When There Are Troops on American Streets

The 250th anniversary of the US Army is a legitimate cause for commemoration. So is the birthday of an American president, at least for his friends, family, and supporters. We learned last weekend why those two celebrations should probably not have been combined.

As we discussed here last week, Donald Trump is a master of distraction. When the conversation is going against him, he is extremely talented at changing the subject. Seven days ago, when we were still fascinated by his breakup with Elon Musk, Trump was redirecting our attention away from difficulties he was facing on budget negotiations, tariffs, and the war in Ukraine. But since then, the bad news has piled up, his need for new diversions has increased, and so the distractions have escalated. By this past weekend, video of a United States senator in handcuffs and a new war in the Middle East had both been decisively overshadowed in the eyes of most of Trump’s constituents.