Moderator Savannah Guthrie speaks during an NBC News Town Hall with President Donald Trump at Perez Art Museum Miami, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Guthrie to Trump: You're the President, you're not some crazy uncle!
02:23 - Source: CNN Business

Editor’s Note: Michael D’Antonio is the author of the book “Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success” and co-author, with Peter Eisner, of the upcoming book “High Crimes: The Corruption, Impunity, and Impeachment of Donald Trump.” The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN.

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In last week’s NBC town hall with President Donald Trump, moderator Savannah Guthrie tried to tell Trump that he’s not supposed to be “like someone’s crazy uncle.” (She made this comment as Trump defended disseminating a conspiracy theory.) We all know the character she was referring to: the unfiltered family member who will say anything to get a rise out of others with no regard for factuality. Ever since, Trump has been acting like he considered Guthrie’s quip a challenge, careening around the country saying things you would indeed expect to hear from a crazy uncle.

Most recently the President’s remarks were about scientists – and one in particular: the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci. As one of the government’s leading experts on the Covd-19 pandemic, Fauci has held the nation’s respect when it comes to the crisis, even as President Trump’s leadership has left many fearful for the health of the nation. This may explain why the President’s re-election campaign crafted a pro-Trump ad featuring the doctor’s “praise” of Trump’s work.

After the ad aired, Fauci felt it necessary to publicly state that this praise was taken out of context, which, of course, prompted the President to criticize the doctor, something he hasn’t shied away from doing in the past.

“People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots … If I listened to him, we’d have 500,000 deaths,” Trump said on Monday, before stating, “If there’s a reporter on, you can have it just the way I said it, I couldn’t care less.”

Only a crazy uncle type of politician would spend good money on a television ad associating himself with someone and then, with the ad still running, go after the same fellow in a foul-mouthed tirade that he knew would be heard by members of the press and the public.

The “idiots” Trump referred to are presumably the scientists who, on Sunday, he also mocked at a rally in Nevada. “If I listened totally to the scientists, we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression,” said Trump. He also said that if his rival Joe Biden were elected president in November “he’ll listen to the scientists” as if it’s a bad thing. Rounding out the crazy remarks, Trump warned that with a President Biden, “the Christmas season will be canceled.”

Christmas will be canceled? The only people who say this kind of thing are crazy uncles trying to scare children at Thanksgiving. Of course, scaring people has been part of Trump’s act since before he became president. He began the 2016 campaign with fearmongering about immigrants and continued the tactic after he took office. More recently he’s been trying to make voters afraid of anti-police violence protesters, and newcomers to the suburbs.

But he went full crazy uncle on Saturday as he went after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. At his Michigan rally, Trump said that Whitmer should abandon the state’s pandemic response policy and re-open society. This came as the state’s case-count was rising and Trump’s rally, a mass gathering, provoked public health concern. It also followed the arrest of 13 men who had allegedly plotted to kidnap the governor. To add the perfect touch of heedlessness, Trump egged on a crowd that began to chant “lock her up!”

In addition to playing with fire where Whitmer is concerned, Trump went off on a rant this weekend about water pressure – in sinks, showers, toilets, dishwashers – as if this is a serious concern. What’s more, according to Trump, a sketchy media report of a possible email scandal involving former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, are the “REAL DEAL.”

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Much of Trump’s remarks have been fueled or amplified by other crazy uncle-like characters, like Trump’s personal attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. It’s possible that Giuliani and Trump both believe there is something to be gained from playing this role. With two weeks left until Election Day, shameless and provocative comments may be the only thing they think could help them win. Besides, the whole point of the crazy uncle routine is not to be right, but to get attention by getting a rise out of everyone else. And from that perspective, Trump’s routine is working.