Hello, happy Tuesday. There are 14 days until the election, but today we’re talking about French fries and penis size.

Yes, we have moved beyond the stage of discerning reality from satire.

For example, did the Speaker of the House really have a discussion with a CNN host about whether it was appropriate for the former president to speak at a rally about the size of the late golfer Arnold Palmer’s junk? Was it really necessary to write that sentence?

That actually happened over the weekend — along with a number of other bizarre events, including President Trump (briefly) throwing fries at McDonald’s. If you could, you would have been outside touching the grass, smelling the fall air, and carving pumpkins. But I scrolled through Truth Social for you and also watched Fox.

So let’s break down the crazy things you missed and why it matters.

big swing

So over the weekend, Trump traveled to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where golf legend Arnold Palmer was born. Mr. Trump began his speech with a rambling 12-minute biography of Mr. Palmer that, while not entirely accurate, was painfully boring. Until the end, he threw in this gem:

“Arnold Palmer was all men. I say this with the utmost respect for women, and I love women,” President Trump said. “When he took a shower with the other pros, they came out and said, ‘Oh my God.’ That’s unbelievable. I had to say that. I had to say, “We have a very sophisticated woman here.”

Oh, yes. I’m eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich right now, holding up both pinky fingers like a stylish lady. So I can say with authority that sophisticated women love penis jokes as much as fart jokes.

But you know who likes the fun of penises? Maga guys. Immediately after those remarks, President Trump welcomed a contingent of steelworkers to the stage.

“Do you like Arnold Palmer’s stories?” he asked one of them.

“I like it,” the helmeted man replied.

Simply put, that’s all that matters to Trump.

That kind of liar ketchup?

Trump then went to a McDonald’s in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, and took a photo that also served as the middle finger to Kamala Harris (who, during an Arnold Palmer event, referred to Harris as “Vice President” in another slightly vulgar term). I took a photo.

Big Don donned a large apron and served fries to select drive-thru customers. He then claimed that 25,000 people were lining up to receive his services. There wasn’t.

However, this event once again pleased his supporters. As many of you may know, Mr. Harris has said that he worked at McDonald’s for one summer while in college, but he has not provided any proof of this. They say Trump is lying. The look of his fried cooker was a big joke in your face.

All of this may seem youthful and ridiculous enough to point to dementia, as some have argued, but to call it “just Trump” or even cognitive decline. I think by brushing things aside, we are missing the big picture.

Trump is many things, but he is not stupid, especially when it comes to his base. His Palmer Penis talk and minimum wage dressing up are both forms of aggressive anti-intellectualism and anti-elitism that endlessly please his supporters because the rest of us find it offensive. I’m letting you know.

Attack is the key.

Trump also said this at Palmer’s event. The basics are easier to understand.

As we feverishly count down the days until the election and pundits debate what each candidate’s “closing argument” will be, President Trump is sticking to the basics.

He’s doubling down on simple, aggressive populism – us versus them, and they’re stupid. The more he provokes his opponents, the more his supporters like him.

In the MAGA world, he’s no joke. we.

What else to read:

Must read: President Trump served McDonald’s fries, sparking outrage outside
Please vote: They lost their homes and property. They’re coming to vote in North Carolina.
LA Times Feature: US infant mortality rate worsens as Supreme Court restricts access to abortion

stay golden,
Anita Chhabria

PS The “Central Park Five” or “The Exonerated Five” have sued Donald Trump for defamation over comments he made during a presidential debate. The five were still teenagers when they were wrongly convicted of brutal assaults on joggers. They were later acquitted, but according to the complaint, Trump said during the debate that he “admitted, that is, admitted he was guilty.” So I told them that if they plead guilty, they would have seriously harmed and ultimately killed a person. ”

Kevin Richardson (center) joins five members of the Innocents, along with Pastor Al Sharpton, second from the right, on stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 2024.

(Myung Jeong-cheon/Los Angeles Times)

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