In another unbelievable news week, we learned that Donald Trump was whisked off Air Force One because of threats against his life. Threats against any American — and certainly a president — are serious. And no one can fault the Secret Service for taking extraordinary precautions to protect him. Still, the image was memorable: the president secretly removed from the aircraft while much of the administrative staff and traveling press continued aboard the plane being used as a decoy.
Then came the meme.
Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself — trim, sturdy, heroic — in military uniform, standing between George Patton and Douglas MacArthur. Patton and MacArthur certainly possessed the flair for drama Trump would admire. But they possessed something else as well: extraordinary physical courage.
Both repeatedly exposed themselves to enemy fire. Patton was wounded while leading troops during the Meuse-Argonne offensive in 1918. During the St. Mihiel offensive that same year, Patton and MacArthur famously encountered each other on the battlefield as German artillery landed around them. Neither man was unfamiliar with the possibility that the next shell might have his name on it.
Trump, of course, should follow Secret Service instructions. No one expects a president to stroll casually into danger to demonstrate his courage. But one might reasonably expect a moment of concern for the staff and reporters left behind.
And one might also suggest, gently, that after being whisked away from a threatened airplane while others remain aboard as it flies on, this may not be the ideal moment to imagine yourself in uniform between Patton and MacArthur.
Some roles require more than a costume.