Rough Dymond

Jonny Dymond's '100 Days' contribution to this Friday's The World at One has provoked quite a bit of comment hereabouts. 

And with good reason. 

It was the kind of report that would, in all likelihood, begin (as it did) like this:

JONNY DYMOND: It's not...

DONALD TRUMP: Chaos..

JONNY DYMOND: It's like a...

DONALD TRUMP: fine-tuned machine.

JONNY DYMOND: The White House, that is. And, as if to prove it, a whole week went by without any hideous cock-ups, resignations or grotesque embarrassment...Well, almost. 

And it also was the kind of report that might say something like this about Donald Trump's response to recent antisemitic attacks in the US (also as it did):

After a fourth wave of bomb threats to Jewish community centres and the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in St Louis the President found the words that he had apparently mislaid for so long.

And it was the kind of report that did call Mike Pence "a kindly-sounding man" for being nice about NATO and contrast that with President Trump's view of NATO (reduced, in Jonny's take, to Trump being entirely dismissive of it) and then cap the section by talking about the possibility of Russia invading one of its smaller neighbours before ending:

Let's hope it's nice Mike at the helm when the tanks roll, eh?

And, for good measure, it was most definitely the kind of report that did say:

Remember the voters? The President does. All...The...Time.

...and then quip:

He went to Florida, much of which he owns, to hold a rally with supporters...

...and then talk of Trump's "garbled rhetoric" (not a bad way of putting it actually!)

And then came this:

It was all going rather well for Mr Trump until he decided to continue with his habit of insulting allies for no reason at all.

President Trump's comments about Sweden duly followed, interspersed with sarcastic asides from our Jonny, culminating in the following:

Mr President, nothing happened in Sweden last night. Or the night before. Or the year before. It's Sweden, where nothing ever happens!! But, hey, why let the facts get in the way of a great presidency? And this, folks, have no doubt, is gonna be great presidency! Tremendous even!

For staggering naivety (if such it be) about Sweden, that surely takes some beating!  

Such sarcasm would be fine if we BBC watchers didn't have long memories and remember the drooling '100 days' coverage that greeted the Obama administration - all the simpering over Michelle Obama's dresses (not all from Kim Ghattas), the eagerly uncritical coverage of the new president's every policy decision, the reporting of all the shiny, happy people delighting in the new era. 

The contrast could hardly be sharper. 

I've always rather liked Jonny Dymond. This was, therefore, as they say, disappointing.