Bird Brain

A heckler, an obscene gesture, and a new low for the president

Credit: Getty Images

At this point, one can hardly imagine this president doing anything that would shock our senses. But just when you thought he’d done it all, couldn’t possibly disgrace himself any further, he one-ups himself… with one finger.

It happened during an unscripted moment when Donald Trump came face-to-face with a heckler. Politicians, good ones, know how to handle situations like this. And it’s not as if the heckler was demanding the U.S. keep its hands off Greenland or do something about food prices.

No, this heckler struck a nerve that sent Trump into a rage, and in the process, he exhibited behavior that once again shows again why he is an embarrassment to our nation and unfit for office.

Trump visited a Ford Motor plant in Dearborn, Michigan on Tuesday. His agenda was to convince those assembled, and the rest of America, that his tariff policies are a boon to the auto industry (they’re not). During the facility tour, a Ford employee yelled at the president, “pedophile protector!”

A visibly irate Trump pointed aggressively at the worker, who has been identified as T.J. Sabula, and said, “f**k you,” twice. He then stomped away, brandishing his middle finger at Sabula.

The incident was recorded by someone in the crowd on a cellphone and circulated by TMZ. It was reported by the mainstream press like a run-of-the-mill wire service item: “Trump makes obscene gesture,” wrote The New York Times. “Trump flips-off apparent heckler,” reported NBC News.

That’s it? One would be excused for believing this is a bigger deal than that. Imagine any other political leader getting a pass for such behavior. We don’t have to look too far back to remember a country where our citizens respected one another, where the office of the president came with higher ideals.

Sabula was immediately marched out of the plant, as though he had committed a crime, and suspended with pay. His union, the United Auto Workers, is representing him.

Within hours, two separate GoFundMe campaigns were set up by people concerned for Sabula, who could lose his job. In less than 24 hours, more than $800,000 was donated to support the autoworker.

Sabula thanked those who gave and then closed down the fundraisers, posting, “We greatly appreciate the outpouring of support! At this time we are closing donations to this campaign and encourage you to look for other causes and organizations to support.”

Sabula does not regret his actions. “I don’t feel as though fate looks upon you often, and when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity. And today I think I did that,” he told the Washington Post.

The White House’s penchant for doubling down and gaslighting was on full display in the aftermath of this episode. A spokesperson called Sabula a “lunatic” who “was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage.” On the video, you can hear him say only two words, neither an expletive. It was the president who “was wildly screaming expletives.”

The spokesperson defended Trump’s response, calling it “appropriate and unambiguous.”

Well, it was unambiguous. Appropriate? Not under any circumstances. Trump’s response was telling, though. Sabula clearly hit a very raw nerve. It is doubtful Trump would have reacted the same way had he been called a “drug kingpin pardoner” or an “ICE defender.” No, he was called a “pedophile protector,” a reference to Jeffrey Epstein and the mishandling of the files.

By the way, in case you’ve forgotten amid all the chaos, more than 99% of those files are still being withheld, despite a recent law that demands their full release.

Anger and cruelty are driving Trump’s behavior and policies in new and unhinged ways. This is evident in his social media posts, which are increasingly hostile. On Thursday morning, he promised to invoke the Insurrection Act against protesters in Minneapolis.

That 19th-century law allows the president to use the U.S. military against American citizens. With unrest growing in Minneapolis after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good last week, Trump flooded the city with more than 3,000 agents.

On Wednesday night, an estimated 200 protesters gathered where an ICE agent shot and injured a Venezuelan immigrant after he attempted to run during a traffic stop. They threw rocks and yelled at agents, who in turn used tear gas and flash grenades.

Trump also announced that the U.S. would end temporary deportation protections for Somalis, many of whom live in Minnesota. The protections are meant to safeguard immigrants who cannot safely return to their home countries. Ongoing armed conflicts have plagued Somalia for decades, which is why you find large Somali ex-pat communities around the world, not just in the U.S.

In an attempt to stop most immigration altogether, the White House announced this week the indefinite suspension of the processing of visas from 75 countries. This is an effort to curtail immigration from places Trump doesn’t like: Africa, South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

The administration says it wants to discourage immigration by people who “take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates.” There is no evidence that this has actually happened.

President Barack Obama deported more than three million people during his eight years in office. He did it without using Gestapo tactics and by adhering to the rule of law. While you may disagree with the policy, the process must be legal and humane, two things Trump does not seem to care about.

Now we live in a country where laws and societal norms are shattered every day — by the president. His abhorrent behavior has given those who want to break laws and undermine the country encouragement to do so. Our country has had its ups and downs, but no American has lived through anything like this before.

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Stay Steady,
Dan