Abuser-in-Chief

Earlier this afternoon, Donald Trump gave a press conference, which was incredible (and not in a good way) from start to finish. There is not yet an available transcript, but here is the video, and I live-tweeted the presser and Storified those tweets.

This, however, is the long and the short of it:

That press conference was an exhibition of abuse. Bigotry, insults, gaslighting, lies, manipulation, threats, self-aggrandizing, silencing.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) February 16, 2017

Not that this is a surprise to anyone in this space, but surprise isn't the issue. It's just another demonstration, a very public one, of the abusive and authoritarian behavior that was abundantly clear throughout Trump's campaign, starting on Day One.

We are being governed (or not, as the case may be) by a brutally abusive bully, who has not, as many of his contemptible defenders suggested he would if elected, "pivoted" or "dialed it back" or whatever words they used to suggest that Trump would magically morph into a reasonable person once he was emboldened by the unrivaled power of the office of the U.S. presidency.

He is worse than ever, specifically because of being so empowered.

The worst thing anyone can give to an abuser is more power, more control, and less accountability.

But her emails...