Send in the clowns.
The Washington Post published an opinion piece defending the good name of clowns everywhere — fervently insisting President Trump doesn’t deserve the harlequin moniker his rivals frequently foist upon him.
“Donald Trump is not a clown. I should know,” reads the headline of the missive penned by Tim Cunningham — a self-described professional clown of 24 years and board president of the not-at-all-terrifying-sounding nonprofit Clowns Without Borders.
The article cites a few examples lefty commentators disparagingly painting Trump or his administration as clowns over the years, including MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell and political strategist James Carville.
But rather than accepting the schoolyard-grade insult at face value, Cunningham takes offense, offering a deep dive into the rich and storied history of clowns and clownery.
“Clown, capital C, is a valuable and varied art form; pantomimes, acrobats, magicians, dancers, stand-up comedians, vaudeville artists and jugglers are all examples of artists who incorporate Clown into their work,” he wrote.
He claims Trump’s brash style renders him unfit to wear the comically oversized pants and suspenders, nor the honking red nose — and certainly unworthy to brandish a squirting seltzer bottle.
“All Clown shares the common values of healing, empathy and reflection. Our work touches people in need of joy everywhere,” Cunningham writes, rattling off a series of gigs he’s performed at hospitals, war zones, refugee camps and homeless shelters, allegedly to the delight of ailing children.
“Clowns are more than children’s birthday party performers; we help people relax, heal and prompt others to think differently about the world,” he continues.
“Yet, our joyful work has been diminished into an insult … ‘Clown’ is used by almost everyone to belittle those seen as foolish or incompetent. The more we mistreat the word, the more we lose understanding of a sacred art form.”
He closes with a plea to “find a better metaphor to despise and depose fascism,” casually labeling the duly elected President of the United States a dictator.
“Keep Clown out of Trumpian comparisons, and for that matter, all politics. Offer Clown the respect it deserves and invoke us for good: in alliance with other artists, activists and humans who believe in a better, happier world.”
