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Trump has mouthed the slogan “America first,” but he has never acted on it. It has always been “Trump first.” His business first. His excuses first. His pathetic vanity first.

Trump has taken millions in payments from the Treasury. He has taken millions in payments from U.S. businesses and foreign governments. He has taken millions in payments from the Republican Party and his own inaugural committee. He has taken so much that does not belong to him, that was unethical and even illegal for him to take. But responsibility? No, he will not take that.

Yet responsibility falls upon Trump, whether he takes it or not. No matter how much he deflects and insults and snivels and whines, this American catastrophe is on his hands and on his head.

Many are linking today to David Frum’s excellent piece “This is Trump’s Fault” in The Atlantic. For those who might skip the long read, here are the final paragraphs. 

My favorite tree.

I’ve had a favorite tree—not just a favorite kind, but an individual tree—in all the places I have lived. This stately cottonwood at San Pedro House has won my heart now that I’m settled in Cochise County. 

Do you have a favorite where you live, either one you regularly see or in memory? 

Calosoma scrutator, the fiery searcher beetle. 

These were out in numbers during my last San Pedro House ramble. They are insectivores that favor caterpillars for food, so their arrival naturally coincides with the mass emergence of the western tent caterpillars that are now infesting every willow and cottonwood on the river. 

If you feel like picking one up, you should be aware they are very stinky and very bitey. The pain from the bite is negligible and brief, but the stink lingers.