The Democrats had just won the House and the Senate in a landslide election.
asserted
Democrats → win → election
His vice president put out a long and scathing tweet about how the Iran war caused it.
asserted
war → put → it
He told people to act like he was on the ballot and they wiped out his party.
asserted
they → tell → party
And everyone was waiting to see what Donald Trump would say.
asserted
Trump → wait → what
It was lunchtime on Wednesday when he finally emerged to make a speech amid construction work at the soon-to-be ballroom.
asserted
he → emerge → ballroom
And to say that he came out fighting would be…entirely inaccurate.
asserted
he → say → ?
The person who came out was, instead, a frail and strange old man who just wanted to talk about building things.
asserted
who → come → things
There was no opener about the elections, no nod toward the Republicans being wiped out; no contrition (which we expected) and no bombast (which we expected.)
asserted
we → be → which
The beams are really special and the monuments in DC are looking great, he said.
asserted
he → look → DC
People are dining in nice restaurants in Washington again.
asserted
People → din → Washington
It was similar to the bizarre speech outside the Reflecting Pool he gave Monday afternoon, when he spoke at length about algae and granite and held up pictures of joints and pipes as the nation expected a closing argument on the midterm elections.
asserted
nation → give → elections
There was a bit of classic Trumpian stuff about how he had to make beautiful ballrooms and clean up DC because young tourists from Iowa would come to see the White House and get murdered; about how there used to be “three murders a week by savages” who “came in through open borders,” but that comment immediately led back into the importance of “beautiful” construction work and how nice the White House looks these days, according to his good friend Xi Jinping.
uncertain
House → be → friend
It was like watching a dark comedic take on Death of a Salesman.
asserted
It → watch → Salesman
Pale and hoarse, the president wheeled out Interior Secretary Doug Burgum (again, he was there at the pool, too!), who announced that “the last beam is going up” and “that’s what we’re here to celebrate,” as if nothing else of note had happened in the past 24 hours, before adding, “Let’s hear it for the American workers here today!”
asserted
’s → wheel → workers
Trump then asked the primary contractor on the construction to also come up and say a few words.
asserted
Trump → ask → words
The contractor, clearly on-edge, managed 10 seconds about how the final beam was here before handing the microphone back and scampering.
asserted
beam → manage → microphone
“They mentioned a little bit during the campaign: Why does Trump spend so much time on the White House?” said the president, starting up again.
asserted
president → mention → House
“Well, first of all it’s very little time and second of all, I like it, it’s good.
asserted
it → ’ → it
For me it’s relaxing…
asserted
it → ’ → me
I love construction.”
asserted
I → love → construction
For once, he seemed completely genuine.
asserted
he → seem → ?
Here was an old man retreating into his glory days, seemingly completely unbothered by being resoundingly lame-ducked by voters from coast to coast, and in fact perhaps relieved that he was entering an effective retirement.
asserted
he → retreat → retirement
He started to talk about the moldings on the windows being broken.
asserted
moldings → start → windows
“It bothered me very much because that’s what I do,” he said.
asserted
he → bother → what
“I like beautiful things.”
asserted
I → like → things
He went into the details of the facade, the exterior plaster, the cracks in the glass.
asserted
He → go → glass
“You know, when I get criticized, like ‘Why are you working on the White House?’ I'm doing it because the White House is the ultimate symbol of America,” he added.
asserted
he → know → America
And then we went right back into it: intricate fiberglass molds, stones with big holes in them.
asserted
we → go → them
The mic repeatedly screeched feedback as he moved it too close to his mouth, again and again.
asserted
he → screech → mouth
“Great job,” he told the assembled workers.
asserted
he → tell → workers
“We’ll see you all at the official opening — you’re all invited.”
asserted
you → see → opening
It was like he was acting out a part he played in New York 30 years ago, blissfully unaware that decades had passed.
asserted
decades → act → York
He signed the beam with a marker, then directed Burgum to sign it, too, all the while acting as though he hadn’t just effectively burned down an entire party and political movement in service to his egotistical whims.
asserted
he → sign → whims
His VP was panicking and strategizing; his own son was endorsing JD Vance’s dark assessments of the situation.
asserted
son → panic → situation
But the president was signing a beam, and he was asking the gathered reporters if they knew that some construction workers know how to walk across a beam without falling because they have excellent balance, and he didn’t seem to even be vaguely cognizant of the fact that those reporters might have more pressing questions to ask.
uncertain
reporters → sign → questions
Briefly, he opened up for questions: Vance said the Iran war was why they got wiped out in the midterms, asked one reporter.
asserted
reporter → open → midterms
Does he agree?
asserted
he → agree → ?
“I think it’s largely true because it drove the gasoline up short-term,” Trump mused, completely unbothered, before adding that he’d “do it again”.
asserted
he → think → it
Was it worth it, the reporter pressed?
asserted
reporter → press → ?
Yes, he said, without much conviction, because “you can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon”.
asserted
Iran → say → weapon
…and 28 more, not listed.
The Aporia
