Trumpites dish out abuse, but they can’t take it: On the reaction to Pelosi’s ‘morbidly obese’ crack

Point and counterpoint.(Getty Images)

With the president’s stunning admission Monday that he has been taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug that most medical experts say should not be used to treat or prevent coronavirus, the questions tumbled out.

Was Trump lying about taking the drug he’s long been touting to combat COVID-19, just to own the libs? Was he really taking it, and if so, why would an actual doctor prescribe it? Was he putting his life on the line by taking a drug the FDA cautioned against outside of hospitals, and that has been linked to deaths?

But the news that Trump may be on a dangerous regimen of hydroxychloroquine (while refusing to, much more simply, wear a mask in public) didn’t seem to alarm his supporters. A comment from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on the other hand, did.

“He’s our president,” she told CNN Monday night, “and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group — morbidly obese.”

Now, the obvious reaction to this, regardless of your politics, is to laugh audibly and for at least a couple minutes, as I did, at Pelosi’s not-so-subtle dig.

Unless, of course, you’re a suddenly oh-so-sensitive Team Trump snowflake, in which case you clutch your MAGA hat and cry into your chloroquine at the outrage of Pelosi’s “fat-shaming” of the president.

“The same people that lead the body positivity movement apparently feel comfortable commenting on people’s weight publicly. Always good to remember the rules never apply to them,” tweeted one very hurt feeling.

“I’m wondering if @secupp and others would find it knee slapping hilarious” — and I did, as I mentioned — “if President Donald Trump called someone morbidly obese or would the words fat shaming be trending? I want to make certain we are playing by the same rule book,” tweeted another concerned citizen and astute observer of the president’s notable past behavior.

Are. You. Kidding. Me?

The earnestness with which these “asking for a friend” posts about “the rules” were written leads me to believe they are not, in fact, joking. So, as a fan of intellectual consistency myself, I’ll respond by saying, “Rules? Where we’re going, we don’t need rules.” I’ll go ahead and show my work.

The President has referred to women over the course of his public career as “dogs,” “pigs,” “fat,” “ugly,” “slobs,” “lowlifes” and “horseface”;

He’s bragged about grabbing women by the genitals, and has been accused by no fewer than 25 women of sexual misconduct;

He’s attacked women journalists for doing their jobs, and mused on multiple occasions that women are more suited for housework;

He’s mocked a girl with Asperger’s, a disabled journalist, a prisoner of war, a Gold Star family, and even his own supporters;

He’s called the media “losers,” “nasty” and “human scum,” accused one news anchor of murder, suggested another was menstruating and that another was bleeding from a bad facelift;

He insisted former President Barack Obama was from Kenya, maligned immigrants from “shithole countries,” said a gathering of neo-Nazis included “some very fine people,” and trafficked heavily in online anti-Semitic tropes.

This, needless to say, is a very partial list.

I have a hunch Trump fans are not all that offended on behalf of their insulter-in-chief, but are just playing the part out of boredom and unfulfilled promise. For some, the Pelosi comments finally unshackled them from the chains of common decency so that they could engage in the real fat-shaming they’ve long wanted to do:

“This bich [sic] literally just called @realDonaldTrump ‘morbidly obese on NATIONAL TV!!! Bahhhahaha this is awesome!! Sorry liberals, fat shaming is no longer an offence, and any heat towards this oiled up crypt keeper is game on,” tweeted one emancipated reveler.

“Glad she said it. Cause now we can point out that Lizzo is morbidly obese,” exclaimed another former fat-shamers anonymous member.

“Is Stacy Abrams morbidly obese too?” asked a curious health fan.

For these fine folks, Pelosi apparently gave them a new lease on life. For the others, the Trump fans who would very much like to speak to your manager about the so-called rules, let’s talk when Trump inevitably tweets out his well-thought-out retort to Pelosi. Because when it comes to being offended, Trump fans have not a single, horse-faced pinky toe to stand on.