Apparently unable to figure out how to actually do the job of being president, Trump went back onto the campaign trail. A hastily schedule rally in Melbourne, Florida, puts Trump back into the only place he feels comfortable: An arena where the screams of his adoring fans drown out, however briefly, the crippling insecurities he so clearly feels.
The rally is said to cost millions and is already being eyed at as blatantly illegal. Why? Because Trump and his team are insisting it is a “re-election campaign” rally - and Trump, in violation of federal law, Trump is almost surely using taxpayer money to host it. In short, he’s using money the American people gave him to further his own political ambitions while pretending it’s part of his job as president. Wrong on every level.
UPDATE: Also this is another ethics violation:
The White House told @wpjenna that Air Force One would not be used as a political prop at the rally. It appears it's being used as a prop. pic.twitter.com/PbfVirdona
— Yashar (@yashar) February 18, 2017
First Sean Spicer, Trump’s press secretary, described it as a “campaign event.” But still reporters weren’t convinced. Spicer’s astounding ability to be both a serial liar and also terrible with words made it hard to say whether this description was accurate. And yet, the very organizer of Trump’s florida “campaign event” seems to be on the same page:
Tony Ledbetter, the coordinator of President Donald Trump’s campaign rally Saturday in Melbourne, Fla., said the event would be the president’s “first re-election rally.”
Speaking in the hours before Trump’s event, Ledbetter, chairman of the Volusia County Republican Executive Committee, said he was excited for the event to take place.
Spicer later agreed:
Spicer on POTUS event on Saturday in FL: "It's being run by the campaign"
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) February 15, 2017
Trump, who frequently smeared Obama for ever leaving the White House to campaign for his re-election has decided that he will kickstart his campaign less than one month into office. Needless to say, the idea of running for president again before you’ve ever really had a chance to be president in the first place is unprecedented.
So far the rally attendance has been rather lackluster. One reporter, hoping to make the best of it, tweeted out a photo showing a crowd that wasn’t particularly impressive given the circumstances.
Here's a taste of the crowd size at President Trump's rally in Melbourne, FL. pic.twitter.com/YmajUhw00y
— Lissandra Villa (@LissandraVilla) February 18, 2017
Clearly worried about the optics (you’ll notice from the picture above that the crowd is mostly white men), campaign staff were reportedly handing out pink “Women For Trump” signs at the entrance. It’s hard to imagine anyone is buying that hamfisted approach.
Featured image via Joe Raedle/Getty Images
