Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Politics and Religion
Our National Embarrassment: Meloni & Reflecting Pool Edition

Our National Embarrassment: Meloni & Reflecting Pool Edition

Last updated on: June 24, 2026 at 8:06 pm by Rebecca Hamilton

Our National Embarrassment: Meloni & Reflecting Pool Edition 2026-06-24T20:06:34-06:00 Rebecca Hamilton

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Trump. Source: Wikimedia Commons, White House file photo, public domain

Flood the zone with s—. This is not about persuasion: This is about disorientation.

Steve Bannon

So, how did Trump Flood the Zone last week?

A lot of people think that the reason Trump started — and then proceeded to lose — his Iran war was to Flood the Zone so that We the People would be distracted from the Epstein Files and the testimony in them that Trump beat, raped and threatened to kill a 13-year-old girl.

This came from a woman’s own statements to the FBI — allegations Trump has vehemently denied and that the FBI never charged.

So, a lot of folks think that Trump started and lost an unnecessary war with Iran to Flood the Zone and distract We the People from the Epstein Files.

But when it comes to Flooding the Zone, Trump has no rival. He really is the show-stopping, no-question-about-it, grand wizard of unending outrage and flatulent zone flooding.

He needed a distraction from the fact that, thanks to him, America is now weaker, more poor, and a laughing stock because he managed to lose his war with Iran; a war that he probably started to distract from the Epstein Files.

One of Trump’s greatest strengths is his absolute indifference to making a fool of himself.

Trump Starts Feud with Italian Prime Minister

Trump needed a distraction from the fact that he basically surrendered to Iran to get out of the mess he’d made with his war. So, he humiliated the United States at the G7 Conference last week by starting a spitting contest with the Italian Prime Minister.

Our idiot president told the press that Prime Minister Meloni — who, before this, had been one of Trump’s closest supporters in Europe — had “begged” him to do a photo with her.

Now, Giorgia Meloni is the Prime Minister of Italy. You know, where the Pope lives. The pope is kind of a big deal in Italy. Actually, the pope is kind of a big deal everywhere. But the pope is a really big deal in Italy.

And, in case all the other trash Trump has dumped on our heads since then has made you forget, Our National Embarrassment attacked Pope Leo a few weeks ago. It went on for quite a while and even included rumors that somebody from America’s State Department threatened to use military force against the Vatican.

Jesus Christ is also a pretty big deal in Italy — and elsewhere. And Trump posted a meme of himself as Jesus Christ. He openly and deliberately mocked the Lord.

Meloni may have been more aligned with a few of Trump’s policies than other European leaders, but she wasn’t a Trump fan girl. She’s a for-real head of state. She’s a serious person.

Furthermore, I would guess that Trump pretty well kissed the goat with Italy and Meloni by attacking the Pope and mocking the Lord.

Italian Prime Minister had nothing to gain from a photo with Trump.

What all this means is that there’s zero percentage for the Prime Minister of Italy to have a photo of herself with Trump. A photo like that wouldn’t help her at home. It would embarrass her.

Meloni isn’t one of Trump’s whore clergy who go “oh, he just says things like that” as if they were talking about a two-year old who says he rides dragons. She was rightfully outraged by Trump’s lie.

She’s the Prime Minister of Italy. You mock her, you also mock Italy. She couldn’t allow it. And she didn’t.

She confronted Trump in person and on camera. Then she publicly said Trump had lied.

Trump’s lies and buffoonery harms America.

And the feud was on. Trump loves rolling around in the mud. He loves dragging anybody and everybody down into the slime with him.

He loves doing it, and it does flood the Zone. It distracts from things like the fact that he lost his stupid and ill-conceived war with Iran and was giving them whatever they wanted to get out of it.

Not only does this make Trump look like a lying gasbag and an old fool. It makes America look like a bunch of fools. Worse, it weakens our alliances, which weakens us as a country. Trump damages America with this trash.

Trump’s Reflecting Pool failure began with what looks a lot like corruption.

The other Zone Flooding deal last week was the Reflecting Pool.

That thing began with what looks like a corrupt deal. The contractor who made such a mess of our Reflecting Pool was just handed the contract to do it without even making a bid. There was no legally required process at all.

This contractor, a big donor of Trump’s, who Trump has said is a “fantastic man,” had reportedly been linked to a high-profile bribery case.

As we all have begun to see, the contractor did a lousy, rotten job on the reflecting pool. And as we all know, Trump got a bit more Zone Flooding out of this than he wanted.

That Reflecting Pool belongs to you and me. Just like the White House Trump has torn down, the Reflecting Pool is ours, not his.

So, to create a diversion away from himself, Trump did what he always does. He began Flooding the Zone with a firehose of ridiculous lies that a 7-year-old could see were just a lying liar lying.

Trump and MAGA do love their preposterous conspiracy theories, so he started claiming that it was “vandals” who had destroyed our Reflecting Pool. Then, because he appears to have no respect for the law or the freedoms of the American people, he evidently instructed his “Justice” Department to “investigate” … somebody … for attacking the Reflecting Pool. His puppet “Justice” Department immediately began arresting innocent tourists for “vandalizing” the Reflecting Pool.

There’s nothing funny about that. There’s nothing funny about being arrested, having to hire expensive attorneys and then go to court to defend yourself against made-up charges from the United States Department of “Justice.”

Trump orders “Justice” Department to find someone other than Trump to blame for reflecting pool mess.

There’s nothing funny about a president overstepping his powers like a third-world dictator and ordering innocent people to be arrested and prosecuted for made-up crimes to cover for his corruption and incompetence.

There’s nothing funny about a subservient and corrupt “Justice” Department that will blindly obey those orders.

Of course, Trump’s right-wing media is repeating Trump’s lies about vandalism. The White House press office has been leading the charge by calling these people Trump has had arrested names before they’ve had a day in court.

It’s no small thing when the President of the United States decides to bring the full weight of his “Justice” Department down on innocent people in order to justify his own corruption and incompetence. It’s horrible for the victims of this ugly, dictatorial abuse of power.

Melon and the Reflecting Pool: That was our National Embarrassment supposedly at work for us last week.

Here are the headlines.

Flood the Zone: Distract from Losing War with Iran Meloni Edition.

Italy’s Meloni says Trump “Totally Invented” Story that she Begged Him for Photo

Italy PM Meloni ‘stunned’ by Trump’s claims she begged him for a photo

Trump doubles down on feud with Italian Prime Minister Meloni, insisting she asked for G7 photo

Trump deepens the dustup with Italy’s Meloni, who says his ‘unprovoked attacks are senseless’

Raging Trump, 80, Melts Down After Being Humiliated by World Leader

Flood the Zone: Distract from Corruption and Incompetence Regarding the Reflecting Pool Edition.

Firm Tied to Trump Donor Got No-Bid Contract to Clean Reflecting Pool

Some of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool liner appears to be falling apart

Trump says Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool will ‘probably’ be drained for repairs

Trump claims he knows who’s behind the reflecting pools damage.

Panicked Trump, 80, Spins Wild Tale When Cornered on Pool Slime

Trump Blames James Comey for Reflecting Pool Vandalism as Five Arrested

Trump has one simple answer for Reflecting Pool debacle: ‘Barack Hussein Obama’

Olympian David Hearn arrested at Reflecting Pool says ‘I did not damage’ anything

Trump had People Arrested for This???

History and Religion

Our National Embarrassment

Trump

Trump Destroying America

Uncategorized

Reflecting Pool

trump

Previous Post

June 20, 2026

Where I'm From, We Call Our Fathers Daddy.

Next Post

July 7, 2026 Pope Leo Addressed America on July 4. Watch his Speech Here.

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 10 Commandments 2012 Election 2016 Election 2020 Election 2022 Election 2024 Election Abortion Addiction Adult Day Care Advent Africa AI Alcoholism Alex Pretti Renee Good America American Citizenship American Fascism Announcement Anti Semitism Anti-Semitism Apologetics Archbishop Coakley Argentina Armenian Genocide Ash Wednesday Ballot Box Salvation Biden Big Beautiful Bill Bishop Black Mass Blasphemy Boko Haram Book Review Brainwashing Breast Cancer Bribery Calling Evil Good calling good evil Cancer Canonize Caregiving Catholic Catholic Vote Cause for Sainthood Chaos child abuse Child Labor Child Rearing Child Sacrifice Christian Bashers Christian Leadership Christian Persecution Christian Solidarity Christianity Christmas clergy Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal Climate Coakley Common Good Communion Communism Computers concentration camps Conclave Confession Consecration to Our Lady Conversion Coptic Christians Coronavirus Corporatism Corruption COVID Crisis Pregnancy Centers Culture D Day Death Death Penalty Dementia Democracy Designer Baby Destruction of the Family Dictator Dignity of Work Divine Mercy Novena Divine Mercy Sunday Divorce Doubt Drug Addiction easter Ebola Economics Education Egg Harvesting El Salvador Elderly Epiphany Epstein eternal life Eternal Life Eucharist Eugenics Euthanizing Children Euthansia evangelization Excommunicate Biden Extraterrestrial Life Failed Clergy Faith False Gods Family Fascism Fatherhood Feast of the Assumption First Amendment Flood the Zone Following Christ forced conversion Forgiveness Fortnight4Freedom fourth amendment Fr James Altman Fr Stanley Rother free press Freedom Freedom of Conscience freedom of religion Freedom of Speech Freedom of Worship vs Religious Freedom Geek Stuff Gender Theory Genocide God the Father Good Friday Gossip GQP Greenland Grief Gun Control Gun Violence Hate Blogs Health Health Care Heart Attack Heaven Hell Herod HHS Mandate History of the Crusades Holy Father Holy Father' Holy Father's Tweets Holy Matrimony Holy Saturday Holy Spirit Holy Thursday Holy Week Home Homeschooling homosexual Hospice Human Dignity Human Rights human trafficking Humor ICE Idolatry Immaculate Conception Immigration Incest Infertility Inspiration Internet Addiction Iran War ISIS Islam Islamic Brotherhood Israel JD Vance Jesus Jobs Jordan Judas Judicial and Legislative Murder Judicial Murder July 4 Just War Justice Kavanaugh Ketanji Jackson Brown Laity Latin Mass Leadership Lent Less of Me Lying Lying for Trump Mad King MAGA Magnifica humanitas Mama Marriage Marriage Protection Amendment Martyr Media Bias Medicaid Men and Abortion Mercy Military Dictatorship Misogyny Motherhood Movie Review Murder Music National Catholic Register Nazi Clergy Neo Nazis New Category New Evangelism New Evangelization News Headlines Nigeria No Kings Novena for the Persecuted Church Nuns Obama Oklahoma Oscar Romero Our Lady Our National Embarrassment Pakistan Palm Sunday Papal Conclave Papal G8 Pedophile piano political priests Political Whore Clergy Politics Polygamy Pope Francis Pope Francis Visit United States Pope Leo XIV Pope's Prayer Intentions Pornography Post Christian West Poverty Prayer Prayers for the Persecuted Church Pro Life Prophecy Prostitution Purgatory Putin Quack Medicine Racism Rape Religious Freedom Renee Good Republican Republican priests Rerum Novarum Retirement Risen Lord Roe v Wade Rosary Sacrament Sacred Heart Sacrilege Saints Salvation Same Sex Marriage Sanctity of Human Life Satan Save Our Democracy scandal Scripture Shroud of Turin Sisters Slavery Social Justice Social Security Solidarity Cross St Michael the Archangel stations of the cross Stop Late Term Abortion Stroke Suicide Supreme Court Surrogacy Surveillance State Synod Syria Taliban Tariffs Taxes Technology Thanksgiving The Ascension The Cross The Locust Class The Political Heresy The Resurrection The Tomb The Transfiguration The Trinity The War on Girls Tornado Trauma Trump Trump Coup Trump Destroying America Trump's Coup Trump's War on the Rule of Law Trumpism Ukraine Uncategorized USAID USCCB Vatican Vatican Reform Violence Against Women Violence in America Vocation Voting Rights Wages Walk for Life War Weight Loss White House Why Aren't You a Feminist Too? Woke Women Leaders Women's Rights Worker's Rights World Hunger World War I World War III World Youth Day Worship Writing Year of Faith

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 March 2024 February 2024 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 October 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 August 2016 May 2016 April 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the "mystery" Paul reveals in Ephesians 3?

Select your answer to see how you score.

That Gentiles are also part of God’s family The fate of Israel The Second Coming The meaning of the Trinity