Donald Trump, French Wine and the Task of Tying One’s Own Shoes

Posted by Tom Wark on Jul 29, 2019

I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to mock the American president. One can disagree with a president. One can support an American president’s electoral defeat. One can urge others to oppose a president’s policies and initiatives. But mocking a president almost always seems imprudent and juvenile and destructive of democracy.

Or not.

I’m a chauvinist. Why I’m a chauvinist I can’t say. Nevertheless, I’m almost always going to be inclined to come to the defense of the home town team, the American position, the family first.

But sometimes being a chauvinist and respecting the institution of the presidency just seems like a stupid and unthoughtful response to public displays of stupidity and ignorance. Case in point:

“I’ve always liked American wines better than French wines, even though I don’t drink wine. I just like the way they look.”

The is no way to mock this statement without at least implying the inherent stupidity of its owner. You just can’t do it.

“I just like the way they look”?

Dear @realDonaldTrump,

Please identify the American wine in this photo.

Thank you. pic.twitter.com/shBBFihEj0

— Real America #TheResistance (@Real_America_1) July 28, 2019

The facts and rhetoric one deploys in support of political position or any statement is really more important than the position or statement. They form the foundation of the strength of the argument. There is a case to be made that American wine is more likable than French. And it’s not a difficult argument to make. That American wines look better than French wines is not part of that argument. That anyone would make this case is indicative of something that deserves mocking. It’s unfortunate that the “something” is the intellect and prudence of the President of the United States. Moreover, deploying this argument about the “look” of French wine in comparison to American wine in support of tariffs on $3.6 Billion worth of imports seems a tad buffoonish.

For wine lovers of integrity and politically minded wine lovers, there really is nothing to be done about this act of buffoonery. The best response is to internalize what you’ve just witnessed, catalog it, and add it to the cache of other things, ideas, and actions you’ve cataloged as you evaluate the President of the United State’s fitness to tie his own shoes and be trusted with sharp objects.