President Donald Trump was quick to mock his nemesis Taylor Swift when she was booed at this weekend's Super Bowl - by issuing a gleeful post on his Truth Social platform. But while his MAGA fans lapped it up, Daily Mirror Columnist Jessica Boulton believes it's proof - in 140 characters or less - that the country's lost its way...... IT was the social media post that said it all. There, for the whole world to see, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, the so-called Leader of the Free World, the Commander in Chief and the upholder of the American Constitution, used his platform to deliver a message to his people.
And what was it he chose to tell us? What wisdom did he want to impart?. It was nothing about the Middle East crisis and Gaza - he saved that for today, when his explosive comments threatened to shake the ceasefire. Neither was it about the conflict in Ukraine, the turtles who'll now be choking on his reintroduced plastic straws or - gosh forbid - that ‘imaginary’ thing us liberal lefties call ‘climate change’.
No, he used the power handed to him by the Home of the Free and Land of the Brave to…. mock a 35-year-old woman. And, worse, cheer on others who were taunting her. “The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift,” wrote the President, on his own social media platform Truth Social this weekend. “She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!”.
He was, of course, referring to the Super Bowl crowd in New Orleans. He got cheers when he appeared on the Jumbotron. She got jeers. For all Trump knows, it was the rival fans leading the boos - she has, after all, become the face Kansas City Chiefs, thanks to boyfriend Travis Kelce. Less likely, but possible, it was to do with the never-ending Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni case. (I'd certainly boo anyone who prolongs the naval-gazing court case any longer).
Or who knows, maybe the haters just couldn’t get tickets to her ERAS tour…. It doesn’t really matter why she was booed. It only matters that the President of The United States of America thought it was about him - and, most importantly, that he was publicly gleeful about it. Just a few months ago he posted “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” to his same MAGA acolytes. Let’s remember, Taylor’s only ‘crime’ against Trump has been to endorse his political rival Kamala Harris during the US election. She didn’t even mention Trump by name, she just sung the praises of his opposition.
So what message is he sending to a country that’s already so divided by posting his snide little remark to the world?. That by mocking her, his fans are proving their loyalty to him? That it’s okay to laugh at someone’s misfortune, if that person doesn’t share your views?. And what about the message this sends to Swift’s young fans? Should they grow up thinking you can't share your beliefs if they challenge the status quo? Or that if you do, you should expect abuse?.
How did a country founded on the very idea of freedom get to this stage? One where its president seems amused by the fact his ardent fanbase will always turn on his critics?. This is not the behaviour of a country that protects citizens' "general welfare" and or "insures domestic tranquility" as pledged in the constitution. Neither is it befitting what those in his office have said in the past. It was in the 1940s that Franklin D Roosevelt offered this wisdom: "If you treat people right they will treat you right... 90% of the time." Twenty odd years earlier, Warren G Harding had said: "There's good in everybody. Boost. Don't knock.” And 70-odd years before that Abraham Lincoln was claimed to have said: “How can I better destroy my enemies than by making them my friends?” All of these would fit within the 140 characters of a Tweet, and yet what a difference from Trump's. Even Taylor knows better: "haters gonna hate" and "shake it off", actually could be useful advice for the sitting POTUS.
Yes, the right to free speech is a cornerstone of the US constitution. But it’s not free speech, if by speaking your mind, you must expect to be attacked - with the apparent support of the highest office in the land. Next July will be 350 years since the US declared its independence from Britain - or rather since The US broke things off with us and decided we're better off apart.... At first it was a loss. But boy, has our ex let itself go.
