The real househusbands of Mar-a-Lago

THE EDITOR, Madam:

June 5 was always going to be a very busy for those reporting from the White House, with an eagerly awaited scheduled telephone call between President Trump and President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China to discuss tariffs and trade disputes.

Following was the signing of an executive order barring immigrants and restricting travel from a total of 19 countries. Then a visit of newly elected German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz , and the obligatory Oval Office press conference, during which President Trump was asked about Elon Musk recently disparaging the Big Beautiful Budget Bill. The president expressed disappointment with Mr. Musk, bringing instant retaliations from the world’s richest man, as stock prices of his Tesla Company fell by over 14 per cent on that day alone. Only six days before, Mr. Musk graciously received a ‘golden key’ to the White House, for his controversial stint in charge of the Department Of Government Efficiency; he had accepted while dressed in his customary black T-shirt, suit and cap; even sporting a black eye for the occasion.

The well-publicised bromance between the most powerful politician and the richest oligarch dramatically splintered as they now traded insults on their own social media platforms. Mr. Musk claimed that his US$288-million donation to the 2024 election campaign was the only reason that Mr. Trump occupied the Oval Office. All other news items were quickly deleted from reporters’ agendas, as the beginning of a spectacular divorce saga took shape. Tumultuous marital splits between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in 1974 and 1976, who had married each other twice, suddenly came to mind.

As did 1975’s public laundering dirty linen with Tammy Wynette finally divorcing George Jones; Tammy had topped the charts with Stand By Your Man, but later changed her tune to D-I-V-O-R-C-E. Then Prince Charles and Princess Diana finalised their divorce in 1996 after years of public acrimony, threatening the British monarchy similar to how Henry VIII had. Those most public of spats came long before social media was invented, and fade into the background as the world stays tuned to further developments from “The real househusbands of Mar-a-Lago”.

BERNIE SMITH

Parksville, BC

Canada