Shortly after 12:30 this afternoon, she walked up to the outside doors of the Oval Office, past the gold lamé medallions glued to the building and the gold-lettered “Oval Office” decal fixed to the wall. Moments later, a deflated, tired-looking Donald Trump opened the doors and took the McDonald’s bags from Grandma Sharon, a DoorDash driver brought there for this planned photo op. He turned to her, then to the waiting press, holding the bags like a prop, and asked, “This doesn’t look staged, does it?” It was...
There is nothing more unpleasant than a Bully using someone who cannot fight back as a prop. The poor grandmother thinking this was going to help her and her husband used as a shiny moment not for her but for Trump.
He is very sick, but much worst are the appalling people around him that make it all happen. They should be thoroughly ashamed.
How many billions in tariffs did this administration collect in the first year? Why doesn't that money go to the people who are suffering from chronic diseases? Why are we reaching into our pockets again to put our pennies into her hands? Will it help her? What might help her is socialized medical care. What might help her is reduced costs for everything. What might help her is being paid a living wage. As much as charity begins at home and I contribute where and when I can, I do not believe that we the people should pay our taxes AND pay a stranger's medical bills. This is not cruelty, quite the opposite. Grandma should not wait for a go fund me. She should have the help and care she needs because we are a compassionate people. Oh, wait, I mean we worship billionaires, Go f yourself, poor people.
And she got only $100 dollars for flying to DC while she could have made way more in tips staying home and working, which she shouldn't have to do to stave off medical debt. We should have Universal Healthcare like most democracies! It should have been a top of $10k or more, at the bare minimum enough to justify her "time off" from her regular job. I would rather my tax money go to that than an endless war. My daughter is a door dasher and is a hard worker living in poverty. The no tax on tips is good for her (this year only, remember?), but she would rather earn a living wage and not have to live with 4 other people to afford rent and food. I cannot imagine having to do that with a spouse dealing with cancer! Good for Sharon for not getting sucked into Trump’s god complex.
His out-of-touchness is on full display when he does things like telling Sharon that her whopping $11K “goes a long way…” towards cancer treatment. Riiiight.
My own spouse has cancer and I can attest that $11K *might* pay for less than a third of one dose of a chemotherapy drug
Why should we budge when we have Door Dash? Danielle, I know you are angry and you have found a group of like minded individuals here. We are all angry, we are all frustrated. We all want to get off our duffs and do something but short of pulling a Charlie Kirk incident, what can a law abiding person in this country do right now? We wear our t-shirts, we talk to people, we give money to candidates. We write letters, we contact our representatives. We boycott products and corporations. We stay informed and we check our voting status twice. Most people work, some people have families, some family members, like babies and elderly need care. We would like to march from our front door to Washington DC and burn down the White House but we are busy. We are frustrated. We are patiently waiting for November and counting our small blessings.
Well said, Katy. I personally don't feel like I have the wherewithal to be hyper active in protest marches and such. That said, I have become more vocal in publicly stating my opposition to the present tone and direction of the USA policies and actions.
I don't want to argue with you because we are on the same side. But, Danielle, it is very difficult to compare the United States with Hungary. The populations alone: 340 million v 10 million make it near impossible to do any side by side. Except Orban and Twump, they compare nicely.
A few days ago after the election in Hungary I got curious as to why a good sized country in Eastern Europe would have only 10 million people living there - especially with its rich history and people.
Hungarians voted Orban in 16 years ago because of their fear of the stranger. They wanted strict rules about immigration and even marriage to foreigners. So let's start with why they voted in Orban. They wanted to remain "pure."
Next, they continued to vote in Orban, not all, but enough. And they hated him when he began to dismantle their democracy from the inside out. So what did they do? They left. In droves. And the ones who left were young and educated. The attrition in Hungary over the past 16 years is startling.
We are dealing with this but remember, just like in Hungary, some Americans (the stupid ugly ones) still love Trump. They drive around in their pickup trucks blaring head banging music with their Twump flags flying. We live next door to each other. We must get along as neighbors.
Most Americans are not lazy, they are not stupid, they are not fooled one bit by Twump, but they were, like the entire world was, blindsided by the amount of power the underbelly of the right had assumed over their decades of patiently building their machine to take out people of color and non-Christians, and to disempower women.
But it can't happen here. right? Well, just because Hungary wanted to stay pure, and they voted for this horrible man - four times - we need to look at their behavior not as different from our own, but rather as human nature. These Heritage Foundation creeps have been aware that fear and hatred are great motivators and they poured fear and hatred over everything.
We are dealing with this. Like I said, when the time comes, we will be ready.
P.S. I'm no mathematician but I think if we had the same attrition during Twump's time in office, it would amount to 10 million Americans, young and educated, leaving. Who would come here in their place? Only white non-Hispanic Christians need apply. Like, for instance, Hungarians.
In fact, among the reader comments to Heather Delaney Reese's posts, I look for your opinion.
I replied to comments by Katy, stating:
"... I personally don't feel like I have the wherewithal to be hyper active in protest marches and such. That said, I have become more vocal in publicly stating my opposition to the present tone and direction of the USA policies and actions."
Danielle, your voice is one that has been an impetus to my being more engaged in political discourse.
As evidenced by this America and its president and elected Republicans. And the tech bros and oligarchs. As a historian I always look ahead to look at now. How will this play out in the history books? Who gets books written about their corruption and who is a footnote to history?
I am 57 and really hope I live long enough to see a happy ending for my kids and granddaughter. I am genuinely curious what the history books will teach us about this in a hundred years! And it is sad, but this period really highlights how people were fooled and complacent in Nazi Germany. Most people I know are still tuned out and living like our democracy is not almost ended.
There are a million grandmas out here driving for tips. This country has turned its back on its people. Sure, we get a Democrat every four-eight years to clean up the mess a Republican keeps making, mostly in the financial sector. Why don't we see this? Because there are men in women's sports, that's why!!! Of all the idiot soapboxes these fn autocrats have stood on to dribble and drool out their hatred, trans people in high school and college sports has to be the stupidest. It maligns a tiny - just a handful - portion of our country as though they were the thing dragging us down to the poverty of pocketbooks and souls. I guess the cynicism that Trump et al have wrought is actually a needed reset - enough with thinking we are exceptional. We are not. We are people prone to all the deadly sins we can manage. We need to stop idealizing people like Trumps, Kushners, Epsteins, et cetera. The rich must go. They must be shown the door but not before they give back the money they stole from us.
I, too, keep thinking that this horrible episode in history may be the catalyst for an incredible positive change. We have been asleep, lulled by distractions while the Epstein Class has been maneuvering under the radar for decades to take it all away from us. Now we are AWAKE, WOKE to the reality that we have been unintentionally ignoring and enduring. Like the Phoenix, it must be reduced to ashes before it is reborn anew. (NOT a religious bone in my body to be clear). Every day I work for a better outcome. It is daunting. It is depressing. Democracy is also hard work. I am here for it every day.
The fact that the press stands there and listens and fails to challenge him as simply and directly as that nice lady who was brought on as a prop and said what she was supposed to say but then would go no further than planned and would not play his games is an indictment of the press too afraid of losing what access they have to commit journalism (as Tiedrich says).
We will have our Peter Magyar moment in November….many times over. That is the goal we must keep fighting to reach. This greedy corrupt reckless foolish man is really nothing but a walking talking joke who is losing his mind more and more each day. He should be laughed at and rebuked every time he opens his mouth ..unfortunately ..we must take him seriously because he has extraordinary power and that is exactly why he must be removed. He will get worse as the walls of reality start closing in..he will lash out like a caged animal ..we must continue to express our determination for him to be stopped by those in our government who have the ability to do so. Keep pressuring them…they see the same deterioration and danger signs that we do. Be like Hungary….band together to get rid of the beast..listen to the words of the Pope…he is not afraid ..neither is Sharon.
“He is building himself a colosseum.” Roman history comes into play. “Bread and circuses" (panem et circenses) is a Roman-era phrase describing the use of free food and entertainment to distract citizens from political decline and prevent unrest. Coined by the poet Juvenal, it signifies a populace swapping its freedom for superficial contentment. Modern usage implies governments or corporations using media and trivial comforts to keep the public passive.”
As usual, superb, writing, and detail. Sometimes I cannot read your articles in a single sitting because sometimes it’s just too much. We don’t even watch national news on television anymore. Local news only and that’s for the weather. As soon as the national Spotlight on our local station comes on, the channel gets turned. It’s the only way to safeguard my mental health. I’ve got to say, though, in spite of her circumstances, Miss DoorDash didn’t illicit any sympathy on my part. Like the rest of us, she’s met the man. He’s shown her exactly who he is. He’s shown her the depths of his immorality. And like the voters who knew all of this about him and still voted for him anyway, she shows up and, essentially, gives him her vote. It’s hard to feel any empathy for her… At least it is for me. Sadly, that’s what this government and its supporters have done to me. And I will never forgive them.
I am receiving $121 tax refund from the federal government. Big beautiful bill, not for me, I am also retired. I don’t see where Trump has helped me. He seems to have forgotten the senior population.
Great column today Heather! I cursorily heard about the Door Dash spectacle, and thanks to you, I now know the details. Every single day this clown debases himself, the Presidency, and our country. Orban getting his ass handed to him on Sunday was both heartening and foreshadowing what’s going to happen in November.
There is nothing more unpleasant than a Bully using someone who cannot fight back as a prop. The poor grandmother thinking this was going to help her and her husband used as a shiny moment not for her but for Trump.
He is very sick, but much worst are the appalling people around him that make it all happen. They should be thoroughly ashamed.
Somebody should set up a Gofund me for this woman to really help her and her husband.
Edit: Somebody has set up a GoFundMe
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-sharon-the-doordash-grandma
That is the most lovely thought. How would you arrange for the money to go directly to her. I would contribute if I knew it was not a scam.
How many billions in tariffs did this administration collect in the first year? Why doesn't that money go to the people who are suffering from chronic diseases? Why are we reaching into our pockets again to put our pennies into her hands? Will it help her? What might help her is socialized medical care. What might help her is reduced costs for everything. What might help her is being paid a living wage. As much as charity begins at home and I contribute where and when I can, I do not believe that we the people should pay our taxes AND pay a stranger's medical bills. This is not cruelty, quite the opposite. Grandma should not wait for a go fund me. She should have the help and care she needs because we are a compassionate people. Oh, wait, I mean we worship billionaires, Go f yourself, poor people.
It does make trump’s hundred dollars from his 6.2 billion seem extremely disgusting !!
We may have problems in UK but we do have the NHS which although wonky is fantastic in an emergency.
And she got only $100 dollars for flying to DC while she could have made way more in tips staying home and working, which she shouldn't have to do to stave off medical debt. We should have Universal Healthcare like most democracies! It should have been a top of $10k or more, at the bare minimum enough to justify her "time off" from her regular job. I would rather my tax money go to that than an endless war. My daughter is a door dasher and is a hard worker living in poverty. The no tax on tips is good for her (this year only, remember?), but she would rather earn a living wage and not have to live with 4 other people to afford rent and food. I cannot imagine having to do that with a spouse dealing with cancer! Good for Sharon for not getting sucked into Trump’s god complex.
His out-of-touchness is on full display when he does things like telling Sharon that her whopping $11K “goes a long way…” towards cancer treatment. Riiiight.
My own spouse has cancer and I can attest that $11K *might* pay for less than a third of one dose of a chemotherapy drug
How much out of pocket $ does a cancer patient need to live, or to not lose their home or leave their family destitute?
In countries with socialized medicine, none of that happens. In America, it happens everyday.
You’re showing us how to be brave, Heather. You are truly bringing light to these dark times and changing hearts with your moral clarity.
Why should we budge when we have Door Dash? Danielle, I know you are angry and you have found a group of like minded individuals here. We are all angry, we are all frustrated. We all want to get off our duffs and do something but short of pulling a Charlie Kirk incident, what can a law abiding person in this country do right now? We wear our t-shirts, we talk to people, we give money to candidates. We write letters, we contact our representatives. We boycott products and corporations. We stay informed and we check our voting status twice. Most people work, some people have families, some family members, like babies and elderly need care. We would like to march from our front door to Washington DC and burn down the White House but we are busy. We are frustrated. We are patiently waiting for November and counting our small blessings.
But when the time comes, we will be ready.
Well said, Katy. I personally don't feel like I have the wherewithal to be hyper active in protest marches and such. That said, I have become more vocal in publicly stating my opposition to the present tone and direction of the USA policies and actions.
I really hope so Katy🤞
I don't want to argue with you because we are on the same side. But, Danielle, it is very difficult to compare the United States with Hungary. The populations alone: 340 million v 10 million make it near impossible to do any side by side. Except Orban and Twump, they compare nicely.
A few days ago after the election in Hungary I got curious as to why a good sized country in Eastern Europe would have only 10 million people living there - especially with its rich history and people.
Hungarians voted Orban in 16 years ago because of their fear of the stranger. They wanted strict rules about immigration and even marriage to foreigners. So let's start with why they voted in Orban. They wanted to remain "pure."
Next, they continued to vote in Orban, not all, but enough. And they hated him when he began to dismantle their democracy from the inside out. So what did they do? They left. In droves. And the ones who left were young and educated. The attrition in Hungary over the past 16 years is startling.
We are dealing with this but remember, just like in Hungary, some Americans (the stupid ugly ones) still love Trump. They drive around in their pickup trucks blaring head banging music with their Twump flags flying. We live next door to each other. We must get along as neighbors.
Most Americans are not lazy, they are not stupid, they are not fooled one bit by Twump, but they were, like the entire world was, blindsided by the amount of power the underbelly of the right had assumed over their decades of patiently building their machine to take out people of color and non-Christians, and to disempower women.
But it can't happen here. right? Well, just because Hungary wanted to stay pure, and they voted for this horrible man - four times - we need to look at their behavior not as different from our own, but rather as human nature. These Heritage Foundation creeps have been aware that fear and hatred are great motivators and they poured fear and hatred over everything.
We are dealing with this. Like I said, when the time comes, we will be ready.
P.S. I'm no mathematician but I think if we had the same attrition during Twump's time in office, it would amount to 10 million Americans, young and educated, leaving. Who would come here in their place? Only white non-Hispanic Christians need apply. Like, for instance, Hungarians.
Danielle, I appreciate your commentaries.
In fact, among the reader comments to Heather Delaney Reese's posts, I look for your opinion.
I replied to comments by Katy, stating:
"... I personally don't feel like I have the wherewithal to be hyper active in protest marches and such. That said, I have become more vocal in publicly stating my opposition to the present tone and direction of the USA policies and actions."
Danielle, your voice is one that has been an impetus to my being more engaged in political discourse.
"This lust of sovereignty disturbs and consumes the human race with frightful ills"
Augustin, "City of God"
As evidenced by this America and its president and elected Republicans. And the tech bros and oligarchs. As a historian I always look ahead to look at now. How will this play out in the history books? Who gets books written about their corruption and who is a footnote to history?
I am 57 and really hope I live long enough to see a happy ending for my kids and granddaughter. I am genuinely curious what the history books will teach us about this in a hundred years! And it is sad, but this period really highlights how people were fooled and complacent in Nazi Germany. Most people I know are still tuned out and living like our democracy is not almost ended.
Ugh, that poor woman had to be near him for that whole ramble?
Deftly done, Heather. That's the bubble in action.
There are a million grandmas out here driving for tips. This country has turned its back on its people. Sure, we get a Democrat every four-eight years to clean up the mess a Republican keeps making, mostly in the financial sector. Why don't we see this? Because there are men in women's sports, that's why!!! Of all the idiot soapboxes these fn autocrats have stood on to dribble and drool out their hatred, trans people in high school and college sports has to be the stupidest. It maligns a tiny - just a handful - portion of our country as though they were the thing dragging us down to the poverty of pocketbooks and souls. I guess the cynicism that Trump et al have wrought is actually a needed reset - enough with thinking we are exceptional. We are not. We are people prone to all the deadly sins we can manage. We need to stop idealizing people like Trumps, Kushners, Epsteins, et cetera. The rich must go. They must be shown the door but not before they give back the money they stole from us.
I, too, keep thinking that this horrible episode in history may be the catalyst for an incredible positive change. We have been asleep, lulled by distractions while the Epstein Class has been maneuvering under the radar for decades to take it all away from us. Now we are AWAKE, WOKE to the reality that we have been unintentionally ignoring and enduring. Like the Phoenix, it must be reduced to ashes before it is reborn anew. (NOT a religious bone in my body to be clear). Every day I work for a better outcome. It is daunting. It is depressing. Democracy is also hard work. I am here for it every day.
The fact that the press stands there and listens and fails to challenge him as simply and directly as that nice lady who was brought on as a prop and said what she was supposed to say but then would go no further than planned and would not play his games is an indictment of the press too afraid of losing what access they have to commit journalism (as Tiedrich says).
We will have our Peter Magyar moment in November….many times over. That is the goal we must keep fighting to reach. This greedy corrupt reckless foolish man is really nothing but a walking talking joke who is losing his mind more and more each day. He should be laughed at and rebuked every time he opens his mouth ..unfortunately ..we must take him seriously because he has extraordinary power and that is exactly why he must be removed. He will get worse as the walls of reality start closing in..he will lash out like a caged animal ..we must continue to express our determination for him to be stopped by those in our government who have the ability to do so. Keep pressuring them…they see the same deterioration and danger signs that we do. Be like Hungary….band together to get rid of the beast..listen to the words of the Pope…he is not afraid ..neither is Sharon.
It is that Constant Dread tearing people up inside ‼️
Because we still have to facade that we’re all Fine Fine Fine
It’s exhausting Heather
Thank you for your gathering of all our thoughts and fears and dreams and courage
Keep On Keeping On
Stand with Pope Leo✨and John Lennon ✨☮️
“Imagine All the People Living Life in Peace …”
“He is building himself a colosseum.” Roman history comes into play. “Bread and circuses" (panem et circenses) is a Roman-era phrase describing the use of free food and entertainment to distract citizens from political decline and prevent unrest. Coined by the poet Juvenal, it signifies a populace swapping its freedom for superficial contentment. Modern usage implies governments or corporations using media and trivial comforts to keep the public passive.”
You give us all the details, sordid as they may be. He has lost it and is a danger to the world.
How does a door dash driver with an ill
overpay taxes by $11,000?
As usual, superb, writing, and detail. Sometimes I cannot read your articles in a single sitting because sometimes it’s just too much. We don’t even watch national news on television anymore. Local news only and that’s for the weather. As soon as the national Spotlight on our local station comes on, the channel gets turned. It’s the only way to safeguard my mental health. I’ve got to say, though, in spite of her circumstances, Miss DoorDash didn’t illicit any sympathy on my part. Like the rest of us, she’s met the man. He’s shown her exactly who he is. He’s shown her the depths of his immorality. And like the voters who knew all of this about him and still voted for him anyway, she shows up and, essentially, gives him her vote. It’s hard to feel any empathy for her… At least it is for me. Sadly, that’s what this government and its supporters have done to me. And I will never forgive them.
Jami ~ Both my husband and I haven’t watched the news since 2016 ~ and we still are effected by the lies and the cruelty. It does not stop ‼️
I hope November brings more people to the polls and we can get our country back. ♥️
she was a bit cagey about who she had voted for, though. And she did get some financial benefit from showing up.
I am receiving $121 tax refund from the federal government. Big beautiful bill, not for me, I am also retired. I don’t see where Trump has helped me. He seems to have forgotten the senior population.
Great column today Heather! I cursorily heard about the Door Dash spectacle, and thanks to you, I now know the details. Every single day this clown debases himself, the Presidency, and our country. Orban getting his ass handed to him on Sunday was both heartening and foreshadowing what’s going to happen in November.