This play was written and published in 2018, soon after Trump and Putin’s conference in Helsinki. I will make it public in consecutive blogs and also in podcasts, anchor.fm, apple podcasts, buzzsprout etc.
Dear Mr Trump,
There is still time, dear sir,
It’s not too late,
For you to spark the dialogue
That will unleash the creativity
Now locked in bitter acrimony.
Still time, dear sir,
Not too late,
For you to govern from the center
And marshal the forces of the nation.
Nature loves diversity,
It experiments ceaselessly with difference,
Giving to each something unique,
And challenging us with each gift
To join forces in pursuit of a common,
Higher,
And transcendent good.
7/16/2018
Helsinki, Finland
Early in the day
Trump tweets — Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse, thanks to many years of US foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!
(the ‘rigged witch hunt’ is the president’s term for the Mueller probe — a US dept of Justice investigation assigned with the task of finding evidence of Russia’s interference with the 2016 election and if any obstruction by the Trump administration. It has been in progress since May 2017)
At the press conference following Trump and Putin’s meeting:
Reporter — (to president Trump) — … Do you hold Russia at all accountable for anything in particular? And if so, what would you, what would you consider them, that they are responsible for?
Trump — Yes, I do. I hold both countries responsible. I think that the United States has been foolish. We should’ve had this dialogue a long time ago, a long time, frankly, before I got to office. And I think we’re all to blame. I think that the United States now has stepped forward along with Russia, and we’re getting together and we have a chance to do some great things, whether it’s nuclear proliferation in terms of stopping — you have to do it, ultimately that’s probably the most important thing that we could be working on. But I do feel that we have both made some mistakes. I think that the… probe is a disaster for our country. I think it’s kept us apart, it’s kept us separated. There was no collusion at all….
Moments later, in response to a separate question, Vladimir Putin denies having anything to do with the election interference of 2016.
Reporter Jonathan Lemire then asks President Trump — Every US Intelligence has concluded that Russia did interfere. Who do you believe? Would you now, with the whole world watching, tell president Putin, would you denounce what happened in 2016 and would you warn him to never do it again.
Trump -… my people came to me, Dan Coats came to me and others, they said they think it’s Russia… I have president Putin… he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this… I don’t see any reason why it would be… I have confidence in both parties… I have great confidence in my intelligence people… but I will tell you that president Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.
Questions and answers above as reported by the New York Times and The Washington Post.
The next day. The White House.
In response to criticism that he went easy on Putin, Trump says, “The sentence should have been, ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia’, sort of a double negative. So you can put that in and that probably clarifies things pretty good.’
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net.
