“Daze” One and Two

Just after Trump’s win I remember reading a Tweet reportedly from Dubya, something to the effect of, “So…do ya miss me now?” Of course it may well have been (probably was) someone’s idea of humour, and I found it to be a funny anecdote during a depressing election result.

Now is definitely the time to be searching for bits of light peeking out from under a reportedly 270 lb behemoth. Two days into his reign and we’ve already been witness to multiple rapid-fire executive orders, such as:

·         Day 1 (Jan. 23, 2017) Pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (“Great thing for the American worker, what we just did.”);

·         Confirmed intention to re-negotiate NAFTA (“We will cooperate on trilateral (US, Canada and Mexico) matters when it’s in our interest…”);

·         Implemented a hiring freeze in the federal government, “except for the military”;

·         Delayed implementation of a rule allowing Argentine farmers to export lemons to the US after a decade of talks;

·         Dismissed as “totally without merit” a lawsuit against him that accuses him of breaching a clause in the Constitution that forbids a US president from accepting foreign payments. Apparently he is retaining his financial stake in his businesses while saying he has handed over control of said businesses to his two adult sons;

·         Day 2 (Jan. 24, 2017) The signing of another executive order, this time for progressing with two controversial pipelines: the Keystone XL from northern Alberta to Texas, and the Dakota Access pipeline;

·         Another executive order expedites environmental reviews to allow for prompt approvals on construction projects. (Because after all, shouldn’t the emphasis be shifted from environmental concerns to more important matters like not impeding construction projects? I also like the comment Trump reportedly made during talks with US auto executives on Tuesday that he was personally “to a large extent an environmentalist…” I’m certainly relieved to hear that!)

·         Reportedly banned all employees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from discussing their work on social media or with the press. (This one reminds me of Stephen Harper’s gag order on Canadian scientists during his term of office. Wouldn't want science to get in the way of progress, now would we?);

·         And finally, for a bit of comic relief, “the President does believe there was voter fraud” despite winning the election. He is insisting he won the popular vote despite official results. Isn’t this “having to win everything” mentality becoming a bit stale?

Oh, and of course there was the inconsequential (according to Trump) matter of the women’s protest marches occurring internationally over the weekend. In the US the women’s demonstrations reportedly accounted for the largest day of protest in American history.

I’ve already peaked at tomorrow’s headlines, but since I learned all of the above content from the published Vancouver Sun newspaper, I will refrain from posting any more juicy tidbits until I receive tomorrow’s edition, lest your heads explode from Trump over-exposure. But really, can there ever be too much Trump? If you’re referring to Doonesbury Trump I say “No”.

Ultimately I suppose Canada has no real reason to worry. According to Stephen Schwarzman, a billionaire businessman chairing Trump’s team of economic advisers, Canada/US relations are “a model for the way that trade relations should be.”

Donald "Homie" Trump (BTW, no disrespect intended to "The Simpsons")