Of all the important news you might've missed this week, this item is the most important: American President and Leader of the Free World Donald Trump boarded Air Force One this week with toilet paper (or possibly a napkin, the mystery remains unsolved) stuck to his shoe - a common gag in popular culture. The internet responded with malicious glee, producing a veritable trove of memes, gifs, and Twitter cracks.
Trump has yet to comment on the incident.
Otherwise, it was a very good week in Trumpland. First, the Senate confirmed Trump's second nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, after weeks of dramatic testimony, a swift and arguably incomplete FBI investigation, and partisan debate. Two Senators - Susan Collins of Maine, who is a registered Republican, but who was seen as a potential swing vote because of her independent streak, and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia - ultimately sealed the deal for Kavanaugh, with the final count coming in at 51-49.
It's hard to overstate the importance of this victory not only for Trump, but for American conservative ideology writ large. There are now four liberals and five conservatives on the bench. The justices serve for life unless they elect to retire, and the liberals currently on the court are on average much older than their conservative counterparts. With respect to Trump, a conservative court could vastly expand his executive power or shield him against indictment or subpoena while in power. Even beyond Trump, the court will shape the American legal landscape for decades to come on questions like abortion, unions, and free speech.
Trump also delivered on his promise to replace NAFTA. Trade officials renegotiated a trilateral agreement with Canada and Mexico, inventively dubbed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. All three governments still must ratify the agreement, though US Congress is unlikely to do so before 2019, and it's possible that if Democrats flip the House after midterm elections in November 2018 they'll refuse to approve it.
Perhaps the only bad news for Trump this week was a report released by The New York Times detailing various evasive and possibly fraudulent tax schemes Trump used to build upon his father's real-estate fortune. Trump denied the allegations and dismissed the report as "an old, boring and often-told hit piece."
The Trump family was peripatetic this week. Trump traveled to Philadelphia to give a speech at the National Electrical Contractors Association Convention. First Lady Melania Trump went on a solo humanitarian-focused tour of Africa, which included visits to Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt. Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, former Fox news anchor Kimberly Guilfoyle, made an appearance in Texas to show support for Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who is facing stiff competition from Democratic rival Beto O'Rourke in approaching midterm elections.
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/10/05/trump-toilet-paper-video-president-boards-air-force-one-with-what-appears-be-toilet-paper-stuck-shoe/
- https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ToiletPaperTrail
- https://www.complex.com/life/2018/10/trump-taunted-over-embarrassing-toilet-paper-fiasco/tweet-6
- https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/06/us/politics/conservative-supreme-court-kavanaugh.html
- https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/04/politics/fbi-investigation-parameters-kavanaugh/index.html
- https://www.npr.org/2018/08/22/641005331/can-the-sitting-president-of-the-united-states-be-indicted
- https://www.vox.com/2018/10/3/17930092/usmca-nafta-trump-trade-deal-explained
- https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-tax-schemes-fred-trump.html
- https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/04/politics/fbi-investigation-parameters-kavanaugh/index.html
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/n/trump-dismisses-new-york-times-tax-story-as-an-old-boring-and-often-told-hit-piece/vp-BBNSllP
- https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-national-electrical-contractors-association-convention/
- https://www.vox.com/2018/10/3/17930092/usmca-nafta-trump-trade-deal-explained
- https://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/donald-trump-jr-comes-to-texas-to-stump-for-dads-old-rival-ted-cruz/