else or reading a book (and you are fortunate if you did miss the president’s hourlong speech), here are just a few lowlights of what, in a previous generation, would have sent the speaker of such language to the kitchen sink for a mouth washing by grandma.
“I hate some people,” said the president. He has claimed to be a Christian. Many of his evangelical supporters believe he is one. Is it not judgmental to ask whether hating others is reflective of normal Christian behavior?
Mr. Trump was just getting warmed up.
The meandering speech, which, as usual, frequently went off script, got personal. The jokes, such as they were, fell flat. Even his administration’s sycophants found it difficult to yuck it up in the face of so many insults. He mocked Bette Midler and Jane Fonda, saying that given the choice between them and the battered faces of the UFC fighters, “almost everyone chose the people in the UFC.” He then turned on Bruce Springsteen, saying the singer “looks like hell.”
Mr. Trump also singled out Sen. Adam B. Schiff, California Democrat; Rosie O’Donnell; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat; former New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie (whose weight struggles Mr. Trump has mocked); and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, New York Democrat, who is not seeking reelection.
As The New York Times put it: “The president wasn’t telling jokes so much as he was repeating attack lines one hears at a standard MAGA rally.”
At least he shook hands with the award winners, including those from outlets he previously labeled “fake news,” which is one of his milder insults.
In what may have been his only positive statement of the evening (when he was not praising himself), the president thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for the “great job” they do. That earned a round of applause — not for him, but for them.
I wrote a book a few years ago that contained a chapter on some of my printable hate mail. Calling me names rather than presenting cogent arguments opposing my positions did not change my mind. Some who have written to me with respectful disagreement receive a reading and, usually, a response. Sometimes I see the point of their position, and sometimes I have even agreed with some of them.
If you have been called names, did it change your mind? Probably not.
Polls show that most journalists vote for Democrats and are politically liberal. Republican Presidents Reagan and George W. Bush were good examples of how self-deprecating humor can disarm journalism critics. Look up their remarks at previous White House Correspondents’ Association dinners on YouTube.
Mr. Trump seems incapable of self-deprecation because he is a malignant narcissist who believes that the world revolves around him. Count the number of times he uses personal pronouns. He rarely says “we” or “they” to give credit to others. (Saying “good job” does not count.)
At some point, even people who agree with many of his policies (like me) grow tired of the crude language, vile insults and repetition of lines we have heard countless times.
I turned off the TV 15 minutes into his speech. I suspect I was not alone.
• Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book, “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (Humanix Books).
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