The folks who run the Town Hall in Jackson, Wyoming proudly displayed a portrait of President Obama during his terms in office. But they won’t be extending the same respect to President Trump.
Mayor Pete Muldoon removed portraits of President Trump and Vice President Pence – replacing them with a portrait of Chief Washakie, a renowned Native American warrior.
The mayor told me in a lengthy email that he stands by his decision – even though he acknowledged Trump “won the election under the rules we have in place.”
“Dictators like Joseph Stalin required their portraits to be displayed everywhere,” Mayor Muldoon told me. “Luckily, we do not live in a dictatorship.”
The mayor said since the town government is a non-partisan body and they do not work for the federal government, there is no requirement to display a picture of the president.
“The Town of Jackson is not in the president’s chain of command,” the mayor said. “The idea that we are required to display a portrait of the president at Town Hall is simply not true. There’s a tradition of hanging portraits of the president in federal offices within the executive branch – not unlike how grocery stores display pictures of the manager.”
He suggested there were only two reasons for displaying the president’s portrait: for education purposes or to honor the Commander in Chief.
“I see no educational value in such a display,” the mayor said.
Neither did he find a reason to honor the president.
“Donald Trump is an extremely divisive figure,” he said. “Whether you agree with is opinions or not, it’s undeniably true that many residents intensely dislike him, and find his political views odious.”
He said honoring “such a divisive person” would been seen as the town leaders “taking sides against some of its residents.”
“If Barack Obama was still president, I would make the same decision,” the mayor responded, presumably with a straight face.
Paul Vogelheim, the chairman of the Teton County Republicans, blasted the mayor’s decision.
“I find this totally disrespectful and dishonoring of the position of the president,” Vogelheim told Jackson Hole News. “Even more so, the concern is that it’s bringing ugly national partisan politics into our community.”
Mayor Muldoon disputed the notion he was thumbing his nose at President Trump.
“The United States is a constitutional republic,” he said. “We don’t have a monarch, and one of the best features of our system is that presidents are people just like everyone else.”
Mayor Pete Muldoon’s decision to remove President Trump’s portrait illustrates the Left’s complete and utter disregard for tradition, decorum, and basic social graces.
Ultimately, the mayor will have to answer to the good and patriotic people of Jackson, Wyoming.
Until that happens, perhaps someone could inform Mayor Muldoon that Donald J. Trump is the president of the United States, not the manager of a Piggly Wiggly.
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