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BEDMINSTER, N.J. -- Spectators crowding around the viewing booth near the 15th green of the U.S. Women's Open often had their backs turned toward some of the best golfers in the world.

The booth's large windows offered fishbowl-style views of one of the most powerful men on the planet -- also the owner of the golf course itself -- as he attended to his affairs.

For hours each of the tournament's last three days people who had bought tickets to the championship found themselves with front-row seats to President Donald Trump's glad-handing, chit-chatting, sports watching and french-fry eating.

Usually Trump had his back to the green and the oglers, watching the competition on a TV screen when not greeting a stream of guests and visitors that included golfers and club managers plus his son, daughter-in-law and national security adviser.

With President Donald Trump in attendance, Sung Hyun Park shot her second straight 5-under 67 to win the U.S. Women's Open on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory.

Every so often, Trump acknowledged the crowd outside the booth, waving to them, pointing at those wearing Trump campaign merchandise, and offering a thumbs-up or a first bump. That prompted squeals from a group of schoolgirls on Friday and tears from a woman on Saturday. At one point on Sunday, the president drew cheers when he mimicked swinging a golf club.

It wasn't all smiles under the sun. Trump's presence drew demonstrators outside the course's gates to protest the U.S. Golf Association's decision to hold the event at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, located about 45 miles west of New York City.

On Sunday, four protesters from the women's rights group UltraViolet entered the club with event tickets and positioned themselves in front of Trump's viewing booth wearing purple shirts that read "USGA: DUMP SEXIST TRUMP."

"We're here to make sure we're represented," said activist Melissa Byrne of Philadelphia. "We wanted to be able to look him in the eye."

Security guards quickly surrounded the protesters. At times Trump supporters taunted the protesters and criticized reporters for giving them attention. Others welcomed the protesters' presence. "I'm so glad to see you. Thank you, thank you for being here," one woman said quietly as she walked by.

It was unclear whether Trump himself saw the protesters from his perch. He did not acknowledge their presence, but they seemed to preoccupy several guests in his booth. The protesters eventually left on their own accord.

Trump had tweeted about protesters on Sunday before leaving his residence on the golf course grounds.

Players competed for attention with the course's namesake. Again and again, club staff and volunteers asked the crowd gathered near Trump to hush so golfers such as Lexi Thompson and Stacy Lewis could focus on their game.

Chinese golfer Shanshan Feng told reporters Friday that she could hear crowds screaming for the president. Asked if she could tell which direction the crowds were looking, Thompson told reporters, "Not toward the golf."

The U.S. Golf Association released a statement Friday welcoming Trump to the open and noting that he is the first sitting president to attend.

"Our focus remains on conducting the championship and ensuring a great experience for the players and fans this week," it read.

Trump has spent nearly every weekend of his presidency visiting a Trump-owned property, golf course or hotel. Many critics and ethics experts have accused the president of using his position to enrich himself. His presence at the Open helped draw attention to the event, which he repeatedly promoted on Twitter.

While some at the course wondered aloud why the leader of the free world didn't have more important things to do, Anita DiBartolo of Whippany, New Jersey, said she completely understood the president's decision-making.

"Why," she asked, "would he be any other place than this paradise today?"

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President Trump's visit draws varied reaction at Women's Open - ESPN

CLAIM

A photograph shows Eric and Donald Trump Jr., sons of President Donald Trump.

A photograph purportedly showing an image of Eric and Donald Trump, Jr., the two older sons of President Donald Trump, has been circulating on social media in various forms since at least June 2017:

The image, which provides an oddly grotesque look at President Trumps olders sons, has been re-purposed in various memes to mock the First Family. For instance, it has been turned into a movie poster for Dumb and Dumber, was shared in a meme comparing the two Trumps children into to the sloth character from the movie The Goonies, and was frequently shared with the captions They look like that hyucc sound Goofy be making or Donald Trump HATES this photo of his two sons. Please dont share it.

However, this picture (despite the Getty Images watermark) is not a genuine photograph of Donald Trumps sons, but a digitally altered version of one.

The original photograph was taken on 12 November 2005, during Donald Trump, Jr.s wedding reception at his fathers Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida:

Donald Trump, Jr. pose with his brother Eric Trump after the wedding ceremony at the Mar-a-Lago Club on November 12, 2005 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by C. Allegri/Getty Images)

Several subtle changes were made to the original image in order to uglify the Trump brothers. For instance, Donald Trump, Jr.s upper lip was enlarged, his bottom teeth were hidden, his right eye was moved off-center, and his left ear was lowered. Eric Trumps eyes were also widened, and some extra fat was added to his neck.

Heres a comparison of the fake image (left) and the real image (right):

Got a tip or a rumor? Contact us here.

Fact Checker: Dan Evon

Published: Jul 16th, 2017

Continued here:
Is This a Real Photograph of Donald Trump's Older Sons? - snopes.com

Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump attend the inauguration ceremeony for the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Feb. 28.

AFP/Getty Images

Two weeks after Donald J. Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination last year, his eldest son arranged a meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan with a Russian lawyer who has connections to the Kremlin, according to confidential government records. Donald Jr. described the meeting as primarily about an adoption program. New York Times, July 8, 2017

Donald Trump Jr. posted his full exchange with a publicist for a Russian pop musician to Twitteron Tuesday, and the emails confirm previous reports that Trump Jr. was offered compromising information about Hillary Clinton specifically from the Russian government. The emails also say flatly that the Kremlin was working to help elect his father. Washington Post, July 11, 2017

The Russian American lobbyist who attended a meeting at Trump Tower last year is a former military officer long shadowed by allegations of connections to Russian intelligence. Associated Press, July 14, 2017

The June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort included at least eight people. CNN, July 14, 2017

An audio recording of the meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Kremlin-connected lawyer may provide a clue as to the identity of the eighth attendee. In the brief recording, a knock can be heard on the door before a man says, Hi, its me, Paul Ryan. Just wanted to poke my head in and say Im cool with Putin paying Trump so long as I get to be the big tax-cutting boy. I also want to mention that I am not pausing for laughter here because this is not a joke. All right, have a nice day.Our team of audio experts is analyzing the tape in an effort to identify the man. CNN,July 16, 2017

The Times has obtained more than 200 emails sent by Eric Trump to various members of the Trump campaign. The messages were sent on June 9, 2016, and each carries an identical subject line: Hows the haking going? New York Times,July 17, 2017

In a stunning move, Eric Trump has posted 500 additional emails to Twitter after the Times reached out to him for comment. Each email contains the same body text: can i come to dons next thing? i like too hak to. New York Times,July 18, 2017

Colluding with a foreign power is the most American thing you can do, and the fake news media continues to ignore the fact that the great men who built this countrythe Founding Fathersdid so through collusion. Makes me sick. Sean Hannity on Hannity,July 19, 2017

Sources with knowledge of the meeting at Trump Tower have revealed that there was a ninth attendee, and they described this person's behavior as peculiar. Midway through discussions, the unnamed woman is said to have lifted up her entire torso from a seam at her waist to reveal another, smaller woman residing inside. This interior woman repeated the act to uncover yet another woman, and this continued until a final woman, roughly the size of a bowling pin, teetered and fell on the table in front of Donald Trump Jr., who exclaimed, I love it. The nationality of these women is unknown. USA Today,July 20, 2017

President Donald Trump announced today that he is intent on maintaining a smooth election process during the upcoming midterms, which is why the White House will be prioritizing a program that facilitates the adoption of Russian children. Washington Post,June 9, 2018

The rest is here:
Who Else Was in the Room? - Slate Magazine

BANNER ELK, N.C.

Even the least popular presidents sometimes do great things.

What might Donald Trumps great thing be? He has unified a divided nation.

He has brought Republicans and Democrats together as only just wars can. Hes brought women, scientists, minorities, teachers, journalists, professors and no, theyre not all liberal out of their favorite laptop seats and moved them to march, protest and, most important, run for public office.

The pink-capped Womens March is familiar to all but the dead. On Earth Day in April, scientists around the world staged rallies to protest Trumps apparent lack of interest in research-backed facts.

A few prominent conservatives Post columnists George F. Will and Joe Scarborough among them have left the GOP, while Democrats have offered to take drastic action.

A majority say they would forswear drinking for life if it would mean Trumps impeachment, according to a story in the Hill. This seems a tad excessive, though given the increased alcohol consumption (anecdotally) since Trump took office, a long-term wagon ride might be just what the doctor would order. Relatedly, if not causatively, Nevada nearly ran out of marijuana products a few days after the state legalized recreational use.

When have so many Americans of so many stripes been so united in a shared mission? And, no, Woodstock doesnt count.

Other gifts from the president include an increased national interest in politics, civic participation and electoral office. Trumps name seems to be on the tip of everyones tongue, even among those who have never expressed any interest in politics.

Chris Clark, an artist in this mountain village, echoed the sentiments one hears several times on any given day. Im obsessed with the news, he told me during a recent visit to his gallery.

All I do is watch TV now, he said, laughing. Its like watching a train wreck, you cant look away. Its hard to go to work, really!

Meanwhile, countless Republicans and Democrats and independents, the nonpolitical, as well as scientists, teachers and, sure, a freshly emboldened outlier class (Jay-Z?), are considering running for public office, a goal previously not on the radar.

A newly formed political action committee 314 Action is urging scientists to Get Elected and offers help with funding and logistics. Hundreds have signed up. Similarly, Silicon Valley tech magnate Sam Altman president of Y Combinator, which invests in start-ups such as Dropbox and Airbnb is offering to fund good candidates for statewide office to create prosperity through technology, economic fairness and maintaining personal liberty.

Nationally, a centrist movement is gaining traction under the self-explaining name of No Labels, which may yet prove to be a counterforce in the zero-sum sport of current politics. The group organized in 2010 and is co-chaired by former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, a Republican, and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman, a Democrat (later independent).

More than 70 members of Congress from both parties have formed a bipartisan coalition called the No Labels Problem Solvers, pledging to work together on legislative initiatives. This month, the congressional group released its first bipartisan effort a Make Government Work! legislative package aimed at reducing government waste and inefficiency. In September, No Labels will host an international ideas summit to coincide with the U.N. General Assembly session in New York.

Thus, though our national political narrative is that were more divided than ever, a dispassionate second look suggests otherwise. Were not so much divided as stuck. Running in mud. Thats not the swamp draining; its the muck of money, greed, self-interest and one-upmanship Washingtons unique art of the deal.

We dont have only Trump to thank. The ecosystem of media-generated conflict and Americas penchant for spectator sports has ensured a persistent game of warring factions a perfect milieu for someone such as Trump, with his particular talents. He merely strolled to the lectern, called everybody else a loser, and plowed his way to the presidency on a whim and the most golden of promises to make America great again.

We have work to do. There is hope. A trend seems to be taking shape if momentum can be nourished. What an irony if Trumps presidency made America great again by inspiring people to get elected whose civilian lives have been circumscribed by the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and truth, which is not, in fact, relative.

Trump would go down as one of the greatest unifying presidents in history the sooner the better.

Read more from Kathleen Parkers archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook.

Read this article:
Donald Trump, the great uniter? - Washington Post

Donald Trump is amazing. At this early point in his tenure, Trump is one of the most unpopular presidents ever. Political scientists and other experts will most certainly rank him among the worst presidents in the history of the United States.

Donald Trumps accomplishments as president are legion. He has surrendered Americas global leadership to China, Germany and Russia. Hehas also made America much less respected around the world. He is a plutocrat billionaire with fascist leanings who may have allied with Russia and Vladimir Putin to undermine American democracy and steal the 2016 presidential election from Hillary Clinton and her voters.

Trump is boorish, ignorant, bigoted, sexist and violent. He has encouraged such values among the American people. He and the Republican Party want to destroy the countrys already meager social safety net as a means of punishing the useless eaters.For example, their health care planwill potentially kill tens of thousands of Americans each year and leave millions more sick, in pain, homeless, financially ruined and otherwise miserable. Meanwhile Trump, his family and his closest associates are using the presidency to personally enrich themselves. They view it as a personal ATM and not as a means of serving the public good and the general welfare. Except for what he can force by fiat, Trump has accomplished none of his major campaign promises and in the case of building his amazing wall and draining the swamp he has all but admitted such promises were snake oil and outright lies to con the rubes.

Nevertheless, Trumps voters still enthusiastically support him. According to new polling data from the Economist and YouGov, Trump has an 88 percent approval rating among those people who voted for him last November a higher proportion than supported him a few weeks earlier.

How is this possible?

American politics is highly polarized because of the Republican Party and right-wing medias disregard if not utter contempt for consensus and compromise. Conservatives are also extremely tribal and authoritarian. Trump is their leader. He is not to be betrayed or abandoned.

The average American is not politically sophisticated. Moreover, Americans in general do not have high levels of engagement with or interest in politics and public policy. The average American also reasons backwards from conclusions he or she has already made about political matters, in essence selectively finding and processing information to justify decisions. Many Americans are also siloed: they self-select into groups and communities of like-minded people. This echo-chamber effect is especially pronounced among American conservatives and right-leaning independents.

Donald Trump and the Republican Party have mastered the use of white racism, white victimology and white grievance-mongering to win elections and shape public policy. Trump simply amplified the Republican Partys dog whistles into an air raid siren. Republican voters are trained to follow its beckoning.

There is an additional explanation for the slavish devotion shown by Trumps followers toward their Great Leader that is often overlooked by more traditional types of political analysis. Trumps followers may actually be in love with him.

Sociologist Jeff Shantz explores this troubling dynamic in his recent essay On the Messy Psychology of Trumpism:

It has been well remarked that Trump shows a contemptuous regard for truth or facts. He is appealing to the constrained who do not want to be hemmed in or constrained by facts either, as they are by so much else in their lives. This is related to the wish to win that Trump so effectively conjured during his campaign (with his repeated emphasis on America winning again, winning huge, etc.).

Primacy of the wish to win is related to the sense to which one feels dispossessed.

Trump tells an emotional truth for his supporters even if he is widely seen to be lying. This truth is his anger and the affirmation of his followers anger. This is the truth that comes to matter, a point rational critics generally overlook or misread. Omnipotent fantasy cannot be told the factual truth. There is a turn to emotional truth. Trust is based not on his truth claims but on the sense that he will do what really needs to be done. His supporters trust his promised power.

There is a libidinal investment of the masses in the leader. They have fallen in love with him. The crowd enjoys vicariously through the leader. Trump, on their behalf will restore the lost narcissistic idea of the nation. He will Make America Great Again.

Shantz continues by connecting this one-way love affair between Trump and his followers to the long tradition of anti-intellectualism in American culture:

Critical thinking isolates you and isolation is part of the problem in neoliberal societies. There is a pleasure in feeling free from thinking. It is partly presented as a reaction against the constant thinking through of political correctness (doing what you are supposed to do and thinking through the implications of all utterances, let alone actions). So-called political correctness (simple decency perhaps) is constructed as an artificial strategy that maintains hypocrisy.

Unknowing is derided but critics fail to see the enjoyment it can provide. Ignorance can indeed be bliss. Trump represents a poverty of ideas. He expresses a cathartic change. Trump is a grotesque character type. In the enactment of aggression, Trump is both a fool and a wizard.

Trump speaks the analytic session: be spontaneous; speak the repressed; no emphasis on truth; free association. Trump brings the language and posture of the analytic session. What of the return of the repressed? What is repressed is fear and hatred of the other.

Ultimately, Donald Trump has captured the hearts and minds of his followers. Is there any way for the Democratic Party, or progressives and liberals more generally, to win over these voters?

Trumps true believers are political dead enders. They are part of the presidents cult of personality and will not be torn away from him. Their self-worth and personal identity are intertwined with Trump in a form of mass psychosis.

What about the white working class, a group that has become an obsessive fetish object for the pundit classes and news media in the Age of Trump? At this point, it is solidly Republican and has been so for several decades. To chase these voters is a fools errand. This is especially true if winning over white working-class voters means that the Democratic Party risks alienating its base of support among African-Americans and other people of color.

And what of the fabled Obama to Trump voters? Perhaps they can be recovered if the Democratic Party follows cognitive linguist George Lakoffs advice about crafting powerful stories that leverage values and emotions to win over voters. The Obama-to-Trump subgroup is simply too small, however, to form the basis of an effective long-term political strategy.

In total, the emotions of love and fantasy ideation felt by Trumps voters for their champion points to a serious challenge for the Democratic Party in particular and American society in general. Trumps supporters and Republicans en masse could be described as post-Enlightenment thinkers whose political decisions and understanding of the world are driven by delusions that exist outside empirical reality. How does one defeat such forces? The Democratic Party, and all those who oppose Donald Trump and the larger project of the Republican Party, will need to find an answer quickly if they are to recover hope for the future of our country.

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Donald Trump is a total love god at least to his supporters. How does the left fight that? - Salon