In what was clearly a staged photo opt, this was the best picture they could get? I guess the photo of Trump sitting on Romney’s chest, shoving wads of napkins into his mouth while demanding an apology, wasn’t the story they wanted to tell.
Trump’s recent courting of Mitt Romney is one of the many reasons why he recently Tweeted,
“Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!”
If you believe Kellyanne Conway, some of Trump’s most enthusiastic supporters have grown uneasy about the possibility of Trump selecting Romney as Secretary of State. I don’t believe for a second that Conway has gone rogue against Trump. It’s all part of the show. The play fighting adds drama, commands attention, and enables Trump to control the news cycle.
I do however, believe that many Trump supporters will not be happy if he selects Romney. Romney represents everything they voted against when they voted for Trump. Romney is not a “drain the swamp” type of guy.
How does this tie into Trump’s flag burning tweet? Hundreds of Veterans are protesting Hampshire College’s decision not to fly the flag on campus after a flag burning incident a few weeks ago. Many Trump loyalists hate flag burners as much as they hate Mitt Romney. Trump’s tweet was an easy way to appeal to and placate that group, perhaps softening the blow of his upcoming selection of Mitt Romney for Secretary of State.
Is Trump a threat to the first amendment? Perhaps….but that’s not what this Tweet was about. This was Trump throwing a bone to supporters who are about to be mad at him. Oh, and it was a distraction from something else. All media is a distraction from something else.
That picture makes my skin crawl.