James Comey Says Donald Trump Is A ‘Shrunken, Withered’ And ‘Sad Old Guy’
Former FBI Director James Comey is opening up about his feud with Donald Trump and says that the people of the nation should take a stand against him. Comey wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post, describing what it’s like to be attacked by the president of the United States, saying that after a while, it starts to feel like just being yelled at by a “strange and slightly sad old guy” who wants you to “get off his lawn.”
Comey says that Trump’s attacks on the media and his critics are hard on people who aren’t in a position of power to fight back, but the frequency with which Trump attacks his enemies has diminished the power of the attacks.
“What’s it like to be personally and publicly attacked by the president of the United States? Like many others in and out of government, I have some experience,” he wrote.
“It’s hard on good people, especially those who don’t have savings to fall back on. But the truth is that, in many ways, it is not as hard as you might think, especially as it continues endlessly, leaking power, shrinking its source.”
At first, he said being attacked by the man who fired him and has been going after him for the past two years was shocking. Later, he became somewhat numb to the attacks. The third phase of the continual attacks, he says, shows the diminishing power of the attacks. Instead of feeling as though you’re being attacked by the most powerful man on the planet, it begins to seem somewhat pathetic.
“It feels as though a strange and slightly sad old guy is yelling at you to get off his lawn, echoed by younger but no less sad people in red hats shouting, ‘Yeah, get off his lawn!’ ” Comey said.
As evidence of Trump’s reduced standing, Comey used the viral video showing world leaders including French President Emmanual Macron, Justin Trudeau, and Boris Johnson mocking Trump behind his back. After the news surfaced, Trump canceled his last press conference and left the NATO summit early, prompting criticism that Trump had harmed his standing among world leaders.
.@JustinTrudeau, @EmmanuelMacron, @BorisJohnson and other VIPs shared a few words at a Buckingham Palace reception Tuesday. No one mentions @realDonaldTrump by name, but they seem to be discussing his lengthy impromptu press conferences from earlier in the day. (Video: Host Pool) pic.twitter.com/dVgj48rpOP
— Power & Politics (@PnPCBC) December 3, 2019
Still, Comey says, Trump is a dangerous person. He cited the president’s Syrian policy as evidence that even a diminished president can harm people.
Comey concluded that even though Trump may seem like a “shrunken, withered” man, Americans still need to fight against him because he poses a danger to the country. He insisted that people should fight through the fatigue and overcome their shock in order to fight him.
Trump fired Comey in May 2017, prompting questions about whether he was attempting to obstruct justice by interfering with the Russia investigation.
