President Donald Trump finally came to the Golden State and Californians responded with the ultimate dis—they pretty much ignored him. Everyone, including the President, seemed to be going through the motions. There wasn’t enough electricity in the atmosphere to power an iPhone for more than an hour.
Clearly, Trump wasn’t interested in much interaction with Californians, who disapprove of him in overwhelming numbers. His trip was limited to a visit to San Diego where he visited “floor samples” for his wall (the one that Mexico is supposed to pay for), a military photo op and a high rollers’ fund-raiser in Beverly Hills. He didn’t set foot in Orange County! (You remember Orange County—the erstwhile bastion of GOP conservativism that went Democratic in the 2016 Presidential election–for the first time since 1936.)
Sure, there were protests, but nothing huge or particularly confrontational. Trump’s anti-immigration supporters hung around the “wall”, but they were clearly outnumbered and no Charlottesville type clash ensued. Politicians stayed away in droves, including nervous Republicans who are facing Democratic carpet bombing in the mid-term elections-and are deathly afraid of catching the “Trumps”. Of California’s Congressional Republicans, only retiring Rep. Darrell Issa and San Diego’s Duncan Hunter bothered to show up—an appearance Rep. Hunter may regret in November.
President Trump did, of course, treat California to a Tweetfest, spewing harsh words about Governor Jerry Brown, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the state’s economy, crime and taxes. Brown counter-tweeted and wrote the President a letter asking for money for the bullet train.
As with any presidential visit to Los Angeles, traffic jams were the order of the day. “Make America Late Again” tweeted more than one wag. Although Trump will probably deny it, his traffic tie-ups paled in comparison to the “Obamajams” that regularly occurred when 44 swept into town–as he frequently did.
Of course, Trump’s visit to California coincided with his firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, his appointment of CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace Tillerson, the continuing North Korean saga, Special Counsel Mueller’s on-going Russia probe and Congressional Republicans’ early absolution of Trump’s campaign from any “collusion” with Russia. And all this alongside the perpetually riveting Stormy Daniels melodrama and the cliffhanger Congressional election in Pennsylvania.
When President Trump finally landed on our shores, after more than a year in office, his visit was met with a big yawn.
He long ago declared war on California and the feeling is mutual. He lost the state by four million votes in 2016—basically giving Hillary Clinton her popular vote victory–and could easily do worse in 2020. California isn’t expected to get anything much from the Feds while Trump is in office (except, perhaps, the humongous Shasta Dam enlargement project that the Trump Administration has just proposed, and California is dead against.)
All in all, besides lousy traffic, Trump’s visit meant little to most Californians. And the optics of the military and the “wall” didn’t hit home to Trump’s base as hard as he might have liked. But there was a consolation prize: a roughly $5 million take-away from that Beverly Hills fund-raiser.
Whether or not the Golden State—or the President—likes it, he’ll be ba-a-ack.