For example: just to name 3 issues which somehow Trump doesn't want to tweet or talk about (from the latter part of this week):
1) Manafort & the #TrumpRussia Mueller investigation:
"ROBERT MUELLER BRINGS DOWN THE HAMMER ON PAUL MANAFORT"
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/09/robert-mueller-paul-manafort-investigatiON
"While more than a dozen Trump associates are considered to be central players in the Russia investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller has been pursuing Paul Manafort with scorched-earth tactics that seem calculated to inspire fear—or force his cooperation."2) Trump's cabinet members using private chartered planes at taxpayers' expense:
"HHS watchdog investigating Tom Price's travel"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hhs-watchdog-looking-into-tom-prices-travel/
"The Health and Human Services' inspector general is now investigating HHS Secretary Tom Price's reported frequent use of government-funded private charter planes for work, CBS has confirmed, making Price the second cabinet member whose travel is under review by an agency watchdog.
The OIG is looking into Price's travel habits, amid a Politico report that Price has used private charter planes at least two dozen times to the tune of $300,000 since he joined the administration in February, sometimes on jaunts that typically have a number of commercial flights scheduled."
3) Puerto Ricans (U.S. citizens) seemingly forgotten by mainland U.S. politicians after hurricane Maria:
"Hurricane Maria: Don't forget Puerto Rico needs our help"
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/the-conversation/sd-puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-20170922-htmlstory.html
"Even as good Samaritans worldwide hurry to help the people of Mexico with rescue and recovery efforts after this month’s massive earthquakes, the people of Puerto Rico need assistance, too, after a hurricane ravaged their island.
Homes, neighborhoods and towns were devastated by Hurricane Maria this week and at least six people are dead on the island. And that’s on top of what the American territory already suffered though Hurricane Irma.
“There’s a humanitarian emergency here in Puerto Rico,” Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told the Associated Press. “This is an event without precedent."
What the Donald does to divert attention from these type of issues is, he goes to rallies where he enjoys being cheered on by his base (like in Alabama tonight where his base also booed John McCain). But more often that not, what the Donald does to divert attention is he goes on Twitter & blasts familiar & dependable targets like the "fake news media" as well as "crooked" Hillary:
The tweet above is relatively harmless since Hillary Clinton is not a political figure with any real governing power anymore. However, the problem is when the Donald uses his "beef" with a certain North-Korean dictator as a way to distract from other issues. Besides using the "RocketMan" nickname, Trump will also make vague threats:
Kim Jong Un took notice. & yesterday, the DPRK released a statement from Kim Jong Un in direct response to Trump's insults. The N Korean dictator called Trump a "dotard" which according to dictionary.com is defined as:
a person, especially an old person, exhibiting a decline in mental faculties; a weak-minded or foolish old person.
(does DPRK intelligence know something we don't?):
"Kim Jong Un Just Called Trump A Mentally Deranged "Dotard" And Threatened The US"
https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/kim-jong-un-just-called-trump-a-mentally-deranged-dotard
"The war of insults continued Thursday with a fiery statement from Kim carried by North Korean state media, calling Trump's UN speech "unprecedented rude nonsense." The personal statement from Kim was in itself rare, experts on North Korea noted.
"A frightened dog barks louder," Kim said.
The North Korean leader cautioned Trump to speak more carefully, particularly when on the world stage.
"He is unfit to hold the prerogative of supreme command of a country, and he is surely a rogue and a gangster fond of playing with fire, rather than a politician," Kim said."
It appears Trump's insults are having an effect on the North-Korean dictator. But the consequences are unknown. And unknown consequences is the key point here. On the positive side, the markets are not paying attention to the Trump vs Kim Jong Un "beef":
"Some analysts said the stock market has become desensitized to threats from North Korea.
“As long as there is no military action from the either side, markets will continue to ignore the threats from North Korea,” said Wouter Sturkenboom, senior investment strategist at Russell Investments.
North Korea returned to the forefront after the country’s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said late Thursday at a United Nations that his country might consider a nuclear bomb of “unprecedented scale” in the Pacific.
Ri’s comments came shortly after North Korea’s President Kim Jong Un released a statement threatening to make President Donald Trump “pay dearly” for his fiery speech to the U.N. on Tuesday, calling the U.S. leader a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard.”
The statements follow Trump’s U.N. speech on Tuesday, where he pledged to “totally destroy” North Korea if Pyongyang provoked the U.S. or its allies. Trump on Thursday ordered expanded sanctions against North Korea, targeting individuals or companies trading with the country.
“The market has looked at this ongoing kerfuffle and said, ‘Meh.’ Right now there are just words being thrown back and forth, and it won’t care until that changes or escalates,” said Malcolm Polley, president and chief investment officer of Stewart Capital Advisors. “So long as rates stay low there’s no real catalyst to drive the market down, even though no place in it looks particularly cheap and we think the risk premium being assigned to stocks is too low.”
I'm glad the markets are ignoring all the rhetoric, however, N Korea is not. The tension between the U.S. & North-Korea could escalate which somehow doesn't seem to bother Trump. In his continuing effort to distract voters, the Donald doesn't seem too concerned with inflaming tensions with Kim Jong Un, but I'm afraid that could spell disaster in the long-term.
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