The last days of Trump’s presidency inspire a countdown from hour to hour

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Was there an hour-by-hour countdown to the end of the Bush presidency? The end of the Obama years? No, certainly not to this extent. Trump’s tenure ends in an ignoble way. There is a countdown to noon on Wednesday as Trump is leaving in disgrace – the first president to do so since Richard Nixon. Trump “retired from government a long time ago, but he is walking away with a reputation that has now been sealed: that of one of the worst presidents in United States history and certainly the most dangerous,” said David Gergen. on CNN Sunday night.

Even at this late hour, Trump is either delusional about his election loss, or he is still in deep denial, or some combination of those. He’s “still, and I think it’s important to say, according to people I’ve spoken to, still telling people he won,” Maggie Haberman reported Sunday morning on “Reliable Sources”. “You know, he still maintains this. So, the idea that he has accepted the loss is not there yet, if he ever gets there. ‘

Trump’s inability to face the truth of his loss to Biden could explain why he has barely seen reporters in the final weeks of his presidency. Even more remarkable is that he rarely went to his favorite TV shows. Aside from a few chats with Maria Bartiromo and Brian Kilmeade and some WH-produced videos, he’s been invisible.

“I think the feeling is that if he goes out and talks more, he’s just adding fuel to the fire,” Haberman said. “That’s part of the reason we don’t hear him, because people fear what he’ll say – people mean his advisors – what he’ll say out of control during an interview.”

A farewell address?

US presidents typically deliver an informed farewell speech to the nation. Will Trump? We know he wants a broadcast made for TV on Wednesday, but it’s unclear if he wants to talk about his legacy. CBS News reports that he will speak “at a farewell event on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews.” It is also unclear how television networks would handle such a speech, given his previous deceptions and exhortations.

>> I am not asking these questions because I necessarily ‘want’ to hear from Trump. I raise the Q’s because what leaders don’t say is often more revealing than what they do say. Trump scraps standards all the way to the very last minute of his presidency, getting out of town before Biden takes the oath …

Enter pence as a prez?

VP Mike Pence has attended briefings and held events and tried to project American leadership because Trump cannot. Pence told sailors in California on Saturday that he was proud that “this is the first government in decades not to bring America into another war.” I appreciate what he meant about foreign affairs, but America is not at peace. The war has come home. Here’s my “Reliable” monologue.

Pence – who in a Trump-era alt history would have become president had Trump been convicted by the Senate or found unfit by the cabinet – landed Sunday night after his last official trip in the Washington DC office. According to the press pool, he got off Air Force Two and “paused to look around and take it all in.” As he descended the stairs, the pool reporter shouted questions, “Sir, are you worried about the violence on Wednesday?” And, “Will you greet the President-elect in the White House on Wednesday?” Pence didn’t answer.

Coming soon: a “slow news day?”

Haberman told me that one of the constants of the Trump era was the “ constant sense of inbound, ” a sentiment driven in large part by his Twitter feed.
His Twitter feed is now gone, but that duck-and-cover feel hasn’t completely faded away just yet. Years of history happen in days. “We thought things might slow down with 2020 behind us,” but so much so, USA Today editor Nicole Carroll said on Sunday’s show.
John Dickerson brought this up in a piece for “CBS Sunday Morning.” He said that “Biden’s new government could benefit by simply offering a steady stream of useful information – potentially reviving the long-forgotten ‘slow news day’.”

He interviewed Jill Lepore, who said, “You really just have to show up, have current information, bring in people who do their jobs and answer the questions the press and the public have.” Sounds simple – and refreshing …

Do you remember how presidents spoke?

With Biden on the verge of taking over, it’s a good day to read or reread inaugural speeches and other captivating speeches by former presidents. I reread John F. Kennedy’s 1961 speech to newspaper publishers, which contains much wisdom about democracy, national security, and the power of the press. Kennedy spoke of ‘our duty’ – both his and the news media’s – ‘to inform and warn the American people, to make sure they have and understand all the facts they need – the dangers, the prospects, the goals of our program and the choices we face. Read or listen to the speech here …

FOR THE RECORD

– On Sunday night, the NYT homepage led with the US Covid-19 failure, noting that “the country is on the way to 400,000 total deaths …” (NYT)

– We should all remember that Trump said 100,000 to 200,000 total deaths would count as a “very good job.” The death toll will surpass 400,000 by the time he leaves the WH …

– About “Face the Nation” said CDC-director Dr. Rochelle Walensky “we expect half a million deaths in this country” in mid-February … (CBS)

– Walensky was part of a coordinated effort by the Biden transition team to have representatives on all five of the biggest Sunday morning shows …

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