This is a truly astounding document, but what makes it so is that it isn’t irony or satire. The President of the United States has proclaimed that the date of his inauguration as the 45th man to lead the nation is a day of patriotic devotion. Par for the course, to use a metaphor near and dear to the President’s heart, Mr. Trump makes bold assertions which are extravagantly exaggerated, and devoid of any real substance. In the face of historic protests against his rise to power, he proclaims that a new national pride has swollen the breast of every American, and that despite 11 million more citizens choosing someone other than him as their desired leader, we are united by a common purpose.

The best one say about this proclamation is that for once, Mr. Trump doesn’t only speak of himself in the highest regard, but throws a bone to the American citizen as he proclaims them the greatest of all the world’s people.  There is a disclaimer though, as he warns that there is no freedom where the people don’t believe in it, no law where the people won’t follow it, and perhaps most absurdly, no peace unless the people pray for it.

I strain to see the value in this proclamation. It feels disconnected from the reality of this tumultuous transition of power, with its false attempts at lumping all Americans in the same pot. It reeks of isolationism and overt nationalism, hammering away at the theme of the Trump campaign to restore a still nebulous and ill defined greatness to the country. Ultimately it comes across as yet another pat on one’s own back for ascending to the ultimate celebrity, while ignoring the excruciating blow to the American psyche from the inversely lopsided victory, cloaked in suspicion of foul play. Perhaps my cynicism is reaching critical mass, so I will leave the Proclamation here to revisit at some future date where perhaps, in spite of seemingly overwhelming obstacles to the path of unity, we will find our bonds strengthened under the astute leadership of the Celebrity President.

National Day of Patriotic Devotion