In a Thursday post on his Truth Social platform, former President Donald Trump argued that Vice President Kamala Harris “should be investigated and forced off the Campaign,” thereby allowing President Joe Biden “to take back his rightful place” at the top of the Democratic ticket. Trump did not specify what he believes Harris — who became the Republican’s rival in the White House race after Biden dropped his reelection bid this summer — should be investigated for.

~HUFFPOST.COM/October 17, 2024

Life is easy when everything goes exactly as planned.  The alarm goes off on time.  There is still enough hot water for your morning shower.  There is another box of your favorite breakfast cereal.  Traffic is lighter than normal.  The boss thanks you for getting him the information she needed for the board meeting.  The Dow hits another new high.  You celebrate by taking your spouse out for dinner.  And Netflix finally dropped Season 4 of “Stranger Things.”

Most of us know there is no such thing as a perfect day.  That is where planning comes in.  If you live in hurricane alley, you have a standing evacuation plan, bought a generator and stocked the pantry with non-perishable items.  If the Wall Street Journal reports your company is struggling and planning layoffs, you do not wait until you get your pink slip to start looking for alternative employment.  If your doctor recommends a life-style change to prevent a second heart attack, you start Googling tasty, salt-free meals and explore memberships at an area health club.

Donald J. Trump is not “most of us.”  As a right-brained thinker who traffics in metaphors, I wondered, “What is the best way to make people understand the consequences?”  As is always the case, the answer emerges in the most unexpected ways.  This time it was dinner at the Fish Market in Boca Raton with my wife, my mother and two close friends.  I do not remember how we got there, but the conservation turned to, “What is your favorite version of Dicken’s Christmas Carol?”  For the record, my favorite is “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol.”

Therefore, I am proud to present a Dr. ESP production of “Mr. Trump’s Christmas Carol.”  My goal?  No different than Charles Dickens’ as he wrote in the preface of the original:

I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Stave 1: The First of the Three Spirits

Trump pulls back the curtains of his poster bed and comes face to face with an old man viewed through some supernatural medium.  “Who are you?” he asks.  “I am the Ghost of administrations past.  Let’s take a walk.”

The first stop is the Oval Office on January 28, 2020.  A younger Trump is sitting behind the Resolute Desk.  Advisors bring him news the coronavirus has arrived in America, it is air borne, and could rival the pandemic of 1918.  They suggest, “Maybe we need to re-establish the NSC pandemic unit you disbanded in 2018.”  His response?  “Bah, humbug.”

The second stop is the admissions desk at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City on May 7, 2020.  The line extends outside the door and around the block.  A reporter asks the hospital administrator, “What is the problem?  Why is the line so long?”  “Because we do not have enough testing devices.  We’ve requested more from CDC but they tell us they have exhausted their supply,” she replies.

The specter turns and asks, “Donald, do you remember where you were that day?”  An image appears of the then-president on the phone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.  You can only hear Trump’s side of the conversation.  “Yes, Vlad.  I know it’s bad.  I’m just as scared as you are of catching the virus.  Let me send you some testing devices…You’re welcome, I owed you one anyway.”

“Bah, humbug.  I’ve seen enough,” Trump says.  “Those people didn’t vote for me.  And then they expected me to come to their rescue.”  He falls back to sleep.

Stave 2:  The Second of the Three Spirits

Trump is awakened by a second visitor, a younger spirit who again invites the former president to go with him.  Trump asks, “Who are you?”  “The Ghost of elections present.”

This time the first stop is the Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 18, 2024, the last night of the Republican National Convention.  A confident Trump, having recently survived an assassination attempt and leading his presumed opponent in the polls, is jubilant.  Aware of the increasing pressure on incumbent Joe Biden to drop out of the race, Trump’s campaign staff urge him to have a contingency plan just in case.  “Bah, humbug,” he again replies.

The second stop is Trump’s bedroom on the night of October 17. 2024.  He is posting on Truth Social.  “Why are you showing me this?”  Trump asks.  “Because you did not listen to your advisors.  Biden withdrew from the race 90 days ago.  And you still can’t deal with it.  Here’s what you posted.”

60 MINUTES SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY TAKEN OFF THE AIR – ELECTION INTERFERENCE. CBS SHOULD LOSE ITS LICENSE. THIS IS THE BIGGEST SCANDAL IN BROADCAST HISTORY. Kamala should be investigated and forced off the Campaign, and Joe Biden allowed to take back his rightful place (He got 14 Million Primary Votes, she got none!). THIS WHOLE SORDID AND FRAUDULENT EVENT IS A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY!

The spirit continues, “Don’t you understand how small and petty you sound?  And it only confirms everything Harris said about you last night on Fox News.”

“It doesn’t matter.  The base loves this stuff,”  Trump pushes back.  “Ghost, you’re wrong.  I’m done with you.”

Stave 3:  The Last of the Spirits

Trump had barely dozed off again, when he was awakened by a third spirit who uncannily resembled Liz Cheney.  “And who are you?”  Trump asked.  “I am the Ghost of inaugurations future,”  she replies. 

Trump watches as Kamala Harris takes the oath of office as the first female president of the United States.  “How could this happen?  How did they steal the election?” he asks.  “No one stole anything, Donald.  No one to blame but yourself.  You expected everything to simply fall into place.  But that’s not how life works.  Americans understood if a candidate cannot adapt to an unanticipated challenge during the campaign, it was clear to them you learned nothing from the mistakes you made during the pandemic or following your loss to Joe Biden.”

“So where am I on January 20, 2025?” he asks.  The third Ghost conjures up an image of Trump at the omelet bar at Mar-a-Lago.  “I guess it could be worse,” he surmises.  “Oh, it is,” she informs him.  “See those guys on the perimeter.  They used to be your Secret Service detail.  Now they are federal prison guards.  You were sentenced to five years house arrest after being convicted of interfering with the 2020 transfer of power and mishandling classified documents.”

“Bah, f***ing humbug”

Stave 4: The End of It

No, not everyone lived happily ever after, but democracy was saved and Americans continue the quest to form a more perfect union, just as those oldest of ghosts, the Founding Fathers, planned.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP