President* Trump, I learned today that not everyone knows what “gaslighting” means so because it’s such an important weapon of yours I thought it would be a good idea to define it (and don’t worry, I know you know what it is so this isn’t for you): verb gerund or present participle: gaslighting manipulate (someone) … Continue reading Gaslighting (or he keeps looking straight into the camera without blinking)
Overwhelm
Not pretending things are ok
President* Trump, I’ve noticed it for about the last week, most prominently since the DNC convention ended and the RNC circus started, but it’s likely that the deep malaise that comes over me when I’m not occupied with something has been going on much longer and just wasn’t as noticeable. Just to be sure, I … Continue reading Not pretending things are ok
Litter, hate, Styrofoam, and non-negotiables
President* Trump, One of the many activities that COVID has curtailed for me is picking up litter. It’s just felt too risky and fraught, so for the most part, I’ve re-learned how to tune it out and keep walking even though I know it diminishes me a tiny bit each time. Frankly, this is one … Continue reading Litter, hate, Styrofoam, and non-negotiables
Aspiring to “always make new mistakes”
President* Trump, I don’t know whether what I’m going to try and articulate today will end up being coherent enough to send you (which, really is sort of silly given how low the bar is to match your coherence when you’re at your absolute best, but I do have standards for myself and I’m not … Continue reading Aspiring to “always make new mistakes”
The Emancipation Memorial and coverture
President* Trump, This morning I read the WP Retropolis piece by DeNeen L. Brown entitled “Frederick Douglass Delivered A Lincoln Reality Check At Emancipation Memorial Unveiling” since there’s currently so much conflict over whether the Emancipation Memorial should be removed and I hadn’t known about this particular monument before. Seeing the pictures of it, I … Continue reading The Emancipation Memorial and coverture
Words matter, a lot
President* Trump, Last night as I was trying to fall asleep, I realized that I closed out yesterday’s letter to you in a highly problematic way, one that betrays my implicit racial biases that, unfortunately, run parallel to the WP editors I called out earlier in the week. Here is the offending text: “This tree … Continue reading Words matter, a lot
Daily Trump Letters 