In the latest revival of a classic joke, I offer the following multiple choice question.

What do you call Donald Trump and 143 of his advisers.

A. Gross Incompetence
B. Gross Ignorance
C. Just Plain Gross
D. All of the Above

Two events triggered this post.  At a friend’s birthday party last night, I became engaged in a conversation about how any early corporate enthusiasm for supposed pro-business policies will soon fade as His Orangeness continues to demonstrate a lack of knowledge about almost everything and the impact his actions have on the general economy, much less his own supporters.  Consider the following example.

On April 25, the administration announced a 20 percent tariff on Canadian softwood lumber imports.  Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross heralded this as an example of how the administration was keeping a campaign promise to its base.  There’s only one problem.  Those most likely to be impacted by this policy are blue-collar workers in the Midwest.  Yes, the very people Trump credits with his upset victories in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

How do I know this?  Because Trump’s own Department of Commerce told me so on Friday.  A major force behind the positive employment numbers for April released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics was an increase in construction jobs.  And guess what is a major input for the construction industry.  Softwood lumber.   According to Britannica.com, “The chief economic value of pines is in the construction and paper-products industries.”

But that was just the beginning.  Remember Trump telling us about his “good friend” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  Well, this BFF did not take Trump’s ill-advised action lying down.  In response, the Canadian government is considering a 20 percent tariff on (drum roll) U.S. coal.  One can only imagine the laughter among Trudeau’s cabinet members when this option emerged.  I assume Trump voters in West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania will fail to see the humor.

But this was just one instance where this fraudulent populist chose corporate America over the citizenry.  On Sunday’s edition of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver exposed the attempt by Trump’s recently appointed chairman of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Ajit Pai (a former Verizon attorney) to gut the net neutrality provisions imposed in 2015.*  For those unfamiliar with the term “net neutrality,” it refers to the rule which prevents Internet Service Providers (ISP) from regulating the speed at which different content is transmitted to the end-user.

Which brings us back to Trump’s gross ignorance.  Oliver shared a Trump tweet on November 12, 2014 which constituted his two-cents in the debate during which net neutrality was affirmed.

Obama’s attack on the internet is another top down power grab. Net neutrality is the Fairness Doctrine. Will target conservative media.

In 140 characters, Comrade Trump displayed his mental incapacity to understand the most basic aspects of this issue.  First, the Fairness Doctrine does not apply to the Internet.  Second, and most importantly, net neutrality ensures NO ONE can be denied equal access on line.  In other words, it does EXACTLY the opposite of what Trump charged.

Which brings me to my favorite Trump joke of the week.  Following Trump’s assertion that Andrew Jackson could have prevented the Civil War, Seth Meyers, host of NBC’s Late Night, predicted, “You know, at this rate the only way Trump is going to get a second term is if he is held back.”

Which explains Trump’s comment at his February 24, 2016 rally in Nevada, “I love the poorly educated.”  He obviously feels right at home.

*NOTE:  During the broadcast, Oliver pointed out how difficult the FCC had made it for individuals to find the net neutrality comment form on their website.  To combat this version of the GOP mantra, “If you don’t like what we stand for, we’ll make it as difficult as possible to voice your dissent (as in voting or town hall meetings ),” Oliver registered the URL gofccyourself.com which redirects you to the comment page.   Within hours the click volume crashed the FCC web site.  Viva la resistance!

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP