The Puppet Show That Ran America

The Puppet Show That Ran America

. . . The Damage America Can Repair  The cover-up created two types of harm. One type can be fixed. Agencies that grew comfortable steering policy without accountability can be rebuilt. A leader who speaks for himself can reshape systems that grew lazy under a silent executive.

"President Donald Trump understands the value of a chain of command and the importance of direct leadership. Trump's ability to reset expectations, because that part of the problem sits within his reach.

The Damage That Will Not Fade  "The second type of harm doesn't fade quickly. Trust broke as the public watched the White House defend a story that everyone knew was false, waving off concerns and hiding behind rehearsed responses.

"We live in a society that forgives mistakes when people own them and genuinely apologize. What we don't forgive is any deception spanning years.

"The embarrassment of watching a weakened figure stumble while his handlers yelled at critics carved a mark into the national memory; a mark that Americans will carry for a long time.

"Now, President Trump leads a country that still tries to shake off the humiliation of the staged presidency it survived." . . ."Finally, Manney gets to the names. The suspects operating Biden as a dummy president include:

• Mike Donilon — longtime Biden adviser and senior advisor in the White House.
• Steve Ricchetti — longtime political operative and Counselor to the President under Biden.
• Bruce Reed — Deputy Chief of Staff (and, for a time, principal White House staffer), often described among the senior group directing policy behind the scenes.
• Ron Klain — served as White House Chief of Staff from 2021 to 2023; many reports place him among the principal decision-makers, especially early on.
• Neera Tanden — as Staff Secretary and Senior Adviser — handled domestic policy planning and information flow, giving her a role in shaping which ideas reached the president.

"These people exploited a frail man to expand their power, treating the presidency as a production instead of a responsibility." . . .

Democrats have repeatedly used violent rhetoric against former president: 'Time to put Trump in a bullseye'   . . . "Earlier this year, President Biden told donors in a private call that the media isn’t doing enough to scrutinize Trump and that it was "time to put Trump in the bulls-eye." Biden, after the first assassination attempt against Trump, acknowledged it was a "mistake" to use that term.

"Biden, along with VP Kamala Harris, have accused Trump of being a "threat to Democracy" on several occasions."

 Republicans: Biden's 'bullseye' comment partly to blame in Trump attack 

. . ." In the aftermath of the assassination attempt, the specific reference to "Trump in a bullseye" less than a week before, has led some Republicans to place the burden of the shooting in part on Mr Biden.

"Joe Biden sent the orders," Georgia Republican Rep. Mike Collins posted on X, formerly Twitter, in a response to a post about Mr Biden's comments to donors." . . .