This week, President Donald Trump revealed his pettiness and egomania yet again with the abrupt firing of two administration officials who’d testified against him during the House’s recent impeachment proceedings. E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland was dismissed, and National Security Council official Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was transferred out of the White House, all of which constitutes easily traceable political retribution. As reactions poured in, Obama White House photographer Pete Souza — who’s spoken out against Trump numerous times before — mockingly pointed out that if someone dared even make a bunny ears hand gesture in a photo with Trump, he’d likely abruptly order who knows how many federal investigations into them.
In an Instagram post, Souza also pointed out the contrast between Trump’s behavior and how then-President Barack Obama actually responded to a bunny ears incident that unfolded when he took a photo with someone in Missouri in 2010.
Alongside a photo of someone posing next to Obama and making that gesture behind the then-president’s head, Souza wrote:
‘Everybody’s a comedian at Peggy Sue’s Cafe in Monroe City, Missouri. President Obama laughed out loud when his first saw this picture I made in 2010. I’m sure if this guy did this today to IMpotus, the Attorney General would be ordered to investigate his background and the IRS would audit his tax returns.’
Souza seems quite on point. Over the years that he’s been in office, Trump has demanded investigations of figures ranging from now former FBI Director James Comey to Democrats who’ve dared to look into his own well documented corrupt behavior. Years after he faced Hillary Clinton in an election, he’s still going on about “Crooked Hillary” and her emails, even after investigation after investigation concluded that there was no case against her in relation to her private email usage.
Trump doesn’t let things go — instead, he launches into years-long meltdowns in which he attempts to exact as much punitive damage as possible because someone dared to challenge his ego. That’s the current commander-in-chief of the United States for you, who’s been enabled by Congressional Republicans like those who refused to even allow any witnesses to be called for Trump’s recently concluded Senate impeachment trial.
