Time travel is one of the elements of science fiction writing. However, in the case of former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett writing in The Atlantic it is more in the realm of science fantasy, emphasis on fantasy. Lovett's time travel to the near future of President Donald Trump tells us much less about Trump than it does about extreme liberal fantasies. As a bonus, Lovett's essay veers from science fantasy to extreme comedy but first let us watch him mock a future Donald Trump that exists only in his fervid liberal imagination:
“It was the terrific leader of India, Gandhi, who said, ‘First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they attack you, and then you win.’ Well we won, didn’t we?”
That’s how President Donald John Trump began his inaugural address, that clear morning in January of 2017. The fact that Gandhi never said these words was among the very least of our problems. Besides, the line drew rapturous applause from the crowd. According to a joint statement released by the White House and Nielsen, the Trump Inaugural drew the largest television audience in human history. As President Trump himself pointed out in his second press availability that afternoon, the numbers would only go up, once you factored in DVR.
Wow! Congrats to Jon Lovett for catching Trump's misquote. Of course, he only made that misquote in Lovett's own time travel science fantasy.
There’s no need to rehash how it all went down. He won the nomination, and then he won the general election. It wasn’t more complicated than that. Some have compared the tenor of the news on election night to the coverage of a tragedy or disaster. But that’s not exactly right. It wasn’t like a meteor strike. It was more like finding out a meteor is heading our way. The anchors were dazed and somber. There was a real effort on the part of journalists to assuage viewers. Twitter was a shit show, but Twitter is always a shit show. Many immediately expressed their regret for voting Trump. Some had just wanted to register a protest, not realizing that they would be swinging the election to an insecure, undisciplined narcissist unfit for public office.
The description of the dazed anchors was about as close to reality as Lovett ever got. We now relapse to complete liberal fantasy mixed with a healthy dose of inadvertent comedy:
By the time President Trump raised his right hand and swore to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, the Constitution itself had been enlisted. In what Trump supporters called the “Christmas Coup” and what everyone else called a historic act of national preservation, President Obama signed into law a bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support (with the exception of a few House Republicans and Ted Cruz, who abstained) which reasserted congressional primacy over the republic and stripped away the presidential prerogatives that had accrued over the previous century.
This from the speechwriter for the president who proclaimed he had a phone and pen so as to completely circumvent congressional authority via executive orders. Yes, we love how Obama suddenly saw the urgency of re-establishing congressional authority in Lovett's fantasy which he never demonstrated in real life. Now back to Lovett's fantasy which as you have probably already surmised, predicts utter catastrophe for the nation during the presidency of Donald Trump:
Anyway, there’s no need to belabor the details of how the next four years unfolded: the budget crisis, President Trump’s impeachment, Vice President Cruz’s inauguration, the second budget crisis. It’s all pretty straightforward. It was a painful and frightening time, to be sure. And while it didn’t bring about the collapse of society, it did hurt us. Our economy suffered, as did our standing in the world. (Relations with Mexico remain tense.) One bright spot: We elected a man who loves to name things after himself, but all we named after him is the “Trump Recession.” He’ll be remembered for that forever. The irony was almost worth the price.
Since Lovett is on a time travel kick, please allow your humble correspondent to rewrite it for him with a bit more accuracy:
It is February 2025. The two terms of the Donald Trump presidency were judged by almost all to have been a resounding success. Illegal immigration was not only halted but also reversed with the result of much higher employment at better wages for American citizens. Our trade imbalance with Asia ended due to the amazing negotiating skills of the author of "Art of the Deal." After bombing certain oil wells in the Middle East, ISIS lost the source of its funding and was now a long gone memory. Meanwhile, as the Dow Jones approached 30,000 with full employment in America, the Democrat party was a shell of its former self as it split into separate crony capitalist and outright socialist parties that were completely unable to unite against the reinvigorated conservatives. As a result, Vice-President Cruz was elected to succeed Trump as president with an overwhelming majority against the demoralized liberals and there was every expectation he would remain in office until January 2033. However, former President Trump at his Mar-A-Lago retreat still had an unfinished piece of business. He had just purchased The Atlantic magazine, renamed Trump Magazine. One of the writers was waiting nervously in the outer office for his meeting with his new boss. The writer was extremely anxious because he wanted to keep his job so it was with great trepidation that Jon Lovett walked into the lavish room where President Trump was sitting behind his desk.
"Jon, I just want to let you know that I don't envision any major staff changes at our new magazine."
"Oh, thank you, Mr. President!" exclaimed Lovett with incredible relief.
"Okay, you may go now," commanded Trump.
As a happy Lovett got to the door, he heard a voice behind him.
"Just one more thing, Jon."
"What's that, Mr. President?"
"You're fired!"
