The Point: What will *never* come 'From the Desk of Donald J. Trump'

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May 26, 2021 | by Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski

What will *never* come 'From the Desk of Donald J. Trump'

I was on TV Tuesday -- humble brag! -- with Republican strategist Scott Jennings. The subject was Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene -- and her recent comments comparing the House's mask mandate to the murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazis.

Scott, a friend and a savvy thinker about politics, called on the likes of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (California) to go beyond his statements condemning Greene's remarks -- to banish her from attending Republican conference meetings.

Then Scott, who has worked for George W. Bush's White House and Mitch McConnell's campaigns, added this: "I would hope even former President Trump is watching all of this and saying, I don't want to be associated with this either."

Which brought a smile to my face because -- as well intentioned as Scott's plea was -- I knew (and he probably knew too) that there was a 0% chance of Trump issuing a statement condemning Greene.

I was still thinking about Scott's plea for some humanity from Trump when I got a note that the former President's blog "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump" has been updated with a new statement.

Could it be -- lo and behold! -- a walking-away from Greene?

No, of course not. Instead, Trump had issued a 231-word rant on how he had been cheated out of the 2020 election.

"Our Country is broken, our elections are rigged, corrupt, and stolen, our prosecutors are politicized, and I will just have to keep on fighting like I have been for the last five years," he wrote.

And Trump's thought on Greene's anti-Semitic comments? Oh, he didn't have any -- and never will have any about any sort of offensive or ignorant remarks unless and until he believes that it hurts his brand.

The desire among reasonable Republicans like Jennings that Trump might actually start to act like a responsible leader and concern himself with what is good for the GOP as opposed to what is good for him is, in a word, quaint. And totally unreasonable based on everything we know about the former President.

The Point: There is no new Trump. No different Trump. There is only Trump -- and the whims and vagaries that Republicans have allowed him to craft into the cult of personality that currently dominates their party.

-- Chris

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"It's a bunch of baloney."

-- Sen. Elizabeth Warren criticized JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon during a Senate hearing for charging overdraft fees during the pandemic.

A BRIEFING HISTORY

White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made history behind the press briefing room's podium on Wednesday.

Jean-Pierre is only the second Black woman to officially brief reporters at the White House's press briefing room.

Per CNN's Betsy Klein, Judy Smith, the crisis communicator and author known as the inspiration behind the Olivia Pope "Scandal" character, became the first Black woman to brief in 1991 during the George H.W. Bush administration.

CHRIS' GOOD READS

This Wired story is a stunning read on a giant mistake public health officials made in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Don McNeil Jr. pronounces that the end is near (for the pandemic).

The only obituary on the iconic John Warner you need to read is by Virginia reporting legend Don Baker.

The incomparable Tom Edsall asks a key question in a New York Times op-ed: "Is Wokeness 'Kryptonite for Democrats'?"

I *know* I wouldn't survive a zombie apocalypse. Would you?

MUSICAL INTERLUDE

Pitchfork unveiled a "Reviews Explorer" this week that allows you to type in ANY band and find not only reviews of all of their albums but of tons of other albums of bands who make music similar to theirs. It's AWESOME.

WEDNESDAY'S MUST-SEE TWEETS

1. Why we can't agree on facts

2. A thread on mask-wearing, the outdoors and summer camp

3. RIP, The Squire

4. No one ever told me this.

5. I would go to this drive-thru. Every day.

ONE BIG BOOSTER

45%

Covid-19 vaccination rates in Ohio rose by 45% following the announcement of the Vax-a-Million lottery on May 13, Gov. Mike DeWine told CNN's Brianna Keilar on Wednesday.

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