Occupation: Trump

George Carlin used to describe the medieval origins of stand-up comedy.  One night the dancers were late and the king was getting impatient, so they brought out a man who was, as we now say, developmentally disabled.  And the king loved it.  "Say, he's good!"

I think of this every time Trump shows up at a convocation of dignitaries.  It's less obvious when he's entertaining the dentally disabled in some provincial city, no script, no questions, just free-associative grievance and bluster.  But get him at the UN, the G7, a gathering of NATO leaders, and it's like he senses their contempt and hostility but doesn't know how to be anything but Trump.  Anything goes, and you almost feel guilty for watching, like laughing at that long-ago First Foole.

Right now it's the grandly styled World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the big machers of industry and finance celebrating the swell job they've done all year to advance the cause of capitalism.  Unlike the others, attendance is hardly compulsory.  He could have sent Pence and spared him the humiliation of being snubbed by Prince Charles in Jerusalem.  He could have stayed in bed, rage-tweeting about his impeachment trial and abusing Moscow Mitch for letting it go on so long.  Maybe he thought rubbing against real billionaires would transfer the magic money dust and he would no longer need the Russians and the Sauds to keep his Tinker-toy empire afloat.  It can't be the food -- he eats the same burger-joint crap everywhere and whines when it's not available.  Stephen Miller or Sean Hannity probably said, "You should go.  It'll look like you're too important to notice that stuff in the Senate, like you don't have a care."  Or Putin just said, "Go."

Whoever is behind this, it's been a laugh riot.  All the salient details are here, though I would question "embarrasses himself," which suggests a non-Trumpian level of self-awareness.  It was America that was embarrassed, and we'll be years recovering.  Some sly puss scheduled the speakers so that Trump had to follow Greta Thunberg, who will never be forgiven for acing him out as Time's Person of the Year (surely this can no longer matter to any serious person).  Warming to the injustice of it all, he demanded Pulitzer Prizes for Hannity and "Rushbo" Limbaugh to complement his own Nobel.  Why not just drape Medals of Freedom around their swollen necks and call it a day?  He still wants to "straighten out the press," a now tiresome complaint.  He wants to "protect" Elon Musk, but not to the extent of enlarging the electric vehicle tax credit because he doesn't know Tesla makes electric cars as well as rockets, or doesn't care.  He also wants to protect Thomas Edison, who he believes invented the wheel.  Remember Kennedy's speech to a group of real Nobelists, when he said it was the greatest gathering of intellects in the White House "since Jefferson dined alone"?  Trump can't wait for the night he gets to dine with Edison and Frederick Douglass and maybe Thomas Crapper, credited with inventing the flush toilet.   He's hearing wonderful things about them. 

Laugh.  It's funny.  Then remember that when the trial is over he'll still be there, applauding himself for awesomely beating the rap.  Not so funny now, is it?