These are of course not serious appointments, although I guess a case could be made for a former enlisted man to be appointed to oversee the Naval Academy, since most of those who have served in that position have been corporate presidents or other so-called “distinguished” Americans from positions of wealth and privilege. The same sort of backhanded logic would apply to Spicer whose time as White House spokesman was marred by lies he regularly told on orders from Trump. Why shouldn't the world's top liar have one of his sub-liars represent him on one of the Academy’s Boards of Visitors?

It was also announced that Trump has appointed Laura Ingraham, the Fox News host, to the board of the Kennedy Center, along with the anchor of one of the shows on Fox Business, Maria Bartiromo, who happened to interview Trump on a show that ran this morning. Outrage among the major domos of the D.C. art scene was immediate and predictable. But again, why shouldn't Trump be able to appoint whoever he wants to the Kennedy Center, even if they are people whose taste we might consider questionable or nonexistent? The jokes flew online today about who might now receive Kennedy Center honors. Billy Joel and Joan Baez and Philip Glass have had their turns. Shouldn’t rank mediocrity be celebrated along with greatness? Why not Kid Rock and Ted Nugent and Jeff Foxworthy?

There's nothing but upside for Trump trolling us every chance he gets. His base loves it, we hate it, and there's no good way for us to complain about it without looking like elitist snobs, which is exactly the way he wants us to look. So, I'm going to try not to rise to the bait of his trolling, although I'm sure there will be times when I can't resist. The truly bad stuff he's doing to Ukraine, to the NIH and the CDC and USAID is already costing lives, and that's where our attention and efforts should be. He's a master at distraction, but it won't work if we refuse to pay attention.

So, I'm not going to comment on this shit from Trump. Mostly anyway.

Lucian K. Truscott IV, a graduate of West Point, has had a 50-year career as a journalist, novelist, and screenwriter. He has covered Watergate, the Stonewall riots, and wars in Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He is also the author of five bestselling novels. He writes every day at luciantruscott.substack.com and you can follow him on Bluesky @lktiv.bsky.social and on Facebook at Lucian K. Truscott IV. Please consider subscribing to his Substack.