There’s one thing that has gone unreported about Donald Trump playing host to Theresa May, Shinzo Abe, Justin Trudeau, Benjamin Netanyahu, and other world leaders since taking office. They may be in very real danger, thanks to Trump’s Twitter addiction. In case you missed it, Trump’s trademark rage tweets come from a Samsung Galaxy that is not only unsecured, but obsolete. Specifically, it’s a Galaxy S3 that last received a major security update in 2015.
According to a number of security experts, it’s very likely that phone has been hacked–for instance, with malware that could turn its microphone into a pocket-sized bug. That means anyone meeting with Trump, including for classified discussions, should assume that someone is listening in. But the more I think about it, that detail doesn’t concern Trump at all. After all, he can’t be expected to care about his conversations with foreign leaders being recorded if he doesn’t care about protecting his family. Namely, his wife, Melania, and his 10-year-old son, Barron.
It’s been amply established that Trump considers Melania a mere object. That was proven beyond any doubt by the Trumps’ body language at the inauguration festivities. But even if Donald has fallen out of love with Melania, you would think he would at least make some effort to keep her safe. In this day and age, that includes making sure your smartphone is updated–and, if necessary, getting a new phone.
The fact that Trump has left Melania exposed every time he tweets at a location where they are together would have been outrageous in and of itself. But consider that he was actively tweeting throughout the campaign, and is still doing so in office. He’s giving any bottom-feeders who would wish to do him harm a wide-open route to him. And he is still madly tweeting when Melania comes to the White House from New York, when he comes to Trump Tower, or when the two go to Mar-a-Lago together. It’s a damn travesty.
The thought that any man would be so cavalier with his wife’s safety, even if he has fallen out of love with her, is simply outrageous. Indeed, if any male friend of mine were to treat his wife in this way, I’d be screaming, “What the hell kind of man are you?” And if he kept it up, there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that man would remain my friend for long. Likewise, while I am as Democratic as they come, there is no chance in hell I would support any Democrat who was married and didn’t have the decency to keep his phone updated.
Now throw an underage child into the mix. To my mind, that elevates this situation from an outrage to an obscenity. What kind of father with any kind of love for his son would not have the decency to replace his phone when he knows it’s outdated and vulnerable to being hacked? The thought that Trump has been tweeting merrily away from his outdated phone, knowing that he has a 10-year-old son to protect, is too damn obscene for words. Indeed, it borders on child endangerment. Would we tolerate this from an ordinary dad? Not just no, but hell no.
The more I think about it, it’s incomprehensible that this didn’t come up sooner. Can you imagine if it had emerged that Trump was using an outdated phone, knowing he had a wife and an underage son living with him? I suspect it would have been far too much even for the wingnut fringe to take.
After all, it isn’t a coincidence that any serious talk about Sarah Palin running for president in 2016 ended when she allowed her son, Trig, to use the family dog as a foot stool. She was briefly mentioned as a possible running mate for Trump–but aside from that, nothing. They would have deserved each other. After all, it would have been one manifestly unfit parent running alongside another.
What if this had emerged and the religious right had continued propping him up? Well, to my mind, it would have, even more so than those tapes, exposed them as the hypocritical and sanctimonious bastards that they are. They may have been able to fob those tapes off as something that happened a decade ago, but this would have been happening–and still is happening–in real time. And how would they have been able to defend a guy running for president who had completely and utterly failed in his most basic duty as a husband and a father?
Ever since Trump started openly feuding with the judiciary, the Twitterverse has taken to branding him as a #SoCalledPresident. Well, folks, the fact that he is too self-absorbed to update his phone for the sake of Melania and Barron’s safety makes him a #SoCalledHusband, a #SoCalledDad–and a #SoCalledMan.
(featured image courtesy Ben Park, Vanity Fair)