All The Bad That Trump Has Wrought Will Not Be Quickly Undone
Trump will leave a legacy like no other president; it will be defined by terror, ignorance, dishonesty and grift.
But more tragically, his behavior has given license for others to be equally fear-mongering, ignorant and dishonest, from the members of congress to the small-time grifter.
For hatred, one need only look at the scowls and insults that flow like sewage from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. For ignorance, there are few dumber than Greene, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. For the most dishonest opportunist, look no further than the Bible-thumping Sen. Markwayne Mullen, R-Okla., and the LGBTQ+-baiting Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.
Above all, trump can sense an opportunity to grift and make money off an innocent public. It is a lesson not lost on the many people who make a living off of grifted merch.
A recent and fine example of the grifting that is standard with trump is the plan for an unofficial “Official Celebration of President Trump’s First 100 Days.” The event is as sketchy as trump’s first 100 days, as polls show his approval ratings have fallen to the lowest level for any president in 70 years at this point.
Trump’s ratings have plummeted because of his tariffs, his handling of foreign policy and even immigration. His approval rating took a nosedive to 41 per cent, the lowest for any newly elected president since Dwight Eisenhower and below trump’s own first term.
The event is being privately funded and although it is being dubbed an “official celebration” it is not sanctioned or supported by trump. The so-called gala is a disguised grift that will feature such personalities as the self-anointed “Queen of Merch” and members of the Trumpettes.
“This event has been organized and funded solely by the host, her family, friends, and the guests who have bought tickets. This event is not sponsored and has no interest in being sponsored,” says the website.
The 100th day gala has been rescheduled for tomorrow night at an Arlington, Va., hotel after a contract with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was cancelled because of unspecified “contract violations.” Ticket prices are not noted but are non-refundable.
The event’s promoter and organizer, one-time Arizona state house candidate, Alyssa McMillan, said that she was informed of the cancellation by the Kennedy center’s events planner, Megan Cikara. Cikara was among many Kennedy Center employees who were caught up in a widespread purge by trump. Trump said he opposed the types of entertainers at the center and named himself as the new director along with other loyalists for the center’s board and staff employees.
Soon after the trump gala was canceled, the Kennedy Center also axed the “Tapestry of Pride,” a planned week of events celebrating LGBTQ+ people for the World Pride festival in Washington, D.C. The Tapestry of Pride was planned for June 5–8 before the cancellation.
Multiple artists and producers involved in the Tapestry of Pride schedule said their events had been quietly canceled or transferred to other venues without explanation. Washington’s Capital Pride Alliance disassociated itself from the Kennedy Center in response to the canceled events.
Trump will not attend the faux Virginia party honoring his 100th day in office but he will attend a rally in Michigan to celebrate the milestone or nadir. Party-goers in Virginia will watch the Michigan event on television, all for a cost that is not noted on the website. First Lady Melania trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and members of Congress have been invited but have not confirmed their attendance.
The trump celebration will be held at the Top of the Town, 1400 14th St, North.
“Enjoy a night full of MAGA energy, featuring guest speakers, delicious food, refreshing drinks, Trump-themed trivia, fun games, raffles, exclusive merchandise, and a dance floor ready for action,” the website notes.
McMillan, 32, of Phoenix, Ariz., the event organizer, was a candidate in 2020 for the Arizona House of Representatives. She lost in the GOP primary, collecting 2,206 votes or 24.9 percent of the total votes cast. She is known on her Ballotpedia page cryptically as “Ariesuptop.”
On Votesmart.org, McMillan did not mention her education, employment or political experience. She noted that Facebook suspended her page for the First 100 Party for “impersonating” somebody.
“lol whet (awesome). That is clearly not the case. I have submitted a review and am expecting to have it back up and running here soon,” she posted. “As many of you know, I have supported President Donald J. Trump since day one! I was devastated after the 2020 elections and held on to hope that he would overturn the false election results. While it took four more years than I thought it would be and a whole new election, HE IS BACK and I could not be more happy or proud of him. He has made one of the greatest comebacks of all time.”
McMillan’s LinkedIn page is equally barren in simply stating “God first.”
The event website said the celebration will feature “an elegant happy hour, which will be followed by a ‘high-energy’ party.”
“The entire goal of the event, since day one, has just been to celebrate President Trump, welcome him back to D.C., and to let his supporters know, especially in a place like D.C. that hasn’t always been friendly to Trump supporters or even President Trump himself, that he is here, and we want to, like, we have reason to celebrate! Why shouldn’t we?” said McMillan, identified as a “MAGA SUPERHOST.” “I look forward to hosting this spectacular celebration of President Trump in an iconic landmark. Let’s Make Events Great Again!”
The featured performers and professionals are hardly from the “A” list. A Google search came up empty for Alexandra Leavine who will sing The Star-Spangled Banner. A sparse Facebook page for the event’s photographer, Natania Kent Marshal of Washington, D.C., notes simply “Hi I’m Natania and I love Jesus†.”
Several of the organizers, including Myles Morell, Audrey Streb and Nicole Silverio are full- or part-time reporters with the Daily Caller, a right-wing news and opinion website based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 2010 by former Fox commentator Tucker Carlson and political advisor Neil Patel, a British-American lawyer, hedge fund manager, conservative political advisor, and publisher.
Streb is identified as the Daily Caller energy reporter with “Drill, baby, drill!” beneath her photo. Streb is a member of the Young Leaders Program of the far right Heritage Foundation. Streb also has written for The Daily Signal, a conservative news and commentary website founded in June 2014 and fully funded by the Heritage Foundation.
Andy Alem will sell “rare memorabilia from the campaign trail.” Alem is listed as the publisher of the New Persian Times, a podcast which opposes the existing Iranian government and has applauded the former Shah of Iran, who was overthrown in the 1959 Iranian revolution. Alem of Huntington, N.Y. also sponsors the Metropolitan Academy of Worldwide Excellence Ten Tier Diamond Award.
Sany Dash, dubbed “SECRETARY OF TRUMP MERCHANDISE” calls herself the “queen of Trump merchandise.”
Dash is a member of Trumpettes USA, a group of women that work for trump’s elections. Dash of New York City said she has been to 87 trump rallies. She also owns multiple merch stores, including USA Trump Stores in Colorado and Texas. Dash will be peddling jackets and accessories “perfectly aligned with our ‘Trump’s Golden Age’ theme.”
Dash said she had seven trump merch stores but that has dwindled to three which sold $2.5 million in merch last year.
Myles Morrell is listed as a “WANNABE MAGA INFLUENCER.”
“Donald Trump changed my life forever and what better way to show my appreciation than celebrating him and the achievements of his first 100 days in office,” Morrell says on the gala notice.
Jude Elie is listed mysteriously as “PRESIDENT.” Elie is currently a candidate for president of Haiti. He attended the inaugural of conspiracist and anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Nicole Silverio, a “WOMEN FOR TRUMP” notes “We are so back!”
Fred Johnson is listed as “THE VISIONARY” and an “ENTERTAINMENT PROFESSIONAL” who has a “vast personal network of contacts curated within the entertainment industry.”
Jack Storms is featured as a “Contemporary Glass Sculptor.” He will show and sell his custom-made Optee Crystal Golf Tee “Honoring President Trump’s record-breaking golf performance.” The golf fee is being donated by Alem to the Trump Palm Beach Golf Course. Copies of the five-inch tee will be on sale for $21,700.
“Visually, the OpTee stands on its own and offers the same visual contrast between fine pattern and the inner optics that pull you in like a kaleidoscope,” says the event note.
Storms is described as a “remarkable figure in the world of contemporary art, celebrated for his extraordinary glass sculptures.”
Audrey Streb is the DCNF ENERGY REPORTER. Under her photo are the words, “Drill, baby, drill!”