Tweets Out of Trumpworld

President Elect Donald Trump isn't letting the business of putting together an administration get in the way of attacking critics on social media.  Trump was dropping tweet bombs again this weekend after Vice-President Elect Mike Pence received a personalized encore at the conclusion of a Friday night performance of the Broadway hit Hamilton.  Trump blasted the actors and called the show itself "overrated" after hearing the cast made a statement from the stage directed at Pence that thanked him for his attendance but expressed concern "that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights."  Trump declared via Twitter, "The Theater must always be a safe and special place."

Trump is right, the theater should be a safe and special place.  So should schools, streets, mosques, gender neutral bathrooms, and virtually any place of business in the Vice-President Elect's home state of Indiana where, as Governor, Pence signed into law a bill allowing business owners to discrimination against the LGBT community.  Since the election, there have been numerous incidents of verbal and physical hate crimes that the President Elect didn't see fit to speak out against with the same fervor as that of a respectfully delivered statement on behalf of the cast and producers of Hamilton.  Therein lies the terrible reality of a Trump presidency.

To Pence's credit, he said he was not offended by the pointed comments made to him at the play and sought to reassure the country that Trump would be a president "for all Americans."  Pence's own political record would indicate otherwise but setting aside the irony that he went to see (and reportedly enjoyed) a play about a penniless immigrant that became the father of Federalism, at least Pence's remarks were an acknowledgment of message received.

Trump, however, continued his Twitter assault into Sunday lobbing more insults at the Hamilton production like a teenager whose BFF was wronged by the other kids a school.  It must be somewhat embarrassing, if not emasculating, for Pence to have Trump keep fighting his battles for him on Twitter.

Pence was treated fairly during his night at the theater, far more fairly than he and Trump have treated immigrants, the LGBT community, women, and minority Americans.  Had Trump responded with a tweet even remotely near the tone of Pence's remarks he would have at least demonstrated a departure from the social media pettiness he's demonstrated to date.  Perhaps it would have even signaled a recognition that being president for all Americans actually means he will need to recognize opposing points of view have the right to exist.

Instead, Trump reinforced his priority remains meting out ire to those he perceives wrong him (or his BFF) in 140 characters or less.