On Sunday night, “Cage Fight at the White House” left the world of journalistic metaphor, with a real-life, few-holds-barred mixed martial arts competition on the South Lawn: UFC Freedom 250.The district’s arbiters of respectable opinion unanimously condemned the spectacle, decrying President Donald Trump for “defiling D.C.” and tarnishing the dignity of the presidential office. “It’s vulgar, it’s violent, it’s commercial,” moaned the Bulwark’s Bill Kristol, who suffered a wave of “melancholy” contemplating the 92-foot “Claw” looming over the executive mansion.Still, there’s a bright side here for those of us who think there’s been entirely too much grandeur and majesty around the American presidency. Say what you will about Trump, but he’s handling that problem.
FBI THWARTS EXPLOSIVE DRONE ATTACK AGAINST UFC FREEDOM 250 FIGHT
Since the dawn of the republic, “statecraft as soulcraft” types have insisted the office needs to set a certain tone. In the “Titles Debate” of 1789, John Adams argued that only a posh designator like “His Highness” would command proper respect. But, as Adams’s opponents successfully argued, investing the office with too much awe and reverence risks clouding the public mind and allowing the officeholder greater leeway for abuse.
