Trump's Mulligan Presidency

Republicans don't deny the bad under Trump, they just don't accept it

Courtesy of Rolling Stone

Donald Trump is a notorious golf cheat. This simple fact should come as no surprise to anyone. As Trump’s presidency proved to the world, he was little more than a colorfully painted pinata revealing to the world that he was morally empty. Lying to Donald Trump means nothing because Donald Trump has no respect for anyone alive — even himself.

While in Office, Donald Trump played more golf than any modern president, and the stories about him cheating at the sport are rampant. There’s an entire book devoted to his alleged flaunting of the game’s rules. Despite his reputation, Trump insists on claiming he regularly wins tournaments, but suspiciously only at his own courses (Trump, Notorious Golf Cheat).

There is no reason to look back at Trump’s lifetime of lies. There is no reason to look at the accusations of rape, fraud, forgery, and countless other crimes. Donald Trump is a despicable human being. This horse has been beaten to the point it wouldn’t even make good jerky. There is not much left to say on this topic.

Watching a recent interview with three Trumpists from eastern Pennsylvania, I marveled at how one woman, a public school teacher, complained about how Democrats — especially Biden — want to cut funding for schools. She went on to say that Biden and the Democrats have created such division as she has never before seen in the country. Her reasons for preferring Trump were so inaccurate as to be deceitful. The thing is, I don’t think she is lying — she is just fantastically misinformed, if not ignorant, of the political reality in our country. 

People often talk about how we need to keep open the channels of communication with MAGidiots. The problem, however, is how do you speak to someone who makes such tremendously inaccurate statements? 

The Mulligan presidency 

Trump is on the campaign trail talking about what he will do if elected president. The crowd giggles, hoots, hollers, and eats up all of the fascist rhetoric. Wearing their dopey China-made hats and oversized, tasteless t-shirts, none of the intellect-challenged “real Americans” dares state the obvious: Leader Trump, you were the president once. Why didn’t you do all, or any — or just one — of those things that you are promising us today?

None of them pose that question because they are letting Trump take a Mulligan. They regard his first four years as a little more than a bad shot off the tee. 

“Go ahead, Dear Leader, that one didn’t count. We know you will do it better the next time.” 

Last year, Trump posted how he shot a 67 in a tournament at his own club in New Jersey. Two weeks before, on the same course, gold legend Phil Mikelson shot a 75.  

Trump acknowledged in his post that people will doubt his score. “Now, some people will think that sounds low, but there is no hanky/lanky,” Trump said. “Many people watch, plus I am surrounded by Secret Service Agents. Not much you can do even if you wanted to, and I don’t. For some reason, I am just a good golfer/athlete — I have won many Club Championships, and it is always a great honor!”

It’s a laughable claim, that Trump couldn’t cheat because he’s accompanied by Secret Service agents. In his book, Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump, Rick Reilly quoted players who claimed Trump’s caddies and Secret Service protection actually aid the former president’s cheating by routinely moving his ball into a better (Trump, Notorious Golf Cheat). 

Many Trumpists know that most of what he brags about is purposely misleading and exaggerated. They even suspect that Donald Trump is a cheater and a liar, but rather than admit they have hitched their wagons to such a despicable, selfish, and ruthless human, they pat him on the back and offer him the courtesy of taking a mulligan. 

A courtesy that Trump himself offers no one.