Donald J. Trump apparently discovered a new way to demonstrate the awesome power of the presidency: threatening to ban fishing until a billionaire calls him up and begs for mercy.
Speaking at a White House dinner, Trump boasted that he could issue a quick order banning fishing and drive Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris “right the hell out of business.” Then, according to Trump’s scenario, Morris would have no choice but to call the president and plead with him to reverse course.
Trump even suggested he might do exactly that for a day or two, apparently to remind everyone who’s boss.
Because when you possess the extraordinary power of the presidency, why use it for anything boring when you can hold an entire industry hostage for a couple of days and wait for a billionaire to call you “sir”?
Trump’s takeaway was that “the power of this office is crazy.”
Judging by his hypothetical fishing ban, he seems to regard that power less as a constitutional responsibility and more as an especially impressive toy for the Republican Party's special boy.
Social media users weighed in.
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