12:01 pm Thu May 14, 2026 The Washington Monument. Photo: Pedro Szekely (CC BY-SA 2.0) The "sir" anecdote is always a handy red flag that reality has left the building. Once again, as constant as the northern star, Donald Trump has entered the familiar third act of his scandal lifecycle: after publicly enthusing about his wonderful handpicked guy and the terrific project he personally championed, he now appears to have no earthly idea who this person is, how the contract happened, or why someone keeps putting words in his mouth that suspiciously sound exactly like his words. The convicted felon forgets another grifter, and the US taxpayer foots the bill. Defacing national treasures seems to be a very profitable side hustle for the grifter-in-chief.…