Trump's 'hole' and other headlines

Trump Steps in the �Hole�

President Donald Trump found himself in unfamiliar territory last week as some on both sides of the aisle showered him with praise for the bipartisan immigration meeting he allowed the world to see. Media personalities used the term �unprecedented� and �remarkable.� One even said he showed �command of the issues.� Not everyone agrees with everything Trump has started saying about immigration, and some are downright angry at his �bill of love� comment; it reminds them of Jeb Bush�s calling illegal immigration an �act of love� � a comment Trump criticized. But seeing him in the thick of talks seemed to capture, if not impress, most.

If �bill of love� garnered him compassion creds, he had to turn them in almost immediately � for he turned around, allegedly, and called African nations and Haiti �s---hole countries.� This did not endear him to those already convinced he is racist. Competing reports of exactly what the president said and the context in which he said it exist, but the remarks, as alleged, did not go over well.

One thing we get with President Donald Trump is an unscripted, off the cuff, New York personality. Now, we can discuss whether that makes him unpresidential, as people are wont to call him. We can spend all day debating whether his manner of operating lifts us up or diminishes us in the minds of world leaders. Nonetheless, it is, largely, what attracted his base. And I doubt he cares much in the moment what those leaders think. When Trump says, �America First,� he means it.

But his propensity for flying by the seat of his pants is also what keeps him from riding the wave. After a high, without hardly hours to luxuriate in the rocket fuel, he says something controversial, and instead of the media�s having to continue their praise, he bails them out and provides them fodder to attack.

For the record, I believe what President Donald Trump was saying about these nations � if he actually said it � is what we all know is true and what he later tweeted: They are �very poor and troubled.� But his delivery...

Pelosi: White Guys Need Not Apply

If President Donald Trump is a racist, what is House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi? She referred mockingly to those working on immigration as �the five white guys� and asked, �Are they gonna open up a hamburger stand next, or what?� Even Democrat Steny Hoyer said, �That comment is offensive. I am committed to ensuring �Dreamers� are protected, and I will welcome everyone to the table who wants to get this done.� I guess Pelosi, who is white, doesn�t think five white people deserve a seat at the table. When identity politics is your go-to, you are prone to these kinds of remarks, which certainly, ironically, seem racist.

No Oprah 2020

Is an Oprah Winfrey presidential run conversation worth having? Absolutely not. Some say her speech at the Golden Globe Awards was powerful (and some think it was nonsense). Is that all it takes, though � an eloquent speech to earn endorsements for president? Didn�t we do this already? Here�s my take, so listen carefully: Oprah ain�t running for president. Excuse my Ebonics as you listen even more carefully: She done told y�all repeatedly she ain�t running for president! So can we move on? I know what some are thinking: �Don�t sleep on Oprah.� Translation for the slang-impaired: �Don�t underestimate her.� Oh, trust me; I�m not. I believe she could win. I�m just saying she won�t win because she won�t run. Why would she? �Remember Trump,� some say. Yeah, I remember. I also remember that he always left the door open, gave the impression that he might run if need be. Oprah? Nah. She�s busy with her own network, aptly called OWN, and inspiring the masses. She didn�t even touch politics until she came out for Barack Obama � and she paid a price for it. It�s clear she espouses a leftist ideology, but her campaign has been making people into superstars, books into best-sellers, and, really, anything she wants to do. She doesn�t want to do this. She won�t do this. Oprah has an ever-growing resume, yes, but President of the United States � or even presidential candidate � will not be added to it.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

I had a conversation with a friend about Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She�s a teacher and mentioned that she would not be able to attend an MLK breakfast I keynoted Monday if a school day were canceled due to inclement weather before then; her school, she said, would use that day as a makeup day. I was surprised � and appalled, frankly � that the school would discard the holiday. I told her that such a move would never be allowed in New York, where I taught for many years. This led to a conversation about the small percentage of black people in her district. I said that the day is not a black person�s holiday, but a national holiday for everyone. She agreed. How sad it is, however, that some do not recognize this. It should not matter if there were not even one black student in the entire district. It�s still a national holiday, and Dr. King�s history is still our history. I stated, �Most of us aren�t presidents or Jesus, but we don�t go to school on Presidents Day or Christmas, as they are national holidays!� My friend voiced gratitude that her mother �taught in a school with many different cultures and races.� Her mother taught her to respect people for who they are. This is a valuable lesson, one we should celebrate every day, but certainly one that we, as a nation, should appreciate as we observe days like Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Part of what unites us as Americans is our celebration of American holidays. Jan. 15 was not just for some of us; it was for all of us.

Adrienne Ross is owner of Adrienne Ross Communications and a former Southeast Missourian editorial board member. Contact her at aross@semissourian.com.