On Wednesday, Trump staggered on stage, not far from the Reflecting Pool he abased and now claims without evidence was vandalized for no other purpose but to embarrass him, and officially kicked off the Great American Stare Fair, a MAGA-sanctioned celebration of America’s 250th Birthday. Entertainment was sparse since virtually the entire list of B-rated acts originally scheduled withdrew after concluding that even their struggling careers could only be made bumpier by appearing at what was really for all intents and purposes just another Trump rally.
But fear not, art is in the eye of the beholder. If Trump and his MAGA vanguard declare that the Marine Corps Band, one half of Milli Vanilli, and super patriot Lee Greenwood are spectacular showstoppers…who’s to argue?
And that’s exactly what Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy did. Duffy, who served four terms in the House but was most likely picked to head the 55,000-employee department because of his short stint as the host of Fox Business’s The Bottom Line, brought his large brood on stage to sing the praises of the event’s lineup.
Duffy and his wife, Fox personality Rachael Campos, have nine children, including his youngest, Valentina, who was born with Down syndrome as well as a heart condition. Duffy cited her health struggles in 2019 as the reason for giving up his House seat.
Once on stage an ebullient Duffy grabbed the microphone and addressed the crowd. He was determined to lend his voice to Trump’s grievances against the entertainers who deserted him:
“…we have to give a big round of applause to our military band and singers…way better than those libtards who cancelled on us. So much better… President Trump will make you famous.”
The moment came and went. The crowd roared its approval, and Duffy continued without any speck of self-awareness. The notion he had just insulted his own daughter with a vile slur as she stood behind him in front of thousands of people did not appear to register.
Before Trump, even partisan politicking at a function to celebrate the country’s birthday would have brought focused media scrutiny as a clear violation of the Hatch Act; uttering such an affront to common decency while doing it would have meant submitting one’s resignation before the week was out. Certainly anyone in the Biden Administration who said something comparable would have been shown the door with haste.
However, the outrages this regime constantly produces have by now been near fully normalized over an ever more obedient media landscape. If Duffy didn’t happen to have a daughter with Down Syndrome, chances are most all platforms would have ingested his ugliness as just par for the MAGA course, part of Trump’s “reshaping of government.”
But Duffy has not been stoic about letting the public know of the hardships Valentina’s condition has created for him as a parent, while also preaching that her “extra chromosome” “has been a blessing,” teaching his other children “tolerance and empathy.” All of which made the hypocrisy too stunning to fully escape notice. While the national networks ignored the story, it had legs on the Internet. His response to requests for explanation provided a clinic on the circular reasoning Fox/AM has spent more than three decades providing its reactionary ecosystem.
Asked by the HuffPost for comment on the backlash to his perceived hypocrisy, Duffy lashed out:
“I will not be lectured by the same people who want to abort babies with special needs… Rather than policing language, maybe liberals should spend time with these beautiful children, acknowledge their humanity, and while they’re at it, try loving their country more than they hate President Trump.”
Parsing Duffy’s response provides a roadmap through the bowels of MAGA despicability, its validation of and celebrating, not just abiding, the most vile behavior from its government officials. Worse than not holding them accountable; it actually demands they say and act at odds with accepted norms for decency. Otherwise, they are caving to woke political correctness. Since Duffy has a special needs child he is inoculated to say whatever he wants on the matter… like Jackie Mason jokes about Jews.
MAGA and its GOP rely heavily on anti-abortion extremism. It provides a get-out-of-jail card for any transgression. “You are for killing babies! How dare you question me about hypocrisy! Anything I do or say is beside the point; I will not answer to a baby killer. Moreover, liberals couldn’t possibly have special needs children, so they have no credibility to judge on such matters. This is simply more Trump Derangement Syndrome, more hatred for the U.S.!”
Fox News conspicuously ignored the story, but you can bet had it appeared on their website the comment thread would have constantly repeated this warped rationale in support of Duffy’s response. This regime is filled to the brim with lifelong Fox News consumers. The Murdoch nihilist narrative of open season on previously accepted norms for civic and personal decency permeates their worldview and fully informs their actions. Sean Duffy is exhibit A.
As the father of an autistic adult, I long ago exhausted all patience for any iteration of the R-Word. During the first Trump term I lost one particular friend who was a fan of his after making clear I would no longer let slide his frequent use of such slurs. Apparently, that was asking too much and a 25-year friendship ended.
Validating our worst traits as courageous expressions of principle is the Rosetta Stone of the MAGA mob Fox/AM created. Abasing your own disabled child to do it is merely the price one pays for sticking to their guns and owning the libs. Ask Sean Duffy. BC