Category Archives: Donald Trump

Donald Trump has given a lot of people s**t, so someone decided to return the gesture in kind ... with a load of dog poop plastered over his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Someone dropped a load on the star Thursday ... much to the chagrin and delight of tourists ... depending on their political bend.

And, this is interesting ... whoever dropped the do-do won't be prosecuted, because it's not vandalism. According to CA law, someone can be prosecuted for vandalism if they "deface with graffiti or other inscribed material" or if they damage or destroy someone else's property.Here, a hosing down will do the trick, and it's too much of a reach.

Now, it's possible to cite the offender with violating L.A.'s pooper scooper law, which requires dog owners to pick up after their pets.

There has been lots of vandalism on that star over the last 5 years. James Otis, a member of the famed Otis Elevator fam, took a pickax to the star in 2016 and several times in the years that followed. He pled no contest to vandalism and got community service and a $4,400 fine. He was placed on 3 years probation.

He was arrested and charged with felony vandalism last year ... it appears that case is ongoing.

George Lopez pretended to pee on the star back in 2018 ... but faking peeing doesn't get you prosecuted.

And, there have been other instances of vandalism as well. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which manages the Walk of Fame ... has always restored or replaced the star, although at one point they put a barrier around the star.

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Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Covered in Dog Poop - TMZ

Beyond the spiritual test of unrealized prophecies, there are very earthly stakes here: Under Mr. Strangs stewardship, Charisma had grown from a church magazine to a multipronged institution with a slew of New York Times best sellers, millions of podcast downloads and a remaining foothold in print media, with a circulation of 75,000 for its top magazine. It is widely regarded as the flagship publication of the fast-growing Pentecostal world, which numbers over 10 million in the United States. With its mash-up of political and prophetic themes, Charisma had tapped a sizable market and electoral force. In 2019, one poll found that more than half of white Pentecostals believed Mr. Trump to be divinely anointed, with additional research pointing to the importance of so-called prophecy voters in the 2016 election.

In his new book, Mr. Strang mentions the former president only in passing, with far more attention going to topics such as the coming Antichrist and loathed government overlords seeking to stamp out religion wholesale.

Mr. Strang summed it up, The fact is there are people who want to cancel Christianity.

Christians and other conservatives need to wake up and stand up, Mr. Strang said in an interview. It says that right on the cover of the book.

The supernatural and mass media have long been fused in the story of Pentecostalism. In 1900s Los Angeles, Aimee Semple McPherson broadcast news-style reports of miracles and prophetic words over her own radio station in Echo Park. Oral Roberts conducted healing crusades through the TV screen. The duo Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker mastered the flashy style of prime time talk shows.

Mr. Strangs journalism career began in Florida as a rookie reporter at The Sentinel Star, where he covered more mundane topics like police and town hall meetings. In 1975, Mr. Strang founded Charisma, then a small periodical put out by Calvary Assembly of God, a congregation in the Orlando area that he attended with his wife. Mr. Strang bought the magazine from the parent church in 1981 and dove into religious publishing.

In time, Charisma prospered. The editorial voice had the sunny boosterism of a hometown newspaper, covering the personalities of the Pentecostal world, an audience that Mr. Strang believed was woefully underserved. While competitors such as Christianity Today courted the buttoned-up elite of American evangelicalism, Charisma cornered a niche market of what are called charismatic Christians, set apart by their interest in gifts of the spirit, including things like healings, speaking in tongues and modern-day prophecy. Mr. Strang eschewed matters of stuffy dogma for eye-popping tales about the Holy Spirit moving through current events. Editorial meetings would focus on looking for what one former employee called the spiritual heat behind the headlines of the day.

We didnt want to become the kind of boring publications many religious journals are, Mr. Strang wrote in an early editors note. That is why we went first class with this publication.

Excerpt from:

The Trump Prophets Regroup - The New York Times

A billboard comparing former President Donald Trump to the Son of God, Jesus Christ, has appeared in Georgia.

Washington Post political reporter Eugene Scott was the first to draw attention to the advertisement on social media, posting an image of the distinctive display panel to Twitter alongside a caption that simply read: "Wow!"

The billboard features a picture of Trump looking stoically into the middle distance alongside what is purported to be a Bible quote from Romans 8:17, which reads: "Unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders."

This is, in fact, a misquote. In reality, that particular chapter and verse of the Bible reads: "Now if we are children, then we are heirsheirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."

The billboard quote appears to have been paraphrased from Isaiah 9:6, which reads: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

According to Dan Landrum, another Twitter user, the billboard has been put up near the city of Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia.

Newsweek has reached out to the company that appears to own the billboard space, Reagan Outdoor Advertising, for confirmation of the sign's existence.

Fort Oglethorpe is part of both Catoosa County and Walker County. Both counties are part of Georgia's 14th congressional district which is represented by Marjorie Taylor Greene.

A Republican and staunch Trump supporter, Greene has previously courted controversy after appearing to champion a series of baseless conspiracy theories on social media. More recently, she was suspended from Twitter back in August after claiming that the vaccines designed to combat COVID-19 were "failing."

Earlier this month, she also spoke out in opposition to President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate plans, claiming, incorrectly, that it violated the Nuremberg Code established after the Second World War to prevent a repeat of the atrocities carried out by Nazi Germany.

This is not the first time Trump has drawn comparison with Jesus Christ.

Christian preacher Shane Vaughn, a conservative and keen Trump supporter, previously compared Facebook's decision to suspend the ex-commander in chief to Satan's decision to kill Jesus.

"They made the same mistake that Satan made when he killed Jesus Christ," he said on a video posted to YouTube. "By killing one man, and killing his voice, he created a world full of little Christians that echo the message of Christ," Vaughn continued. "See, stupid on the Devil's part."

Trump's own religious beliefs remain a source of much debate. In one instance, during his time in office, the former president drew derision after appearing to suggest Joseph, rather than God, was Jesus' father.

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Billboard Hailing Donald Trump As Second Coming of Jesus Appears in Georgia - Newsweek

WASHINGTON (AP) Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is moving the national headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management back to the nations capital after two years in Colorado, reversing a decision by former President Donald Trumps administration to move the agency closer to the region it serves.

The land management bureau, which oversees nearly one-fifth of the nations public lands, lost nearly 300 employees to retirement or resignation after its headquarters was moved to Grand Junction, Colorado, in 2019. Grand Junction will be rechristened the agencys western headquarters, Haaland said in a news release, and have an important role to play in the bureaus clean energy, outdoor recreation, conservation, and scientific missions.

With control of 245 million acres, the agency has broad influence over energy development and agriculture in the western U.S., managing public lands for uses ranging from fossil fuel extraction, renewable power development and grazing, to recreation and wilderness.

Trumps first interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, initiated the headquarters move west and called it a needed reorganization that put top agency officials closer to the public lands it oversees. The move was completed under David Bernhardt, who succeeded Zinke in 2019.

Critics said the Trump administration intended to gut the agency and pointed to the number of people who refused to transfer to Colorado as evidence of the administrations bid to get rid of career employees. A similar mass exodus occurred after two Agriculture Department research agencies were moved from Washington to Kansas City, Missouri, under Trump.

Haaland, who opposed the BLM move as a congresswoman from New Mexico, visited the Colorado headquarters in July a fter being confirmed as interior secretary.

Top Colorado Democrats, including Gov. Jared Polis and members of the states Congressional delegation, wanted the headquarters to stay in Grand Junction. Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper said Haalands decision to keep a presence in Grand Junction will help ensure we have a fully functioning agency that understands the West.

To succeed, the western headquarters must be a strong, permanent presence that engages the community and adds a Western perspective and value to the BLMs mission, Hickenlooper said. The Trump administration scattered jobs throughout the region and assigned only a few dozen positions to a shell headquarters in Grand Junction, Hickenlooper added.

Haaland said in her statement that the past several years have been incredibly disruptive to the organization, to our public servants and to their families.

Theres no doubt that the BLM should have a leadership presence in Washington, D.C. like all the other land management agencies to ensure that it has access to the policy, budget and decision-making levers to best carry out its mission, she said. BLMs presence in Colorado and across the West will continue to grow, she added.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said the bureau does not need two headquarters.

The Biden administrations answer for everything is to double the size of government, Barrasso said. The single headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management belongs in the West, closer to the resources it manages and the people it serves.

What the BLM needs is an honest director who doesnt bring shame to the agency, Barrasso said, referring to President Joe Bidens nominee to lead the bureau, former Democratic aide Tracy Stone-Manning, who received no Republican support in an energy panel vote on her nomination in July. Barrasso and other GOP senators have lambasted Stone-Manning over alleged links to a 1989 environmental sabotage investigation.

Stone-Manning will face a full Senate vote in order to become the new director. It would take every Senate Republican plus at least one Democratic lawmaker to block her confirmation in the evenly divided chamber. Haaland, who would be Stone-Mannings boss, reiterated her full support for the nominee during her Colorado visit.

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Land agency moving back to DC, reversing Trump-era decision - Associated Press

According to extensive reporting by Rolling Stone's Andy Kroll, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) rise as one of Donald Trump's closest congressional allies has been exposed as the end result of a cynical dark money plot to sell the California Republican asa like-minded Trumper to the ex-president's fans.

Calling McCarthy's rise part of an "extreme MAGA makeover," the report relies on documents that showed a cabal of lobbyists and big-money donors backed a media blitz posing as grassroots tea-party populists to boost McCarthy's profile.

McCarthy has been one of Trump's biggest defenders following the Jan 6th insurrection, doing all he can to derail a House investigation into the riot that sent lawmakers fleeing for their lives. For that he has been rewarded by Trump calling him "my Kevin."

However, how McCarthy inserted himself into Trump's inner circle dates back to supporters helping him change his image as one of the GOP's "young gun" inner circle to a lawmaker who rages against what Trump calls the "swamp."

As Kroll writes, "McCarthy's extreme MAGA makeover was an awkward one. Yet he didn't have to do it alone. At a critical moment in McCarthy's ascent, a network of swampy operatives mobilized in his defense and a mysterious dark-money group carpet-bombed the airwaves to position McCarthy as the heir apparent to lead the Trump-era Republican Party."

The report notes, "This slimy story, which is laid out in documents obtained byRolling Stone,reveals how a crew of lobbyists, political consultants, and big-money donors seemingly masqueraded as grassroots tea-party populists in a bid to bolster McCarthy's credibility with Trump supporters. The point of this scheme was to help McCarthy defeat a far-right challenger in an important intra-party election, elevating him to become the House GOP leader and ensuring that a corporate ally remained at the head of the party."

Writing, "Election experts who've reviewed the details of McCarthy's extreme MAGA makeover say it's hard to envision a sequence of events more emblematic of the pathetic state of the campaign-finance system and the way in which anonymous cash now reigns king in American politics," Kroll adds, "In other words, it's not only Trump supporters getting duped by dark money. It's all of us, and it'll continue to happen so long as the untraceable cash continues to flow. The McCarthy blitz shows just how convoluted the money trail can be."

After detailing the media blitz-- heavily steeped in racism -- and the efforts of a shadowy "State Tea Party Express' that was devoted to raising McCarthy's profile, Kroll explained, "In the end, McCarthy's dark-money makeover proved a winning proposition for all the worst people. McCarthy won his leadership race. State Tea Party Express wielded influence without accountability. The actual donors, whoever they are, saw a return on their money in the form of a friendly Republican without even having to be named."

You can read theentire extensive Rolling Stone report by Andy Kroll here.

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"Swampy operatives" gave Kevin McCarthy a "MAGA makeover" to attract Trump supporters - Salon

Former President Donald Trump provided ringside commentary for a pay-per-view boxing event Saturday night that saw former heavyweight world champion Evander Holyfieldlose in a first-round technical knockoutto MMA star Vitor Belfort.

Trump received a warm welcome from the crowd at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, which erupted into cheers when his name was announced as the evenings special guest.

He and son Donald Trump Jr. called the entire four-fight card for the Triller gamecast, giving live analysis and discussing his experiences in the boxing business.

In comments before the first fight, the ex-president acknowledged the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and repeated criticisms of the Biden administration over the chaotic US evacuation from Afghanistan.

As a country, in the United States, its certainly one of the most important days, and we had a very bad week because of some of the decisions that have been made that made it even more somber than it should normally be, he said.

Earlier on Saturday, Trump visited New York City police officers andfirefighters to commemorate the anniversary.

Media company Triller announced last week that the Trumps would be joining its alternative broadcast, available for interested viewers for $49.99, the same cost as the main telecast.

Trump Jr. said on the broadcast that while he and his dads involvement in the event came together rather quickly and takes place during a sensitive time, the opportunity seemed like a bit of levity on a somber day.

We came in sort of last minute, he said. Obviously we have such a special and important day, a somber day, but to be able to have a bit of levity in that is so important and so American.

The former president is no stranger to boxing, having hosted a number of bouts throughout the 1980s and 90s at his casinos in Atlantic City. Hes also a member of the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame.

He seemed shocked by Holyfields loss, and noted that the 58-year-old champ wasnt in top form.

No, hes not the same, Trump said. Right from the beginning he was not the same fighter. He lost a lot. It was not Evander Holyfield.

He commended Belfort, 44, on the victory, saying, Vitor, your stock was very high, but your stock is even higher tonight because you beat somebody who may be the greatest of all time.

Belfort was originally slated to fight former heavyweight champion Oscar De La Hoya, 48, who was forced to drop out last Friday after he was hospitalized with COVID-19.

His replacement, Holyfield, was defeated just 1:45 into the fight, clearly outmatched by Belfort.

Trump thanked the fans after the swift fight, telling them, This is like a rally. We love you, we love this country.

Triller offered to host a $30 million winner-take-all fight on Thanksgiving weekend between Belfort and Jake Paul, if Paul accepts.

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Trump and son get in booth for alternative broadcast of Belfort -Holyfield bout - New York Post

Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago. John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images

Trump's Chicago tower got a $300,000 tax break because of its vacant retail space.

The assessed value of the building's retail space dropped about 37%, The Chicago Sun-Times reported.

With a lower valuation, Trump's 2020 tax bill reportedly dropped to $698,399 from about $1 million.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Former President Donald Trump's property tax was slashed for his Chicago office tower because the building's commercial space was mostly vacant, The Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The building's retail space had its assessed value cut to $12.5 million, down from $19.9 million, the report said. The assessed value was cut by about 37% because about 95% of the square footage was vacant, the report said.

"We provided a reduction based on vacancy," a spokesperson from the assessor's office told The Sun-Times.

With the lower valuation, Trump's property taxes for the commercial space fell to $698,399 for 2020, down from $1 million the year prior, the report said.

The glass-faced Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago has a prominent spot in the city's skyline. It sits along the north side of the Chicago River, straddling the line between the Loop and the River North neighborhoods.

The building's official website describes it as "a showcase of bold style and engaging design situated along the Chicago river."

People celebrate Joe Biden's presidential victory in front of Trump Tower. Scott Olson/Getty Images

But it's had difficultly attracting commercial tenants for the bottom three floors, including its ground-floor retail space, reports have said.

The building was "losing money hand over fist," Vanity Fair said. The tower's profit fell 89% in the four years ended in 2018, The Washington Post reported. One real estate blog, The Real Deal, said in 2019 that the building was Chicago retail's "biggest failure."

The building's reappraisal came a few months after Illinois officials said the value had been assessed higher than it should have been in 2011. In July, the Cook County Board of Review ruled that Trump was owed a $1 million refund on that year's taxes.

The building's official website said the Chicago tower was the fourth-tallest building in the US. Wikipedia now lists it as seventh, with three newer New York City towers higher on the list.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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Donald Trump's Chicago property tax was slashed by 30% because retail space in the city's Trump Tower was mostly empty, a report says - Yahoo News

Former President Donald Trump has gotten a $300,000 property tax cut this year because Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi slashed the value of the Trump International Hotel & Towers vacant retail space along the Chicago River.

Trump paid slightly more than $1 million in property taxes last year on the three levels of retail space in the downtown skyscraper. Most of it has remained vacant and left unfinished since the building was completed about a decade ago.

His tax bill this year is $698,399 after Kaegis office lowered its estimation of the buildings value.

It reconsidered that figure after Trump lawyer Patrick McNerney challenged the $19.9 million value that Kaegis staff originally put on the unfinished space for retail stores in the building.

The assessor cut the value even more than the figures McNerney presented. Kaegi agreed to lower the value to $12.5 million. Thats about $1 million less than an appraisal McNerney submitted.

McNerney then appealed to the Cook County Board of Review, asking for a bigger break on the taxes for Trump Tower. But the board said no, noting that Kaegi had lowered the assessment even below Trumps appraisal.

Trumps savings this year follow another big tax win earlier this year. The Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board decided in June that the former president should get a $1 million refund on his 2011 property tax bill for those vacant storefronts and other commercial space at Trump Tower, including restaurants and hotel rooms.

The Cook County Board of Review is fighting the state boards decision, which could cost the Chicago Public Schools which gets the biggest cut of each Chicago taxpayers property taxes $500,000. It has appealed to the Illinois Appellate Court.

Kaegis spokesman Scott Smith defends the tax break given to Trump on this years taxes and notes that the savings are only for this years tax bill. All property in Chicago will be reassessed this year.

We provided a reduction based on vacancy, Smith says.

Since 95% of the space is vacant, Kaegi cut the assessed value by 37.5% on top of another 10% vacancy credit that was included in his initial assessment.

Our current vacancy policy states that a property can only receive half of its claimed vacancy, Smith says. This is a change from the previous administration, which would reduce the assessed value based on the claimed vacancy, which is not an assessment standard used elsewhere. . . Were definitely treating this property differently than in the past.

Smith says that, even with this years tax cut, Trump is paying more for the vacant retail space than he did under Kaegis predecessor, former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios.

Trump is paying about $200,000 more in taxes on the vacant retail space this year than he did in the final year under Berrios.

Last year, during Kaegis first year in office, he nearly doubled the value that Berrios had put on the empty storefronts. And Kaegi rejected Trumps appeal last year to lower the assessment because, according to Smith, the former president did not follow the rules for appeal provided by our office. That left Trump with the tax bill of slightly more than $1 million the figure that Kaegi has now decided is too high.

McNerney wont comment.

McNerney and Ald. Edward M. Burke, who previously handled Trump Towers property tax appeals, have long argued that the former president should receive steep tax breaks on the retail space, which has never been occupied except for a small boat dock thats leased to Wendella Tours & Cruises.

Trump has used three different leasing agents, trying to find tenants for the property over the past decade, McNerney told the assessors office, pointing out that retail leases have been devastated by COVID-19 and arguing that should be a factor in reducing Trumps taxes.

Kaegi has used his authority to reduce assessments on many of the 1.7 million pieces of property in Cook County because of COVID though it isnt clear which properties have gotten those reductions.

In response to a public records request, the assessors office provided the Chicago Sun-Times with a letter, signed by Kaegi, telling Trump hed been given an unspecified reduction in the assessment on the retail space translating to lower property taxes because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The letter doesnt specify the amount of that reduction, though. Nor do any of the other documents released by Kaegis staff.

Smith says that, despite what the letter from his own agency says, Trump didnt receive any tax break because of COVID.

I dont know where this letter came from, but, unless you can tell me otherwise, I dont see how it could have come from our office, Smith said when first asked about that. This property did not get a COVID adjustment.

We dont have a record of it getting a COVID reduction notice. Ive been told its not possible for this to happen.

Now, Smith says, In some cases, property owners who filed an appeal last year got sent this letter in error when they should have received an appeal results letter.

Here is the original post:

Donald Trumps Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago gets a $300,000 property tax break after Fritz Ka - Chicago Sun-Times

As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 this weekend it's hard not to think of how different everything would have been over these past two decades if it had never happened. The attacks changed America in some fundamental ways and I'm not sure we've ever fully grappled with it. Our government responded in a primitive, unthinking way and unearthedan enduring weakness in our national character that continues to haunt us to this day.

We should have known that when Dick Cheney, the vice president at the time,appeared on televisionjust days after the attacks and announced that the country would have to go to "the dark side" and "use any means at our disposal" that we were going down an immoral path that would lead us to an ignominious end. And it did.

Spencer Ackerman, author of"Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump"makes the case in his book that the ongoing war on terror primed the country for MAGA nihilism and violence by demonizing Muslims and "the decadent left" which Trump successfully capitalized on in his run in 2016. I think there's something to that.

Trump instinctively understood the undercurrent of racist violence that was electrified when he "took off the gloves" and he used it to great effect, spending hours on the campaign trail repeating lurid details of alleged deviant criminality by immigrants and insisting that torture works,gleefully promising to do more of it with descriptive detail.One of his greatest hits was endorsing an apocryphal story about General Blackjack Pershing dipping bullets in pig's blood before he summarily executed Muslim prisoners in the first World War. His campaign was drenched in violent rhetoric and yet somehowthe fact that he had read the polls and determined that the "forever wars" were unpopular and unwittingly appropriated the isolationist slogan of the pre-WWII era, "American First" he got a reputation as some kind of anti-war pacifist. Recall that New York Times writerMaureen Dowd even characterized him as "Donald the Dove"in one notorious column.

His followers, of course, never believed it. Trump was a bloodthirsty leader, and they knew one when they saw one. He was just going to wage his war at home and thatsuited them just fine.

As it turned out, this left Trump with a conundrum as president. He actually saw himself as a great warrior leader but he couldn't pull the trigger on a big military adventure. I always suspected that it was because he was justifiably insecure about which way to turn and relied on his 2016 promise to keep from having to test himself in that way. Instead he talked loudly and carried a small stick. At one point in 2019 during a joint appearance with the Prime Minister of Pakistan,he said:

"If we wanted to fight a war in Afghanistan and win it, I could win that war in a week. I just don't want to kill 10 million people. I have plans on Afghanistan that, if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the Earth. It would be gone. It would be over in literally, in 10 days. And I don't want to do I don't want to go that route."

For all his chillingly inane bluster, he clearly didn't have a firm grip on national security and foreign policy, consistently falling back on stale bromides about trade and antagonizing allies he knew were no threat while kissing up to tyrants and dictators. He constantly fought with his military advisers, seeing them as "losers" who didn't know how to win wars, but never really had the nerve to do what he always threatened to do which was unleash the full might of the U.S. military. (Thank God!)

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Now that he is out of office, ensconced in temporary exile at one of his resort palaces, anticipating his full return to campaigning, he is busily re-writing the story of his presidency to fit the current facts. Early in the process he took credit for negotiating the withdrawal with the Taliban and insisted that Biden was dragging his feet. In April,he said,"Getting out of Afghanistan is a wonderful and positive thing to do. I planned to withdraw on May 1st, and we should keep as close to that schedule as possible." Heboastedtwo months later, "I started the process. All the troops are coming back home. They couldn't stop the process."

Then during the chaotic final days in Kabul last month, he frantically shifted his posture.

As Trump saw the right revert to its warmongering ways, he saw the opportunity to airbrush his involvement and pretend that he had the war "won" until Biden surrendered. He said that the situation wasnot acceptableanddemandedthat President Biden "resign in disgrace for what he has allowed to happen to Afghanistan." Babbling incessantly about the mostly defunct military equipment left behind, hedeclaredthat if the Taliban didn't return it, "we should either go in with unequivocal Military force and get it, or at least bomb the hell out of it."

Now, during this week of commemoration of 9/11 and the beginning of that misbegotten war from which we have finally, painfully, withdrawn military troops, Trump has outdone himself.

On the occasion of the removal of the statue of Robert E. Lee from the capital of Virginia, he managed to thread together his grotesquely racist impulses, his embarrassing ignorance of history and his incompetent national security and foreign policy leadership all in onestunningly stupid statement:

"Robert E. Lee is considered by many Generals to be the greatest strategist of them all. President Lincoln wanted him to command the North, in which case the war would have been over in one day. Robert E. Lee instead chose the other side because of his great love of Virginia, and except for Gettysburg, would have won the war ... If only we had Robert E. Lee to command our troops in Afghanistan, that disaster would have ended in a complete and total victory many years ago. What an embarrassment we are suffering because we don't have the genius of a Robert E. Lee!"

That is the very stable genius who has the entire Republican party on its knees begging for his favor.

I don't know if Spencer Ackerman is correct to say that the War on Terror "produced" Donald Trump. But it certainly did rouse some of the violent, lizard brain racism and ignorance that's never very far from the surface of our culture. And nobody in this country better personifies that violent, lizard brain racism and ignorance than Donald Trump.

More from Salon on the20th anniversary of September 11:

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Why Donald Trump is now using Robert E. Lee to rehab his own reputation - Salon

DONALD Trump made a surprise visit to cops and firefighters on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

It comes after New York City's former mayor Rudy Giuliani said Joe Biden was not welcome in NYC.

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The former president was pictured smiling and shaking hands as he surprised NYPD and FDNY.

Were not supposed to say it, but Ill say it. We love the Blue, he told the crowd.

Trump will appear via video message at the "Let Us Worship" event led on the National Mall.

In an interview withFox Newson Friday, the former Republican president said he will visit Ground Zeroto mark the 20th anniversaryof the terrorist attack.

Ahead of his expected visit to the site, Trump sent a video message of support and also took a swipe at Joe Biden.

For the great people of our country this is a very sad day, Trump said in the 90-second long video which was shared online. September 11 represents great sorrow for our country.

Many things were displayed that day, including most importantly the bravery of our police, fire, and first responders of every kind, the job they did was truly unbelievable, said Trump. We love them and we thank them.

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He then turned his attention to taking aim at Biden and his handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

It is also a sad time for the way our war on those that did such harm to our country ended last week, the loss of 13 great warriors and the many more who were wounded, should never have happened, Trump said in the video.

Read our 9/11 live blog for the very latest news and updates...

It was caused by bad planning, incredible weakness, and leaders who truly didnt understand what was happening. This is the 20th year of this war, and should have been a year of victory and honor, and strength.

But, Trump claimed, Biden had surrendered in defeat.

It comes after New York City's former mayor Rudy Giulianitold WABC radio during a 9/11 remembrance: President Biden shouldnt come here. He doesnt belong here.

President Biden made decisions that were reckless, almost to the point of insanity, he said Friday afternoon.

It would be as if I went down to Ground Zero and I said, Take out the firefighters and all you civilians, see if you can get yourselves out and maybe some terrorists can help you out.'

If youleave Americans behind, you could be the president or anybody else, I just have no respect for you, the former mayor added. President Biden did probably one of the most reckless acts in American history and hes putting us through hell.

Donald Trump had been tight-lipped about whether he would mark the tragedy.

The New Jersey Globe reported on Thursday Trump would visit Ground Zero early Saturday afternoon, following a formal ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

It is not thought he will bump into the current president, Joe Biden.

Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are due to attend the beginning of the 8.30am ceremony before leaving New York around 10am to take part in observances at Shanksville, Pennsylvania the site of the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 and the Pentagon.

Trump has been piling on stinging criticism of Biden in the last few weeks over the withdrawal of US troops and the subsequent takeover of the country by the Taliban.

The US moved troops into the country in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

It is very depressing, Trump told Fox News on Friday of his feelings on the anniversary. This was supposed to be a day of victory. Now it is a day of embarrassment. How do you have this happen?

I think Biden rushed it [the Afghan pullout] to try to claim victory, the former president added, and now, he looks like a fool.

Chaotic scenes were seen in Kabul in the final few days of the US withdrawal as military personnel and civilians were rushed out of the country in order to meet the August deadline.

After Trumps visit to New York he is due to head to Florida where he and his son Donald Trump Jr as expected to provide an alternative commentary track for an eight-round boxing exhibition between former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort.

Earlier this month, the mom of a Marine killed in the deadly suicide bombing in Afghanistan in August has invited Trump, not Biden, to her son's funeral.

Shana Chappellsaid it would be an "honor" to meet the "real president" at the memorial service for her 20-year-old son Kareem Nikoui.

Nikoui was one of the 13 Marines killed in the terrorist blast in Kabul last month.

Chappell blamed Biden for her son's death, adding that the president has "blood on his hands."

9/11 timeline of events

The 9/11 terror attacks occurred 20 years ago. Here is a timeline of the day:

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