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Conservative group Republicans for the Rule of Law has apparently had enough of Trump's delusions of grandeur—they've partnered with the nonpartisan organization Protect Democracy to run a scathing advertisement during one of Trump's favorite shows.
During a recent press conference at the White House, Trump said:
"When somebody's the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that is the way it's gonna be. It's total. And the governors know that."
Twitter had a field day with Trump trying to make himself out to be all-powerful.
@BillKristol @SykesCharlie If you will oblige me, a summary. "Only I Can Fix It" "Unless I Can't" "Then You Ar… https://t.co/8wyIx0QgaB— Jonathan Gaffney 🇺🇸 (@Jonathan Gaffney 🇺🇸) 1587042305.0
@BillKristol @SykesCharlie He's a used car salesman. The guy that rolls back the odometer and then sells his fan ba… https://t.co/oY0AgjEAoz— Rob Gibson (@Rob Gibson) 1587043797.0
@BillKristol @SykesCharlie https://t.co/OXPYB8TbD3— BrokenUP Mosaics (@BrokenUP Mosaics) 1587042443.0
Even Fox News anchor Bret Baier called out the audacity of Trump claiming total authority.
Fox's Bret Baier: "I think that there's hypocrisy here in that, one, if President Obama had said those words that y… https://t.co/mYIkGSFpVA— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1586953800.0
The ad from Republicans for the Rule of Law and Protect Democracy calls out "King" Trump for asserting that the U.S. President is all-powerful in a recent speech.
Titled "Trump Thinks He is a King", the ad is available on YouTube and is set to run Friday morning during Fox & Friends, well known to be one of Trump's favorite Fox News programs.
It depicts Trump wearing a huge crown and uses his own words to mock him while video clips play of frontline healthcare workers, members of the national guard, and everyday people trying to keep everyone safe and live their lives. A voiceover reminds Trump that he does not, in fact, have total authority.
Both Republican and Democratic governors were quick to rebuke Trump for his assertion that he had "total control" over when their states end stay-at-home orders and reopen businesses.
He backed down—sort of—after receiving such strong and immediate pushback from the governors. Without admitting that he was wrong in the first place, Trump announced on Tuesday that he was "authorizing" governors to determine what is best for their individual states, saying:
"I will be speaking to all 50 governors very shortly and I will then be authorizing each individual governor of each individual state to implement a reopening and a very powerful reopening plan of their state at a time and in a manner as most appropriate."
This was also met with significant ridicule on Twitter.
Ha. Trump says he will be "authorizing" each governor to reopen their state at the time of their choosing. This i… https://t.co/3S8i9PWWQk— Daniel Dale (@Daniel Dale) 1586904193.0
@rothschildmd @ddale8 https://t.co/ll2BI4Cs6E— Wanjau Mugo (@Wanjau Mugo) 1586905091.0
@ddale8 The rooster who took credit for the sunrise.— Jackie Wollner (@Jackie Wollner) 1586904262.0
Trump’s statement that he will “authorize” the governors to reopen their states when they’re ready is truly patheti… https://t.co/53kXPMIHuL— Laurence Tribe (@Laurence Tribe) 1586946450.0
Justin Vail, policy advocate for Protect Democracy, scorned Trump for taking advantage of the crisis to try to grab power.
"The president's authority is not total. There is no debate here."
Carson Putnam, communications chief at Republicans for the Rule of Law, criticized Trump in a news release for claiming absolute authority while refusing to accept any responsibility for how poorly his administration has handled the pandemic.
"His job is to be a leader. Not a king, not a commentator, not a rabble-rouser, but a responsible leader in a time of crisis."
We'll see how "King" Trump responds to the new ad. There's bound to be some fireworks.
For a deeper look into Trump's chaotic presidency, check out A Very Stable Genius, available here.