May 10, 2025

Trump lit the fire and is burning down the house. Now he's sitting there happily roasting marshmallows. By Hal M. Brown




I read one line in the RawStory article '“Why are we not talking about his mental acuity?' MSNBC host nails growing Trump problem” and I heard the Talking Heads song “Burning Down the House” (see Wiki for info.) in my mind. 


This is he line from MSNBC's The Weekend" co-host Jonathan Capehart talking about Trump's tarriffs and his saying container ships coming in to our harbors being half empty: 

You know, and what he [Trump] does is he burns down the house and then he comes in and says, 'Oh, the market went up.' Well, no."

I find it impossible to visualize Trump happily sitting by a campfire with his family or friends toasting marshmallows. The best image my Perchance AI could come up with is below on the upper left (click to enlarge):



If the video doesn't play click here.

This is the line from MSNBC's The Weekend" co-host Jonathan Capehart talking about Trump's tarriffs and his saying container ships coming in to our harbors being half empty: 

You know, and what he [Trump] does is he burns down the house and then he comes in and says, 'Oh, the market went up.' Well, no."

I find it impossible to visualize Trump happily sitting by a campfire with his family or friends toasting marshmallows. The best image my Perchance AI could come up with is below on the upper left (click to enlarge):

The meaning of the song “Burning Down the House” has been analyzed. Here's an example: UNCOVERING THE FIERY METAPHORS & CULTURAL IMPACT.

Here’s an excerpt:

While the song’s chorus seems to emphatically endorse literal destruction, ‘Burning Down the House’ harbors a more nuanced subtext. It’s about both self-renewal and critique of stasis. Byrne, as the ‘ordinary guy’ caught in the throes of change, is not advocating for chaos but rather an inward ignition of transformation.

This metaphorical ‘burning’ reflects a universal sentiment of disruption. Be it personal growth or societal upheaval, ‘Burning Down the House’ serves as the anthem for those moments when the old ways are razed to make room for the new—a familiar cycle in the ever-changing landscape of American culture.

The lyrics ‘Hold tight we’re in for nasty weather / There has got to be a way’ echo a sentiment of foreboding, a recognition of the challenges that accompany any form of change. As if to say, the journey will be tumultuous, and the status quo will not go quietly into the night.

I wish I could say that Trump is burning down the house because he wants to achieve a positive result. Fire fighters set old houses ablaze to practice their skill. Trump is either doing this because he’s a pyromanic who enjoys watching the conflagration he ingited, or because, for the conspiracy minded, because Putin told him to do it.

To quote my partner, Ann, who just proof read this for me, “why, why, why, would he want to do this? He lives here too. Why would he want to do this? That’s the million dollar question. Why would you want to burn down your own house.”

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Trump lit the fire and is burning down the house. Now he's sitting there happily roasting marshmallows. By Hal M. Brown

I read one line in the RawStory article  ' “Why are we not talking about his mental acuity?' MSNBC host nails growing Trump problem”...