Even while in office as president of the United States and supposed to be dealing with pressing domestic and global issues — Donald Trump’s relentlessly focused on trying to scrape out some kind of semblance of a path to victory with his 2020 re-election campaign. This Tuesday, he delivered a speech to Pennsylvania Shell petrochemical plant workers that had been marketed as to be focused on energy. Surprise! Trump did not end up anywhere near focusing on energy. Instead, like he was at yet another campaign rally, he defined his hour with wild rants against a whole host of political opponents, from the 2020 Democratic presidential primary field to the media to — wait for it — Hillary Clinton.
Well over two years after facing her in the 2016 election, Trump remains obsessed with Clinton, who he complained about this Tuesday for supposedly inappropriately trying to help coal miners transition into an economy where their services are relied upon less and less. He also derided Democratic Massachusetts Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, who he derisively called “Pocahontas,” explaining:
‘I don’t know who’s going to win. But we’ll have to hit Pocahontas very hard again if she does win. But she’s staging a little bit of a comeback. What a group. Pocahontas and Sleepy Joe. I don’t think they give a damn about western Pennsylvania.’
Again, this speech was supposed to be about energy policy. By and large, it was not, whether he was unwilling or unable to stay on topic. His discussion of Warren included an observation that maybe he wheeled out his apparently oh so great jab about her past family claims of Native American heritage, because now, she’s gaining in polls as it somewhat fades from memory.
He went so far that he yet again brought up his now running “joke” about serving a third term — or more — in office. Like a schoolyard bully backed into a corner, Trump complained:
‘Can you imagine if I got a fair press? I mean we’re leading without it. Can you imagine if these people treated me fairly? The election would be over. Have they ever called off an election before and said, look, let’s go, go on, four more years. And then do you want to really drive em crazy? Go to hashtag third term, hashtag fourth term. You’ll drive them crazy.’
There was only a murmur of applause at any point throughout those remarks, although Trump repeatedly paused as if to bask in the glow of the nonexistent approval.
Check it out:
Trump is joking about calling off the 2020 election and serving a 3rd term during a speech to energy workers in PA that is not supposed to be a campaign event pic.twitter.com/EI9jZA1HaO
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 13, 2019
There’s a pretty apparent driver for Trump’s lack of an actual focus during what would in most any other presidency be just a normal and even mundane speech. Trump claimed that he himself is the “very good reason” for the supposed economic growth that the area had seen, although notably enough, plans for the plant at which he was speaking first emerged when Barack Obama was president.
On top of these issues, Trump’s team has also continuously rolled back protections for the environment affected by industry, seeking to upend rules about factory construction, operation, water oversight and more.
Featured Image via screenshot
