Until we can have real discussions without Trump’s name being weaponized at every turn, we’re doomed to more empty conversations.

Bob Grabois nails it—many on the Left can’t seem to write a single email without mentioning Donald Trump, as if their obsession with him is some undeniable truth that doesn’t need explaining.

BOB GRABOYES: “Many friends, mostly on the Left, appear incapable of writing an email on any topic without inserting some gratuitous mention of Donald Trump, always written in the form of a Euclidean postulate—a universal and unassailable Truth that warrants no comment. This post is my response.”

Allow me to offer an Iron Law of Oratory:

“You may stand in the most inspiring edifice on earth, delivering the most soaring and poetic eulogy imaginable, for the most beloved figure of our era—but should you fart audibly during your oration, that low-register, low-altitude trumpet blast will be the only thing mourners recall of the entire event.”

An analogous law holds that if a trumpeter performs Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” flawlessly, save for one off-key BLAAAT!!!, it is the errant BLAAAT!!! that will linger years later in the listeners’ memories.

This brings us to an equivalent Iron Law of Correspondence:

“You may craft the most literary email possible, waxing lyrical on art, music, literature, aviation, astronomy, botany, quantum physics, artificial intelligence, and the achievements of your children—but should you insert a single fleeting, gratuitous mention of Donald Trump, that reference will be the only thing your reader will recall of your missive.”

We shall label these equivalent phenomena “Trumpet Blasts” and “Trump-et Blasts.” (ADDENDUM: I must note that one especially clever reader suggests that “Musk-et Blasts” are now a parallel phenomenon.)

AN AUTHENTIC TRUMP-ET BLAST

Almost every day, some friend—usually on the political left—sends me an email demonstrating the Iron Law of Correspondence. Recently, a great friend and outstanding scholar wrote me to compliment “An Inexhaustible Voice, a Soul, a Spirit”—an essay I had written on a beautiful teenage girl who triumphed over lifelong illness to become a magnificent singer. My essay concluded with William Faulkner’s inspiring declaration of optimism concerning mankind’s future. My friend wrote:

“Enjoyed your post, the music, and especially the quote by Faulkner. Reading that elegy for courage and other triumphs of the human spirit made me think of Deirdre McCloskey’s book Crossing: A Memoir. Have you read it? I found it moving and educational. … The current Presidential-felon’s attack on anyone who is different rings so hollow in light of Faulkner’s words.”