Well, when it comes to Donald Trump, we have to admit he attracts a certain type of controversy that seems, well, unique, to say the very least.
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And it seems this time; Trump is in hot water for taking pictures with a notorious mob boss.
Yes, you read that correctly. You can’t make this stuff up.
As noted by the Philadelphia Inquirer this morning: “They share an affinity for golf and an aversion to cooperating witnesses who “flip” to help federal investigators.
But former president Donald Trump and former Philly mob boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino don’t have much to say about how they wound up in a photo together at a South Florida golf course.
Trump posed for the photo with Merlino earlier this month at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach.
The two, along with an unidentified third man, flash Trump’s customary “thumbs-up” hand signs and smiles while wearing golfing attire.”
The report goes on to note that: “[T]he photo, obtained by The Inquirer, is likely to renew concerns among Trump loyalists eager to help him retake the White House next year that he still lacks the sort of protective political infrastructure that would prevent a candidate for president from taking a picture with a convicted mobster whose last stint in federal prison ended in mid-2020.”
Donald Trump To Blame? No, But the Staff…
To be really fair, no candidate for any office can vet every single person who asks for a selfie or a photo. While I have been very critical of Donald Trump as of late, I always have to be fair as well.
“President Trump takes countless photos with people. That does not mean he knows every single person he comes in contact with,” a Trump spokesperson explained to The Inquirer.
However, this sort of stuff seems to happen all the time and at least points to an issue where Donald Trump’s staff put him in a position to get in trouble.
Time and time again.
In fact, 19FortyFive‘s very own Jack Buckby has discussed Donald Trump and the question of his staffing: “Whoever is in charge of Team Trump is not just awful at their job, but they are also causing real harm to the Trump campaign at a time when the former president’s supposed invincibility is being seriously called into question by both Republicans and Democrats alike.
If Republicans want Donald Trump not just to win the Republican primary but the 2024 election as well, he’ll need a better team and speech writers, at the very least.”
While this latest gaff will likely come and go, Donald Trump surely needs to think about what sort of people he has around him and try to make some better decisions. His self-inflicted wounds will surely be his undoing at some point.
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About the author: Harry J. Kazianis (@Grecianformula) serves as President and CEO of Rogue States Project, a bipartisan national security think tank. He has held senior positions at the Center for the National Interest, the Heritage Foundation, the Potomac Foundation, and many other think tanks and academic institutions focused on defense issues. He served on the Russia task force for U.S. Presidential Candidate Senator Ted Cruz, and in a similar task force in the John Hay Initiative. His ideas have been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, CNN, CNBC, and many other outlets across the political spectrum. He holds a graduate degree in International Relations from Harvard University and is the author of The Tao of A2/AD, a study of Chinese military modernization. Kazianis also has a background in defense journalism, having served as Editor-In-Chief at The Diplomat and Executive Editor for the National Interest.
