“The president is an unabashed gargoyle atop the White House, chomping on American values.
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“The way Trump publicly wallows in his mendaciousness and amorality is unique in presidential history. His motto might as well be: ‘I cannot not tell a lie.’ His ego is too fragile to play patriarch to the country, so he takes the more ruinous role of provocateur.

“He makes it so easy for everyone to focus on the tweets and the maniacal, moronic reality show that you have to struggle to look away and take the measure of what he’s doing. And what he’s doing is altering domestic and foreign policy in terrible ways while running up huge deficits.

“The Trump White House may be a clown show and a criminal enterprise. But it’s also an actual presidency.

“It’s turning out to be a genuinely reactionary administration led by a wannabe authoritarian who refuses to recognize constitutional checks on power. The real danger is not the antics but the policies. If Trump isn’t careful, he’s going to add substance to his administration. And it won’t be the kind we want.” — from Maureen Dowd‘s “A Down and Dirty White House,” posted on 6.15.