As the US national debt climbed past $40tn for the first time on Wednesday, and the war with Iran he started nearly six months ago dragged on, forcing Americans already struggling to pay the bills to spend more on fuel, Donald Trump led the press corps on a tour of the extensive remodeling of the White House grounds he is personally overseeing in his role as the self-styled “builder-in-chief”.
asserted
he → climb → chief
The tour, during which Trump showed off upgrades such as a new granite driveway and refurbished columns, and expounded at length on newly laid grass, culminated in Trump autographing the back of a stone, inscribed with his name, to go in the center of the ornate new helipad he insists he needs.
asserted
he → show → helipad
All in all, the 40-minute diversion from the work of being US president, which seemed at times like a lost episode of the 1980s TV show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, did little to help Trump beat the charge laid against him by senator Jon Ossoff, the Georgia Democrat who said earlier this week that the former real estate developer is not really that interested in the work of leading the nation.
asserted
developer → seem → nation
While US service members “fight his war” on Iran, Ossoff said, “the president sleeps through his meetings.
asserted
president → fight → meetings
He golfs and trades stocks.
asserted
He → golf → stocks
See, he doesn’t want to do the job.
asserted
he → see → job
He wants to build his ballroom” and travel with his close aide Natalie Harp on the luxury jet gifted to him by the emir of Qatar.
asserted
He → want → Qatar
At one point in the tour, after Trump boasted about the “flawless granite” he replaced the asphalt driveway with, he told his captive audience of reporters: “We get the best stuff; one thing I know how to do is build.”
asserted
I → boast → stuff
“It’s ridiculous the way this place was taken care of,” he said.
asserted
he → ’ → care
“Nobody, including other presidents, they didn’t see it.
asserted
they → include → it
But I see it because I was very good at real estate, like maybe the best in a lot of ways.”
asserted
I → see → ways
Drawing attention to the newly laid sod around the helipad, golf course owner Trump repeated one of his favorite lines.
asserted
Trump → draw → lines
“You know, grass has a life like humans have a life,” he said, for at least the tenth time in public remarks in the past year.
asserted
he → know → year
“It’s all been top-soiled.
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It → soil → ?
In other words, we put top soil, brand new earth on top.
asserted
we → put → top
Very, you know, very – a lot of good ingredients in that earth for grass.
asserted
you → know → grass
If you’re grass, you’re very happy,” the president said.
asserted
president → ’re → ?
He then pivoted to something like a product placement.
asserted
He → pivot → placement
It was given free of charge by Scotts Miracle-Gro.
asserted
It → give → Gro
They actually contributed to my campaign,” he said.
asserted
he → contribute → campaign
“They said to me, ‘Sir, we’d like to replace the grass at the White House with the highest quality grass and do a real job.’
asserted
we → say → job
So, Scotts, I want to thank Scotts Miracle-Gro,” Trump went on.
asserted
Trump → want → Gro
“It’s a very, I think the biggest grass company in the world, somebody said, but it’s very big and very good.”
asserted
it → ’ → world
Trump first made his observation that “grass has a life” during remarks last August to the federal forces he deployed to police Washington DC.
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he → make → DC
“I know more about grass than any human being I think anywhere in the world,” the president claimed on that occasion.
asserted
president → know → occasion
He made the observation again in the Oval Office the following month, while announcing his rebrand of the defense department as the Department of War, and has repeated it multiple times since, including: during a cabinet meeting; while meeting with the Nato secretary general; while signing an executive order on trade; and as he unveiled plans for a renovation of Dulles airport.
asserted
he → make → airport
The president also suggested that his new helipad will be dual use, also serving as a second patio.
uncertain
helipad → suggest → patio
“They can have events on it.
asserted
They → have → it
They can have people go there for cocktails and then walk to the ballroom after that’s finished,” he said.
asserted
he → have → ballroom
Before he was done with the tour on Wednesday, the president also reminded the press pack that he had donated the two huge flag poles now flanking the White House, and made a point of saying that those poles were of the highest quality.
asserted
poles → do → quality
“This is a great pole,” Trump said.
asserted
Trump → say → ?
I’m very good at flagpoles.”
asserted
I → ’m → flagpoles
The Aporia
