Trump's First Month

"I don't think there's ever been a president elected who in this short period of time has done what we've done," declared President Donald Trump in his news conference last week. It is hard to dispute that statement given the unprecedented confusion that has plagued the Trump administration during its first month.  

So far, the Trump transition has been ineptly problematic.  The incompetent rolling out of Trump's travel ban, which appeared to target Muslims, caused enormous chaos at the nation's airports.  The intensified rounding up of immigrants illegally in the U.S. has been heartless and perplexing.  The shaky efforts to "repeal and immediately replace" the Affordable Care Act have mobilized thousands of Obamacare supporters to protest at town halls throughout the country.

Perhaps no president has generated as many widespread global protests against his administration in so little time.   Thousands of protesters took to the streets across America Monday for "Not My President's Day" rallies against Trump's policies.  The opposition covered a wide range of issues, including immigration, women's reproductive rights and climate change.  History was made on the day following Trump's inauguration when an estimated 2.6 million people protested Trump in 673 marches in all 50 states and 32 different countries.

Protests overseas against the president have attracted huge crowds.  President Trump's intention to visit England has activated large protests.  More than 1.85 million people have signed a petition entitled "Prevent Donald Trump from making a State Visit to the United Kingdom."  The petition claimed that the president's vulgar comments about women would "cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen."  As the British Parliament debated whether to withdraw an invitation to the president extended by their prime minister during her recent visit, thousands of protesters rallied outside. 

Trump caused confusion and hard feelings in Sweden when at a Florida rally he called attention to "what is happening last night in Sweden."  The reference was at best oblique, but Trump later tweeted it was the result of a Fox News report linking that country's increase in crime to its acceptance of asylum seekers.  The Swedish embassy responded on Twitter, "We look forward to informing the US administration about Swedish immigration and integration policies."

Trump's praise of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and his frequent criticism of NATO, both running counter to long-standing U.S. policy, have unsettled European allies.  There have been persistent reports that the Trump administration will ease sanctions on Russia relating to its illegal annexation of Crimea and military actions in Ukraine.  This weekend, Vice President Mike Pence attempted to reassure allies.  Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Pence said, "Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found." 

During a January appearance at CIA headquarters, Trump suggested that the U.S. should have seized the oil during its 2003 invasion of Iraq. "We should have kept the oil," he said, "But okay.  Maybe we'll have another chance."   This played right into the propaganda claims of Mideast opponent's who have always charged that the U.S. only wants the oil.  On his way to Iraq, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters, "We're not going to seize anybody's oil."   He added, "All of us in America have generally paid for our gas and oil all along and I am sure we will continue to do so in the future." 

Trump has tried to divert attention away from his rocky presidency by blaming the press--a stunt he utilized regularly during his campaign.  Last week Trump tweeted, "The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!"   Defense Secretary Mattis disagreed with his boss, saying, "The press, as far as I'm concerned, are a constituency that we deal with, and I don't have any issues with the press myself."   Vice President Pence said he supports a free and independent press while in Brussels.  He added, "But you can anticipate that the president and all of us will continue to call out the media when they play fast and loose with the facts."  Calling out the media is one thing, but declaring it to be the enemy is outrageous.  In Thomas Jefferson's words, "Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press."

In his news conference last week, Trump said, "This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine." But Trump lives in an alternate reality filled with alternative facts.  His popularity ratings are at an historic low for an incoming president since such polls have been taken.  

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If this were a television show, the title would be, "The Apprentice goes to Washington."   

England: Periods of Brightness

It is a wonderful time to be in London. The weather has been spot on, rainy and cool! Oh, and with "periods of brightness," as the weathercasters say on the telly.

The same can be said for the English economy, which is stuck in a double dip recession and is heavily dependent on Europe sorting out the Euro crisis. Thank goodness for the European Cup 2012, which has provided a wonderful diversion from the mundane day-to-day gloom. England is off to a good start too, having tied France 1-1 and beaten the always-difficult Sweden team 3-2.

This visit found our family at Kensington Palace, a home to the royal family for decades. The palace staff is excited because Kate and William, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, will be moving in soon. The palace houses a large exhibition in honor of William's mother Princess Diana, who lived at the palace. This and other parts of the structure are open to the public. The Kensington Palace museum is a hidden treasure that goes unnoticed by many tourists.

Walking through the various palace rooms one is struck by the opulence and splendor. One senses a ghostly presence of elegantly dressed guests roaming through the marble staircases and gilded halls flowing toward the drawing room. The women were each wearing large hooped skirts; a petticoat that stood rounded like a bell, a tight-laced bodice, and carried a fan. There was a fan language. If she touched her right cheek with the closed fan, she was saying yes. If she touched the left cheek, it was no.

The men glided through the halls wearing fully skirted coats with large cuffs. Each wore a back satin tie to his wig, which wound around his neck and tied in a bow brooched with a solitaire. He would be attuned to the fan signals of the ladies.

Guests may have passed through the King's Gallery as they worked their way toward the drawing room on the second floor overlooking the Kensington Gardens. There the King and Queen greeted members of the royal court, dignitaries, members of the government and important visitors. No one would leave the crowded room, perhaps as many as 300 persons, until the royals departed. This made entering difficult for latecomers or the timid.

On our visit a palace guide reported there were no bathroom breaks. Of course, there were no bathrooms in the palace. But the rule was no one could leave the room while the royals were present. So if one of the finely dressed women had to relieve herself, a staff member would hand her a small pot that she would discreetly put between her legs under her skirt. And while continuing on with her conversation, she would fill the pot and hand it back to the staff member.

Conversely, when the men had an urge they would walk to the corner of the room and step behind a sheet where they would relieve their urge. Our guide happily pointed out that this was also how the matter was handled at the Versailles Palace outside Paris. He added that a counterpart at Versailles told him that an odor of urine was still present on a hot summer day. Not so at Kensington as the wood floors had been replaced.

Our guide regaled us with the story of Sir Robert Walpole, considered England's first prime minister. King George I, the first Hanoverian sovereign, could speak no English and Walpole did not speak German. They compromised on Latin, which both could speak. The guide said that Walpole observed the important matters of the kingdom were carried out in "very bad Latin." Walpole almost lost his job when George II became king but he survived.

According to reports Walpole made some very harsh comments in the drawing room about Queen Caroline, calling her a "fat bitch." It appears Walpole denied making the remark. But Queen Caroline had heard about the remark, though confrontation was not the preferred tactic of the royal court. As word reached Walpole that the queen had heard his comment, he quickly arranged to increase the queen's expense allowance. Queen Caroline sent Walpole word that "the fat bitch had forgiven him."

So in between the Queen's Jubilee and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England offers many delightful and interesting options for visitors. And remember, the Kensington Palace is a hidden treasure, indeed!