Reflections for the President

[teachtrump]

American Greatness (?!)

Donnie, I suppose you just DO NOT WANT TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT, EVER: https://www.nytimes.com/…/c…/paris-climate-change-guide.html.

You misunderstood me again. When I told you the other day that you will die and should think about how you want to spend your remaining 9 years on earth, I most certainly did NOT mean that the future of the globe doesn't matter once you aren't on it. Grrrr.

[teachtrump]

You Will Die

Letter to Don - Donald, on Day 130 of your Presidency, I want to remind you that one day you will die.

(I worry that as the "Bullshitter-in-Chief" you may be telling yourself this isn't so: and people around you may agree with you... You have made claims just as outrageously false as this one would be, after all.)

So I want you to think of this: "YOU ARE OLDER AT THIS MOMENT THAN YOU'VE EVER BEEN AND IT IS THE YOUNGEST YOU ARE EVER GOING TO BE." At 70, You are definitely closer to the end than the beginning. Dr. Oz gave you an "excellent" health score, but let's say you live to the average US male's life expectancy of 78.94 years. That's 9 more years and over 3 (a third!) would be spent in the White House.

You don't look too well or happy. Do you care how you spend what could be a third of your remaining days? Do you really want to be criticized and harassed constantly? For every little (and big) thing that you do or say? Do you want to work this hard or would you prefer to go back to the old life that you miss? Do you want to witness as Jared may be forced to speak publicly (or worse...) on his many -at the very least strange- contacts with the Russians: ? It's only been a 130 days....and I could go on and on and on about stuff that's been annoying to you. Think about it. Is it worth it?

[teachtrump]

Good for the Soul

Hi Donald, You aren't here and I take it you are pretty proud of yourself for reading a whole entire speech to those Saudi guys without uttering the words  "radical islamic terrorism" in that order. I really don't want to be a party pooper with Melania with you for all of what 6 nights?  It is the first time since January, right? Of course, the liberal media saw her push you away, she wouldn't even hold your hand: http://thecut.io/2qOYt59. Eastern European women. As one of them, I can tell you, they eventually all revolt...You should ask your Saudi best friends on how to find a more compliant woman...? (No, this is in bad taste, I am sorry.)

But still, you will, fingers crossed, come back. So you need to understand what awaits you. First of all, I just got the breaking news that you asked not one, but two senior intelligence guys to get Comey to lay off the Russia thing: http://read.bi/2qJ6xUp. Donald, Donald. You KNOW you can't trust anyone. What have you learned in the past 120 days if not that?

Secondly, you and and your former-enemy-turned-best-bud Paul Ryan will be in so much trouble once people realize that your healthcare shenanigans would affect all of them: http://nym.ag/2rKb4EE. Even the comfortably employed could be majorly f*cked over if you get your way and Paul just keeps on lying. Maybe to you too, but that won't be an excuse. I'm here to help.

Lastly, I have a tip. I see you are going to the G7 Summit in Taormina where, according to your comms people: you "will attend the G7 Summit in Sicily where he will meet bilaterally with world leaders. The President will also attend a concert performed by the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister of Italy, Paolo Gentiloni." I encourage you to enjoy the classical music. I know you will probably feel like it is WAY too long and boring, but it can have a calming influence.

The other thing I hope you can do is get your security detail to get rid of everyone and go to the Greek Theatre in Taormina by yourself: http://bit.ly/2rv3lwQ. I went there 20 or so years ago as a very young woman and just sat there admiring the place, the trees, the hills and the sea. It was January so the scent of orange and lemon trees made it even more magical. It was good for my soul. Trust me, you may discover something about beauty and yourself. Could it be that you're a just very broken human being who has never allowed himself to take in beauty and have a soul? Maybe? Is there hope for us all yet? 

[teachtrump]

Giants Are Scary

Remember when I told you I imagined you giddily counting the days to Impeachment Day in one of the White House closets? If you were not doing that, today is the day you should really start. (It's still only been 116 days, 9 hours and 28 minutes.) That grandstanding giant, Comey, is coming for you though: http://nyti.ms/2roc553. I don't like him either, but he would do us all a favor. (I am pretty sure Melania is keeping her fingers crossed for him to succeed so that poor Barron doesn't have to go to school in DC: http://wapo.st/2roES9H and she doesn't have to share a bedroom with you.)

You haven't heard from me in a while. I have been disappointed that you seem not to take anything to heart. Learning is not your strong suit. On healthcare you read nothing and are stuck with Trumpcare being synonymous with killing people. (Did you watch this guy: http://abcn.ws/2r43apa? He was angry. Just watch it. 7 minutes of your time. You can't sleep anyway. As I said, it's still only been 116 days, 9 hours and 28 minutes...what is 7 more.)

I do want to talk to you about things that matter. Not the superficial media obsessions. On global warming: your guy Scott deleted the site explaining it to kids:  https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/signpost/cc.html. How will you learn?

(But I  too am giddy at the thought that you and your brood might be booted out of Washington soon...and then your learning will no longer be a concern of mine.)

[teachtrump]

Simple Truths

Donald, I haven’t written in over a week. Don’t worry though, you are on my mind - much more so than is healthy. More than Obama used to be even though he is a SOLID NINE and you, let’s face it, are BARELY A TWO, if that...believe me, it’s painful for most of us to think so much about you. Especially because it is a classic characteristic of authoritarian regimes when politics becomes an all-encompassing assault on every aspect of daily life.

(I thought of you a couple of days ago while riding a super-crowded NYC subway, an unpleasant experience for all, and it hit me that you have almost certainly NEVER experienced such a subway ride or, indeed, ANY subway ride. I looked around the car at the amazingly diverse group of my fellow New Yorkers and embraced our shared silent frustration. A simple subway ride in this city you claim as your home can be reframed as a great opportunity for building empathy, tolerance and a sense of community, even if based on shared misery. Maybe the problem is that you never took the subway and were deprived of this opportunity? Think about it.)  

I just don’t want ‘Trump fatigue’ to fully settle in and deprive you of my facts. Even if facts apparently do not change our minds at all. They certainly don’t seem to be changing yours. You listened to none of the things I warned you about on Paul Ryan’s “healthcare” plan. All your promises broken, you ended up fully supporting it. Your fans will be among the biggest losers. Do you not care that eventually this will make you a big loser of their votes? Or will you just blame it on Ryan and ditch it? I would choose the latter…but sooner rather than later.  

On this first day of spring, I’ll leave you with a few simple truths:

1.     It’s been two months (!) since inauguration and your approval rating is 37%.

2.     FBI head Comey did not “TELL CONGRESS THAT RUSSIA DID NOT INFLUENCE ELECTORAL PROCESS.” Just you wait.

3.     It is March 20, 2017.

4.     NY AG Eric Schneiderman is coming after you.

5.     YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN IMPEACHED! [OK, Donnie, I’m just kidding you, but it’s a good one, enjoy!]

[teachtrump]

Nixon, Watergate...

Donald, what am I to do with you? I had plans to teach you about the financial crisis. How it affected the people who voted for you and why destroying the CFPB and starving the SEC and other regulators would be terrible for those same people. There is a lot you should learn about regulation and finance and I have questions for you too... Why do you seem to trust one hundred percent the guys who destroyed the economy? The Wall Street fat cats you supposedly were fighting against on behalf of the little people? 

But you aren’t giving us a break, are you? What do we see this morning on Twitter? 

“How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!” 

That’s crazy talk. I could teach you about what a President can and cannot do and how the FISA court orders wiretapping, etc. Many people have written extensively today on this and they have questions for you, good ones. 

You are apparently raving mad and when I read that you “had dinner with Sessions, Bannon, Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly” and your pet, Stephen Miller...” who tried to put you “in a better mood by going over their implementation plans for the travel ban,” I almost gave up. But I want to believe all hope is not lost yet and we can learn something together. 

SO LET’S STICK TO THE BASICS, DON.

Spelling: when to double a consonant before -ed or -ing to a verb?

We add -ing to a verb to form its present participle, and -ed to regular verbs to form the past simple. When doing this, we sometimes double the last letter of the verb, as in these examples:

STOP ⇒ stopped, stopping  - This, you are not too good at, especially when it comes to stopping yourself from tweeting, yelling or insulting individuals or groups of people. 

ROB  ⇒ robbed, robbing - You know this word, this is something you have been good at historically, just remember Trump Uni, your tenants, the old ladies who sold you the Winter White House...

TAP  ⇒ tapped, tapping - See? get it now? Pay attention...

...to understand this spelling rule, it’s first necessary to know the meaning of vowel and consonant:

vowels = a  e  i  o  u consonants are all other letters (b  c  d  f  g, etc).

We double the final letter when a one-syllable verb ends in consonant + vowel + consonant.

And a final example I quite like:

QUIT ⇒ quitting. That is something you claim to hate but I think you should definitely try! The time has come...

[teachtrump]

SAD

No, no, no, Donald. You did not read any of the things I sent you on healthcare. You got suckered into towing the party line by Paul Ryan and his buddies and just aped their nonsense about "granting access" to insurance. I told you, that means cutting sick and poor people off and many of them voted for you! Not going to end well...I'm waiting for you to stand up to Ryan. How about that multi-billion-dollar infrastructure proposal? I hope you really mean it because THAT will definitely make him lose that permanent hard-on he seems to be having right now...

Gotta give it to you though, you surprised everybody by being able to continuously read (read!) off a teleprompter for what was it, over half an hour? You didn't insult specific individuals and avoided yelling. Good boy. What did they put you on? In third grade you might have even gotten a medal for your performance!

I didn't watch the whole thing, but I knew the moment you opened your mouth that the mainstream news guys you despise would be dazzled by your limited ability to act sane and talk about how "presidential" you seemed. I hate to say it, but you are right about them or some of them, at least. They are stupidly reactive and you are playing them like a fiddle.  Especially the older guys on TV and daily political news reporters of all stripes.

They act like a girl with low self-esteem in an unhealthy relationship with a classic narcissist.  The kind of guy who berates her constantly and when once in a blue moon he doesn't, she thinks he can be “real nice and this time he's changed!" 

To quote you: SAD!

[teachtrump]

It’s complicated...

Yes, Donald. Things are complicated when you are President. Who knew: http://politi.co/2mDusj6?

Everybody, is the correct answer on this one. I'm here to help.

As your teacher, I would love for you to read this piece on how many Americans have "pre-existing conditions" (27%, that's a lot) for which they would be rejected if they tried to get insurance on their own before Obamacare: http://kaiserf.am/2hJ7kNV. It is long and there are many numbers in it. 

If you don't have that much time, read how many people would lose coverage under your party's plans : http://bit.ly/2lWhd0k. Or you could get a crash course from your son-in-law’s brother, Josh. In a somewhat heartwarming effort for a billionaire scion, he co-founded an insurance company named after his Holocaust-survivor grandfather, Oscar, because his “explanations of benefits” made no sense to him. They were too complicated. I am sure he could explain some things to you.

But, ok I'll give you a break. It's your big premiere in Congress today. Remember, people hate Congress. Their approval rating been hovering around 12% for years. Your supporters hate them. That’s why they voted for you in the primaries. You don't want to be them.  Don't let Paul Ryan and those other guys mislead you.  Focus on some things YOU said: “We’re going to have insurance for everybody...There was a philosophy in some circles that if you can’t pay for it, you don’t get it. That’s not going to happen with us.” That's a commendable sentiment. You can get there if you build on Obamacare, rename it, fix some things, instead of destroying it.

Those "circles" you are talking about are Paul Ryan and the rest of the Republican leadership in Congress. Tom Price, of course is one of them. Remember, what they are offering is "access" to insurance, which is very different from what you have been telling your supporters. What they are offering means millions lose insurance. You say Democrats will be blamed, but it isn't going to work out that way. They have no power anymore. You could be in trouble. Even you cadre of Steves and Jared seem to know that: http://wapo.st/2lPMUYx.

So before you go, say "Insurance for Everybody." Repeat it. "Insurance for Everybody."  What could that mean to the people who voted for you? That part is not so complicated.

[teachtrump]

How many days?

Donald, it's another Warming Wednesday so I would like to direct your attention to "A Student's Guide to Global Climate Change" (still) on the EPA's website: https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html. There are no videos for you to watch, unfortunately, but it is pretty basic; peruse it at your leisure. You could start with the quiz that will help you calculate your personal impact: https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/calc/index.html. Just have to answer a few questions about your FAVORITE PERSON - YOU! Do you turn the lights off when you leave the room? Do you turn the water off when you brush your teeth? Some great questions in there. Not too hard.

I also wanted to give you a bit of a break from the Flynn fiasco.  Those Russians. The nasty media. Or is it the leakers? What did you know and when did you know it?  What is reality? Who even knows...fill out the quiz.

And the Mar-a-Lago war room fiasco. As a big social media guy you ought to be more careful though. Especially when it comes to North Korea and other scary things. Remember Donald, they are scary, those North Koreans. I know you like to say you are not a whiny little baby, you are a winner, but still. Even Putin is a bit scared of them.

And this latest one with the Republicans feeling all icky about Puzder: http://nyti.ms/2kL73Mi. And those guys are barely ever uncomfortable about anything! I wonder who your next pick will be. Mr. Burns: http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Charles_Montgomery_Burns?

OK, and now this: http://on9news.tv/2krdDLV. It is just one Republican for now that wants to remove you. And it's been less than a month. It feels WAY longer for most of us, but be honest for a minute. It probably feels like a REALLY long time for you too. How many days do you have left? Do you have one of those countdown calendars to "Impeachment Day/Resignation Day" somewhere in a White House closet? Are you giddily marking the days like kids before the summer holiday? That, at least, would explain some of the above. 

You can print a nice one out here in case you don't have one: http://bit.ly/2kzJh50.

[teachtrump]

Losing Hurts

Let's face it, Donald, today was not a good day. You are a loser...several times over. These "so-called" courts are a huge pain....there is the main hangup with the immigrant ban being suspended: http://nyti.ms/2kseOq6.  Three judges voting unanimously against you! And you are screaming on Twitter. That makes you look weak. People are making fun of you for being such angry loser. You can fix it. Just tell Steve that this time it's not working out and ask a few professionals in Homeland Security or State to re-write your order to make it a bit more palatable. You could do that. Or you could keep fighting in court and most likely keep losing. And that will make you mad. Not good for your blood pressure!

 Then there is the Texas judge who upheld  the fiduciary rule: http://reut.rs/2lpPiC8.  A rule that asks financial advisers for retirement plans to act in their clients' best interest. Remember,  a few days ago you happily signed an order that would undo it? The Wall Street shills you had been bashing during the campaign put in front of your nose to screw over the people who voted for you. The people you promised would no longer be taken advantage of by financial elites. You ought to re-think this. Not good for your image.

I imagine you cannot actually focus on more than one judge thing per day. Especially because you were so distracted by Ivanka and her clothes. I wish she told you not to bother. I am sure she is doing just fine without Nordstrom. And now she just looks like a loser too... I must say, I am a bit disappointed in her. She seemed like the "one-who-had-it-the-most-together." She should help you out with prioritizing your fights instead of silently standing by while you make a fool of yourself.

[teachtrump]

One for Mike

Mike, this one is for you. I’ve been writing to your boss, trying to teach him about things he is really unfamiliar with. But with the Betsy thing you really made history today. Never been done before, you must have been proud: http://nyti.ms/2kkeDx0.  As proud as going to the Superbowl with all those fancy celebrities? Probably not, but it must have felt good. For better or worse, you’ll be in the history books. A  former Governor of a state with a population far smaller than New York City’s made it to the big leagues. Good for you!

I got your email, saying this was a vote for “America’s future,” and that “in Betsy DeVos, we have one of America’s foremost advocates for educational opportunity and excellence.” I really don’t know if you actually mean that - did you watch her hearings? The woman doesn’t know a thing about public education and she is the heiress to one of the world’s biggest pyramid schemes…Amway requires an almost spiritual devotion of its salespeople (victims), I’ve heard them doing their religious sessions in Hungary back in the 1990s. That is pretty ungodly, if you ask me and you, of all people, should be sensitive to what deserves a religious sort of devotion.

But I digress. The important thing is that she doesn’t know or care to learn about public education. I know, I know she gave generously to your colleagues, so that should count for something. But do you know what she did in Michigan? Here, read this (you might be more of a reader than Donald): http://wapo.st/2k0Txrp. And this: http://nyti.ms/2lm2kAF. OK, the latter is just an opinion, but it shows what you will have wrought. In New York City we may be fine, but, as usual, you will be terrible to the very people you are promising to help. Where will you be shipping the kids with vouchers in rural Indiana, Montana, Alaska, etc.? Online to Trump Elementary? He only settled one lawsuit so far and I’m sure there is plenty of cash left to settle future lawsuits…it’s just the kids that will suffer in the meantime.

[teachtrump]

Weekend Update

Donald, look what's happening now. Even on your home turf people are marching against you: http://bit.ly/2kfQ6Mf. You went there to rest and get away from your DC hassles (and make a bit of extra cash?), but you just can't run away. And your "good friend" Tom Brady is losing the game as we speak. Seriously, that's a bad omen. Brady is a loser now? What do you make of it?  

Which reminds me, so are you! For the time being. You can't call sitting judges "so-called," that's not an appropriate use of the term. I'll help you with these big (and small) words. You said you'd win, but even in West Palm Beach, Fla. a judge said no: http://nyti.ms/2kEfmvX. An Appeals Court judge, no less. Just remember, no matter what Steve has been telling you, you can't just say "[Y]ou're Fired!" to a federal judge. It must make you angry, but it's not how it works in these great United States.

On those Executive Orders you were told to issue by Wall Street's best friends; potentially undoing Dodd-Frank including the CFPB and that Fiduciary rule. You don't know what that one does, I'm sure you or your kids have no need for a 401(k). You also probably don't know what Dodd-Frank did or how the CFPB has been helping tens of thousands of consumers. You can't know everything so you've decided to listen to the "smartest guys in the room." I get it, you are probably totally impressed with yourself that the ex-president of Goldman Sachs, Gary Cohn, is under you now. He used to hang out with the likes of Hillary and Bill and probably never would have returned your calls. It's your turn now.

But you were going to be different. You weren't going to hand over the keys to the palace to the likes of Gary. You promised your supporters a different kind of America. Like in this last ad, aired before the elections: http://bit.ly/2eIbqEE. You were going to "drain the swamp," which I could almost be on board with were it not for the nasty implied antisemitism. So what are you doing now? Out of vanity, you are asking the biggest and bestest foxes to watch the hen-house.

You signed the orders and they don't really do anything yet. They just give Wall Street and their lobbyists a good three months to tear up and re-write the rules, just so. Exactly in the way it will suit the smartest guys with the most money at stake and, inevitably, at the expense of us little guys.

Don’t worry though. You can still save yourself and your fans from disappointment. I'll tell you how. Stay tuned.

[teachtrump]

Day 5

Donald, did you miss me? I couldn't get around to writing for a couple of days. Manic Mondays are hard and yesterday I felt a bit overwhelmed. Mnuchin, Price, DeVos, and still the confusion over your immigration Executive Orders. No big deal. We still have a lot of time together. According to this clever countdown clock (New Yorkers created it, aren't they the best?): http://bit.ly/2j6cvZ6 - 3 years, 11 months, 17 days, 22 hours and change. That's 1,449 days! And could be just as many letters...I'm excited about how much we will learn together!

We could talk about many things, but here is a new idea: every Wednesday I will send you something about the warming planet. Warming Wednesdays! I think you've been listening to the wrong stuff. I'm a bit disappointed that you and your friends act as if it wasn't happening. I mean, even Rex says it's real. And he should know...having lobbied against any regulations trying to curb emissions and such.

Congrats on his appointment! It was a long shot and you did it. He will be traveling a lot but I'm sure you'll find the time to hang out. How about you, Rex, Steve, Reince, Jeff, Jared and Ivanka and the kids, Barron and Melania (if they are willing to visit you in DC), Pruitt and a couple of people from Congress all get together and listen to this:  http://bit.ly/2iJwUm0. It's a great interview with Elizabeth Kolbert who has written many many books and articles about our warming planet. It's only about an hour and I guarantee you will learn tremendous things. You may even get a bit sad. I know I did. Especially for the kids. But it might spark something in you and perhaps you'll decide against undoing the Paris Climate Agreement. Because that, of course, would be devastating. :(((((

Concerned, as ever

[teachtrump]

Day 4

Donald,

It's late (For me, anyway, I have a young kid and I spent the entire day figuring out where and when I can best use my knowledge and talents to help people affected by your silly, illegal Executive Action on immigration. Did you hear about our group? Lawyers for Good Government: https://www.facebook.com/lawyersforgoodgovernment/. I'll tell you more about us later. )

Aren't you tired? All day long having to defend yourself. All these people just want something from you ALL THE TIME. Good job though sneaking Steve in as an NSC member, well done: http://theatln.tc/2kDAsZd. I bet he's super excited.

 He is a bit of a Holocaust denier, people didn't like what you did with not mentioning the Jews in your Holocaust Memorial address. Maybe that's something else you need to learn a bit more about? I know, I know. Here again with this reading more words business. But the good news is that this article talks about people close to you. It's about Jared's grandmother and I know how much you like Jared. He might have sent it to you but just in case he didn't here it is: http://bit.ly/2kp2szn.

(I imagine you like in that Simpsons skit, lying in bed, unable to sleep, tweeting away, getting angry. Take a break and read. It will be good for you.)

Good night,

Fanni

(An ever-more concerned citizen)

[teachtrump]

Day 3

Day 3 Donald,  Donald, you are not paying attention.  

(Can I call you Donald? It suits you better than Mr. President. This President thing really doesn’t suit you at all…but you know that already.)

You make me write on the weekend. I’m a bit upset you didn’t read (or understand?) what I sent you yesterday on the refugee issue. And not just me, obviously. Now you are doing totally illegal things! Do you know what illegal means? Read this, it’s a quick one: http://nyti.ms/2kEJQ1Y.

I’ll give it to you,  it’s YUGE - against international law AND US laws!!!! And now people are suing you: http://bit.ly/2kyr6hj. And you will lose. I thought you didn’t like to be a loser.

I am not trying to appeal to your patriotism or human decency.  You don’t particularly seem to care for either. But being a LOSER is not your thing. Think about it.

[teachtrump]

For the weekend. I won't bother him then. (Or torture myself more than necessary.)

[teachtrump]

Day 2

January 27, 2017

Dear Mr. President,

As promised yesterday, I am following-up on a few more things today. We have so many things to talk about. Writing you is just irresistible.

I am not going to make it too complicated, I know you are busy.

1. What do you make of this double registration business in your family: http://nyti.ms/2jev9SU? Steve, Tiffany, Jared himself! Spicer and Mnuchin! All good people who would never commit voter fraud, I'm sure. The fraud part only happens when you actually vote in two states. So why spend money investigating this fantasy? And time? You have so many more important things to do.

2. Which brings me to the refugee issue. Seems like this is yet another policy area you need to learn a bit more about. So let me offer you a short summary by someone you should trust - the Heritage Foundation! They are hardly biased liberals. This article: http://bit.ly/2cResZg will explain how complicated it is to be accepted as a refugee in this country. The exciting news is that for Syrians it is already much harder than for everyone else! I'll get back to you another day with some information on the international treaties. I know you don't like treaties. But there are some beautiful ones out there, truly!

3. It's Friday. I don't want to overwhelm you before the weekend. But one last thing: http://wapo.st/2jnu4DC. See how the Republicans are getting all scared of people getting angry at them? You shouldn't listen to Paul Ryan only. Congress has a lot of members. And some of them don't want to be voted out...and look how they talk: “We’d better be sure that we’re prepared to live with the market we’ve created” with repeal, said Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.). “That’s going to be called Trumpcare. Republicans will own that lock, stock and barrel, and we’ll be judged in the election less than two years away.”

TRUMPCARE. Savor it. Do you want to make that a source of misery and ugliness for many or, like I suspect you do,  turn it into something beautiful? Something tremendous? Think about it. Single-payer, Medicare for All, whatever you want to call it. All those horrible liberals would love you for it.

Sincerely,

(A very concerned American citizen)