President Trump just gave a major speech that was supposed to lay out a comprehensive vision for our national security; a new strategy for a nation dealing with a rapidly transforming world and ever-evolving threats from domestic, foreign, and environmental sources.
Instead, he embarrassed our nation with a rambling and incoherent speech that hit all of his favorite campaign trail talking points and made very clear what his real priorities are – the security of his wallet and the amount of money flowing into it.
To make it obvious how little work and attention the President put into what could have been a defining speech of administration, consider this moment where the President jumped off his entire train of thought into the abyss of narcissism:
Trump on the defense sequester: "We're going to get rid of that."
Then he stares off into space. pic.twitter.com/4KWqMOeSjd
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 18, 2017
It’s yet another example of what many people are saying is evidence that President Trump, 71, is beginning to show signs of early onset dementia or the general degradation of his mental faculties, which were never that strong to begin with.
The rest of his speech did not do much to dissuade those suspicions.
His big “reveal” of the strategy that will keep us safe just turned out to be more of the same empty bravado that President Trump loves to employ – absurdly ambitious and superficially inspiring words that are still entirely devoid of substance:
LOL this is beyond parody. Here's Trump's big reveal:
"With the strategy I am announcing today, we are declaring that America is in the game and America is going win."
Helpful stuff, Mr President pic.twitter.com/IhDwzFYZ18
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 18, 2017
In an entirely predictable turn of events, Trump’s big plan for our national security is the exact same one as it is for the economy – cutting taxes and rolling back regulations.
Trump says that two key pillars of his national security strategy are… "cutting taxes and rolling back unnecessary regulations." #wut pic.twitter.com/c1FTMJKRAV
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 18, 2017
The implications of this in a national security context – which Trump made clear involves immigration, border security, and the use of soft-ethnic cleansing techniques to drive nonwhite migrants out of the United States – are extremely disturbing.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Immigration Customs Enforcement departments already operate with far too little oversight and far too much callous disregard for the people they abuse.
Any “unnecessary regulations” that Trump would want to roll back means only more suffering and hardship for the people who have already suffered so much in their desperate pursuit of a better life in the United States of America.
The crowd’s reaction to the President’s words says it all:
Trump's applause lines are awkward and received tepid applause at best. For example: pic.twitter.com/TbYlblD76q
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 18, 2017
