Donald Trump’s distortion machine
Trump’s distraction and distortion machine has been running at full capacity since his inauguration on January 20. However, as the days since then now turn into weeks, it is clear that this deception is masking the fact that Trump is failing to deliver on bold, repeated campaign promises. What happened to effortlessly ending the Ukraine-Russia war in 24 hours? Or how about those massive deportations starting on day one?
For a while, Trump telegraphed his assurance that he could easily stop the war in Ukraine in just a day. More than just expressing a hope, he promised to accomplish this goal without explaining how, presumably from a couple of calls to Zelenskyy and Putin. Even allowing Trump some leeway, he failed miserably to deliver on his 24-hour peace promise.
Indeed, in the days leading up to the inauguration, Trump’s advisers quietly conceded that a resolution would be “months away,” at best. Now, according to experts recently interviewed by The Associated Press, Putin is “closer than ever to achieving his objectives” in Ukraine and he has “little incentive” to negotiate with Trump. So much for the “I alone can fix it” candidate.
Trump also spoke of a massive arrest and deportation effort that was to begin with fury on the day he took office. Although we have seen an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, it falls far short of the tough image he advertised through his campaign promises. In fact, Trump is reportedly angry at the reality of the situation behind the scenes and “it’s driving him nuts,” according to a new report from NBC News.
To achieve his goal of “millions and millions” of deportations, Trump would have to deport at least 2,700 immigrants daily. However, ICE has set daily quotas of 1,200-1,400 arrests, and the highest single-day total has been only 1,100, with a low of 300. Also, at least 461 of the more than 8,000 immigrants arrested over Trump’s first two weeks wound up getting released, which is a reminder that an arrest does not translate into an immediate deportation.
Indeed, the number of daily ICE arrests are still about where they were at times under President Barack Obama, according to a new Politico report, with many of the detainees lacking a violent criminal history. Nevertheless, a new Trump “PR blitz” is trying to trick Americans into believing that Trump is making good on his lofty deportation promises.
Trump’s pattern of making bold promises that prove to be unrealistic, then distract and distort is back for a second term. It’s part of the storm we have to weather, and it is an important reminder that Trump is bound by the same laws of practicality, reality, and truth that we all are. As we have seen countless times, just because the man-child claims that something evil, insulting, or ridiculous will happen does not mean it will. Believing otherwise is not only inaccurate but reflects a defeatism that America cannot afford.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month