Veterans Affair Secretary David Shulkin Out, "Trump Announces By Tweet"

I want to emphasize that last part, which USAToday emphasizes in its headline.

I can't help but think they're chiding him for this method of breaking news to the public -- so undignified!

But the alternative would be to issue a statement or appear on camera for the media to announce it, and for the media to profit from it.

Why should he do that? He doesn't need the media to make these announcements; why should he do them the favor of providing them content they can then monetize?

Why should he help the media make money, when he can just make the announcement without them?

True, this helps Twitter, I guess, and I'm not big on helping them, either. This isn't truly Trump making an announcement without a leftwing media organization getting in on the action. He is still using one leftwing media organization as a means of communication.

But I don't mind the campaign to demonetize the news for the media, or the campaign to strip them of their prestige and make them just a more expensive, video-heavy form of Twitter.

Anyway, here's Trump's tweet, bypassing the main force of the media:

I'm not sure that thanks are owed to Shulkin, but I guess his advisers told him to be nice.

Admiral Ronny L. Jackson is also an Obama holdover. Per Wikipedia, he served in Iraq and currently serves as Trump's official (government) physician:

In 2006, while still in Iraq, Jackson was selected as a White House physician. Since arriving at the White House, he has directed the Executive Health Care for the President’s Cabinet and Senior Staff, served as physician supervisor for the Camp David Presidential Retreat, held the position of physician to the White House and led the White House Medical Unit as its director. He has served as White House physician during the past three administrations and was the appointed physician to the president for President Barack Obama. He currently serves as the appointed physician to the president for President Donald J. Trump.[3]. He was nominated to the rank of rear admiral (upper half) on March 23, 2018.[4]

Adm Ronny Jackson was the White House doctor who announced that Trump was "in excellent health" and sent the Real News Organization CNN (citation needed) into a deranged spiral of lunacy and girtherism for about a week.

So I'm sure CNN will greet this news with an air of quiet dignity and grace.

posted by Ace of Spades at 06:14 PM

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