IN a week’s time President Elect Donald Trump gets given the keys to the White House.
And those hoping that since his election win in November he has had the chance to reflect and perhaps become more statesmanlike only had to tune into his press conference this week to realise there is not a cat in hell’s chance of that.
The event in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York had been set up to allow The Donald to explain what he has done to distance himself from his business interests when he becomes president.
But that was a sideshow to the main circus surrounding lurid allegations about a Russian plot to compromise him.
“Fake nooze!” bellowed the entrepreneur at gathered journalists, his lips pursed as tight as a cat’s backside.
Presumably that would be filed in the same fake news folder with the claim that Barack Obama wasn’t born in the USA – a story once peddled by Trump.
He dismissed a question from a reporter from CNN, one of the biggest and most trusted news outlets in America, because he doesn’t agree with their approach.
There was hardly time to address the details of how he is stepping away from involvement in his vast business empire and handing control to his sons.
The pile of brown paper files theatrically placed on a table next to the lecturn presumably meant to assure us that this has happened.
However it didn’t appear to have convinced the director of the US Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, who said the plan does not match the “standards” of US presidents over the last 40 years.
But then I don’t think a lot he does during his presidency will echo the approach of his predecessors.
All this came a couple of days after Trump took to Twitter to blast actress Meryl Streep as “over-rated” following her criticism of him at the Golden Globe awards in Hollywood.
Whichever one of them you agree with, I don’t think there is any doubt that the constant criticism and lampooning of Trump by liberal commentators in the media, talk show hosts and Hollywood celebrities led to a backlash from the US electorate that helped secure his shock victory.
So there has been plenty to occupy the President Elect’s time in the last few days. But that didn’t stop him taking to Twitter to trash his replacement as host of Celebrity Apprentice, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Last Friday he tweeted: “Wow, the ratings are in and Arnold Schwarzenegger got “swamped” (or destroyed) by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT.
“So much for being a movie star – and that was season 1 compared to season 14. Now compare him to my season 1.”
Like most of Trump’s social media activity, it appears all this was about settling scores – Arnie backed Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, despite being a former Republican governor of California.”
In reply Schwarzenegger tweeted: “There’s nothing more important than the people’s work, @realDonaldTrump.”
He added: “I wish you the best of luck and I hope you’ll work for ALL of the American people as aggressively as you worked for your ratings.”
Remind me which one is the statesman who is just days away from becoming the most powerful and potentially influential man in the world?
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THERE wasn’t much time for Trump to address major world issues at his press conference, but when he briefly did, he said an improved US relationship with Vladimir Putin and Russia will better help fight extremist group Isis.
“Isis, which, by the way, is number one tricky,” he said.
Number one tricky?
Not in my opinion.
That was ‘It’s Tricky’ by RUN-DMC.
All together now:
“It’s tricky to rock a rhyme
To rock a rhyme that’s right on time
It’s tricky tricky tricky tricky tricky tricky.”
I hope they play it at the inauguration next week.
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FAREWELL Graham Taylor. The former England manager died yesterday of a suspected heart attack, gone far too young at 72.
He achieved much in a football career that began at Lincoln and led to great successes at Watford and then Aston Villa. In recent years he was an intelligent, frank and perceptive pundit on BBC radio.
But unfortunately he’ll perhaps be better remembered for the headline when the national team he led was beaten in Euro 1992 and Kelvin MacKenzie’s Sun back page screamed: Swedes 2 Turnips 1 with Taylor’s head superimposed on the root vegetable.
His England squads boasted plenty of talent – Des Walker, Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne and Stuart Pearce but he’ll also be remembered for giving Carlton Palmer his 18 England caps.
The TV documentary Graham Taylor: An Impossible Job, became a classic of its kind as it charted his meltdown during England’s failed qualification campaign for the World Cup in the USA in 1994.
There were many memorable moments with a cast more diverse than The Muppet Show.
It featured his assistants Phil Neal and Lawrie McMenemy parroting his comments to the players.
The memorable quote from Taylor was: “Do I not like that” about a decision in one of the qualifying matches against Poland.
A hilarious episode featured a press conference in which Taylor attempted to cheer up a pessimistic newspaper reporter.
Then there was the bit when he whispers to a linesman during a match: “The referee has got me the sack. Thank him ever so much for that, won’t you?”
While Ronald Koeman’s retaken free kick in a qualification match against Holland ultimately led to the end of his England career, when the documentary showed Gazza and Palmer taking the mickey out of him behind his back, surely the end was nigh.
When I was a trainee journalist on the Derby Evening Telegraph our editor was a devotee of the Kelvin MacKenzie school of newspapers and he introduced little feature boxes throughout the paper including one where we put daft items of news or short reports of minor crimes. It was accompanied by a caricature of Graham Taylor and the headline Do I Not Like That.
It didn’t last long but it showed how five words had become synonymous with Taylor.
Almost a quarter of a century on and the England job is no easier and given Sam Allardyce’s demise, the press appears to still have a big influence.
Enjoy the honeymoon period Gareth Southgate.
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THE mention of Alan Bennett’s book Keeping On Keeping On last week brought this note from Howard Walker of law firm Ward Hadaway:
“David, what excellent taste you have. I also received Alan Bennett’s book for Christmas. Superb reading as ever. I particularly liked the entry where he described the Yorkshire Post as ‘a rather genteel newspaper’. Clearly, this was after you had left the paper…”
True Howard.
I think I brought an earthy ruggedness to its business coverage during my time at the YP.
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READING Alan Bennett’s diaries must be rubbing off on me.
Overheard walking the dog across the Stray in Harrogate yesterday:
“Yes, she’s got a Filipino maid. Ours knows hers.”
Have a great weekend.