LONDON — Some people are finding this month’s White House transition a bit difficult. Perhaps it’s the looming rollback of Obamacare, the unraveling of crucial climate protections, or President-elect Donald Trump's lengthy list of potential conflicts of interest. Or on the other hand, maybe it’s the sweeping policy ignorance, implicit racism, or alleged violence toward women we heard so much about during the long campaign.
But as the world awaits the most dramatic changing of the presidential guard in recent memory, I say we must learn to love the Donald. Yes, love the Donald, even if you loathe him (or especially if you loathe him). This is a bright and sunny day in the land of comedic possibility. America has elected its own version of Italy's former tycoon-playboy leader Silvio Berlusconi and set him loose with a Twitter account and a taste for vengeance.
You will find that Trump, already famous as a reality TV star, translates quite well as a brusque and irreverent comic book character. Presidential protocol? Our hero will have none of that. And the delicate diplomatic dances that take years to nurture? Someone please get the buzz saw. Alec Baldwin, who plays the incoming president to brilliance on Saturday Night Live, should be sending personal checks to Trump Tower. I say we all should.