Last week, America was treated to a most long-awaited and extremely rare event.
After over 200 days of daily Trumpian media shock-treatment, with each morning producing greater and ever-more-troubling headlines, headlined by President Trump himself – finally, even if only for a brief passing, America returned to a sense of normalcy not felt for what seemed like ages.
That Trump is a consummate Narcissist, demanding front and center attention by all, is hardly contended any more. Crying baby-in-chief has dominated print, web, and TV news since his arrival – most often, coupled with dire descriptions, dire predictions, dire divisions – all combined raising America’s anxiety level to those not seen in ages.
Blessedly, a cosmic combination of more newsworthy events finally pushed Trump from the front pages. Finally, we experienced a total eclipse of Trump, his glowing, swollen orb of a head surpassed by greater events than even he could project.
Trump’s searing, blinding rays finally dimmed to an unnoticeable shadow, buried under an explosion of real-life, real America, real news events. Americans finally felt as though regular life had returned – if only for a brief passing.
Our once-in-a-lifetime total eclipse of the sun was first to overcome the Trump. Who can compete with the sun? The event captured all our interest, culminating with two days of 24/7 lead-up and coverage of the moon having its way. The sun trumped Trump, providing calming shade from his damaging rays. Our news sources were plastered with pictures of Americans all over staring at the sun with those funny 3-D-looking glasses. What a sight, with no Trump in sight!
As with the moon vs. sun, Americans love a good fight. No sooner had the sun won than Floyd Mayweather had his way with Conor McGregor in what was considered the money fight of the ages. Again, America’s attention was briefly diverted from all things Trump – to all things fighting and boxing and betting and Vegas and odds and styles and the news pages were, for a brief moment, covered with something that’s just part of Americana.
And then Harvey. Such a nice name for such a terrible storm. Harvey took over and Houston is now inundated with what is called the most destructive natural event since Katrina. Tens of thousands have been rescued, hundreds of thousands displaced, tens of billions ruined, oil and chemical plants damaged and shuttered.
The coverage is non-stop and America is transfixed as we work as a nation to serve and save our countrymen. Trump visited Tuesday, but there’s not been much more of him than that.
And if Harvey hadn’t sufficiently drowned out Trump, ‘lil Kim Jong-un piled on too, launching a rocket right over Japan. “Look at me, look at me!” that missile announced. We’re looking, OK, Trump Jr.? But we have more important things on our hands, like saving south Texas and paying off bad boxing debts. North Korea, too, blew away Trump.
Whew, what a week of truly monumental events – which might ordinarily cause information overload but in this case provided a much-needed and so-very-much-appreciated respite from Trump’s glare. Indeed, we just witnessed the extremely rare (near) total eclipse of the Trump. Savor it, friends. It won’t last long.
This eclipse did not go unnoticed in the Trump White House. Said to be miffed at the small-time turnout at his last-week Phoenix hate-event, Trump fired his long-time friend and aide George Gigicos. Poor guy just couldn’t drum up enough red-hat riff raff to fill the seats.
And when that hate-fest fizzled, Trump tried to get back in the game by pardoning racist sheriff Joe Arpaio – but afterwards complained, “I thought the ratings would be far higher.” Try as he could, Trump remained buried under an enormous avalanche of non-Trumpian news. Sad.
Harvey will persist for days, providing us further coverage. The Dodgers might bring some respite with their own eclipse of all other teams. But the headline-seeking Trump is lurking, fuming, demanding to get back on Page 1. Oh, help us for what catastrophe he will dream up to surpass the likes of Harvey.
Perhaps he won’t have to work too hard. For also buried in news pages in this past week came reports that the Trump Organization actively negotiated a hotel deal with top Russian officials even during the 2016 election. And Trump was confirmed in this loop, despite his now-proven lies. Often, it’s not the crime itself that does a president in. It’s the cover-up.
No, we’re not done with Trump yet. But surely Trump coverage might take a quick U-turn from the waxing of Trump to his waning. And then, finally, permanently, America can return to being America again. News can return to be news again. And everyday life will no longer be consumed by the invasive orb Trump.
Then, finally, Trump will be eclipsed, not by any one object or news event. But permanently eclipsed by the values of virtue and truth and justice. It makes one breathe easier just thinking about it.
Gary Horton is a Santa Clarita resident. “Full Speed to Port!” appears Wednesdays in The Signal.
