"Who's John Boehner?" Could Have Been a Sarcastic Remark

[louis c]

There seems to be some discussion about a remark made by Trump during transition in the Fire and Fury book.

I have served on two transition teams for Mayors of a city of about 50,000 people and one transition team on a change in union leadership at a union of about 7,000 members. Certainly not at the level of the President, but people are people.

In a couple of cases we would bring up names for certain positions in the new government or administration. At the time of transition (two times I was on the winning side, once, the losing side), feelings are still raw, especially when an incumbent is being replaced by the challenger.

So, a name will come up. Let's say John Smith for the appointed position of City Solicitor. Well, the person who brings up that name may not know that the candidate asked for John Smith's support, and Smith turned him down. Or, Smith tried to remain neutral, but the campaign manager thought Smith was with the opponent. I have been present during discussions like that. The incoming Mayor has said "Smith? who is John Smith?" No one at the table thought the new Mayor didn't know John Smith. Everyone knew John Smith. It was a "diss" of Smith. In other words, Smith was now relegated to a nobody by the incoming Mayor.

That's how I take Trump saying "John Boehner? who's John Boehner?" when Boehner's name comes up for chief of staff...
I don't want Trump to leave office because he has dementia. I want him out in disgrace, because he is exposed as the fucking no good crooked piece of shit that he is.

Let's not give Trump this excuse to make him look like some sort of sympathetic victim.

[delisen]

1. Too many eager give Trump a dementia excuse

while he seems to be moving his agenda along.

[Chemisse]

2. If he has dementia, we should not be in the position of concealing it with alternative explanations.

If he does have dementia, (and I doubt that anyone in the administration or GOP is ever going to willingly admit that) he will be completely discredited and rendered unable to act (presumably via resignation or impeachment).

I don't care if his followers say "ohhh, poor Donnie." He will be out and will never have the chance to prove that his "button" is bigger. The majority of Americans will simply be relieved.

[delisen]

3. It is a big "if." I don't think we should buy into

a false dementia narrative.

I don't believe the war just ends if Trump uses that false narrative to evade justice. More likely it would end some of the investigation and put us in a weaker position.

[JI7]

4. Why does it mean dementia ? I took it to mean he really did not know who boehner was

[Ms. Toad]

5. Since there is ample evidence he did, in the recent past, know who Boehner was -

either the report is false, he was being sarcastic, or he has a problem with his memory.

Link to tweet

Wacky @glennbeck who always seems to be crying (worse than Boehner) speaks badly of me only because I refuse to do his show--a real nut job!

[zipplewrath]

6. Denying reality is not a great strategy

I'll admit that we want to be careful with the whole dementia thing, else it become our "birtherism". But alternately, we need to pay close attention because it won't be pretty if it really happens. And everyone will need to move quickly.

[highplainsdem]

7. Think it's much more likely Trump couldn't remember, at that moment, who Boehner is.

This seems especially likely given the ending of Wolff's new column in the Hollywoodd Reporter, mostly more excerpts from his book, but with the additional info that Trump was unable to recognize some old friends at Mar-a-Lago over the holidays.

[BSdetect]

8. It could be some sort of ruse to avoid conviction or jail.

I just hope there is no special deal that leaves his wealth intact and gives him secret service protection for life.

[Generic Brad]

9. Do you really think anyone in this White House is capable of such strategy?

Especially one that makes Trump look frail, flawed, or weak? He would never go along with that because he is bigly the bestest and smartest person to ever hold the office in his narcissistic opinion.

[BSdetect]

10. Yes, because its a stupid idea.