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Charlamagne tha God: America has zero protection from people like Donald Trump
Editor’s Note: Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio’s daily program “The Dean Obeidallah Show” and a columnist for The Daily Beast. Follow him @DeanObeidallah. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion articles on CNN.
CNN
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Donald Trump seems to have spent most of the year working on his reelection rather than the duties of the presidency. Now that he has lost, it appears he has really checked out.
Dean Obeidallah
CNN
On Saturday morning, Trump joined an online meeting of G20 leaders at 8 a.m. ET to discuss Covid-19 and other issues of concern. How did Trump approach this vitally important conference? He began tweeting about 13 minutes into the opening session, spewing more baseless claims about voter fraud in an effort to overturn the 2020 election. And by 10 a.m. Trump departed to go play golf, skipping a special side conference that was focused on the coronavirus crisis that’s exploding in many countries – including our own.
Beyond Trump’s non-stop efforts to erode US democracy with lies about voter fraud, the dangerous blocking of the start of President-elect Joe Biden’s transition until the General Services Administration makes a determination that he won the election means the incoming administration can’t start the process of working with all of the federal agencies, including the Covid-19 vaccine team, to prepare for battling this deadly virus and putting in place a vaccine distribution plan. As Biden recently warned about Trump’s actions, “More people may die if we don’t coordinate.”
Appealing to Trump to do the right thing for the good of Americans is a fool’s errand. Trump only cares about Trump. We need to make his incentive something that benefits Trump personally. So here’s an offer to Trump: Resign today and American taxpayers will cover the cost of unlimited golf between now and January 20, the day Biden is sworn in – or “Freedom from Trump day,” as I refer to it.
Yes, I know, many of you are saying, “Don’t we already pay for Trump’s golf?!” Fair point. Exact numbers are hard to confirm, but given that it can cost millions every time the President takes a trip – and that Trump had already spent 266 days during his Presidency at a Trump golf course by May of 2020 – it’s clear that Trump’s love of golf has cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars for the federally-funded security and transport needed to get him to his favorite courses. After all, Trump doesn’t just golf in the United States – he likes to play in places like his resorts in Scotland and Ireland too.
I hope Trump takes a moment from tweeting unfounded conspiracy theories to check out Golf Digest’s top 100 golf courses outside the US. (In reality, I’m betting Trump has read Golf Digest more than his daily intelligence briefings.) There, Trump will be treated to an eye-popping buffet of magnificent golf courses that he can visit at our expense while we wait for Biden’s inauguration.
Trump could begin at the top-rated golf course in the world, Royal County Down Golf club located in Newcastle, Northern Ireland. This course, founded in 1889, is located between Dundrum Bay to the east and Mountains of Mourne to the south and is famous for its “gorse-covered dunes in golden bloom.” As Golf Digest notes, “There is no lovelier place in golf.”
From there, Trump could jet over to New Zealand to play the world’s second-highest-rated golf course, Tara Iti golf club. For golfers, this must be the eighth wonder of the world, with a course that took two years of “gently re-sculpting the sandy soil into hummocks, punchbowls and sand dunes that look like they were formed by wind and vegetated by nature.” It’s breathtaking – and it could be Trump’s at no cost to him if he simply signs that resignation paper. (Of course, he might have to wait until New Zealand lifts its coronavirus travel ban – but perhaps if he books now he can get a credit for later.)
But wait, there’s more. Trump could then skip over to South Korea to play the ninth-ranked golf course in the world, South Cape Owners club, located on the picturesque Namhae Island. This course not only features a view of the ocean from every tee, but it could also feature a very special golfing partner. That’s right: the man Trump exchanged “love letters” with, the one and only dictator of North Korea: Kim Jong Un. Trump already asked Kim to play golf in their February 2019 summit, as noted in Bob Woodward’s recent book, “Rage.” In fact, Trump said to Kim, “Let’s go play a round of golf” and “Let’s go to a movie together.” Well, now they can do both, and we US taxpayers will foot the bill if Trump accepts our offer.
Trump is the “Art of the Deal” guy, so he might say I want more than free golf, how about a pardon?! I can understand Trump’s desire for one considering the potential criminal investigations he is facing upon leaving office. But all we are offering is golf – take it or leave it.
I think most Americans – or at least the 51% of voters who cast a ballot for Biden – would agree Trump can gleefully enjoy all the taxpayer-financed golf, diet Cokes and burgers he can handle between now and January 20. In exchange, all he has to do is resign right away. It’s a win for all involved. This could save American lives from Covid-19, save our democracy from Trump’s assault and provide Trump the freedom to focus on what he does best: Golf and tweeting. What do you say, Mr. President?
