Deadline Poet / July 2, 2024

Metaphorical Advice to Those Who Want to Be Donald Trump’s Running Mate

Calvin Trillin

Since fawning is his principal demand,
Your strategy is easy to deduce.
Just pucker up your lips and move
Directly toward that Trumpian caboose.

Thank you for reading The Nation

We hope you enjoyed the story you just read, just one of the many incisive, deeply-reported articles we publish daily. Now more than ever, we need fearless journalism that shifts the needle on important issues, uncovers malfeasance and corruption, and uplifts voices and perspectives that often go unheard in mainstream media.

Throughout this critical election year and a time of media austerity and renewed campus activism and rising labor organizing, independent journalism that gets to the heart of the matter is more critical than ever before. Donate right now and help us hold the powerful accountable, shine a light on issues that would otherwise be swept under the rug, and build a more just and equitable future.

For nearly 160 years, The Nation has stood for truth, justice, and moral clarity. As a reader-supported publication, we are not beholden to the whims of advertisers or a corporate owner. But it does take financial resources to report on stories that may take weeks or months to properly investigate, thoroughly edit and fact-check articles, and get our stories into the hands of readers.

Donate today and stand with us for a better future. Thank you for being a supporter of independent journalism.

Calvin Trillin

Calvin Trillin is The Nation’s “deadline poet.”

More from The Nation

President Joe Biden speaks with George Stephanopoulos on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. The president sat down with Stephanopoulos while on the campaign trail, a few days after a debate with former president Donald Trump.

Biden Did Not Save His Presidency on ABC Biden Did Not Save His Presidency on ABC

An uneven interview with George Stephanapoulos was too little, too late—and maybe a bit too churlish.

Joan Walsh

Seal Team Six.

This Week / Steve Brodner

Donald Trump participates in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Why Aren’t We Talking About Trump’s Fascism? Why Aren’t We Talking About Trump’s Fascism?

Joe Biden has created a distraction from the existential question that should define this election.

Jeet Heer

An image of President Donald Trump looms over crowds of supporters before his speech from the Ellipse at the White House on Wednesday, January 6, 2021.

How to Beat Trump in a World of Unreason How to Beat Trump in a World of Unreason

To counter authoritarian drift, Democrats can’t just swap out nominees. They need to be bold.

Eric Reinhart

Donald Trump Campaign Event

Donald Trump’s Secret Weapon to Dismantle American Education Donald Trump’s Secret Weapon to Dismantle American Education

The former president’s plans for a second term could reshape American education and academic freedom as we know it.

StudentNation / Owen Dahlkamp

Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts attends the State of the Union address on February 7, 2023

We Rejected Monarchy in 1776. The Supreme Court Just Brought It Back. We Rejected Monarchy in 1776. The Supreme Court Just Brought It Back.

King George III was tossed aside 248 years ago. Now the court seeks to impose King Donald I.

John Nichols