Liars lie.
And the 45th President of the United States of America has made himself into an All-Pro liar.
Remember that day when Dr. Anthony Fauci threw out one of the worst first pitches in baseball history? Well, an hour before that, Trump told the world that he would be doing the same for an upcoming Yankees game on August 15th.
“[Team President] Randy Levine is a great friend of mine from the Yankees,” Trump explained at an off-the-cuff White House press briefing. “And he asked me to throw out the first pitch, and I think I’m doing that on Aug. 15 at Yankee Stadium.”
Well, according to a report from the New York Times, that was a lie. Trump made it all up. The Yankees weren’t aware of that plan, nor had they officially invited him. The White House was blindsided, too, as the event wasn’t even on Trump’s schedule. And according to the report, it all stemmed from Trump’s jealousy of Dr. Fauci. So in an attempt not to be upstaged, he tried to cash in on a longstanding offer from Levine to take the mound.
But something tells me Levine never actually meant it. Similar to when people say, “Hey, drop by anytime.” But, they don’t actually mean that you can “drop by anytime.”
Trump’s schedule was already booked for August 15th, further proving that his statement was a complete fabrication. That led to him going full racist, once again, and placing the blame, once again, on China.
“Because of my strong focus on the China Virus, including scheduled meetings on Vaccines, our economy and much else, I won’t be able to be in New York to throw out the opening pitch for the @Yankees on August 15th. We will make it later in the season!” he tweeted.
According to Heathline.com, pathological liars lie for no apparent reason, as some of their lies are told to make them appear as the hero, or to gain acceptance or sympathy, while there’s nothing to be gained from it. Psychologist Mary Trump, the president’s own niece, says her uncle fits that bill.
It all makes sense when you realize that Trump lied about the Yankees invite to make himself look good, then had to tell another one about why he had to “reschedule,” all because he chooses to lie even when there isn’t a win in it for him.
This is par for the course when it comes to POTUS. And not just the compulsive lying — Trump has a history of trying to shift the conversation to sports and athletes when he’s in a jam, hoping to divert attention elsewhere. Former White House advisor Steve Bannon had a name for this tactic: “Flooding the zone with sh*t.”
In March, Trump called A-Rod for advice when COVID-19 started raging through the country. A baseball player — and a man Trump has repeatedly attacked in the past, and referred to as a “druggie” for his past PED use — is who the flaming racist turned to for counsel, instead of trusted advisors, doctors, and scientists.
A month later, Trump led a sports conference call with league commissioners to discuss the country’s response to COVID-19, as he wanted sports back by the end of the summer, guaranteeing that the NFL would start on time. So far, baseball has been a disaster, as MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has no idea what he’s doing. The NFL looks as if it might have the same fate as baseball, as the league that had the most time to come up with a proper COVID-19 plan failed to do so. The Vikings Infection Control Officer has coronavirus, at more than 10 players have opted out of the 2020 season, and yet, on Monday, Goodell penned an open letter about the start of training camp, ending it with an emphatic “Now let’s play football.”
So far, it seems as if the NBA and WNBA are the only leagues that have a chance of surviving the president’s call for the return of sports. Ironically, the National Women’s Soccer League successfully wrapped up their season over the weekend when the Houston Dash defeated the Chicago Red Stars to win the Challenge Cup. But, as you might have guessed, no women’s sports leagues were included on the misogynist’s April conference call.
Go figure.
But, in the end — from the Yankees to A-Rod, to pleading for sports and schools to open in the middle of a pandemic — it’s all on brand for a man who’s been on record as a habitual liar since at least 1990.
The shock value lost its appeal a long time ago.