The Greater Fool

Donald Trump believes he can get his wall built by declaring a national emergency. There is a national emergency, Eugene Robinson writes. But it's not at the southern border of the United States. It's in the White House:

The president’s decision to officially declare an emergency — to pretend to build an unbuildable border wall — is not only an act of constitutional vandalism. It is also an act of cowardice, a way to avoid the wrath of Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the far-right commentariat.

It is an end run around Congress and, as such, constitutes a violation of his oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States” — which gives Congress, not the president, the authority to decide how public money is spent. It does not give Trump the right to fund projects that Congress will not approve. Authoritarian leaders do that sort of thing. The puffed-up wannabe strongman now living in the White House is giving it a try.

The emergency exists in Trump's mind. It's a figment of his imagination:

Let’s be clear: There is no emergency. Arrests for illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border peaked in 2000, nearly two decades ago, at more than 1.5 million a year. They declined sharply under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and, in 2017, were at their lowest point since 1971. In 2018, apprehensions ticked up slightly — but still barely climbed above 400,000.

There has indeed been an increase in families presenting themselves at legal points of entry to seek asylum — those groups of bedraggled Central Americans that Trump calls “caravans.” Under U.S. and international law, these people have an undisputed right to ask for asylum and have their cases evaluated. Again, they come to legal border crossings to seek admission. Only a handful try to navigate the forbidding rural terrain where Trump says he wants to build a wall.

But Trump employs money as a weapon, and he sees enemies everywhere. His real enemies are the loudmouths at Fox News and Talk Radio. But, in Trump's befuddled brain, he thinks they're his allies. However, when Ann Coulter calls him a "weanie," he declares an emergency.

It should be clear to everyone -- if not to Trump -- where the emergency resides. That said, it's instructive to observe how many fools will march behind The Fool In The White House.

Image: Duluth Reader