Trump Warns of 'Day of Reckoning' While Ignoring His Own Reckoning
Newsweek reports on Donald Trump's vow of 'DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION' in Minnesota (Newsweek, 11/13/2018), framing it as standard political bluster regarding immigration and crime. What's conveniently omitted from this analysis is Trump's career-long personal avoidance of any 'reckoning,' financial or otherwise. This is the same public figure who, according to a 2020 New York Times
investigation, paid $750 in federal income taxes during his inaugural year and has faced over 3,500 lawsuits in his business career, frequently settling out of court to avoid full public scrutiny and accountability. The concept of 'retribution' from someone so adept at dodging consequences is, to put it mildly, a well-polished rhetorical flair. One might wonder if any 'day of reckoning' promised
by a politician should first apply to their own dealings. While decrying others' alleged 'collusion' and 'misdeeds,' the media often glosses over documented histories of tax avoidance, business bankruptcies, and legal settlements from the very figures making these pronouncements. Perhaps the actual 'retribution' is the public's continued gullibility in believing such empty threats.