Oh what a year it’s been in Trump World. Among the 2018 memories: shithole countries, nuclear button sizes, a very stable genius, porn star hush money, an unexecuted order to fire Robert Mueller, a presidential declaration that Steve Bannon lost his mind, and a three-day government shutdown.
And that was just January.
Fear not, dear readers, the other 11 months will not be summarized in this space. Given our current environment, the journalistic masochism of year-end reviews constitutes cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by Article VIII of the Constitution. Besides, there seems to be an intense desire for a break from Trump overload.
For all the false superlatives he spouts about himself, this one is true: the American people have taken more breaks from thinking about, watching or listening to Donald Trump than they did under any other president.
Trump Fatigue Syndrome was the Urban Dictionary’s top definition of the year. Google it and you will see millions of testimonials from folks suffering from too much Trump. Hundreds of celebrities and others have shared their agony of the “Trump 10”, a reference to weight gain brought on by Trump-induced stress eating. Media outlets cranked out endless reports of people dealing with Trump fatigue by invoking cold turkey news blackouts (here, here and here). It has been reported that House Speaker Paul Ryan decided to leave public office largely because of Trump fatigue. Even Kanye West, a rare celebrity to embrace the president, ended the year taking a break from Trump news, saying it was “all too much”.
And therein lies the predicate behind the decision to take a brief break from producing this blog. Melissa, my editor and wife, and I are headed south for a month or so. Barring unforeseen circumstances, I anticipate a return to this spot in early February. It’s not that I’ve succumbed to Trump fatigue. For reasons only a good shrink could dissect, I can’t take my eyes off this train wreck. Its every facet fascinates me.
What I want to avoid at all costs is reader fatigue. And so it is, on the theory that a brief absence may make the reading fonder, that I bid you adieu for a spell. Thank you for following me, or at least checking in every once in a while. Our connection means a lot to me. Happy New Year!
Rest your soul, Bruce. The next year will probably be worse, much worse.
I stayed away from Trump for almost all of 2018. I’m now reading the WP and NYT again as things appear to be turning against him. I won’t miss that!
Happy New Year to you and Melissa.
Tom
The man’s black whole for attention and the media plays the game. Enjoy the fresh ocean breeze (and the fireworks)>