TRUMP NEEDS TO CHILL, PRONTO

By Risë Birnbaum

Call me nearsighted (I am), but I just do not see how anyone believes a word Donald Trump says.  The latest kerfuffle happened today (it’s a daily thing now), and involves the new luxury hotel he’s building in downtown DC.

The Washington Post recently stated there are illegal immigrants working on the hotel, so Anderson Cooper decided to ask Trump directly about the allegations.  Trump’s answer:  “I can’t guarantee that all the workers I employ have legal status in the United States, but if I were to discover any illegal immigrants…we’d get rid of them immediately.”

I guess the same illegal immigrants that Trump believes are “raping our women” are OK to have around as long as they help him put up his luxury hotels.  Remember, this is the same guy who re-tweeted that “Jeb Bush has to like Mexican illegals because of his wife.”  Where does this guy come off?  And he doesn’t regret a word.  Nope.  Not one, single word of his nonsensical rants.  He also called conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer a “rodeo clown.”  Now, Krauthammer is not my favorite guy in town and maybe he should cut down on the hair dye, too, but he sure doesn’t deserve what Trump dished out.  Neither does Jeb.

Really, folks, can anyone out there actually take their precious vote and pull the lever for this guy?  If anyone’s a clown, it’s Trump, and if our country is going to get through this election cycle, he either better take some xanax, or we should.  Some noise-cancelling headphones would help, too.

STATE OF THE UNION – NO SWEAT

Ya
know that old saying… “Never let ‘em see you sweat.”  Well, President Obama was a shining example
of that in his State of the Union speech.

With
a gazillion dollar deficit, 10% (or more) unemployment and a healthcare bill
that’s not yet reality, the Pres had to hit a home run…and he did.

After
the formality of shaking everyone in the place’s hand (guess they stock the
aisle seats with dems), Obama strode up to the lectern looking every inch the
president in his dark suit and red rep tie.

From
the moment he began, it didn’t take him long to let everyone know this mess is not
his doing, he inherited it. Up front, he mentioned from the minute he came into
office we were on the brink of financial disaster and thanks to the stimulus
package, he was able to steer the ship around. Just goes to show you what a
combination of leadership and a good Public Relations
strategy can do.

In
addition, he addressed unemployment with a jobs program, small biz tax and loan
program, college loan program and even repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”  All without a drop of sweat.

This
is one cool cucumber. Don’t know who does his media training (or if he ever needed
it), but the President is terrific at reading the Teleprompt-r.  And whoever wrote his speech gets an “A” in
my book.

And
not only did Obama blithely and almost flawlessly read his script in a
deliberate and calm manner, he also even cracked a few jokes and called out the
Republicans and the Supreme Court for their partisanship (repubs) and bad
decisions (court).

This
guy is a PR pro’s dream.  He’s polished, conversational, fluent and drives
home his messages.

Here’s
the $64 trillion dollar question – can the polished guy who speaks so well get
healthcare passed and start fueling and funding millions of jobs all without
sending our grandkids into debt?  He’s
got the poise and the noise. If he would just take a play out of “Shrub’s”
playbook and ram a few things through Congress that Americans so desperately
need and deserve, we’d be a lot better off.

The Right Stuff

It’s been a non-stop party here in DC, the Inauguration epicenter, for the past week.  I’ve lived here for almost 25 years and never seen the City so teeming with revelers.  It was like New Year’s Eve but 1,000x brighter and with no Dick Clark (though Dick might have been here, too, ya never know).

More police cars and tinted-windowed Suburbans than ever before and at least 3 police cars per corner downtown and more as you moved closer to the Mall.  Got the feeling if you sneezed you’d be down on the ground and handcuffed.  Just picture Jack Bauer with gun out screaming “stand down” and that’s a taste of what was waiting for anyone who crossed the line.  Security was that tight…and with good reason. 

With the temperatures dropping (about 15 with wind chill) everyone who spent the days outside aiming for the Mall dressed for the part.  Ski jackets, woolen scarves, mittens of every size and color.  Multiply that by a few million and you had a rainbow of outerwear.

And every night was party time everywhere you turned.  From the hard-to-come-by tix to the hippest events to the “hey, come over for salsa and chips” last minute invites, the cheering throngs were looking for any reason to par-tay.  I stopped by one of the swankier hotels in town the other night for a burger in the lobby/bar and caught Ben Affleck, John Cusack, Tom Brokaw, John Kerry, Al Roker and Matt Lauer, a stargazer’s dream.  Not many celebs left in Hollywood lately.

Another cool ripple from this new first couple is they intend to go out on the town on a regular basis and not hit the pillow at 9:30pm the way W did.  And that all helps make DC a much more fun and glam place to live and visit.

But, as soon as the newly-minted President has had a chance to get some much needed sleep, he’s got tons of work on his plate.  Picture the e-mails you get after being out of town/touch for a few days and multiply that by about a gazillion.  Obama has miles and milestones to go before he sleeps…two wars, economy, jobs….  But I know a calm, smart, thoughtful leader is just what the doctor ordered (along with a really solid Cabinet).  And I think President Obama has already started reigniting a sense of confidence in this new America with the tangible hope that a new world order will blaze into existence (the sooner the better).

Risë