{"id":6761,"date":"2026-08-05T18:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T18:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=6761"},"modified":"2026-08-05T18:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T18:00:11","slug":"trump-is-pioneering-the-role-of-commentator-in-chief-when-issues-grow-thorny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=6761","title":{"rendered":"Trump is pioneering the role of commentator-in-chief when issues grow thorny"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"b924238d-c1be-4513-8daf-999b0856cf39\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Trump faces reporters on a green lawn.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/491900c6397ae6dbe5eb72887b242f5f11264ac9\/429_0_4290_3432\/master\/4290.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Donald Trump speaks with reporters on the south lawn of the White House on 11 September 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"b924238d-c1be-4513-8daf-999b0856cf39\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Donald Trump speaks with reporters on the south lawn of the White House on 11 September 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<div class=\"dcr-19hyiet\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1iguxsh\"><a href=\"\/tone\/analysis\" class=\"dcr-e5rynu\">Analysis<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Trump is pioneering the role of commentator-in-chief when issues grow thorny<\/h1>\n<div class=\"dcr-1ofjv3s\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ogy8bq\"><a rel=\"author\" data-link-name=\"auto tag link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/profile\/davidsmith\">David Smith<\/a><span> in Washington<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1vosmfz\">\n<p>The president is constantly assigning motives, identifying heroes and villains, and telling his audience what to think<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><strong>This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/apr\/25\/election-newsletter-sign-up-stakes\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\"><strong>Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">From Charles Barkley to Thierry Henry to John McEnroe, the path from the arena to the commentary box <a href=\"https:\/\/awfulannouncing.com\/sports\/sports-stars-that-became-great-commentators.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">is well trodden<\/a>, and plenty of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/politics-media-pipeline-ronna-mcdaniel-stephanopoulos-scarborough-psaki-steele-2024-3#joe-scarborough-2\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">politicians have made the transition<\/a> from elected office to the TV studio. One man, however, insists on doing both at the same time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Donald Trump<\/a> is the US president, empowered to kill terrorists, grant pardons, sign and veto bills, and represent the nation on the world stage. But when issues become thorny, as they have of late, he is wont to embrace an alternative role as commentator-in-chief.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The president has become his own talking head, offering a running voiceover on everything from crime and immigration to the Iran war and his own administration\u2019s scandals. His off-the-cuff remarks are typically peppered with phrases such as \u201cpeople are saying\u201d, \u201cI hear\u201d and \u201csome people think\u201d, rather than \u201cI have decided\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"dcf9d9cc-d7c9-4ff6-aa37-6fbc24873de0\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 3\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/29\/trump-general-motors-escalades\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Let them eat SUVs: Trump White House orders fleet of luxury cars as Americans struggle<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Take the sorry saga of the algae-afflicted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/23\/donald-trump-reflecting-pool-metaphor\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool<\/a>. On Saturday, Trump used his Truth Social platform to paint a colourful \u2013 and fictitious \u2013 picture, posting: \u201cLook for yourselves at the VANDALISM that took place at The Reflecting Pool. The material is being cut with a knife or a box cutter, for all to see!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">On Monday he <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-reflecting-pool-pirro-vandalism-criticism-c7aabcf59e87651dd7be0b322b5460b1\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">opined that US attorney Jeanine Pirro<\/a> \u201cchoked\u201d and \u201cfolded like an umbrella\u201d in moving to drop charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalising the pool. Sitting in the Oval Office, he launched a tirade worthy of the extras in the Trump presidency DVD boxed set. Of course it included <a href=\"https:\/\/www.factcheck.org\/2026\/06\/trump-exaggerates-previous-spending-on-reflecting-pool\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">exaggerated accusations<\/a> against some of his favorite targets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cBiden spent $58m. Barack Hussein Obama spent much more than that. He said, \u2018I have an idea. Let\u2019s take the river from, let\u2019s take the water from the Potomac.\u2019 So they took the water from the Potomac and it was putrid. It was putrid. It was a disaster,\u201d the president said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"2bac4c5f-2c18-4de7-afc5-7011d05caaa4\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Trump walks in front of microphones.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/3ae73927e2d45a9dc51934869bb88becda9bd104\/328_0_3278_2622\/master\/3278.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"355.9456985967053\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"2bac4c5f-2c18-4de7-afc5-7011d05caaa4\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Donald Trump walks away from the press after talking with reporters on the south lawn of the White House on 26 October 2018.<\/span> Photograph: Susan Walsh\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Perhaps Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2016\/jul\/16\/donald-trump-narcissist-profile\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">past life as a reality TV host<\/a> has something to do with his steady stream of commentary. He is constantly assigning motives, identifying heroes (he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2019\/02\/25\/donald-trump-often-uses-central-casting-describe-those-around-him\/2981978002\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">regularly uses<\/a> \u201cfrom central casting\u201d as a descriptor) and villains, and telling his audience what they should think. When things get awkward, he has an instinct to fill the silence and supply the talking point of the day. He is subject, narrator and critic all in one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">When, for example, pressure mounted over his administration\u2019s handling of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/dec\/19\/doj-epstein-files-release-redacted-trump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">the Jeffrey Epstein files<\/a>, Trump did not simply maintain a dignified silence and let the justice department answer questions, as his predecessors might have done. He put himself front and centre of the news cycle \u2013 attacking critics, dismissing the matters, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/dec\/23\/trump-complains-epstein-files-are-damaging-people-who-innocently-met-him\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">sympathising with people<\/a> who \u201cinnocently met\u201d the convicted paedophile and telling supporters to move on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">More recently, when his attorney general nominee Todd Blanche <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DAGToddBlanche\/status\/2084114427813437897?s=20\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said he would abandon<\/a> Trump\u2019s controversial $1.8bn \u201canti-weaponisation fund\u201d to secure the support of Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, the president made clear that it was not his decision \u2013 but he had plenty of thoughts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cAll I know is that Todd Blanche is great,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/blanche-rescinds-trumps-anti-weaponization-fund-amid-ag\/story?id=135315931\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">he told reporters<\/a>, sounding like a guest analyst lamenting a policy he had no power over. Yet he still insisted that his supporters should get compensation from the justice department. \u201cThese people were treated horribly, and this fund could have given them some solace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cBut, you know, it happens to be very popular among many quarters. And I don\u2019t participate in that fund. I was certainly treated badly. I don\u2019t participate, but I thought it would be very fair for people that spent years in prison, people that were treated so badly for, in many cases, people that did absolutely nothing wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">These <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/oct\/04\/maga-white-house-press-corps-trump-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">informal exchanges with reporters<\/a> in the Oval Office and on Air Force One are an exercise in postmodern punditry. Trump frequently breaks the fourth wall by interrupting questions to \u201ccorrect\u201d the premise, insult the reporter (\u201cpiggy\u201d, \u201cvery nasty person\u201d, \u201cvery obnoxious person\u201d) or their network and offer an alternative interpretation of the day\u2019s news. He does not want their narratives to get in the way of his own.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\"><a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"#EmailSignup-skip-link-14\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1tr4stg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-12qa5gp\">\n<hr class=\"dcr-1cjdlyj\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-14\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">There is a paradox here. During an interview with New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan for their book Regime Change, Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116769142648175922\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">showed off a document<\/a> asserting that he is the most powerful person to ever walk the earth, ranking above despots such as Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Mao and Hitler.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Yet his constant commentaries in response to actions taken by Iran, the courts or his own government departments are evidence of impotence, an admission reminiscent of the Vicomte de Valmont in the play Les Liaisons Dangereuses: \u201cIt\u2019s beyond my control.\u2019\u201d When supreme court justices ruled against him on tariffs, <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116552659719497289\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Trump lamented<\/a>: \u201cThey were appointed by me, and yet have hurt our Country so badly!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Like sports professionals, the president\u2019s time is finite. He continues to tease an unconstitutional third term. If that doesn\u2019t happen, he will surely commentate on his own succession, leaving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jan\/18\/jd-vance-profile-trump-presidency\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">JD Vance<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/07\/marco-rubio-video-presidential-run-speculation\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Marco Rubio<\/a> and other potential contenders facing the unenviable prospect of the White House occupant delivering his snap verdict on their every move.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">And then: Trump as host on Fox &amp; Friends? Trump firing off ornery letters to the New York Times? Trump as crank caller on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=N7fCtlWGkgE\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">C-Span\u2019s phone-in shows<\/a>? The words will continue to flow \u2013 but it is less certain whether they will still be good for ratings.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"elsewhere-on-the-guardian\" class=\"dcr-8418j6\">Elsewhere on the Guardian &#8230;<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\n<li class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/05\/michigan-senate-primary-results-abdul-el-sayed\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate primary in defining race for Democrats<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/05\/trump-immigration-children-deportation-push\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Trump administration targets children amid push to \u2018deport at all costs\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/05\/tsa-trump-privatization-push\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">\u2018They\u2019re selling the safety of the traveling public\u2019: TSA workers decry Trump privatization push<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/series\/the-stakes-us-election-edition\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">This Week in Trumpland<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/newsletter-tone\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">newsletters<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump%20is%20pioneering%20the%20role%20of%20commentator-in-chief%20when%20issues%20grow%20thorny&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/04\/donald-trump-political-commentary?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Faug%2F04%2Fdonald-trump-political-commentary&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/aug\/04\/donald-trump-political-commentary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump speaks with reporters on the south lawn of the White House on 11 September 2025. Photograph:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":6763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6761"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6764,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6761\/revisions\/6764"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}