For anyone capable of real thought, it should be very clear that the increasingly unhinged Don Trump is using his presidency to manufacture his own reality. And anything or anyone that challenges that reality faces severe consequences.
Take, for example, the matter of statistics. Having previously extolled the numbers produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, he is now firing its head, Erika McEntarfer, because he doesn't like her most recent statistical facts. The termination came
- hours after the agency reported that job growth in the U.S. had slowed to a near-halt.
- “We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Her crime, for want of a better word, was reporting the creation of a mere 73,000 jobs in July, far below what the market had anticipated. There is likely a strong correlation between those numbers and the impact of Trump's insane and illegal tariffs working their way through the American economy.
Prior to Friday’s report, Trump repeatedly has championed the strength of the labor market. After the June numbers had been released initially, the White House put out a statement calling it a “June Boom.”
The weak jobs report Friday preceded a sharp drop in markets, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average off more than 500 points and the tech-focused Nasdaq off more than 2%. Treasury yields also slumped.
And speaking of manufacturing his own reality, in a transparent ply to gain the 'cooperation' of convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, the Bureau of Prisons has moved her to a minimum security camp in Texas, a dormitory-style incarceration usually reserved for white collar criminals. One can assume this is in preparation for an appearance before Congress and an eventual Trump pardon, since federal rules expressly forbid sexual predators from such a cosy, cosseted environment.
Take a look at the first story on NBC Nightly News.
Will any of this be enough to break the back of his presidency? One lives in hope.
